Seniors have worked their whole lives and should be enjoying the last few years they have available to them. How can we help seniors to make those years enjoyable?
The majority of seniors would prefer to stay in their own homes as they age. In the past this has often not been possible as they require more help and in some cases lose confidence in their ability to be able to look after themselves.
In recent years however there has been an initiative begun to help seniors to be able to do just that. In the United States it is called Aging in Place and in Canada it is called Aging at Home. As of 2010, in the United State there were fifty operational communities and 149 in the developmental stage with more being developed in other areas.
This program provides seniors with the ability to live in their own home and community safely, independently and comfortably regardless of their age, income or ability level. The program is to get away from institutionalized living for seniors by using telecare which includes health and wellness monitoring and home safety and security monitoring. Each person will have a choice in their care and living arrangements.
The program depends on volunteers, some trained professionals and some help from family members. Volunteers assist with health care, home repairs, provide transportation, do shopping, household chores, gardening and some light maintenance. They organize and encourage involvement in social activities such as pot luck dinners, book clubs and educational programs.
The greatest threat to seniors living on their own is falling and causing themselves serious injuries. Causes are usually lack of safety bars in showers and bathrooms, inadequate railings on stairs, loose rugs, obstructed pathways and insufficient lighting. Low cost modifications to homes can help to eliminate the potential for falls. This can be done by installing hand-held shower heads, ramps at entrance and exit stairs and non-skid flooring. For those with more severe functional limitations, and depending on the set-up of their home, extra modifications can be installed.
In some communities in the United States they are taking it a step further by developing Smart Homes that will allow seniors to live on their own but will be set up with functional monitoring for emergency detection and response and social interaction monitoring.
With this type of initiative towards seniors being able to remain independent helps to discourage depression. By allowing seniors to be able to remain in their own modified homes, it reduces many of the challenges they have previously faced. Their homes are now safe environments, people are available for assistance, they do not feel institutionalized, they don't feel like they are being a burden to anyone and so feel they are living a more normal life. And loneliness isn't the same issue because they are encouraged and assisted to be part of the comunity. Volunteers are available for doctors and other appointments.
With luck, more communities will become involved in this relatively new initiative program which not only encourages seniors to stay in their own homes but assists them to do so as well which allows the elderly to live healthier and happier lives.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Recognizing the Challenges Facing Seniors
Seniors, as they age, face many challenges. And with these challenges come fears as they consider how best to enjoy their golden years.
Health problems is one of the biggest issues with the possibility of strokes, heart disease, reduced vision, osteoporosis, a weakened immune system, arthritis and even the difficulty of simply enjoying a cob of corn because of loose fitting false teeth. All of these challenges loom like a black rain-filled cloud on their horizon. And with the prospect of health problems is the thought of losing their independence and possibly being forced to go to a nursing home or becoming a burden on their family members.
With these health challenges also comes the potential risk of injuries from falls that may eventually require them to use a cane or a walker to help them get around. Because of falls, there may be a resulting lack of mobility and accompanying pain. Incontinence is an embarrassing possibility as the body ages creating a loss of dignity for them as well.
Transportation also becomes an issue for seniors who have serious health problems. Poor vision and the high cost of owning a vehicle has made driving almost impossible. Buses are not practical with sometimes long distances to walk to a bus stop especially if they have problems with balance and mobility. That leaves taxis which they may be unable to afford, or they may be reduced to having to rely on others for their transportation requirements.
As many seniors age, loneliness also becomes an issue especially if they are unable to be out in their community. Internet is a way of communication for many people but unfortunately only twenty-nine percent of those sixty-five years and older are computer literate. And of those only seven percent use social networks such as e-mail or facebook which would be another way of combating loneliness.
This lack of computer literacy greatly reduces their ability to access information or as one senior in his eighties discovered, losing his driver's license when he was required to rewrite his test and couldn't use the computer. His license was taken away simply because he wasn't computer literate. Or other instances when internet accessibility is necessary for activating something, i.e.: a digital box for a television set.
Another challenge for many is that they have reduced and/or fixed incomes. This makes owning a car prohibitive and the high cost of living in general makes even obtaining necessary prescription medication difficult for some. Where to live can become an issue on a fixed income as well. No longer able to maintain the home they've lived in possibily for many years either financially, because of escalating property taxes or physically, they must decide where to go - a condo, with no yard work, a retirement home or an assisted living residence. However, even rents are often prohibitive.
Other challenges are, in some cases, society's negative perception of the elderly. I have witnessed this when out with my own mother and as people have passed, they let their eyes slide right over her as if she was inconsequential, didn't exist. And in some cases, in a restaurant, I would be asked what my mother wanted when she was perfectly capable of ordering her own meal. There have been cases also when the elderly have fallen victim to financial exploitation by strangers but also sadly, sometimes by their own family members.
Another challenge is memory loss but the biggest fear for most seniors is the possibility of getting dementia or Alzheimer's. Because of the numerous challenges besetting seniors, it is up to family members to help the elders in our lives as much as we are able to do so that they can live as happily as possible. It is their right.
Health problems is one of the biggest issues with the possibility of strokes, heart disease, reduced vision, osteoporosis, a weakened immune system, arthritis and even the difficulty of simply enjoying a cob of corn because of loose fitting false teeth. All of these challenges loom like a black rain-filled cloud on their horizon. And with the prospect of health problems is the thought of losing their independence and possibly being forced to go to a nursing home or becoming a burden on their family members.
With these health challenges also comes the potential risk of injuries from falls that may eventually require them to use a cane or a walker to help them get around. Because of falls, there may be a resulting lack of mobility and accompanying pain. Incontinence is an embarrassing possibility as the body ages creating a loss of dignity for them as well.
Transportation also becomes an issue for seniors who have serious health problems. Poor vision and the high cost of owning a vehicle has made driving almost impossible. Buses are not practical with sometimes long distances to walk to a bus stop especially if they have problems with balance and mobility. That leaves taxis which they may be unable to afford, or they may be reduced to having to rely on others for their transportation requirements.
As many seniors age, loneliness also becomes an issue especially if they are unable to be out in their community. Internet is a way of communication for many people but unfortunately only twenty-nine percent of those sixty-five years and older are computer literate. And of those only seven percent use social networks such as e-mail or facebook which would be another way of combating loneliness.
This lack of computer literacy greatly reduces their ability to access information or as one senior in his eighties discovered, losing his driver's license when he was required to rewrite his test and couldn't use the computer. His license was taken away simply because he wasn't computer literate. Or other instances when internet accessibility is necessary for activating something, i.e.: a digital box for a television set.
Another challenge for many is that they have reduced and/or fixed incomes. This makes owning a car prohibitive and the high cost of living in general makes even obtaining necessary prescription medication difficult for some. Where to live can become an issue on a fixed income as well. No longer able to maintain the home they've lived in possibily for many years either financially, because of escalating property taxes or physically, they must decide where to go - a condo, with no yard work, a retirement home or an assisted living residence. However, even rents are often prohibitive.
Other challenges are, in some cases, society's negative perception of the elderly. I have witnessed this when out with my own mother and as people have passed, they let their eyes slide right over her as if she was inconsequential, didn't exist. And in some cases, in a restaurant, I would be asked what my mother wanted when she was perfectly capable of ordering her own meal. There have been cases also when the elderly have fallen victim to financial exploitation by strangers but also sadly, sometimes by their own family members.
Another challenge is memory loss but the biggest fear for most seniors is the possibility of getting dementia or Alzheimer's. Because of the numerous challenges besetting seniors, it is up to family members to help the elders in our lives as much as we are able to do so that they can live as happily as possible. It is their right.
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