SANTA LETTERS”
OPERATION NORTH POLE
AT THE WAYNE SENIOR CENTER
Well, it’s that time of year again! Santa and his elves are working overtime trying to get all of their
hard work done before Christmas. As one can imagine, this is daunting task! Consequently, Santa
has asked that some elves work extra late night hours at The Wayne Senior Center answering special
Santa letters. Now, if you know of a good little boy or girl who is deserving of a personal letter from
Santa, please write to The Wayne Senior Center, 108 Station Road, Wayne, PA 19087. Please make
sure to include the child’s name, age, siblings, pet, accomplishment, and special Christmas wish along
with a $10.00 check made payable to The Wayne Senior Center. Deadline for letters to be received is
December 18th! DETAILS INCLUDED ON our website, to read more click HERE. Please fill out and send to The Wayne Senior Center, 108 Station Road, Wayne, PA 19087, Attention:
Donna Alexander along with a $10 check made payable to The Wayne Senior Center.
Taking Advantage of Holiday Gatherings to Prevent Senior Care Crisis
Subhead: Family visits are the perfect time for evaluating elderly care needs
King of Prussia, PA 11/9/09 – We live in a very mobile society where families don’t always live in the same town or even the same state for that matter. Holiday gatherings are a perfect time to ‘check up’ on seniors living on their own.
It is not uncommon for the adult children of seniors to have some concerns about how their parents are doing. This holiday season while you are enjoying your visits, make good use of your time by reviewing your senior loved one’s living status.
One of the best ways to determine a senior’s current capabilities is to use your five senses. The following checklist can help you determine if your family members are in need of additional care of assistance.
Sight – Looking at the senior’s appearance can be a sign that they are being limited either physically or mentally from completing otherwise normal daily tasks. Watch for things like clothes with stains, poor personal hygiene and a disorganized or dirty house.
Sound – Listening to what and how seniors speak can tell you a lot about their current mental status. Do they call you by name? Are they speaking normally?
Smell – Use your nose as an indicator to determine if the relative is bathing properly, cleaning their house or have spoiled food in their kitchen.
Taste – Tasting their food and sorting through their medications can help you determine if they are eating healthy or taking expired medications. Look at expiration dates and look for fresh and stocked pantry items.
Touch – A simple hug can tell you if your family member is fragile or losing weight. Is their skin soft and the color normal? Do they have any bruising or tearing of the skin?
“If the family senses a problem, they should waste no time in taking the appropriate next steps,” said Clark Bongaardt, King of Prussia, PA. “Sometimes, setting a family meeting while the majority of the family is in town may be the easiest way to determine how caregiving is handled.”
Things to be discussed at the meeting could include the latest report from the physician, what are the seniors daily care needs, what are the financial concerns of caregiving and who will make future decisions?
Although family meetings can be powerful and effective ways to connect and work with family members, they cannot magically solve all the problems of caring for an aging family member. In many cases, an outside care provider or service is the best option.
“For many of our clients, we provide assistance with many of the activities of daily life including meal preparation, incidental transportation and in many cases personal care services. Primarily, we provide companionship and a peace of mind to the family members who can’t be there on a regular basis,” continued Clark Bongaardt.
Remember, the holiday season is a time for family, togetherness and establishing lifelong memories. By taking the time to address these issues before they reach the crisis stage, your family will have the much-needed sense of security allowing your loved ones to continue living in the comfort of their own homes. For more information call 610-520-5300 or email comfortkeeperpa@yahoo.com. Locally Comfort Keepers serves clients in Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Chester Counties including the Mainline. This article submitted to the Times Herald, the Ambler Gazette and several other Montgomery County newspapers.
Hunger and malnutrition is a greater problem for America’s seniors than many may realize. According to a report by the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) Foundation, more than five million American seniors—11.4 percent of those 65 and older—experienced some form of “food insecurity.” Of that number 2.5 million were at risk of hunger and about 750,000 experience hunger.
A variety of programs exists to help seniors get proper nutrition, such as Meals on Wheels, which delivers meals to seniors, on-site meal programs provided by community organizations and senior centers, food pantries, and the federal food stamp program.
According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), about 60 percent of low-income seniors who qualify for federal and state nutrition programs have not enrolled. NCOA offers a free Web-based service, BenefitsCheckUp® (www.benefitscheckup.org), to help people over 55 identify nutrition and other benefits for which they qualify.
Here are some other ways you can help ensure seniors get proper nutrition:
Find a grocery with home delivery service.
Look to churches and community organizations that have volunteers who shop and cook for seniors who live alone.
Check in regularly with seniors and share meals with them.
Join with other seniors who are alone, share in meal preparation and dine together.
Schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian.
Hire a professional caregiving provider, such as Comfort Keepers®, to assist with meal preparation, shopping, companionship during meals and other times, and provide other needed assistance around the home.
Talk with your doctor about screening for potential nutritional problems, switching to medications that don’t affect appetite and reconsidering diets that may be discouraging a senior from eating.
Help seniors get regular exercise. Exercise is an appetite booster, strengthens bones and muscles and helps control depression. To read more on this subject, go to the Comfort Keepers, Stop Senior Hunger website by clicking HERE.
Senior citizens today have more home care services to choose from than ever before. And more than ever, seniors are opting to continue living at home for as long as possible, even when they need medical assistance.
Home care services have increased in popularity as a senior care option to assisted living facilities and nursing homes, even as quality of facility-provided care continues to improve.
The reasons for home care services’ growth include:
America’s 65+ population is growing faster than ever (expected to double to more than 70 million by 2030, accounting for one of every five Americans)
Much of the senior population growth is being fueled by the baby boom generation, which is entering retirement. Today’s seniors, who are more active and living longer than previous generations, prefer to continue living independently at home for as long as possible
Medical advancements make it possible for in-home care of chronic health conditions, which have become more prevalent due to the aging population
Home care has become more accepted by physicians
There is a movement toward more cost-effective health care options, such as in-home care
Studies show that even after they begin needing assistance with the activities of daily living or ongoing health care, seniors prefer to age in the comfort of their own home. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that more than two-thirds of older Americans who already need daily assistance are now living at home. This includes more than 70 percent of persons with Alzheimer’s disease.
In-home senior care agencies offer a wide variety of services that clients can select as needed. The services can be tailored to provide whatever amount of help a senior needs to perform the activities of daily living. Services include:
· Companionship and care services, such as meal planning and preparation, light housekeeping, conversation and companionship, medication reminders, transportation, grocery shopping, laundry, and recreational activities
· Personal care services, such as bathing, help with mobility, incontinence care, toileting, feeding, and special diet preparation
· Technology services, such as monitoring, emergency response and medication management systems to provide security and care for seniors when professional or family caregivers are not present
Many seniors needing in-home care have chronic medical conditions that require regular management, so medical home care agencies can work in conjunction with non-medical in-home senior care providers to meet a senior’s complete needs.
In-home elder care providers, such as Comfort Keepers, also serve today’s more active seniors, helping them maintain connections with friends, as well as community organizations and hobbies that continue to give them satisfaction. To read more about in-home services, click HERE.
Caregiver Stress: Increasing Frustration with an Elderly Loved One Review of how seniors often exhibit behaviors that are difficult to deal with including being irrational and uncooperative in regards to their safety needs. Suggestions are given how to decrease caregiver stress. http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/891505/caregiver_stress_increasing_frustration.html
Click here to see why Jackie Albert, Comfort Keepers, loves what she does and hear her talk about winning the National Comfort Keeper of the Year Award. She was selected from nominations submitted by 550 offices nationwide. For more info: www.comfortkeepers.com
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Interactive Caregiving for Seniors: Our Elders Deserve to Be Treated with Respect and Dignity
Caregiver Stress: Increasing Frustration with an Elderly Loved One
