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Helping Your Loved Ones Age in Place

Home for the Holidays may mean time to check on elder relatives

Press Information

Jefferson Area Board for

Aging (JABA)

Alzheimer’s Association, Central and Western Virginia

Chapter

December 11, 2005

For release on receipt

Contact

JABA: Clare Aukofer 434-817-5243

Alzheimer’s Association: Larry

Zippin 434-973-6122

GIVE SENIOR RELATIVES THE GIFT OF OBSERVATION

It’s that time of year.

If “home for the holidays” means seeing aging parents or other

relatives, the Jefferson Area Board for Aging and the Alzheimer’s

Association

have some suggestions for you.

You may prefer to think of your relatives as ageless, but if

you only see them once a year, Gordon Walker, JABA CEO, suggests that you not

just see, but really observe your senior relatives.

“Especially if they only see their kids once a year,” says Walker, “aging parents

may go to great lengths to hide or downplay any health issues, or may be so

accustomed to their home that they may not notice if it has become a little

unsafe.”

Some suggestions:

-- Take time to ask senior relatives how they’re doing, and

really pay attention. Ask when they last

saw a doctor, and why.

--While it’s normal to forget appointments, names or phone

numbers, early signs of Alzheimer’s disease can be forgetting them more often

and not remembering them later, or putting familiar items in unusual places: an

iron in the freezer, a watch in the sugar bowl.

-- Difficulty performing familiar tasks can be another early

sign of Alzheimer’s, says Larry Zippin, CEO of the Central and Western Virginia

Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

If mom’s always been a great cook but now can’t seem to remember the

steps for preparing a favorite dish, or how to use a familiar appliance, a

visit to the doctor may be in order.

-- Take a peek in the pantry and refrigerator. Are your

loved ones eating right? Do they have emergency supplies of food? “What if

there’s a blizzard and they can’t get out? “ Walker asks.

--Do they have working flashlights? Are the smoke detectors in

order? Is there a carbon monoxide detector? Local fire departments

often will provide both

of the latter, and some may even install them.

-- If your loved ones are still driving, how’s their

car? Taking it in for maintenance may be

a simple but important gift.

--If a parent lives alone, is there a neighbor or friend nearby

to call if she or he needs help? Do you

know how to get in touch with that person, and vice versa? Is there a house key with a neighbor or

safely hidden to allow rescue personnel to get in if necessary?

--Look around the house. Are there exposed wires? Are there throw rugs that can slip and cause

a senior to trip or fall? A little help

in redecorating more safely might be a lifesaving gift.

--Are there grab bars around the bathtub, to ease getting in

and out and prevent falls?

--Would outdoor ramps make it easier to maneuver outside

without walking steps?

You could also do your parents a great favor by seeing if

they’ve looked at their current medicare part D prescription plan to be sure

it’s the right one. Open enrollment ends on Dec. 31. If they haven’t done that yet, you can be a

big help.

Says Walker,

“The process is relatively easy—if you can do it online and you’re comfortable

with computers. Many seniors aren’t. Take a laptop with you or go with your parents

to a local library or aging agency to be sure they’re signed up for the plan

that’s best for them.”

“Our mission at JABA is to help seniors stay in their homes

for as long as possible,” he adds. “If

your senior relatives are in this area, we can provide everything from help

signing up for a new prescription plan to ‘blizzard bags’ to general advice to

help your parents stay safe. And if

you’re going out of town to visit parents, we’ll be happy to provide you with a

name and number for an area agency on aging anywhere in the country.”

JABA’s local number is 434-817-5222. More information on the

early signs of Alzheimer’s Disease is available from the Central and Western

Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association at 434-973-6122.