It’s a situation more of us will be facing in the coming years: Helping our parents move to a smaller home or a community where living on their own will be easier, or where they’ll have more access to day-to-day services.

Although there are many emotional issues around the senior’s relocation, there are also many practical factors associated with choosing a new home, and the actual move itself.

First is choosing the best place for them to live. Do they have access nearby to the things they need – pharmacy, banks, etc.? Even if they can drive now, think ahead to when they won’t be able to.

If the senior is moving into a bi-level house, it should have a room on the main floor that can be used as a bedroom once stairs become difficult to navigate.

Once seniors have chosen a new place, go with them to visit and get accustomed to the new environment. This will give them a chance to get to know their new roommates, friends or neighbors.

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For Lifes Next Phase has helped many California seniors transition to their new homes and lessoned the stress on their families by helping to organize their loved ones estate. If you need help organizing a move for your elderly loved one, please visit us at www.forlifesnextphase.com for more information.

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My dad has Alzheimer’s. His fine motor (the ability to use small muscle groups for controlled movements, particularly when manipulating objects) has really been affected, not to mention his critical thinking ability. His vision has been impacted (the person with Alzheimer’s has difficulty perceiving what he sees rather than how sharply he sees it) and his hearing is just not what it used to be.

He use to love to read books but his vision stopped him from being able to even read those large print magazines and books, so he started checking out audio books from the library and we purchased a small CD player with the biggest/simplest controls on it that we could find. The television remote control became way too overwhelming with all those tiny buttons so next was a purchase of a remote control with 5 buttons that did all that he needed it to be able to do: power, channel up/down, volume up/down and mute.

Then he started not being able to remember how to get ready in the morning. He was unable to read simple words so a schedule was designed with directions to follow using pictures. (Morning routine: brush teeth, shave, put your hearing aids in, wash your glasses, etc.) These little touches allowed him a little more independence and dignity.

If you have a disability or injury you may use a number of assistive devices or rehabilitation equipment to aid you in and around the home.  (Assistive: Now that is a new word! Just think of the root word, “assist”.) Assistive devices are tools, products or types of equipment that help you perform tasks and activities if you have a disability or an injury. Assistive devices may help you move around, see, communicate, eat, or get dressed/undressed. “Assistive technology,” (A.T.) according to the Technology Related Assistance Act of 1988 (P.L.100-407), is any item, piece of equipment, or set of products that helps a person with a disability to increase or improve his/her functional capabilities. The name can throw you off, as it often is not technology at all.

A.T. can allow a person with disabilities to function more independently, therefore helping a person to maintain self respect and a greater acceptance in society. A well-designed, high quality assistive device should encourage independent living by making life easier and safer.

Many A.T. tools are designed as assistive devices for people with disabilities, but they are also designed just to make life easier. For the senior population, A.T. has become so common place that we often forget that there is a title that they are categorized under.

So, what are some examples of A.T.? (I bet you have used some of these yourself!) A sound sensitive light switch, a hand held magnifier (I cannot read a telephone directory without this handy little tool any more), a personalized TV amplification system (boy, we all wish Mom would have used one of these), a step-by-step schedule that will help patients compensate for cognitive deficits, a blinking alarm clock, a pill reminder system, a “reacher” which is a tool that helps you grab an object you can’t reach (being under 5’3”, I use one in my kitchen almost every day!)

A.T. can help by providing assurance for a person’s safety, helping to compensate for cognitive deficits and again, better independence. Simply put, A.T. promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing tools and alternative methods. Anything that helps people continue to do daily activities is considered assistive technology.

Now that we have explained what Assistive Technology is, let’s look at some of the tools that you (or your loved one) might need to help make life more independent.

• Communication equipment: This is anything that helps someone send and receive commutative messages, such as a telephone amplifier and other telephone adaptations, an augmentative alternative communication system that might talk for you or an assistive listening device. (Just a little side note: The California Telephone Access Program, CTAP, distributes telecommunications equipment and services for individuals certified as having functional limitations of hearing, vision, mobility, speech and/or interpretation of information. If talking on the telephone is difficult- please, take some time to get the support you need by visiting their site.)

• Computer access: This is special software that helps you to access the Internet or hardware adaptations such as a modified mouse, touch screens, on-screen keyboard or other basic keyboards to make the computer easier to access. There are even full computer set-ups pre-installed to support specific needs such as vision or physical access issues.)

• Environmental Controls and Adaptive Switches: These are modified switches that you can use to adjust devices such as air conditioners, power wheelchairs, controlling a stereo system or turning lights on and off.

• Home modifications: This may include some remodeling to overcome physical barriers and live more comfortably. An example is constructing a ramp to allow wheelchair access, installing bars in the bathroom or using Universal Design options throughout your home.

• Mobility Aids: This is any device that allows you to move around more easily, including a power wheelchair, a wheelchair lift, a cane or a stair elevator.

• Sensory Enhancements: A person with a sensory impairment has reduced ability or lack of ability in using one or more of three senses-vision, touch, and hearing. The effects of a sensory impairment can range from slight to complete loss of ability to use the sense. Tools to provide support could include a caption option on a television for a senior citizen who is hard of hearing or screen enlargement combined with a scanner (CCTV) can be used to magnify printed text (a great way to be able to read your mail). Once a page is scanned using a standard desktop scanner, the results are displayed in large print on the computer screen.

• Text access: This category includes maintaining the ability to read and write. A few examples are audio books (check out your local library) and readers, assistive writing tools and computer magnification systems or scanning systems. It may also include using a portable word processor and/or computer programs.

• Tools for Independent Living: This is anything that allows you to enjoy daily life without additional assistance. A few examples are: built up handles on silverware, dressing aids to help you button, gardening tools or a large button telephone.

According to a 1993 study conducted by the National Council on Disability, 80 percent of the elderly persons who used assistive technology were able to reduce their dependence on others. In addition, half of those surveyed reduced their dependence on paid helpers, and half were able to avoid entering nursing homes (those are pretty big statistics). Assistive technology can also reduce the costs of care for the elderly and their families. Although families may need to make monthly payments for some pieces of equipment, for many, this cost is much less than the cost of home health or nursing home care.

This may all seem overwhelming. There is support out there. You may want to go to your local Independent Living Center or the AT Network (California based) to find an Assistive Technology Specialist in your area who could assist you. If funding is a concern, (as these tools can really add up) the AT Network has a great page dedicated to helping you through the process of finding financial support. Also, be sure to consult your doctor, audiology specialist, speech-language therapist, family and friends. Together, these people can help to identify the problem precisely and determine a course of action to help solve the problem.

Glenda Hampton Anderson – Glenda has been an Assistive Technology Consultant for 13 years. She holds a Multiple Subjects Credential, Physically Impaired Credential, Resource Specialist Certificate and Assistive Technology Certificate. She has been working in education with students with disabilities for 28 years and provides Assistive Technology services for the schools in her local county, has a private AT consultation business and is a part time lecturer for California State University, Chico. Her goal is to provide up-to-date, researched assistive technology information and recommendations so that individuals with disabilities may live a richer life with less barriers and challenges. Her biggest challenge has been learning to help her father through his barriers in life with love, compassion and respect.

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There are many reasons why senior citizen need to move, be it because they are moving into a smaller home or because they are suddenly alone and move in with their grown up children. However it is a fact that seniors need to move just as often as younger people who are relocating due to their jobs or moving into a larger home across the country. Due to their age, however, moving with seniors is not all that easy and there are a few things that one needs to pay attention to in order to make the move as smooth and as easy on the elderly as possible.

For a senior person, a move can be at times a traumatic experience, particularly when or or she has been living in the same house their entire lives. Leaving the place behind, maybe the place where the children grew up, where the many happy years with the husband or wife have been spent is a very sad situation, one that a person first needs to adjust to before attempting the actual move.

This is why if you are helping a senior citizen to move, you need to give them the time and space for the adjustment. The entire move is a process and people need to take baby steps until the move is done. A move cannot be simply done in a heartbeat, there are many steps involved and many little things that need to be taken care of. Adjustment time is absolutely a necessity for an older person before they move to a new location.

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To find out more about we can help your senior with moving, estate sales or downsizing, visit www.forlifesnextphase.com or call 925-999-8950.

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No one wants to move from their home into assisted living. However, in some cases, it is the best option to keep elderly or aging parents safe and healthy.

To determine if an elderly person should move to assisted living, or can safely remain at home, take a good look at the present housing situation, health status and medical needs. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is your parent telling you that he is eating, but you’re seeing food go bad in the refrigerator?
• Is your parent falling? To determine the answer, is your parent covering up bruises he or she doesn’t want you to see?
• Does your parent wearing the same clothes when you go to visit? Can they bathe themselves, groom adequately and launder clothes?
• When you look around the house or yard, is it as neat and clean as it used to be?
• Is your aging parent remembering to take medications correctly, with the right dosages and at the right time? Are medications expired?
• Are they able to operate appliances safely? Do they remember to turn appliances off when they are finished cooking?
• Is the home equipped with safety features such as grab bars and emergency response systems?
• Do they have a plan in place to contact help in case of an emergency?
• Are they driving? Should they be driving? Do they have alternate means of transportation?
• Are there stacks of papers and unpaid bills lying around?
• Do they have friends, or are they isolated from others most of the time?
• When you really look at your parent, do you see the bright and vibrant person from years ago, or do you see a more limited person who needs some help one hour a day, or even around the clock?

Making the decision to move a parent into assisted living is one of the hardest and most heart-wrenching decisions of your life. But if it keeps your parent healthy and safe and perhaps even happy, then it is probably for the best for the parent, the caregiver and the family.

Original content from agingcare.com.

If you are in a situation where a loved one needs to downsize or move to an assisted living facility, please visit us at www.forlifesnextphase.com or call 925-999-8950.

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Consider the following:

1. Be kind.  This may seem like a given. However, when helping to sort and pack their things, keep in mind that their eyesight and an inability to do everything they used to do can result in poor housekeeping habits. Instead of commenting, offer to clean as you pack and try not to criticize.

2. Help sort. Like all of us, seniors tend to keep things they don’t necessarily need or will ever use. Be gentle when suggesting to get rid of possessions. Ask them if they use the item and if they would mind if you donate it. If it’s a treasure or something they’d like to keep but the new space can’t accommodate it, suggest keeping it in the family by giving it to a grandchild or another sibling. It’s often easier to give away items if they’re are going to a good home.

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Visit www.forlifesnextphase.com for information on how we can help you transition your loved one with care and support!

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How to tell whether a continuing-care community will be able to keep its financial promises.

For years, the primary selling point of continuing-care retirement communities has been security: the knowledge that a person or couple could settle—and remain—in a development, whatever the changes to their health.

Today, though, with parts of the continuing-care market in financial trouble, residents and would-be
residents are grappling with a fundamental question: Can continuing-care developments keep their promise?

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If you need help with the challenge of moving your senior loved one, please visit www.forlifesnextphase.com.

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Another factor that influences the higher incidence rate of asbestos-related diseases among seniors is the long latency period associated with symptoms. After a person is exposed to asbestos, symptoms of mesothelioma can take as long as 50 years to arise. Because of this, the cancer may unknowingly develop for an extended period of time, often resulting in a late mesothelioma diagnosis. Other conditions that may result from asbestos exposure include lung cancer and asbestosis.

A third factor that places seniors at a higher risk for developing an asbestos-related disease is their participation in World War II. The era of this war was a time when asbestos was widely used to support the military. Primarily between the 1930s and the 1970s, every division of the U.S. military used asbestos-containing products for buildings and various types of transportation. Asbestos not only provided a great way to insulate materials but a way to fireproof them as well.

Even though all divisions of the military commonly used asbestos, the Navy found more uses for this heat-resistant mineral than any other division. From the 1930s through the 1980s, more than 300 products imbedded with asbestos were used by the Navy alone. Because of this widespread use, veterans make up a sizable percentage of those coping with asbestos-related disease.

This article was provided by www.asbestos.com. With more than 3,000 pages of content, the site features information on asbestos, mesothelioma, and other cancers that are caused by asbestos exposure (lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, etc.). Unlike other sites, Asbestos.com has achieved HON code approval (Health On the Net (HON) Foundation and is a not-for-profit foundation that works to preserve the accuracy and trustworthiness of Web-based medical information).

Additional information and resources for seniors and their families can be found by visiting: www.For Life’s Next Phase.com.

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Source  

As people who live in their own homes age, they become more secure and attached to their surroundings. This is especially true when they have been living in the same home for 30 or 40 or 50 years. Sometimes because of health, potential for falls, inability to maintain a yard or for a myriad of other reasons, a senior may have to sell the home and move to another location. This can be absolutely devastating to some elderly people.

Family may not be able to help because of job commitments, their own family commitments or because they live far away. Many elderly do not have children to help them. And in some cases, because people are living so long, the children may be elderly as well.

There is a large and growing industry of specialists who understand the emotional needs of elderly homeowners and are ready and willing to help with the sale of the home and with the move to a new location.

A move often requires downsizing and getting rid of a tremendous number of acquired possessions. The relocation specialist or Senior Move Manager, as they are often called, will typically provide a turnkey operation that includes assessing and identifying items to keep, arranging for auction or other disposal, cleaning the home, moving the belongings and setting up the new residence. The manager may also work closely with a real estate agent to arrange for the sale of the home and may also be involved in the financial transactions necessary to move into a new living arrangement.

Another provider called a Seniors Real Estate Specialist, concentrates more on a complete service package for the sale of the property and/or the purchase of a new living arrangement. The specialist also arranges for the services of a relocation specialist or Senior Move Manager to provide a complete, stress-free package for the elderly homeowner.

If you or a loved one need help with relocation or downsizing in California, visit  www.forlifesnextphase.com.

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Here is an article from agingcare.com that is helpful for families with loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s. Visit us at www.forlifesnextphase.com if you need help for a senior loved one.

Protecting Alzheimer patients’ legal, financial welfare

Caregiving experts often advise that after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, family members meet with an elder law attorney to begin the process of planning for down the road as the illness progresses.

“I don’t think families are well-versed in this,” said Barbara Vogel, program coordinator for the Neuwirth Memory Disorders Program at Hillside Geriatric Center in Glen Oaks.

“I don’t think they’re seeking the legal assistance or financial guidance that they need to do this early on so when the time comes they are prepared.”

Instead of doing all of their planning with a lawyer, some caregivers turn to geriatric care managers or social workers who hire themselves out as guides to those attempting to navigate the system. Orlando Gonzalez, 66, and his daughter Kim Latkovich, 38, both of Manorville, paid a social worker $700 and found the experience both cheaper and faster than dealing with an attorney.

Continue reading HERE.

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When aging seniors begin to need basic assistance with daily living, they can essentially choose from one of the following to get the long-term care they need:

(1) receiving assistance at home from a loved one;
(2) hiring a caregiver from a homecare agency; or
(3) moving into an assisted living facility. While approximately 70% of seniors over 75 years of age obtain help from a loved one in the US, home care agencies (HC) and assisted living facilities (ALF) are growing, lucrative industries. ALFs and HC services provide quality senior care and assistance for those in the aging elderly US population who have the ability to lessen the burden on their children by paying for expert long-term care services with their home equity, pensions, retirement savings, and/or government funding.

ALFs naturally compete with HC agencies for seniors and it is typically the adult daughter who decides if her aging parent will either move into an ALF or hire an in-home caregiver. Presumably, an adult daughter will choose the option that cultivates the most health and happiness to her aging parent at the lowest cost (especially in the current economic climate), and the goal of an ALF is to maximize revenue while keeping occupancy rates high by not losing seniors to HC companies. However, ALFs (known in signaling games as the sender (Source 1), since they send a price signal to the adult daughter) can vary greatly in quality (i.e. ‘good’ or ‘bad’) and HC quality is more stable (See Note). Ideally, operators of ‘good’ ALFs would signal their high quality to adult daughters with high prices, but because HC is a valuable alternative and there are ‘bad’ ALF that could raise their prices to falsely signal quality, the ‘good’ ALF operator has to carefully set its rates. This uncertain price-quality signaling between high revenue for the ALF and optimal benefit to the senior resident can be analyzed using game theory, particularly an extensive form signaling model, to help owners and operators of ALFs answer the question:

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If you need help with the move of an elderly loved one, visit www.forlifesnextphase.com for information on the services we provide.

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