Everybody has heard that good help is hard to find. For seniors seeking supportive help at home, the line is more like good help is hard to afford. Here are a couple of ways seniors may be able to enhance their cash flow.

Aid and Attendance is a cash benefit programs for veterans needing extra care at home or in an assisted living facility. Even spouses of veterans may be eligible. Not surprisingly, there are forms to complete, but don’t despair. The folks at local Veteran Affairs offices are more than happy to help those who have served our county make sure all the i’s are dotted and all the t’s are crossed correctly.

Another option for ready cash may be a Reverse Mortgage. Don’t discount it without some serious fact finding. I can point you toward folks that can help. Many seniors have discovered that a Reverse Mortgage is not something to be feared, doesn’t threaten home ownership, and can cover services that will make life far more satisfying.

I’ve observed older adults to be mostly practical and prudent. Besides, it is just plain smart to tap into well-earned resources to cover the cost of help at home or for assisted living. If you haven’t investigated these veteran’s benefits or gotten the facts about reverse mortgages, don’t wait. It can’t hurt to inquire. Life is too short to put off something that could make such a big difference today.

Resourcefully,
Connie

If you get that knowing smile, that over-the-glasses dismissive glance, or the subject gets abruptly changed whenever you offer your expert insight on some problem or concern pertaining to the lives of your parents, have I got a club for you! I’m a charter member. Membership is wide open. No dues are required. Chances are, you’ve already paid ‘em.

My Professional Geriatric Care Manager hat really gets knocked askew when a product I’ve suggested or solution I’ve offered only becomes valid after one of my mom’s friends or someone at her beauty shop tells her the same thing I’ve told her. It’s enough to make me pull off my big fat PGCM hat and stomp it into the ground right in front of my dear sweet mother. Alas, the reason for the stomping would be entirely lost on her. I would rise from picking up my crushed and dirty hat to meet with that oh so familiar disapproving crossed-arms posture and that “do-we-need-a-time-out” look. Sigh….

Whatever your profession is, and regardless of how well you are respected in it, in the eyes of your parents you may forever be “the baby.” Save yourself a lot of grief by bringing in another professional to work with your parents. Be sure a reference list is provided on the off-chance that friends of your parents have never heard of them. An outside professional may prove to be better at finding creative and palatable solutions for all involved simply because they are free of emotional bias. Basically, get over your own feelings in favor of getting something accomplished for the sake of those you love.

Club members are encouraged to share expressions of solidarity here. Email me for info. about the next support group meeting.

Connie

Baby, it is really cold outside and the forecast doesn’t look encouraging any time soon. For seniors this could mean a day or two of weather-based home confinement is getting stretched into a week or two. If you are a caregiver, talk with the seniors in your life and make sure your inclement weather bases are covered.

At SCC our care managers are taking extra care to check in with all our clients, especially the ones we don’t visit frequently. We are double checking supplies of food and other household essentials. We suggest having some items on hand that don’t require heating or refrigeration as well as some bottled water. Having a battery powered source of light, with fresh batteries, handily located is another must. If you are monitoring someone’s care, remember to monitor the on-hand supply of medications and the refill dates. Contact a neighbor to bring in mail or the newspaper if outside surfaces become hazardous. I know that even the threat of snow may cause folks to cancel important health care appointments. Be sure those appointments get rescheduled.

If you live outside the East Tennessee area and have senior loved ones living alone here, call them frequently and don’t hesitate to contact SCC if you think someone located closer to them needs to make a check-in visit. If nothing else, we can relieve your worries and pass along a warm hug to them in the process.

Sending everyone warm wishes,
Connie

The new decade and upcoming national census brings with it a ready-made opportunity for all sorts of unsavory risks to seniors. And yet, being counted is important for seniors and everyone else. Political representation, as well as some forms of entitlement funding, depend on it. In the dawn of this new year it is quite unfortunate that we have to think defensively right out of the gate. Better safe than sorry. So share these tips on how to safely stand up and be counted with all the seniors you know and love.

Census workers may contact you by knocking on your door, by mail, or by phone. Census workers will not contact you by email.

Census workers will have badges, will carry a handheld device to record information, will be carrying a Census Bureau bag and will provide you with a confidentiality notice. Although legitimate Census Bureau questions may include questions regarding income range or other basic information, the only information you are required to provide is how many people live at the address in question. Families might equip their older loved ones with an index card with the required information so that the senior could hold it up on the inside of a locked door for the census worker to read.

As is true for any type of survey or solicitation, seniors should not invite census takers into their home, should not give out their Social Security number, credit card number, or any banking information.

Periodically remind the seniors in your of these safeguards. It is easy to forget or become complacent. Let’s remove the fear of standing up and being counted by being alert and aware. It is our best tool for staying as safe as possible.

Waiting to be counted,
Connie

In less than five minutes Brenda Southerland will guide you through some simple tips about  Saving Money on Medications

Let us know how much you saved!

What do you think would happen if Medicare became Americare? With 92% of Americans declaring allegiance to someone or something they call God (Pew 2008 Religious Landscape Survey), one would think that virtues like caring for and sharing with others would be overwhelmingly pervasive in our society. Giving half an ear to the debate on health care reform flatly negates that idea.

Seniors already enjoy the “public option” in the form of Medicare. Some seniors I talk to are willing to entertain the idea of extending similar benefits to other age groups. Some seniors are not so generous. Many are just plain scared because it is difficult to ferret out the facts amid so much political hype and fear mongering. I haven’t met any senior yet who thinks they would give up Medicare for some other option so I am concluding that for any shortcomings it has, Medicare is a pretty satisfactory program.

If Medicare became Americare there wouldn’t be a new wheel to invent. The old one would just get much bigger. Wouldn’t we all be better off? Who or what would be harmed? Wouldn’t health care in general be astoundingly more predictable, more equitable? I would love to have some comments from actual Medicare beneficiaries—would what is good for Seniors also be good for all Americans?

Hoping for a healthy discussion,
Connie

Brenda Southerland introduces Senior Care Consultants, Inc., the concept of Geriatric Care Management and more in the first of this four part series.

Most folks have some sensory memory that triggers age-defying time travel. Something simple like savoring a dish of homemade ice cream, seeking shelter from a spring thunderstorm, taking a visit to a special place, hearing a certain piece of music, breathing in a distinct aroma, perusing a photo album, reviewing a favorite movie, or preparing for a holiday all can suspend the effects of aging. I’ve seen it happen with my own older family members and with my clients. If only I could find a way to put it in a bottle and sell it.

.Age-defying time travel: that’s what falling snow does for me. All those puffy white flakes touching then locking one upon another until the earth is transformed from bleak and bare to seemingly boundless and beautiful. My spirit smiles. The child within me totally takes over. I am unbounded by my years imagining all sorts of ways to enjoy this temporary treat.

This sort of time travel doesn’t happen all that often or last all that long. One is loosed from any current impairment into a life affirming remembered experience that brightens the eyes, makes the air smell sweeter, lets the lungs breathe deeper, and turns the corners of the mouth decidedly upward. Count your blessings if you are able to notice and to share those age-defying moments with your older loved ones. Moreover be grateful for the transforming joy it brings to them.

While I’ve been writing the cold cotton has stopped falling. Even though I’ve come back to the present, this age-defying time travel has left me a lighter and brighter. Have you or the older loved ones in your life “journeyed” anywhere lately?

Wishing you transforming travels,
Connie

The feast is over, and there are plenty of leftovers in the fridge, but there is another kind of leftover that keeps bothering you. Something seemed different this year; nothing really big, but different in a disquieting way. Later, when you are traveling home you mull it over a bit more. The food was good, the conversation pleasant enough, but maybe you’ve missed something that really needs attention. Fours hours later when you get home, the leftover thoughts persist.

If you have just returned home from a holiday visit with your older loved ones and find yourself feeling this way, what do you do now? First try to be rational rather than emotional. Since nothing seemed blatantly wrong, you’ve probably got some time to do some fact finding. One way to do that is through frequent communications with your older family members. Take care to ask questions that elicit useful information like what do they do for fun (how active are they staying?) or who else do they interact with on a regular basis (who might be in their extended social support network?). Compare notes on doctor visits, flu shots for example, ask them if they’ve had one? Did they go to their primary care doctor? And who is that anyway?

If you continue to have concerns that problems are present or are looming, you’ve got some names of friends or neighbors to contact. In all likelihood they will be more than willing to either lay your concerns to rest or confirm you suspicions. Knowing the name of the physician who treats your older adult loved is also key. Getting a good physical assessment is always a starting point. Finally, remember you don’t have to carry the burden alone. Chances are you can locate a geriatric care manager near you or your loved one that can help.

Let me know what you did with your “leftovers”. Care Talk helps readers support and learn from each other. What triggered the leftover thoughts for you? How did you ferret out the facts? Where did you turn for help? What worked? What didn’t?

Full for now,
Connie

The need for intimacy and sexual expression is ageless. Unfortunately, the general public does not share that view. In fact, the older adult’s desire for intimacy is often characterized as deviant. How sad that something so life-affirming could be seen so negatively as we age. Consensual sexual expression is normal and necessary regardless of age. If the older adult in your life is lucky enough to have someone to keep them warm between the sheets, be very thankful. They will be happier and healthier in the long run.