When Seniors Need Help: Knowledge Is Power
Facing challenges is part of life at any age, but as we age into our “golden years” we sometimes find ourselves facing challenges related to health issues or declining abilities.
Everyone deserves to live a life of vibrant health and well-being. The first step toward ensuring elders continue to live such a life is to recognize signs that challenges are present. Changes can be made to allow an individual to continue to live their best life at any age when offered the help and support they need to do so.
The Jewish Home Family has identified 8 important signs to help increase awareness:
1. A great first step in assessing needs is to look in the refrigerator. Sounds a little crazy, right? But what do you see? Do you see fresh food or slim pickings, or worse, food that needs to be thrown out? This single spot check can indicate a decline in someone’s ability to access or prepare proper meals. This can lead to poor nutrition, weight loss and a downward spiral of health-related concerns in the future. Providing help with grocery shopping and/or help with meal prep and cooking would be a helpful intervention and a step toward prevention. There are also organizations that provide “Meals on Wheels” and other food deliveries in most areas. This can be a helpful intervention too.
2. If you notice that a loved one is wearing soiled clothing, or you notice that they have a faint but unpleasant odor, this can be a sign of infrequent showering and an inability to wash clothing as needed. This self-neglect can be due to a fear of falling in the shower or an inability to keep up with the laundry. Maybe the washer and dryer are located down a flight of stairs that is deemed unsafe. Arranging to aid with activities of daily living related to these needs would be a good intervention to correct these situations.
3. Increased frailty due to fatigue or inactivity can result in an ambulation deficit, repeated falls, and multiple hospitalizations. Situations like these can be related to poor nutritional intake or a lack of activity that can leave someone with a deficit in physical abilities. Inactivity from fear of falling creates an unhealthy cycle. These would be areas to address with a physician to determine an intervention, such as rehabilitation therapy to promote increased strength and stamina which might help reduce fear and restore self-confidence as well.
4. Changes in mood and behaviors sometimes result from the challenges listed above but sometimes they contribute to them. If you notice a loved one is no longer interested in favorite activities and favorite hobbies, or if they are declining opportunities to socialize with friends outside the home, these are signs to be explored. It may be helpful to discuss changes in mood, behavior, and increased irritability or tearfulness with a professional therapist to help determine the cause and effect and address it accordingly.
5. Repetitious questions, telephone calls at odd hours, misplaced items, and missed appointments may be a sign of forgetfulness. However, when combined with uncertainty and confusion when performing once-familiar tasks, this can indicate a more serious decline in cognitive function or memory. There may be some interventions that can be added to prevent some of this on the homefront, but a visit to a professional such as a primary physician to rule out possible causes and/or prescribe something to help treat the cause may be advisable as well.
6. Missing prescribed medication can be a dangerous sign. Combine this with the signs listed above and this is another sign of a possible decline in cognitive function. This can have serious ramifications if left unchecked. The consequences of health issues being left untreated can result in a life-threatening situation and should be addressed with an intervention as quickly as possible.
7. Stacks of unopened mail or an overflowing mailbox, late payment notices, bounced checks, declined credit cards and calls from bill collectors indicate a decline in the ability to manage finances, leaving a person open to financial exploitation. If you suspect that someone you love is having difficulty handling finances, it is time to help and maybe put safeguards in place.
8. Last, but not least, not everyone is blessed to have family caregivers. As we age, our circle of friends and family often grows smaller. Loss of spouses, children moving across the country for work, and local family members with competing responsibilities can result in a very limited pool of family caregivers, often with limited availability. Knowing that resources are available can help.
The Jewish Home Family is launching a series of free Community Education Programs specifically designed to help people explore solutions to the challenges that may accompany aging. The first in this series of programs will be offered on Zoom on Tuesday, January 20th at 4:00 PM. Contact Charlene Vannucci at cvannucci@jewishhomefamily.org to sign up. Everyone deserves to live a life of vibrant health and well-being at any age. And knowledge truly is power. We hope you will join us.
