It's all good with Mom . . . how to keep it that way!

Mom is 86, healthy, independent, and wants to remain in her own home. Everything is great for now.  How do I help her stay on her path?

Getting the “whole picture” of the day-to-day!

Just because a senior is capable of performing an activity, doesn’t mean it is particularly safe or pleasant to do!  By looking at the everyday experience you may find areas that might lead to challenges that then become problems.  Now is a good time to identify some things to support the goal of staying at home.

• Mom is beginning to be a little apprehensive about driving to destinations outside of her comfort zone. 
• Dusting the upper and lower shelves and furniture is inconvenient, changing bed linens makes muscles a little sore. 
• Meals are gradually becoming less elaborate and with less variety.
• Mom is drinking more coffee because it is quick and easy to make every day and may not be drinking enough of other fluids because they just aren’t around.
• Her medication self-management method is still working but sometimes she has to think really hard to remember if she took her medications. 
• Shopping trips are shorter and more infrequent because the process of getting to the store, shopping, and getting everything home is overwhelming to do alone.

Putting some non-medical home care/companion services in place, on a smaller scale now will ease the almost inevitable transition to needing hands-on personal care and supervision as conditions change. Establishing a comfort level with allowing strangers into your life before things get very “personal” makes more intense assistance easier to accept.

Thinking realistically . . .

An 86-year-old senior, no matter how strong, healthy, and independent, is at risk for catastrophic changes in functioning and needs simply due to an aging body.  Making sure decision makers and influencers are clear about the senior’s expectations, priorities, and resources, is vital to the best possible outcome.

What kinds of preparations do we need to make?

• Ensure that surrogate decision makers are legally empowered to fulfill their duties.  See an elder law attorney to execute documents or review older documents.
• Identify financial resources on two levels, those that are immediately available and those that require more detailed work to access. (Savings account cash versus a reverse mortgage, application for VA Aid & Attendance, etc.)  Know who to call and the initial steps to take to start the process of accessing those assets when necessary.
• Access Senior.One to research options for resources and options for every step of your journey.  Their Care Advisors can provide you with valuable information to help you respond to every situation in order to help you and your senior remain in control of the most important choices of life.