35 Questions to Ask Your Aging Parents…a tool in assessing their needs

 

 Their answers will give you a clearer picture of how your parents are faring and will help you assess their needs.

Their Home

1.  Is your home still appropriate for you now that you’re getting older?
2. Can you manage the stairs, or would you do better on one level?
3.  Does your home have any safety hazards?
4. Could simple modifications to your home make it more convenient?
5. Should you think about living somewhere else?

 

Their Activities

1. Do you need help with household chores, such as cleaning, fixing meals or taking care of the yard?
2. Does poor eyesight interfere with your daily activities?
3. Can you always hear the telephone or a knock at the door?

Their Mobility

1. Is driving difficult for you?
2. Do you have reliable transportation for shopping, medical visits, religious services and visits with family and friends?

Their Health

1. What health problems do you have?
2. Are your prescriptions current?
3. Have you been to your doctor lately?
4. What has your doctor told you about your health?
5. Has your doctor or pharmacist reviewed all of your medications for side effects and potentially dangerous interactions?
6. Are you having any problems taking your medications?
7. Could you use help remembering what pills to take and when?
8. Can you pay for your medicines?

Their Health Care

1. What kind of health insurance do you have, and do you have Medicare, Medicaid or a Medigap supplement policy?
2. Has your insurance plan paid your health care bills?
3. Do you have long-term care insurance or life insurance?
4. Have you paid your insurance premiums?
5. Would you like help with filling out forms, such as insurance claims?
6. Have you been told that insurance won’t cover medical tests or procedures that your doctor has ordered?
7. Do you have any questions about Medicare or Medicaid?

Their Finances

1. What are your current and likely future bills?
2. Can you pay for what you need?
3. Do you need help getting government or pension benefits?
4. Do you need help with financial planning to make your money last?
5. Are your Social Security and pension checks deposited directly in the bank?
6. Is all of your financial information in one place?
7. Have you considered a reverse mortgage, which would provide extra income from the equity in your home?
8. Have you considered that you might need money down the road to help pay for assistance with everyday activities?
9. Do you have any bills you can’t pay?
10. Do you have an estate plan and a will, as well as a living will and health care proxy?

Note: Finances can be a sensitive topic; you may want to be less direct with your questions.

Repost from: AARP

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• Shortage of caregivers ‘a major cause of concern’: report (canada.com)
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Be an advocate for your aging loved one.

We must be the eyes, ears & voice for our elders.

Living: the ultimate team sport

If your loved one no longer has a voice in which to defend or advocate for herself, who better to do so than you?

In this post I will assume that your loved one, e.g., parent, grandparent, spouse, or sibling, lives in a long-term care (LTC) facility.  Oftentimes by the time our parent has entered a facility, we are so relieved that someone else has taken over the caregiving, we willingly take a back seat and let the professionals do their job.  By all means, reward yourself with the freedom that less active caregiving of your loved one has afforded you, but don’t leave your caregiving role behind.

I know it’s hard to hear what I’m about to say – especially since you finally turned over your parent’s caregiving to someone else – but I want to encourage you to NOT assume that the care being provided (or withheld) is…

View original post 620 more words

Reblog: November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

Each year, November is dedicated as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. It is an especially significant time for me to reflect on how this disease has changed my life. Anyone who has witnessed a loved one struggle and eventually succumb to dementia is forever changed by this gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and incurable disease. By its very nature, Alzheimer’s will destroy you as it claims your loved one. It will chew you up and spit you out as you stand by, helpless to stop the progression and inevitable outcome.

The key to emerging from the devastation for me was to find acceptance by determining what I have learned from Alzheimer’s, and then to use that knowledge wisely, both to make me a better person and to help others when possible. I don’t wish Alzheimer’s on anyone, but I do continue to hope that what people find beyond the finality of Alzheimer’s will help them see more clearly and live more purposefully. This is what I have gained from my mother’s journey through Alzheimer’s disease.

Following are a few of the numerous events to be held in conjunction with National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.

October 31, 2011: Loving and Living with Alzheimer’s Disease

A photography exhibition recognizing the contributions of Alzheimer’s patients and their families will be open for public viewing from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Russell Senate Rotunda, Capitol Visitor Center, Washington D.C. The photographs, taken by renowned photographer Judith Fox, chronicle her husband’s journey with the disease and provide a rare insight into caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Registration is required, see link.

November 13, 2011: National Commemorative Candling Lighting

To honor those who have been lost to the disease or currently live with the disease. I will light a candle in memory of my mother, and pray for all those who have fallen to this disease, as well as all those who have been affected by it – caregivers, family, and friends. Click on link to find a local ceremony near you.

November 15, 2011: National Memory Screening Day

If you suspect cognitive impairment, either for yourself or a loved one, early detection is key to pinpoint the exact problem and offer solutions and options as possible. Do it for yourself or a loved one if you suspect Alzheimer’s disease. Click on the link to find a memory screening in your community.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and an epidemic is predicted as baby boomers age over the next twenty years. November reminds us all to be aware . . . . . and to learn more . . . . we must find a cure.

Rest peacefully my loving Dad

Ronald Richard Kirkwood September 19, 1942 - June 21, 2011 I love you Dad! I know you are happy now.Your heart will forever live on through mine.

Some Basic Computer Rules for Aging Parents’ Computers (via As Our Parents Age)

Are you helping to maintain and secure a computer for your aging parent? Do you find yourself spending lots and lots of time explaining why NOT to click on a button or an update screen, even when windows seem to swoop in and personally invite a user to click (or worse download)? Here is an explanation that just may help an aging senior understand, concretely, what's going on. Brian Krebs, over at the blog Krebs on Security, has posted 3 Basic Rul … Read More

via As Our Parents Age