safety

suicide

Senior Suicide: 6 Awareness and Prevention Tips

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Seniors commonly talk about the end of life.  Your family member may speak of dying or longing to go to heaven. This doesn’t have to be cause for alarm.  It’s important to recognize the difference between sadness, reflection on one’s life, and thoughts of suicide.

If you see a loved one exhibiting serious signs like prolonged depression, anxiety, or talking about harming themselves, they may be at risk.  If you believe a loved one is suicidal, you must take action.

1.  Call 911 if it’s an immediate emergency.

Get help from professionals who specialize in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. See below for crisis hotlines, and the sources at the bottom of this article for additional resources.

2.  Do not leave the person alone.

Take away access to firearms, medications, sharp objects, belts, cords, cars, plastic bags and other means that could be used to attempt suicide.

3.  Do not be sworn to secrecy. Reach out to family members, friends or clergy who may be able to help talk to the person.

4.  Be direct. It is a myth that talking about suicide will lead a person to be suicidal. Talk openly and matter-of-factly about the person’s feelings and intentions.

5.  Do not be argumentative or judgmental. This may make the person feel defensive and less willing to accept help.

6.  Crisis hotlines and other resources:

St. Louis County Suicide Hotline:  (218) 723-0099 or 1-800-720-3334

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255, TTY: (800) 799-4889

Veterans Crisis Line: (800) 273-8255, or text 838255

Institute on Aging’s Friendship Line (for anyone 60+): (800) 971-0016

Crisis Text Line: text 741741

Medicare Insurance Coverage:  http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/preventing-suicide-older-adults

SAMHSA’s senior suicide prevention toolkit:  http://newsletter.samhsa.gov/2016/02/02/preventing-suicide-among-seniors/

alzheimer's

Alzheimer’s and the fear of being alone: 5 ways for caregivers to cope

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Many caregivers find it challenging to cope when their older adult has Alzheimer’s and fear of being alone.  That fear can make your senior follow you around the house so you’re constantly in their sight. They might get upset if you go to the bathroom or take out the trash. It can also make it very difficult for you to leave the house – they might cry, become angry or mean, or repeatedly ask where you are.

When your senior doesn’t want you out of their sight, this behavior is called shadowing. Experts suggest that Alzheimer’s shadowing happens because the disease has caused them to make you the center of their world. They’re not doing it purposely to be difficult or to cause trouble.

Your older adult follows you closely to reassure themselves that that you’re there. You’re their lifeline and connection to the outside world. You care and provide for them and keep them safe from anything strange or confusing.

When they can’t see or touch you, your senior can get scared and anxious. Even if you’ve never done anything that would make them think you’d abandon them, they may become paranoid that you’ll leave and never come back.

The fear isn’t caused by anything you’ve done. It’s yet another terrible side effect of living with dementia. Incorporate these 5 techniques help you reduce the fear that causes shadowing and find different ways to cope with the behavior:

1. Include other trusted people.

One of the best ways to help your senior feel safe and secure even if you’re not there is to expand their world to include one or two more people. This needs to be done slowly so your older adult can grow to trust and rely on the “new” people and feel comfortable enough to be alone with them while you get some much-needed time away.

These additional people could be other family members, close friends, or professional caregivers. Start by having them come on a regular schedule to help while you’re with your older adult. Then, slowly ease them into doing more for your senior. Over time, your older adult will be ok with them taking over while you’re not around.

2. Involve them in repetitive, soothing activities when you need to step away.

Sometimes you just need time to do chores in the house without someone (literally) breathing down your neck. When this happens, ask your senior to “help” you and give them a soothing, repetitive task to keep them occupied and take their mind off their fear.

For example, if you need to cook dinner, ask them to sit at the kitchen table and sort a pile of forks and spoons, fold hand towels, smooth crumpled tissue paper, or organize the kitchen junk drawer. Any soothing, safe activity that doesn’t cause trouble will do. The goal isn’t to have your older adult accomplish the task correctly, it’s to keep their hands and mind happily occupied.

3. Distract and redirect.

Distracting and redirecting is a good technique to try in situations where you need to leave the house or if your senior has already become highly agitated because you left their sight.

First, find a way to gently validate what they’re saying. Even if it’s something crazy like “You hate me, you can’t wait to get away from me, and you’re abandoning me!” you could respond by calmly saying something like “Oh my, you must be feeling very upset.” This validates their feelings and avoids a bigger fight because you didn’t say that they’re wrong.

Next, find a way to distract them from their worry about you leaving them. Point out a pretty flower in the backyard, offer them a favorite drink or snack, or ask them for their help with a made-up task and walk together to another part of the house. Get them involved in an activity that they enjoy.

You or someone who’s helping out while you’re out may have to do this over and over again depending on how much fear and anxiety your older adult is feeling.

4. Make a recording of yourself.

Another way to soothe your senior when you can’t be right next to them is to have them listen or watch something you’ve recorded for them.

Maybe it’s a tape or MP3 of you reading their favorite book. Or you might make a video of you reading aloud or even of you doing regular chores. Sometimes just being able to hear or see you is enough of a comfort to get them through the time of separation.

5. Help them understand how long you’ll be gone.

Part of the problem is that seniors with Alzheimer’s lose their sense of time. A minute, a day, or a year might seem the same because they’ve lost the ability to keep track of time. So saying that you’ll just be gone for a minute might not even mean anything to them.

Try something simple like an egg timer to help them track time. For example, if you’re going to the bathroom, set the timer for the amount of time you’ll be gone – 5 minutes. Have your older adult hold the timer and let them know that when the buzzer goes off, that’s when you’ll be back. They’ll be able to watch the numbers count down and know exactly when you’ll return. This can also work for other quick chores like checking the mailbox or taking out the trash.

long-term care

4 Tips to Start the Conversation With Your Senior About a Move to Long-term Care

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Is the senior in your life struggling with their personal tasks or activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, toileting, dressing, or meals?  Have you seen an increase in their requests for assistance or medical needs?  Have you known that the transition to long-term care is appropriate at this time, but haven’t been sure how to begin the conversation?  These 6 conversation-starters will help you begin to talk with your senior about the benefits that long-term care provides.

  1. I know you don’t want to leave your home: Assisted living communities, senior board and lodges, and skilled nursing homes are not what they used to be.  In fact, the large majority of seniors who enter long-term care report that they find the medical care, stability, and social structure to increase their health on physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional levels.
  2. I understand that you need time to get used to the idea: Talking about long-term care options in advance may prevent uncertainty in the future.
  3. I can’t always be here exactly when you need me: Many seniors often expect family to be able to be present to help at any given moment.  However, this is often to not practical, or even possible.  Long-term care provides care exactly when a senior needs it.
  4. I know you worry about the cost: Long-term care can be an affordable option through programs such as Medicaid, minimizing out of pocket costs.

Long-term care facilities work closely with your doctor.  If you have questions, contact the facility, your doctor, or even your local county social worker.  They can help you through the sometimes confusing process, helping you to know exactly what to expect, and what your options are.

advance directive

Do I need an advance directive?

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Unsure if you need to outline your healthcare preferences and end-of-life wishes? The answer is yes, you do.  Too often, we wait for a crisis to discuss how we want our medical care to be directed. During these stressful times, there are many decisions that have to be made very quickly.  You can ease the stress, and make sure your wishes are known, by creating an advance directive.

An advance directive is a legal document that provides written instructions for the care of your health and finances in the event that you become temporarily or permanently incapable of making or communicating these decisions.

You need an advance directive even if you are you still young.  You could have a healthcare crisis or accident at any time, and your family may not know your wishes.  If you have children at home, advanced care planning isn’t just about covering medical decisions, it can help outline the safety nets you want in place for other people to take care of them.  It’s important to discuss these things with your parents, spouse and children.  Your views on what you want may differ from theirs, and it’s crucial that they know how you want your care carried out.

An advance directive is different than a will.  Your will only allocates where you want your resources and possessions to go. Your advance directive covers the healthcare decisions you want made.  Even if you are pretty sure that your family know what you would want in an emergency situation, they may struggle to make a decision in the moment.  They may want to do everything they can to save you, but if you don’t want those extreme measures taken, you need to let them know and have it officially documented in your advance directive.  Also, if you know there’s going to be discrepancies between family regarding things like organ donation, DNR orders, or extreme life-sustaining measures, the need to have legal documentation outlining your wishes also helps point to who your healthcare advocate should be.

Many report the belief that discussing end-of-life wishes with their family will upset them.  However, open and honest dialogue will help ensure your family knows exactly what you want.  Your wishes may be different from another family member’s, and that’s OK.  As long as you understand each other, and know where official documentation is filed, both you and your family can have peace of mind knowing decisions about your life and your care will be what you want.

You and your family may go through some anticipatory grief talking about these issues as nobody wants to think about their loved ones dying. However, making these decisions now can help relieve some of your family’s uncertainty, stress and grief in the midst of tragedy.  Talk to your local long-term care facility, your county social worker, or an attorney to help get started on the process.  It only takes a few minutes of advance preparation to avoid many stressful situations in the future.

elder abuse and neglect

Elder Abuse and Neglect: Know the Warning Signs

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For too many seniors in our country, abuse or neglect is an all-too-real part of life. Knowing the signs of elder abuse, as well as where to get help, can change that.  It is important to know the definition of elder abuse.  Elder abuse can be:

Physical:  such as hitting or restraining a person

Sexual:  including any non-consensual contact

Emotional:  such as humiliating, intimidating, threatening or repeatedly ignoring a person

Neglect or abandonment:  including preventing a person from receiving basic needs

Exploitation:  theft of a person’s money, property or assets

 

Know the WARNING SIGNS OF ABUSE:

Unexplained injuries, such as scratches, bruises or welts

Withdrawal from usual activities and relationships

Sudden changes in habits such as spending, hygiene or appearance

Changes in mood (or mood swings) such as depression, confusion, insomnia, anger or crying

Any mention of mistreatment

 

Keep in mind that these signs may not be caused by elder abuse, but do follow up to root out the causes.

If you suspect abuse, always dial 911 for immediate help. If someone isn’t in immediate danger but you suspect abuse, talk to the dispatcher about the situation and what you can do.

Remember, some seniors may feel ashamed or afraid to report abuse. You might have to step in to seek help.

 

Where to find more help:

National Domestic Violence Hotline.  This hotline is available 24/7 to offer resources and support. Call 1-800-799-7233.

falls

14 Simple Steps to Prevent Falls

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Home is a place you can feel safe, relaxed and comfortable. However, your home can also have some major hazards that lead to falls.  The reality is that a senior is treated every 11 seconds in an emergency room for injuries associated with falling in their home.

While falls can happen to even healthy, active people, fall-related injuries are a leading cause of early death. The risks especially significantly affect seniors.  In fact, one in three people over the age of 65 falls, often resulting in life-changing injuries.

As you age, your reflexes and neuro-systems slow down and you start to lose your ability to quickly recover from a loss of balance.  Further, if you are sedentary, your loss of muscle strength greatly increases your risk of falls.  Thankfully, there are simple changes you can make to prevent falling in your home:
1.  Tape down the edges of mats and rugs; consider removing area rugs to avoid tripping over them.

2.  Cover loose cords.

3.  Remove piles and stacked papers from floors and hallways.

4.  Make sure you have good lighting near your bed, in hallways and at the top and bottom of stairways.

5.  Add handrails to stairways and grab bars in bathrooms.

6.  Put a bell on your cat or dog’s collar so you can easily hear where they are without getting up to look.

7.  Wear shoes that are closed-toe, and have soles with rubber or other gripping material.

8.  Move items on shelves and in cabinets so that they’re within easy reach

9.  Use a shower chair and handheld shower head while bathing.  Sit down to get dressed.

10.  Install seat risers on toilets and chairs if they’re too low to easily stand up from a seated position.

11.  Look at your medications. Some medicines have side effects like dizziness that may make you lose your balance. Ask your doctor if there are alternatives with fewer side effects or lower doses if you think they’re affecting your balance.

12.  Keep your eyes in check. Make sure your glasses and contact lens prescriptions are up to date so you’re seeing as clearly as possible. Try not to use progressive lenses indoors, which can make it harder for you to notice contrast and depth.

13.  Stay active. Go for walks, try yoga, or find senior exercise classes in your community. Staying active can help you maintain, and even improve, muscle strength and balance.

14.  Keep in touch. Call your neighbors or children at a certain time each day, and ask them to check on you if they don’t hear from you

safety

27 Tips to Stay Safe in Your Home

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Every year thousands of seniors are treated in medical centers and emergency rooms for injuries due to common household items.  Many of these injuries result from safety hazards that are easy to overlook, but are also easy to fix.  At Aftenro, we want to support seniors’ wishes to live in their own home for as long as possible.  Here are some of our tips to help you stay safe in your home:

Medications

  1. Take your medications exactly as your doctor tells you to and as the bottle instructs. Do not make any changes to your prescribed medications without calling your doctor first.
  2. Keep a list of your medications with the drug name, dose and how often you need to take them. Remember to update the list each time there is a medication change. Put a copy of the list in your wallet in case you need emergency medical care.
  3. Make sure any doctor you are seeing is aware of all the medications you are taking, including prescriptions, vitamins, herbal supplements and over-the-counter medications.
  4. Make all your purchases from one pharmacy whenever possible. They can help you track your medications and let you know of any possible side effects.
  5. Use a pill planner to set up your medications if you are getting dosage times and days confused. Ask your pharmacy how to use this planner if you have questions. Seek medical assistance if you cannot manage your medications.
  6. Don’t take medications prescribed for someone else. This could have dangerous consequences for your health.

Bedroom safety

  1. Keep a flashlight and a telephone on a bedside table.
  2. Use only UL-approved electric blankets. To prevent overheating, do not tuck in or put anything on top of an electric blanket.
  3. Sit on the edge of the bed before standing to avoid becoming dizzy.
  4. Keep a cane or walker by the bed.
  5. Adjust the height of your bed so that it’s easy to get into and out of.
  6. Use nightlights to illuminate doorways and pathways to the bathroom and kitchen.
  7. Keep walkways clear of electrical cords, loose rug edges and protruding chairs or tables.
  8. Install a carbon monoxide detector.

Bathroom safety

  1. Help prevent falls in the tub or shower by installing grab bars and non-slip mats.
  2. Reduce the water heater temperature to 120˚F or below to avoid accidental scalding.
  3. Use a shower chair.

Fire Safety

  1. Install smoke detectors and check their batteries regularly.
  2. Get a fire extinguisher and learn how to use it.
  3. Make a fire exit plan.
  4. Use extreme caution with portable heaters.
  5. Unplug appliances when not in use.
  6. Use extension cords with caution. Do not exceed the UL rating.

Kitchen safety

  1. Avoid reaching overhead or bending low.  Store often-used items on shelves that are easily accessible.
  2. Place the microwave on a counter or table for easy access.
  3. Wear rubber-soled shoes to prevent slipping.
  4. Clearly mark the “off” position on the stove or range.

Following these tips may help seniors to stay in their own homes longer, allowing for greater autonomy and less injury.