As i continue on this jouney with my efforts at ProAgeHome, I am almost always brought in at the time of crisis. The people inhabiting the home I am working in NEED the things I install. They have either had an injury or a disease that has effected their mobility in some way and can not do things the way they used to. Very rarely do I get a call from someone that is being proactive and wants to prevent an injury due to a fall. I guess it is a reflection of the way all our systems work...we aren't given credit for living our lives in a healthy manner...we don't keep things from breaking, but fix them when they break. Seems to me that incentives need to be realigned to favor those that are helping themselves (and thereby saving the system money) by instilling healthy and safe habits throughout their lives.

If you have the ability to influence anyone that has any potentially unsafe conditions in their home, please try and get them to take action before they NEED to make changes.

The holidays often provide us with an opportunity to spend more time with family than usual. I come from a pretty large family and am fortunate that everyone on my side lives close and can all get together often this time of the year. If your parents or other relatives are getting up in age I'm sure you noticed changes in their abilities over the last year. I know we did. My Mom insisted on continuing the tradition of Christmas lunch at her house this year, but it was clearly to much for her. Although we realized that would be the case, she resisted any change and refused repeated attempts to help. It is a delicate situation to try and relieve the load from a family member without making them feel bad. In the case of my parents it is time for them to be "guests" at these traditional family events and not feel like they have to do it all. Hopefully we can convince them that they have instilled in all the children a strong since of tradition that we want to carry on and it is time for us to do the bulk of the work.

As adult children of parents who want to remain in their homes as they grow older, we have an inherent responsibility to observe and educate. Our parents change as they grow older...we all do. They slow down and some things just become more difficult. Know that your parents will not admit to having any difficulties as they do not want to appear weak or in need of assistance. Remember that the loss of independence is the greatest fear of Seniors. Observe these changes and educate them on what is possible through making changes to their environments that can increase their quality of life and remove risk from their homes.

I was in an older couple's home the other week and they had no family in the area. The woman had become wheelchair bound a couple of years ago and her 92 year old husband was taking care of her. They had no bathroom that could properly accomodate someone in a wheelchair and because of this, the woman had not had a shower or a proper bath in two years! Some simple changes could (and should) have been put in place that would allow her a better quality of life. They just did not want to ask anyone for help and acknowledge their struggles.  Unfortunatly we see this often where people are just dealing with their environment instead of changing it to suit them. 

Please be observant of changes effecting how your parents interact with their environment...do not take them at their word that "everything is just fine." Next educate them on how making changes can increase their quality of life and allow them to remain independent longer.

Thank you to everyone who came by our table at the Charlotte Case Worker's Luncheon. We enjoyed the opportunity to share our excitement with you. I know that we are providing a much needed service and hope that we can help your clients in the near future.

ProAgeHome is a company whose focus is to help people remain independent and safe in their homes through addressing their environment. Whether you or a loved one are experiencing natural changes relative to age or have been impacted by disease or injury, not making changes to the home environment increases the risk of accidents and increase dependence on others.

We look forward to communicating with you regulary through our blog!