Are the Seniors in Your Life Safe?

I've recently been through a crash course on emergency planning - as it relates to my mother.  On September 10th (I remember the exact date - it changed my life) my mother fell for the second time in a year.  Same scenario as last time - a trip to the hospital and stitches.  Prior to this I had been noticing that she was having difficulty with things that used to be easy for her such as doing the dishes or preparing meals.  This was a wake up call.  The day after her fall, we had a conversation about living in an independent living facility.  Surprisingly my mother wanted to look into it.  Fearing another fall, or something much worse I wasted no time in operation keep mom safe.

We were lucky because the facility mom wanted was available and was offering a move in discount.  It has many activities and outings for residents.  Meals are provided as well as laundry service and a cleaning service.   Mom no longer has to shop for meals or cook them.  Nor does she have to clean or do laundry.  Most importantly - she is safe.  

I'm telling you this to let you know to look after the seniors in your life.  The holiday season gives you an opportunity to do this.  They may say that everything is okay - but I encourage you to look deeper.  Check the refrigerator.  Are the expiration dates good?  What have they been eating - convenience food or food with little nutritional value?  Are there dishes on the counter that need washing?  Has the garbage been taken out?  Recycling?

Often we think of the seniors in our lives as indestructible.  However as they age it gets tougher for them to shop, cook meals and clean.  If you notice some things may be amiss - it might be a good idea to start the conversation about needing help.  It may be they need someone to come in and clean once a week.  It may be that they need shopping and cooking assistance.  Or they may need more help such as having a caregiver in the home or moving into an independent or assisted living facility. 

The toughest lesson I had to learn throughout this journey is that I am now in charge (gasp!).  I am the adult daughter of a mother who needs care.  I have to decide what is best for her.  Mom may be telling me one thing - but I can see that it's just to reassure me and that she really does need help.  (To be fair - mom did appoint me as her power of attorney so I can legally make decisions on her behalf.)  

I have found a few helpful tips and tools along this journey that I would like to share.  

I am ordering mom's medications online - this has to be done every two months.  I  use Toodledo which is a free app to remind me to order.  I scheduled two months out from the first time I ordered and it is scheduled as a repeatable task for every two months.

I have all of mom's bills sent electronically to me and I have online banking for her account.  So easy!

Talk to your senior about long term care insurance.  This has not kicked in yet for mom as she does not need skilled care at this point.  Looking forward though I know she will be covered and it will not be a drain on her savings.  

I do most of mom's shopping.  I keep her list on an app called GroceryIQ.  This way I always have a list of items she uses and can stop at the store and get the correct hearing aid battery, for example.

I took a photo of the list of mom's medications from her doctor.  This has come in handy more than once.

This holiday season - look after the seniors in your life.  Make sure they are safe.