Getting Assistance

Many of us are fiercely independent or even in denial when we need help. It is often difficult to face the fact that sometimes getting older means needing assistance with many of the activities of daily living.

When you begin needing help, often our first instinct is to depend on family. Providing care for someone needing daily assistance can be very difficult for family members, particularly when care is needed for an extended period of time. It's not wrong to expect family members to be there when you need them, but in many cases it's not realistic or always the best option. Consider the following:

1. No Medical Expertise - Most families don't have medical expertise to provide long term care.

2. Physical and Emotional Demands - The physical and emotional demands of caregiving can be overwhelming.

3. Lifestyle Consideration - Home care by family members is often less feasible in today's society of widely scattered families, fewer children and dual careers. These lifestyle considerations will have a major impact on your decision.

In many cases, seniors are able to continue to independently perform all activities of daily living well into old age. If the point comes and through the normal aging process, you need some help with routine activities, there are interim steps available that can help you remain in your own home and maintain your independence and control. Referred to as "aids of daily living", there are an increasing amount of products and services that are useful and inexpensive for those with physical restrictions.

Examples would include: automatic lifts for beds and chairs; talking clocks, wristwatches and calculators for people with poor vision, touch-tone telephones with large numbers; large grip cooking utensils. Where do you find these items? Pharmacies, medical equipment dealers, local telephone company. There are a number of health catalogs featuring many of these devices. Here is a website worth checking out:

www.eldercorner.com

To "age in place" you should be aware of community help and services available to deal with increasing frailty and age related problems. They may also be needed in the event of an illness. Services can provide:

	Outdoor home maintenance and gardening
	Indoor home maintenance
	Heavy and/or light cleaning and housework
	Driving
	Trips to the grocery store
	Other shopping trips
	Home delivery of groceries
	Transportation to doctor's appointments
	Home care
	Meal preparation
	Bathing and dressing
	Personal care assistance
	Home nursing
	Emergency call/response systems to wear on your person