Home Safety for the Elderly or Disabled

Home Safety

At Comfort of Home Healthcare safety is a number one priority, and special safety measures need to be taken in the homes of the elderly and disabled. Home safety is vital to the proper care of each patient. There are simple precautions that can be taken in order to avoid unnecessary accidents. 

During this chaotic time it is easy to forget about certain things that need to be done to ensure the safety of everyone. This article provides a list of helpful reminders about home safety. If we take action in our own homes we may prevent serious, or even fatal, accidents. Home safety measures may prevent falls, fires, careless accidents, ect. The well-being of every person needs to be placed above convenience at all times. 

Comfort of Home Healthcare will always go out of their way to make sure that clients, patients, and caregivers are living and working in a safe and healthy environment. 

Read the article below to get a better idea of what you can do to help in creating a safe environment for your family. 

Home Safety for the Elderly/Disabled

Home Safety

     You may have become used to "disposables"—everything from cameras to contact lenses—but you need to remember that if your parent is a member of the senior generation, who lived through the Depression and World War II, he or she was taught from their earliest days to make do with what was on hand. To use it up. To wear it out.

     Unfortunately, that means in the homes of some elderly people, they're "making do" with a hodgepodge octopus of ancient extension cords rather than having a wall outlet fixed or buying one cord of the proper length and correct electrical rating.

     They're "using up" old prescriptions even though the doctor has taken them off the medication.

     They're "wearing out" items like space heaters or fans to the point that there's a danger of getting a shock or starting a fire.

     They're emphasizing self-sacrifice and thrift to such an extent that their safety is jeopardized, and that can be a serious, even deadly, mistake.

     In the same way that a couple expecting their first child have to "baby-proof" their home for safety, you need to walk through your parent's house with safety in mind.

     ● First, are the basics covered? Some items need attending in any home. For example, no overloaded electric outlets. Sufficient smoke detectors. A bath mat in the bathtub. No exit doors blocked by furniture. No drapes, furniture or other flammable items near electric baseboard heaters. And so on.

     These are just a few suggestions:

     ● Remember all stairs, inside and out, need sturdy handrails and they need to be well lit.

     ● Make sure the bathroom has a grab bar. Don’t use an empty towel rack for this. Grab bars are designed—and installed—to bear the weight of an adult. Medical supply stores offer literally dozens of similar safety items—from bath tub rails to raised toilet seats—that can make a home safer. Many stores also rent items and have catalogs available.

     ● See to it the kitchen has a sturdy step stool—or none at all. Also, move bulky and heavy items to lower cupboards because it can be difficult for your parent to reach up and lift things down. Items taken from lower cupboards, even if dropped, will land directly on the floor, not on Mom or Dad.

     ● Put a night light in Mom's bedroom or make sure she can be easily reach a lamp from
bed. The one-touch style lamp is great for this.

     ● Get rid of clutter. Furniture buried in mounds of junk mail and floors stacked with old newspapers and magazines can make it difficult for anyone to get around and especially someone using a cane or walker.

     ● Help Dad throw out prescribed medication that he no longer needs or has passed its expiration date. Some seniors just hate to throw away a "perfectly good," passed date prescription just because it cost so much. You can remind him that outdated medicine loses its effectiveness, and older medicine, combined with his current prescriptions and conditions, could cause serious side effects.

     ● Make sure medicine bottles are clearly labeled in print large enough for Mom to read. (The same applies for household cleaners.) If she has trouble remembering what medicine to take when, use a seven-day medication dispenser (available at drug stores).

     ● List needed phone numbers, in large print that can be read without glasses, by each telephone. These should include your work and home numbers, the doctor's office and the general emergency 9-1-1. Also, program those numbers into any speed-dial systems.

     ● Write down your parent's address and phone number and keep them by his or her phones. When a crisis arises, anyone can have trouble remembering that information.

     ● Remind Dad to be safety-conscious. For instance, don't smoke in bed or just before nap time in that favorite chair. Don't wear the bathrobe with the floppy sleeves when cooking something on the stove. Don't use the stairs for storage.

     Most of your suggestions won't be new to your parent. Mom may seem a little annoyed as she answers, "I know, I know." Don't let that discourage you. It's probably the same answer you gave her years ago when she was first teaching you these valuable lessons.

     Two other points to consider:

     It may be worthwhile to see about getting an emergency response system for Mom or Dad. By pushing the call button on a necklace or bracelet or the system’s base, your parent is on a speaker-phone with a system attendant. If your parents pushes the button but is unable to speak or is too far from the base to be heard, the attendant summons aid.

     Ask your parent's doctor about companies offering the service. Find out if the response is local or if it's monitored in another part of the country. And if it is called, do staff operators then call you or call the police in your parent's area?

     Also, be aware some of the companies emphasize sales (they may vigorously push entire home-alarm systems) but fall short when it comes to service.

     Another choice is a reassurance phone call. Again, ask your parent's doctor about this. With this system—often administrated by the local hospital—someone calls your parent at the same time every day to make sure he or she is all right. If there's no answer, the person informs whoever is on your parent's needs-to-be-contacted list.

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Thank you all so very much and we hope you are all enjoying your holidays!!

Preventing Falls With Seniors

Falls are a significant risk towards losing independence in the elderly. Some falls cannot be avoided, but many can, if you know what to look for.

Here are some facts and tips to keep your loved ones safe.

Quick Facts...

• The risk of falling increases with age and is greater for women than for men.
• Two-thirds of those who experience a fall will fall again within six months.
• A decrease in bone density contributes to falls and resultant injuries.
• Failure to exercise regularly results in poor muscle tone, decreased strength, and loss of bone mass and flexibility.
• At least one-third of all falls in the elderly involve environmental hazards in the home.

Statistics...

• The risk of falling increases with age and is greater for women than men.
• Annually, falls are reported by one-third of all people 65 and older.
• Two-thirds of those who fall will fall again within six months.
• Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 or over.
• Approximately 9,500 deaths in older Americans are associated with falls each year. The elderly account for seventy-five percent of deaths from falls.
• More than half of all fatal falls involve people 75 or over, only 4 percent of the total population.
• Among people 65 to 69, one out of every 200 falls results in a hip fracture, and among those 85 or over, one fall in 10 results in a hip fracture.
• One-fourth of those who fracture a hip die within six months of the injury.
• The most profound effect of falling is the loss of independent functioning. Twenty-five percent of those who fracture a hip require life-long nursing care. About 50 percent of the elderly who sustain a fall-related injury will be discharged to a nursing home rather than return home.
• Most falls do not result in serious injury. However, there is often a psychological impact. Approximately 25 percent of community-dwelling people 75 or over unnecessarily restrict their activities because of fear of falling.
• The majority of the lifetime cost of injury for people 65 or over can be attributed to falls.

Statistics came from Colorado State University Extension and has some useful information if you’re interested.

There are also some useful tips on prevention over at the Mayo Clinic. “6 tips to prevent falls”.

Hospice Services

This article was published today in the News-Press, written by Jennifer Gordon. I wanted to share it because Hospice is a wonderful service to families needing skilled nursing care. One of the many great things about Hospice is that it is 100% funded through Medicare and you can use it in conjunction with our in-home care services.

If you have any questions regarding these types of services, do not hesitate to call us. We are here to help. 816-671-0298

Hospice employees discuss their work

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Jessica Stewart | St. Joseph News-Press

John Adams, center, is a patient at Heartland Health Hands of Hope Hospice. His case manager is Delores Ferguson, left, and his social worker is Judy Richmond.

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The hospice panel

Sally Schwab, team leader

Kari Maag, volunteer coordinator

Jim Pierce, hospice resource specialist.

Judy Richmond, social worker

Shelli Ellison, nursing assistant.

Jason Atkinson, RN, case manager

Dave Ernst, chaplain

Dr. Chuck Mullican, medical director

By Jennifer Gordon St. Joseph News-Press

Hospice workers deal with the part of life most of us want to avoid: the end. They help with grief and loss and all of the issues that go along with it.

The News-Press recently sat down with a group from Heartland Health Hands of Hope Hospice to discuss the career and the surprising upsides of the job.

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Why did you go into hospice work?

Jim Pierce, hospice resource specialist: My first career was as a pastor for a church. I had experience comforting families. ... It was my own sense of wanting to do more that lead me to hospice.

Dave Ernst, chaplain: I was a pastor also for a number of years and I wanted to acquire some more pastoral skills. ...The opportunity to be a hospital chaplain came up. ... After I got into that, I found that so many skills needed to be a hospital chaplain meshed with hospice: compassion, intuition, the ability to be present with people.

Judy Richmond, social worker: I had done outpatient counseling and came to be a bereavement counselor. I tend to enjoy offering compassion to people, and I started a grief support program for kids in the community.

Shelli Ellison, nursing assistant: I’ve been a nursing assistant in hospice for 17 years. I worked at the Hope House, and when it closed, I came to the field.

Jason Atkinson, RN case manager: I think hospice for me was kind of a calling. When I worked at the hospital and patients were in the dying process, I knew I did that work pretty well and I felt confident. ... It’s still a passion for me.

Dr. Chuck Mullican, medical director: I think it’s a natural evolution of an internist to engage in a deeper appreciation of what it means to take care of people at the end of their lives.

Kari Maag, volunteer coordinator: It’s a blessing to be a blessing to those we serve.

Sally Schwab, team leader: What I will tell you about hospice is that it chose me. I didn’t choose it. It chose me from a personal life story because I went through the loss of both of my parents prior to my first time of leadership in hospice.

Describe your role in hospice.

Ellison: ... we get to be the little entertainer. We get to play music for them, make them comfortable, paint their fingernails and do their hair.

Atkinson: It’s a very challenging job, not so much with the skills that I have in the hospital as far as doing I.V.s and drawing blood, but it’s just more of a challenge working with the team to make the patient comfortable.

Maag: We, like other specialties, have an agenda. Our agenda is to bring happiness to the patient. We leave that open ended to where the patients can guide the visits more.

Schwab: What I know about hospice is that the people called to do hospice work. ... They need support and care to do that work. That is what I believe my primary role is other than managerial oversight.

Richmond: People are feeling very inadequate at the time they’ve gotten a terminal illness. They’ve just gotten repeated bad news after bad news, a lot of times about their health. What we try to do is remind them about the good in their life, their valuable character qualities, their past successes, their careers.

Schwab: There’s a discomfort with people in general with what to say and how to be with people who are dying. The hospice team does it very differently. They stay. They sit. They talk. They touch.

Ernst: I would agree that so many families are locked into grief or their in-the-moment needs that their patient is experiencing, and part of our role is to reframe their lives. We help them celebrate and remember the legacy that their loved ones had.

Mullican: We add life to their days, not days to their life.

Schwab: It’s whole-person care. It’s what the future of health care wants to be, and it exists now.

How does the job affect you?

Richmond: It’s more real to us than the general population that everybody is going to die. ... It gives us an opportunity to realize how beneficial it is to be supportive and loving to everyone on our team.

Mullican: It buoys you up a little bit. I’m impressed with the resilience of patients and their families.

Pierce: Part of that is the gifts that all these patients and families give. What they teach, not only about dying but also about living.

Richmond: It’s one of those jobs that once you’ve done it, it’s like why ... don’t you do something less stressful? But then once you know how to do it, you feel somewhat like, Well, I do know how to do this and I’m willing to do it, and many people are not willing to do it, so....

Atkinson: You hear it from your own family, ‘How can you do this job?’ ... Sometimes you wonder how long you can do it.

Pierce: I think all of us in this particular work learn about being human, about being in family and about being community in ways we might not learn otherwise.

Schwab: We’re all kind of a collage of the people who have impacted us.

What are some misconceptions around hospice care?

Pierce: You used the term ‘care for people in their least-healthy time of life’ and from a physical perspective, that’s true, but a lot of the folks this group cares for are very healthy in a lot of ways — emotionally, relationally with their families, spiritually.

Schwab: I think it’s important to say in an article like this that when a person becomes a hospice patient, they have not given up. They have chosen to be cared for in a way that supports them and their family members as they deal with end-of-life concerns and issues.

Pierce: I think there’s another misconception that it’s unbelievably sad. That’s just not true at all. There’s a lot of joy in interacting with these families and a lot of shared laughter and stories and humor. It’s one of the gifts we see every time we go into somebody’s home.

Jennifer Gordon can be reached at jennifer.gordon@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @jjgordon.

Tips on Helping Seniors Enjoy the Holidays

With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, its time to start planning your family gatherings.  If you have a family member who needs care, its going to take a lot of planning on your part and your going to have to think about some things that you might not have had to do before. 

Much of what my wife and I have learned over the years was by trial and error, just learning as we go along. Over the holidays, as relatives come and go, they usually only see the best out of Mom/Dad/Grandpa/Grandma  and leave with a nice warm feeling on how “well” they are doing.

But what they don’t see, is once everyone has gone back to their everyday life, the long day of visits has taken a toll and has left your loved one exhausted. In turn, can take days or even weeks to get their strength back.

If you have been though this yourself, or this is your first time going through taking care of a loved one, this article can be of some use. You can find it over at about.com, senior living.

I hope you find it as useful as I did. And as always, contact us if you have any questions or need any support…

10 Tips to Help Seniors Enjoy the Holidays

Ensure happier holidays for seniors with special needs or health issues

By Sharon O'Brien , About.com Guide

For most of us, the holidays are a wonderful time to share the joys of family life and friendship. But for many older adults the holidays can be highly stressful, confusing, or even depressing if their mental, physical and emotional needs are not taken into account.

If you have older friends and family members with underlying health issues, you can help them enjoy the holiday season more by following these simple tips, based on advice from specialists in senior medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine:

1.        Stroll down memory lane. Holidays provoke memories, which can be especially powerful in the later years of life. “Leading authorities have observed that memory and ‘life review’ are important parts of the aging process,” says Barry Lebowitz, Ph.D., deputy director of UCSD’s Stein Institute for Research on Aging. “Older people whose memories are impaired may have difficulty remembering recent events, but they are often able to share stories and observations from the past. These shared memories are important for the young as well—children enjoy hearing about how it was ‘when your parents were your age…’.” He suggests using picture albums, family videos and music, even theme songs from old radio or TV programs, to help stimulate memories and encourage older seniors to share their stories and experiences.

2.       Plan ahead. If older family members tire easily or are vulnerable to over-stimulation, limit the number of activities they are involved in or the length of time they are included. The noise and confusion of a large family gathering can lead to irritability or exhaustion, so schedule time for a nap, if necessary, and consider designating a “quiet room” where an older person can take a break. “Assign someone to be the day’s companion to the older person, to make sure the individual is comfortable,” says Daniel Sewell, M.D., director of the Senior Behavior Health Unit at the UCSD Medical Center, who adds that these guidelines work well for young children as well as adults with mental, emotional and physical health issues.

3.       Eliminate obstacles. If a holiday get-together is held in the home of an older person with memory impairment or behavioral problems, don’t rearrange the furniture. This could be a source of confusion and anxiety. If the gathering is in a place unfamiliar to an older person, remove slippery throw rugs and other items that could present barriers to someone with balance problems or who has difficulty walking.

4.      Avoid embarrassing moments. Try to avoid making comments that could inadvertently embarrass an older friend or family member who may be experiencing short-term memory problems. If an older person forgets a recent conversation, for example, don’t make it worse by saying, “Don’t you remember?”

5.       Create new memories. In addition to memories, seniors need new things to anticipate. Add something new to the holiday celebration, or volunteer for your family to help others. Enjoy activities that are free, such as taking a drive to look at holiday decorations, or window-shopping at the mall or along a festive downtown street.

6.       Be inclusive. Involve everyone in holiday meal preparation, breaking down tasks to include the youngest and oldest family members. “Older adults with physical limitations can still be included in kitchen activities by asking them to do a simple, helpful task, like greasing cooking pans, peeling vegetables, folding napkins or arranging flowers,” Sewell says.

7.       Reach out. Social connectedness is especially important at holiday times. “Reaching out to older relatives and friends who are alone is something all of us should do,” Lebowitz says. “Loneliness is a difficult emotion for anyone. Recent research with older people has documented that loneliness is associated with major depression and with suicidal thoughts and impulses.”

8.       Beat the blues. “Holiday blues” are feelings of profound sadness that can be provoked by all the activities of the holiday season. Seasonal blues can have a particular impact in the lives of older people, according to Lebowitz. “In some people, the ‘holiday blues’ represent the exacerbation of an ongoing depressive illness,” he says. “Depression is a dangerous and life-threatening illness in older people. Tragically, suicide rates increase with age, specifically for older men. Depression is not a normal part of aging and should never be ignored or written off.”

9.       Keep on the sunny side. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or winter depression is an illness that can be provoked by reductions in sunlight during the short days of winter. It is important for people confined indoors, especially those at risk for winter depression, to make time for activities that will increase exposure to daylight, according to Lebowitz.

10.    Monitor medications and alcohol. If you have senior family members, be sure to help them adhere to their regular schedule of medications during the frenzy of the holidays. Also, pay attention to their alcohol consumption during holiday parties and family gatherings. According to Sewell, alcohol can provoke inappropriate behavior or interfere with medications.

“Older family members with special needs can get lost in the shuffle and chaos of happy family gatherings,” Sewell says. “So, with all the hustle and bustle of the season, just remember to be sensitive and loving. And plan ahead.”

Convincing Mom and Dad they Need Help

I ran across this article and I knew I had to post it. It comes from an in-home care agency in Texas.

I have also been through the same situation having parents/grandparents not wanting to have help come into their home, when it’s obvious to everyone else that they desperately need it.

I wanted to post this little article because I want you to know it is universal. Virtually all the homes we go into were initially non responsive to us being there at first. It always takes some convincing from the children. Until a week later that is, when they always appreciate the help.

I hope you find this helpful! Also, contact us if you have any questions, we are here to help…

Richardson Caregiving - Parents Refuse Senior Home Care

Posted by richardson plano senior elder care in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Mar 10, 2011

Richardson Caregiving - Parents Refuse Senior Home Care: As the owner of a Dallas area company providing senior home care, I have seen many cases in which family members have great difficulty convincing their elderly parent(s) that they need assistance.  I also experienced this problem first hand with my own parents.

It's not easy for any of us to see or admit that we might need help doing what used to be simple activities, Whether its cooking, driving, dressing or just remembering to take the right medications at the right time. Combine that with a tenacious generation that grew up with a great depression and world war, and you have some very independent people who have spent their lives doing for themselves, raising their children, and possibly taking care of their own parents when they were seniors. In addition, our parent's generation is not one to spend money lightly, especially on something that might be viewed as an affront to their personal independence.

I remember when my dad refused to believe that his driving was a danger to himself and others, and I remember trying to convince my mom to let someone else cook when she kept leaving the stove on overnight.  Senior home care was needed, but mom summed up their attitudes best when she said "I don't need another woman in my kitchen doing what I've done perfectly well for 65 years!"

One of the biggest problems that I faced with my parents was the simple fact that I was their child.  In their eyes, I was still just a kid.  How could I possibly know what was best for them.  Compounding my problem was the fact that my mother had Alzheimer's, so discussions and agreements for assistance were soon forgotten, and the whole process was repeated over and over.

These are problems I hear constantly from others throughout the Dallas area who are trying to arrange senior home care for their parents.  As one client's daughter put it, "mom would listen to a stranger off the streets before believing me".

There is no one right answer, however, I have learned a few ways to approach resistant parents that have helped me as well as others over the years.  Simply put - get others involved!  It took me a while to figure out that mom and dad were not going to believe me about their home care needs.  So who would they listen to?

Unlike baby boomers, our parents grew up in a time when traditional authority figures were looked upon as being trusted with little question.  Whether its a doctor, pastor, lawyer, insurance agent, policeman, or best friend.

To my parents, their family doctor was all knowing and highly respected. They also had several friends and cousins who they loved and trusted. So after some calls and discussions regarding my parents issues, a plan was put into place for some visits. 

Although I had been trying unsuccessfully to get dad to quit driving for 2 years, his doctor and insurance agent had him give up the keys in less than a day. I took dad for an arranged "routine" visit with his doctor, who performed a reflex test and had a serious discussion about Dad's slow reflexes and poor eyesite, and how dad could hurt others including children riding in on-coming cars.  His insurance agent, who he'd known for 40 years, came by later
and explained how Dad could be sued if responsible for a wreck,loose his insurance along with money that he and mom relied on for retirement.  And I explained how we could hire a person to help with driving when I wasn't available. He begrudgingly agreed to stop driving immediately.

When the time came, we asked several of Mom's trusted friends to visit and talk to her about "their" memory issues and how they themselves used senior home care professionals to help them around the house.  They wrote their discussion down, everyone signed it, and they gave names of agencies that mom could call. I also enlisted her doctor for an arranged "routine" visit. He gave her a simple memory test and then explained to her about the perils of home activities.  He also wrote her a "prescription" for senior home care that he had her agree to, sign and date.  As I talked to her over the course of the next few weeks, I would show her the notes that she had received and acknowledged.  My brother, sister and I visited soon after, told her how much we loved her, and that we wanted her to accept our gift of senior home care on a "temporary" basis for a week or two just to help her out around the house.

She begrudgingly accepted.

Knowing my Mom's personality, I worked closely with a Dallas senior home care agency to select a caregiver whom I thought mom would like. Over the next 2 weeks of "temporary" help, I stopped by daily to see how it was going
and to remind Mom about our agreement, her friends written recommendation as well as her doctor's prescription    Because of the bond that the caregiver developed with Mom over the first 2 "temporary" weeks, Mom was comfortable to keep having her "friend" come over to help from then on.

Although these particular steps don't work for everyone, the important thing to remember is that patience, love, time, and the enlistment of others can sometimes work wonders.

We Have Moved!!!!

It is with our excitement and pleasure to announce that we have out grown our office location inside the Mo-Kan Economic Development Building. The Mo-Kan Economic Development organization and employees have been absolutely wonderful in helping us start our agency and we are very grateful for all they have done for us.

Although we will miss our old home inside their building. We are very excited to be expanding our office space from 175 sq ft to nearly 1500 sq ft. We are still located downtown; we are now 3 blocks south on 7^th and Edmond. Please note our new address -  624 Edmond, St. Joseph MO 64501.

View From Edmond Street

View from 7th & Edmond

Plaque on the wall next to the front door. Pretty interesting.

Thank you very much! As always, please feel free to contact us if you need anything.

Sincerely,

Tad Ulmer, Co-Owner                                               Jason Douglas, Co-Owner

Comfort of Home Healthcare

5 Warning Signs of Health Problems

Taking care of our parents takes an indescribable amount of patients and compassion. Speaking from experience, it is one of the most challenging and yet rewarding experiences you can go through.

At some point you have to start making hard decisions on how to best help your family and your parents or grandparents. Here is an article that will be useful if you are starting down this road. Sometimes it’s hard to know that you need help, well, until it’s too late and mom or dad had an accident or some other emergency. This article is intended to be proactive in caring for your loved ones. I hope you find it insightful.

As always, Peace of Mind Home Care is here to help!

We have 100% satisfaction rate with the families we have served since opening our doors…

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Original Article:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniorshealth.html

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Aging parents: 5 warning signs of health problems

Concerned about your aging parents' health? Use this guide to gauge how your aging parents are doing — and what to do if they need help.

By Mayo Clinic staff

As your parents get older, you may want to make sure they're successfully taking care of themselves and staying healthy. When you visit your aging parents, ask yourself the following five questions. Then, if necessary, take steps to help your aging parents maintain their independence.

1. Have your aging parents lost weight?

Losing weight without trying could be a sign that something's wrong. For aging parents, weight loss could be related to many factors, including:

·         Difficulty cooking. Your parents could be having difficulty finding the energy to cook, grasping the tools necessary to cook, or reading labels or directions on food products.

·         Loss of taste or smell. Some loss of taste and smell is natural with aging, especially after age 60. In other cases, illness or medication contributes to loss of taste or smell. Your parents might not be interested in eating if food doesn't taste or smell as good as it used to.

·         Underlying conditions. Sometimes weight loss is a sign of a more serious underlying condition, such as malnutrition, dementia, depression or cancer.

2. Are your aging parents taking care of themselves?

Pay attention to your parents' appearance. Are their clothes clean? Do they appear to be taking good care of themselves? Failure to keep up with daily routines — such as bathing, tooth brushing and other basic grooming — could indicate health problems such as dementia, depression or physical impairments.

Also pay attention to your parents' home. Are the lights working? Is the heat on? Are the bathrooms clean? Is the yard overgrown? Any big changes in the way your parents do things around the house could provide clues to their health. For example, scorched pots could mean your parents are forgetting about food cooking on the stove. Neglected housework could be a sign of depression, dementia or other problems.

3. Are your aging parents safe in their home?

Take a look around your parents' home, keeping an eye out for any red flags. Do your parents have difficulty navigating a narrow stairway? Has either parent fallen recently? Are they able to read directions on medication containers?

4. Are your aging parents in good spirits?

Note your parents' moods and ask how they're feeling. A drastically different mood or outlook could be a sign of depression or other health concern. Also talk to your parents about their activities. Are they connecting with friends? Have they maintained interest in hobbies and other daily activities? Are they involved in social organizations or clubs? If they're religious, do they attend regular worship services?

5. Are your aging parents having difficulty getting around?

Pay attention to how your parents are walking. Are they reluctant or unable to walk usual distances? Is knee or hip arthritis making it difficult to get around the house? Would either parent benefit from a cane or walker? Muscle weakness, joint problems and other age-related changes can make it difficult to move around as well. If your parents are unsteady on their feet, they may be at risk of falling — a major cause of disability among older adults.

Taking action

There are many steps you can take to ensure your aging parents' health and well-being, even if you live far away. For example:

·         Share your concerns with your parents. Talk to your parents openly and honestly. Knowing that you're concerned about their health may give your parents the motivation they need to see a doctor or make other changes. Consider including other people who care about your parents in the conversation, such as other loved ones, close friends or clergy.

·         Encourage regular medical checkups. If you're worried about a parent's weight loss, depressed mood or other signs and symptoms, encourage your parent to schedule a doctor's visit. You might offer to schedule the visit yourself or to accompany your parent to the doctor — or to find someone else to attend the visit. Ask about follow-up visits as well.

·         Address safety issues. Point out any potential safety issues to your parents — then make a plan to address the problems. For example, perhaps your parents could use assistive devices to help them reach items on high shelves or to help them stay steady on their feet. A higher toilet seat or handlebars in the bathroom may help prevent falls.

·         Consider home care services. If your aging parents are having trouble taking care of themselves, perhaps you could hire someone to clean the house and run errands. A home health care aide could help your parents with daily activities such as bathing and dressing. You might also consider Meals On Wheels and other community services. If remaining at home is too challenging, you might suggest moving to an assisted living facility.

·         Contact the doctor for guidance. If your parents dismiss your concerns, you might call the doctor directly. Your insights may help the doctor understand what to look for during upcoming visits. Keep in mind that the doctor may need to verify that he or she has permission to speak with you about your parents' care. Likewise, you may need to sign a form verifying that you have your parents' permission to discuss their medical information with the doctor and his or her staff.

·         Seek help from local agencies. Your local agency on aging — which you can find using the Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging — can connect you with services in your parents' area. For example, the county in which your parents live may have social workers who can evaluate your parents' needs and put them in touch with pertinent services, such as home care workers and help with meals and transportation.

Sometimes aging parents won't admit they need help around the house, and others don't realize they need help. That's where you come in. Remind your parents that you care about them and that you want to do what's best to promote their health and well-being, both today and in the months and years to come.