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Elders

Elders (65 years old and older) make up the fastest growing age segment of the US population. As the retired population grows, information will change frequently..,and so will Fair Shake’s page for Elder Support.  If you know of other resources, please let us know! We can add them to our webpage so that everyone can benefit from them.  

Here are some benefits of a ‘gift exchange’ with the elders in your life:

Gifts that elders can give to us:  SLOWING DOWN.  LIVE IN THE NOW.   LISTENING SKILLS.  

 HEALTH BENEFITS!  REFLECTION SKILLS (How will we want to be treated when we need help?)

Gifts that we can give to elders:   CARE.    ATTENTION.    NOTICING.   LISTENING.    DEFENDING THEIR DIGNITY, SELF-HOOD & AGENCY

Senior Community Service Employment Program

 Provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors.

 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/seniors

 

Career One-Stop – Resources for Older Workers

Find employment services for low-income, unemployed seniors.   

https://www.careeronestop.org/ResourcesFor/55PlusWorkers/55-plus-workers.aspx

 

Social Security Administration               ssa.gov

Office of Public Inquiries and Communications Support    

6401 Security Blvd.

Baltimore, MD 21235

Senior Volunteer Opportunities

Millions of elders (65 and older) volunteer every year.

 

AmeriCorps Seniors

americorps.gov/serve/americorps-seniors  

Canceled by President Trump.  Hopefully it will return.

 

Eldercare Locator        eldercare   .acl.gov       1-800-677-1116

The U.S. Administration on Aging connects you to services

for older adults and their families.

 

Family Caregiver Alliance

caregiver.org      800.445.8106

We’re here to help you. All resources are free, and assistance through CareNav is free, secure, and private.

CARING FOR ELDERS WHO NEED EXTRA CARE

Elders are a crucial segment of our community. They have much to teach us and many gifts to share.  The elders of today were our caregivers when we were not able to take care of ourselves.  They did not charge us for their efforts, and asked for nothing. Wouldn’t it be nice to return the favor?

I realize this is not possible in many scenarios. I lived through one myself.  But I know that with creativity and willingness, opportunities sometimes arise and we can simply share time with the elders in our life, even when they are getting support in a facility.  Care-givers in facilities can do a lot, but they are often quite busy, and cannot slow down to share time to through a magazine, or sing, or go for a stroll.

According to the National Institute on Aging, 1/3 of all adults age 85 and older may have some form of dementia. There are several forms of dementia; Alzheimer’s is just one type.  Dementia is diagnosed when we reach a specific point in the forgetfulness spectrum. As of this writing, I’m 58 years old.  I forget things all the time…like why I walked into a room, or what day it is, and many simple regularly-used words.  We ALL, on occasion, forget, get confused, and even need help knowing what day it is.  What we want, when we forget, is generosity and kindness from those around us. People with a dementia diagnosis want the same thing.  Some nice gifts that we can offer them include:

 

      ACCEPTANCE * AGENCY * IDENTITY * LISTENING * NOTICING * EYE CONTACT * MUSIC

 CARE * CHOICE between two things * OUTDOORS * NICELY SCENTED SOAP * SOFT TOWELS 

 

Other ways to engage:

Art, Crafts, Gardening, Cooking / Eating, Looking Through Picture Books.  These are all great activities for living in the present moment, and also for triggering good memories.

Validation Training Institute, Inc.     https://vfvalidation.org/
P.O. Box 871            Pleasant Hill, OR 97455

 

Validation can help you improve and integrate new communication skills, gain competence and confidence in dealing with difficult situations. You will have less stress and frustration, and more joy.

 

Fair Shake Book Recommendation:

Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People              by Stephen G. Post

How Caregivers Can Meet the Challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease   

Learn to notice and appreciate expressions of continuing self-identity and include deeply forgetful people in your vision of a shared humanity!  Drawing from years of experience, author Stephen Post challenges us to set aside ‘hypercognitive biases’ to learn from ‘differently abled’ people. He inspires us to deliberate about inalienable dignity, autonomy, identity, worth and authenticity.  Post stresses the continuity of selfhood in persons (not patients, not victims, not disposable objects) experiencing the increasing challenges of cognitive decline.  He argues for a deeper dignity grounded in consciousness, emotional presence, creativity, interdependence, music, and a self that is not “gone” but “differently abled.”

 

Music can support mind and heart:

Music is deeply rooted in conscious and unconscious areas of our brain.  Music can awaken the rich trove of memories that are associated with familiar songs or beloved pieces.  Help the elders in your life connect to joy through music!  You can sing, play favorite songs, play the soundtrack to musicals, leave the classical or jazz music station on all day.