Transition Aging Parents
Your source of insight
and information to help your aging parents "thrive and find joy" in
every stage of their life!
Bi-Weekly Ezine
Issue February 21, 2010 Volume 2 Issue 4
- A Note from Dale - Random
Acts of Kindness Week, two BlogTalkRadio interviews, 'new' list of
recommended books
- Featured Article - "5 Ways to Help Your Aging Parent Through Winter"
- Media Review - New song, "From his Window"
- Senior in the Spotlight
- A Sweet Valentine's Day
for Two Seniors
- Upcoming Conferences
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A Note from Dale
Hello! Here
in the Midwest, we've got a brief reprieve from winter with blue, sunny skies
and mild temperatures. Spring is just
one month away!
If you haven't heard
about the wonderful initiative by Seniors For Living this week, head on over to
their site. They are asking everyone to
do a "random act of kindness" for a senior this week and write about it. The bonus is a $50 gift card for one lucky
person. I love reading about all the heart-warming
acts of kindness people have done. You
can join in by clicking here.
I have scheduled two more BlogTalkRadio interviews. I'm excited
about these because they are quite different than any I've done
before. The first one (02/23) will be
with my dear friend, Cathy Burch. Cathy
has done an amazing job of getting everything in order in her home and personal
affairs, as well as ensuring her daughter knows her and her husband's wishes
for their estate and end of life. Cathy
will share what she's done and what that means to her and her daughter. Then the following Tuesday (02/30) you get to
hear from my very own mother. She'll be
sharing what it's like to live in a retirement community. Cathy and my mother will take questions from
callers. So, if you can, join us
live! Click here
I want to share a new
addition to my website. I've added a web
page with my list of recommended books on aging and eldercare. The links take you directly to Amazon.com Click here to reach the new page. Enjoy!
In today's ezine, I'm
sharing ways to help your aging parents through the winter that seems that it
will never end. In our Media
Review, I share a wonderful new song that honors the songwriter's father who
had Alzheimer's. And, finally, our
Senior in the Spotlight is a sweet story about two seniors celebrating their first Valentine's Day together.
As always, my best
wishes to you and your parent(s) as you journey together,
Dale
Carter...
PS:Welcome to all my new subscribers! I am so very grateful to have you as part
of our Transition Aging Parents community. I think you'll love the
information, tips, and inspiration you'll be receiving!
"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only
today. Let us begin." ~Mother Teresa
(Note: If
there is a topic, resource or person that you would like me to highlight in
future issues, please write to me at dale.carter@transitionagingparents.com)
Featured Article -
"5 Ways to
Help Your Aging Parent Through Winter"
After the long winter most of us have experienced, I decided to go
through my notes and articles, and pull together my top list of things to help our aging parents and elderly loved ones get through the rest of winter. I can't imagine how the elderly are holding up with the snow, ice and cold temperatures. I know many who
are dealing with sinus, bronchitis and colds, and sadly, are isolated and homebound
due to the record snowfalls.
So, here is my list of 5 ways to help, with a focus on health and safety.
- Ensure adequate water and fluids. Dehydration is a common cause of
hospitalization in the elderly. They
are at risk even in the winter months. It can occur quickly due to decreased perception of thirst,
illness, and prescription drugs. Symptoms may include fatigue and headache. A good rule of thumb is 6 to 8 cups of
liquid each day, including fruit juice, milk, tea and water.
- Keep the inside temperature warm enough. According to the CDC, 50% of all deaths by hypothermia occur
in those age 65+, many indoors. The
scary part is there is often no complaint of being cold or shivering. Symptoms may include sleepiness and
confusion. Ensure home temperature
is kept warm enough. Dressing
inlayers with socks, slippers and a wool or knit cap will also help.
- Keep the pantry and freezer stocked. Nutrition is a big part of good health
in the elderly. During the recent
east coast storms, many of the Meal on Wheels groups were unable to get
out and deliver food. So, make sure
loved ones have some staples and frozen meals, just in case. Select items that can be opened
easily. We found my mother had
trouble getting the lids off normal soup cans, so we choose the plastic
containers instead. Meals can be
frozen in single portion size. Turkey chili and brown rice; roast beef and sweet potatoes are two
of our favorites.
- Have maintencance done on all the major appliances, including thefurnace. Check
all smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. My mother often would delay annual maintenance to save money but
ultimately had to pay out for repairs. Have the roof and gutters checked. Don't know how to find a maintenance person in your parent's town? Ask a trusted neighbor or at your
parent's place of worship.
- Ask a neighbor to help your parent with outside tasks, and to check in at least once weekly. When my mother lived alone
in her home, she would often be homebound during the winter months. After falling once on a trip to her mailbox, she arranged to have a neighbor bring
her mail to her every day. This gentleman
also took her trash out, and regularly asked if there was anything she
needed. He told us he enjoyed
helping her.
If you have any other
ideas to share, please email them to me at dale.carter@transitionagingparents.com
Media Review -
Just posted to YouTube last month, is a beautiful song and video, "From
His Window". Singer-songwriter John
Smith wrote this beautiful song in honor of his father who had Alzheimer's. This song is part of the "Life in the Year",
an innovative new national health care initiative for the elderly.
I hope you find this song, video and its message meaningful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQR46giL1co
(Note: You can also download a
free song from other CDs offered at http://www.lifeintheyears.org/storeAll profits from purchased CDs go toward supporting the "Life in the
Years" initiative.)
Seniors in the
Spotlight
In each issue,
I want to spotlight a senior who inspires me and hopefully will warm your
heart. There are so many wonderful elderly role models. May these
stories help us keep a positive perspective on the aging process.
There was a heartwarming Valentine's story I want to share about two
seniors. At age 84 and 91, Tony Viccheti and Kathleen Plummer celebrated their
first Valentine's Day together as a couple. They met last year at the breakfast of their retirement community. Tony and Kathleen raised their families in the
Ohio-PA area, and then moved to California to be close to their adult
children.
It was only after the death of each of their spouses that Tony and
Kathleen met that one morning at their California retirement community. "Since
then, the two have been inseparable. They aren't wasting any time - enjoying
every precious moment together, moments most people take for granted."
Read the entire article at: http://www.sbsun.com/ci_14397486#ixzz0gBYDqQuS
Upcoming Conferences -
If you will be attending either of these conferences in March and would
like to connect with me there, email me at dale.carter@transitionagingparents.com
"The
Changing Face of Aging" conference
"Aging in America" conference
- Sponsored by the National
Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Dates: March 15th-19th
- For professionals in the
fields of aging, healthcare and education. Featured events within the conference include national forums on Caregiving,
Business & Aging, Immigration, and Brain Health.
- More information at: http://www.asaging.org/AiA10/index.cfm
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Note about Dale
Dale Carter is wife,
mother of 3 grown children, and long-distance caregiver to her elderly
mother. She is a former educator and university IT consultant. In
the spring of 2008, a major life experience (helping her elderly mother through
a major health/life crisis) changed the course of Dale's life work.
Dale created
"Transition Aging Parents" as a way to share her experience and reach
out to other adult children of aging parents. She provides insight and
shares information to help adult daughters and sons ensure their aging parents
"thrive and find joy" in every stage of life.
Her goal is two-fold: to
serve as a resource for adult children as they help their aging parents through
the many transitions in aging AND to highlight this time in their journey
together as one of joy, renewed bonds and reflection of lives well-lived.
© 2010 Transition Aging
Parents. All Rights Reserved.
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Dale Carter, founder of Transition Aging Parents, is dedicated to providing
insight and information to adult children of aging parents so their parents may
"thrive and find joy" in every stage of life. To get your
F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and receive her bi-weekly articles on resources,
options, and new innovations for aging parents, visit http://www.transitionagingparents.com
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