SENIOR ISSUES NEWSLETTER
July, 1998
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"Senior Issues" is written by the following Penn State Cooperative Extension
agents who comprise the Northwest Pennsylvania Aging Cluster Team: Janice
Alberico (Lawrence County), Nancy Covert (Jefferson County), Holly Hedstrom
(Erie County), and Janet McDougall (Mercer County).
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NEW MEDICARE LAW COVERS BONE DENSITY TEST
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Effective July 1, 1998, bone density testing is covered for many people under
Medicare. This test is the only reliable way to diagnose osteoporosis and
forecast who will have fractures due to this disease.
Medicare-insured people who fall into one of these categories are eligible:
* An estrogen-deficient woman at clinical risk for osteoporosis.
* An individual with vertebral abnormalities such as fractures of the spine.
* An individual receiving long-term steroid therapy.
* An individual with excess parathyroid hormone.
* An individual being monitored on osteoporosis drug therapy.
Osteoporosis can cause stooped posture, collapse of the vertebrae, chronic
pain, and disability. It affects over 28 million Americans, causes 1.5
million fractures a year, costs our country $14 billion and is a preventable
disease.
Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation
THE FASTEST WAY TO GET HELP IN AN EMERGENCY
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You never know when an emergency might occur in or around your home and you
can never be over-prepared for an emergency situation. If you haven't made
the following prepara-tions, now is the time to plan ahead to help make an
emergency as stress-free as possible.
Your house number should be clearly posted on your home so it can be seen from
the street, day and night. You may also have it on the mailbox and painted on
the curb.
Post all emergency phone numbers near each phone in your house so you have
easy access to them. This can save several minutes of thumbing through the
phone book in desperation. You may even want to purchase emergency phone
stickers to place directly on your phone. Many emergency services provide
stickers for the public's use.
Residents in a community without a 911 emergency system need to know ambulance
company and fire department numbers. Residents in areas with a 911 emergency
system, should dial 911 as soon as you can during an emergency.
Be as calm as possible and give the person on the phone your name, address
(not post office box), city or township, and phone number. Any other
information that would help locate your home is always useful, such as
distinguishing characteristics of your home and/or landmarks.
Tell the dispatcher the exact nature of the emergency. With accurate
information, ambulance technicians will be able to get the equipment they need
and arrive at your home quickly.
Hints to help technicians include:
* Turn on porch lights.
* Have someone outside to watch for the ambulance.
* Move any furniture or other obstacles out of the way so the technicians can
easily carry the stretcher to the patient.
* Keep pets in another room.
* Be prepared to show the ambulance technicians any medication that you know
the patient is taking.
An emergency is never pleasant, but the better you are prepared, the easier it
will be to handle the situation.
Source: The Golden Rule Leisure Digest-PenPages.
KITCHEN EFFICIENCY FOR GOOD HEALTH
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Kitchen efficiency is a boon to good health and safety by making it easy to
prepare meals and providing a safe kitchen that tempts you to cook a variety
of healthy foods.
Arthritis and vision changes are two common changes that can affect the way we
function in the kitchen. We often make adaptations gradually, but it is easy
to overlook some ways to make meal preparation easier.
Use items on this list to trigger your thinking about the efficiency and
safety of your kitchen.
* Good shadow-free lighting.
* Cookbooks with large print.
* Fire extinguisher.
* A sturdy stepstool. (Sit to work when possible, use a lapboard on your lap
or across an open drawer.)
* Lack of clutter. (Get rid of items you don't use.)
* A plastic half-gallon milk container that makes it easier to carry and pour
a half-gallon of milk.
* A one-handed food chopper (with a knob on the top) for solid or leafy food.
* A nonslip rubber gripper.
* A long oven mitt.
* A squeeze jar for catsup or mustard.
* Lightweight dishes kept on lower shelves of cupboard.
* No scatter rugs.
* Tongs to extend your reach.
* Long handled dust pan and brush.
GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN
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The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren has increased
dramatically in recent years. National leaders of support groups for
grand-parents raising grandchildren estimate that their numbers exceed 7
million. Some of these grandparents have full custody of their grandchildren
while others parent on a more restricted basis.
Of grandparent caregivers, 60% are grandmothers and 40% are grand-fathers; 75%
are married; and more than 75% are between 45 and 64 years of age. According
to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 12% of African-American youth are raised by
grandparents, 6% of Hispanic children and 3.6% of white youth.
-- Key Social Factors
Explaining why many grandparents are rearing their grandchildren, researcher
Arthur Kornhaber cites social problems such as parental immaturity,
joblessness, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, deaths, street crime,
homelessness, incarceration, AIDS, and child abuse and neglect.
-- Suggested Survival Techniques
Raising grandchildren often brings unexpected and long-lasting lifestyle
changes. It's not any easy job, but along with the challenges come rewards.
* Prioritize.
* Take one thing at a time.
* Make life easy.
* Accept and listen to feelings.
* Set limits with your grandchildren.
* Reach out for help.
* Get into a support group.
* Let yourself off the hook.
* Feed yourself spiritually.
* Plan family fun time.
* Make time for yourself.
CAREGIVER CONCERNS
DADUS DOING OK, OR IS HE?
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Suicide is a serious problem among older men. The suicide rate among older
white males is higher than it is for any other age group, and is significantly
higher than for women. For example, the rate for men aged 75 to 84 is eight
times higher than the rate for women of the same age group.
The death rate among widowers is much higher than that of their married peers:
four times as high from suicide, three times as high from auto accidents, ten
times as high from strokes, and six times as high from heart disease. Some
auto "accident" deaths are related to suicide.
At risk issues:
* Living Alone - More men are living alone than ever before according to the
U.S. Census. Men who are widowed or divorced in their later years often lack
self-care skills and become socially isolated, increasing the feelings of
loneliness and despair.
* Grief - Studies have shown that, in the first four months after the death
of a wife, a man is very vulnerable to both physical and emotional problems.
* Communicating feelings - It is a myth that men experience different
feelings than women following the loss of a spouse. However, research found
that men do see themselves as different so they are less likely to seek help.
It's a shock to the widower that he is not as "strong" and self-sufficient as
he thought. This relates to how society has viewed male emotions.
* Retirement - Another major life change, often brings feelings of loss,
dependence, lack of purpose and decreased self esteem. As many as 90 percent
of retirees may experience a health crisis requiring a hospital stay in the
first year of their retirement. Older men especially need to develop
interests, hobbies, friendships, and a sense of self-worth beyond work.
SO, IS DAD OK?
You'll learn best by making some special times and sharing some life space
with him. Also some shorter, but more frequent contacts via phone or letter
or card may work for busy adult children. Mental health issues shouldn't be
ignored nor can they always be resolved quickly. Everyone deals with them in
their own time frame. Local mental health resources and services are often
overlooked. You can access these resources under mental health in your phone
book. Questions? Make that call!
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Reviewed by: Dan Lago, Ph.D.
Adult Development and Aging Specialist
Department of Agricultural and Extension Education
Penn State University, College of Agricultural Sciences
323 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802
Voice: (814) 863-7871
E-mail: djl@psu.edu