Home Sweet Home Care
Newsletter - November 30, 2010


Happy Holiday Greetings to You All,

I hope and trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and you're looking forward to spending more time with family and friends as the festive holiday season takes off with shopping, parties and end-of-the-year travel plans.

Sad to say though, that as long as our economy continues to be weak, and so many people are unemployed, the incidence of financial elder abuse will likely continue to rise.  While it may not be the whole answer, it would certainly help a lot if more people took a caring interest in the seniors they know and made a point of dropping by or giving them a call sometimes to find out how they are doing.  This is a good thing to do anytime the spirit moves you but it's a particularly great thing to do in the winter holiday months when the weather gets cold and people who are frail or homebound may start to feel especially lonely and depressed.

As discussed in the article presented below Elder Abuse is on the Rise, the recession appears to cause many unemployed people to return to their parent(s)' homes where they live with their elderly without making a contribution to the household and, in fact, exploiting their senior's small social security income, ATM and savings without true consent, a common form of financial elder abuse.  If you suspect something, say something:  Call your city's Adult Protective Services and make an anonymous report.  It's better to be safe than sorry.

And, don't forget to honor a caregiver.  November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Caregivers Month!  Remember, as former first lady Rosalynn Carter famously said:

"There are only four kinds of people in the world-those who have been caregivers, those who currently are caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who need caregivers."

 

Shirley Cohen

Executive Director


Elder Abuse Is On The Rise

Elder abuse on the riseAccording to a study released by the the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, financial abuse is the leading form of abuse against older adults.

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6 Tips on Making the Most of Your Medicare

EnrollmentSeniors: Don't Forget Medicare's Open Enrollment and Period To Make Changes is November 15th - December 30th.

New Studies Say An Attitude of Gratitude Is What We Need to Improve Our Mental & Physical Health!!

thank youA growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being.

Planning for Temporary Home Care After the Hospital Stay

Temporary Home CareA recent, comprehensive N.Y. Times article offers helpful tips on planning for care after a hospital stay.
 

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Children Ease Alzheimer's in Land of Aging

Children ease Alzeheimers in South KoreaHere's a very interesting and informative article about Korea's pro-active approach to their rapidly-rising dementia population.  I like the part where they will increase the national health insurance premiums by 7% to help cover their seniors' long term care needs.

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