Dear  ,

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to acknowledge that our elders can teach us a great deal about gratitude. So many seniors have lost many of the simple pleasures of life that we too often take for granted.

For example, it is estimated that approximately 21% of older adults have both hearing and vision loss by the time they reach 70 years of age. Helen Keller gave us a glimpse of what this means for a human being when she wrote: "Blindness cuts off people from the environment; deafness cuts them off from other people."

Take a moment to really consider that one out of five seniors you come in contact with are challenged to hear and see. Might they wish they could engage in the dinner conversation? Wonder if people think they have dementia because they cannot understand what people are saying? Live in fear of the world because they don't have their senses to guide them?

If we truly take a moment to empathize and learn about what happens to our clients and loved ones as they age, we will not only know how to provide better care; we will also be enriched by the realization that through witnessing loss, we can find gratitude.

With gratitude,

Sheryl Hunter, CEO

sheryl@lifelinesacademy.com                           

Beth Farrell, COO