Seniors who associate with seniors
More and more baby boomers are retiring only to find that their retirement income is not what they expected! Oh! With the economy in recession and competition for jobs so high, they are unable to find supplemental employment in their hour of need. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for our communities is learning how to harness these healthy and active older adults to help those who may need minimal support in our community. However, there are options for those who are willing to share their good health, mobility and desire to be active even if they have “retired”. The “independent elderly” population can stay in their homes longer and live a happy life if healthy early retirees are willing to spend some time sharing activities of daily living, e.g. cooking, simple housework how to wash clothes , driving, for those older people who may need assistance in carrying out these activities. The latest statistics find that the average assisted living resident is an 84-year-old woman, who only requires help with two to four activities! This type of person is considered to have low to moderate dependency. These people would rather live in their own homes than in an assisted living facility. Home gives them a sense of freedom, comfort and emotional well-being by being surrounded by the things that give them pleasure and keep memories for a lifetime.
A recently divorced woman, who had no retirement other than social security benefits, took on that position. She offered companionship to those families currently caring for an elderly loved one who may not be able to stay alone. She comes over to their house during the day and cooks them a delicious lunch, plays cards with them, takes them shopping if they wish, and then makes sure they have plenty of food in the kitchen to allow for healthy snacks in the evening when she it goes. She will also spend the night with a loved one while the family takes a short vacation if the loved one is unable or unwilling to travel. This gives the family peace of mind, knowing that her loved one is well cared for in her absence, and also allows older adults the comfort of their loved surroundings. This is simply a win-win situation for everyone involved.
At one point, Japan was considering an insurance plan that would allow citizens in good health to take care of neighbors who were elderly and didn’t have relatives living close enough to provide support. They would “bank” home care hours with the central bank (insurance plan) that they could use in the future, either for themselves or for a loved one who might live too far away for them to provide day-to-day care. These accumulated home hours could be exchanged for themselves in the future or now for a loved one elsewhere. This seemed like a great method to consider with our current economy forcing people to move to find employment, often leaving family members behind. Caregivers, who are related to the elderly, often feel depressed due to the role reversal they may experience in caring for their elderly parents. This situation can be alleviated if the caregiver is not a relative.
Many academics say that if we want to be successful in caring for our baby boomers in the future, we will have to make some changes in housing and health care. I think this is a challenge for our communities. It is becoming increasingly critical as our population ages. We should start thinking about developing communities with an emphasis on family homes, parks, and schools, allowing for multi-generational activities. The elderly can be key volunteers in improving the life of a community.
The bottom line (and the intangible benefit) is that we need to recognize the “give and take” of all parts of society. Anyone who has spent time caring for an elderly friend or relative recognizes that he receives much more than he gives in the relationship. Everyone benefits when seniors can fully integrate into a caring and loving society.