Independence Rules: Why Seniors Need a Community of Care to "Age Out Loud"

Independence Rules:

Why “Aging Out Loud” Takes a Community of Care

By Mark Friedman

Owner

May is “Older American Month”, and this year’s theme is “Age Out Loud”. It speaks volumes about our seniors, the vibrancy they continue to exercise over their lives, and the communities that care about them.

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I am an outspoken supporter of Aging in Place. Wherever that “place” is, and whatever it’s called. Home. Retirement, Independent or Assisted Living. The work of my company is to support seniors in whatever environment they are in, and yes, to help them succeed at Aging out Loud.

I am certainly glad we are not alone in this ambitious effort.

As I look around, I am awed by the companies, technology, services, products, and people who all want the same thing for our seniors. I’m dazzled by the range of support in our communities today, and by what’s in the pipeline.

A credible provider has a credible, trusted network. Senior Helpers is proud to be connected to resources that can literally help seniors with everything imaginable. For example, our close connections and contacts can help elders de-clutter basements and attics, or equip a spare bedroom into a fully functional apartment. Our partners in care are experts in elder-law, financial structures, and end-of-life.

If it’s no longer safe or prudent to stay at home, we know firsthand how significantly the world of independent living, assisted living, and long term skilled care has changed. These communities now come in all sizes, shapes, and flavors, and being redefined all the time by competition and their own residents. We delight in helping seniors sort through the maze of options and it is a free service we provide at Senior Helpers.

Today, we see adult children taking a more active involvement financially with regard to life and care decisions with their aging parents. Helping Mom and Dad to “stay put”, they now demand an “A” Team of resources to keep their loved ones supported, safe, and active, both at home and, in the community. Senior Helpers is always on that team and often is its leader.

This means helping our clients remain active in the wider community, where seniors now have more support than ever to age with grace and gusto. We accompany clients to local Council on Aging’s and Senior Centers, which have become hubs for Aging Out Loud.

Inside many centers, seniors have access to the Senior Learning Network an interactive technology that literally and figuratively transports seniors to Mars and back every day, keeping minds and spirits agile, engaged, and intrepid.

Thanks to the global platform, Better Impact, seniors are also volunteering and giving back in their communities in record numbers and basic ways. These days we find our Aging Out Loud elders delivering Meals on Wheels and reading to home bound elders. Because this is a generation that gives, “as good as it got”, and embodies the meaning of volunteerism.

It is critical that these organizations and families are tethered together, because to Age Out Loud, seniors also need Support that Works.

Support can range from a prized connection to a medical specialist, short term care at home after hip replacement surgery, to a customized program of coordinated care after a more complex diagnosis, or a personalized search for the right assisted living or memory care community.

Knowing where to turn, and having access to deep and dependable resources can provide enormous comfort to families, especially those living away from loved ones, or not always around should a crisis come up.

At Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore we have witnessed the power of Aging In Place while knowing every senior will Age Out Loud, differently.

• This is why we have a suite of more than 50 programs and services that can be accessed at a moment’s notice.
• This is why we begin working with every senior by focusing on what they can do, respecting what they are unable to do, and customizing a plan of care to support and respond to what they want to do.
• This is why each plan is nurse case managed and supervised. From caring companionship and conversation, to care plans for complex diagnoses of Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Parkinson’s.
• This is why we have important, relevant, and deep connections in the senior living community, and in each of the 75 communities we serve.

We have a broad spectrum of customized services and programs that continue to evolve as the needs of our seniors do. We stay connected to the communities we serve because we know how essential they are in keeping our seniors independent and engaged.

Our seniors are living in a great time to “Age Out Loud”. As owner of Senior Helpers I cheer them on with gusto because I know we will do our part. With care, compassion, responsiveness and grace.

To learn more about the Programs and Services of Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore, visit, www.SeniorHelpers/com/Boston. Or call 617.500.6999

This is one of the series of articles I have written that I hope inform and encourage seniors and families to stay in charge of their aging. I invite you to send me comments and suggestions for topics.

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You can contact me at: MFriedman@SeniorHelpersBoston.com

Mark Friedman is the Owner of Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore. Passionate about seniors and healthcare, the goal of his agency is to set a new standard in home care in Massachusetts. First by delivering an exceptional home care experience in a combination of highly trained and high-touch caregivers. And secondly by becoming a significant connection for elders to resources and services in the 75 communities his company serves.