Help Your Clients Save $$$ in the New Year!

Help Your Clients Save $$$ in the New Year!

Research shows that older Americans leave millions of dollars in valuable benefits on the table every year, benefits that could help them pay for such basic needs as health care, prescriptions, food and utilities. To support your benefits counseling efforts, we developed the Guide to Benefits for Seniors, the most comprehensive, up-to-date directory of benefits available. Since its release last summer, the Guide has become one of our most requested publications. Why has it been so successful? You told us that the full-color brochure not only describes the array of benefits available to older adults, it also provides them with phone numbers and websites to help them take steps to strengthen their financial futures. It's hard to keep this popular Guide in stock, so o rder a supply for your agency while supplies last!

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Copyright © 2016, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), All rights reserved.

Ways To Stay Safe During The Winter Months

e-Update from the National Institute on Aging

Older adults can be particularly vulnerable in cold weather. Here are some ways to stay safe during the winter months:

Try to stay away from cold places. Changes in the body that come with aging can make it harder for older adults to be aware of getting cold.

Check the weather forecasts for windy and cold weather. Try to stay inside or in a warm place on cold and windy days. If you have to go out, wear warm clothes including a hat and gloves. A waterproof coat can help you stay warm if it's cold and snowy.

Wear several layers of loose clothing when it's cold. The layers will trap warm air between them. Don't wear tight clothing because it can keep your blood from flowing freely. This can lead to loss of body heat.

Ask your doctor how the medicines you are taking affect body heat. Some medicines used by older people can increase the risk of accidental hypothermia. These include drugs used to treat anxiety, depression, or nausea. Some over-the-counter cold remedies can also cause problems.

When the temperature outside has dropped, drink alcohol moderately, if at all. Alcoholic drinks can make you lose body heat.

Make sure you eat enough food to keep up your weight. If you don't eat well, you might have less fat under your skin. Body fat helps you to stay warm.

Order FREE copies of Hypothermia: A Cold Weather Hazard to share with older adults you know, or take to your local community or senior center.

Share this information on social media:

Twitter: Help older adults stay safe in cold weather with these tips: http://bit.ly/2kjrRgT

Facebook: Older adults can be particularly vulnerable in cold weather. This free brochure from the National Institute on Aging at NIH has tips to help older adults stay safe in cold weather. http://bit.ly/2kjhLw5

3 worksheets to prepare for a doc visit

Take good care of yourself in 2017. Checking in with your health professionals is an important part of good health. Prepare for appointments by using these worksheets to identify:

Concerns—think about what you’d like to talk about before the visit and prioritize what you want to talk about first.

Changes to discuss—list any changes in your life, health, medications, and mood since your last visit. Try to note when the change occurred and for how long.

Medications—write down all your medications, what they are for, and the dose/instructions.

Visit our website to view these worksheets and get more information about talking to your doctor.

Share this information on social media:

Twitter: Be prepared! Fill out these 3 worksheets before a doctor’s appointment: http://bit.ly/2jhkYeB

Facebook: Make the most out of your next doctor’s visit by filling out these 3 worksheets with your concerns, changes to discuss, and your medications: http://bit.ly/2jJ1QEY

Talking to kids about Alzheimer’s disease

e-Update from the Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, a service of the National Institute on Aging at N I H

When a family member has Alzheimer’s disease, it affects everyone in the family, including children and grandchildren. It’s important to talk to them about what is happening. How much and what kind of information you share depends on the child’s age and relationship to the person with Alzheimer’s.

Here are some tips to help kids understand what is happening:

Answer their questions simply and honestly. For example, you might tell a young child, “Grandma has an illness that makes it hard for her to remember things.”

Help them understand that their feelings of sadness and anger are normal.

Comfort them. Tell them no one caused the disease.

Share this information on social media:

Twitter: Kids will have questions about #Alzheimers—answer them simply and honestly. Get tips on how to talk to kids about Alz: http://bit.ly/2hSdQmi

Facebook: When a family member has Alzheimer’s disease, it affects everyone in the family, including children and grandchildren. It’s important to talk to them about what is happening. Get tips on how to talk to kids about Alzheimer’s in this tip sheet from NIH: http://bit.ly/2i7Dh2G

Preparing guests for holiday visits

As you prepare for the holidays, you may also need to prepare guests for how to visit with your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. Explain to guests that the person with Alzheimer’s may not always remember what is expected and acceptable. Here are some other tips for successful visits:

Let guests know ahead of time about any unusual behaviors that may take place, such as incontinence, eating with fingers, wandering, or hallucinations.

If this is the first visit since the person with Alzheimer’s advanced to a later stage of the disease, tell guests to be prepared for changes, and that the person may not remember their names or relationships, which may be painful.

Explain that memory loss is the result of the disease and is not intentional.

Stress that the meaningfulness of the moment together matters more than what the person remembers. The person may not remember guests but can still enjoy their company.

Read this tip sheet for more holiday hints for Alzheimer’s caregivers.

Share this information with friends and family:

Twitter: #Alzheimers #caregivers—learn about preparing for the holiday season from #NIH. http://bit.ly/2h1IXM0

Facebook: Holidays can be meaningful, enriching times for both the person with Alzheimer’s disease and his or her family. Maintaining or adapting family rituals and traditions helps all family members feel a sense of belonging and family identity. Get tips on having a successful holiday season from NIH. http://bit.ly/2gYONgM

Help Your Clients Save $$$ in the New Year!

Ways To Stay Safe During The Winter Months

3 worksheets to prepare for a doc visit

Talking to kids about Alzheimer’s disease

Preparing guests for holiday visits

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