Home Care

https://issuu.com/communityadvocate/docs/ecrg_autumn_21-22

By David Wilkening Contributing Writer REGION - If you want the protection of buying long-term care insurance, it helps if you have a lot of money....

By Marianne Delorey, Ph.D., Executive Director, Colony Retirement Homes  My 13-year-old son suggested I write an article about cleanliness.  I wonder if it was an...

By Marianne Delorey My grandmother was a crafter and a collector. She hand-braided rugs, created beautiful decoupage, quilted, and probably had her hand in many,...

Audry was from the old country. As a kid, whenever she was stressed, she would visit her mother in the kitchen. Her mother would set her up with some spices and with a mortar and pestle, she would bang and grind the spices until she felt better. Now, even in her later years when her anxiety spikes again, she still gets great comfort from the bang and scrape but also from the smells of the spices.

Sleep disorders are commonly underdiagnosed and a significant source of concern in the geriatric population. Age alone does not cause sleep problems. Disturbed sleep, waking up tired every day, and other symptoms of insomnia are not a normal part of aging. Instead, poor sleep habits, untreated sleep disorders, medications, or medical problems can contribute to sleeplessness. This article will help you understand the causes of sleep problems and provide tips to help you sleep well.

You are being discharged from a health care facility -maybe you have had hip replacement surgery, pneumonia, a fall - every person’s situation is different, but the bottom line is you need help in order to go home. This can be a very difficult part of the healing process for many people. Although we are health care professionals, we are still initially strangers to you, and welcoming us into your home can be an intimidating task. We hope to earn your trust and respect while we are assisting in your transition back to independence.

Last month I wrote about a 70- year-old friend of mine with diabetes who fought to return home after a hospitalization, instead of going to a rehab. Well, it has happened again. A 61-year-old woman from Charlestown called me last week. Let's call her “Laura.” She is a MassHealth member. She broke her leg, and was sent to a major hospital in Boston. She spent three days in the hospital. At discharge, the staff hospitalist gave Laura a list of three rehabs, and told her to pick one. Laura didn’t know what a rehab would be like, but she picked one facility she had heard of.

“We need each other,” said FriendshipWorks Executive Director Janet Seckel-Cerrotti, “especially older people who have to fight diminishment and the lessening social connections that come with age and fragility.” The comment sums up Seckel-Cerrotti’s belief in the value of FriendshipWorks, a volunteer organization based in Boston. Working with a staff of 15, she organizes the activities of a group of about 200 volunteers in the Boston-Brookline area who serve their clients. Both English and Spanish are spoken.