Over the holiday weekend I read the e-book Think Like A Black Belt: Take Charge of Your Personal Safety by Lori Hoeck.  The author presents 15 powerful safety tips for preventing assault and dealing with an attack.   It is an excellent how-to book about raising our awareness, relying on intuition, reducing vulnerability and learning emergency thinking in order to avoid becoming a target of attack by a criminal.  This is not instructions on how-to-do karate or tae kwon do. It is a book about not getting into situations where we need to fight, but preparing ourselves mentally in case we do.

I grew up in New York and I jokingly refer to my “New York paranoia” when friends tease me about keeping my home doors locked during the day, or never walking out to my car alone at night from a store or restaurant.  In reading this book I realized this “New York paranoia” is actually my own Inner Warrior at work.

Although most of us do not have time to train for years in karate or self defense, we all possess an Inner Warrior who simply needs awakening to prevent attack. . . . Driving is an example of your Inner Warrior at work.  Survival skills honed through history allow us to monitor our environment while performing everyday tasks, instantly leaping from normal to survival mode in a flash without freezing.

At the end of each chapter, Hoeck includes talking points to discuss with our children to keep them safer.  As I read however, I realized we should be talking with our aging parents about them as well.  And even more importantly, if our Golden Oldies are not able to rely on their Inner Warriors due to physical or mental decline, we as family caregivers need to become more vigilant regarding their safety.

Here are a few points Hoeck raises in her book (in bold) and my responses to get you thinking about your seniors’ personal safety:

• Criminals often work from convenience, looking for easy targets. Do your aging parents appear vulnerable (preoccupied, timid, frail, confused) when they are out in public?

• Criminals also look for non-physical weaknesses to exploit. One of them is manipulating a person’s trust. If your aging parent suddenly has new “best friends” or “helpers,” be sure they are not criminals trying to worm their way into their lives, and then further into their finances or wills.  This can happen very slowly and nearly imperceptibly over time, so just be aware.  Seniors are at a higher risk for this type of emotional or financial abuse because they may be lonely from the death of their spouse or friends.

• Use body language like armor . . . portraying a sense of confidence . . . even if you are in a wheel chair or walking bent over with a cane. Our aging parents can exude strong body language through their eyes, voices, setting personal space boundaries, and appearing calm.

Be safe and keep your loved ones safe, too! Have you ever discussed these ideas with your aging parents?

Are there other eldercare safety concerns you have? Please share them in the Comments below.

Hoeck is a former volunteer firefighter and EMT, a third-degree black belt and senior instructor in the martial arts.  If you are interested in buying her book for yourself, your children or your aging parents, you can purchase it on her website.  She also authors an excellent self-defense blog, Think Like a Black Belt, with personal safety information for people of all ages.

Missing children grab headlines, but missing senior citizens are far more common. In the United States there are currently more than 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease and that figure is expected to grow to as much as 16 million by 2050.

According to an article by Alex Johnson, an MSNBC reporter,

“About 60 percent of such patients wander away from their homes or care facilities at some point, according to the Alzheimer’s Association; about half of those who are not found within 24 hours suffer serious injury or even death.”

The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons instituted the Silver Alert program in November 2007, inspired by Amber Alerts for missing children. Of the nearly 40 alerts issued in North Carolina, all but four of the missing persons were found alive, the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety said. The numbers are almost identical in Texas, where a similar program was also implemented last year.

Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, who cared for his own father as he struggled through the final stages of Alzheimer’s, noted that few states have senior alert programs — only 11, with others considering them. At the time of my writing, there is a bill on the Senate floor sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, which would establish a national Silver Alert communications network to coordinate search efforts and give grants to states to take part.

Police and policy-makers said they would welcome the help, saying in general, it is harder to find a missing senior citizen than it is to find a missing child. People may think it odd if they see a child walking alone and approach them, but most people may not think it out of the ordinary if a senior is walking alone. Or they do not want to embarrass the Golden Oldie or invade their privacy if they’re outside on their own.

I’ve recommended before as part of a Senior Safety Net for Golden Oldies/our aging parents that they wear MedicAlert ID bracelets. These are also used in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return program. Silver Alerts would take this concept to an even broader level of action and response.

I’m hoping this important program will be implemented quickly nationwide and prove to be as effective as Amber Alerts have been!

To read the original article which contains the 11 states that have implemented the program, please click here.

As a family caregiver, I find it encouraging to read creative solutions to common problems we face and this news story certainly contains one!

If you have cared for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, you know your Golden Oldie could possibly wander off and become lost. In Dusseldorf, Germany, the Benrath Senior Centre, came up with an innovative strategy to prevent this from occurring. They put up an exact replica of a standard stop sign outside their facility, with one difference — no buses ever stop there!

Center residents who go outside intent on returning to their often nonexistent prior homes and families, make a beeline for the green-and-yellow bus stop sign and wait for the bus to arrive.

“We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later and invite them in for a coffee,” said Richard Neureither, Benrath’s director. “Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.”

This idea has proven so successful that it has now been adopted by several other senior homes across Germany. I hope it’s tried here in the United States as well.

Original news story from the UK Telegraph News can be read here.

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I am on my Golden Oldies Whirlwind Tour (See post of October 20th below). Our regular features, “Inspiring Quotes for Caregivers” and “Funny Fridays,” will return next week!

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck southern California at 11:42am today,  where my 99 year-old mother and our family live! 

It was the strongest earthquake to strike a populated area of southern California since the 1994 Northridge (Los Angeles) quake.  The epicenter was in Chino Hills, about an hour away from our homes, and it rocked the region from Los Angeles to San Diego.  There were also dozens of aftershocks, the largest so far being a magnitude 3.8. 

I was just leaving my Mom’s board and care home and was halfway down the path to the street, when I heard what sounded like the front door behind me being opened and closed again.  I didn’t think anything of it, because one of the other residents often goes to the door, looks out and then closes it again.  As I got down to the street, a caregiver opened the front door and called out to me, “Did you feel it?”  I said, “Feel what?”  Since I was walking, I had no idea an earthquake had even occurred.  The sounds I heard were actually the front door rattling due to the quake.  I went back into the house entryway and saw the overhead light fixture swaying side-to-side above me, which is a classic sign of an earthquake.  

I’m happy to report that everything there and at my house is fine.  No injuries, a few things were knocked over, but nothing was broken.  We are all very lucky!

Of course, this got me thinking about our aging parents and earthquake preparedness!

Here are a few things I did and you can do should an earthquake (or other natural disaster) strike where one of your Golden Oldies lives:

• If you live near your parents, go over to their home as soon as possible to check for possible injuries and provide first aid.  I was thankful to be “on the spot” at the board and care when the earthquake hit so I could check everything immediately.

• Check the gas, water and electric lines.  Fires could start, so beware.  Check phone lines too, replacing receivers if they’ve been knocked off by the shaking.

• Walk through the house with your parents to check for anything that fell off shelves or the walls, especially breakables.  Watch for broken glass.

• If you can’t get there quickly enough, ask one of their neighbors to do a walk-through with them.  Another reason why I recommend you have those phone numbers handy as part of a Senior Safety Net.

• If they need to evacuate, will you, another family member or neighbor of theirs be able to assit them?  Where will they go?  Having a plan in place is vital, especially if they are bedridden, in a wheelchair, or need assistance walking. 

• Even before an earthquake hits, when you are visiting their homes (or decorating their room in an assisted living or a board and care), think about what you hang on the walls near their beds.  I purposely hung only a small fabric collage over my Mom’s bed, so if it ever did fall in an earthquake it wouldn’t hurt her.  You may also want to bolt any heavy furniture, bookcases and mirrors to the walls so they don’t fall over.

• Do they have an up-to-date earthquake preparedness kit in their home?  Do they have extra medication, special foods and water for several days?  Do they have pet supplies if needed?  

• If they live in an assisted living facility, board and care, or nursing home, be sure there is both an eathquake kit and relocation plan in place, and that all of the caregivers are trained about what to do if a natural disaster strikes.  These things will probably be in place due to licensing requirements, but it is always wise to double check.  I called the administration of my Mom’s board and care this afternoon to be sure they were on top of disaster preparedness.

Here is a free, in-depth reference guide written by the Los Angeles Fire Department called “The Earthquake Preparedness Handbook” with detailed instructions for before and after a quake, as well as checklists to use in creating a kit for their (or your) home.  You can either read it online or print it out.

And on a personal note, our 18 year-old son was sitting on the backyard patio of our home when the quake struck.  He said the trees and patio cover shook like crazy!  He grabbed our dog and ducked under the patio table for cover.  Smart guy!

Have you or your aging parents survived an earthquake?  What other things can you think of to add to this list?

This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Click here for Part 1.

In Part 1 of this series I describe steps family caregivers can take to create a “Senior Safety Net” for our aging parents.  Purchasing a medical alert system (or personal emergency response system) for our Golden Oldies’ homes is a major component of this pro-active safety plan.

How Does It Work?

A medical alert system is simple and easy-to-use.  Help is literally at our parents’ fingertips in the form of a medical alert button that is worn around their neck, on the wrist or on a belt clip.  The buttons are waterproof and can be worn in the bath or shower where falls often occur.  It is connected wirelessly to a two-way voice communcation center where there is an operator on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When the button is pushed, it activates the in-home console and a signal is sent to the monitoring center.  An operator’s voice will be heard in your parents’ home, asking if everything is OK.  If your parent needs help, or if they can’t speak, an operator will call the appropriate emergency response unit (Fire or Police Department) based on need.  The operator will also notify family, neighbors or friends to let them know the situation.  This all occurs in a matter of minutes.  The operator will follow up to be sure that help has arrived.

Things to Consider Before Purchasing

Medical alert systems are a service you or your parents will be purchasing.  It always is smart to research carefully the features, benefits and references of each of the systems you are considering. 

Here are some questions to ask the companies:

1. Does the system automatically test itself each week to be sure it’s functioning properly?  Can you self-test it?
2. How long has the company been in business?  Are there customers in the area you can contact yourself by phone for references?
3. What is the training period and courses for operators?  Does the training include continuing education?
4. Ask about the company’s customer service, for the actual monitoring system as well as for technical questions you may have about the operation of the unit. 
5. What costs are involved?  Are there start-up fees?  Is there a minimum amount of time you must enroll for?  Is there a long-term contract required?  Reputable services will usually offer a money-back trial period at no risk to the buyer.
6. Are repairs or replacement parts included at no charge? 
7. Is there an emergency back-up power supply in case the electricity goes out? 

Why Have a Medical Alert System?

I consider this a major component of a “Senior Safety Net” for our aging parents because it will allow them to live independently longer.  Our Golden Oldies who live alone or have health-related problems will find a system like this very valuable.  And even if they don’t live alone, a medical alert system is needed because accidents and emergencies are never expected.  What if one of your parents needs help while the other is away from home? 

My hope is that not only will our Golden Oldies feel safer with a system like this installed in their home, but so will their families. 

If you’d like to compare a few highly-recommended medical alert systems, check out each of the links below:

            LifeStation Medical Alert Systems

            Philips Lifeline Medical Alert Systems

Have you or your parents had experience with an emergency medical alert system?  Do they provide you and your parents with peace of mind?  I welcome your comments or questions below.

This is Part 1 of a 2-part series.

Click here for Part 2.

If our aging parent fell in their home and passed out, how would we know? 

If they became paralyzed by a stroke and couldn’t call us or reach a neighbor, what happens then? 

What if we call several times on a day you know they are at home and they don’t pick up the telephone? 

Any of these scenarios could happen to our Golden Oldies.  I think it’s imperative to put a “Senior Safety Net” in place to help our parents in these potentially life-threatening situations.  And most importantly, we must be pro-active and get a plan in place before an emergency happens!  

• Collect the names, phone numbers and email addresses for their immediate neighbors and introduce yourself to them the next time you’re visiting.  In case you can’t reach your parents, you can call and ask them to check on them for you.

• Have an extra set of keys made for your parents’ home and car for you to keep.   They could also exchange house keys with a friendly neighbor if they feel comfortable doing this.  

• Obtain a MedicAlert bracelet for your parents to wear.  MedicAlert is a non-profit organization that protects and saves lives by providing identification and medical information in emergencies.  Emergency medical personnel are trained to look for the MedicAlert emblem which has your parents’ personal ID number, primary medical conditions, and the phone number of the organization’s 24-hour Emergency Response Center.  In the event of an emergency, MedicAlert will also notify your family or designated contacts.  A senior citizen does not even have to have a known medical condition; instead it could be used for identification purposes only. For further information about this organization and its services, click here.

• There are home medical alert systems that can be purchased and in Part 2 I will report in detail about them.

These tips for a “Senior Safety Net” should help provide peace of mind for our aging parents and as well as for us, the family caregivers.

Often times in life everything comes full circle.  Our parents kept us safe when we were youngsters, and now it is our turn to be sure our Golden Oldies’ homes are as safe as possible for them as they age.  The goal is to allow them to live safely in their own homes (or age in place) as long as possible!

Many seniors have diminishing eyesight, hearing and/or reflexes, plus are at a higher risk for falls.  Since June is National Home Safety Month,  here is a checklist to review with (or without) your parents to assess how safe their homes are.

• Install handrails in stairways and grab bars in the bathroom near the toilet, in the shower and and along the tub.  Be sure they are installed at the correct height for your parents’ use (not based on your height).
• Keep all rooms and hallways where your Golden Oldies walk and/or read well lit.  Be sure lighting inside and outside the home is more than adequate.  Place night lights as needed in the bathroom, bedroom, hallway and/or kitchen if you know your parents walk around during the night. (Don’t we all at some time?)
• Make entryways safe — from the curb all the way through the front door.  Are the walkways and steps smooth and without bumps, cracks or missing pieces?  Lighting is also vital outdoors at night.  Consider installing motion-sensor lights in the front, side and/or back yards.  If there are handrails outside, be sure they are in good repair.  Consider adding them if you think they will increase safety.  You may also want to add a ramp if there are steps up to the front door in order to plan ahead “just in case.” Or put fluorescent tape on the edge of steps to make them extra visible.
• Watch for worn carpeting, linoleum, wood flooring or tiles and replace them immediately.  Seniors may catch their feet easily and fall.  Use non-skid throw rugs to reduce the chance of slipping on linoleum.

According to the National Safety Council, “Each week, nearly 60,000 people older than 65 seek medical attention for a fall and more than 300 die from fall-related injuries.”  The risk of falling increases if seniors are in stocking feet or barefoot.  So encourage them to wear proper footwear, preferably athletic shoes or shoes with rubber soles.  The Council also recommends we monitor medications our parents are taking because studies show older adults who take more than four medications are at a high risk for falls.

An idea I have is to do a thorough safety check from the street all throughout our parents’ homes with dark sunglasses on, to simulate diminished light (or eyesight).  It’s a perspective on how things may actually look through the eyes of our Golden Oldies.  While doing so, also check for furniture or other clutter that could be in the way of their natural walking patterns inside and outside.

Let’s make every month National Safety Month when it comes to our Golden Oldies.

Here’s to more TLeC, or Tender Loving ElderCare!