 |
|
|
Independence
September 2017
|
|
During August, we were excited to welcome 9 new VISTAS ! Following five days of in-depth orientation, they jumped right into service,
volunteering with United Way of Greater New Haven in collaboration with CT Food Bank and New Haven Reads to distribute food and books to support our community.
One VISTA member is serving in our Volunteer and Training Department, supporting STEPS (Senior Training and Employment Programs) and identifying best practices for building financial literacy for everyone from youth to elders. The others are serving in community organizations throughout greater New Haven.
While we were sad to say good bye to last year's VISTAS, they each made a lasting impact at agencies where they served.
Many are moving on to graduate schools from Boston to St. Louis to prepare for careers in public health, social work and law. Two VISTAs, retired from long careers, plan to continue community service closer to home. Two others have been employed by their VISTA host sites -- showing just how dedicated our members are and how valuable they are to their host sites.
|
|
Caregiver Corner: Understanding Fall Risk
One in four Americans 65 and older fall each year. Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults.
Even when a person is not injured, the fall can carry a heavy quality of life impact. A growing number of older adults fear falling and, thus, limit their activities and social engagements. This can result in further physical decline, depression, social isolation, and feelings of helplessness.
- Lack of Physical Activity. Failure to exercise regularly results in poor muscle tone, decreased bone mass, loss of balance and reduced flexibility.
- Impaired Vision. This includes age-related eye diseases, as well as not wearing glasses that have been prescribed.
- Medications. Sedatives, anti-depressants, anti-psychotic drugs, and taking multiple medications can all increase the risk of falling.
- Diseases. Health conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and arthritis cause weakness in the extremities, poor grip strength, balance disorders and cognitive impairment.
- Surgery. Hip replacements and other surgeries can leave an elderly person weak, in pain and discomfort, and less mobile than they were before the procedure. This can be temporary while a patient heals or a new and lasting problem.
- Environmental Hazards. A third of falls in the elderly population involve hazards at home. Factors include poor lighting, loose carpets and lack of safety equipment.
Despite these risk factors, falls are not an inevitable part of growing older. Many falls can be prevented by making homes safer (
read more) and using mobility products (
read more) that help keep seniors more stable.
|
|
Stay Healthy with SNAP
Every second of every day in the United States an older adult falls,
making falls the number one cause of injuries and deaths from injury among older Americans.
Most people don't realize that nutrition and falls prevention go hand-in-hand. SNAP helps seniors afford the food they need to stay healthy and strong. That's important when they need to stay steady on their feet!
|
|
|
TEARS - Annual Elder Abuse Conference
Tuesday, October 17, 8:30 - 4:00 pm
Join us for this informative conference covering the most serious issues facing professionals involved in the care of our elderly population.
This conference is free & CEU credits will be offered. Light breakfast, lunch and ample free parking will be provided.
Our panel of eight experts will speak on
Ageism and its effect on:
|
●
Elder Abuse
|
● Social Norms |
● Public Policy
|
● Housing
|
● Healthcare
|
● Poverty
|
● Employment
|
● Relationships
|
● Poverty
|
● Mental Health
|
● Financial Exploitation
|
|
TEARS is a 2017 Aging Innovations Award recipient from the
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
|
Thank you to our platinum sponsor.
|
|
|
|
Did You Know?
Ageism effects our perception of growing older and our attitude toward aging has health implications. Consider these findings from research led by Dr. Becca Levy at the Yale School of Public Health.
- Over the course of 10 years, older adults who had a positive view on aging saw 3x less reduction in hippocampal volume - a common marker of Alzheimer's disease.
- Adults with a negative view on ageing were more likely to have heart problems 40 years later.
- People with a more positive self-stereotype of aging lived an average of seven and a half years longer than people with a more negative self-stereotype of aging.
- Older people with a more positive self-stereotype were 44% more likely to recover from a health episode that affected their activities of daily living.
- People with positive views of aging had lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of stress-related inflammation associated with heart disease and other illnesses, even after accounting for possible influences like age, health status, sex, race and education than those with a negative outlook.
Dr. Levy is just one of our accomplished speakers presenting at this year's TEARS conference.
|
|
C
HOICES:
Watch for Your New Medicare Card
Starting in April Medicare will be sending you a new Medicare card. The Social Security Administration is making this change in response to the many advocacy groups' requests to take the Social Security number off the Medicare cards as a means to prevent identity theft. Sadly, there have been innumerable instances throughout the country, where an individual's identity was stolen by accessing information from a Medicare insurance claim.
The new cards will be phased in through 2018. You can use your card as soon as you receive it. All new cards should be distributed by April 2019. Information on your old card will still be valid, throughout
2018, but the sooner you convert to using the new card, the sooner you will be protected from identity theft. Identity theft is a real and present danger for Medicare recipients. Identity thieves not only create false bills that Medicare pays, but they also use up benefits that you may need at some point. Certain Medicare benefits have limits on the number of times you can use a service and on the frequency with which you can access services, such as annually or bi-annually. If an Identity thief has used your Medicare card to bill for one of these services, you won't be able to get the service when you need it.
If you think you are a victim of identity theft, contact our SMP Coordinator.
|
AOASCC is Here to Help
Care Network Link
Need help finding support at home?
Care Network Link is a wonderful resource to find trusted providers: Homemaking, Personal Care Assistance, Live-In Caregivers, Wheelchair Ramps, Fall Alert Systems, Hair Stylists that come to your home.
Give us a call at 203-495-1655 or sign up for membership at
CareNetworkLink.org. Membership is FREE and will earn you discounts from the providers you hire. Care Network Link credentials all the providers before allowing them on the network to make sure they are trustworthy businesses to have in your home.
Social Security Disability Assistance Program
Our goal is to provide the knowledge and dedicated assistance necessary to succeed after you have been denied your claim for disability benefits. By navigating you through the Social Security maze, our goal is to truly be your advocate for independence ®.
Find out more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
