A while ago, I went to the COTA Australia annual conference.  COTA Australia is the peak national organisation representing the rights, needs and interests of older Australians.  The President of COTA, a very impressive woman in her 70’s welcomed the forum and reflected on the history of COTA and its achievements  During the course of her speech, she mentioned that when COTA started in the 1960’s the single biggest issue facing older Australians was social isolation and that remains the single biggest issue  for older Australians today.

We see strong evidence of this with many of our clients.  With age, many of your friends and associates have passed away or are too ill to socialise, you are treated very differently; often ignored and your opinion doesn’t count, your family is too busy working and raising their own children or grandchildren to spend much time with you.  And it is hard to make new friends. Social isolation is most prevalent for those who have lost their partners, particularly when they have spent many years caring for them.  There is a great sense of loss of purpose when the person you have cared for passes away.

So here are some suggestions to deal with social isolation;

• Remain active.  Join a group that has some form of exercise.  There is likely to be some sort of local walking group or community sports centre that has fitness or exercise classes for older people.
• Join a club.  There are loads of clubs for older Australians.  The best known are U3A and Probus which each have local chapters.
• Contact the local council to see what activities they have.  Most councils have programs for older Australians and many even assist with transport to and from the event.
• Offer your services to a charity.  Many charities do not allow older Australians to volunteer because they cannot insure them in the workplace but there are always some that are not ageist.
• Learn to use a computer.  Local libraries often provide education sessions and help and there are private organisations devoted to helping older Australians as well.  We have several clients who have learned to use Skype and it has changes their lives.
• Move into some form of community living, perhaps a retirement village or an aged care facility.
• Find transport alternatives.  Often many people are isolated because they cannot get out and about.  Contact you local council about transport assistance, apply for the multi purpose taxi program (which gives you half priced taxis) or apply for a home care package either through your council or through the ACAS process and use that to pay for someone to take you out.

These are just some suggestions. The trick is to think about what you like and then make the effort to do it and spend what money you can enjoying yourself.  You have earned it.

Contact us if you 1800 500 780 need more help or advice.

Until next time
Margaret Harrison

What just happened? The most common reason for the elderly entering an aged care residential facility is the result of a fall. In light of this the best thing to do is ensure the home environment is safe, avoid falls and don’t take risks.

So here are our top 5 tips to help reduce the risk of falling.

1. Lighting – make sure your home is well lit and the lighting is bright. Also we recommend having sensor lights at entrance ways, in the bedroom, hall and bathroom especially if you are getting up at night.

2. Sensible shoes – well fitted shoes will assist with balance and walking. Try to avoid wearing slip-on footwear. Have a discussion with your podiatrist on your next visit about appropriate footwear. We guarantee high heels will not be on the recommended list.

3. Rails and ramps – having secured equipment (rails and handles) will assist with getting up from the toilet, handles by steps will provide security when going up and down and ramps will allow walkers to be used. It might be an idea to have an Occupational Therapist come and do a review of your home.

4. Use that walking aid – a walking stick, crutch, walker or wheelchair are not fashion statements; they are aides to assist with safe ambulation so always remember to use your aide.

5. Rip out the rugs – a trip is often the cause of a fall so consider getting rid of any rugs you may have in your home as these can be the greatest trip hazard.

So keep safe.

Until next time
Margaret Harrison

If you listen to podcasts, you may have heard a recent Ted Radio Hour episode dedicated to the secret of longevity. In case you missed it, here is a summary of what was said by the various experts on the show.

The human body is designed to last about 90 years. In western countries, our life expectancy is shorter than that. However, in some parts of the world, the inhabitants regularly meet or exceed that.

These areas are called blue zones. Researchers have looked for common elements in blue zones and found:

• they eat lots of beans; and
• the elderly are active and socially engaged, usually as members of an extended family contributing domestic tasks such as childminding, cooking, and maintaining edible gardens (no doubt growing lots of beans). They are respected for their age and wisdom.

Let us contrast this to our way of caring for our elders. Once we are at retirement age, we are commonly unlikely to be employed, and this only increases with age. Our aged care homes are heavily regulated to ensure the safety of our elderly. The product of this regulation prohibits or restricts aged care residents from doing many things including, in many cases, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other basic domestic tasks. This often makes our elderly feel useless. Whilst we might all dream about doing nothing at all, it does not seem to make people happy or extend their lifespan. There are a few aged care facilities that have or are moving to models of care that are far more engaging for our elders. We applaud them for their efforts.

We hope change is coming that allows our elders more freedom to do what they want and be respected for what they have done so that they can live longer and better lives. In the meantime, eat more beans!

Until next time
Margaret Harrison