What Seniors Should Know About Independent Living in Pennsylvania

The JAAs Mollies Meals program delivers over 28,000 meals annually to seniors in the Squirrel Hill, Greenfield, and Shadyside areas. Dedicated volunteers bring nutritious meal options directly to the doors of homebound older adults who are unable to prepare their own meals. In addition to providing a hearty meal, these visits also offer a friendly greeting and an opportunity for connection.In partnership with the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging, the program ensures that these fresh meals are affordable, thanks to subsidies. Designed to be easily microwaved or frozen for future use, the meals offer flexibility and convenience for the recipients.But dont just take our word for it! Hear from one of our very satisfied customers: I am a relatively active senior but have a difficult time shopping and Im not always motivated to cook for myself. My out-of-town daughter encouraged me to try Mollies Meals. And I am so glad that I did. Now mealtime is a treat! I anxiously await the arrival of my cheerful volunteer who always has an extra minute to visit while she makes sure I am well!  Your meals have truly changed my life and my outlook! I cant thank you enough. PS. My daughter AND my doctor second those words of gratitude!!Mollies Meals isnt just about providing foodits also about the relationships our volunteers build with recipients. These bonds allow our volunteers to notice when something is wrong. For instance, when Chris arrived to deliver Mr. Hs meal, she grew concerned when he hadnt picked up his morning newspaper and wasnt answering his phone. Then, when he didnt answer his door as usual, she contacted the Mollies Meals office. We reached out to his nearby emergency contact who had a key. It turned out Mr. H had fallen and couldnt reach the phone or door. Thanks to our driver, Mr. H was able to get the help he needed. After a few days in the hospital, Mr. H was back on his feet and now wears a life alert button.If you would like to register yourself or a loved one to receive Mollies Meals, or if you would like to become one of our compassionate volunteer deliverers, please call the Mollies Meals office at 412-521-7616.-Sharyn Rubin, MEdDirector of Resident & Community Services

Marita Ellers* was lucky. Her parents lived three blocks away in Greater Detroit. She enjoyed a close relationship with them and could tend to their needs as they continued to age, which was well into their 90s. They both passed away when Marita entered her 60s as she helped with their hospice care needs. But having never married, and with only a chronically ill brother and sister-in-law living in Seattle, reality set in when Marita needed major surgery which would incapacitate her for weeks or possibly months.Unlike her parents who had her to depend on, Marita had no one. Of course there was her circle of friends, but as it turned out most were married. Shed never thought about cultivating relationships with single people; it had just never occurred to her. Her married friends had busy lives of their own with spouses, adult children, and grandchildren, and the last thing Marita wanted to do was impose on them during a long recuperation.Ellers is part of a growing trend of elder orphans and solo agers: individuals ages 55-plus who live alone without a spouse, partner, children, or other family around at all, or if they are around, they cannot be relied upon sometimes due to family dynamics. In short, these individuals have no real support networkno safety net. In a survey of 500 elder orphans, nearly 70 percent hadnt identified someone to help them with health problems, while 35 percent had no friends or family to begin with who could help.Studies show the demographics numbers are on the rise and the group is so ubiquitous, it even has its own Facebook page with nearly 10,000 members to provide support through shared experiences. If you fall into this category, what are some of the steps you can take to prepare for successful aging?Planning to Live as a Solo AgerThe best kind of plan for almost anything is, naturally, to plan. If we dont do that, we may leave critical decisions to disconnected relatives, acquaintances, or ultimately overburdened, court-appointed strangers who have no idea what we need and want. Considering herself staunchly independent, Maritas lack of planning was twofold: she was in denial about her own aging process, and at the same time she figured the experience of seeing her parents through lifes end stages would enable her to apply all that knowledge to herself if the time came.While in some respects her experience puts her a step ahead of many of her contemporaries, her reasoning does not allow for what can happen when her mobility is compromised, cognitive capacity is diminished, or myriad other conditions where she may need more help than she can give to herself. Maritas upcoming surgery was a wake-up call, making her acutely aware of what steps she should have taken and scrambling to put as many as possible in place.Understand the Levels Between Senior Independence and Assisted LivingYesface things and research them, laying them out as early and comprehensively as you can. Avoidance will only get you so far. The antidote for anxiety, feeling isolated, and depressionthree issues elder orphans and solo agers have expressed are problems for themis action. Goethe said, Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid. Keren Brown Wilson, known as the pioneer of assisted living, says there are many steps and levels between independence and dependence. She recommends interdependence: a mutual reliance on one another on the path to better aging.Think about trained caregivers for when you may need help with activities of daily living (ADLs) and a fiduciary or senior care advisor for your financial needs including Long-Term Care insurance. Go out and cultivate friendships if you dont already have them with other elder orphans or solo agers. People in similar situations may have more time to give you if the need arises, as you can give to them.Build a Senior Support Network That WorksIf you dont know how to go about something, network with people in your community. This may include professionals and others you know at work, where you volunteer, doctors, dentists, lawyers, librarians, teachers, salon and store owners, as well as neighbors. We all age and ahead of that most of us have aging parents or had parents who got up in years. That kind of personal experience is invaluable in terms of recommending others they trust who can help you put things in order now and down the line.Communities for Successful AgingGet Involved!With the rising tide of graying Baby Boomers, city and business leaders and policymakers need to embrace the task of developing solutions for better aging. This needs to be done on a nationwide basis. Elder orphans and solo agers are affected at even deeper levels than their counterparts who are surrounded by family and friends in a position to help. In some locations, there are more resources already in place in the realm of affordable transportation, technology training, respite care, senior advocacy, nutrition oversight, and home health care. But we have a long way to go.If you are an elder orphan or solo ager looking for involvement in your own community, turning your attention to the cause can bring awareness and even expedite results from which everyone can benefit.(* Name has been changed for purposes of anonymity.)

Bring up the topic of decluttering in a conversation with older adults and youll get a variety of responses. For some, getting rid of things is easy; they may even respond with something like I love throwing things away! On the other hand, you have people who cant seem to throw anything away. You can actually see them shift into a state of panic at the thought of discarding their belongings. The majority fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, being able to confidently identify what is clearly trash, yet feeling certain about items theyre compelled to keep.Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?Clutter is common in the lives of so many. There is only one factor that makes the clutter of an older adult unique: time. The older you are, the longer youve had to accumulate things. As time passes, you attach meaning to those things which provoke certain emotions and these feelings may develop into a physical form of nostalgia. Many items can impact us emotionally, something renowned organizing and decluttering expert Marie Kondo calls objects that speak to the heart. These evoke a flood of memories and sentiment, something that provides even more significance and comfort as we age.Though it may be hard to discard possessions, holding onto too muchespecially as a senior with increasing needs for a safe environmentcan have dangerous results. What we accumulate can present challenges throughout the living environment. Clutter resulting from stacks of mail, paperwork, packages, books, magazines, holiday dcor, knickknacks, mementos, and more on and around surfaces and furniture can also contribute to feelings of confusion and overwhelm, increasing cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. Studies show clutter can also contribute to increasing dissatisfaction with life. Overall, these issues are something an older adultpossibly with increasing cognitive issuesneeds less, not more, of.Risks of Clutter and Life-Threatening InjuriesStatistics tell us that each year, 36 million Americans, or one in four adults over age 65, experience a fall. That number climbs every five years. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for people over age 65.Increased risk of fallingWhile some falls are caused by physical decline, including balance and mobility issues, clutter in ones surroundings can raise the odds of an accident no matter what the seniors condition. It can present hazards to navigate, resulting in tripping and breaking a leg, arm, hip, neck, ribs, requiring stitches, sustaining head trauma, or suffering internal injuries.Confusion over medicationsCluttered medicine cabinets can be life-threatening for seniors. Decluttering your medicine cabinet is critical, especially for those with decreased vision. If a medicine cabinet is disorganized, it can be easy to confuse medicines ones life is dependent on. Throw away expired medications and keep them organized to reduce confusion.Limited mobilityExcess furniture can lead to many challenges for seniors with limited mobility. Not only can they have more trouble getting around on a daily basis, but this trouble can be serious if disaster strikes and they cant get through certain spaces.If doorways are blocked, or even partially blocked, first responders may have trouble entering the premises or getting into specific rooms. Also, if caregivers are working in the home, its especially important that they have a safe, adequate berth in which to maneuver and support the client. With challenges mounting as seniors age, the last thing a caregiver needs to worry about is steering a client around piles of personal belongings or oversized furniture too big for a space, or pieces of furniture placed too close together, or improperly stored equipment including walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators, shower chairs, and more.Health Benefits of DeclutteringThe benefits of having an organized space extend far beyond general safety conditions. Mental health experts and geriatric social workers concur that aging seniors with less clutter in their everyday lives enjoy many health benefits.Improved concentrationOne of the most noticeable differences you may experience after you declutter your living area is an improvement in your ability to concentrate. Although you may not realize it, the items in your space are constantly competing for your attention. When you are in a cluttered environment, you are essentially forcing your brain to multitask by giving it extra stimuli to filter through as you try to focus on your task at hand. As soon as you declutter your space, you will likely notice an immediate boost in your productivity.Better sleepMany older adults experience a surge in sleep disturbances as they age.Another great reason for seniors to declutter their space is that it can positively impact the quantity and quality of their sleep. You are probably familiar with the feeling you have when you get into your bed after you just cleaned your room. You feel noticeably more relaxed and ready for bed than the previous days.Interestingly enough, those with more clutter have been shown to have more difficulty not only falling asleep but also staying asleep. Those with clutter often have more sleep disturbances.Reduced stressAnother good reason to get rid of your clutter is to reduce your overall level of stress. Many studies have shown a negative correlation between those who keep their homes clutter-free and those who reside in well-organized homes. There are many reasons for this.As mentioned, having many items in your space places additional work on your brain as you force it to constantly work at filtering out irrelevant information so you can focus on whats important.There has been a study conducted that identified a relationship between homeowners and their density of household objects. They found that the higher the density of household objects, the higher their levels of cortisol tested thus indicating higher stress levels.Improved positivityWalking into a room where there is a lot of clutter can do more than add to your stress, it can also cause you to feel like you dont have your life together.If you think about it, looking at a pile of papers can easily remind you of all the things you havent completed yet, directing your attention away from everything you have accomplished. You know the phrase, out of sight out of mind. Well, that is certainly the case with a pile of papers, along with all other clutter.Using The Four Box Method for DeclutteringOne of the simplest strategies for decluttering your home is one referred to as the four box method. This method works great because it forces you to make decisions about everything you own.To use this method, you are simply going to take four boxes (trash bags can work too) and label them as one of the following.Keep/put awayDonate/sellTossStorageOne room at a time, you will use these boxes to help you categorize your belongings.For example, lets say you have made the decision to organize your home. And lets say you decided to start in your living room. You figure this is not only where you spend most of your waking hours, but it is also where you entertain your guests.When you are ready to begin, you will bring your four labeled boxes into the living room. You will then go through each item in the room and make a decision as to whether you need to keep it, donate it, throw it away, or store it.The Keep/Put Away BoxThe keep/put away box is designated for items you want to keep. Ideally, this should be the smallest box. If the item you want to keep belongs in the room you are working with, you are going immediately put it away. If the item you want to keep belongs in another room, you are going to place it in the box. This is going to help ensure you have enough space for all the items you want to keep.For example, there might be piles of magazines and miscellaneous papers on the table in your living room. In this case, you might want to sort through the pile. You may decide to keep the current magazines on the table and place the important papers in the keep box to be filed away. Any papers deemed unimportant can be placed in the trash box.The Donate/Sell BoxThe donate/sell box is going to be designated for items you want to donate or sell. These items should be in good condition. Ideally, they should be items you no longer find valuable but that may be valuable for someone else.You might have furniture in your living room taking up space. You might want to consider selling or donating it. You can even give it to someone in your family who would make better use of it.Also, take a look at unnecessary knick-knacks.The Toss BoxThe toss box is for items you decide to throw away. This should be anything you dont want any more that is unworthy of selling or donating. Think about damaged items or broken items you intended to fix but never got around to.The Storage BoxRefrain from thinking of storage as a place for items you dont know what to do with, but think of it as items you dont currently need.Seasonal items are a great example. Think about seasonal decor or holiday-specific decorations. These are items you dont need out at all times, only during the particular season or holiday time. Place the out of season items in the storage box.Clothing may be another item you may want to store. If you live in a seasonal area, you will have little to no use for a winter coat in the summer. This would be something you want to keep for the cooler months, but you dont need to have it handy in the summer. Place it in your seasonal box.Its Okay to Ask for HelpAt the end of the day, decluttering should be about letting go of the things you have weighing you down for the benefit of your quality of life. Mental health experts confirm, explaining that the process can result in feelings of accomplishment and control for seniors who are aging at home. In short, decluttering has a positive impact on so many levels.Frequently, the most difficult step is simply to start and that being the case, its okay to ask for help. Check with your county aging services department or community senior resource center on the availability of decluttering services. If youd like to learn more about how a trained caregiver can support a senior loved one to live safely at home, feel free to contact one of our friendly and resourceful Amada Senior Care advisors. Click here to find an Amada Senior Care location near you.