WELCOME!
AGING IN PLACE
What does "Aging in Place" mean to you?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines Aging in Place as: “the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.” Nearly 90% of seniors want to stay in their own homes as they age, and respecting their aging in place preference is an important way to support them. Aging in place promotes life satisfaction, a positive quality of life, and self-esteem—all of which are needed to remain happy, healthy, and well into old age. We are here for you to assist with staying safely and independently at home with our individualized services to address the many facets of aging in place. Contact us for a free phone consult to determine how we can best help you.
ABOUT THE OWNER
First, I am a mother and a daughter who understands the challenges of caring for an aging parent and family at the same time. My professional background includes being an Occupational Therapist with extensive experience working primarily with older adults in a variety of settings, including in-home. As an Occupational Therapist, I found what I could do to help people was increasingly limited. There was so much more I wanted to do, including implementing prevention and wellness strategies to keep seniors as safe, healthy, and independent as possible. With specialty certifications including: Senior Home Safety Specialist™ with AgeSafe America, Certified Dementia Practitioner, Dementia Connection Specialist/Certified Trainer, and Certified Low Vision Therapist, you can be assured of top quality services delivered with empathy and compassion. Further, as an Aging Life Care Professional®, I can assist you with Care Management services to navigate the complex path of caring for your loved one. I started this endeavor to combine my personal and professional experience to assist seniors and their families with remaining happy at home and living life to the fullest. This is my passion and I look forward to working with you!
SERVICES
Available by Appointment
SENIOR HOME SAFETY ASSESSMENT
Home safety assessments are crucial to ensure successful aging at home. A home safety assessment by a trained professional offers an objective look at the home environment without the emotional triggers of a review by family members.
It is a baseline assessment of the current home so that improvements can be conducted by the homeowner, family members, or vetted professionals. It provides a point of common information so everyone is on the same page and decisions for solutions can be based on recommendations. Some fall risks can be mitigated very easily with products, or sometimes, just moving the furniture around and picking up the clutter!
The advantage of the home safety assessment is the broad look at the whole house, both inside and outside. The trained professional may “see” things that may not even have been identified as a fall risk hazard by the homeowner. Taking the action, getting the changes made, and experiencing the peace of mind afterward are all part of the process. A certified specialist can guide seniors, family members, and caregivers to finding great solutions in the home.
The 240-point Comprehensive Home Safety Assessment is performed by a trained specialist and includes the exterior of the home, all entry areas, every room including bathrooms, bedrooms, laundry room, garage, basement, kitchen and dining room, lighting evaluation, fire safety and electrical safety. After the assessment, a complete summary is prepared with recommendations for fall prevention and home safety. If necessary modifications are suggested, the specialist can assist with finding local solutions.
DEMENTIA CONSULTS
As the number of older Americans grows rapidly, so too will the number of new and existing cases of Alzheimer's. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia may grow to a projected 12.7 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow, or cure Alzheimer’s disease.
Eighty-three percent of the help provided to older adults in the United States comes from family members, friends, or other unpaid caregivers. Nearly half of all caregivers who provide help to older adults do so for someone living with Alzheimer's or another dementia.
Who are the caregivers?
About one in three caregivers (30%) is age 65 or older.
Approximately two-thirds of caregivers are women; more specifically, over one-third of dementia caregivers are daughters.
Most caregivers (66%) live with the person with dementia in the community.
Approximately one-quarter of dementia caregivers are "sandwich generation" caregivers — meaning that they care not only for an aging parent, but also for children under age 18.
Alzheimer's takes a devastating toll on caregivers. Compared with caregivers of people without dementia, twice as many caregivers of those with dementia indicate substantial emotional, financial and physical difficulties.
Let us help you navigate this difficult path with strategies and long term plans for caring for your loved one with dementia.
We provide training in the Dementia Connection Model for family caregivers and professional caregivers/agencies.
CARE MANAGEMENT
Aging Life Care Management is a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults or others facing ongoing health challenges. Working with older adults and their families, the expertise of Aging Life Care Professionals provides the answers at a time of uncertainty. Their guidance leads families to the actions and decisions that ensure quality care and an optimal life for those they love, thus reducing worry, stress, and time off from work for family caregivers through:
Assessment and monitoring
Planning and problem-solving
Education and advocacy
Family caregiver coaching
We will focus on Aging in Place if that is the client's goal, but realize remaining at home may not be safe or feasible even with additional services. As an Aging Life Care Professional, I can assist with determining the appropriate level of care for your loved one. This could involve research and coordination of a transition to Assisted Living or Memory Care, or adding home care services to allow them to remain at home. Let us help you navigate the complex path of services for older adults to give you peace of mind.
AGING IN PLACE-AT HOME MONITORING
For those who need occasional in-person monitoring and assistance, we offer weekly, biweekly (2 per month), or monthly check-in visits. These visits may include ongoing home safety needs, assisting with household chores to reduce fall risk, errands, coordinating appointments/services, monitoring cognition, and more. This service is beneficial for caregivers and family who do not live locally or cannot visit regularly, and need the personal connection for their loved one.
LIVING WELL WITH LOW VISION
Are you or a family member having difficulty seeing? Or perhaps been diagnosed with an eye condition such as macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone: vision problems affect 25 million Americans and they are on the rise. In addition, some neurologic diseases and disorders can affect vision as well. Systemic neurologic diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s can have ocular manifestations related to deterioration of the brain. Patients after stroke also often have visual problems stemming from neurologic damage.
Low vision can be a significant challenge for persons of any age trying to maintain their independence. Vision loss can make everyday activities difficult, increasing reliance on loved ones and caregivers while increasing the risk of falls and depression. A low vision consult can help connect you to resources and solutions to improve quality of life and manage low vision successfully.
LIVING WELL WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS/WELLNESS EDUCATION
This service helps adults with chronic diseases learn how to manage and improve their health. Interactive sessions focus on problems that are common to individuals dealing with any chronic disease. Topics include pain management, nutrition, exercise, medication use, emotions, and communicating with doctors and other health care practitioners. We can also connect you with community resources for ongoing self-management education.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR AGING IN PLACE
Assistive Technology can be essential to making home, community, and public spaces accessible. It can impact the health, safety, and independence of older adults who want to continue to live at home. We can connect seniors and their families with assistive technology devices and resources for various needs- including medication management, reminders, smart home technology, emergency response systems, and GPS/remote monitoring that help to make your home more age-friendly and safe.
CARE PARTNER WITH ELECTRONIC CAREGIVER
As a Care Partner with Electronic Caregiver, I can assess your loved one's needs and pair them with the right personal emergency response and monitoring system to enhance safety, health, and independence with aging in place. Electronic Caregiver offers affordable solutions and is much more than a medical alert system. Fitness band style wrist pendant, on the go cellular coverage, customized activity detection, personalized medication reminders, auto fall detection, exclusive certified EMD operators, connectivity app for caregivers, Pocket MD, health monitoring, and more are available to help seniors to remain at home and ease caregiver stress. For more information, check out my Electronic Caregiver page.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For Your Information
DO YOU ACCEPT INSURANCE TO COVER THESE SERVICES?
Because our services are preventive/wellness-based and care management, they are not covered by insurance. We accept cash, check, or credit card payments. Fee schedule available upon initial contact or during phone consult.
WHAT IF I NEED THERAPY SERVICES?
If you need medically necessary rehabilitation services, we can assist you with referrals through our care management services.
HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
You can send an email or contact us through the website to let us know what you are looking for. Then we will schedule a free phone consultation to determine how we can best assist you.
WHAT AREA DO YOU COVER?
Our service area is a 1 hour travel radius from Cumberland, ME for in-person visits. We can arrange virtual meetings if outside our service area as appropriate.
WHAT IF MORE THAN ONE SERVICE IS NEEDED?
This is the case more often than not, and our services are designed with that in mind. We can address multiple areas as part of your care. The services are listed by area of specialty to assist in your search for the best fit for you or your loved one.
RESOURCES
AARP www.aarp.org
Administration on Aging www.aoa.gov
Age Safe America www.agesafeamerica.com
AGS Foundation for Health in Aging www.healthinaging.org
American Geriatrics Society www.americangeriatrics.org
American Society on Aging www.asaging.org
Benefits Check Up www.benefitscheckup.org
Dementia Road Map - A Guide for Family and Care Partners
Federal Consumer Information Center www.pueblo.gsa.gov
Gerontological Society of America www.geron.org
Medicare Resource tool https://www.caring.com/medicare/
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging www.n4a.org
National Council on the Aging www.ncoa.org
National Hispanic Council on Aging www.nhcoa.org
National Institute on Aging www.nia.nih.gov
Vision Aware https://visionaware.org
Check back often to stay up-to-date on the latest news and resources.