What is Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease, is the most common cause of dementia and characterized clinically by progressive cognitive deterioration together with declin...
Join Now
|
Who is Responsible? Family, Neighbors, Friends?
|
Watch this |
| View More Posts Ignore |
I just want to throw out the general question that I struggle with. How do we take care of our elderly neighbors and friends -non relatives.
I live with my 89yr old mother who has AD. We are in an "active" gated retirement community in Florida. Our neighborhood is one of the oldest in this area with a lot of the residents being over 75. Mostly single widowed women. By the time they are in their 80s, they stuggle to continue to live alone and take care of themselves. Some have no family, and no one living with them. If they have family the family lives far away. They have serious health problems. They should not be driving, some still do. They generally do not qualify for any assistance yet have little money. They need help with cleaning the house, cooking, going to the doctor. The community as a whole does little to help. As a society, how do we treat our elderly? How responsible are we as neighbors and friends for people who can't help themselves, who are generally forgotten? I see them in the grocery store, they can't count their money, they don't recognize the neighbors, they can't find there car. They are sometimes angry and confused. Younger people get irritated and vocal about the slowness and problems this "older" person is causing. How many people here in this forum are taking care of a non relative, in an unpaid caregiver position? I'd like to hear how you deal with the issues, and an idea of how I could help my community be better at this. Posted on 11/06/09, 03:11 am |
| 3 Replies | Add Your Reply |
| View More Posts Ignore |
I live in a rural area so have very little chance to see what you are talking about, however IF I did live in town where this was an issue I think my first stop would be to local churchs and charitable organizations, I'd lay the problem out to them and then ask what THEY intend to do to help.
I'd also petition the courts and schools about instituting care for the elderly as part of any community service programs they are involved in. There are to many elderly wihtout help now and as the baby boomers age and develop dementia this will become an epidemic problem, the time to start working on solutions is now. 
|
|
|
|
||
| View More Posts Ignore |
to further my own debate...most help in most communities comes from churchs and charitable organizations. The local senior services center (government) here in my city has 480+ on waiting list for respite, meals on wheels, etc. There is a 3 year waiting period to get into senior subsidized housing.
The churchs and charities do a better job than our government. I think the idea that we as people are the government and if we don't care, then the government does nothing for us. I have attended several county board meetings to improve the lives of elderly in our community and was soooooo frustrated. The majority of attendees didn't want to hear anything. The focus was how to give a better phone referal number...look good, feel good stuff. However all that said, GeorgiaW, you got me thinking about contacting the local sheriff who sees and deals with the end resulting problem, the local Hospice and hospital. And see how useful I can be at a plan to track people at risk. Just putting words to forum here helps doesn't it? Does anyone else have any community sources they think work?
|
|
|
|
||
| View More Posts Ignore |
I'm sorry, I too live in a rural, remote area so I don't see the things you do but it seems like the ideas you have suggested are good ones.
|
|
|
|
||
| Add Your Reply |
