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Change Can Be Beautiful!

Spring is a time for hope, renewal and new beginnings. These themes seem particularly resonant for the Spring of 2021. This past year, many older adults were “locked in” due to the Covid-19 pandemic and housekeepers were kept at arm’s length. With vaccine distribution in full swing, now is the perfect time to consult a professional care manager www.aginglifecare.org to “spring clean” a loved one’s living environment ensuring that it is the best it can be for their aging journey ahead. As aging life care managers, we are often called in a time of crisis. Once immediate needs are addressed, we plan strategically to restore order to an older adults aging journey. The “order” or “spring cleaning” phase of our interventions centers not only on shoring up on preventative health care needs but also ensuring that a client’s living environment is safer and more functional. This is especially important for those who want to age in place at home. 

During our initial care management assessment meeting, we listen carefully to what our client’s aging goals are and align them with how their living space is meeting their needs. Our environmental review includes assessing for trip hazards, evaluating any assistive devices, and reviewing bedroom, bathroom and night-time safety. Medication management is also a key factor to assess since poor medication compliance remains one of the top reasons for ER admissions. Increasingly important these days is assessing an older person’s technology infrastructure so that they can be connected to the internet to stay in touch with family and friends.  Some of our clients may have memory impairment so stove safety  is also on our radar.  We also like to take a peek into the refrigerator as even a glimpse gives a trained eye a snapshot on how nutritional needs are being met. We then put a plan in place to incrementally bring about healthy changes to improve quality of life. On occasion, aging life care professionals encounter a living environment that can be so cluttered and unsanitary that it poses a serious health hazard for falls and infestations. In such instances, we often refer to trained and trusted senior move manager professionals https://www.nasmm.org/ who are experts in sensitively handling decluttering, deep cleaning, archiving, and storing. In the words of Good Housekeeping Magazine on the season that is upon us –”Spring is a lovely reminder on how beautiful change can be”!

Written by Anne Sansevero