Cursive Writing – the lost art- by Janell, CAREGiver & guest blogger

I recently came across a stack of letters in my closet. I immediately knew they were from my grandmother because of the cursive handwriting ~the big loops and graceful flourishes that made her handwriting distinguishable to anyone who knew her. It dawned on me that my children most likely won’t recognize my cursive handwriting having seen so very little of it over the years. And sadly, their descendants may not even be able to decipher the elegant cursive handwriting of my grandmother’s age not having been taught cursive writing in school.

Some of my greatest treasures are the letters and cards from relatives who clearly personalized those items with their own distinguishable cursive skills –My friend cherishes a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook in which her mother recorded the illnesses and vaccination dates of each child on the last blank page in her own hand. Another friend, treasures a family bible that has births and wedding dates carefully recorded in the most elegant of cursive writing. And who hasn’t seen grandma’s recipes box stuffed to the brim with handwritten recipes passed down through the years?

Today, we preserve so very little that is in our own print – let alone cursive writing. The digital age has given way to digital signatures on documents. Recipes are housed online in files on our computers– rarely printed out in this paperless age. Love letters are now short enough to be texted through the airwaves and simply deleted when the phone device is too full. Years from now, it will be disks that are archived not a stack of letters with multiple pages of carefully crafted words in handwriting that is unique to one individual. Somehow, I can’t imagine that those disks will have the same emotional attachment to their descendants as the personal style of a handwritten message.

"What special mementos do you cherish because of the cursive handwriting within and how do you plan to preserve those?"

Pet Adoption for Seniors

I was reading through the Register this weekend and I am always drawn to the Animal Rescue League page. Pets are popular among people of all ages, but it does seem they hold a special place for older adults. However, it’s not always easy for a senior to adopt a pet without extra help. Let me illustrate with the following story.

When 65-year-old Bob walked into his local humane society he fell in love with a 9-year-old Maltese. Bob was heartsick when he learned that “Buttons” (the dog), who is blind, would be put down if she were not adopted. Bob desperately wanted Buttons—but as an older adult with limited mobility, he felt unable to care for the animal.

So Bob used a resource he relies on for his own care to help him make Buttons a part of his family: the local Home Instead Senior Care franchise. A CAREGiver from this office took Bob to the local pet mart to purchase food and supplies. Now that Buttons is home, the CAREGiver also helps Bob walk the dog and makes sure the animal has an ample supply of food.

Bob’s story reveals both the joys and the heartaches of pet ownership for seniors. On the one hand, many older adults love the companionship of a pet. But the issues of aging can make it difficult for some seniors to do pet-care tasks. Walking a dog, taking an animal to the vet, or purchasing necessary food and supplies are more difficult with arthritis and other changes associated with aging.

Helping seniors with their pets is a valuable service our CAREGivers provide, but one that many people don’t know about. Our CAREGivers fulfill a variety of functions for seniors who have pets. They exercise the animals, help with their nutritional and medical needs, and comfort seniors when their pets die.

The fact that animals are so much a part of seniors’ lives is good news, since research has demonstrated numerous connections between pet ownership and health and well-being. For instance, the Humane Society of the United States has found that having a pet can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce bone loss, improve circulation and increase levels of exercise.

More importantly for seniors, though, animals can become true friends. Along these lines, The Humane Society also has found that pets can have a positive effect on peoples’ emotional health by helping to decrease owners’ stress levels and feelings of loneliness, while increasing their mental acuity, and enhancing their feelings of well-being and hope.  My own Gram adopted Emily, a four year old cat, and talks to her all day long.  Emily is her constant companion in between visits from the family.

Even if seniors aren’t able to own pets, they can still reap many of these benefits by visiting a pet store or a care community or church that has an animal visitation program.

10 WAYS TO HELP SENIORS ADOPT A PET

If you’re thinking about giving a senior a pet as a gift, consider the following advice from the The Humane Society of the United States and Home Instead Senior Care:

• Don’t surprise seniors with a new pet. The thought of a pet may be overwhelming to an older adult who may not be ready for the job that owning a pet entails.

• Talk with them about the pet that would best suit their lifestyle.

• Identify the time that would be required to care for the pet and determine if the senior has the ability and the economic resources to care for the animal.

• Seek outside resources. Depending on the type of pet you decide on, visit your local animal shelter. They can discuss with you and your senior loved ones the care needs of the type of pet you’re considering. For more information on pet adoption, visit www.humanesociety.org/adopt.

• If looking for a dog or cat, select a more mature animal that is likely to be calmer as well as house trained.

• Make sure the animal is spayed or neutered.

• Consider the size of the pet. If the senior lives in a care community, some facilities have regulations on the weight of a dog or cat.

• Develop a plan for what will happen to the pet if the senior becomes ill or dies. Contact petsinwills@hsus.org for a free planning kit or visit www.humanesociety.org for more information.

• Make friends with your local humane society. Most offer free classes on pet ownership and low-cost medical care. Also, locate a veterinarian that can help you properly care for your pet.

• Seek support if needed to care for the pet. Call Home Instead Senior Care to learn how a CAREGiver can help.

For more information about pet care visit The Humane Society of the United State’s website at www.humanesociety.org. For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, log on to www.homeinstead.com.

An example to live by- by Janell, CAREGiver & Guest blogger

My Grandmother was a small woman. Not much over 5 feet tall and certainly not 100 pounds. She had 11 children between 1917 and 1936. Like many women of her time, she was hard working, devout and tireless. She felt she was blessed to have each of those eleven children. Although, I have heard some of those children say as adults that it was such a hard and difficult life, "Why did she have all those children?"

She liked to write and in her later years, she often wrote bits and columns for the local newspaper, as well as obituaries, including my mother's.

She lived a hard life raising so many children with so few resources. She was widowed at an early age and I cannot imagine I would have survived for even a few days of her world. And yet, she was always very positive, never complaining. She was happiest when there were children around and as one of her many, many grandchildren; I cannot remember her once having a harsh word or strict directive. I would like to think that it was because we simply did not misbehave. Laughingly, I know that could not have been true. Her house was always filled with children running through the house, up the stairs. There was always boxes of old clothes to go through to play dress up, books to pull off the shelves to look through, beds to jump on. There were no boundaries with her in her house. There was nothing that she was afraid that little hands would mess up.

When we stayed at her house, she would often sleep with me and at least one if not two of my cousins. I know that it was not a large bed. It was a small full-size fluffy lumpy bed. And although, we three little girls may have not been more than 4-5 years old, we must have flipped and flopped all over her all through the night. She was happy in the middle of us though and would tell stories or check to make sure we had learned a bible verse that we should know. She giggled and laughed with us at our little girl jokes and we would always fall asleep quite happy and contented.

Sometimes in tough times, I wonder how she found the strength and the good nature to bear the tough times she saw in her life. I am in awe of her strength and know that she lived a life that she did not regret.

What do you remember most about your Grandparent?

Time with Gram: Anne's perspective

Maybe it is because I am creeping up on the big 4-0, but I have been thinking a lot about my Gram lately and how incredible her life has been.  At 95 she has seen so much change in the world.  If you ask her, she will say her life has been wonderful but not remarkable.  I disagree.  Born in 1915, she has seen both world wars, a depression (and numerous recessions), she lived a good part of her life without television, or telephones, and sometimes running water.  She has never touched a computer or a cell phone.  Dating consisted of chaperoned walks or church picnics.
Gram is a prankster and always likes a good laugh.   A couple of months ago I took my flip video camera and did some little interviews with her.  To my delight she burst into a little skit that she used to do when at social events they had to tell a joke or riddle.  It was such a wonderful gift to get that on video.
SO- this next week I am going to be "home" for a couple of days and I am going to pull some photos with my mom and my gram.  I am going to have her tell me some tidbits about those photos and we are going to put together a book of her life.   I don't want to miss any opportunity to capture the stories of her life in her own words.

Seniors advised to avoid Medicare check scams

We consider it our responsibility to protect those clients we serve.  Here is some important information we recently learned regarding a new scam targeting seniors.


Health agencies are continuing to warn seniors to be aware of potential scams involving the $250 Medicare prescription drug rebate checks.



Seniors on Medicare don’t have to do anything to receive their $250 rebate check for hitting the Medicare part D coverage gap. Several state attorneys general have warned the public about a series of scams related to the rebates, the first wave of which were mailed earlier this summer.



According to Consumer Reports.org, scammers reportedly are trying to convince recipients that the rebate checks must be transferred to a third party or used to cover specific drug payments. Others are telling recipients they must provide personal information or pay a third party for the rebate. Medicare officials warn against giving out personal information.



“Don’t give your personal information to anyone who calls you about the $250 rebate check,” the Medicare brochure “Closing the Prescription Drug Coverage Gap” advises.



The one-time rebate checks are the first step in fixing the coverage gap in Medicare part D prescription drug coverage. Currently, Medicare beneficiaries whose prescription drug costs reach $2,830 must pay 100 percent of their additional costs until total out-of-pocket expenses reach $4,550.



Suspicious calls related to rebate checks can be reported to Medicare at 1-800-633-4227.

A Great Report Card!

At Home Instead we take Quality Service very seriously!  In addition to our regular Quality Assurance visits and phone calls we have enlisted the help of a third party provider (J.D. Powers & Associates) to conduct a survey of our clients/their decision makers twice a year.  We are thrilled to report that at the end of the first week of calls we have earned a 9 out of 10 satisfaction rate with 94% of those surveyed saying they are likely to recommend Home Instead Senior Care to someone.  Here are some of the actual verbatim comments from the clients/decision makers surveyed.

• "They made the connection so easy.  They were out there in the next days.  Within two days they had a worker at the house.  The service was very fast.  The woman is wonderful to my wife.  I have not met an unpleasant person from there."
• "It is outstanding because of the care given and the professionalism displayed."
• "The two ladies who care for my father have been angels.  They have helped me go back to work.  After my step-mother died, the lady was very responsive and helpful.  They are wonderful."
• "When I call, they are ready to send someone.  The girl they call for me is great.  I worked for them for five years.  That was until I had to take care of my sister."
• "Everyone who comes here is nice".
• "The people we have coming out to the house are tremendous.  The office people are fantastic.  Everything is fantastic."
• "I said that (excellent) because of the CAREGiver.  She is very good.  The company is on the ball.  They know what is going on."

This feedback is very important to us.  We appreciate the time these individuals take to provide us with areas of improvement as well as areas of celebration.