Twice a month, an eclectic gathering of individuals enter the Westminster Fire Station to participate in the Secrets of Healthy Aging discussion group and potluck, a program of Westminster Cares. This group of seniors, ranging in age from the sixty's to ninety's, gathers to explore the unique issues faced in the aging process, engaging in an infinite variety and depth of topics. We've been meeting since 2002, some of the original members still attending.
It is my blessing and challenge (depending on the day!) to facilitate this group of outspoken, hilarious, sincere and generous-hearted people. All of us consider our meetings a feast of the senses! Let me offer some examples.
"The things this table has heard," declares one long time attendee! Sitting around the table, some of the things heard include: raucous laughter, life experiences, opinions that challenge and intrigue, welcoming of new members, and thoughts and stories that inspire.
Continuing with the sense of sight, participants gaze upon strangers who have become friends; a diverse group of people happy to be in each others' presence. Joyful shouting greets new arrivals (even the late ones!) while we try not to ogle each other's potluck items. Exercising a different form of sight, that of deep insight, one group member has called our gatherings a place where, "minds are working and souls are shared."
Touch comes into play as the group mascot, my "senior" dog, Minnie, wanders from person to person with her own calm, sweet, greetings. Here and there someone pauses to stroke soft fur and receive cold-nosed nuzzling. When a person new to the group arrives, everyone eagerly jostles to make space - figuratively and literally - at the table, ready to be touched by whatever it is that person may bring to the gathering. Or, as one person said, "touching each other's hearts with our spoken words."
Depending on the seasons of our meetings, the smells wafting through the room are sometimes subtle, and sometimes commanding, but always adding to our sensory participation! New-mown grass, whispering rain, the first snow...and, oh! Warm bread awaiting us - baked by one of the group. Sometimes, our discussion may focus on what sensory awarenesses people are having; it's not unusual for our waiting lunch to play a starring role!
And last, but certainly not least, is our shared meal; a sumptuous conclusion encompassing a feast of all the senses, especially taste. Over the years participants have found great pleasure in bringing a unique selection of edibles - which of course, is not complete unless chocolate is present! The unknown accompanies us with every discussion and every meal. We never plan what we'll bring to the table, verbally or gustatorily! Somehow it always works. No one is ever required to speak before they're ready, or bring food to share - there's always more than enough of both to warm our hearts, minds and bellies.
And on top of all that, at any given meeting, "we have been known to burst into song!" Come give us a try!
If you would like more information about this gathering, please call Westminster Cares at 722-3607 or email: wecares@sover.net
Cheryl Richards, MA, CT
is an End of Life & Grief
Counselor & Educator
Aged in Vermont - Articles for those who know someone who is aging...
Monday, January 23, 2012
Dick Morse: 98 and Still Going Strong
Westminster hasn't changed much through the eyes of Richard "Dick" Morse, 98. He remembers growing up in North Westminster, learning to swim in the Saxton's River, picking berries, and having fun all around the area. He remembers Interstate 91 coming in and taking all the traffic off Route5. He even thinks of how the floods have gotten better and worse over the years. Yet he says the people of Westminster haven't changed much. He even joked that the only thing that changed are people's last names.
Dick was born in Keene in 1913. He moved to Gageville in 1921 when he was 8. Then he moved to Westminster, on the corner of Henwood Hill and Route 5, in the early 50's. He worked in refrigeration, and still owns birds like he did those many years ago.
Dick went into the bird business because the farm house he bought on Henwood Hill was all set up for raising chickens, so he decided to try it out. He started with several thousand Rhode Island Reds, for their eggs, and after a few tries he got the hang of it. He sold eggs retail to stores and restaurants in the area and from his farm. He has been raising birds ever since, although no longer for egg sales.
Dick has had many jobs through the years. He used to work at the corn canning factory in Westminster Station where Community Feed is now. He remembers unloading bags of sugar that came in by railroad for the factory. Farmers in the area used to supply sweet corn to the plant, he said.
He worked at a wreath factory, located near the present-day carwash, as a wreath inspector in his late teens. Through most of his adult life, he worked in the refrigeration business. He began with household refrigerators, and ice tanks that cooled milk cans on dairy farms. Then, when new bulk tanks came in in the 1950's, he worked on those. Because a bulk tank had to be installed between a farm's twice-daily milkings, he would start early in the morning and keep on working until it was finished, often late at night. He thinks about how many more farms there used to be in Westminster in the past.
Dick to this day still splits his own firewood, and he and his wife Ruth work in the garden together. I see him out there all the time, doing what most people stop doing in their 60’s or 70’s, but Dick has continuously done to this very day.
Julia Waldron, 13, is the daughter
of Dan Harlow of Westminster. She
will be a freshman at Portsmouth
High School this fall.
Dick was born in Keene in 1913. He moved to Gageville in 1921 when he was 8. Then he moved to Westminster, on the corner of Henwood Hill and Route 5, in the early 50's. He worked in refrigeration, and still owns birds like he did those many years ago.
Dick went into the bird business because the farm house he bought on Henwood Hill was all set up for raising chickens, so he decided to try it out. He started with several thousand Rhode Island Reds, for their eggs, and after a few tries he got the hang of it. He sold eggs retail to stores and restaurants in the area and from his farm. He has been raising birds ever since, although no longer for egg sales.
Dick has had many jobs through the years. He used to work at the corn canning factory in Westminster Station where Community Feed is now. He remembers unloading bags of sugar that came in by railroad for the factory. Farmers in the area used to supply sweet corn to the plant, he said.
He worked at a wreath factory, located near the present-day carwash, as a wreath inspector in his late teens. Through most of his adult life, he worked in the refrigeration business. He began with household refrigerators, and ice tanks that cooled milk cans on dairy farms. Then, when new bulk tanks came in in the 1950's, he worked on those. Because a bulk tank had to be installed between a farm's twice-daily milkings, he would start early in the morning and keep on working until it was finished, often late at night. He thinks about how many more farms there used to be in Westminster in the past.
Dick to this day still splits his own firewood, and he and his wife Ruth work in the garden together. I see him out there all the time, doing what most people stop doing in their 60’s or 70’s, but Dick has continuously done to this very day.
Julia Waldron, 13, is the daughter
of Dan Harlow of Westminster. She
will be a freshman at Portsmouth
High School this fall.
Feel Better with a Free Workshop
If you're interested in feeling as well as possible, and doing more of the things you love to do, then you should know about the free Healthier Living Workshop. I took it myself, and I heartily recommend this six-week program to anyone with a long-term health challenge. I already knew a lot about healthy living and healthcare, and still this program was amazingly helpful.
In the Healthier Living Workshop we discovered we're all in good company when it comes to most of our challenges, feelings and frustrations. And whether we have arthritis, high blood pressure, asthma, CFS, depression, heart disease, fibromyalgia, COPD, or anything else chronic, there is hope. In the supportive setting of the Healthier Living Workshop, we explored new directions, set our own goals, and solved problems with the help of other participants. It was often fun, at times inspiring, and always gave us power to move forward and improve our daily lives.
The Healthier Living Workshop encourages self-directed problem-solving in the face of long-term health conditions, with the help of a supportive small group. It’s not an exercise program, but will help you set realistic goals for your physical activity and nutrition. I was very impressed with the quality of the information, the effectiveness of the activities, and the skill of the leaders. Leaders have been through the Workshop because they have a chronic condition or care for someone who does, so they know what they’re talking about!
We got a lot of good information and practice on reducing stress, changing negative thinking, reducing pain, and many other helpful strategies. We also got a wonderful free book and relaxation CD. There was no bias against alternative or mainstream care. We learned techniques for setting achievable goals, asking for help, communication, and other valuable skills as they relate to our health.
While this free workshop is valuable for a great many seniors, adults of every age with chronic conditions can do it. Caregivers are welcome too! Based on research by Stanford University, the Healthier Living Workshop has been proven to reduce the need for doctor visits and to improve people's health by several measures. It is being held all over Vermont, throughout the year, and will continue into the foreseeable future. These FREE six-session Workshops are part of Vermont's Blueprint for Health to prevent illness and complications. If it seems difficult to find time to attend, think of it as an investment in your well-being. You deserve it!
The Workshop is routinely held at local hospitals, senior centers, and other public places. Contact a local coordinator to ask questions or sign up. The coordinator for Brattleboro & West River Valley is Jessie Casella at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, jcasella@bmhvt.org 802-257-8357. The coordinator for the greater Bellows Falls area is Nancy Schaefer of Springfield Medical Care Systems, inmotion@vermontel.net 802-869-3053. You may also pick up a flyer at Sojourns Community Health Clinic on Route 5 in Westminster.
Janis Hall
In the Healthier Living Workshop we discovered we're all in good company when it comes to most of our challenges, feelings and frustrations. And whether we have arthritis, high blood pressure, asthma, CFS, depression, heart disease, fibromyalgia, COPD, or anything else chronic, there is hope. In the supportive setting of the Healthier Living Workshop, we explored new directions, set our own goals, and solved problems with the help of other participants. It was often fun, at times inspiring, and always gave us power to move forward and improve our daily lives.
The Healthier Living Workshop encourages self-directed problem-solving in the face of long-term health conditions, with the help of a supportive small group. It’s not an exercise program, but will help you set realistic goals for your physical activity and nutrition. I was very impressed with the quality of the information, the effectiveness of the activities, and the skill of the leaders. Leaders have been through the Workshop because they have a chronic condition or care for someone who does, so they know what they’re talking about!
We got a lot of good information and practice on reducing stress, changing negative thinking, reducing pain, and many other helpful strategies. We also got a wonderful free book and relaxation CD. There was no bias against alternative or mainstream care. We learned techniques for setting achievable goals, asking for help, communication, and other valuable skills as they relate to our health.
While this free workshop is valuable for a great many seniors, adults of every age with chronic conditions can do it. Caregivers are welcome too! Based on research by Stanford University, the Healthier Living Workshop has been proven to reduce the need for doctor visits and to improve people's health by several measures. It is being held all over Vermont, throughout the year, and will continue into the foreseeable future. These FREE six-session Workshops are part of Vermont's Blueprint for Health to prevent illness and complications. If it seems difficult to find time to attend, think of it as an investment in your well-being. You deserve it!
The Workshop is routinely held at local hospitals, senior centers, and other public places. Contact a local coordinator to ask questions or sign up. The coordinator for Brattleboro & West River Valley is Jessie Casella at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, jcasella@bmhvt.org 802-257-8357. The coordinator for the greater Bellows Falls area is Nancy Schaefer of Springfield Medical Care Systems, inmotion@vermontel.net 802-869-3053. You may also pick up a flyer at Sojourns Community Health Clinic on Route 5 in Westminster.
Janis Hall
Going My Way?
I believe there is an opportunity to make someone’s day a little brighter simply by offering to take them for a ride. I do meals on wheels at least twice a month and I take a local 97 year old with me. We deliver lunches to between 10 and 14 people covering around 30 miles each trip. Artie not only gets to see the sights, but he gets a big wave and a smile from some people he has known for years and would not otherwise come in contact with. I’ll bet if you look around and think about it, there is someone out there who would love to be asked to go for a ride. I don’t mean to just jump in the car and do a scenic tour, I’m talking about having someone go with you when you have a specific errand to do. Going to recycling, doing basic errands, banking, or quick trips to the grocery store are examples. Having a specific task in mind might make the person riding with you feel less of a burden and more like they are keeping you company. I would avoid being in a situation where there is any waiting time for your passenger. That could turn out to be painful. You wouldn’t want your friend to wish they had stayed home. Some of these people may even have a car and be able to drive, but going for a ride alone is not a pleasant thought for them. We all understand the value of having someone to talk with. Just getting out with another person for a short ride would more than likely make that person’s day.
Give it a try. You may get more pleasure out of the experience than you had imagined.
Give it a try. You may get more pleasure out of the experience than you had imagined.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Choices, Choices, Choices
Who among us regardless of how many resources we have, wish to spend their final days in a nursing home or a hospital? How many of us would make alternative plans if given a choice? And how many of us have been taught that decisions about long-term care must be made by medical professionals? It is time for people to start questioning for themselves: "What is best for me?"
With the State of Vermont's push to allow more people to remain in the community as they age yet require some assistance, the most important thing to consider is that if you begin to plan early enough all choices may be yours to determine. However, when you are in a crisis there is not much help we can give you.
The Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont receives countless calls on our Senior HelpLine when families are already in crisis. Someone took a fall, broke a hip, or else the family home has become a burden that cannot be handled. Often when an elder contacts us for help with long-term care options it is far too late for many good choices. Housing options, caregivers available in one's community, perhaps an adult day program could have or would have been able to be arranged with more time.
We all want to determine how we live our lives. What is defined as quality by one person may be different for another. Agency staff are willing and able to help elders and their families begin the process of looking at long-term care options and asking the key questions before there is a crisis.
If you are aware of someone who has not made any long range plans, is becoming more frail and could benefit from a fruitful discussion about options, please let them know there is help. Planning ahead could mean the difference between being in total control of your life and being put in the position of having medical professionals and others make those decisions for you.
For more information, please call the Senior HelpLine : 1-800-642-5119.
Joyce A. Lemire, Executive Director
Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont, Inc.
With the State of Vermont's push to allow more people to remain in the community as they age yet require some assistance, the most important thing to consider is that if you begin to plan early enough all choices may be yours to determine. However, when you are in a crisis there is not much help we can give you.
The Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont receives countless calls on our Senior HelpLine when families are already in crisis. Someone took a fall, broke a hip, or else the family home has become a burden that cannot be handled. Often when an elder contacts us for help with long-term care options it is far too late for many good choices. Housing options, caregivers available in one's community, perhaps an adult day program could have or would have been able to be arranged with more time.
We all want to determine how we live our lives. What is defined as quality by one person may be different for another. Agency staff are willing and able to help elders and their families begin the process of looking at long-term care options and asking the key questions before there is a crisis.
If you are aware of someone who has not made any long range plans, is becoming more frail and could benefit from a fruitful discussion about options, please let them know there is help. Planning ahead could mean the difference between being in total control of your life and being put in the position of having medical professionals and others make those decisions for you.
For more information, please call the Senior HelpLine : 1-800-642-5119.
Joyce A. Lemire, Executive Director
Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont, Inc.
Friday, May 13, 2011
A Care Giver and End of Life Experience
In the last six months of 2010 my husband began a decline in his health and ability to help himself. He was using a cane and walker most of the time but had frequent falls and needed help to get up. I began to depend on family, neighbors, and Westminster Fire and Rescue to help. On several occasions I called on the expertise of the Westminster Cares nurse to help with scrapes and bruises and to tell if we needed to see the doctor. Somehow he never broke a
bone.
His decline was slow but progressive over the next six months, and I put to use many of the services I had learned about as a member of the Council on Aging Advisory Council. I wanted to continue working part time but felt that my husband shouldn’t be home alone. We started out with Life Line but he didn’t use it because it was difficult for him to understand and he was rarely alone for more an hour or two. I decided to hire someone to stay with him while I was at work so that I could then have some time to run errands as well.
The Life Line and caregiver were the first paid expenses. It worked well for both of us and we had a delightful caregiver. I could still help him get in and out of the car and take him to appointments, the store or for a ride. When that became more difficult we bought the kind of walker that had handlebars and a seat so that he could sit down when his knees were giving out. That type of walker was great to use at the table and for getting around in the house as well
as walking on the street.
However, it wasn’t too long before walking was painful and my husband needed a wheelchair. We needed to see the doctor in Brattleboro every week and it became very difficult to transfer him from the car to the wheelchair. My husband was also having difficulty swallowing because of an atrophied epiglottis. The doctor decided it was time to ask a nurse from the Visiting Nurse
Association (VNA) to come to the house and check my husband’s vital signs and take blood checks, saving us the trip to town each week.
This was a big change because we couldn’t go out any longer. The VNA nurse came to the house to do assessments and set up a schedule with the occupational, physical and speech therapists. The VNA speech therapist would come to the home and teach my husband specific exercises. The nurses were caring and professional in every way. Medicare covered eighty percent of the VNA expense. The deductibles in our supplemental insurance had not been met
at this point.
I learned how to prepare special foods. A home health aide came every day to help with showering. We found someone to build a ramp to our front door. Before long we were using a wheel chair all of the time.
I had information about The Gathering Place Adult Day Center in Brattleboro and after visiting there, decided to sign up my husband to attend twice a week. The Connecticut River Transit picked him up at our house and brought him home. This was a wonderful service to have for about four months. He enjoyed his time there and was painting and participating in group activities. That gave me time to shop, work in the yard or just be alone. I knew my husband was trying his best to help himself and I know he knew that I was tired and he wanted to give me some time alone.
We could still communicate about the day-to-day activities. But we didn’t get much sleep because we got up several times in the night. Finally, we hired help to come for one overnight each week. We paid for these services out of our pocket. (This might not be the case for everyone who wants to attend adult day.) Our daughter, son and son-in-law were also helping in many ways.
Although the services were very helpful and necessary there now were people in and out of our house all the time. Sometimes we would have four or five visits and many phone calls during the day. We were trying to complete the exercises that had been suggested by the speech and physical therapist. Furniture had to be moved so the wheel chair could fit through the house.
Special food needed to be prepared to help prevent choking. We were both anxious when he choked. We knew that if he ingested food into his lungs he would get pneumonia. This was all becoming overwhelming, and everyone was getting more and more tired. I had to do a lot of lifting. It was difficult. We absolutely needed all the help we could get. The nurses were always helpful and kept telling me I was doing a good job. It was our family’s wish to make my
husband’s life as normal and pleasant as possible.
We frequently had visits from our clergy and friends for which we were thankful. Our daughter and her husband came over in the evenings to help out and visit. It became apparent that no one person could give this much care, particularly if that person was an elderly spouse or had health issues of their own.
On one visit the nurse called 911 because my husband had become very weak and she suspected that he was dehydrated. This was the case and he was in the hospital for a week with pneumonia.
When it was time to bring him home from the hospital, he needed a hospital bed, a Hoyer lift for transferring in and out of bed and oxygen. How all of these items fit into the bedroom was a puzzle. We had to keep a sense of humor through all of this. Thankfully, my husband was always pleasant and thanked everyone for all they did for him.
The hospital discharge planner and the doctor at the hospital talked to us about going on to Hospice Care. This was a very difficult decision because it was admitting that we were heading toward the end of life.
To make the best of it we decorated the room for Christmas and had soft lights and music in the bedroom. It was a very pleasant atmosphere despite the wheelchair, lift, and oxygen tank and hospital bed. The hospice nurses came every day, the hospice doctor talked to us at length about the pain medications that we would be using. Hospice was on call 24/7. I did call several times and the nurse was calming and helpful. A hospice counselor came to talk with the family about end of life wishes and concerns. They were caring and compassionate. On two occasions a hospice volunteer sat with my husband but I was nervous to leave him. I thought he might be frightened to be alone with a stranger with no family around in case of an emergency.
Between myself, our caregiver, daughter, son, and son-in-law we shared the round-the-clock care giving. It was a difficult six months mainly because things just kept changing so quickly, but hospice gave us lots of information so we could help my husband and also know what to expect as his body shut down. We made his end of life the best we could. Hospice came right away when we called. They stayed with us and were there to pronounce his passing. Hospice
also sent a counselor to visit with us the next day.
I am thankful that he could be at home and would wish that for most people. However it is all consuming, tiring and takes many helping hands. This would be impossible for many families. It would also have depleted most of our savings without Medicare.
To give you an idea of the cost of all of this I broke it down into the following approximant
numbers:
Private care and Adult Day Care $17,000 Private pay
Medicare for VNA/Hospice 20,297
Medicare – Hospital 8,942
Medicare – Ambulance 1,000
Medicare - Doctor and Lab work 2,822
Equipment 1,700 Private pay
Total $51,751
bone.
His decline was slow but progressive over the next six months, and I put to use many of the services I had learned about as a member of the Council on Aging Advisory Council. I wanted to continue working part time but felt that my husband shouldn’t be home alone. We started out with Life Line but he didn’t use it because it was difficult for him to understand and he was rarely alone for more an hour or two. I decided to hire someone to stay with him while I was at work so that I could then have some time to run errands as well.
The Life Line and caregiver were the first paid expenses. It worked well for both of us and we had a delightful caregiver. I could still help him get in and out of the car and take him to appointments, the store or for a ride. When that became more difficult we bought the kind of walker that had handlebars and a seat so that he could sit down when his knees were giving out. That type of walker was great to use at the table and for getting around in the house as well
as walking on the street.
However, it wasn’t too long before walking was painful and my husband needed a wheelchair. We needed to see the doctor in Brattleboro every week and it became very difficult to transfer him from the car to the wheelchair. My husband was also having difficulty swallowing because of an atrophied epiglottis. The doctor decided it was time to ask a nurse from the Visiting Nurse
Association (VNA) to come to the house and check my husband’s vital signs and take blood checks, saving us the trip to town each week.
This was a big change because we couldn’t go out any longer. The VNA nurse came to the house to do assessments and set up a schedule with the occupational, physical and speech therapists. The VNA speech therapist would come to the home and teach my husband specific exercises. The nurses were caring and professional in every way. Medicare covered eighty percent of the VNA expense. The deductibles in our supplemental insurance had not been met
at this point.
I learned how to prepare special foods. A home health aide came every day to help with showering. We found someone to build a ramp to our front door. Before long we were using a wheel chair all of the time.
I had information about The Gathering Place Adult Day Center in Brattleboro and after visiting there, decided to sign up my husband to attend twice a week. The Connecticut River Transit picked him up at our house and brought him home. This was a wonderful service to have for about four months. He enjoyed his time there and was painting and participating in group activities. That gave me time to shop, work in the yard or just be alone. I knew my husband was trying his best to help himself and I know he knew that I was tired and he wanted to give me some time alone.
We could still communicate about the day-to-day activities. But we didn’t get much sleep because we got up several times in the night. Finally, we hired help to come for one overnight each week. We paid for these services out of our pocket. (This might not be the case for everyone who wants to attend adult day.) Our daughter, son and son-in-law were also helping in many ways.
Although the services were very helpful and necessary there now were people in and out of our house all the time. Sometimes we would have four or five visits and many phone calls during the day. We were trying to complete the exercises that had been suggested by the speech and physical therapist. Furniture had to be moved so the wheel chair could fit through the house.
Special food needed to be prepared to help prevent choking. We were both anxious when he choked. We knew that if he ingested food into his lungs he would get pneumonia. This was all becoming overwhelming, and everyone was getting more and more tired. I had to do a lot of lifting. It was difficult. We absolutely needed all the help we could get. The nurses were always helpful and kept telling me I was doing a good job. It was our family’s wish to make my
husband’s life as normal and pleasant as possible.
We frequently had visits from our clergy and friends for which we were thankful. Our daughter and her husband came over in the evenings to help out and visit. It became apparent that no one person could give this much care, particularly if that person was an elderly spouse or had health issues of their own.
On one visit the nurse called 911 because my husband had become very weak and she suspected that he was dehydrated. This was the case and he was in the hospital for a week with pneumonia.
When it was time to bring him home from the hospital, he needed a hospital bed, a Hoyer lift for transferring in and out of bed and oxygen. How all of these items fit into the bedroom was a puzzle. We had to keep a sense of humor through all of this. Thankfully, my husband was always pleasant and thanked everyone for all they did for him.
The hospital discharge planner and the doctor at the hospital talked to us about going on to Hospice Care. This was a very difficult decision because it was admitting that we were heading toward the end of life.
To make the best of it we decorated the room for Christmas and had soft lights and music in the bedroom. It was a very pleasant atmosphere despite the wheelchair, lift, and oxygen tank and hospital bed. The hospice nurses came every day, the hospice doctor talked to us at length about the pain medications that we would be using. Hospice was on call 24/7. I did call several times and the nurse was calming and helpful. A hospice counselor came to talk with the family about end of life wishes and concerns. They were caring and compassionate. On two occasions a hospice volunteer sat with my husband but I was nervous to leave him. I thought he might be frightened to be alone with a stranger with no family around in case of an emergency.
Between myself, our caregiver, daughter, son, and son-in-law we shared the round-the-clock care giving. It was a difficult six months mainly because things just kept changing so quickly, but hospice gave us lots of information so we could help my husband and also know what to expect as his body shut down. We made his end of life the best we could. Hospice came right away when we called. They stayed with us and were there to pronounce his passing. Hospice
also sent a counselor to visit with us the next day.
I am thankful that he could be at home and would wish that for most people. However it is all consuming, tiring and takes many helping hands. This would be impossible for many families. It would also have depleted most of our savings without Medicare.
To give you an idea of the cost of all of this I broke it down into the following approximant
numbers:
Private care and Adult Day Care $17,000 Private pay
Medicare for VNA/Hospice 20,297
Medicare – Hospital 8,942
Medicare – Ambulance 1,000
Medicare - Doctor and Lab work 2,822
Equipment 1,700 Private pay
Total $51,751
Thursday, April 7, 2011
How to Best Prepare for an Emergency
It is always helpful to try to plan for emergencies in advance. The Advisory Council of the Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont, Inc. has been meeting for quite some time to plan and implement a simple means to prepare for emergencies.
The Emergency Readiness for Older Adults and Caregivers Checklist, developed by the Administration on Aging, helps individuals to think about the risks they might face; a list of items they would need to survive in their homes until help arrives and a personal plan..
These checklists are available through the Council on Aging.
In addition, the Advisory Council has created an Emergency Preparedness Self Register. This one page document outlines whether the individual requires oxygen or other equipment using power, has a vehicle or not, and other information that would be helpful for the local Emergency Preparedness Coordinator in each community to have. In case of emergencies, the coordinator
would know which residents might be in need of special help. If someone completes personal information for this register, the only person to have access to this would be the Town's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. Each town has assigned a person to be the coordinator.
The goal of the Council on Aging is to assist any individual who would like to plan ahead for some type of disaster or emergency. The information collected would not be accessible to staff at the agency but would be turned over to the particular town's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.
The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from each town in Windham and Windsor county. Some towns recommend the checklist, and others do not. To find out if your town does recommend the checklist, call the Senior Help Line at 1-800-642-5119.
To receive a copy of the Checklist or the name of the Emergency Preparedness coordinator in your town please call the Senior Help Line at 1-800-642-5119.
Joyce Lemire, Council on Aging
for Southeastern Vermont, Inc.
The Emergency Readiness for Older Adults and Caregivers Checklist, developed by the Administration on Aging, helps individuals to think about the risks they might face; a list of items they would need to survive in their homes until help arrives and a personal plan..
These checklists are available through the Council on Aging.
In addition, the Advisory Council has created an Emergency Preparedness Self Register. This one page document outlines whether the individual requires oxygen or other equipment using power, has a vehicle or not, and other information that would be helpful for the local Emergency Preparedness Coordinator in each community to have. In case of emergencies, the coordinator
would know which residents might be in need of special help. If someone completes personal information for this register, the only person to have access to this would be the Town's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. Each town has assigned a person to be the coordinator.
The goal of the Council on Aging is to assist any individual who would like to plan ahead for some type of disaster or emergency. The information collected would not be accessible to staff at the agency but would be turned over to the particular town's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.
The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from each town in Windham and Windsor county. Some towns recommend the checklist, and others do not. To find out if your town does recommend the checklist, call the Senior Help Line at 1-800-642-5119.
To receive a copy of the Checklist or the name of the Emergency Preparedness coordinator in your town please call the Senior Help Line at 1-800-642-5119.
Joyce Lemire, Council on Aging
for Southeastern Vermont, Inc.
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