skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The National Institute on Aging has a new online nutrition resource called "What's on your plate? Smart Food Choices for Healthy Eating". This site includes sections about:
There are also other Senior nutrition resources from other government agencies, such as:
The National Institute on Aging created the following video about "Eating for Health":
National Grandparents Day is the first
Sunday after Labor Day, which is September 8th this year. Marion H. McQuade first
championed the idea for this celebration and her descendants created a
nonprofit organization, the National Grandparents Day Council. The organization website states:
"Our goals are to honor grandparents and to strengthen
the bond between grandparents and grandchildren.
Additionally, we strive to draw compassionate attention
to the eldest of society's elderly--those in nursing homes."
How can you celebrate National Grandparents Day? The National Grandparents Day Council has a "Forget-Me-Not" Nursing Home Visitation program. The idea is to visit isolated, homebound elderly people or elderly people who live in a nursing home. According to the Council, "statistics state that as many as sixty percent of nursing home residents NEVER have a visitor."
You can make a big difference in someone's life by visiting and talking with them. You can set up these visits by contacting local nursing home staff or contacting local eldercare programs. You can learn more about the "Forget Me-Not" program here.
President
Jimmy Carter approved the first National Grandparent's Day in 1978. Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau provides statistics about grandparents and their role in society. Here are some highlights of the 2012 statistics (these statistics are from the 2011 American Community Survey):
- 7 million grandparents had grandchildren under the age of 18 living with them.
- 5.5 million children in the U.S. live with a grandparent.
- 2.7 million grandparents are responsible for the basic needs of at least one grandchild.
You can read the whole article here .
There are a lot of misconceptions about long-term care. Long-term care includes both assistance with daily living (for example: bathing, dressing, eating, housework, shopping) and skilled medical care. According to the Administration for Community Living, 70% of people turning age 65 will need to use some form of long-term care during their lives. Poor diet and exercise habits can increase your chances of needing long-term care.
Medicare only pays for short term (less than 100 days) medically necessary care and rehabilitation. Medicare does not pay for personal care- such as assistance with daily living or for supervision (often called custodial care). Twenty percent of today's 65 year-olds will need long-term care for longer than 5 years.
Medicaid may pay for long term care, but it is only available for people with low income. Medicaid eligibility rules vary from state to state. For more information about Medicaid in Florida, click here. For more information on how to plan for long-term care, please visit the longtermcare.gov website.
The Eldercare Locator is provided by the U. S. Administration on Aging (AoA) and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). This tool can help older adults and their families to find the resources that they need in their communities - including Alzheimer's resources, caregiver assistance, transportation, home repair, and more. Below is a video explaining the services you can find through the Eldercare Locator:
Other resources from the Eldercare website include:
- Among U.S. adults ages 65 and older living outside of institutions, more than one in four report having difficulty with at least one daily activity and receiving no assistance, according to the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study.
- Two nationally representative surveys suggest that more than one in 10 older Americans living outside of institutions are mistreated in some way, most commonly by someone who neglects, verbally abuses, or takes financial advantage of them.
- As many as one in seven Americans ages 71 and older has some type of dementia, according to the first estimates ever made using a nationally representative sample of older adults.
These statistics can be used by community-based social services to address the issues faced by older adults. You can read the entire report here.
The State of Florida has a program called SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) that provides free counseling to Seniors about Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care planning, and prescription assistance. The program is administered at the county level through the local "Area Agency on Aging" (other states also have this program - either in their Department of Aging or in their Department of Insurance).
SHINE is an unbiased information and counseling program that trains volunteers to help older adults to get the information that they need to make informed decisions on health insurance issues. They provide information to elders, their caregivers, and their families. To receive Medicare counseling in Pasco County, you can call 1-800-963-5337.
The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco - Pinellas also provides many other services for seniors and caregivers. You can click on the picture below to access their website:
If you are interested in becoming a SHINE volunteer in Pasco County, please contact Sue Samson at 727-570-9696, ext 234.
Would you like to go to a talk by a famous author, learn to scrapbook, or attend a senior social? These are just a few of
the upcoming Pasco library programs. The Friends of the Library sponsors
our programs. Here are some of the upcoming library programs for Older
Adults in Pasco County:
Thurs, Aug 8th at 10:00am
LOL Social Seniors
Land O'Lakes Library
Join our new group of Social Seniors for coffee, cake, and conversation.
Get involved at the library by offering programming suggestions. Or,
take this time to meet new friends, discuss common interests, and engage
in recreational activities. Occasional workshops on topics of interest
may be scheduled. This is a brand new club for seniors, and we need your
input!
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214
Thurs, Aug 8th and Aug 22nd at 6:00pm
Knitting Club
New River Library
Learn basic knitting techniques. Please bring a pair of size 8
knitting needles and a ball of #4 yarn. This club is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
New River Library
34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills, FL 33543
(813) 788-6375
Saturday Aug 10th at 2:00pm
Best-selling Author Tim Dorsey
South Holiday Library
As part of Viva Florida 500, come hear how Florida influenced best-selling author Tim Dorsey.
South Holiday Library
4649 Mile Stretch Drive
Holiday, FL 34690
(727) 834-3331
Wednesday Aug 14th at 6:00pm
Scrapbooking
South Holiday Library
Create a two page scrapbook layout. Please bring 2-6 photos with you to
use in your pages. Registration suggested, sign up at South Holiday
Library.
South Holiday Library
4649 Mile Stretch Drive
Holiday, FL 34690
(727) 834-3331
Wed, Mar 20th at 2:00pm
Thurs, Aug 16th at 1:15pm
Friday Afternoon Movie
Land O'Lakes Library
Join us to watch a movie based on a book, or a critically acclaimed
movie. Genres will vary. Please contact the library at 813-929-1214 for
more information.
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214
Thurs, Aug 23rd at 10:00am
Senior Games
Land O'Lakes Library
Join us for fun and games at the library. Meet new people while playing cards, board games, or challenging video games.
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214
Sat, Aug 31st at 11:00am
Sit-n-Knit
South Holiday Library
Join our knitting club for ALL AGES! No experience necessary. Supplies are provided for in-house use or bring your own project.
South Holiday Library
4649 Mile Stretch Drive
Holiday, FL 34690
(727) 834-3331
Also, many branches offer book discussions.
