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Greetings,
If you're like us, you're wondering what happened to
spring. Unfortunately, we don't know either! But,
summer must be almost here. We hope this edition of
the newsletter will provide some useful and interesting
reading for the "warm" weather that is just waiting to
embrace us.
| Behind The Scenes With An Elder Care Advisor |
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MVES Elder Care Advisor Michele DerVartanian is
featured in this month's Behind the Scenes article. As
an elder care advisor, Michele is responsible for a
variety of tasks both in and out of the MVES office. We
talked with Michele about the daily responsibilities and
challenges of her position.
Editor: What are your main responsibilities as an
elder care advisor?
M. DerVartanian: As an elder care advisor, I'm
responsible for contacting elders and family members
who are referred to MVES. These people often need
information about home care services and
resources. For many individuals, I'm the first person
they'll meet with to discuss elder concerns. I'll schedule
a no-cost home visit and educate the elder and his or
her family about the home care system. I
provide the elder or family with advice and offer
possible solutions to their needs. This might mean
explaining the
services available for home care, transportation, or
home-delivered meals. It could also mean providing
them with private-pay options and relevant information
packets. After each visit, I follow up with either
another home visit or a phone call to answer any
questions that have surfaced.
Read more... »
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| For Your Reading Pleasure... |
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Imagine a member of your family has been diagnosed
with Alzheimer's disease. Think about how challenging
and complex life will be for your loved one and family.
Now imagine yourself as a child trying to understand
why a relative is acting differently.
What's Happening to Grandpa?, written by
journalist and California's famous first lady Maria
Shriver, is a touching story about a family learning to
cope with Alzheimer's disease. Shriver challenges
readers to look at Alzheimer's through the eyes of a
child. She invites us to think about how children and
adults react to the effects of this heart-breaking
disease.
Read more... »
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| Stay Safe And Healthy This Summer |
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After a long, cold winter, the wait is over. Summer is
finally here--almost!
Even though many of us enjoy summertime, it's
important to understand the effects of the rising
temperature. Too much exposure to the heat can lead
to a serious illness called heat stroke. When the
temperature soars, everyone, and especially elders,
needs to take the appropriate safety precautions to
prevent this critical emergency.
Read more... »
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| Educate Yourself About Caregiving |
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Question: Over the last few months, several of my
colleagues and I have unexpectedly been confronted
with elder care issues. We all have college degrees and
are successful in our careers but we're in over are
heads when it comes to caring for our parents. We've
been trying to help each other whenever possible but
some of us need more than this. What should be our
first step?
Answer: When you are helping an elder, the issues and
questions may seem never to end. Those of you who
have assumed a caregiver role for an older relative
have probably already faced challenges for which you
were totally unprepared. Odds are some of you have
made a few mistakes in the decision-making process
and you want to be better informed, enabling you and
your parents to make wise choices. Others of you may
be anticipating a time in the near future when you will
need to take on more responsibility for your aging
relatives. Remember that making good decisions is a
team effort. Only in rare circumstances (for example,
when a loved one has advanced dementia) should you
as the caregiver feel the burden of making all the
potentially life-changing decisions. Your parents should
have the right and the responsibility to make informed
decisions with your input and support.
Read more... »
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| A Hungry Community |
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Many of us, myself included, often take a healthy meal
for granted. We're able to cook or we go out and dine
at a local restaurant. The option to eat nutritiously is
simply a regular part of our day. Because of this
lifestyle, it's hard to imagine that many people, many
elders, go without basic nutrition. Tea and toast make
not a nutritious meal. These nutritiously needy
elders aren't in far-off cities. They're in our community.
Eating nutritiously can be problematic for elders for
several reasons. Due to physical ailments, they may
not be able to prepare meals. They may not have the
financial resources to pay for food. Or they may be
homebound, unable to shop for groceries. No matter
the reason, the problem is real.
At MVES, we strive to help elders by offering home-
delivered meals or "Meals on Wheels." When an elder
receives a home-delivered meal, they can be assured
of at least one healthy meal a day. And, thinking
creatively, MVES recently began offering elders a
choice between a hot meal or a salad and sandwich.
Regardless of the type of meal, however, the service
isn't free.
Imagine serving 1,200 meals each weekday. That's how
many Meals on Wheels MVES delivers over eight
communities from North Reading to Everett. With food,
preparation, and delivery costs rising, it's becoming
harder for MVES to serve the increasing number of
elders who desperately need a nutritious meal each
day. We need your help to offset the costs of helping
elders.
Read more...
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