Occupational Therapists can help older people with low vision

Have you noticed someone you know struggling to keep things as clean as they once did? Maybe you are noticing other adjustments or changes like difficulty reading or less reading; avoidance of paper work; reduced activities requiring driving or limiting driving to certain times of the day or specific areas; and comments such as things just are not painted, printed or as clear as they used to be. Any of these may be signs that there are changes in your eye health and/or vision. Hopefully you are getting regular eye exams, but if you haven't had one in the last year and notice any of these changes, it is time to stop procrastinating making an appointment. There are a lot more options to deal with changes in vision than previously available. Once you and your doctor have addressed your eye health and prescription lenses, there are additional technologies and services that can help. Among those people who can be helpful are occupational therapists. To learn more about how an occupational therapist may assist someone with low vision visit this link. Therapists can help older people with low vision

Losses mount from scams targeting older Americans - Boston.com

Losses mount from scams targeting older Americans - Boston.com

David Grary from AP does a wonderful job in this article of describing the growing problem of financial abuse and scams. He provides famous, and not so famous, examples of victims throughout the U.S. He also notes the need for appropriations for the federal Elder Justice Act to help law enforcement prevent financial scams and catch and prosecute perpetrators. If you liked my post "Financial Liberty and Protection," then you will not want to miss this article in the Boston Globe.

Financial Liberty and Protection

Recently I was traveling for work, and ended up sitting by a chatty person on a three hour flight. Normally I would have discouraged a lengthy conversation, but the take-off was delayed and we sat for a while awaiting news about our flight. The woman sitting next to me began telling me a story about her family, which was sadly similar to others I’d heard in the past. In her case, the story involved her father-in-law, some health problems requiring his hospitalization and surgery, and the appearance of a girlfriend. According to my seat mate, her father -in-law had lived alone and kept largely to himself for several years following his wife’s death. After he’d retired, He and his wife had moved to the Southeastern U.S. to escape the Winter weather. He had visited his family for about a month each year, but other than that his kids were unaware of him having any social life. Because of the man’s surgery and postoperative needs, his two adult children arranged their schedules to visit and help with his care. Upon their arrival the adult kids and their respective spouses found that he had a girlfriend, and less than two days before his surgery thousands of dollars had been spent. The adult children were surprised to find very little food in the house and other minor signs of neglect of their father’s place. His condition was to serious at the time to question him, but The girlfriend said that their father had given her the money to pay off her credit cards and she cared for him. After the man’s initial recovery from surgery, his kids asked him some questions and he said he’d given the money to his girlfriend because she needed it. My seat mate told me the girlfriend was a real-estate agent, which worried her. She added that her husband and his sister had found other discrepancies in financial matters and in the girlfriend’s story. The girlfriend had tried unsuccessfully to discourage the two from making follow-up visits to see their father. It was clear that her father-in-law was going to back up the girlfriend’s statements, and the girlfriend was trying to convince him that his children were only concerned because they wanted his money. My seat mate said she didn’t know what to do, because she understood her father-in-law was competent. However, she still worried he was being taken advantage of and worse yet, wasn’t being looked after as the girlfriend claimed. Both of his adult children were over 800 miles away with jobs that prevented them from being there more frequently, and their father was not willing to relocate closer to them. I have no idea what the truth of the situation was concerning this woman’s father-in-law. If he wanted to give thousands of dollars to a girlfriend, or anyone else for that matter, he had the right to do so. It’s possible that he may not have been taken advantage of by anyone involved, but any of the parties may have been looking for financial gain. Sadly financial scams and financial abuse are on the rise. Both men and women are susceptible to love-financial scams. There is the recent case of Mitch Gross in Atlanta, Georgia: http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/marietta-author-accused-of-1351638.html. Online dating scams are on the rise like the 2008 case where a man, posing as a woman, conned an Australian man out of $20,000 http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/648903. Of course, there are other forms of financial fraud such as: collecting money for a charity that doesn’t exist; selling a non-existent stock or property; and home repair scams, where people agree to do work for payment up-front but never complete the work. Soon after I returned from my trip and had heard the father-in-law story, I learned of a financial abuse case in Fairfield, Connecticut involving Mary Kantorowski. Prior to her husband’s death, Mary and her husband had put their home in a trust to be managed by their oldest son, with the stipulation that Mary be able to live in the home. Through some legal maneuver, her son had dissolved the original trust, and formed a new trust held by him and his wife. This new trust dropped the stipulation that Mary could remain in her home. On Mary’s 98th birthday, her son provided her an eviction notice in order to sell the house and place her in a nursing home. Fortunately for Mary, her case has come to the attention of the authorities, but so many cases of financial abuse never do. To learn more about Mary’s case go to http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Son-tries-to-evict-98-year-old-mother-from-3347230.php. How are we as a society going to do better at protecting ourselves and love ones against financial scams and abuse? And at the same time how do we age in place and provide people the freedom to live their lives the way they choose? How can we help people remain engaged and avoid isolation: a risk factor for all forms of abuse? For more information about financial abuse and scams visit the website for the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder abuse at http://www.preventelderabuse.org/elderabuse/fin_abuse.html. To avoid falling victim to a scam or abuse follow these tips offered by the National Council on Aging at http://www.ncoa.org/enhance-economic-security/economic-security-Initiative/top-8-ways-to-protect.html

Stories from my commute: The Possum

Recently on my commute I experienced two different situations that were equally unhelpful. Both involved an individual who stood perfectly still. I might not have remembered either of these events, but because they both occurred on my way to work in a single morning, they have stayed with me. For those of you who do not know me personally, I navigate through the world with a cane. IN this age of high tech, I know it seems ridiculous that the only two options for independent mobility for people who have low or no sight are a dog guide or a cane. Regrettably no one has applied his or her knowledge of robotics to independent orientation and mobility. I keep hoping that instead of target seeking drones, the amazing techno geeks can develop a navigational guiding system for people with low or no vision. However this idea probably warrants its own blog entry, and I should get back to my story. It was the typical morning; I’d started moving with the assistance of my cat, who persistently requested her breakfast, and two cups of donut shop coffee. I made myself presentable for work, shut off the Keurig, and scratched the sleeping cat before heading out the door. I passed the guy distributing The Metro to the morning commuters, and had just scanned my card to gain entry to the train. I was moving from the gate to the stairwell leading to the train platform when my cane hit a still form. I attempted to move to one side to reach the stairwell, but there was a stream of people moving beside me. I waited for an opening and moved over to get to the stairwell. I had to be more cautious than usual because I couldn’t use the railing to help identify the stairs. As I passed the obstacle, I realized it was an individual leaning up against the start of the handrail at the top of the stairs. After I passed him I heard him mumble sorry. I remember thinking “jerk”, but to the best of my ability, I kept moving with the flow of people who were hoping to get on the incoming train. I suppose it’s possible that he was glued to that spot for a sociological study or handcuffed to the railing as a practical joke, but it was probably just a complete disregard for others and a lack of awareness of the trouble he was causing. I reached downtown where I switch trains, and while I was waiting, I ran into a train acquaintance, Nancy. We greeted one another and exchanged pleasantries as we waited. The wait was longer than usual, and as a result, our train was crowded. When the train reached our stop, I moved to get off. I got to the three steps leading to the door of the train, and there stood a guy with his backside pressed up against the railing. I was able to carefully navigate down the steps and onto the platform, again wondering what the heck was wrong with people and why this guy felt he had to guard the handrail. Was he really so frightened at the prospect of a blind person moving to get off the train that he was unable to move? It flashed through my mind that if he’d fallen over I would have some circumstantial evidence for an evolutionary anomaly that made him like a possum. As I started down the platform toward the station exit, I realized that Nancy was struggling. She got stuck in the doorway of the train and had to yell to get the conductor to allow her the time to get off the train. The self-appointed handrail guard hadn’t moved, and I knew Nancy had a bad knee. I was really concerned Nancy was going to fall, so I turned back in case I could be helpful. I stood long enough to know she was off the train and no harm had come to her. I hope that the possums got the message and move next time. There is a reason for handrails: Access to handrails help prevent fall related injuries and deaths by providing guidance or support for people as they navigate stairs. By playing possum you may be increasing the risk that someone could fall and get seriously hurt. While it is true that most falls happen in one’s home, a fall getting on or off a train could be devastating. If the potential harm to someone isn’t enough to convince you, just think of the inconvenience the train delays would cause you if someone fell and needed medical attention.