Helping seniors living at home
December 27th 2010 21:58
If ever there were a favorable city for growing old, Winston-Salem is it, leaders of senior programs throughout the county say. Programs abound here to help the elderly, many of which help specifically with memory loss.
"In all of Forsyth County, there is a wealth of resources for individuals to remain at home," said Diane Wimmer, director for the county's Adult Services division. "You're definitely not alone in dealing with this."
People may hear about the various programs for the elderly and for those with memory loss, but they may not tune in to them until they face a crisis, said Dottie Lyvers, director of the Northwest Piedmont Area Agency on Aging.
"This is very common human nature, but it would be great to try to learn about the resources before that time," Lyvers said.
Here is a sampling of local programs that help the elderly stay healthy, mentally alert and independent, with a focus on staying in their homes as long as possible.
Williams Center
The Williams Center, at 231 Melrose St., is a place for people with cognitive memory losses to be safe, have fun and have something to do, said Jean Small, vice president of adult day services for Senior Services.
"Going to the adult day center also gives the caregiver some respite," Small said.
The center provides daytime services only; no one spends the night.
The center has many programs that work to keep the mind and body functioning as highly as possible "and have fun while doing that," Small said. Activities include music, exercise, games, pet therapy, arts and crafts, and minor chores.
"I walked through here a minute ago and saw a couple of guys playing chess," Small said.
The center is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours until 6 p.m.
The fee is $50 a day, or $57 for extended hours. Long-term-care insurance typically covers the cost, and veterans' benefits cover it. The center also has received some Medicaid grants, which pay the bills for people who qualify for Medicaid.
"We also receive other various grants. We do not turn people away because of lack of money," Small said.
Adults who attend are served breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Nurses and nursing assistants are on staff at all times.
"When Alzheimer's takes hold, it's good to live on a pattern," Small said. "The Williams Center is a good way to start a pattern."
On any given day, about 70 people come to the Williams Center, whose capacity is 80 to 85 people per day.
"We could handle that many easily," she said. "It makes me sad to think of them sitting at home in front of the TV, instead of being here."
For more information, go to www.seniorservicesinc.org or call (336) 724-2155.
Senior Services Inc.
Senior Services sponsors a home-care division that sends aides to seniors' houses for a few hours each week. They can help with things such as baths and dressing.
For homebound seniors who are not able to cook, the Meals on Wheels program can deliver hot meals.
There also is a seniors' lunch program for those who are more independent and still mobile.
For more information, go to www.seniorservicesinc.org.
Impact program
The Impact program, sponsored by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, helps those with early memory loss stay as mentally alert as possible.
"Part of the program is social," said Anthony Moran, a recreational therapist who runs the program with co-worker Shannon Williams. "It's good for them to spend time with others going through the same issues they are."
Moran requests that attendees make it a regular weekly activity, rather than just showing up sporadically.
The program, which began July 15, teaches participants techniques such as word associations. "If they're trying to remember a location, a birthday or a number, we assist them by helping them make an association with something they already know," Moran said.
Other activities include creative writing or hands-on tasks — "anything to challenge them and do something different than the norm. We want to stimulate the other areas of the brain and do things they are scared to attempt in public. This is a safe place for them to come and learn new skills."
Another exercise is blindfolding the participants and asking them to guess different foods by smell and taste. This is to use senses other than the eyes, so they build up other parts of the brain, Moran said. Other memory-boosting activities include getting seniors to write something with their opposite hand, reading something upside down and setting out a group of objects, letting them look for a few seconds and then having them write down every object they saw.
"We give homework assignments and a strategy to take home and try something new," Moran said.
Class size is limited to 10 participants, who range in age from the 60s to the 80s.
The cost is $25 per visit, usually meeting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays at Ardmore Baptist Church. Insurance does not cover this cost. Participants bring a bag lunch.
Attendees don't have to have a specific diagnosis. They should contact Moran or Williams at (336) 713-8191 before attending to undergo a mini-mental screening to determine if they would be a good fit for the program.
Exercise classes (through Shepherd's Center)
A variety of exercise classes, including tai chi, yoga, Zumba, Pilates and warm-water exercises, are taught through the Shepherd's Center, a nonprofit serving older adults. About 25 to 30 activities are offered per week.
The healthier and more active the body is, the better the mind works, said Susan Meny, director of the senior center.
The goal is to "add life to your years," Meny said. "The body and mind are connected."
Independent living services (through Shepherd's Center)
The Faith in Action care program offers three real-life ways to help seniors remain in their homes longer, said Linda Lewis, director of the programs.
•The first is the respite visitation program, which coordinates volunteers to visit seniors' homes to give the caregiver a break for a few hours.
"This is just social contact, not chores," Lewis said. "We have some volunteers who have been visiting the same person for two to three years."
About 60 volunteers in the Winston-Salem area make these visits regularly.
•Second is the minor home repair program, which coordinates volunteers to help seniors with tasks such as hanging pictures, cleaning out dryer vents, caulking windows or fixing a running toilet.
"We ask that the client pay for the materials," Lewis said. "Many seniors live in older homes, and those homes often need repairs."
Sometimes, the programs get requests for bigger jobs, such as building handrails or fixing a sagging porch. Lewis coordinates with area churches to get those jobs done.
The Shepherd's Center has completed 47 jobs with area churches since Jan. 1. Volunteers typically complete 30 to 40 minor home repair jobs a month.
•The third program is the transportation program, in which volunteers drive nondriving seniors to doctors or hospitals (once a week) and to get groceries (once every two weeks).
Volunteers can be reimbursed for their gasoline, but many don't take it, said Lara Schantz, Faith in Action program assistant.
They make about 50 trips a week, and the need for this service is huge, she said.
"We never turn anyone down," she said, adding that as a last resort, the center has some funds to hire taxicabs.
Referrals for the Shepherd's Center programs come from everywhere, including Senior Services Inc., families, home health-care services, hospitals, social workers and doctors.
Volunteers are always needed, particularly from the outer edges of the county, and especially the Pfafftown and Rural Hall areas.
"A huge number of volunteers operate under the radar," Schantz said. "It's impossible to say how much these volunteers help people to stay at home."
For more information on Shepherd's Center programs, call (336) 748-0217 or go to www.shepherdscenter.org.
If Only program
Funds are available from the If Only program for people with life-threatening disabling conditions. The program is administered by the Forsyth County Adult Services division.
"We've provided everything from laptop computers, appliances and bedding, many for end-stage Alzheimer's patients," Wimmer said.
The program is patterned after the Make a Wish Foundation, to fulfill wishes of dying children, and has been funded by a large private donation.
For more information, go to Really Long Link
An application is online, and funds are available only for those 55 and older.
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