Thursday, July 23, 2009
Bring Your Grandchildren to Senior Center for Games and Fun
Older adults are invited to bring their grandchildren for a play date at the Cabarrus County Senior Center in Mount Pleasant. Activities are planned for children of all ages. Come play together and enjoy games of corn toss, football throw, croquet and more. The Senior Games Play Date will be held Tuesday, July 28 from 9 until 11 a.m. at the Cabarrus County Senior Center in Mount Pleasant. For details, call 704-436-8034 or log on to www.cabarruscounty.us/aging
Cooking Under Pressure Program
A local company has launched a new program designed to “take the heat off” family caregivers who are cooking for their senior loved ones – especially those with special dietary needs.
This issue impacts many lives. By our estimates, there are approximately 22,900 households in Rowan and Cabarrus Counties who are currently caring for seniors.
Sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, the Cooking Under Pressure program is based on new research which shows that cooking for seniors with nutritional risks adds to the stress of family caregivers. Program resources include a free handbook and a specially designed website (foodsforseniors.com) with shopping tips, healthy food suggestions and recipes for a well-balanced senior menu.
Please let me know if you would like to receive additional information about the program – including senior friendly recipes.
I can also help you arrange interviews with local program sponsors, family caregivers and seniors.
Thank you,
Sally Stalnaker
On behalf of Home Instead Senior Care
1-888-296-2411 ext 3
sally@alberscommunications.com
This issue impacts many lives. By our estimates, there are approximately 22,900 households in Rowan and Cabarrus Counties who are currently caring for seniors.
Sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, the Cooking Under Pressure program is based on new research which shows that cooking for seniors with nutritional risks adds to the stress of family caregivers. Program resources include a free handbook and a specially designed website (foodsforseniors.com) with shopping tips, healthy food suggestions and recipes for a well-balanced senior menu.
Please let me know if you would like to receive additional information about the program – including senior friendly recipes.
I can also help you arrange interviews with local program sponsors, family caregivers and seniors.
Thank you,
Sally Stalnaker
On behalf of Home Instead Senior Care
1-888-296-2411 ext 3
sally@alberscommunications.com
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Free Fans Help Cabarrus County Seniors Beat the Heat
Senior citizens who are suffering through the heat this summer may be able to get a free fan. To be eligible for the fan giveaway, you must be at least 60 years of age, live in Cabarrus County, and not have central air-conditioning in your home. To get a free fan, contact the Cabarrus County Senior Center. Call the Cabarrus County Senior Center in Concord at 704-920-3484 or the senior center in Mount Pleasant at 704-436-8034.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Multigenerational Households - A Growing Trend
It’s a growing trend across the country and in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties -- adult children are moving their aging parents into their homes. According to the U.S. Census, the number of multigenerational homes has climbed to nearly 4 million for a variety of reasons, including the economy.
While there are benefits to several generations living under one roof, there also can be pitfalls such as financial disagreements and personal space issues.
Local senior care experts have launched a public education campaign called Too Close for Comfort – a program which offers a number of tools to help families cope with the challenges associated with multigenerational households.
Resources include a free Too Close for Comfort handbook with expert advice to help families deal with emotional, comfort, safety and financial challenges. There also is a specially-designed website, www.makewayformom.com, which includes a cost calculator to help families make informed decisions about their living arrangements.
For further information call Sally Stalnaker of Home Instead Senior Care at
1-888-296-2411 ext. 3 or e-mail sally@alberscommunications.com
While there are benefits to several generations living under one roof, there also can be pitfalls such as financial disagreements and personal space issues.
Local senior care experts have launched a public education campaign called Too Close for Comfort – a program which offers a number of tools to help families cope with the challenges associated with multigenerational households.
Resources include a free Too Close for Comfort handbook with expert advice to help families deal with emotional, comfort, safety and financial challenges. There also is a specially-designed website, www.makewayformom.com, which includes a cost calculator to help families make informed decisions about their living arrangements.
For further information call Sally Stalnaker of Home Instead Senior Care at
1-888-296-2411 ext. 3 or e-mail sally@alberscommunications.com
Friday, April 10, 2009
Fourth Annual Caring Today Magazine and Home Instead Senior Care Essay Contest Honors Dedicated Caregivers
The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Cabarrus and Rowan Counties is again sponsoring the popular Caring Today magazine’s “Give a Caregiver a Break” essay contest to honor family caregivers for their tireless service and dedication. The contest will award $16,000 in free caregiving services to the winning essay writers.
In 500 words or less, non-professional family caregivers can relate their caregiving experiences, including the challenges they’ve faced, how they’ve embraced their role as a caregiver for a senior loved one and inspired others. Entries can be submitted until June 15, 2009. Since the contest’s inception, hundreds of family caregivers have shared their personal stories.
Grand Prize is $5,000 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care, the world’s largest provider of non-medical companionship and home care for seniors. Two First Prize winners will each receive $2,500 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care. In addition, 12 Extraordinary Caregivers will each receive $500 in service. The top three winning essays will be published in the Fall issue of Caring Today and all 15 winning essays will appear on www.caringtoday.com.
Last year’s grand prize winner was Laura Wetherington, a devoted wife from Bluffton, S.C., who gave up her dream retirement to serve as a full-time caregiver for her husband, Gary, who has Pick’s disease, a form of dementia.
Complete rules for this year’s contest can be found in the Spring issue of Caring Today or online at www.caringtoday.com or www.homeinstead.com.
In 500 words or less, non-professional family caregivers can relate their caregiving experiences, including the challenges they’ve faced, how they’ve embraced their role as a caregiver for a senior loved one and inspired others. Entries can be submitted until June 15, 2009. Since the contest’s inception, hundreds of family caregivers have shared their personal stories.
Grand Prize is $5,000 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care, the world’s largest provider of non-medical companionship and home care for seniors. Two First Prize winners will each receive $2,500 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care. In addition, 12 Extraordinary Caregivers will each receive $500 in service. The top three winning essays will be published in the Fall issue of Caring Today and all 15 winning essays will appear on www.caringtoday.com.
Last year’s grand prize winner was Laura Wetherington, a devoted wife from Bluffton, S.C., who gave up her dream retirement to serve as a full-time caregiver for her husband, Gary, who has Pick’s disease, a form of dementia.
Complete rules for this year’s contest can be found in the Spring issue of Caring Today or online at www.caringtoday.com or www.homeinstead.com.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
What You Can Do To Protect Seniors
Following, from the National Association of Triads, Inc. and Home Instead Senior Care, are ways that family caregivers can protect their senior loved ones:
1. Watch for unusual activity. Seniors who are scammed may be embarrassed and try to hide what happened. Watch for changes in their lifestyle as well as any other unusual financial or business activity.
2. Be on guard for individuals who have befriended your loved one. Lonely or isolated seniors may be vulnerable to con criminals who befriend them and provide them with companionship. Ask to talk to your parent’s new friend to find out more about him or her. A thief won’t stick around long to chat.
3. Investigate organizations looking for money. Often seniors want to donate to organizations and other worthy causes. Help your loved ones check those out by requesting written information on the organization and reviewing that thoroughly. Or contact the Better Business Bureau.
4. Assist seniors with their finances. If a senior can no longer handle his or her finances, encourage your loved one to put a plan in place that can help ensure bills are paid and his or her assets are protected. That plan may include your senior designating a financial power of attorney.
5. Destroy information that could be compromised. Make sure your senior shreds all financial information and credit card offers before discarding them in the trash.
6. Seek out a second set of eyes. If you live a distance from your loved one or can’t always be there, help your senior build a support network. This can include neighbors, friends, trusted church members or professional CAREGivers like those from Home Instead Senior Care.
Additional Telemarketing and Internet Fraud Tips are available from the National Fraud Information Center at www.fraud.org.
A tip sheet with all of the information is available free of charge from the local Home Instead Senior Care office. For more information, or to order a copy, please call Robin Perry, at 704-636-2010 or 704-788-3399.
1. Watch for unusual activity. Seniors who are scammed may be embarrassed and try to hide what happened. Watch for changes in their lifestyle as well as any other unusual financial or business activity.
2. Be on guard for individuals who have befriended your loved one. Lonely or isolated seniors may be vulnerable to con criminals who befriend them and provide them with companionship. Ask to talk to your parent’s new friend to find out more about him or her. A thief won’t stick around long to chat.
3. Investigate organizations looking for money. Often seniors want to donate to organizations and other worthy causes. Help your loved ones check those out by requesting written information on the organization and reviewing that thoroughly. Or contact the Better Business Bureau.
4. Assist seniors with their finances. If a senior can no longer handle his or her finances, encourage your loved one to put a plan in place that can help ensure bills are paid and his or her assets are protected. That plan may include your senior designating a financial power of attorney.
5. Destroy information that could be compromised. Make sure your senior shreds all financial information and credit card offers before discarding them in the trash.
6. Seek out a second set of eyes. If you live a distance from your loved one or can’t always be there, help your senior build a support network. This can include neighbors, friends, trusted church members or professional CAREGivers like those from Home Instead Senior Care.
Additional Telemarketing and Internet Fraud Tips are available from the National Fraud Information Center at www.fraud.org.
A tip sheet with all of the information is available free of charge from the local Home Instead Senior Care office. For more information, or to order a copy, please call Robin Perry, at 704-636-2010 or 704-788-3399.
Senior Con Games
Five Senior Scams to Watch For
Following, from the National Association of Triads, Inc., an 18-year-old organization that is part of the National Sheriffs’ Association, and Home Instead Senior Care, are the top senior scams and details about how they work:
1. Prizes and sweepstakes scams. Seniors are told they’ve won a sweepstakes and all they need to do is send a check to cover the taxes. Or, they receive a fake check for $5,000 and are encouraged to deposit the money and send back $2,000 to cover the taxes. By the time it’s determined that these checks, which often come from an overseas bank, are worthless, the senior has lost his or her money. Magazine sale scams, where seniors order magazine subscriptions that never show up, also are prevalent.
2. Home improvement frauds. Criminals will knock on a senior’s door offering to fix their driveway, then paint it black and charge the senior $3,000. Or seniors are asked to pay up front to have their roof fixed never to see their alleged repairman again. One 81-year-old woman who was caring for her husband with Alzheimer’s disease paid a criminal $800,000 and drained her savings to have repairs done on her home, according to the National Association of Triads, Inc.
3. Phishing schemes. Seniors receive a call from someone claiming to represent a bank or other reputable financial institution. They’re warned that their financial information or credit card has been compromised and are asked to verify their bank account number or call an 800 number where they’re asked for their personal financial information.
4. Internet fraud. Seniors, unfamiliar with how to use the Internet, can unwittingly give their credit card number to a scammer.
5. Identity theft. Seniors who give up their birth date and Social Security number can open up their entire financial history to a thief.
Following, from the National Association of Triads, Inc., an 18-year-old organization that is part of the National Sheriffs’ Association, and Home Instead Senior Care, are the top senior scams and details about how they work:
1. Prizes and sweepstakes scams. Seniors are told they’ve won a sweepstakes and all they need to do is send a check to cover the taxes. Or, they receive a fake check for $5,000 and are encouraged to deposit the money and send back $2,000 to cover the taxes. By the time it’s determined that these checks, which often come from an overseas bank, are worthless, the senior has lost his or her money. Magazine sale scams, where seniors order magazine subscriptions that never show up, also are prevalent.
2. Home improvement frauds. Criminals will knock on a senior’s door offering to fix their driveway, then paint it black and charge the senior $3,000. Or seniors are asked to pay up front to have their roof fixed never to see their alleged repairman again. One 81-year-old woman who was caring for her husband with Alzheimer’s disease paid a criminal $800,000 and drained her savings to have repairs done on her home, according to the National Association of Triads, Inc.
3. Phishing schemes. Seniors receive a call from someone claiming to represent a bank or other reputable financial institution. They’re warned that their financial information or credit card has been compromised and are asked to verify their bank account number or call an 800 number where they’re asked for their personal financial information.
4. Internet fraud. Seniors, unfamiliar with how to use the Internet, can unwittingly give their credit card number to a scammer.
5. Identity theft. Seniors who give up their birth date and Social Security number can open up their entire financial history to a thief.
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