Archive for Chris Moore

Housing Matters has always been about promoting independence. We talk about ways to safely and comfortably live independently in our homes throughout the course of our lives. One of the leading causes of losing ones independence is certainly falls. Oftentimes when an older adult falls it is the beginning of the end of living independently. What you may not realize is how prevalent falls are and the devastating effects of falls, both financially and personally. There are many steps that can be taken to prevent falls and fall related injuries. Over one third of adults over the age of 65 will fall each year, resulting in 2.4 million injuries. The result of an initial fall will often be fear and trepidation of falling again, which frequently results in actions contributing to another fall. However, falling does not necessarily have to be an inevitable part of the aging process. I suggest a multi faceted approach to staying on your feet. Work with your health care professionals. Sometimes certain medications can cause light headedness, lack of balance, or other conditions that may raise the risk of falling. Remaining physically active can help tremendously to reduce the risk of falling. There are a number of programs designed to help prevent falls by increasing strength and balance in those at risk of falling. Occupational therapists are an important resource to proactively keep people living independently. Reduce clutter. Go through you home and look for things that might be a fall hazard. Getting a friend or family member to do this with you can give you a fresh perspective by pointing out things you might not notice. Look for trailing extension cords, loose throw rugs, frayed carpets, and things piled in the walkway. If your home is cluttered, these simple steps can make a huge difference in reducing the risk of a fall. Light up your life. All of us experience diminished eyesight as we age. Increasing the level of light in our homes, particularly in the kitchen and bath can help tremendously to see where we are going. Contrasting colors on the tops and edges of surfaces such as countertops and stairs can help us see where the edges of these surfaces are which can help prevent falls. Hold on to what matters. Make sure you have something to hold onto. Installing railings, grab bars, and hand holds throughout your home so that you always have something sturdy to hold onto will go a long way to prevent falls. I often have people tell me that they do not need any of these products yet. That is exactly the right time to have them installed. If you have them installed before you need them, they may prevent a fall. If you have them installed after you need them, it is usually because you have already fallen. If you need help installing railings, grab bars, or hand holds, please call us. Prevent injury. While our primary goal is to prevent falls, we cannot prevent them all. By installing fall protection flooring in your home, you can prevent injury if you do fall. This special flooring, called Smart Cells, will absorb 90% of the impact of a fall if you do fall on it. Available in mats or fitted to the entire floor, it is available in different colors, and can be covered with sheet vinyl or carpet. For more information on fall prevention and protection, a home safety assessment, or help implementing these or other home modifications, please call Senior Remodeling Experts at 540-384-2064. Thank you for reading Housing Matters.

In the last week and a half I have attended two caregiver conferences. Both of these conferences were presented primarily for family caregivers. The statistics are staggering. There are over one million family caregivers in Virginia, providing over one billion hours of unpaid care per year. Many of these caregivers are in what has been described as the sandwich generation, caring for aging parents while still caring for their own minor children. The number of people who need care will continue to increase, even while the younger people who provide the care declines. In 2010, the family caregiver ratio was 8.5 potential caregivers aged 45-64 for every person in the high risk years of 80-plus. By 2030 this ratio is projected to be 4.2 to 1, and by 2050 is expected to reach 2.8 to 1. If you are one of these family caregivers, you understand how difficult it can be. Most caregivers are happy to care for their loved one, but it can all get extremely overwhelming, particularly when your loved one is suffering from a progressive disease such as Alzheimer’s. Don’t try to go it alone! It is important to assemble a care team to help you care for your loved one. Recruit the help of family and friends as well as medical professionals and other service providers to provide the care that your loved one needs. Make a list of tasks that would help take some of the load off of you and when someone asks if there is anything they can do, ask them to help with a specific task. On the top of the home page of my website at www.solidrockenterprises.com there is an aging in place planning guide that you can download. By working through this planning guide, you can develop a plan to help your loved one successfully age in place. The local chapter of the aging in place council can be reached by phone at (540) 339-7891 or by email at westernandcentralva@ageinplace.org. At Senior Remodeling Experts, we provide a plethora of services that can make your job as a caregiver much easier. If your loved one has mobility issues, we can provide ramps, wider doorways, levered handles, and accessible bathrooms and kitchens. If they are at risk for a fall, we provide grab bars, handrails, non slip flooring, and fall protection flooring that will absorb 90% of the impact in the event of a fall and prevent broken bones. We provide electronic remote activity monitoring systems that will increase safety as well as independence for your loved one by monitoring their activity and sending an alert if the system is triggered by an event such as wandering, leaving the stove on, not eating or taking medication, or leaving the water running. I believe that technology will play an increasing role in the years to come in helping us care for our loved ones. Remember, if you are a caregiver, you don’t have to do it all alone. Get some help; take a break before you wear yourself out. There are resources available from a variety of sources. Download the planning guide at www.solidrockenterprises.com. If you need help modifying your home, call Senior Remodeling Experts at (540) 384-2064 or email us at cmoore@solidrockenterprises.com. If you need help in other areas, or you are not sure where to start, call the Western and Central Virginia Council for Aging in Place at the number listed above. I hope and pray that you will find some valuable resources to help you care for your loved one and thank you for being a caregiver!

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” These words from the 1822 poem titled A Visit from St. Nicholas but known by most as The Night before Christmas bring to mind memories of good food, fellowship and family gatherings with bright eyed children. Although people have many different Christmas traditions, there is something magical about this time of year. The music, the lights, the food, and the anticipation bring out the kid in all of us. If there is a time of year when people are inspired to be generous and kind, it is without a doubt the Christmas season. Perhaps one of the most poignant examples of the power of goodwill at Christmas time is the spontaneous truce which erupted on Christmas Eve and carried through Christmas Day in the trenches during World War I in 1914. The war was barely four months old but already hundreds of thousands lay dead. But that Christmas Eve something happened. Candle lit Christmas trees poked out of trenches and soon Christmas carols, notably Silent Night, were being sung by soldiers in English and German. In the midst of war, the Prince of Peace was making his presence felt. The hostilities ceased and both sides helped each other bury their dead. For a brief moment in time the true spirit of Christmas prevailed. If the true spirit of Christmas can break out in the trenches of World War I then it can break out anywhere. Let’s all do our part to make this the most wonderful time of the year! If you are like me, you dislike the fact that Christmas, which is supposed to be a celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has become more about commercialism than about a time of goodwill and giving. I would encourage everyone to take the time this Christmas season to pause and view the world through the eyes of a child. Remember the wonder and the excitement you felt as a child at the most wonderful time of the year. I think we need to gain some perspective on what Christmas is really about. Let’s all take some time this Christmas season to cut through the hype and the commercialism (and the politically correct “Happy Holidays”) and remember the true meaning of Christmas. Just as the soldiers in the trenches in 1914 experienced the power of Christmas, I believe there are miracles just waiting to be discovered around any corner. Keep your eyes open and you just might experience one. Look for opportunities to reach out to others and bring a little joy into someone’s life. As you decorate your house think of what makes a house a home. I generally write about things you can do to your house to make it safer and more accessible. What I am talking about now is how to make it a home. It is the spirit and atmosphere within the house that makes it a home. The true spirit of Christmas is that sense of thankfulness for the gifts we have been given and the willingness to reach out and share them with others. I want to thank my readers for all of the kind comments I have received and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! If you have questions about Housing Matters or have topics you would like to see discussed, you can reach me at (540) 384-2064 or email me at cmoore@solidrockenterprises.com.