Research has found that spending time with friends and family can provide the social support needed to improve overall health and improve quality of life as people age.
One of the first insights I had when I worked with seniors is that I found that many who were struggling in the community were lacking social engagement and purpose.
Many seniors, when getting admitted to short term rehab, had a diagnosis of Failure to Thrive. This diagnosis is multifactorial as it can be a result of comorbidities and functional losses or impairments. What I saw when meeting these new patients is that they had those underlying factors which then often prevented them for socializing and engaging in community or family activities. Many seniors ended up self-isolating which often produced depression, they ate less, forgot to take their meds, increased their alcohol intake, and this cycle resulted in weight loss, further cognitive loss, increased their fall risk, etc., etc.
After a few days at rehab, you could see them begin to blossom and thrive with the attention, the activities, proper meals, and hydration. After discharge, many would slowly revert to their baseline back at home and would end up failing in some aspect and would be readmitted to the hospital and then back to rehab. I saw this cycle repeatedly and quickly learned that there is a gap in the community (when they are at home alone) regarding their care. Care is not all about their IADLs* or their ADLs**, it’s also about them finding purpose to improve their quality of life.
For this reason, I wanted to create a practice that reflected my values for person-centered care. I have found a team that understands and believes that we need to go beyond what other practices might provide.
Our team will work with our clients in their home to create an individualized daily activity calendar as a tool for their caregivers and supportive network. Our Life Enrichment team will also be doing outreach providing activities to assisted livings, senior centers, community groups, etc., to educate on keeping active, learning new things, and just having fun!
It is my mission to educate professionals and families on the benefits of providing a holistic and person-centered approach to care to truly improve the lives of those we serve.
Please contact us tracy@northeastcaremanagement.com or lynnecanhelp@yahoo.com for more information or to schedule programs for your community or group.
*IADLS-(Instrumental Activities of Daily Living)-using the telephone, transportation, handling finances, medications, meal preparation, shopping, housekeeping, laundry.
**ADLs (Activities of Daily Living)— Bathing, Toileting, Grooming, Feeding, Mobility, Transferring.