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Here's How in Maturity
Home and independence important in maturity | |
| By Leonard J. Hansen | |
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As a mature adult, can you have needs for some support service and still retain your independence? You have asked two important questions and we have gone to the experts for the answers: Is nursing home the only alternative? Q. I am challenged often while living at home, because there are some things I just can no longer do for myself. But, I have friends in nursing homes who were originally no worse off than I am, but have become almost zombies. Is there a better solution for me? A. You bet your sweet independence there is. Your need is probably not in full-time institutional care, so we have found two very positive solutions: One possibility is to seek one of the nursing homes which operate as an Eden Alternative. Eden focuses not on management, staff and systems, as in traditional nursing homes but, instead on the resident, encouraging the utmost independence, and providing support services only and specifically where necessary. William Thomas, M.D., then a 29-year-old graduate of Harvard Medical School, challenged conventional thinking and New York state regulations when developing and proposing his Eden Alternative concept at a nursing home where he was treating patients. "I wanted to get rid of the top-down administrative practice as being most important and, instead, focus our mission on the preservation of ability and spirit of each resident. State bureaucrats scrambled for their regulation books to challenge my introduction of plants, animals and children who visited every day from nearby schools." The Eden Alternative won out. "Now, in the more than 200 nursing homes which operate on the Eden concept; thousands of residents are living well and actively. They continue to think, read, share and contribute to each other," stated Dr. Thomas. Information on homes using the concept is available by writing Dr. Thomas at the non-profit Eden Alternative, Rte. 1, Box 31-B4, Sherburne, NY 13460. And read his book, Life Worth Living - How Someone You Love Can Still Enjoy Life in a Nursing Home: The Eden Alternative (Publisher VanderWyk & Burnham; paperback, US$17.95; ISBN 0-9641089-6-8). The second possibility is an assisted-living community, a new generation of residential facilities which fill a previous void between independent at-home living and intermediate-or-skilled nursing institutions. "These communities represent a new living option for older people who require some level of daily assistance, but do not need the medical attention of a nursing home," replied Nancy L. Wilson, assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "In assisted living, unlike institutional nursing homes, residents can maintain individual control and privacy in their living space, while they can call on staff for assistance for just the tasks where they need help." Mend the manse? Q. My mother really wants to remain in her own home, and I can’t blame her. But she is having some difficulty because of fading eyesight and in manipulating some of the fixtures. What is our solution? A. Tell your mother that you are proud of her independence and ask which functions around the house appear troublesome, advises C. Anne Harvey, programs director for AARP in Washington, DC. The answers will be the basis for changes which may include simplifying walking paths and removing obstructions, increasing light levels for better vision, and changing to larger light switches or easily-manipulated dimmers. Large-button telephones may also be an option. A magnifier for the television screen allows for continued entertainment. Removing door sills which may cause tripping may be a solution (while adding increased weather stripping at the bottom of outside doors). You can probably make most of the improvements personally, without the cost or involvement of an outside contractor. The solutions may be easier than you think. Start by learning what your mother can and wants to do and then the possibly few glitches which may be a current impediment. |
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