HCAOA The Voice Winter 2019-20

16 HCAOA The Voice As the seasons of fall and winter progress, there are rituals and celebra- tions that dominate our lives. Many of your clients have family members who will fuss over them, include them in dinners and outings, spend time in their homes and add joy to their lives. And for some of your clients, none of those experiences will happen. Caregivers are often the family member all year long but find the work espe- cially poignant this time of year. So what are some great ways to support your clients, with or without family members, through the winter season? Keeping them safe and positioned to thrive is the best gift! We can suggest these helpful tips to family members looking to find the best way to help professional caregivers provide quality care. Certainly, the gift of time and commu- nication is always the most appreciated. Setting a regular time or day of the week for a phone call, Skype or Face- time visit for non-local family members can be invigorating and improve our overall wellbeing. There are also some practical safety tips for your clients during this time of year. The first is home maintenance; cleaning gutters, clearing pathways of leaves, debris or snow, checking fireplaces, dryer vents and furnace filters—even de-cluttering, taking magazines and papers off the stairs, and checking batteries in motion-sensor or dusk to dawn lights. Doing these activities safely involves the right equipment and tools. Getting help with these tasks for your clients may be the most important gift this year! Remember, too, that the changes from daylight savings time to standard time means we need to check the lighting inside the house because it is dark earlier. We should also check the outside light- ing, too. If solar lights are the primary path lights, check the batteries and the placement to ensure that the lights can collect as much sunlight as possible to work effectively. The longer, darker hours can create a greater sense of isolation so plan for additional activities or again, this may be a good time to embrace the technology of communication to help your clients stay connected to others. We can wrap our care around clients with a PERS system, too. This will improve peace of mind for clients and families as the weather gets colder and more challenging. For even more safety tips on these topics and more for clients, yourselves and your families, too, please go to AgeSafeAmerica.com. Safe Clients = Safe Caregivers and Happy Families! By Fritzi Gros-Daillon, MS, CSA, CAPS, UDCP, SHSS Director of Education and Advocacy, Age Safe America FEATURE ARTICLE