‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the season to check on your elderly relatives. Quite often, a trip home to see the folks for the holidays results in a stunning realization that things aren’t going quite as well as they’ve been reporting. Here are a few simple ways to assess their safety:

Walk around their car to see if there are any new scratches or dents.

Ask if they’ve received any mail that included a “really good picture of them driving” (photocamera for traffic violations).

Are you noticing a change in their hearing, eyesight, balance, breathing?

Confirm that the information you have for them is still current such as passwords, Living Will, end-of-life wishes (this is a really good time to review those documents), location of the safe deposit key, etc.

Is anything growing in the refrigerator?

Do the batteries need to be replaced in the smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, clocks?

Take their car for an oil change, tire rotation, car wash, and fill their gas tank while you’re at it.

Change the furnace filter.

Clean the gutters; Disconnect outdoor hoses.

Replace the porch light bulb, if needed.

Install solar lights along the sidewalk and steps.

These suggestions may seem trivial, but trust me, they may (or may not) be greatly appreciated!

Proceed with caution.