by agesafe | Aging-in-Place, Caregiving, Fall Prevention, Senior Home Safety
Seniors, family members and homeowners are looking to Age Safe America for trusted information on home safety and aging-in-place solutions.
Age Safe America, LLC and Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) have negotiated an opportunity for all HCAOA Members to be preferred home care providers on the nationwide Age Safe® Services Registry. The Registry refers vetted professionals to aging Americans and their families. Members of the Age Safe Services Registry undergo a “best practices” background screening by their US based partner and/or belong to a reputable industry association and/or carry recognized professional credentials.
The Age Safe Services Registry is the only national network of Senior Home Safety Specialists™ and Aging Services Providers with a focus on home safety and independent living. As a trusted source, Age Safe America receives inquiries from seniors and their adult children looking for a myriad of services, products, recommendations and solutions to successfully grow old in the place they choose; which for 9 out of 10 older Americans is their own home.
The Home Care Association of America is the leading trade association for the home care industry. Since its founding, HCAOA has made standards of care and patient safety central to its mission. Through its Standards and Ethics Committee, HCAOA has developed guidelines for the hiring, screening, training, and supervising of caregivers at all levels, often going beyond what is required by state regulations.
HCAOA membership eligibility requirements highlight the values and practices that separate HCAOA members from other providers in the home care market. For example, HCAOA members are required to hire their caregivers as W2 employees, rather than independent contractors. While families may be tempted to hire caregivers working as independent contractors because they generally work for a lower hourly rate, they often fail to understand that their liability exposure can be even greater as they essentially become their caregivers’ employer.
“Quality home care services is an essential part of a successful aging in place plan, and Age Safe America’s vision and core values align well with HCAOA,” said Phil Bongiorno, Executive Director of Home Care Association of America. “This partnership represents a leap forward in access to full-service care for the millions of seniors choosing to age at home. Our member providers will be able to forge new partnerships with other key service providers, and the Age Safe® Services Registry will benefit from a wider array of home care providers.”
Age Safe America was created in an effort to help reduce and prevent falls and their associated costs. They have positioned themselves as training and consulting leaders with their Senior Home Safety Specialist™ certification. Since 2015 Age Safe America has trained professionals throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East to meet the growing need for home safety assessments and aging in place home modifications. The company has trained healthcare professionals, home care providers, case managers, social workers, first responders, entrepreneurs, industry executives, assisted living communities, realtors, senior move managers, contractors, remodelers, home inspectors, handyman services, as well as staff and leadership of non-profit and Fortune 100 companies.
“We are very excited to initiate this partnership with the HCAOA and its quality membership. So far this year the Registry has seen considerable growth. Currently we are working with other leading industry associations and organizations with the same high level of standards to continue building the Registry nationwide,” said Steven Bailey, Managing Director of Age Safe America, LLC.
About Age Safe America, LLC
Age Safe® America is a national membership, training and advocacy organization. Since 2015 the company has been directed by recognized experts in fall prevention, senior home safety, aging- in-place, universal design, home modifications, environmental assessment, and marketing to seniors and aging boomers. They provide training, consulting, certifications, product reviews, tools, resources and support to businesses and organizations providing products and services to seniors and their adult children.
About Home Care Association of America
Founded in 2002, the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) is the industry’s leading trade association – currently representing nearly 3,000 companies that employ more than 500,000 caregivers across the United States. HCAOA serves as the home care industry’s unified voice. Representing a diverse number of small, mid-level and large corporations, HCAOA unites the industry through speaking with one voice in Washington, D.C. and state capitals across the country. HCAOA protects industry interests, promotes industry values, tackles barriers to growth and takes on industry-wide issues.
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by agesafe | Aging Parents, Aging-in-Place, Crime Prevention, Fall Prevention, Health and Nutrition, Senior Home Safety
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.
Every year on June 15, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is commemorated in America and around the world. Through WEAAD, we raise awareness about the millions of older adults who experience elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. As many as 1 in 10 older Americans are abused or neglected each year and only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse ever comes to the attention of authorities. Older Americans are vital, contributing members of our society and their abuse or neglect diminishes all of us. WEAAD reminds us that, as in a just society, all of us have a critical role to play to focus attention on elder justice.
The Administration for Community Living (ACL), along with federal and aging partners, invite you to join them in Lifting up Voices for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2019, a theme that is centered on unifying the shared values of elder justice and responding to violence against women to bring to the forefront the lived experiences of older people around the globe. This year, we invite you to join us and other organizations and communities across the country in using the collection of special Lifting up Voices outreach and campaign tools (including an action guide with sample social media posts and graphics), incorporating the Lifting up Voices theme in your community.
The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) serves as a national resource center dedicated to engaging and empowering older people so that they may be an advocate for themselves and their communities. We recognize that it is up to all of us, as a community to ensure the right social structures are in place so people can remain connected to their communities and to society as a whole, reducing the likelihood of abuse. Through evidence based policies, initiatives, education and civic engagement, we can create a sturdy social structure that can support us as we grow older. First established by the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) in 1988 as a national elder abuse resource center, the NCEA was granted a permanent home at AoA in the 1992 amendments made to Title II of the Older Americans Act.
To carry out its mission, the NCEA disseminates elder abuse information to professionals and the public, and provides technical assistance and training to states and to community-based organizations. The NCEA:
- Makes news and resources available on-line and an easy-to-use format;
- Collaborates on research;
- Provides training;
- Identifies and provides information about promising practices and interventions;
- Operates a listserve forum for professionals;
- Provides subject matter expertise on program development.
by agesafe | Aging Parents, Aging-in-Place, Senior Home Safety
The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America’s birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as ‘Flag Birthday’, or ‘Flag Day’.
On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as ‘Flag Day’, and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.
Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children’s celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.
Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”
Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
http://www.usflag.org/history/flagday.html
by agesafe | Aging Parents, Aging-in-Place
Illustration by Lara Harwood
Fritzi Gros-Daillon, Director of Education and Advocacy at Age Safe® America and graduate of the Columbia Business School discusses aging safely in place in a recent Columbia Business magazine article entitled: The New Old, written by Sara Cravatts. Here is an excerpt.
By 2030, one in every five residents in the US will be over the age of 65. It’s the first time in the nation’s history that older people are projected to outnumber children. With the average life expectancy now at 78.7 years, there’s a growing need for increased resources. While some experts worry that housing, transportation, and healthcare infrastructures aren’t prepared, many businesses are looking at the country’s shifting demographics as an opportunity and see what’s known as the longevity economy— valued at $7.6 trillion—as a place for growth.
Among the chief concerns for aging Americans is ensuring that they or their loved ones have somewhere safe to live. Most people prefer to age in their own homes and communities, but many are not prepared, says Fritzi Gros-Daillon, MS ’81, director of education and advocacy at Age Safe America. “An AARP survey showed that about 85 percent of people want to age in place and 90 percent have done nothing to get ready,” she says.
Key to aging in place is preventing falls, the most common cause of injury among the elderly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that by 2020, the costs related to injuries sustained from falls will rise to $60 billion annually. Gros-Daillon ticks off the list of home modifications people should make—building ramps, installing voice-activated lights, and putting in grab bars, especially in bathrooms. “Grab bars are the new seat belts,” says Gros-Daillon. “You may not want it, but everybody needs one.”
Age Safe America, is a training, advocacy, and consulting organization that serves as a hub for people or small businesses looking to enter the home-safety industry. Companies like Age Safe America are springing up in response to the booming longevity economy; 83 percent of US household wealth is held by people over the age of 50, and members of the older population are willing to spend their money on ensuring that they can age comfortably. “With the longevity economy, the purchasing power of baby boomers is going to shift,” Gros-Daillon says. “It’s not just about ski trips anymore.”
Read the full article here: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/columbia-business/new-old
by agesafe | Aging Parents, Aging-in-Place, Fall Prevention, Health and Nutrition
Please check out the just released Walking Clubs Toolkit from Go4Life which provides tips and techniques to help start and sustain a walking club for adults 50+. Walking is a wonderful way for older adults to be physically active! It’s easy, it’s free, it’s relatively risk-free, and it doesn’t require costly equipment, a gym membership, or training. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people than ever are walking for physical activity. Walking is the most popular aerobic activity.
Walking is great exercise and when done briskly over time, it can build endurance—helping older adults walk farther, faster, or uphill. It also may make everyday activities such as gardening, shopping, or playing a sport easier. The goal is to achieve at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity endurance activity on most, if not all, days of the week.
Benefits of Walking Clubs
By starting a walking club, you are offering numerous benefits to older adults.
- Health Benefits! When done regularly, walking at a brisk pace may offer these benefits:
- lower the risk of high blood pressure
- strengthen bones and muscles
- burn more calories
- lift moods
- Accountability! Membership in a walking club may motivate older adults to stick with this form of exercise because they know others are counting on their participation.
- Social connections! The social connections made in walking clubs can also offer older people a sense of wellbeing, emotional mental health, and a way to avoid a decline in overall health that can come with loneliness and depression (PDF, 2.6MB).
- Safety in numbers! A walking club may also provide a way to be active for older adults who are reluctant to walk alone.
This Go4Life Walking Clubs Toolkit provides tips for those interested in starting and sustaining a walking club for older adults. The recommendations presented here were obtained from a variety of trusted sources at the National Institutes of Health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Surgeon General, and our national and local Go4Life partners with expertise in developing and conducting walking clubs. A list of these resources may be found under the “Helpful Resources” section of this toolkit.
The toolkit incorporates the ideas and suggestions of partners who volunteered for the Go4Life Walking Clubs mini-project last fall, and it’s a wonderful example of partner collaboration and input!
The following Go4Life partners provided input into the development of this toolkit.
Please consider using the toolkit as a guide to start a walking club in your community. In fact, starting a club might be a great way to mark Go4Life Month in September.
by agesafe | Aging Parents, Aging-in-Place, Caregiving, Fall Prevention, Health and Nutrition, Senior Home Safety
Are you a caregiver providing support for a spouse, friend, or relative? As we say in the Family Caregiver ESSENTIALS™ course, taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do as a caregiver. Even though it can be a challenge, take sure you are making time for yourself, eating healthy foods, and being active. Finding some time for regular exercise can be very important to your overall physical and mental well-being.
Physical activity can help reduce feelings of depression and stress and help you improve your health and prevent chronic diseases. Making a plan and getting exercise onto the schedule with all the other activities can help make it happen.
Here are some ways for caregivers to be physically active:
- Take exercise breaks throughout the day. Try three 10-minute “mini-workouts” instead of 30 minutes all at once, especially to get the reminder of its importance.
- Make an appointment with yourself to exercise. Set aside specific times and days of the week for physical activity.
- Exercise with a friend and get the added benefit of emotional support.
- Ask for help at home so you can exercise. Getting the respite for yourself is invaluable.
- If possible, find ways to be active with the person you’re caring for. Both of you can benefit from physical activity!
Time to move in the right direction this spring season! Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Now that spring is here, it’s a great time to get outside. Try these fun activities from Go4Life to get moving that won’t cost you a dime.
- Spring is a great time to get outdoors! Find new, safe, fun activities fromGo4Life.
