Columbia Aged Care Services

Alzheimer’s or any other form of Dementia is a terrible disease but living alone with the disease can be devastating for someone unless they have a good support system. My mother lived alone with Alzheimer’s for over six years with my two sisters and me watching over her constantly. Even though we all lived almost an hours drive away from her, we took turns caring for her every need. Had she not had the benefit of our care she would have been restricted to care from other family members or friends, possibly members of her church or neighbors. There are so many of the elderly who fall into this category and have to depend on help from where ever they can get it. Awareness of this crucial need and affordable support programs for these still valuable members of society must be a major focal point. My book entitled “Living Alone With Dementia-Alzheimer’s” (How to Keep Your Loved One in Their Home as Long as Possible) emphasizes many things to help keep your loved one still living alone in their home while suffering from Alzheimer’s.

For information on my book and many other aspects of Alzheimer’s visit http://www.alzheimersanddementias.com/.

Terry Townsend

As human beings, we identity ourselves through participation in work and leisure activities. Older persons in transition from working life to retirement may have difficulties in adjusting to the loss of a work role and having a lot of extra time. The feeling of being left out and useless is not uncommon for a retired elder. Staying active is one of the keys to successful aging after retirement.

To achieve active engagement in life, retired elderly can restructure their time and consider the following:

1. Leisure participation
Leisure participation provides opportunities to meet people, to maintain physical and mental health and to improve quality of life. The followings are some examples of leisure activities suitable for the elderly.

Recreational activities such as listening to music, attending cultural events.
Social activities such as group dancing, group tours, meeting friends.
Productive activities such as gardening, keeping pets, handicraft.
Cognitive activities such as playing chess, reading, calligraphy, playing musical instruments.

2. Lifelong learning
After retirement, elderly can use their time to learn new knowledge or skills that are useful and satisfying. For example, attending health education activities to learn about ways to stay healthy or learn Tai Chi to improve health. 

3. Volunteering
Retirees can participate in many forms of work, e.g. as a volunteer to help the underprivileged; or spending time on hobbies, art or academic pursuits. These help also to maintain the social networks and provide more satisfaction in life.

Source: http://www.info.gov.hk/elderly/english/healthinfo/selfhelptips/lifestyle_redesign_for_successful_and_fruitful_aging-e.htm