Observe grandma this Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving:

•God’s protection and provision even during hurricane Michael. To my knowledge, no deaths in Middle Georgia, unlike California and her wildfires.

•Our farmers still brought in a bountiful harvest.

•Our economy is setting record GDP growth quarter after quarter along with record low unemployment.

•For those of us who have enjoyed good health this year, it was a priceless blessing.

We all tend to think that grandma will always be able to set the table and prepare a Thanksgiving feast for 15 -20 people year after year indefinitely. But father time isn’t quite that kind. Sooner or later, time catches up with all of us, grandma included, and we realize she needs help. The generational baton has to be passed on. Hopefully grandma’s favorite recipes get passed on in the process as well. One of our family favorites is homemade noodles that my wife has been teaching my granddaughters to make.

While Father time hasn’t caught up with my wife yet, one of our steers did and literally knocked her out of commission this season. Thankfully there were no permanent injuries but she will have to call the plays from the sideline this year while she recuperates. It hasn’t kept her from inviting a house full of guests, but it will have to be a real team effort as everyone pitches in to make it happen this year.

While our story might be a little unique (I doubt that too many cooks get caught up in a bullfight before Thanksgiving!), the general trend of time and changing situations is not unique at all.

In fact, if history repeats itself, the phone will ring and the internet will ping at Visiting Angels ® next Monday as families realize they need help with their seniors. When families come together for special holiday celebrations like Thanksgiving or Christmas, they suddenly become aware of the plight of the seniors in their midst and conclude they need help. There’s nothing like visiting grandma’s house personally to discover that things aren’t what they used to be.

Looking after seniors is not an easy thing these days when most young families have two working spouses. That’s an economic reality of our time which makes this generation different than our parents’ and their predecessors. That means that most families can no longer take care of their seniors’ needs without outside help. While many try valiantly and get by for awhile, sooner or later, most families need assistance to care for their seniors.

And remember, while you’re observing Grandma, that not all needs are to due physical illness or just plain aging; be on the alert for signs of dementia as well. It’s reported that as many as 1% of adults age 60 suffer from it and it’s been estimated that the frequency of dementia doubles every five years after age 65.

If you have questions about that after being with her, go to www.WebMd.com and type in dementia. The information there will help answer your questions. The best time to figure this out is as soon as the need is evident, and the best way to do that by staying in close touch with your seniors on a daily or weekly basis. Then, when the need occurs, you can respond quickly before any suffering or tragedy occurs. That’s why I say “Observe Grandma this Thanksgiving”.

Thanks for reading All About Seniors…..See you next week!

Bill Milby, is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Macon, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or at https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA/