Support groups offer the riches of experience, helping save families from some of the trials and errors members of the support group made.

• ASA and its sister organization, the American Heart Association (AHA), are affiliated with two such programs available across the country.

• Mended Hearts, Inc. is a national nonprofit affiliated with the AHA (www.mendedhearts.org). The organization has chapters at 460 hospitals and rehabilitation clinics. Its mission is to “inspire hope in heart disease patients and their families.” New heart patients and their families get together to learn from experienced patients and healthcare professionals, covering everything from lifestyle changes, recovery, treatment and depression. To learn more about Mended Hearts and to find a chapter in your area, visit www.mendedhearts.org or call 1-888-HEART99 (1-888-432-7899).

• Stroke Family Warmline (1-888-4-STROKE) connects stroke survivors and their families with ASA team members who are either stroke survivors or family members of survivors. They offer callers a listening ear and helpful information.

We’ve assembled a list of important questions you should ask prospective professional caregiving companies before you entrust the care of your loved ones to them:

How long has your company been in business?
If an in-home care provider has been around awhile, you should have no trouble researching their reputation through the Better Business Bureau, local senior service and healthcare providers, at church, around town, and from friends and family. Well-established providers generally have higher staff retention rates than fledgling organizations and thus offer more experienced, trained caregivers.

Can you send me information about your services and fees?
This will do more than help you compare services and fees. The quality of the informational materials you receive may indicate the attention an in-home care provider gives to all aspects of its operations. Also ask for references.

How do you select your in-home caregivers?
Look for agencies that balance experience and training with a person’s innate gift to serve and care for others. No amount of experience makes up for a lack of true compassion.

It is also essential that an agency thoroughly screen and interview candidates. This should include criminal and other background checks, personality assessments (which can identify people who possess caregiving qualities), interviews and reference checks.

Also look for organizations that provide training to candidates who pass the screening process and require that caregivers, once hired, complete ongoing training to maintain and update skills.

Are your caregivers bonded and insured?
Make sure the agency you choose has coverage to protect your loved one and your family. The provider should carry professional and general liability insurance, bond its employees and cover employees with workers’ compensation.
 

How are caregivers supervised?
Some agencies, such as Comfort Keepers, make regular quality assurance calls and visits to make certain caregivers consistently deliver quality care. To further ensure quality care, see that all caregivers are regularly and closely supervised by a qualified company representative.

Will you provide an home assessment prior to starting services?
Through a thorough in-home assessment with you and your loved one, a representative of an in-home care provider can discover needs and help you determine whether the organization can meet them to your satisfaction.

Will you provide a written care plan before you begin service?
A written care plan prevents misunderstandings. You can use it for reference when calling the in-home care provider with concerns. To be effective, the plan needs to be developed with your input and needs to be flexible so it can be updated as your loved one’s needs change.

What if I am not satisfied with the caregiver assigned to me or a loved one?
Reputable in-home care providers will assign a new caregiver when a match does not work out.

What procedures are in place for emergencies?
Ask how the agency or caregiver will deliver services in the event of a power failure, snow storm or natural disaster. Does the organization provide 24-hour telephone service for handling emergencies during weekends and holidays?

What is the process for addressing problems?
Confirm up front whom to contact—and how—when you experience problems or have questions or requests.

Prevent identity theft by bringing only the ID and credit cards you will need. Leave anything with your Social Security number at home. Use prepaid or stored-value travel cards and keep the issuers’ phone numbers in a safe, accessible place. Keep your passport and other ID, credit cards and cash in a money belt worn under your clothing and carry an inexpensive decoy wallet.

Travelers should also plan leave expensive jewelry at home and dress in clothing that does not shout “tourist!”

It may also be a good idea to make copies of important documents, like passports and tickets. This will make it easier to replace them if they are lost or stolen. Give a copy of your passport to a friend or relative and carry one with you. Also keep a list of credit card and transportation contact numbers.

No matter where you lodge during your trip, never open your hotel door to strangers. Use the door viewer to see who is outside, and do not trust anyone claiming to be a hotel employee if you are not expecting one. Call the front desk to check. Keep the door to your room locked at all times, and turn the deadbolt and fasten the security chain when you are inside. It is always best to use the main entrance when leaving your hotel after dark.

Many seniors also prefer group travel for ease of transportation and safety, but do check to make sure the itinerary is at the right pace for you.

• Make a list of all activities: Try not to leave anything out. Include exercise and rest, because both make us more efficient. If you have trouble coming up with everything all at once, spend a few days putting this list together, jotting down each activity as you prepare for it. Also make note of whether the activity is a regularly scheduled one or whether it occurs only occasionally.

• Prioritize the list: Determine which items on the list are the most important to you. If you’re unsure, come back to this later after you’ve taken time to consider the next item.

• Understand your personal goals: Knowing what you want to accomplish during this stage of your life is just as important as it’s always been. Goals keep you focused and on track and will give you a sense of accomplishment. Knowing this will make prioritizing your “to do” list so much easier.

• Put your schedule in writing: When you put it in writing it’s more difficult to waver from. You’re more likely to follow through and accomplish those things that are most important to you and your goals in life. You can use a planner, a wall calendar or even an online calendar. The point is to write down what you’re doing and when. As each new opportunity presents itself, glance at your calendar to see if there’s time to include it. If necessary, take time to think how the activity fits into your personal goals. If you don’t have time for it and it doesn’t advance or enrich your goals, consider passing.

• Be flexible: The days of living by a rigid, inflexible schedule are over! Never be afraid to change plans when the mood or meaningful opportunity strikes.

Although SAD is more common among younger adults (75 percent of SAD patients are women, most in their 20s, 30s and 40s), it also affects seniors.

And seniors diagnosed with other forms of depression may have symptoms aggravated by the isolating effect of forbidding winter weather. Treatment for SAD and other forms of depression is especially critical for older adults, who are at greater risk of suicide than the rest of the U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control. While American seniors make up 12 percent of the population they account for 16 percent of all suicides—and white men over 85 are at six times greater risk of suicide than other population segments.

Other means to help seniors elevate mood and fend off the effects of winter and depression include:

• Open curtains and blinds to allow in as much daylight as possible. Sitting near a window can increase daylight’s positive effects.

• As safety permits, spend time outdoors every day. Even on cloudy days the effect of daylight can be beneficial. For the added benefit of companionship, as well as safety, a family or professional caregiver may need to accompany a senior.

• Eat a well-balanced diet that provides recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals to maintain energy. Limit consumption of starchy and sweet foods.

• Get physical activity 30 minutes a day, three times a week. Again, a family or professional caregiver can help seniors achieve this safely with the added, healthful benefit of companionship.

• Stay involved with hobbies, church and social activities and friends to prevent feelings of isolation that winter can bring.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported in a recent study that more seniors are self-limiting their driving and surmises that this could account in part for another finding: Fewer drivers 70 and older died in crashes and fewer were involved in fatal collisions from 1997 through 2006 than in years past, even though this segment of the population grew 10 percent.

It is essential that family and friends of a senior approach with compassion a discussion about driving —being sensitive to the senior’s need to maintain independence. Also approach the subject from a concern for the senior’s and others’ safety. Have you discussed retiring from driving with an elderly loved one recently? Feel free to comment and let us know how the conversation went.

Although that study did not examine the reasons for the health benefits of volunteering, other studies have. The Corporation for National and Community Service compiled findings of 30 such studies in a report, The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research. Among the findings:

• Volunteers have better social networks as they get out and interact with others
• Social engagement  results in reduced stress
• Volunteering leads to a more active lifestyle—both physically and mentally—which reduces risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease and depression
• An active lifestyle also helps boost the body’s immune system, protecting against infection and illness
• Volunteering builds self-confidence, self-worth and self-identity and proves to seniors and others that they still have much to offer

More than 26 million senior citizens in the U.S. have already discovered the rewards of volunteering, from tutoring students to serving food in a soup kitchen, running a church rummage sale, recruiting donors for a blood drive or helping with a fund-raising campaign.

In addition to providing seniors the time to volunteer, in-home caregivers can transport seniors to volunteer sites. And for those who have difficulty getting out, volunteer organizations offer opportunities that seniors can do at home. These include knitting blankets for a fund-raising sale or to give to nursing home residents, cooking meals for church members who have just returned home from the hospital, or stuffing envelopes for a mailing.

The opportunities are practically endless. Schools, nonprofit organizations, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, animal shelters and even businesses all welcome volunteer help and value seniors’ experience. With so many ways to give to others and receive health benefits in return, it is time for seniors to find out how an in-home caregiver can help them find the time to volunteer.

• Give a ticket to a concert, sporting event, museum, zoo or other venue that is important to your loved one. The gift to your loved one will also include a ticket for yourself and others who want to join in on the special outing.
• How about a gift before the holiday? Taking your loved one out for dinner and a holiday shopping trip.
• Baskets of favorite nonperishable foods, teas and coffees, along with lap robes or blankets can also be nice gifts to help your loved one during the cold winter months.
• If you live away from your loved one, you can help shrink the distance with a gift of technology – such as a computer with a microphone and webcam that can enable you to stay in touch throughout the year.
• Another idea to give yourself peace-of-mind and allow your loved one to continue living comfortably, safely and independently at home is the  Comfort Keepers®’ SafetyChoice® line of technology solutions, such as the 24-hour Personal Emergency Response System.

Visit our holiday website to learn more about helping the seniors you care about during this special season.

The Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com), for instance, suggests certain signs and changes to look for. These can include:

• Weight loss, which could indicate serious health problems, assuming that the loss is not part of an intentional health improvement plan. It could indicate conditions such as malnutrition, dementia, depression, heart failure or cancer. Or it could be that the senior is lacking the energy or dexterity to prepare meals.
• Housework and home maintenance, which if it appears to have been neglected, could point to physical impairment or depression. Also look around the house for safety issues such as tripping hazards. Or, is the senior having trouble with stairs?
• Do the seniors appear to maintain good hygiene and dress well? Does it look like they are still taking good care of themselves?
• Mood. Do they seem normal or out of sorts? Are they still involved in their hobbies and interests and getting together with friends? Or do they seem withdrawn or blue?
• Physical abilities. Do they appear to be getting around the house OK? Or are they unsteady on their feet?

These kinds of observations open the opportunity to talk with aging parents about their possible need for accommodations or assistance around the home. Emotional partings at the end of holiday reunions could, in fact, reveal that seniors feel less confident than they used to about living independently. Now is the time to invite them to share their concerns, find out how you can help and discuss with them options, such as in-home caregivers who can assist with the things they are beginning to have difficulty with.

Safe food storage practices can be one of the best methods to prevent food-borne illness. Here are some ways to store your food safely:

• Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Use an appliance thermometer.
• Never keep refrigerated leftovers more than three or four days—even if they still look and smell fine.
• Refrigerate promptly. Never allow meat, poultry, fish, seafood and eggs or fresh vegetables or fruit to sit at room temperature for more than two hours before storing in the refrigerator or freezer. Reduce this time to one hour when the room temperature is 90 degrees or above.
• Keep in mind that bacteria grow quickly in the “danger zone” between 40 and 140 degrees. So, hot food left out for serving should be maintained at an internal temperature of 140 degrees or above. Likewise, cold foods should be kept below 40 degrees to prevent bacteria growth.
• Follow “sell-by” and “use-by” dates on food packaging. Do not buy an item after the “sell-by” date, and throw out food when the “use-by” date passes.
• Do not take restaurant leftovers home unless you can refrigerate them within two hours of being served (one hour if air temperature is 90 degrees or above) – or if you can keep them in a cooler with ice or freezer gel packs until you arrive home.