Answers for Elders

If you or your relatives want to build a new structure, or get modifications done on your house, there are resources to make sure that the builders are doing it right. Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about aging in place constructions as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place. A home assessment at silverspaces.com provides guidelines and recommendations to design an aging in place home, like lever handles on doors and faucets, a raised dishwasher so you don't have to bend down so far, a stove that has controls in the front, a low-maintenance exterior, things you ordinarily wouldn't think about with new construction.

Silver Spaces is an online home safety assessment tool with a lot of research behind it. It works by taking you through each of your rooms, have you answer questions, and get educated along the way. For this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place, Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of Silver Spaces. Only 25% of people who suffer from a broken hip are able to return home after they recover. The biggest injury that older adults incur comes from trips and falls, and they are preventable. A $39.95 assessment at Silver Spaces (silverspaces.com) could mean the difference between a good quality of life and living in a senior living community.

During our lighting round segment on the Answers for Elders radio show, expert Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to answer three top questions about aging in place as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight.

This month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place features Dr. Jill Bjerke, the creator of Silver Spaces, an online assessment tool to help you identity safety risks and dangers in your home that you haven't noticed. If you want to remain in your home in your later years, Dr. Jill talks talks about many of the risks you can avoid. Dr. Jill Bjerke is April's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place at Answers for Elders.

Dr. Jill Bjerke, CEO of Silver Spaces, joins Suzanne for this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place. People don't ask these questions enough. We get emotionally attached to a locale, and while our health and lifestyle changes, our home stays the same. Tasks that seem so simple can become complicated when we age. When should you start this planning? “It really should start when you're thinking ahead about retirement, because that's the time to think about. When you get to your seventies or eighties, all of a sudden it becomes, 'Can I stay here?'”

Give yourself some grace and work on self-care to lessen burnout during the overwhelming experience of family caregiving. Dr. Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about recognizing the symptoms of burnout. Burnout will lead you to have a short fuse, the last thing you need while caregiving. Take time and step back, find ways to de-stress, and have someone you can vent to.

Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne this hour to talk about the listening and non-verbal side of communicating better. Her advice: actually listen, don't pretend to listen. Get over repetition. Don't interrupt. Ask the right questions. Take inventory of your own weaknesses. Practice listening. Resist the impulse to correct errors. And don't let yourself get offended.

Environment plays a major role in daily success of those who are cognitively impaired, especially as symptoms progress. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne this hour to talk about ways of adjusting the home environment to improve their quality of life.

If you're caring for a loved one who is cognitively impaired, this hour is for you. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne this hour. This segment provides an overview of mental impairments, including dementia. 12-18% of those over 60 years old have at least some mild cognitive disorder, and that is expected to grow by 20% by the year 2040. 80% of seniors in senior living communities have some kind of impairment. Most people want to age in place, particularly after Covid, and people are feeling ill-equipped when it comes to caregiving. People are looking for ways to help mom or dad, to improve their quality of life.

Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne this hour to share his top ten tips for a successful move. In this segment, Sean advises to always pay for moving by weight, not cubic feet, and to inspect the empty truck at the end of the move before the crew leaves.