As your elders get older, it gets harder and harder for them to maintain any kind of friendships. Friends move away, or end up in nursing homes and yes of course some pass away.  It has been said that friends are “good medicine”. New friends and old friends have the potential to enhance the quality of your elders life. Here are six reasons why:

A friend makes an excellent audience to reminisce about past experiences and relationships, which help your loved ones come to terms with their lives. Sharing such pastimeswith friends is easier than sharing it with family members who often have a vested interest in denying their loved ones past or avoiding sensitive issues.

A friend can bring fun again to your loved ones life. Family members are often consumed with providing care and financial assistance, they forget that distractions can be a good thing .  Friends just want to have a good time.

An old friend helps an elderly person maintain a sense of continuity. Friends who have known each other for decades look at each other’s faces don’t see old people.  They see each other as they were when they met. Your loved one can look at their friend and remember their first meeting whether it was in high school, college or their first roommate.

Having a friend forces an older person to be less self-absorbed and more altruistic. Friendship  compels an older person to forget about their own worries and instead worries about their friends well being.

A new friend will provide an opportunity to explore new things. There’s no need to maintain an old image with a new friend. Because there’s no common past to share, exploring new things with a new friend can be more exciting.

Having a friend to confide in helps an older person cope with problems more effectively.  When you have someone that shares the same issues, little things don’t seem so bad.  Friends can offer support, encouragement, new ideas and often just a different perspective.

Information provided by Rachel Zukerman

Medicine can be a safety hazard if not properly disposed.  Each year, thousands of tons of pharmaceuticals and personal care products enter the waste stream either through residential landfills or sanitary sewer systems.  Recent studies have shown that many of these substances are surviving water treatment facilities and making their way into drinking water.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommended the use of pharmaceutical take-back programs to dispose of unwanted medications.  This new initiative is designed to give residents the chance to safely dispose of unwanted or expired medicines.

The Cook County Department of Environmental Control, the Cook County Bureau of Health Services and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the Village of La Grange are sponsoring a drop off program for the safe disposal of medications on:

Saturday, October 24, 2009 - 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Lyons

100 S. Brainard Avenue

North Campus Parking Lot west of the Vaughan Building

La Grange

DROP-OFF INSTRUCTIONS

• Bring only medication items from private households - NOT medications from businesses or doctors’ offices.
• Use a permanent marker to black out your name or personal information on the prescription label.
• Take medications to collection site ONLY during the drop-off site’s open hours of operation.
• Please follow directions at the drop-off site carefully.  Only give medications to personnel of the drop-off site.
• This is NOT a share or reuse opportunity.  All medications received will be destroyed in an environmentally responsible manner.

ACCEPTABLE ITEMS (Expired or unwanted medications)

• Prescription medications
• Over-the counter medications
• Medicated ointments
• Medicated shampoos
• Liquids containing medications
• Prescription inhalers
• Over-the counter inhalers
• Glass thermometers containing mercury
• Sharps/needles
• Medical devices containing mercury (blood pressure units, barometers, etc.)

UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS

• DEA-controlled substances, including narcotic medications and illegal drugs
• Biohazardous materials
• Radioactive materials
• Other household wastes

All medications received will be destroyed in an environmentally responsible manner by a certified IEPA hauler.  For more information please contact the Cook County Department of Environmental Control at (312) 603-8217 or rakers@cookcountygov.com.

Information provided by Village of LaGrange

Since 2006 Pillars Community Services has been known as the largest provider of comprehensive mental health and social services in the near western and southwestern suburbs.

To this day, Pillars has helped more than 10,000 individuals and families annually by providing mental health services for adults and children, addiction services, services addressing the needs of the older adult population, bereavement support, child and adolescent services, Head Start, and daycare programs, domestic violence and sexual assault services, crisis intervention, employment services, transitional housing and many others. 

The organization addressess the multiple needs of many individuals and families in the community by collaborating with various community resources to ensure that clients are supported.

The well-being of older adults in the community is a key focus at Pillars.  The Older Adult Wraparound program (Adult Wrap), provides intensive therapeutic case management services for older adults by tapping the resources of the community, the client’s natural supports and the aging provider network to address the multiple needs of clients.  The goal of Adult Wrap is to provide intensive mental health treatment and supportive services for at-risk older adults helping them to remain in their setting of choice (usually at home) for as long as possible.  

To contact Pillars call (708) PILLARS  or (708) 745-5277 through Project ACCESS.

Information provided by Aging Care Connections

For years seniors have been known to be the first to have their flu vaccines once flu season starts. With the pandemic of H1N1 it would seem typical for seniors to be one of the first group of people that would more likely be of high risk, however that is not the case.  It seems that for seniors they seem to have a bit of immunity and have been largely spared. Researchers believe that the main reason this is the case is that for years seniors have already been exposed to similar viruses in their lifetimes. It is a rare bit of good news that seniors are embracing.

Communities across Florida that have a large senior community have been happy that this pandemic hasn’t spread in their community.  Over 80 percent of the senior populations have said that they will not seek the H1N1 shot and understand the government’s order for putting other people more of a priority.  Doctors across country are also noticing that seniors aren’t as concerned with the H1N1 virus and are happy that they aren’t that concerned because in actuality they don’t need it. 

Federal guidelines call for pregnant women to be given the shot first, those who live with or care for children younger than 6 months, health care workers, those 6 months up to 24 years old and people with chronic health problems.  Only after those shots are distributed will they become available to seniors under 64 years of age and younger.