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Geauga to begin senior assessments
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - December 28, 2011)
Geauga to begin senior assessments
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Geauga County's senior citizens and their families will have another resource to help them stay in their homes longer.
Geauga County Commissioners approved a two-year contract last week with Geauga Medical Center for senior assessments, beginning next year. The contract runs from Jan. 1, 2012, through Dec. 31, 2013, and is expected to help 312 citizens over the age of 60. The cost is $143,520, the lowest of bids received for the service.
Sally Bell, director of the county's department on aging, said the assessments are a one-day examination that provides a "snapshot into the health" of the county's seniors. It examines their physical and mental health, she said, as well as assesses a person's stability, because falling is one of the most common injuries among seniors.
She said the program, a part of the department on aging's repertoire, had been discontinued for a time but was reinstituted last year after county voters approved a levy.
In addition to the assessment, the program includes a in-home visit to assess the needs of the aging residents, Ms. Bell said. She said a person who may have had no difficulty navigating three steps leading from the garage to their home at the age of 60, may find those steps a challenge as they move into their 80s.
County Administrator David Lair said such a program reduces costs for all. "It costs society a lot less money than if they have to go into nursing homes," he said.
Ms. Bell said it can be difficult for family members who may stop to check on their elderly relatives to accurately assess them. She said they may stop and see that the senior has forgotten where they put their car keys and believe that they see a problem. But, she said, it may be simply they have 21 other things on their mind that day and the lost keys are a natural extension of taking on a number of tasks, regardless of age.
"So it really does allow the family and seniors to look honestly at what's going on," Ms. Bell said of the program.
County Commissioner Mary Samide said the program allows seniors and their families to avoid the $3,000 to $7,000 a month charge for nursing homes or assisted care living. She said she had experience with an aging mother-in-law, who as she needed more help, the family was able to bring in in-home care that was still cheaper than a care facility.
Ms. Bell said the program has been well received by seniors and their families. "We've never had a family member or senior come back and say that's a waste of time," she said.
The in-home assessment has found seniors still attempting to do laundry and walking up steep basement steps. She said an occupational therapist who accompanies staff on the in-home reviews can offer "simple tricks" to seniors to avoid putting them in dangerous situations.
She said the hospital assessments do not involve running tests that have already been done. Instead, if a physician notices a change in a person, she said, additional tests may be done.
Commissioner Tracy Jemison asked whether the program has shown to reduce the number of seniors going to nursing homes.
Ms. Bell said, because the program has been going only for a year, it is difficult to determine its actual benefits at this time.
She said the department does track about 50 seniors now to ensure they are still able to live in their homes. She said every three months the department will call those seniors just to ask if they are doing OK.
Mrs. Samide said she found the medical alert systems to be beneficial. She said her mother-in-law had fallen and had not been able to move for two days before a family member found her.
"It happens fast," Ms. Bell said.
Commisioner William Young said everyone must realize that as they age they will eventually have diminishing skills and abilities.
"But, if your family calls, we'll let you know," Ms. Bell said.
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