(C) El Paso Matters.org This story was originally published by El Paso Matters.org and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Is El Paso prepared to care for its aging population? [1] ['Priscilla Totiyapungprasert', 'More Priscilla Totiyapungprasert', 'El Paso Matters', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2024-06-17 This is the second in a two-part series on caring for aging loved ones. Click here to read Part 1, “El Paso family caregivers navigate reality of aging parents” and join us for a panel discussion on the topic June 26. Rebecca Krasne realized something was wrong with her mother in 2016. The details became evident on a trip to New York City when Krasne was accompanying her parents to her niece’s bridal shower. Her mother, Ann Schaechner, had packed more house robes than outfits for going out. Schaechner wore the same outfit every day and became agitated if someone suggested she change. The trip prompted the family to seek medical help. Schaechner was 85 when she began treatment for dementia and Krasne, like many daughters in El Paso, became a caregiver for her mother, alongside her sisters and stepfather. The demand for senior services is growing as El Paso’s population gets older, reflecting a nationwide trend. When age comes coupled with life-threatening diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and cancer, family members can find themselves suddenly scrambling for answers and resources in a short amount of time. More than 108,000 people in El Paso County, or 12.5% of the population, are age 65 and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a 2% tick upward from 2012. The percentage is expected to rise even more in the coming years because of the declining birth rate and the last baby boomers to age into the demographic. Dr. Ismael Rodriguez, a geriatric physician at University Medical Center of El Paso, said the city has made strides with the number of service providers now available for older adults. But El Paso is still not close to where it needs to be to address the current and upcoming demand. “We are far from ready for the chunk of baby boomers that are going to be in need,” Rodriguez said. The Rio Grande Area Agency for Aging fields calls from six counties in West Texas, typically from older adults and adult children caring for their aging parents. Funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in accordance with the Older Americans Act, the agency provides direct services to people ages 60 and older or connects them to outside organizations. Services include helping people navigate Medicare health insurance, purchasing equipment and home modifications, and advocating for residents in nursing homes, foster homes and assisted living facilities. The agency also works with local organizations such as Project Amistad to coordinate care, from transportation to grocery deliveries. Project Amistad is a nonprofit that provides social services, such as transportation, to aging people with disabilities in El Paso and West Texas. (Facebook) To qualify, people must be age 60 or older or family members caring for someone that age, and live within the agency’s coverage area: El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Presidio and Brewster counties. Caseworkers focus on making it possible for older adults to safely age in their own home and remain active in their community for as long as possible, said Yvette Lugo, director for the Rio Grande Area Agency on Aging. This could mean coordinating trips to the senior center to socialize and eat meals with other people, and connecting caregivers to support groups so they can avoid burnout. Most people who call are seeking help with day-to-day activities at home, such as housekeeping and bathing, Lugo said. “The caveat to that, there’s never enough funding to help everybody,” Lugo said. “Private pay, that’s a reality we have to talk about because for some people, they will not qualify for certain programs and services. So we’re trying to fill gaps.” The Rio Grande Area Agency on Aging works with United Way and El Paso Times on the annual Senior Fund, where the public can donate to older adult residents of El Paso County seeking items such as hearing aids and wheelchair ramps. While the agency helps people apply for aid through other resources, restrictions can limit their options. Not all military veterans qualify for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Other providers, such as Bienvivir All-Inclusive Senior Health, only provide care to people who qualify for Medicaid and Medicare. The agency tries to keep clients on for no more than a year so it can spread funding to new clients. Lugo said some of the agency’s clients fall in the gap of making just enough to not qualify for government health insurance, but not enough to live comfortably without outside help. This help may come from the agency itself or from family members who use their own income to pay for expenses. While one family member may take on the primary caregiver role, it’s important for elders to have a supportive network, from community members to service providers, said social worker Elizabeth Palyu. A drum sits in the center of the group therapy room at the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo health clinic. (Priscilla Totiyapungprasert/El Paso Matters) Palyu is the director of behavioral health for the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. When connecting older people to home attendants, her team makes sure the providers are aware of tribal culture. Some elders want to maintain their cultural attire and follow certain customs, such as sage cleansing, she gave as examples. If a tribal member can’t physically leave their home, the tribe arranges for members to visit their home – for socializing, prayer, blessings and traditional ceremonies. The tribe also runs several programs to help elders remain in their home. This year, elders can allocate $3,000 from a utilities program toward their water, gas and electric bills. A maintenance assistance program helps elders modify their homes, such as converting their bathroom. An appliance program gives elders a zero-interest loan to replace major appliances, such as a refrigerator or washer and dryer. It would also help if families begin discussing what elders want before medical care or social services are needed, Palyu said. Family members may not be able to communicate what they want the older they get. “A lot of social workers have to manage a battle between family members on how a loved one should be cared for in their late stages of life because they have nothing to go off from the elder,” Palyu said. EVENT: Quality of life care for your aging loved one Join an El Paso Matters panel discussion on how to address the challenges of caring for aging family members and other loved ones. Panelists will include experts in aging care, family and financial counseling. A Q&A session with the audience will follow the discussion. Information booths and refreshments will be available. Where: Texas Tech Health El Paso Academic Event Center, 5001 El Paso Drive. When: 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 26 How much: Free Parking: Free on-campus parking RSVP: Walk-ins welcome, but please register online to help us plan. Thanks to our sponsors: Comfort Keepers, Texas Tech Health and Credible Coverage Preventive health care can extend quality of life Rodriguez has worked in geriatric health at UMC for nearly 11 years. In that time, he’s not only seen an increase in geriatric health providers in El Paso, but an overall shift in health care to prioritize primary care. Preventive medicine is one of the best ways to prolong a person’s independence in their later years, Rodriguez said. “Now the government is saying we have a shortage in primary care and they’re the front line of defense,” Rodriguez said. “We can prevent more diseases, and it’s cheaper and better … We’ve gotten good at treating complicated things. We need a reset. Why don’t we try to avoid getting the patient very sick in the first place?” Dr. Ismael Rodriguez, physician at UMC who specializes in geriatric medicine. (Courtesy of UMC) Older adults should see a physician to check for common cancers and, because their immune systems weaken with age, get vaccinated against diseases including flu, RSV, COVID-19, pneumonia and shingles. He recommends a healthy person age 65 or older get a checkup once or twice a year, while someone with chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, see their doctor every three to four months. But often, Rodriguez sees patients when it’s too late, when their diabetes has already affected their circulation and kidneys, when their Alzheimer’s has progressed too far for medication to be effective. “A lot of patients, unfortunately, don’t carry insurance until they’re 65,” Rodriguez said. “Maybe they worked informally before turning 65 and had no insurance at all. They haven’t seen a doctor in more than a decade. So now we have to do a decade’s amount of work in a short amount of time, trying to accommodate tests we should have done earlier.” Part of a doctor’s job is not just giving patients the medicine they need, but looking for ways they can afford it, Rodriguez said. This could mean working with pharmacists to find cheaper, but equally effective alternative drugs and monitoring their medications list so they can cut prescriptions a patient no longer needs. Family caregivers shoulder responsibilities Krasne feels fortunate that her mother was able to spend her final years of life living at home. At one point, Schaechner saw a psychiatrist and Krasne suspected her mother had untreated depression. There were times Schaechner’s mood would change from hour to hour, resulting in public outbursts. Twice, Schaechner was admitted to the hospital where she would spend more than a week restabilizing. Krasne, who had already retired, became her caregiver, though she also hired home attendants. Krasne understands many El Pasoans are not in the position to afford these privileges. The unpaid contributions of millions of caregivers in the United States was valued at $600 billion in 2021, according to a report by the AARP Public Policy Institute. More than half of those caregivers work in addition to caregiving. As a caregiver, Krasne went grocery shopping for her mother, took her to doctor appointments and went on walks with her to get out of the house. She took her to art programs run by the Alzheimer’s Association. Timor and Amy Schaechner But caregiving is more than driving someone around, Krasne said. Often, she felt like the head of human relations, managing a team of people surrounding her mother that included her older stepfather, her two sisters and home attendants. Krasne also watched Schaechner’s circle of friends recede as people became uncomfortable around her mother’s dementia. “People don’t always know how to be with people who are suffering,” Krasne said. “For so many people it becomes seen as a decline in personhood. My mother was still a smart woman, she was just not capable of expressing it.” Krasne said she had few outlets beyond her husband and a few close friends to express what she was going through herself. While caring for her mother, Krasne was also undergoing treatment for breast cancer. “What was so challenging for me was not being able to talk about my cancer with my mom because she was my rock and the one I always went to for every challenge and every joy I met in my life,” Krasne said. “I think she would have understood, but I didn’t want her to worry.” After her mother’s death, she attended Zoom sessions for the Mettle Method, a program designed by clinicians to address caregiving. The sessions reinforced the way she thinks care for El Paso’s aging population should be approached. “Until we actually die, we are still alive,” Krasne said. “Instead of treating patients as experiencing death, we see they’re still experiencing life.” “Just know you’re not alone when you’re in that position,” she continued. “It takes a village and that village can look very different from person to person.” [END] --- [1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2024/06/17/el-paso-aging-services-in-home-elder-care-senior-health/ Published and (C) by El Paso Matters.org Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/elpasomatters/