Trust But Verify

Everyone who is old enough to vote is old enough to have a will. Power of Attorney documents should also be set up at the same time as well as Advance Directives. These should all be reviewed every 5 years or so or when there is a significant change in circumstances.
What sometimes happens is that sometimes there is family strife and seniors may be told that Person A is now in charge of the money and medical decisions. Don't take this at face value. Insist on seeing the documents in question and verify the signatures. Bear in mind that a document is not enforceable if the person signing away rights is not competent to do so. If your estranged relative has signed over control of finances to someone after they have been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's challenge the documents through your attorney. This is especially important if you feel that this person does not have your best interests in mind.

Pets and the Aging - Part II

Having a pet is often a very good thing for us as we age. This is especially true for those of us who live alone. The companionship is comforting and being responsible for an animal is a reason to get up in the morning. Unfortunately, there can be too much of a good thing. In the last two weeks there have been at least three separate hoarding events in the news that involved animals.
The most common types of animals involved in these cases are cats or dogs. They are easy to collect and if they are not spayed or neutered they will produce new litters regularly. Many towns and cities have ordinances that limit the number of pets someone can own. There is a very good reason for this. Both the animals and the people will soon find themselves in an unsanitary and unhealthy situation if there are more than the home and grounds can reasonably handle. Cats and dogs need room to move around, a suitable place for them to "do their business" and a clean place for food and water. Cramming large numbers of animals in a small space is not fair to the animals or the people involved.
If your family member is hoarding animals, give them the opportunity to find homes for the excess animals. If this is not going to happen without intervention, call the animal control office. They will come and remove the animals and provide you with information regarding the next steps to take.d

Power Of Attorney for Health Care

I have recently been asked about assisting with getting a man transferred from one treatment facility to another. The problem is that the lady asking for help is not the person named in the POA (power of attorney) that this gentleman executed several years ago. Another issue is that the person named as POA does not have a copy of the document and was unaware that he had been named. Additionally, he lives on the Pacific coast while the person needing assistance is on the Atlantic coast. Thankfully, the gentleman needing help is able to give consent to the move.
There are several problems in this scenario that could have been avoided. Always notify the person you name as your healthcare proxy and provide them with the original of the document. You should keep a copy for your own records. It is also advisable to name someone who is geographically close so that they can get to you quickly in the event you need to activate the healthcare proxy. The need to have someone make healthcare decisions on your behalf may occur suddenly (accident, stroke, loss of consciousness) or over a longer period of time. The person will not know if you need help if they only see you a couple of times a year and talk on the phone once or twice a month. If you have a sudden change in your condition, decisions will need to be made quickly.

Depression and Nutrition

Persons of any age can exhibit the signs and symptoms of depression. There has been recent media coverage of post partum depression and advertisements abound for antidepressant medications. An Obstetrician is perfectly able to diagnose post partum depression and a General Practitioner should be informed of your concerns for yourself or for a loved one. We need to keep in mind that it is not uncommon for an aging person to become depressed.  It is best to involve a Psychologist in the treatment of depression. It is also advisable to work with a Psychologist who is able to work with a Psychiatrist if medication is needed.

A preliminary approach to depression that does not need to include these professionals is to improve one’s nutritional status. If you can work with a nutritionist as well, all the better. It is possible to be malnourished regardless of your weight in relation to your ideal weight. Weight is dependent on the balance of calories in (eaten) versus calories expended (activity).  It is easy to consume enough calories to be over weight without getting proper nutrition. We all need proteins (meats, eggs, etc), carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, etc) and fats (butter, oil, etc) as well as vitamins and minerals. The more a food has been processed, the less likely it is that it will have the nutritional components it had as it was harvested.

It has been noticed that if someone is depressed, improving their nutritional status will at least diminish the intensity of depression. If you or your loved one is in a blue mood consistently, has difficulty sleeping or is sleeping excessively, crying spells, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness or changes in appetite, it would be well to relate this to your PCP. Improving your nutritional state should make it easier to treat what ever may be wrong.