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Age Independently in Tessera

By Rachel Feldman

This section will explore ideas and resources to support independence.

Some mornings you get up and just realize you are not as young as you used to be. But you are probably a lot smarter!

This part is on SAFETY.

Some of us race around with more to do as retirees than we had to do when we worked and cared for families. Others have quieter lives, invest our time in hobbies, reading, media, gardening, etc.
Whatever your current lifestyle, you need to feel safe and secure in your home. Part of safety and security are cameras and devices. But another part most people don’t think about is CONNECTEDNESS.

Isolation is one of the greatest risks to seniors and people with vulnerabilities. Basically, isolation is a risk to everyone’s mental health. But there are some specific things you can do to ensure that isolation does not add risk to your safety and security:
  1. Get a neighborhood buddy.
    • Identify a neighbor you like and can check in with periodically.
    • You don’t have to be best friends or reveal a lot of private information.
    • But give your neighbor a key to your house or tell them where a key can be found, and give them written contact information for emergency contacts.
    • Ask if they will help you out in an emergency, at least by contacting someone for you.
    • Exchange phone and email contact information and offer to do the same for them.
    • Doing this with a couple of neighbors is even better. Keep everything up-to-date.
  2. Have a daily check in system.
    • If you become ill or feel particularly vulnerable, let people on your emergency contact list know.
    • If there is someone you can make a deal with, arrange to call or text each other at the same time every day, just to confirm that all is well.
    • Make sure each party to the deal has all the relevant medical or relevant information.
    • My mom and her sister called each other every morning for 20 years! Being far away, it was a great relief to me to know they had this check-in system.
  3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
    • We fiercely independent types often don’t want to impose on others.
    • But most neighbors are willing and interested in helping out. In fact, it feels good to help out and enhances relationships.
    • If your balance is off and it isn’t safe to get on a ladder to change those smoke detector batteries, ask a younger able-bodied neighbor. If you end up in the ER, ask a neighbor to feed your dog.
    • When you ask for help, you model that behavior for others, making it easier for them to ask for help. This is what neighborhood and community are about.
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