New resources available to help Minnesotans make plans to live at home as they age Holiday season offers families chance to talk about future needs
Family gatherings during the holiday season offer opportunities to check in on how older relatives and friends are doing and planning for the future.
“Family members traveling home for the holidays often get a fresh look at how well parents and other older relatives are feeling and coping with their living situations,” said Minnesota Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson. “This can lead to conversations about how to make sure family members are getting the help they may need to remain healthy and safe in their homes.”
The Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Board on Aging have resources that can help Minnesotans assess current and future needs for long-term services and supports.
Two new resources are a long-term planning guide introduced as part of the state “Own Your Future” initiative and a new Live Well at Home mobile device app introduced through the Minnesota Board on Aging.
The “Own Your Future: Long-term Planning Guide” provides information and checklists for adults of all ages to think about how to plan for help with personal care and household tasks most people will need in their later years.
“Even if you already have a plan for long-term care, this guide will help you to review important options that you, your parents or other relatives and friends may not have considered,” said Jesson, who has helped spearhead the “Own Your Future” campaign for the Dayton-Prettner Solon Administration.
The Live Well at Home app, available at the Apple Store or Google Play, features a seven-question quiz to help users learn about their own risks or another’s risks for living at home. The Live Well At Home Rapid Screen asks about such matters as:
Need for help with everyday tasks Recent falls Availability of family members and friends to help Whether the family caregiver is stressed Whether the person lives alone and/or is considering a move to assisted living or a nursing home Whether there are concerns about memory loss. Depending on the user’s answers, additional information will be provided on the Live Well at Home website. After answering the questions, the user will receive a risk score and category of high, moderate, low or no risk for living at home. Next steps on the website help the user choose services and products for dealing with risk factors, set up services and buy needed products, continue to take the quiz to see to results and update choices as necessary.
“Using the Live Well at Home app is the gateway to a wealth of information and tools on the Live Well at Home website to help Minnesotans plan to stay at home as they age, if they want to and if it is possible,” said Jean Wood, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging.
Minnesotans with questions about long-term services and supports and other issues can also call the Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433 for assistance at no-cost.
Comentarios