Growing old is on the cards for all of us. It’s never easy for anyone to discover that their body is failing them and that things they used to take for granted now take longer than before. Things can become so difficult that older people are unable to accomplish them without help. That’s where ALCA comes in.
What Do ALCA Professionals Do?
ALCA Professionals provide families and clients with the expertise and information to ensure seniors a stress-free and graceful retirement. They guide seniors and their families. People often have questions regarding how to optimize care at home or they ask for help troubleshooting recurrent issues faced by seniors, such as how best to reorganize the living space to avoid falls. We help people discover the best care and we help them understand the options available for seniors today and in the projected future.
One of the domains into which ALCA professionals are particularly engaged with families and seniors is the organization of living spaces. On the one hand, they help seniors and their families figure out the right living space, while on the other hand, they help redesign and reorganize the living space to maximize efficiency and help reduce risks, such as falls.
The old adage “less is more” is one that all ALCA professionals live by. This can be difficult to accept at times by clients and families. People tend to develop complex relationships with their belongings, and the older we get, the more items we tend to accumulate. At times, this can become excessive, bordering on hoarding.
Trouble Letting Go
It’s never easy to bring people to the conclusion that they must free up their living space for their own good, that their old rug, which may have some deep emotional value can actually become a hazard. In this way, even a loved object can become hazardous, potentially leading to long hospital stays and perhaps the physical and psychological trauma that can accompany such incidents.
This is often true when people need to move to a new living space. Instinctively, people resist change and most seniors tend to resent having to leave their stuff behind, even though they understand the reasoning behind such an action. Leaving the old family home for a new one can become a deeply charged moment for most seniors and their families.
For seniors, it’s an acknowledgment that they need help; that they’ve grown old, and somewhat dependent on others. This can be a very hard proposition for anyone, but it can be especially so for someone that has had to work their entire lives to build a life, take care of a family, and be a productive member of society.
Family Troubles
Indeed, the situation isn’t necessarily easier for family and friends. All of a sudden, they find themselves in a strange reversal of roles, where it’s up to them to take care of their aged loved ones. All this can make the work of an ALCA professional challenging, to say the least, which is why they need to be firm but compassionate. They need to help families and their loved ones make the transition as efficiently and with as little fuss as possible to avoid making a difficult situation harder than it needs to be.
The main thing is to explain things as clearly as possible and make people understand why they need to downsize, but also accept and indeed expect resistance to the idea. We may, after all, understand that something is good for us without actually doing it!
Intellectually understanding that we need to get rid of some of our stuff, doesn’t necessarily mean we accept it emotionally. By necessity, ALCA professionals tend to be excellent communicators that know how to get the message across. More importantly, however, they allow people the time to grieve for the life they’re leaving behind and stay the course till they can stand on their own two feet again. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact our team at Shelton Care Management.