Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 2 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
Mother is becoming more forgetful and confused. She does not remember to take her medication, does not prepare nutritious meals and forgets to turn off the stove What can I do?
Should Dad be forbidden to drive? His vision is poor, he has had one minor accident. Still, he seems to drive the four blocks to the store okay.
Situations like these are difficult for families. Yet. the decline of a parent's health or intellectual capacities often requires adult sons and daughters to become involved in decisions about a parent’s life.
Dealing with such age-related changes in older parents is a relatively new phenomenon. In 1900, for example, only one out of 25 people was age 65 or older; today one out of nine people is in this age group. During this century, life expectancy at birth has increased from 47 years to 74.5 years. A male reaching age 65 can expect to live another 14 years; a female 18 more years.
The older the people are, the more likely they will face increasing health problems, frailty, and the need for support and assistance from family and community service. Furthermore, it is no longer unusual for a 65-year-old to have a parent still living.
Many people never face major concerns about aging parents. Their parents remain physically and mentally active until death and need little or no assistance. However, for some older persons, poor health, limited financial resources or loneliness present serious problems.
Few guidelines exist for dealing with the transitions that occur when a parent confronts age-related changes. Moreover, most of us lack the experience to make the necessary decisions. These decisions are not easy and there are no simple solutions.
Each older person and family is unique. The right answers for one family may be inappropriate for an
56.4%