cover STORY
Aging
Gracefully Caregiving Corner offers the best elder care management
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BY » Jeff Winke | PHOTOGRAPHY BY » Lisa Crates
here appear to be three altering events in life when the aging process sucker punches us. Somewhere around 30 when staring in the mirror and recognizing that you don’t look as young and fresh as you think, is the first. Then, when you turn 50 and receive the invitation to join the AARP and you’re thinking how do they know my birthday and I can’t admit to anyone that I’m actually a half-century old. And then lastly, when you you’re in the drivethru getting a bag of to-go-food and the bright-face teen clerk kindly says “I already gave you the senior discount so you’re total is...” All of the above catch us off guard. Reality can be unkind. Thinking positive about aging,
12 LimitlessMagOnline.com | May 2022
is perhaps the goal for everyone. Aging happens and should be viewed as a wonderful achievement that should be celebrated, right? In a sense, aging with confidence is what all hope for or accepting aging as a natural progression in life. There are challenges with achieving older age. According to the National Council on Aging, millions of older adults struggle every day with health and safety challenges such as chronic disease, falls, and mental health issues, which point to the need for greater care. Involving an aging life care manager can be a positive first step. “It’s always better to get an aging life care manager involved before you think you need one -- think of it as you would
a financial advisor. You don’t wait until you are out of money to get financial advice,” stated Jennifer T. Szakaly, MA, CMC, CG, founder and CEO of Caregiving Corner, LLC, Cornelius, North Carolina. “We really want people to think proactively about aging so that they can make decisions for themselves. Older adults caught in a crisis (broken hip, death of a spouse, etc.) have far fewer choices and usually have to rely on others to decide things for them and that’s just not how it has to be if someone is willing to think ahead. “Some of the signs we tell families to be on the lookout for are: changes in diet and hygiene, noticing more clutter in the home, and if the person’s world is getting smaller - if they stop going
