Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/45595
SENIOR CORNER Are You an Ostrich? by MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and it deserves atten- tion from you. According to the Alzheimer's Association report "Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease," The number of Americans age 65 and older who have this condition will increase from 5.1 million today to 13.5 million by mid-century. The impact of this information on health- care, senior care and the family unit is going to be devastating. Figuring out medical options, residential situations and financial resources are just a few areas which will be impacted greatly. As the research continues to try to find a cure for this dreadful disease, you must get informed. From personal experience, we know that seniors do not want to inform family when they are having problems with household management, paying bills or preparing meals. They do not want to admit when they get lost returning home from church or the gro- cery store. Seniors want to maintain their independence and not worry their children. This is reasonable but not practical. The practical side of the situation is that when there are obvious changes in behaviors or routines, strategies can be put into place to fix the situation. Family members or professional caregivers can plan, pur- chase, prepare and serve meals daily. An approved designee can pay bills or automatic drafts can be set up easily. Homes can have simple handrails and shower seats installed or retrofitted for entire handicapped accessible bathrooms. Safety measures can be implemented such as removing throw rugs, purchasing alert buttons, installing extra locks on doors to prevent wandering and locking away dangerous items. These are a few ideas, but the key is to know what needs attention. Become informed by reading materials available on the internet, at bookstores or in the library. Attend seminars in the community. Contact your local Area on Aging for upcoming events which might be helpful for you. Often a senior will explain away why things are happening … just an accident, the bill got stuffed away in old papers or the peas burned because she just didn't put enough water in them. The senior might say they planned to go a different way home than the usual route to cover up getting confused on the directions. When visits are short, explanations might continue to work. However, with an extended visit the symp- toms become more evident to indicate the senior needs more help. Get informed. Know the symptoms for the onset of dementia, of which Alzheimer's is the most prevalent. Research has shown that starting certain medications can slow the progression of the disease. Waiting is the wrong path to choose. Discuss it with your primary physician. Consider seeking further testing. Our title, "Are you an Ostrich?," is simply to encourage you to "Take your head out of the sand" and know that you will have a family mem- ber, neighbor or close friend who will develop Alzheimer's disease, if you haven't already. Become informed by reading materials available on the internet, at bookstores or in the library. Attend seminars in the community. Contact your local Area on Aging for upcoming events which might be helpful for you. Getting ready now will empower you to act appro- priately when necessary. MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY, Owners of Home Instead Senior Care, Contributing Writers. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@ upandcomingweekly.com What's going on with I-PASS at FTCC? by RAY WALTERS While walking around FTCC's Fayetteville campus, it is hard not to notice the banners and posters with I-PASS on them. But really, what is it? Is it a place? Is it a concept? Is it a per- son? Well, it is all of those things! The developmental studies division has expanded to include services spe- cifically tailored to its students. Who is a developmental student? Any stu- dent taking one or more of the follow- ing courses: ENG 070, 080 and 090; or MAT 050, 060, 070, 080 and 090; or RED 070, 080 and 090. Students enrolled in these courses can go to either the I-PASS Center in Cumberland 314 or the McLean Learning Lab in Cumberland 315 to receive services. I-PASS offers multiple services to assist developmental students. First, developmental students can receive During an intrusive advising session, an advisor informs the students of finan- cial aid limitations, developmental coursework, attendance policies in devel- opmental courses, repeat policies for developmental courses and much more. intrusive advising. During an intrusive advising session, an advisor informs the students of financial aid limitations, developmental course- work, attendance policies in developmental courses, repeat policies for developmental courses and much more. An intrusive advising session lasts about 20 minutes and allows students the opportunity to ask ques- tions and voice any concerns they may have about college. Second, I-PASS offers professional tutoring by instructors who 16 UCW OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2011 actually teach the courses. In addition, student tutors are available to assist with problems. If students prefer to work alone, they can check out a net- book to work on during the time they spend in the I-PASS Center. Coming soon, math students will be able to uti- lize a SMART board to further improve their math skills. Finally, the I-PASS Center has a full-time counselor who is available to assist with personal, emotional or behavioral issues. The counseling ses- sions are confidential, and appoint- ments may be made ahead of time. The counselor also provides workshops per- taining to student issues like time- or stress-management. Does I-PASS really work? Yes! The more time students spend receiv- ing tutoring, the better their grades. Further, over 90% of students who receive tutoring are either satisfied or very satisfied. In addition, over 82% of students who received intru- sive advising were either satisfied or very satisfied with their experience. So the next time you see one of those I-PASS signs, you will know how I-PASS can help you. Stop by sometime; we will be waiting! RAY WALTERS Contributing Writer. Dean of College Transfer and General Education Programs at FTCC. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM