Senior Resource Directory Senior Resource Directory
Senior Resource Directory Senior Resource Directory
Senior Resource Directory Senior Resource Directory
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Frailty can result from any<br />
physical<br />
and/or mental condition that<br />
leaves an older person unable to<br />
perform certain daily tasks and/or<br />
care for him or herself un as sist ed.<br />
Physical Frailty may result from a<br />
stroke, a fall or a degeneration or<br />
chronic illness (such as arthritis or<br />
emphysema) or from a loss of hearing,<br />
vision, or speech.<br />
Mental conditions that can be<br />
de bil i tat ing to an older person are<br />
often the result of “brain” diseases<br />
that result in a progressive loss of<br />
mental faculties, often beginning<br />
with memory, leaning, attention,<br />
and judgment.” 1 and fi nally<br />
“eroding thought, feeling and<br />
be hav ior” 2 . Alzheimer’s Disease is<br />
the leading cause of brain damage<br />
in the adult population. In addition,<br />
stroke, trau mat ic head injury,<br />
hy dro ceph alus, and brain tumors<br />
are examples of accidents and illness<br />
that cause brain damage and a<br />
resultant loss of brain function.<br />
Aging does not necessarily mean<br />
losing brain function. Many people<br />
still believe that senility is part of<br />
the natural aging process. This<br />
myth is slowly dissipating as increased<br />
education and technology<br />
improve our knowledge of de gen -<br />
er a tive disease and catastrophic<br />
illness and accidents.<br />
1 The Dementia’s – Hope Through<br />
Research, U.S. Department of<br />
Health and Human Services, National<br />
Institutes of Health<br />
2 Ibid.<br />
Assessing the Problem<br />
Assessing the physical, psychological,<br />
social, and environmental<br />
needs of the frail elderly person<br />
and brain-im paired adults is imperative<br />
if the individual wants to<br />
continue to live independently at<br />
home, be taken care of by family or<br />
friends, or be placed outside of the<br />
home in an ap pro pri ate residential<br />
or skilled nursing facility. Trained<br />
THE FRAIL ELDERLY & BRAIN-IMPAIRED ADULT<br />
nurses and social workers, experienced<br />
in working with frail elderly<br />
persons and brain-impaired adults<br />
can help plan the kind of as sis -<br />
tance a person will need to support<br />
their highest possible level of independence.<br />
Many programs serving<br />
Santa Barbara County provide<br />
professional as sess ments.<br />
Financial Issues<br />
The cost of caring for a frail or<br />
brain-impaired adult may cause a<br />
family to become im pov er ished.<br />
Many options exist today to preserve<br />
assets that the healthy spouse<br />
or family members needs to live,<br />
while at the same time planning<br />
for the long term care of the frail<br />
or brain-impaired adult.<br />
For more information, call any of<br />
the following agencies:<br />
Alzheimer’s Association<br />
2024 de la Vina St.<br />
Santa Barbara, CA 93105<br />
563-0020<br />
Fax 682-1811<br />
www.centralcoastalz.org<br />
Coast Caregiver Re source<br />
Center<br />
5350 Hollister Ave #C<br />
Santa Barbara, CA 93111<br />
800-443-1236; 967-0220<br />
Fax 967-5060<br />
info@coastcrc.org<br />
www.coastcrc.org<br />
Long-Term Care Om buds man<br />
5638 Hollister Ave.Ste.130<br />
Santa Barbara, CA 93117<br />
967-0499<br />
Fax 967-0639<br />
www.ombudsmansb.org<br />
HICAP (Health In sur ance<br />
Counseling and Advocacy<br />
Program)<br />
528 S. Broadway<br />
Santa Maria, CA 93454<br />
800-434-0222; 928-5663<br />
Fax 925-9555<br />
seniors@kcbx.net<br />
www.centralcoastseniors.org<br />
Legal and Financial<br />
Is sues<br />
The legal issues involved in planning<br />
the care for a frail older person<br />
or brain-impaired adult should<br />
also be con sid ered. You may want<br />
to secure in for ma tion from an<br />
elder law specialist. To locate such<br />
a specialist, check the Yellow Pages<br />
of the tele phone book, and the<br />
resources listed below:<br />
California Advocates for<br />
Nursing Home Reform<br />
800-474-1116; 415-974-5171<br />
Fax 415-777-2904<br />
www.canhr.org<br />
Santa Barbara County Bar<br />
Association<br />
569-5511<br />
Coast Caregiver <strong>Resource</strong><br />
Center<br />
967-0220; 800-443-1236<br />
Community <strong>Resource</strong>s<br />
Adult Day Care<br />
An important community resource,<br />
not only for frail elderly<br />
and brain-impaired persons, but<br />
also for their families is Adult Day<br />
Care. There are two kinds of Adult<br />
Day Care:<br />
• Adult Day Support Center programs<br />
provide several hours a<br />
day for social stimulation, recreation,<br />
and su per vi sion for individuals<br />
who cannot be safely<br />
left alone. These programs also<br />
provide much needed respite<br />
for the caregivers and/or family<br />
members.<br />
• Adult Day Health Care is<br />
a more specialized kind of<br />
program than social day care<br />
and includes some nursing<br />
care, and physical therapies, as<br />
well as social and recreational<br />
activities. Individuals need a<br />
phy si cian’s pre scrip tion to partic<br />
i pate in an Adult Day Health<br />
Care pro gram.<br />
2005-2007 SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SENIOR RESOURCE DIRECTORY 39
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