Experts estimate that there are thirty to fifty thousand living centenarians, up from the 1980 estimate of fifteen thousand. Also, centenarians are not as feeble as they once were; disability rates among older people have been falling since the early 1980s. Life expectancy at birth in the United States has increased nearly 30 years since the turn of the century, from 47 to about 76.



On the other hand, families are more widely dispersed, successful interaction by grandparents with their distant grandchildren, whether for geographic reasons or barriers of circumstance, increasingly calls for innovation and improvisation.

A vast store of practical knowledge as well as a culture's lore languishes in almost every family, especially among its elders, more than ready to be passed along to succeeding generations. An important source for ideas and models for grandparents to meet the needs-and the yearnings-of this era's grandchildren and children generally are in the observations and experiences of older adults.

It is not up to our young grandchildren to say what in our life's experiences might be useful or enlightening to them? If it was up to them, how might they draw it out of us? A paradox indeed. So sometimes it's really important that we look at the youths through the eyes of our own youth and try to help them, using our life experiences. Remember, wealth grows when shared.

Home Care Ireland: Practical Home Care Skills

Sometimes it's easy to understand what you, as a carer for the elderly, should do every day. But maybe there still are certain points that you might forget about. According to The Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC), you should be able to show these practical home care skills:

Understand the importance of dignity, privacy and confidentiality in providing care to vulnerable people

Respect the right of the person being cared for to autonomy, independence and choice

Discuss the normal ageing process and the limitations of age related conditions

Explain how to provide support with nutrition and feeding of the person being cared for

Recognise the importance of a well-balanced diet for people who need care

Discuss how important it is to assist the person being cared for in maintaining personal hygiene routines in the care of hair, teeth and personal grooming, bathing and dressing

Outline how to manage the personal hygiene routines for elimination and continence for a person in their care

Outline how to manage moving a person safely who has limited mobility with proper moving and handling techniques

Identify how to make a bed which is occupied and unoccupied with the use of the particular aids for the process

Explain how pressure areas occur and know what measures to put in place to prevent them

This applies even more when you don't have a very close relationship with the person you are looking after.

While in families, you might find yourself doing all these points almost automatically, when caring after seniors you don't know, you usually need to put more effort to be able to perform them successfully.