A new report from the Alzheimer’s Association indicates that a growing number of people with dementia live alone—more than 800,000 across the country and 72,000 in California.
The report, “2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” estimates that one in seven people with Alzheimer’s or dementia lives alone, and that up to half of those people have no identifiable caregiver. Most are older women with milder impairment.
In response to these statistics, the Alzheimer’s Association has created an online social network called ALZ Connected, in an effort to provide support, especially for those seniors who are socially isolated or have a hard time getting out for in-person group support meetings.
Though well-intended, the website assumes those seniors with dementia living at home have access to a computer, the Internet—and now how to use both.
Engage As You Age understands that this is a big and often erroneous assumption. Which is why we offer computer lessons for seniors living at home, customized for their needs and tech know-how. And because we know that seniors living alone need more than a computer lesson, we offer engaging and meaningful social visits to stimulate their minds and refresh their spirits. Living alone is hard enough; living alone with dementia is even tougher. With Engage As You Age, it’s made a little simpler.
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Even if the seniors have no computer, they should have a simple cheap cellphone. This allows for people to call and check up on then. They can also call for help in an emergency. An additional benefit is that a cellphone can be tracked, so if someone goes wandering, they can be located. There are many cellphones made specifically for seniors like the Jitterbug and the Tracfone SVC.