If you have any kind of problem with seeing at night, with glare, with color contrast, I think it deserves a trip into the ophthalmology office to find out if maybe you do have cataracts. It’s never too early to stay healthy.
Enjoy every minute. Don’t hesitate to talk to a professional if you’re feeling isolated or lonely, or you’re just not sure what’s going on.
Transcript
Debi Lynes 0:03 Hi and welcome to aging in place for every stage in life. What if you could visit or have a home that would accommodate anyone? at any age, any physical ability at any time? How cool would that be? That’s what we’re doing here at Aging in Place. Why me because I’m a doctor of psychology and I specialize in physical spaces and health and wellness. Also, I love designing with intent at any age. Why now, because we the baby boomers want to age in place gracefully, and we want our families around us as much as we can. And why you the audience, because we want you to experience what it’s like to have a home that safe, aesthetically pleasing, and that you can live in at any age, with any ability at any time. I’d like to introduce you now to Aging in Place Podcast for every stage in life.
Hi, and welcome to Aging in Place Podcast for any stage in life. I am here today with my good friend, Dr. Lynn Geiger. And I’m thrilled to have you here. Dr. Geiger is a psychologist and has been a mentor with me and for me for many, many years, I really appreciate you joining us on what I’d like to do in this first segment is talk a bit about your background. And then we’ll move on and talk about really, the psychological aspects of aging, if we may. So first, a little bit about you.
Lynn Geiger 1:37 As you said, I’m a clinical psychologist, and my, as a kid, I grew up always wanting to be a teacher.
Debi Lynes 1:44 I didn’t know that.
Lynn Geiger 1:45 Yeah, and as you notice, there is considerable overlap between the two. However, I prepared to teach Spanish and then just as I was graduating college.
Debi Lynes 1:54 You know espanol?
Lynn Geiger 1:55 Yeah justifies preparing to graduate I realized, oh my gosh, no one will want to spend the day with me. Because if you count it out, really not many people like to be with our Spanish teacher. That’s right.
Debi Lynes 2:10 No, that’s true. I gotta give you that.
Lynn Geiger 2:11 So I immediately changed careers. I was very lucky, only briefly contemplate being a lawyer. And then I became a guidance counselor.
Debi Lynes 2:21 Actually, I can see you as an attorney too.
Lynn Geiger 2:25 what is the same thing? Who do you want to hang around?
Debi Lynes 2:27 Exactly. What’s really interesting to me is in the process of doing this podcast that the people that I’ve interviewed and talked to been really fascinating. Many of them have reinvented themselves over the years as they’ve gotten older or really decided what they want to do. You’ve got three kids for four kids. That’s what I thought, and it’s fun watching them grow up. Oh, absolutely. So let’s talk a little bit about the aging process. One of the things I really wanted to do was get a psychologist in here to help us to kind of debunk and demystify some of the things about aging, you and I were talking about even the developmental stages of aging, can you share a little bit with us about what those look like?
Lynn Geiger 3:10 So I want to talk a little bit about, particularly Erik Erikson. Okay. And he kind of came up with psychosocial developmental stuff. And so this is very old stuff, you know, we’re probably talking to 60s 70s stuff. But certainly, because I’m pretty old. In the olden days, we really thought of development stopping at about 21. Okay, and it wasn’t till everyone like realized that that just made no sense whatsoever. And he’s actually the person that came up with a phrase identity crisis. And we did actually kind of put those two pieces together. And so you know, he goes through the developmental phases of infancy and toddlerhood and kind of elementary school and all that but for our podcast, your podcast, Or what we’re really interested in is the last two. Okay. And that so one, again, in his timeframe, he was saying for people about 40 years old to 65 years old. The main focus was on what he called generativity, okay. And that’s developing yourself more and more as an adult. And so if you think about developing a career path, some people have families developed, you know, raising family, some people that are not connected with their biological or family of origin and they form new families. Okay, and how people are either comfortable doing that and keep moving forward, or become uncomfortable and kind of get stuck and hopefully, get out of that rut and figure out how to move forward. Okay, and then the second, the next the last phase. Again, his levels of were 65 and beyond, and I actually think that he ended at 80. But that was emphasizing our wisdom and using our wisdom. Again, how does one creatively confront end of life? And so, so those are the two things you’re talking about here.
Debi Lynes 5:09 It was really fun. Lynn and I met yesterday for a couple of minutes to kind of chat about the way we wanted to see this podcast go on what we thought would be interesting. And of course, which is pretty typical of us talking. It’s sort of, we started in one direction, and it took another direction. And one of the things that I was laughing at was that my memory sometimes isn’t what it should be. And, and you were very clear and concise about exactly what worrying about dementia or Alzheimer’s or is it just a normal aging symptom to not be able to remember?
Lynn Geiger 5:44 So typically, what happens is as we age, we have a longer time what we call latency time to pull up certain information, okay, so the name of a person the name of a place, find a word got it that takes longer to do.
Debi Lynes 5:57 But we can do it.
Lynn Geiger 5:58 Or we can do it and of course, We do a best if we don’t get anxious about it. Okay. Try not to think about it. It pops in your brain fast. Okay. Oh, so compared to younger adults, they do it faster than we do. However, we are actually better at problem-solving than younger adults.
Debi Lynes 6:14 I did you hear what she said.
Lynn Geiger 6:16 Better at problem solved.
Debi Lynes 6:17 No, that’s important.
Lynn Geiger 6:18 it is. And that’s where our life experience comes in. Because we’ve solved so many problems already. And that’s where the wisdom component comes in. that oftentimes at this stage of life, people have a sense of, you know, when they have self-confidence when they trust their intuition when they trust that first response.
Debi Lynes 6:38 What’s really interesting now that you bring that up is my son’s a doctor, my dad’s a doctor 92 and 42. Yeah, actually, okay. And when they are confronted, we were actually talking about viruses or we were talking about this side or the other and watching Brandon, my son go through sort of a decision making tree it might be this it might be this and my dad was like, pet it. Had it. Yes. And at the end, it was just it was really fun to watch them go talk about why my dad said that and how Brandon arrived at the same or different conclusion at the end it was so I know
Lynn Geiger 7:11 exactly what I’m talking about. That’s the advantage that as we get older that see that we have
Debi Lynes 7:16 which is really interesting to me when we’re talking about it from a cultural point of view. Because I think the older I get the more I hate to say wise but the more anchored I feel, or the more my decisions are less based on emotion and they’re much more blended between emotion and logic. Do you find that that’s true for most people? And that’s what wisdom is.
Lynn Geiger 7:40 That’s a great question. I think that’s one component of wisdom. Yes. Okay. Absolutely. experience. And I think that it’s the, you know, you want to get to that place where you trust yourself more. Okay. Which is what your dad did in solving that problem.
Debi Lynes 7:57 Right? I don’t even think he thought about it. I think he just intuitive They said this is exactly what it is.
Lynn Geiger 8:02 So I want to add because you had brought it up, the dementia is more like you do something strange. Like you walk in the house and you put your car keys in the freezer. Okay, okay, that’s not. So that’s a different type of memory problem. That’s like not self-monitoring, not being aware of what you’re doing that sort of thing. So it’s not like I forget, good old buzzers names I knew in high school.
Debi Lynes 8:26 Got it. Exactly. Or I walk into my pantry and I’m thinking, Oh, my gosh, what was it that I
Lynn Geiger 8:32 That’s very typical, is it pretty right? And typically, either if you stand there, you’ll remember or if you go back to where you came from, and start again, remember.
Debi Lynes 8:40 What I’d love to do is we’re going to take a break here in about 30 seconds is to come back and chat with you a little bit about the folks that you see that are, let’s say 40 and over 50 and over what are some of the typical things that they are curious about worried about and want to work through So stay with us. We’ll be right back here on aging in place.
Hi, I’m Dr. Debi Lynes. Design elements are psychologically and physically supportive and conducive to health and wellness. To learn more about what lions on design can do for you for more information on certified aging in place, and facilitative and supportive design, look for us at lynesondesign.com. That’s L-y-n-e-s on design dot com. We are back here on aging in place.
Once again, we’re here with Dr. Lynn Geiger. And we’re talking about well, you just said it, coping with getting older coping with the stage in life. That corresponds, I guess, to your chronological age, which is kind of an interesting thing to even talk about because I’m 66 and I not sure what I thought 66 would be or feel like, but I’m not. On one hand, I don’t really feel like I’m old and on the other hand, my chronologic gage is pretty evident. So who do you when you see folks?
Lynn Geiger 10:04 So let’s just go with that first. I mean, I think that, you know, the baby boomer generation, our definition of old has changed.
Debi Lynes 10:10 Yes, that’s true. Okay. So,
Lynn Geiger 10:11 you know, I remember 10 years ago, we were saying, you know, 50 is the new 40.
Debi Lynes 10:17 Okay, now 66 is the new 40 we’re going to be at So,
Lynn Geiger 10:20 so have to pay attention to that aspect of people have focused more and more upon know how to stay youthful, okay. And there’s good aspects of that. Right, right. But there are some nuts or good aspects where people get like, a little crazy and
Debi Lynes 10:37 talk to me about that, because I hear what you’re saying.
Lynn Geiger 10:39 I mean, I think that that’s, you know, right now, the American culture is very focused on always having a youthful appearance. And sometimes we go overboard with that. Okay, right. Yes. So, so I want to pay attention that in our discussion, we try to keep a balanced sense of that.
Debi Lynes 10:55 Okay. And I hear what you’re saying. I think if I hear you correctly, you’re saying and I’m just being really honest, I really I’ve always been in the sun. I have wrinkles now. I don’t really mind. I have earned them correct. Okay, correct. And so I guess I had a choice. I guess we all have choices, we can embrace it move forward, or we can do what we can too.
Lynn Geiger 11:19 Right? And so okay, right. And so again, that’s going back to your original question. That’s part of the What do I accept? And how do I cope? Ah, and your sense is, I accept I’ve earned these wrinkles. So it’s okay for me, right? And you know, you’re able to cope. But for another person might be, I cannot accept these wrinkles. These are too disturbing to me, that may be too uncomfortable. I would like to have some type of treatment for that. Right? That makes perfect sense. And so and it’s more, you know, what is the person’s issue and how do they manage that issue? And I think you had mentioned on the break, what about someone who now dissolves sudden being bossed around, you know, a [two-year-old woman or a six-year-old] woman being bossed around by her, her son. Right. But one of my favorites is when all of a sudden, I don’t hear this from men, of course. The woman tells me that someone in her family is always taking her elbows across the street. Oh, you know, and so that, do you do interpret that as a nice, friendly, protective gesture that don’t mean you fall and break a hip? Or is it Oh, they think I’m demented. And I can’t cross the street by myself.
Debi Lynes 12:31 Well, it’s funny that you say that because somebody got at Kroger’s, the other day was like, Ma’am, can I help you? And I’m like, What? I think I was living off some water or whatever. Right? And I was like, Yeah, I almost was taken back by that’s what you’re saying. That’s what I’m saying. I never even thought about that. Right.
Lynn Geiger 12:48 Right. So then how do you interpret that message, right? And then what do you do about it because you know, the woman that are sharks or some ruffle with her elbow, you know, is highly offended, right. And it’s she want I want her to think, now wait a sec, you know, this is part of my aging and if he wants to help me, but not decide that I have lost my brain, and I cannot think independently anymore. Okay, I can cope with that. But if it’s like, No, no, no, he’s he’s telling me I’m, I can’t look both ways and see if there’s a car coming. You know.
Debi Lynes 13:24 Do you find it that men women who do come to you that are over 50? Are are looking at very different things than let’s say young adults or adolescents? Are they? Are they feeling more depressed or fearful with their mortality? Because I know it’s 1718 when we see a lot of times when you see kids, they’re like, yeah, you know, I’m immortal. And now it’s more Okay, how am I going to successfully live like this? Or what are some of the things.
Lynn Geiger 13:51 So it’s just two pieces here. I think that almost all of us are impacted by our family and what’s going on whereas our family in the life cycle. Okay, so if someone is a grandparent who is middle to late 70s, now raising grandchildren because their parents aren’t available.
Debi Lynes 14:12 That makes a lot.
Lynn Geiger 14:12 Doesn’t add a huge amount really huge. So that person is at a lifecycle of, I’m still parenting. Okay, I’m still raising children. So they’re really still focused on that phase of the lifecycle. Very different from someone the same age, who, you know, whose grandchildren are in their 20s. Right, right. And he’s more focused on end of life as you say, How do I understand death and that piece. And the same can be said of a person who’s 50 it really depends so much where the life cycle is, okay?
Debi Lynes 14:45 Help me with this. My dad’s 92 and we talk a lot on the podcast. I’ve got a two-year-old granddaughter and a 92-year-old dad and the similarities are pretty amazing. But I find one of the things that concerns me with my dad and I hear this more and more often. with folks that are a little bit older, like that will be saying, you know, I just miss my friends, I can’t really relate. You know, I love you, Debi, but I can’t really relate to you. And I definitely don’t relate to the 40-year-olds, and now I’ve got a lot of grandchildren. And it’s the, the relating to peers, I think that seems to be causing.
Lynn Geiger 15:22 I think there’s two really important pieces of what you’re talking about. One, as we get older, we are confronted with more and more loss, loss of ability, talked about loss, memory, loss of physical strength, loss of friends, big time. That’s huge. And that’s a big piece of it is how do you adapt to all that loss. But the other piece of the important psychological pieces. Yes, it’s really good to develop younger friendships with people who are younger than you are. Once you reach adulthood.
Debi Lynes 15:54 Again, use your wisdom, right? Yeah. Yeah. Do you do a lot of reframing or getting people to see things through a different lens. I mean, if someone comes in and says, Look, I just can’t relate to anybody I’ve lost all my friends had to move out of my home, retired in a place. I don’t really know. Because that’s I mean, Oh, yes. Okay.
Lynn Geiger 16:13 Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
Debi Lynes 16:14 What are some tools, I guess, or techniques that you’d like to see people have in their arsenal of coping mechanisms?
Lynn Geiger 16:24 So, this sounds so silly, but it’s really important. As we get older, our muscles in our face, say, like our eyes, we have to have read or write that stuff. And so people feel that they’re smiling and they are not smiling.
Debi Lynes 16:40 Oh, interesting. So
Lynn Geiger 16:42 One of my biggest tips is you have to actually look in a mirror to see when it feels like you’re smiling. Okay.
Debi Lynes 16:49 Oh, I never even thought about right. Yeah, that’s it’s true.
Lynn Geiger 16:51 So, um, so the much older person walks down the hallway in a residential facility or walks in the street and they believe they’re smiling. And the rest of us think that’s an angry old man. Right? Yes. So, of course, to attract people to, you know, this smile is the most instinctive thing that attracts us to people. So there’s a very simple thing to stay in touch. So even if that person is at the grocery store, and smiles at a clerk, and then they had that brief social interaction that improves their day, right?
Debi Lynes 17:26 Well, and that brings me in I know we’ve only got about a minute that brings me to a question for you about isolation.
Lynn Geiger 17:33 Well, we all know that’s a dangerous it’s a high-risk factor for things that go along. Both your health not going well. Your end of life pieces not going well. Yeah, isolation is very psychologically unhealthy.
Debi Lynes 17:48 When you take break again, we’re going to come back one of the things I would love to ask you is your thought and I have a bias on this because I’m all I’m all about this about people coming to see a psychologist, healthy people coming as they go through different stages in life, so stay with us. We’ll be right back. Once again, we’re here with Dr. Lynn Geiger.
Henrik de Gyor 18:09 For more podcast episodes, links, information and media inquiries, please visit our website at Aging in Place podcast.com as we transition through life with the comfort and ease you deserve, discover how you can create a home that will adapt to you as you journey through life and the changes it will bring. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. As our host Debi Lynes and her expert guests discuss relevant topics to creating a home for all decades in life. Don’t miss our weekly episodes of Aging in Place Podcast for every stage in life.
Debi Lynes 18:47 We are back here on Aging in Place Podcast for any stage in life. Our guest today is Dr. Lynn Geiger. We’ve been talking about some of the psychological aspects of the aging process. We’ve been talking about two-year-olds and 92 year old and stages of development. It’s really interesting. And before the break, I asked you a quick question. And that was your feelings on people coming to a psychologist when they’re not feeling bad when they’re just going through sort of life’s issues.
Lynn Geiger 19:20 I think this is really beneficial. You know, part of my job is to be a good consultant. You know, and just as you are, you know, I am not good with style and color and stuff like that. And if I want my home to look really well put together, it’s probably worth my time and money to have an international designer consult with me. Right? Well, I think the same about the questions that you’re asking that if someone has a very, very close friend or a very, very close family member, that can non-judgmental may help them talk through that stuff. That’s wonderful. But many of us don’t nowadays, and especially, true many, many people don’t want to share this with their adult children.
Debi Lynes 20:07 Because I don’t want to judge I don’t want my kids to worry, right?
Lynn Geiger 20:09 They don’t want them to worry. Correct. Right. Yeah. Huge. And so I think in that way, coming to use a person like myself as psychologists and mental health professional, as a consultant, you know, you’re not coming 20 times.
Debi Lynes 20:24 How do I shift the mindset for some folks that are a bit older for me again, you know, I totally believe in the evidence-based psychology and I think it is a science. Oftentimes, when I’ve talked to older people, there’s a hesitancy to come and talk to a trained professional. How do we shift that point of view?
Lynn Geiger 20:50 I think we continue to address that issue of stigma. Okay, and, and separate out. Illness versus you were talking about healthy people coming Got it? Yes, we so we were talking to me. If you have if a person has an illness, I want them to get some kind of treatment,
Debi Lynes 21:09 correct. I know that we know that the brain is an organ, correct. And we can treat it correct. And there are evidence-based right interventions that actually work.
Lynn Geiger 21:20 Right, So it’s the same thing. If, if someone has diabetes, and they say, you know, I’m just going to manage my diet and exercise and I’ll, that’s all I’m going to do. And if a physician a health care practitioner says, No, you really need insulin, we really have to work on this. Everyone would agree probably, let’s follow the physicians treatment plan. All right.
Debi Lynes 21:43 Yes, that makes perfect.
Lynn Geiger 21:44 The same to me if someone has depression, right, and I’m not saying okay, she’d have to take medicine for depression, you know, but, you know, the single most effective factor in treating depression is exercise.
Debi Lynes 21:57 Oh, yeah, it is right.
Lynn Geiger 21:58 Of course, I can get depressed be able to exercise by right. Well, but yeah, get a full treatment plan. Right. So, um, so I think part of it is just to continue to come back to the stigma issue. Good people. It’s like, it’s not like in the olden days, it was all about willpower, right? I’ll power my way through diabetes. Yeah, I don’t
Debi Lynes 22:16 know it was willpower. I’m not depressed, I can get through this or just I need to pull myself up by my bootstraps.
Lynn Geiger 22:23 Yeah, and we know more now, you know, a lot more. So that’s, so that’s that stigma piece. And then the other is for healthy people. If you are someone that suck, you know, understand yourself better and solves your problems better by talking out loud. And if you don’t have a trusted person to do that with mental health professional is great. Although there are us and I want to add as many clergy that are also great. This is finding someone
Debi Lynes 22:52 Is it is it more about for you, the objectivity piece, the resourcing piece, the fact that you have sort of tips, tools, techniques, That can help people. How do you How does the cycle How do you view yourself with your client? Are you a team?
Lynn Geiger 23:09 So I certainly we are team. We are partners in working towards a goal together. Absolutely. You know, I am a very, very strong proponent of evidence-based treatment. I really think the science behind different treatment matters. And just like I don’t want to go into the operating room and have someone say, Oh, well, today, I feel preparing this. Now we’re here for a specific focus. I’m still I want to come back to the strongest component of all the components that makes to successful is the therapeutic relationship. So to me that empathy, active listening, being genuine, that’s the strongest component, especially when you’re talking about something deeply powerful to a person for end of life issues are how do I adjust and adapt to this season of loss. Right. So I think that’s the other component that’s really critical.
Debi Lynes 24:12 How do people What do you share with people when it comes to knowing who to go to? How to find some?
Lynn Geiger 24:20 Well, I really think it’s get the vibes. Okay, you got it. When you talk on the phone, you can tell the vibes. And even if you don’t talk with the person themselves, you’ve talked with their office staff, the office staff so often, mirror.
Debi Lynes 24:34 Sets the tone of a hall. That’s so true, isn’t it? Yeah. So and I know in the last few minutes, you wanted to kind of go back to the developmental stages a little bit.
Lynn Geiger 24:42 So if you think of those stages, though, these last couple, these last couple of stages are a time when we are exclusively examining ourselves internally, okay. We’re asking about our own psychology, our own functioning, we’re assessing our own anxieties more so, except for adolescence more so than any other phase. Okay, well, no infants aren’t doing that. No, no others aren’t doing that.
Debi Lynes 25:09 Mothers aren’t doing it. They’re just trying to survive. Right? Right.
Lynn Geiger 25:12 Um, and especially I love talking about end of life because, you know, people with our words are focused on what do I think happens when I die? Okay, but with their fears, they’re talking about the step before that. What am I worried about those last moments of the dying process? Which here for us is usually about pain? Yeah, I was just gonna say pain and dignity. You know, makes sense and, and slipping away of independence. I am I’m How do I make that transition of the healthcare proxy? When do I make that shift of I have to let go and I can’t make those healthcare decisions myself.
Debi Lynes 25:55 Can you be an advocate for client in helping kind of, I’m not saying guide the process. But at least be there to answer some of the questions.
Lynn Geiger 26:03 I think it’s more important that I ask the questions. Ah, and they have the answers.
Debi Lynes 26:10 Do you think we know the questions? Obviously, that’s what you’re saying. You’re saying, what you can do is actually maybe bring the questions from an unconscious or I just feel anxiety. I’m not really sure what I’m feeling where you might have to experience an acronym to say, okay.
Lynn Geiger 26:29 It sounds like you might be talking about this. Or, yes. So here’s a couple of things. I’m wondering if it’s one of these things.
Debi Lynes 26:36 How do you feel about a client coming in? Again, if I’m 66, my dad, my dad’s 92. What about family kinds of counseling sessions or therapeutic sessions like session.
Lynn Geiger 26:48 I love those. I love that. That’s what I adore.
Debi Lynes 26:52 What helps you when a client comes to see you what kind of information can really arm you to be your best professional? In other words, what do you want me to come armed with? Do I need to have a goal? Do I need to just have the willingness to kind of explore and be there?
Lynn Geiger 27:15 I don’t think I have any real demands or expectations about that. Because what, of course, different people come in with different stuff. And then I kind of go from there.
Debi Lynes 27:24 And you guys can’t see him. But it was really interesting when I just asked that question, because she was like, I don’t really think you need to be armed with anything. I mean, that’s exactly what you looked at me. Like I really understand even the question.
Lynn Geiger 27:35 Right, right. I love the people that come in and they have a checklist, right? they’ve written or they’ve written out their narrative of their life or hear the quote, here’s what I hear are my goals. Okay, right. But I’m comfortable with someone who says, I don’t really know what’s wrong with me, but there’s something wrong. Okay. And I’m equally comfortable with someone who’s saying, you know, I want to talk about this stuff, and I don’t want to talk about it with my priest because I know what he’ll tell me.
Debi Lynes 28:00 So what I hear you say is come sooner rather than later. Oh, of course, oftentimes that’s the best time to come is before things get to a point of crisis. And I think if you can if we can convince or you can convince people of that, I mean, that’s the whole name of the game.
Lynn Geiger 28:14 I, but still, if you can’t come before the crisis come after. Okay, so you can process.
Debi Lynes 28:21 Okay. And that makes sense to in our last remaining couple of minutes if people are interested, again, since this is national, and maybe when I talk to you or are curious, do you have a phone number or website or anything that you would like to share?
Lynn Geiger 28:35 Sure. On my website, which is my name. I’m Lynn Geiger. With an “E”, use my middle initial. So it’s lynnegeigerphd@gmail.com.
Debi Lynes 28:48 Okay, I really appreciate it. I want to thank all of you for listening today. I think it was. I got a lot of information. I think you will too. We will see you next week. Bye. Bye. Thank you. I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Tracy. Tracy is naturally curious, and always creative. And when we were doing the Aging in Place Podcast, she said, there are so many quick tips that I can think of offhand. My response, who knew she’s going to be with us every week, giving us a quick tip. And to hint, that is a practical application.
Tracy Snelling 29:28 Thanks Debi. Pop the tops. Do you have toddlers and school-aged children who love to dress themselves but just haven’t developed your sense of fashion yet? Or maybe even older seniors are ones who are colorblind to arrange outfits on hangers, which also means more closet space, use a soda pop can tab just slip the hanger through the hole using the hook and then hang your matching piece through the other opening. No more struggling with coordinating clothes. You can even hang labels with the days of the week on them too. Who knew making your kindergartener smile was so easy. Now if you can only find that missing shoe.
Debi Lynes 30:07 Lynn Geiger is an amazing interview. And of course, there are some wonderful takeaways from every speaker that we have. Today, especially I heard we baby boomers, we’re not going down gracefully. We haven’t admitted yet that we’re actually aging. So my takeaway is this: enjoy every minute. Don’t hesitate to talk to a professional if you’re feeling isolated or lonely, or you’re just not sure what’s going on. Thank you all for listening today here on Aging in Place Podcast for any stage in life.
Henrik de Gyor 30:41 Aging in Place Podcast is hosted by Debi Lynes and produced by Henrik de Gyor. If you have any comments or questions, send an email to Debi@aginginplacepodcast.com. We would love to hear from you. If you’re interested in advertising or sponsoring this podcast email us at PR@aginginplacepodcast.com Thank you for listening to Aging in Place Podcast.
Ask your doctor for a prescription for an occupational therapist to come and do a home visit and a walkthrough.
Transcript
Debi Lynes (00:03): Hi and welcome to aging in place for every stage in life. What if you could visit or have a home that would accommodate anyone at any age, any physical ability at any time? How cool would that be? That’s what we’re doing here at aging in place. Why me? Because I’m a doctor of psychology and I specialize in physical spaces in health and wellness. Also. I love designing with intent at any age. Why now? Because we the baby boomers want to age in place gracefully and we want our families around us as much as we can. And why you the audience? Because we want you to experience what it’s like to have a home that’s safe, aesthetically pleasing, and that you can live in at any age with any ability at any time. I’d like to introduce you now to Aging in Place Podcast for every stage in life.
Debi Lynes (01:04): Hi and welcome to Aging in Place Podcast for any stage in life. I’m here today with my friend Shelby Basciano. I’ve actually known Shelby since she was my spinning teacher maybe 20 years ago. So I appreciate you joining us today.
Shelby Basciano (01:18): Hey Debi, how are you?
Debi Lynes (01:21): I’m excited about talking to you. Shelby is a physical fitness guru, but in her professional life, she’s an occupational therapist. And you might be thinking to yourself, an occupational therapist and aging in place for any stage in life, whether you’re a child or middle-aged or an older adult. What does occupational therapy have to do with aging or even aging in your home?
Shelby Basciano (01:46): I’m not sure what if people are familiar with what occupational therapy is.
Debi Lynes (01:50): No, I’d love to start it with you.
Shelby Basciano (01:50): So let me this is what I tell when I do the power hour at the high school this is kind of a definition I get. Occupation: how you occupy your time. That would be the definition. So how do you occupy your time if you’re a baby okay, you poop, you play and then you sleep. You move your fingers, etcetera. So if you have some types of injury or disease process at that age, occupational therapists’ goal is to maximize your independence and wellbeing for whatever stage you’re at with meaningful goals. So, you know, I’m not going to go get a job for a baby because that would make no sense at all. But what we do need is to make sure that the baby can eat properly, sucking properly so they can gain weight and they can get nutrition and thrive. Right? So an occupational therapist is really important for early intervention situations. Okay. And usually it’s really, nowadays they’re really good about identifying babies in the hospital to get that early intervention. But again, that’s why we need access to healthcare. Am I allowed to go political here? We need good access to healthcare so that we can identify things like this early on because the earlier you treat or you start looking at deficits in these performance components is what we call them then the sooner hopefully you can remedy them and the better chance you have of maximizing your potential as a human being and having a meaningful life and an independent life.
Debi Lynes (03:40): Less it would have positive impact if the earlier the intervention is. So we’re speaking to be about babies with occupational therapists, I think. No, I think it’s really, I think it’s really interesting with occupational therapy cause I think it is one of those special days that people really don’t know what it means. You’ve got three teenagers. What would occupational therapy look like for adolescents?
Shelby Basciano (04:02): It could be in a number of different components. I’m going to tell you, if you’re an occupational therapist, you can work in a psychosocial setting.
Debi Lynes (04:14): What does that mean?
Shelby Basciano (04:14): Uh, you know, say a kid is physically appropriate for their age. You’re 15 years old and you’re, you know, you can walk and talk and run and you can do all kinds of things. Your fine motor skills are great. Your handwriting is great. But you’re impulsive in school or you can’t sit still or you have a really hard time processing with the fluorescent lights and the teacher talking and all the things that are going on around you. And OT could come in in a school setting. It’s required by law that they have access to this in public schools.
Debi Lynes (04:53): I didn’t know that.
Shelby Basciano (04:53): Yeah. It doesn’t mean that we have great access all the time, but we do. And you would get an evaluation by an OT and they would, you know, maybe they would say, wow, we have some sensory processing disorders going on here. And a lot of times there’s some easy solutions that maybe seem really simple that the kids can use. I mean, you’ve seen the little cubes, the fidget cubes, you know, that that was really derived from an OT thing so that your, your focus is here and maybe you need pressure in your appropriate receptive, which is your touch. And maybe that’s going to help you to be able to focus and read a book.
Debi Lynes (05:38): That makes sense.
Shelby Basciano (05:39): Some kids, you know, they need a test read to them because visually they have a hard time tracking. I mean, a lot of this stuff, again, if we had addressed it earlier, you may have had a better result by high school, but it doesn’t mean that you’re not a candidate.
Debi Lynes (05:54): I thought the fluorescent were interesting too. I oftentimes see when I go to movies now that there is a warning that if you have seizure disorder or any kind of sensitivity to light, that the flashing light may trigger or cause something which I think is pretty interesting.
Shelby Basciano (06:15): Yeah. Right. It is really interesting and that people are more conscientious. The public is more aware of people that have, I don’t want to say a limitation, but you have something that people are being a little bit more accommodating I guess is what it is.
Debi Lynes (06:30): Exactly, Okay. So now let’s talk about the aging as we get a little bit older. It’s funny cause I’m 66 and I’m noticing now from activities of daily living areas that I’m not a sharp end. I mean I’m not.
Shelby Basciano (06:44): Toileting, I’m just kidding.
Debi Lynes (06:46): Toileting. No, I’m still pretty good at tinkling and toilet is good. But when it comes to things like night the dark, right. I’m much more prone now to put a nightlight and I’m at 66 and nightlight in. I never have had one before.
Shelby Basciano (07:03): Right. Totally a thing and occupational therapists would, if you did a home visit, you would look, and you know what I’m going to say it here in Hilton Head, one thing that I noticed, and again, let me reiterate, I am now a personal trainer and I use all of my skills and I coach, I use them, but I don’t work as an OT anymore. But the thing with a home of L people are very um.
Debi Lynes (07:29): Skeptical to have you here.
Shelby Basciano (07:31): Know, they’re very attached to their decor. So if I tell them, Hey, you got to move a throw rug because it’s a tripping hazard in the middle of the night or because you have a walker now and it’s catching and it’s a high-risk safety risk for fall, they don’t like to take it off. But you know, I will say, you know, you can get better and then, and then maybe we can put them back down. But those are things that I would look from just a, a home of value perspective. Somebody comes home with a walker, you know, they got a new replacement or maybe even a stroke and they’re, you know, move things out of the way. Sometimes with a stroke you are not as aware of your, for instance, your left side, you, you kind of, because of where it happened in the brain, you’re, you’re kind of disregarding that left side. So you tend to run into things so, you know, maybe making a clearer pathway in your household. Another thing that I think is very simple, which would have to do with the aging too, is think about what your priorities are. If you have something that happens to you, whether you’re well or not, you know, if doing your hair wears you out for the whole day because you’re deconditioned, for example, have somebody do your hair. I mean, if you have the access.
Debi Lynes (08:49): I hear what you’re saying.
Shelby Basciano (08:51): Again, if I take it a step in the direction of being a little more having a result from a stroke or something like that. Sure. You know, my father in law, for example, I want somebody to come in and help me. If I have three hours a week of assistance, I want them to do the bathing and the dressing with him because one, it gives him more dignity.
Debi Lynes (09:15): More the physical stuff.
Shelby Basciano (09:17): Yeah. And it wears him out if he tries to do it on his own. I mean, of course, everybody would love to be independent in all facets of activities of daily living. But let’s pick and choose in the beginning, especially what’s important to me and the caregiver or the caregiver has to be part of.
Debi Lynes (09:32): Well, it’s really interesting. I know when my mom was ill, it the, we had someone come in and talk with us exactly an OT talking exactly about what you’re talking about. And she was like, basically, Debi, you all are here for emotional support. You need to get people who know what they’re doing to come in for physical support. And that’s a lot of what you’re talking about and what we’re talking about now, what we’re going to do, shall we, it’s where do I take a quick break? Again, we’re talking about aging in place. But the fun part I think is talking about it for any stage in life. We’ve already talked about babies. I mean, what do you do with one-year-old? You know, what do you do with a teenager? I oftentimes wonder, I had a kid who broke his arm and it was amazing how limited when Brandon broke his arm, how limited he was with activities of daily living, he could barely wash his own hair and I never even thought about it. And then we’re talking about as we get older, so we’ll be right back again here with Shelby Basciano stay with us here on aging in place.
Debi Lynes (10:34): Hi, I’m Dr. Debi Lynes. Design elements are psychologically and physically supportive and conducive to health and wellness. To learn more about what Lynes on Design can do for you, for more information on certified aging in place, and facilitative and supportive design, look for us at lynesondesign.com. That’s L-Y-N-E-S on design dot com.
Debi Lynes (11:00): We are back here on the Aging in Place Podcast for any stage in life. My friend Shelby Basciano who is an occupational therapist. She says she doesn’t do occupational therapy now. She’s a coach and a personal trainer, but can I be really clear? You do occupational therapy with every single treatment intervention and exercise and coaching stuff that you do. And I think that’s part of why you’re here today because for me, you have a much more holistic approach to everything that you do. In other words, I just don’t feel like I’m working a bicep. I feel like I’m kind of contributing to my quality of life.
Shelby Basciano (11:36): Yes. I think that is, I mean, hopefully that’s what I bring to my clients and I really, I think it’s important to look at the whole person and I’m getting in shape another part of occupational therapy. And this would be relate more to the psychosocial aspect that we talked about. I mentioned impulsivity before, might be something you would work on, but also goal setting on goals. You know, what I think is important for you may not be what you think is important for you. So that wouldn’t be a good goal. Whatever I’m coming up with, I have to have it meaningful to you. It has to be measurable. We have to be able to break it down into smaller pieces. So all of this information we can take and apply it to anybody at any age. You know, somebody who’s got dementia. Let’s, what part do we need to work on, you know, let’s goal set. what’s your goal to keep them safe in the house, make sure that they don’t, when they’re in the wandering stage, for example, they’re not going out. And when you go in the water, you know.
Debi Lynes (12:42): When you take a client, what are some of the questions that you do? Ask them as it relates to all of these kinds of things. In other words, if someone comes to you and says, look I’m in a different stage of my life right now. I need to make some changes and adapt and let’s say I may, I am, I’m not an OT client right now. I’m sort of the holistic client. What are you asking that specifically?
Shelby Basciano (13:07): It’s funny you’re asking, cause this has been like an influx recently for me with a few women. I have a, I have I’ll I’m going to be 50 this year. So what I was training like at 20 and 30, it’s completely different. I have a different mindset about it. Not that I, I think that what I was doing was bad necessarily, but I don’t want to do the things that I did before. And I have a lot of women that come to me.
Debi Lynes (13:33): Priorities and goals.
Shelby Basciano (13:34): We talk about priorities and goals and they sometimes can’t. It’s hard for them to articulate it. But then when I sit and say, what’s your goal? And instead of being like, I’m going to lose the last three pounds that I gained there. Like I want to feel better. I want to wake up. I don’t want to feel bad in my body when I wear heels, you know, I don’t want to not be able to walk for three days or.
Debi Lynes (14:00): Well for me at 66, I want to feel strong.
Shelby Basciano (14:02): Right and feel strong and that is definitely a priority for a lot of, I mean, women and men both, but a lot of women and they just, they want to feel more at peace. And I think that the crazy aerobics, insane, bouncy, kill it, you know, kind of mentality, right. We kind of changed that as we get a little older and that I’m not for everybody and it doesn’t work for everybody, but a lot of the people you know, and they, and they maybe don’t think yoga is the right thing for them. So I’m mixing in a little bit of all the disciplines that I’m trained in. And of course, I’m always using OT. We’ll break it down and say, Hey, this week I want you to focus on drinking your water. And that’s it. That’s all you’re going to do. And then mentally, everybody can maybe add into the week. And then next week we’re going to, I’m going to give you four core exercises that you’re going to do every single day that are going to make you feel better after a week. I mean, I don’t think anybody’s ever done them and said, yeah, you’re, you know, you’re wrong. I don’t feel any better.
Debi Lynes (15:08): Do you look at people’s, not just fitness levels, but health I guess health and wellness, when you do begin to strategize or come up with a program for them, do you look at their health and wellness like you do.
Shelby Basciano (15:22): Of course and I look at their activities and what do you want to do? Where, where are you going? Are you still working? Okay. Do you need to have the energy for work? Are you do you travel a lot? Are you caring for an elderly parent? All of these things, you know, really have to have to have a part in whatever the workout plan is. What’s your realistic idea of how much time you can actually spend? And don’t, don’t tell me something that you think I want to hear, like six days a week. They look at me like, is that the right answer? I’m like, hell no. I mean, I go for, I try to get 40 hours a week and I teach three days a week. So you know, I understand and having kids and you’re got a lot of things on your plate. I think you have to really.
Debi Lynes (16:08): Focus. I know I’ve got that. I’ve got a question as my mind is going, my hands are moving too. Like Shelby, I have another question. At any age do you focus on cardio? Is it about strength? Is it now as I’ve gotten older, balance, balance, balance. I find that I’m, I really want to pay more attention to that. Is it, are those things that are important.
Shelby Basciano (16:33): Balance in, you mean, actual physical balance? Like not falling or balance in your life?
Debi Lynes (16:37): Oh, good question. She is good I was actually thinking physical balance.
Shelby Basciano (16:42): Yeah. And say balance. You know, it’s like a little bit, it’s like swimming. If you don’t swim, you don’t get better at swimming. If you don’t, you know, when people say, Oh, I’m not good at yoga, I’m not flexible. Well you haven’t really moved out of the chair in about 15 years or you sit at your desk and you’re always in one position. So I don’t really think I hate, I really don’t like it when people say, Oh, I’m not good at something cause I’m like, well have you tried it? Have you done it? You know, it’s like when the kids say, Oh I don’t like that. You’re like, well try, you did it one time but I do, you have to look at the whole picture and you know what, to relate back to, one of the questions you asked me before my biggest, the way that I can tell somebody who’s improving because I ask a lot of questions in the beginning about if they have a pain. And most people who come to me, I’m going to be honest, they either have a neck thing, they’re like, I just try everything and nothing’s worse. Everything hurts me. And it’s really, I’m getting really depressed because I used to do classes five days a week or whatever. So I, I asked him, okay, when does it hurt? When I get real, I try to get as detailed, Oh well you know what? I was thinking the other day and I say, text me anytime of night. You’re not going to wake me up. Text me when you realize like, Oh when I get up off the couch or when I go to put my arm in my coat, I tell them just text me cause those are the moments in your life. And I write those things down and we work for one to two weeks or whatever we decide and then I go back and I look at those notes and often what’ll happen when something remedies with your body, you’re like, Oh my gosh, I forgot that that was hurting me so badly that it was affecting my ability to put my coat on. So in that is the way that I tried to make it meaningful to them because often I just take, I often, I try to get a quote from them early on or I was only sleeping three hours a night and they’re like, well I don’t know, am I, I don’t know if I’m really improving that much cause you know, you do kind of plateaued. And then I’m like, well do you remember when you came in a month ago and you said you’re only sleeping three hours a month. So those are the things.
Debi Lynes (18:52): Like you said, that are measurable. You set a goal you try to measure it. Well, what’s really interesting about what you’re talking about to me right now is these are activities of daily living that you’re talking about being able to put on your coat without pain. You know, am I slouched over a computer all day? Is that probably the source of my stiffness, soreness, pain, ache.
Shelby Basciano (19:20): Poor posture.
Debi Lynes (19:20): Poor Posture. Yeah. There you go. With your poor posture. Yeah. Shake posture at any age.
Shelby Basciano (19:26): At any age. And as you age, I mean, gravity’s working on us all the time. So let’s fight it a little bit.
Debi Lynes (19:36): Can you give us a sneak? We’ve got 30 seconds or about one minute in our second segment. What looks a posture? Pick her up or for us.
Shelby Basciano (19:44): I use a lot of cuing. I’m going to say one thing. Okay. Imagine somebody put ice down your back. Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh. So you’re sitting at your desk. Somebody put on my back. I mean, hopefully everybody out there listening just sat up and it makes you realize, Oh wow, I was really slashed over even I was doing it.
Debi Lynes (20:06): Okay. I stand your back. Okay, that’s a good one.
Shelby Basciano (20:09): Now my next one I stole from the people from Carla the hairdresser uncross your legs. You really crossing your legs, throws your hips off. And if you’re sitting in a fixed position all the time, you, you really, I mean, I know that’s the polite thing to do ladies from 1950, but let’s, let’s put our feet just flat on the floor and try to sit maybe a little forward on your but bones. Those bones on your sit bones yet. Yup. Okay. So there’s a little.
Debi Lynes (20:41): Are you guys doing this cause I’m doing it cause I like being able to do these things right as we’re sitting. It’s really interesting alright Shelby we were going to take a quick break. Isn’t this fun? You guys are getting all the cool tips. I love this. All right, stay with us. We’ll be right back here on aging in place.
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Debi Lynes (21:33): We are back here on aging in place. Shelby Basciano has joined us. She’s an occupational therapist, a coach and also a personal trainer and she is superior. One of the reasons I love her is she trains people at different ages and different stages in their life. So you’re, you kind of run the gamut. I thought it might be fun since we’re actually sitting in my home office right now doing this podcast to actually walk you through my house. And what makes it interesting for me is I’ve got nine grandchildren’s, I’ve got a lot of little kids and I’ve got my father who’s 91 here also. So there’s a huge multigenerational spread in ages. So, and it’s funny, the reason we’re doing this quite frankly, is when she came in, she saw about four different things I needed to change right off the bat. So I figured we’ll just yeah, right. Well just call me out on it cause I think if I’ve got it, somebody else does too. So we walked in, it was raining, I had a towel at the front door.
Shelby Basciano (22:29): Right. Okay. Wait, let’s start. I’m going to get out of the car. Oh gosh. Okay. I’m getting out of the car. And it’s gravelly. It’s, you know, so again, some of these things I’m saying, I know that people don’t have tons of money to go repave their driveway. That is not what I’m suggesting at all. But pull in, make sure there’s a spot saved where your dad has enough space to open the door. There isn’t any blockade, for example, because he uses a walker. Correct. Right. So, and also, you have to have a caregiver coming in and help him get out. Walking walking, walking, making sure there’s a smooth path or a clear path that he can approach the house. Then you have steps. Again, a ramp is really nice when you can swing it, but a lot of times people, I mean, one, you can’t swing it. And I, I gotta tell you, you can talk to your husband if you look at the building codes is to build an appropriate ramp. I mean, it’s going to take up your whole front yard, probably Hilton Hilton will decline the permit or whatever cause it doesn’t look pretty enough. So you’re gonna just make sure you have a clear pathway. You’re not going to have a lot of potted plants in the way, for example. Or you know, make sure if you can possibly, whenever there’s stairs, have handrails.
Debi Lynes (23:46): Okay, brilliant. Yep.
Shelby Basciano (23:49):Yep. And also, like for example, I have a handrail on the left side of my steps going up into my house, but my father-in-law stroke has affected his left side and he doesn’t really have a use of it. So I’ll see him reaching over with his right hand, which is highly unsafe, right. So we’re like, okay, well we need to add a handrail on the other side. I mean, even item, sometimes the steps are dark in a stairwell. You might want to, if you have those little lights [for each step], relatively inexpensive.
Debi Lynes (24:20): They are like 12 dollars.
Shelby Basciano (24:20): Right. And some of them are motion-sensitive so they can just turn on when you need them.
Debi Lynes (24:26): That’s actually a really good idea.
Shelby Basciano (24:27): Right you come home from nighttime, even all of us can use it, trip up the service sometimes. And I haven’t even had a glass of wine. So you know, like you, it’s dark. You’re like tired from the day. So handrails. Now we’re walking in your house, you threw the towel down. I get it. I have a dog so I always have like a towel to wipe their feet after they run in the yard too. Right. That’s pretty dangerous. You can trip and fall again for somebody with, you know, without any kind of impairment or anything. We’re probably not, you know, changing everything.
Debi Lynes (25:04): Although I laugh when you say that because my dad’s less likely to slip on that cause he’s so aware of it. But the kids Clementine, my little two year old went sliding on it the other day. So I think it is funny how you don’t pay attention. You don’t know what you don’t know. and now all at once from doing the podcast. I feel like, can I way find this way is the lighting right? You know, I noticed not just what I’m doing but what the kids are doing and what my dad still gets really interesting. Okay. So we’re in, we take a left into my kitchen area.
Shelby Basciano (25:38): Yes okay. If you are having issues with strength, upper body strength or you have one arm that’s only working or for example, I have a lady who’s like, I know how bad I’ve gotten, not coming to you for the last month because of holidays, etcetera. She was traveling. I can’t pick up my Pyrex, you know, she has some nested, okay, so what we do is yeah, don’t nest them or only put the one that you use and a lower shelf. Those are just simple. I know it sounds like it’s ‘dumb simple’, but…
Debi Lynes (26:12): It’s not dumb simple.
Shelby Basciano (26:13): You know. If you use something and it’s like, well it goes on the top shelf. Well, it doesn’t have to go on the top. Let’s just reassess. Okay. Stuck on a date, accommodate. Make sure you have a clear working area. You also, you know, as a designer, you know like the triangle, right? Is that what it’s called? You know, make sure that you have.
Debi Lynes (26:38): Have an accessible workspace.
Shelby Basciano (26:39): Right, Accessible workspace. And if you need to, if your’e standing endurance is limited, bring a chair in. I as a trainer would say, Hey, let’s try to build that up. But if we’re being realistic and you’re going to get tired and you’re going to become a fall risk because your legs are fatigued, then let’s bring a chair in and you can sit and peel potatoes or.
Debi Lynes (27:00):
Do you ever do that with people go in and do a home visit and sort of walk and look at their limitations and, and make recommendations?
Shelby Basciano (27:09): Within the scope of my training. I mean, I just do it.
Debi Lynes (27:12): All now for your client.
Shelby Basciano (27:13): And I’m there training and I say, you know what? If I was you, I would get the wheels off of the desk chair because when you sit down, that chair is going to fly out and you’re not very stable right now anyway. So things like that. I will, I do. I mean, I can’t not do it. I don’t, I can’t not see it. When we, my, my kids and my husband and I took a cruise for the holidays, sitting and watching people, everybody likes to, people watch, I love it. I’m like, Oh, what’s wrong? He’s got like he, he supinates on his right side. But you know, like I’m always kind of analyzing and looking and I wonder what happened or you know, I’m looking at their back. So it is kind of a natural thing for me to do. But as a yes, a thing I would say, you know, get your PT or your OT you can get a prescription for an evaluation from your doctor and a home evaluation is really important.
Debi Lynes (28:07): I think a home evaluation that’s the best takeaway. Get a prescription for that. And let me tell you again, we’re sitting here in my office and as a therapist I have an office that I try to make really comfortable. I noticed the other day I had a couple in here and they weren’t particularly old. They were, you know, my age, little bit younger and they’re rocking chairs and the man really struggled to get out perfectly healthy. But I go ahead. Yeah, look at you and I with our hands.
Shelby Basciano (28:42): And the height of the chair. Right? So like if you have low chairs, like some people have modern like really sharp looking houses but you know like you go to sit down and you know you have something right and you’re like Oh my gosh we’re going to get off. But so living room you’re looking at the chair, make sure the coffee table isn’t right in the middle of the pathway to walk. Little kids, I mean we know if you’ve had kids.
Debi Lynes (29:08): Sharp end.
Shelby Basciano (29:10): Sharp edges. At my house, my nephew got the glue. You know they used to do stitches but now he had to get his forehead glued cause he hit the edge of the table.
Debi Lynes (29:22): Yeah, the glass table. And again with Clementine, it’s funny with Clementine and dad I put the chairs around the corners cause they both inevitably go to that one glass edge corner and hit themselves. I never even thought, I mean in talking about I do it intuitively, but in thinking about it from a safety and an aging in place point of view. It’s actually makes a lot of sense now that we’re talking about height of things. I wonder if a bed is an issue getting in and out of.
Shelby Basciano (29:48): Of 1000%. There’s people who either had the really high beds, which is difficult to get up in, in, and then the really low, you know, the platform beds are kind of popular now. So that can be an issue as well because they, you know, a lot of them don’t need the box spring anymore. So it makes it even lower. It’s just a mattress on the bunky boards or whatever they call them.
Debi Lynes (30:10): Is there a right way to get out of bed? Correct way to get out of bed. I mean, is it more of a rule or, you know, again, I find my dad, I’m struggling to kind of sit up to get out as opposed to if he rolls to his side and.
Shelby Basciano (30:22): I used to have patients that would say, I just can’t, I just hook something to ceiling where I pull up, you know, and they would want to do, they used to have this thing called a trapeze in your hospital bed and you would lift yourself up. But we realized that really that’s not, I’m encouraging you to improve your strength or anything. So really, I mean for somebody who doesn’t have any issues, get out of bed anyway you want to. But otherwise, I want you to roll on your side. I want you to slide your bottom leg and then your left leg. Use your hand to push yourself up. You know, just slow everything down. It’s just taking the time. I mean we know watch kids like when they’re, you’re like just slow down slow down. You know what I mean?
Debi Lynes (31:04): I love it. You know what’s fun about this? I really want to have you back again cause I think it would be fun to even talk about if heaven forbid you fall, what would you do? I think it would be interesting to kind of do a, a podcast or a program on some actual treatments that we can do. So.
Shelby Basciano (31:20): Can I give you one little hint and I’m sorry I spoke over you. Um. I was not a fan of the Apple watch, but you know that if you fall, it has an in a capability where it senses if you fall. And I think it’s such a great tool because so many people don’t want to get the medical alert. They feel like it’s a, yeah, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up. And you’re like, Oh, making fun. Like then you feel like you’re old. I think.
Debi Lynes (31:46): Right exactly.
Shelby Basciano (31:46): Look at it. If you can make that work.
Debi Lynes (31:50): Oh geez. I tell you what you are.
Shelby Basciano (31:52): And I’m not getting paid by Apple.
Debi Lynes (31:54): Well, I hope we are. So there you go. That would be a great thing.
Shelby Basciano (31:57): We would if they want some sponsor.
Debi Lynes (31:59): Exactly exactly, Shelby thank you so much. We’ve learned a lot. Thank you all for joining us here on aging in place for any stage in life.
Shelby Basciano (32:08): My professional name that my business cards have is Shelby Sharp that’s my maiden name. It’s just easier to remember than Basciano although legally I’m Basciano. I work at a beach city fitness and Hilton Head Island. And if you have any questions or you’re interested, you can contact me at ShelbyBasciano@gmail.com or hit me up on the website or Instagram and I’ll get back with you.
Debi Lynes (32:46): I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Tracy. Tracy is naturally curious and always creative. And when we were doing the Aging in Place Podcast, she said there are so many quick tips that I can think of offhand. My response, who knew she’s going to be with us every week, giving us a quick tip and to hint that is a practical application.
Tracy Snelling (33:16): Thanks Debi. Unless you’re being arrested, don’t raise your arms when it comes to aging in place. Remember your home is about functionality and safety everyday use or things you use frequently, especially in the kitchen. Need to be within easy reach. You have countertops for a reason. You may have just had a shoulder surgery or you have a six-year-old who wants a treat after school. You may even have your aging senior just wanting a cup of coffee. Putting things in easy reach will make things easier on all for the aging senior I watch over and for the most part is my research assistant to see if my who knew tips work every week. I placed these coffee cups in a drawer instead of a cabinet. The cups are the right height where they’re easily pulled out from the drawer. And another hint exactly how many coffee cups does a senior really need? Three. the answer is three. The less you store above your head, the less chance of having an accident. Who knew that raising your arms should just be for exercise and not reaching for your cereal bowl.
Debi Lynes (34:25): Probably one of the most fun things I do during this podcast is listening for the takeaways. This is no exception. Talking to Shelby today was a blast for me and I got a lot of practical tips, but the takeaway I want to share with you, the one that resonated with me the most is this: Ask your doctor for a prescription for an occupational therapist to come and do a home visit and a walkthrough. Wow. What a great way to learn some tips for health, wellness, and safety. Thank you all for joining us this week on aging in place for any stage in life.
Henrik de Gyor (35:03): Aging in Place Podcast is hosted by Debi Lynes and produced by Henrik de Gyor. If you have any comments or questions, send an email to debi@aginginplacepodcast.com. we would love to hear from you if you’re interested in advertising or sponsoring this podcast, email us that pr@aginginplacepodcast.com. Thank you for listening to Aging in Place Podcast.
Aging in Place Podcast 