Mental Health Services for the Elderly

Some signs of unsafe driving are: losing your way, having less confidence in your driving skills, other drivers honking at you, missing stop signs or traffic lights, mixing up the gas and brake pedals, having problems with lane changes and merging, having minor accidents or traffic tickets, your passenger needs to help you, or family and friends refuse to get in the car with you.

Signs of normal aging are: not being able to remember small details of a conversation or event that took place a year ago, not being able to remember the name of an acquaintance, forgetting things and events occasionally, occasionally having difficulty finding words, or you are worried about your memory but your relatives are not.

Signs of dementia: not being able to recall details of recent events or conversations, not recognizing or knowing the names of family members, forgetting things or events more frequently, frequent pauses and substitutions when finding words, or your relatives are worried about your memory, but you are not aware of any problems.

A power of attorney is a legal document in which one person (called the donor) gives authority to another person (called the attorney) to manage some or all of the donor’s financial affairs. Powers of attorney deal only with financial affairs, and not with personal decisions.

The law provides that the authority under a power of attorney ends if the donor becomes mentally incompetent and incapable of managing his or her own financial affairs. However, the law also allows a donor to include a clause in the power of attorney document allowing the attorney to continue acting even if the donor later becomes mentally incompetent. If this clause (called the enduring clause) is included in the power of attorney, the document is referred to as an enduring power of attorney.

The primary objective of the Adult Day Program is to strengthen the individual’s ability to function within their own home by preventing physical and mental deterioration, which so often results from social isolation and loneliness. The Adult Day Program is for older adults to meet other people and enjoy recreational activities away from home. Programming is designed for fun, fitness and social activity. The service is accessed through Home Care Services and there is a fee for this service.