By Mason Crane-Bolton
6 “Must-Do”s This Fall
Fall is a wonderful time of year: fall strolls, warm cups of tea, falling leaves, and it’s the perfect time to get things done! Whether you have a to-do list already, or you’re planning only on basking in the cooler season, we have some items you should make room for on your itinerary.
- Get Your Home Ready for Winter.Get your home prepared for winter before cold temperatures and bad weather come knocking at the door! This fall do an inspection of your home inside and outside for projects that need to be finished for your own comfort and safety. Note any places where ice might accumulate around your door or walkway, as well as any cracks or gaps in walkways and steps that could trip you, and get them fixed before it’s too cold (or they’re covered in snow!).
2. Do an Energy Audit of Your Home.The high cost of winter heating bills is a burden for many older adults in New Jersey. Now is a great time to see how you can potentially lower your bills by giving your home an energy audit. Look for places where you might lose the most heat, such as: drafty or older windows and doors, gaps under doorways, or uninsulated attics and pipes. Ways to rectify these heat-losers include installing draft guards and installing temporary insulation on your windows and doors. Of course, you don’t have to do an energy audit alone! Your heat or energy service provider may be able to provide you with weatherization programs and consultations, or connect you with money-saving programs. For more information on energy providers and their services, watch this recent episode of Aging Insights: Aging Insights 89- Keeping the Lights On and More!
3. Get Involved in Your Community.Fall and winter can be difficult seasons for many people, especially older adults and individuals with mobility difficulties. The shorter hours of the seasons and the weather challenges of winter can make it harder for people to socialize, and the work of fall and winter chores like raking leaves and shoveling snow can be difficult or dangerous for many individuals. Fall is a great time to get out and connect with others in your community to help prevent “winter blues” down the road! Utilize your current social networks or make new ones by checking out local resources like libraries, town halls and municipal buildings, and community centers for older adults. Check in on neighbors and connect with those who could lend a helping hand or might need one. Need help with outside chores like raking leaves and shoveling snow? Ask your community center for older adults or senior center if they have volunteers they can connect you with OR ask a neighbor and trade services (you can ask for assistance with chores and help them with a skill of your own, including life advice!), it will be a win-win for everyone.
4. Get Your Documents in Order.There’s no time like the present when it comes to preparation, and preparing for your and your family’s future is no exception. Although preparing for legal and medical care and end-of-life care can be complicated and difficult for many, waiting offers no benefit—going through an emergency or end-of-life care without carefully laid plans in place will only make the process more difficult for everyone. Make sure you have a will, power of attorney, and a medical decision-making document (such as a Practitioner Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form, though there are many others). We know this is a complicated decision for many and to help we recently aired this episode of Aging Insight to help you understand what you need and why: Aging Insights 96- The Three Most Important Documents
5. Create a Disaster Plan.Don’t wait until blizzard season and sub-freezing temperatures to make a disaster plan! The worst time to need a disaster plan and not have one is when you’re in the middle of an emergency. Each September is National Preparedness Month, a time when you should review your disaster plans or create one if you don’t have one already. It may seem daunting to create a disaster preparation plan, but there are many resources to help you figure out what you need to include in your own plan and how to do so. Back in September 2018, we at NJFA created a blog post to specifically address the need for disaster preparedness and how you can prepare, which you can read here: NJFA Blog: Planning Ahead for Disaster and Staying Safe!. We’re not the only resource out there—we’d also recommend gov, the governmental website dedicated to disaster preparation.
6. Sign Up for Assistance Programs.Assistance programs can carry a certain stigma with them; many people don’t want to sign up for assistance programs because they feel uncomfortable receiving help, or believe they won’t qualify. While not everyone qualifies for each program due to qualification restrictions imposed by state and federal guidelines, many programs suffer from underenrollment (in NJ only 48% of eligible persons are signed up for SNAP benefits!). The process can be confusing and complicated or plain daunting, especially when receiving assistance from different programs may require a separate application for each program. However, the recent development of the NJ Save application has made applying for programs a little easier through combining several different applications into one, easier-to-use online application. On a recent Aging Insights we spoke to two representatives from the NJ Division of Aging Services, who explained to us what NJ Save is and how to use it: Aging Insights 91- NJ Save Saves You!. Currently NJ Save covers several, but not all, assistance programs; be sure to investigate what other programs you might be eligible for, some of which are listed in our most recent blog post: NJFA Blog: The Importance of Programs.
Whether or not you came here with plans for fall, now’s the time to make time for each item on this list! Don’t let the fall pass you by, and don’t let winter come with you un- or under-prepared. By reading this list you’ve taken the first step in becoming informed so now, before you jump into preparations, take a minute to breathe in that cool, crisp air and watch a few leaves float gently to the ground. Happy Fall everyone!
If you have feedback or would like to be part of the conversation, leave us a comment below or email us as office@njfoundationforaging.org.
Come back for our next blog! New posts are published on the first and third Thursdays of each month.
Mason Crane-Bolton is Communications Manager for the New Jersey Foundation for Aging. His writing has appeared in Epiphany, UU World, To Wake/To Rise, and others.