BRUNSWICK — Aging isn’t easy. New pains, new problems and new needs can emerge to turn the tables on adult children to make them, suddenly, a caregiver.

On Dec. 7, a panel hosted by the Community Health Information Partnership discussed a variety of issues related to caring for loved ones who are reaching the age when living alone, driving and caring for oneself becomes a steeper hill to climb.

Marla Davis, Mid Coast Hospital’s director for community health improvement, said during the panel discussion that the challenges of caring for loved ones as they age often presents “situations that you ignore until it’s right in front of you.”

The panel covered topics ranging from practical to grim, with questions ranging from when and how to approach a loved one about driving problems to how to arrange for a loved one’s end of life care.

Nancy Herk-Bott, executive director of Brunswick Area Respite Care, spoke alongside a five-person panel and shared information on her program’s adult day service located at the United Methodist Church in Brunswick.

The program meets daily from 9: 30 a. m. to 3: 30 p. m., offering activities, meals, help with paperwork for programs like Medicaid and MaineCare, and other support services.

Herk-Bott said that a majority of participants in “ the club” are among the 40,000 Mainers dealing with Alzheimer’s or dementia, both diseases causing severe memory loss that make it hard for older adults to live independently.

In some cases, the first challenge to independence comes when a person loses the ability to drive.

Brunswick Community Police Officer Terry Goan said his department most often encounters those having trouble behind the wheel only after it results in a traffic violation or, worse, an accident.

For drivers older than 75, Goan said, the statistics are “scary.”

“Drivers 75 years and older have a higher crash rate than the 16 to 24 age range ( per miles driven),” Goan said.

“We’re usually not involved until there is an issue or concern,” Goan said.

Intervening and speaking to a person about a waning ability to drive can be difficult after an accident or traffic violation, Goan said, and for concerned relatives, the challenge of intervening before that can be unpleasant.

One audience member said she was struggling with how to approach her mother about the issue.

While Goan said it can be difficult for police to intervene, and Bott said she feels physicians still “have a long way to go” in reporting people who should no longer be driving, driving tests can help assess a person’s suitability to drive, and refresher courses can review basic driving lessons that Goan said many have only taken once before gaining a license.

In cases where an aging parent lives alone or prepares their own meals, Alison Fernald, a Mid Coast Hospital outpatient dietitian, said focusing on changing nutrition needs can be critical to living a healthy life in later years.

In general, Fernald said, she advocates for following a Mediterranean diet — staying away from processed foods and reducing portions of meat and protein in relation to portions of fruits and vegetables.

For exercise, Kim Morin, an occupational therapist at Parkview Adventist Medical Center, said that a number of local programs through organizations like the YMCA, People Plus and Spectrum Generations can help.

Regarding end-of-life planning, Parkview care manager Amy Brewer said she encourages people to begin thinking about these issues early.

“The take-home message is that I’d like people to start thinking about life planning before they get into that crisis situation,” Brewer said.

One step toward that planning is putting together what is called a “file of life,” Morin said, in which medical information can be stored for reference in the case of an emergency hospitalization.

For access to more information about these topics and related services in the Midcoast region, CHIP materials are available through local libraries directly, through interlibrary loans, at CHIP’s website — chiplibrary.org — or by calling CHIP coordinator Linda Oliver at 725-5242 extension 204. 

dfishell@timesrecord.com