At-home senior care company launches new training to help families understand the challenges of aging

A Minnesota at-home senior care company is launching new resources meant to help families understand what their aging loved ones are going through.

This past year has been particularly hard on older adults. For many, the pandemic has brought on feelings of isolation and overwhelming loneliness, while the natural process of aging brings challenges of its own.

Home Instead wants to help families and the public have more understanding and empathy when it comes to what aging adults are experiencing.

"Our world is really not designed to support older adults who are living with diminished senses," said Jim Pitzner, president of Home Instead in Maplewood.

The company has developed free online resources to help families better understand the challenges of sensory loss. Pitzner said the most common and most feared sensory loss in seniors is vision loss and hearing loss is second. This training offers simulations to help people experience what losing these senses can be like.

"Many aging adults who experience sensory loss are actually afraid to let others know that they’re experiencing that and many times loves one’s don’t even realize that this is happening," Pitzner said, "There’s a do-it-yourself kind of kit where you can simulate what it’s like to have partial blindness or glaucoma."

The training courses simulate what it can be like to live with arthritis or the loss of the sense of touch. The goal is to help the Minnesota public better connects with older adults in the community.