With the advent of better medical care, people are living longer than ever before. According to Sharon McGraw, nursing professor at Northampton Community College , the fastest growing population is between the ages of eighty-five and ninety-nine years old. This group is considered in the medical practice to be “frail.” On Thursday, April 27, McGraw held an information session for people with elderly parents in the Paul and Harriet Mack Library.

McGraw said older people are classified in groups by age. The first group is “young old.” These people are between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-four years old. The second group is between seventy-five and eighty-four years old. They are referred to as “old old.” Anyone over one hundred years old is called the “elite old.” Due to more people reaching and surpassing one hundred, several greeting card makers now offer birthday cards for centenarians.

Who’s between the retired population and the youth? The “Sandwich Generation,” McGraw said. Aging parents are the top slice of bread, she explained, and the bottom slice consists of young children, teenagers, adult children, and grandchildren. Right in the middle are middle-aged adults.

“You feel like chopped liver,” she said. “You’re being squeezed out.”

One-third of the workforce population is caring for aging parents, McGraw said. Caregivers often feel depressed, experience insomnia, and get burnt out by the demands put on them to juggle work, family, and the responsibility of elderly relatives, she said. 51 percent of caregivers experience some depression.

“Be realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure,” McGraw said.

Don’t try to take care of an elderly parent alone, she said. Access help through adult day care services, support groups and get legal and financial advice. Also, it is perfectly natural to grieve the loss of who the person used to be.

To help relieve stress, McGraw suggested deep breathing exercises. An easy illustration of proper deep breathing techniques, she said, is to remember “smell the flowers” when breathing in and “blow out the candles” when breathing out. This reminds the person to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.

McGraw said the goal in caring for an elderly person is to make the transitions less frustrating for everyone. She recommends removing all of the throw rugs to prevent falls. Widen doorways. Use a red light for a nightlight in the bathroom, because elderly people can see the color red better than white. And invest in an emergency response service or buy a cell phone for the person to keep with him in case of an emergency. Some communities offer a call system where someone calls the elderly person everyday to check on him.

More information sessions are planned for the future, McGraw said. The topics will include communicating with an aging parent, when to stay home and when to leave, financial concerns, guardianship, cognitive problems, alcoholism and depression, driving issues, living with chronic disease, pet therapy, and “The Guilt Factor.” In the mean time, McGraw provided a listing of local and national resources with more information about issues affecting the elderly.

Community Resources and Websites

Adult Day Care/Services – Palmerton, 610-826-1160

Adult Day Care Program – Carbon County, 610-377-4664

The Alzheimer’s Association – 800-272-3900, local chapters available. www.alz.org

Alzheimer’s of Northeast Pennsylvania – 800-773-6677, 610-838-2552

The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging – 202-783-2242.

The American Association of Retired Persons – 202-434-3525. AARP Legal Services 888-687-2277. www.aarp.org

American Bar Association Senior Lawyer Division – Chicago, Ill., 312-988-5000

American Cancer Society – 888-227-5445

American Heart Association – 610-867-0583

American Lung Association – 610-867-4100

American Society of Aging – educates on issues about aging. www.cdc.gov/aging

ARC Carbon County Chapter – 610-377-6671

Arthritis Foundation – 800-355-9040, 610-776-6632

Black Lung Center – 610-377-7687, 570-385-2064

Carbon, Monroe and Pike Drug and Alcohol – 610-377-5177, after hours- 570-421-1960

Children of Aging Parents – 800-277-7294, a national organization for caregivers. www.caps4caregivers.org

Domestic Violence Service Center – 800-424-5600

Elderweb – resources and statistics about eldercare. www.elderweb.com

Independent Living Aids – 800-577-2118, products for the visually impaired. www.independentliving.com

Legal Hotline for Older Americans – 800-262-5297

Legal Services of Northeast Pennsylvania – 610-377-5400

The Lehigh County Office of Aging and Adult Services – www.lehighcounty.org

Lehigh Valley Hospice and Home Care – 610-826-7575

Lighthouse National Center for Vision and Aging – caregiver support. www.lighthouse.org

Meals on Wheels – Lehigh County, 610-398-2563; Northampton County, 610-691-1030

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys – 602-881-4005

The National Alliance for Caregiving – 301-718-8444

The National Association for Area Agencies on Aging/Eldercare Locator – 800-677-1116. www.n4a.org

The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers 602-881-8008. www.caremanager.org

The National Association for Spanish-Speaking Elderly – www.hispanicfederation.org

National Caucus and Center on Black Aged – www.ncba-aged.org

National Council on the Aging Inc. – www.ncoa.org

Office on Aging – Carbon County, 610-824-7830

PACE/PACENET – 717-787-7313

Pennsylvania Department of Aging Medical Assistance Waiver Program – 610-782-3200

Social Security – 800-772-1213