Life-saving gifts great holiday choice for seniors

The hustle and bustle and ribbons and bows, not to mention the traffic, is enough to take the wind out of your holiday sails.

And then there is the pressure of finding just the right gift. This can be especially taxing when the giftee is a senior who either doesn’t really need any more “stuff” or has downsized and has no room for said stuff.

Well, how does a potentially life-saving gift sound?

The Penobscot County Area Triad has just the thing.

The File of Life. This 4-inch- by-3-inch plastic pocket contains a senior’s pertinent medical information, such as medications and doses, doctors’ names, emergency contacts and medical conditions. The file is held in place on the refrigerator by a magnetic strip on the back, and comes with a red “File of Life” sticker for the front door. This sticker will alert responding emergency personnel to look for the file.

“The Files are great because all the information I need is right there,” said Cheri Volta, paramedic for Capital Ambulance. “For instance, if a patient has had a stroke and can’t answer my questions or is in pain, he or she doesn’t want me asking questions. They just want me to stop their pain.

“The File really streamlines patient care because I can focus on the patient without asking a lot of questions,” she said. “I have even taken the File off the refrigerator before, and taken it to the hospital with the patient.”

The File of Life is a great stocking stuffer. It also is a great way to connect with aging parents about their health because you can all sit down together and fill out the File’s information card.

Call Eastern Agency and we will send you a File – free of charge.

Now that your personal information is easy to find, how about your house? Is it easily located, even in the dark?

Triad has that covered too.

“Penobscot County Jail inmates are making the 6-inch- by-8-inch house number signs of highly reflective materials which meet the 9-1-1 standards,” said Glenn Ross, Penobscot County sheriff and Triad vice president. “The signs have a strong aluminum backing and can be placed on the house itself, or on a steel stake which will be positioned at the end of the driveway. Being reflective, these signs are very visible at night.”

The deluxe package, which includes two single-sided signs, one to face each way, a post and an attachment bolt, is $10, the same cost as one single-sided sign which would face toward the street. The third option, for $4, is just the single-sided sign, which can be bolted directly to the house.

When seconds count, the File of Life and a good reflective house number can literally mean the difference between life and death.

“What better Christmas present to an elderly parent, friend or even yourself than to give this potentially life-saving home identification? It is an inexpensive way to help ensure the safety of our seniors,” said Ross.

And the peace of mind is priceless.

For more information on the 9-1-1 House Numbering Project, contact your town office or the sheriff’s office at 947-4585.

And finally, if your hands are a little chilly, even at home, there’s no need to crank up the thermostat.

Ardeana Hamlin, Weekly staffer and By Hand columnist for the Bangor Daily News, recommends mitts, which are like tubes that slip over the hands, have a slit for the thumb and leave the fingers exposed. If you find this as intriguing as I did, Ardeana has graciously offered to share her pattern for mitts with anyone who sends a self-addressed stamped envelope to The Weekly, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, 04401.

I hope these suggestions help make your holidays smooth sailing.

Carol Higgins is the communications director at the Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865, e-mail info@eaaa.org, or log on www.eaaa.org.