Q: My mother is 80. A widow who lives at home alone. She is getting older, and I feel that it’s    getting harder for her to manage on her own.

What can be done to help her?

A: True, at some point it gets harder for an aging parent to perform everyday functions.

First of all, you can ask for the assistance of a caregiver, based on the National Insurance Agency’s Nursing Care Law. A person is entitled to this help if he or she is of retirement age, and needs assistance in everyday functions, or requires supervision due to deterioration in memory or mental state. A male or female caregiver gives assistance, 9.75 or 15.5 hours a week.

To receive this help, you must file a request to the National Insurance Agency, on a form, which may be obtained at the Agency’s branches, or at private nursing care companies.

Second, installing an emergency beeper in the home is highly recommended. With this device, an elderly person may contact a call center and get help 24 hours a day. A social worker in the local authority’s social services department will help you.

Finally, encourage you mother to participate in social activities at a local club or day center for the elderly.

These activities dispel loneliness and preserve her functioning. All local authorities run such clubs. You can find out more at your local authority’s department of social services.