What's Going on with Mom? Call the Hairdresser

Q. I’m worried about my 80-year-old mother’s health, but I can never get any information out of her. Any ideas?

Why not call her hairdresser? Hair stylists may have a unique opportunity to help steer their elderly clients to needed health services, according to a small, exploratory study. More than 80 percent of 40 Columbus, Ohio, area stylists surveyed said that older clients often or always shared their problems during appointments.

“Hair stylists are in a great position to notice when their older clients are starting to suffer from depression, dementia or self-neglect,” said Keith Anderson, assistant professor of social work at Ohio State University and co-author of the study that appeared in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

Study participants reported that, on average, about one-third of their clients were 60 years old or older. Anderson said the results suggest that most stylists do develop close long-term relationships with their older clients.

About 85 percent of stylists described their relationships with older clients as “close” or “very close.” About 72 percent said their role was like one of “family” to some of their older customers.

Health and family problems are the issues most often brought up by elderly customers – more than three-quarters of stylists have heard such complaints, the survey revealed. And more than a third of stylists said clients have discussed problems with depression or anxiety. The vast majority of stylists said their response to hearing their clients’ problems is to offer sympathy and support, and to try to cheer them up. But fewer than half said they have given advice, and only about one-quarter have tried to get the client to speak to someone who can help them.

That’s not because they are unwilling to help, Anderson said. About two-thirds said they are willing to refer an older client to appropriate services. But the problem, Anderson said, is that more than half – 52 percent – said they were unfamiliar with community services that may be helpful to older adults.

One of those resources is Home Instead Senior Care, a company with franchises in more than 600 U.S. communities whose CAREGivers help keep seniors independent. Log on to www.homeinstead.com/627 or call 301-846-9922 for more information about the many services our company provides to seniors in Frederick County.

For more information about the study, log on to http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/salontherapy.htm.