Alzheimer’s Care Giving While Maintaining Your Own Health

July 23rd, 2010

By: Deborah Uetz

Published: August 31, 2007

Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to remember the way you felt as you were trying to make sense of things as you awoke. As you imagine or remember this sensation do you find yourself wondering if it is morning or night? Are you trying to remember where you are? Do you have a startle reaction and think for a moment that you are late for work or forgot to pick up your children at school? I have had that upsetting feeling if I wake up in the middle of the night or even after a nap. Now imagine that same fog every moment of your life…

So many care givers find themselves frustrated with an Alzheimer’s sufferer. They may say things like “He just doesn’t seem to care if I am with him or not” or “He doesn’t enjoy doing anything any more.” I know that it is so hard to accept the changes in your loved one and know that this is going to be your reality. If you can remind yourself that the behaviors are organic it will help. The plaque is building up and spreading over the surface of the brain just as a grassfire moves across a dry field. As it covers more areas your loved falls deeper into that fog. Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t show up like a broken one or a surgical scar but the effects are just as real.

When the things they say or do cause you to feel angry or sad do you best to remember that it is the disease…not your loved one. That’s when it is time for some care giver TLC.

Care giver burnout is a very real occurrence. If you are caring for someone you must include your own needs each day. Your health may decline at a faster rate than the person you are caring for if your dietary, emotional and physical needs are not met. Skipping your checkups with Dr.s is not an option.

You may be asking “How am I supposed to do all of this all by myself?” The answer is simple. You can’t do it all alone. The first step to healthy care giving is accepting the fact that you have limitations. Every human being does. You can only stay awake, maintain your health and keep up with the demands for a limited amount of time. When you reach your limit you may find yourself suffering from care giver burnout. You may have trouble concentrating, experience nervous tension, and you may find it difficult to fight off resentment toward your loved one or others in your family that you feel should be assisting you.

Reach out. Call upon your family, friends, church and community organizations. Your local hospitals will have information regarding community resources. This information can usually be found by contacting the Social Services Department. Another good resource is the Alzheimer’s Association. By taking care of your health you will, in turn be a better care giver.

Deborah Uetz

Author of Into the Mist, When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer’s Disease

Deborah Uetz
Author of Into the Mist, When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer’s Disease website http://www.intothemist.us

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Paying For Elder Care Just Got Easier

July 23rd, 2010

By: Chuck Bongiovanni

Published: June 22, 2007

It’s not a surprise that thousands of families across the nation are facing the challlenges of an aging population. The “sandwich” generation, those who are caring for their children as well as their parents, have been feeling the financial pinch of caring for loved ones. Paying the high cost of Elder Care can cost a family thousands of dollars a month. Too many families are unaware of how utilizing a loved one’s life insurance policy can not only pay for Assisted Living and Nursing Home care, but can maintain the standards of living for the remaining spouse.

Not too many financial specialist inform their clients who have purchased life insurance policies with a death benefit over $250,000 that they can utilize a somewhat unknown option on their life insurance to pay for the high cost of Elder Care. It is called a Life Settlement and it can fully take the financial burden off of families who struggle to keep their loved one in a quality facility.

A policy owner has the right to sell his or her life insurance policy to an institution for signifantly more than the cash value of the policy. For example, a life insurance policy with a $500,000 death benefit and a $75,000 cash value can be purchased for $250,000 and up. This money can be used now to pay for assisted living, nursing homes as well as in home services also. The procedure is relatively quick with minimal paperwork. It is senseless to struggle financially to pay for the needs of elderly loved ones when they can utilize their life insurance policy to pay for care. Many, many times life insurance policies lapse when a loved one goes into assisted living or a nursing home just out of financial neccessity as well as through medicaid planning.

Instead of letting a policy lapse or into surrendership, smart families are looking into life settlements as a funding source for the high expense of Elder Care.

Chuck Bongiovanni, M.S.W. has been helping seniors and their fanmilies for over 20 years in the assisted living industry. Chuck can help your family investigate your options for paying for Elder Care through a Life Settlement. You can go to his website at http://www.LifeTransitionsOnline.com or call him directly at 480-703-7005.

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Medicaid Planning

June 29th, 2010

A person facing the prospect of long-term care with moderate income and assets may eventually have to rely on Medicaid to pay part or all of the cost of care. In the Medicaid chapter we learn of provisions to protect a healthy spouse financially. But many states rob a healthy spouse of a previously adequate income by allowing too little in protected resources and income. Likewise, children, relatives and friends are not recognized for the financial sacrifices they make in providing the early care before a recipient becomes bad enough to need Medicaid funded professional help.

Medicaid planning, using a professional Medicaid planning advisor allows you to correct inequities in the system. Medicaid planning has gotten a bad name because some individuals, who would normally have too many assets to ever qualify for Medicaid, deliberately use it, many years in advance, to give away everything to their family so as to qualify for Medicaid. It is wrong to abuse the system in this way and to use taxpayer dollars to insure an inheritance for the family. And if that person is not anticipating immediate care, this strategy is just plain dumb.

Some Medicaid planners will attempt to discredit other forms of funding long-term care such as using insurance or a reverse mortgage. They do this in order to discourage the public from using these other strategies. The intent is to limit competition ensuring that paying clients will rely entirely on Medicaid planning as a solution. On the other hand, many long term care funding specialists will use the same strategy against Medicaid planners to eliminate competition from their services. These people make Medicaid planners appear as evil or dishonest. Medicaid planning is no different from tax planning. In fact a Supreme Court decision condones honest methods of eliminating income taxes or estate taxes. Tax planning and Medicaid planning both put an additional burden on taxpayers, but one is considered ethical and the other not.

We believe that all strategies have their place in the scheme of things. Medicaid planning fits certain circumstances usually where families are in a crisis mode trying to preserve a few assets such as a house or a savings plan. There is no attempt to take advantage of the taxpayers. Using other strategies for paying the cost of care is much better for a younger generation wanting a plan that will allow for home care, assisted living and a choice in care services.

Tom Day, http://www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare_medicaid_planning.htm

Aging Avenues can help you with qualifying for Medicaid without spending all your assets. Give us a call 317-731-3315

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Medicare Star Rating System

June 29th, 2010

I often hear how facilities can have inspections with Immediate Jeopardy and recieve a 5-Star rating. This is a good explanation on how the system works.

Investigative Report Questions Five-Star Rating System for Nursing Homes
From Elder Law Answers

How reliable are the ratings given nursing homes under the five-star rating system that the federal government recently instituted? Not very, according to an investigative report by the Massachusetts magazine Commonwealth.

In an in-depth discussion of the rating system, the report highlights numerous instances in which facilities received above-average overall ratings despite being cited for serious deficiencies in care, some of which resulted in serious injuries of residents.

The rating system, which was launched in December 2008 by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), gives nursing homes a rating of between one and five stars. A five-star designation means the facility ranks “much above average” compared to other facilities in its state, while a one-star designation means that a facility ranks “much below average” in the state. The rankings, which are updated monthly, are based on a nursing home’s performance in three areas: quality measures, nurse staffing levels and health inspection reports.

The problem, according to the report, is that the rating scheme uses a quota system to rank facilities. Nursing homes that rank in the top 10 percent in health inspections in each state receive five-star ratings in that rating category, while facilities in the bottom 20 percent receive one-star ratings. This “grading on a curve” approach means that homes with serious deficiencies can still score high as long as their inspection records are better than most other homes in their state, while in another state a home with few problems could nevertheless receive a mediocre or poor rating.

Adding to the confusion is that the star ratings are heavily weighted by the health inspections, which are conducted by state surveyors and, according to the report, “vary considerably in scope and depth from state to state.” The report points out that Massachusetts inspectors give nursing homes relatively few deficiency citations, resulting in “grade inflation” where the top 10 percent of homes would not necessarily be as outstanding as the top facilities in another state.

Disturbed by these issues, last year the attorneys general of 30 states sent a letter to CMS asking it to suspend and revise the rating system.

Nursing home consumer advocates appear conflicted about the rating system: on the one hand, they see it as a useful tool for consumers, but on the other they concede that it includes some four- and five-star homes that have been cited for negligence that resulted in deaths or injuries of patients.

According to the Commonwealth report, Edward F. Mortimer, technical director of the Survey and Certification Group for CMS, “says the star ratings should be only the starting point in the search for a nursing home, and he urged consumers to dig deeper into the information provided on the website and to visit homes in person.”

Despite problems with the ratings of individual facilities, one overall trend that has emerged from the rating system is the general superiority of non-profit nursing homes compared with for-profit homes, the report points out.

http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=8259&Section=4&state=

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Senior Safety – Top 4 Fall Prevention Tools For Seniors

May 31st, 2010

Fall prevention is one of the biggest senior safety concerns for the elderly, especially those that live alone. Slip and fall accidents are one of the leading causes for seniors having to go to the hospital. But there are a number of helpful living aides that will help prevent these accidents. Here are the top 5 senior safety fall prevention tools for the elderly.

Number one on the list for senior safety and fall prevention is a recliner lift chair. Lounging in a recliner can be very comfortable for seniors. But these big chairs are typically very difficult to get out of and even sit down into. If the senior has a lift recliner that can be very helpful and help ensure their safety.

A lift recliner has the ability to raise and tilt to a position where the senior can get in and out of the chair in a standing position. These chairs are electronically operated by a simple hand control. They come in different versions all with different degrees of recline.

Another helpful tool for seniors that will help prevent slip and fall accidents is a walker with wheels. This is also called a rollator.

As a person ages it is a cane that is the first tool to be used for stability when walking. Then as mobility and balance decline further there is a need for a walker. The traditional walker can be a little challenging to use as it must be lifted slightly with each step. A rollator has wheels. Some versions have wheels on all four legs, others have wheels on just one set of the legs.

Some versions of this helpful tool also have hand brakes for added safety. Many also come with a seat so if the user gets tired they can easily sit down for a quick rest.

A stair chair or stair lift can also be a very helpful item that will aid a senior with mobility challenges. Stairs can be especially difficult for an elderly person to manage and that can be a very dangerous place for a fall to occur. A stair lift is built like a chair and it is attached to a rail and transports the senior, in a sitting position, up and down the stairs.

The stair lift is easy to use and can be operated with a simple rocker switch on most versions. For added safety many also come with a seat belt so the user doesn’t have to worry about falling out of the chair.

Many slip and fall accidents occur in the bathroom and that can be a very hazardous place for the elderly. Most everyone knows that there should be railings put in place in showers baths and around toilet areas. But another important tool for seniors in this area of the home is a bath lift.

If the senior has trouble raising and lowering themselves into a bath that is exactly what a bath lift will do for them. Most bath lifts are plastic, though some are inflatable. They are powered by rechargeable battery systems and they are safe to use around the water.

These are all senior safety tools that can be a big help for seniors and keep them falling. If you would like to learn more about the very popular lift recliners you can go here to: Electric Lift Chair. Also, here is where you can go for a great selection in the very popular Recliner Lift Chairs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_S_Myers

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Caring For a Senior Family Member at Home

May 31st, 2010

Taking care of a loved one at home after a major illness or surgery can be an overwhelming task both physically and mentally. The responsibilities are challenging for both the one being cared for and those taking the lead for the primary care. In some cases the recovering family member may have some reservations and an unwillingness to ask their son or daughter to give up a job to care for them. In these cases, having professional home care Chapel Hill, NC can help in easing the patients concerns and allow both family members and the one being cared for with more quality time together.

In almost all cases, there are going to be reasons that your loved one may not want to consider the option of in-home health care. Therefore, it is important before relying on home care Durham NC to provide part or full responsibilities for the patients care to listen to your loved one’s concerns. Take time to note what they may be worried about and go over these during interviews while searching for just the right care service.

One of the first arguments you may hear is that your loved one doesn’t believe they need help. So, in these cases while discussing senior care Chapel Hill NC that you let your loved one know having outside help is more for your peace of mind- which in almost all situations is the reason for seeking care. Taking care of our loved ones isn’t about physically being there 24/7 but knowing that when we can’t be there someone competent and committed to their wellbeing will be but without taking away their feelings of independence.

Home care not only provides in-home medical care but can also take on some of the errands outside of the home, if the recovering loved one is a bit apprehensive about a new person in the house. As the care worker becomes more familiar to the loved one, trust and friendship is gained and can facilitate a working relationship that benefits both the patient and the family.

While recovering at home, most physicians strongly suggest that the family employ outside assistance. Therefore, if there may be other reasons that the patient balks at this kind of service, the family can simply counter that argument with the physician’s release orders from the hospital. Usually this will end the resistance and facilitate the transition from hospital to home care, in Durham, Clayton, or Chapel Hill NC.

At one time or another, most families will face taking care of a loved one, whether that be during recovery or for end of life care. And there are no easy answers or ways to ease all the burdens placed on those family members. These people are trained in medical or physical care as well as dealing with the inevitable emotional strains. The one saving grace is that there are people trained and ready to take some of the responsibilities from the family and allow everyone to be more at ease with the situation. Today, with these advances in care, many families are able to care for loved ones at home, where both the patient and the family are most at ease.

Written by Jenny Heart. Quality home care Durham NC: Receive senior care Chapel Hill NC, alzheimer’s and elder care through home care Chapel Hill NC, Clayton, Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Heart

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Six Steps to Organizing an Older Relatives Move – Part 1

April 22nd, 2010




6 Steps to Organizing an Older Relative’s Move

A two-part series by Lisa Trottier, Caring.com contributing editor. Article provided by Caring.com. Copyright © 2010, Caring.com.

Preparing to move an older relative out of his home

Step 1: Get the whole family on board

Moving an older relative from his family home to a new — and usually smaller — residence is labor intensive for you and emotionally disruptive for him. Tempting though it may be, it’s not a good idea to "surprise" a family member by sorting through his stuff when he’s not around. If you try to make an executive decision about his belongings, chances are, you’re headed for a run-in with him or others in your family.

To help prevent emotional flare-ups and ensure a smooth process, schedule a meeting with the whole family, if possible, to discuss the plan of attack well ahead of the move-out date. (If you can’t get together, do it by phone.) Hash out some guidelines: Under what circumstances will you call each other on "keep or discard" decisions? When will you consult the person who’s moving? What key possessions would you and your other family members like to keep in the family?

Encourage the person who’s moving to actively participate in decisions. For example, adult children often want to throw away old furniture and buy newer, more attractive pieces for their parent’s new home. But the parent should be able to pick what comes with him, says Dollar. "Let them take their own furniture if they want to — they know what will make them most comfortable in their new home, and sentimental value often counts for more than aesthetics."

Step 2: Work slowly when packing up — think months, not days

Your relative’s home is more than just a roof over his head: It’s the place where he feels most comfortable, a museum of his memories and life stories.

Complicating matters, if he lived through the lean Depression years, chances are he’s spent a lifetime saving and collecting. Decades of squirreling away can add up to a house that’s packed floorboard to rafter with stuff. As you begin organizing for a move, keep in mind that seemingly worthless belongings may have huge sentimental value for him, and he’ll need time to sort through his things on his own terms. Try to resist the urge to execute the move as quickly as possible.

"It really needs to be a three- to four-month process. You need to give an older adult time to go through the love letters, the report cards, and the photographs from the Grand Canyon," says Jacqueline Dollar, a geriatric care manager in Des Moines, Iowa. "It’s a wonderful chance to go back and reaffirm the full, productive life that he’s had."

Step 3: Get real about the size of your older relative’s new place

"In almost every case I’ve been involved with, people take more stuff than will fit in their new space," says Gayle Grace, a moving coordinator in Oakland, California. "Many times I’ve been called back in to help do more weeding out after the move."

Avoid this situation by first getting a sense of how much square footage and storage your relative will have in his new home. What he can keep will depend on how much room you have to work with. Getting realistic about space constraints up front — even sitting down with him to sketch out what can go where — will help force some of the harder decisions about what to get rid of.

To find a senior move manager in Indianapolis who will handle make sorting, getting rid of and moving easier visit Aging Avenues.com.

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Adult Day Care or Adult Day Services Can Fill the Gap for Caregivers

April 22nd, 2010

This is a great article I found on AgingCare.com about Adult Day Services -

Which sounds better? Let’s go, Dad. We need to get you dressed for day care. Or Hey, Dad let’s get you ready. The guys at the club are waiting!

If your Alzheimer’s afflicted dad is dragging his feet about going to adult day services and you need to get to work, which do you think would be more effective? It’s pretty obvious that the more respectful, dignified question would get the best response.

Whether called adult day services, adult day care, the club or volunteer work,- whatever seems right for the sake of the specific elder – these services have been a well-kept secret for years. Far too many people don’t realize they have this care option.

Just for the record, I try to stay away from the day care term, because there is a certain stigma of childhood that goes with it. I am a proponent of treating elders with dignity – no matter how child like they may have become. So, I prefer the term adult day services. Variable terminology aside, adult day services can be extremely helpful. When an elder is in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s, probably able to live at home with some care, but at risk for wandering or leaving a stove turned on if left alone for long periods, adult day services can be a life saver, literally.

Many people will try in-home care for awhile. They will hire an agency to bathe and dress the elder, but then what? What does the elder do all day? Day services can be a good option, at least a few days a week, as the elder gets out and is able to socialize with peers.

In cases where one spouse is healthy but can’t care for the other spouse day and night, or when the well spouse just needs time off, day services can be an option. It can also work well if the elder with Alzheimer’s disease lives with adult children. In most homes, both adults must work. Often there are children of varying ages involved, as well. When everyone must go to school or work, who looks after the elder? Day services can fill the gap.

Many adult services have a handicapped accessible bus that will pick up the elder. There should be someone on the bus trained to work with the elder and who can become a familiar face. Other times, you may have to drop the elder off, or maybe that just works better for your elder. Generally there are choices. Day services provide social stimulation for the elder, as well as activities and safety. Many have a nurse on call or on the premises, to administer medications.

By Carol Bradley Bursack

To learn more about Adult Day Services in Indianapolis and to locate the best providers for your loved one visit Aging Avenues.com or call 317-731-3315.

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Nursing Home Abuse

April 5th, 2010

By: Patricia Woloch

 

If your elderly loved one needs special care and attention, you may consider a nursing home. Unfortunately, it’s a shocking reality that nursing home abuse and neglect has become commonplace.

Assessing Nursing Home Safety

A thorough investigation of the facility you are considering is crucial. Asking the right questions and closely observing the facility you are considering can go a long way in preventing nursing home abuse. Ask these questions as you tour the facility:

· Are the nursing home and its current administrator licensed?

· Does the nursing home conduct background checks on all staff?

· How thorough are the background checks?

· Does the nursing home provide special services units for residents with special needs?

· Does the nursing home require abuse prevention training for its employees?

How Common is Nursing Home Abuse?

For the most part, nursing homes and other facilities that care for our elderly do an excellent job in meeting standards of compassionate care in a safe, efficient and sanitary environment. Rather than punishing the entire industry with additional laws that will increase costs, tougher standards imposed on those facilities that blatantly violate the law are needed. However, the facts remain that nursing home abuse continues to rise, with incidents in the thousands.

Congress found that that over 30 % of U.S. nursing homes were cited for abuse violations between January 1999 and January 2001. Over 2,500 of those violations were severe enough to cause serious injury or death. Since the time of that study, the nursing home industry has attempted to reform its policies and procedures to accommodate more thorough background checks of its employees, but is continually hampered by low budgets and high operating costs.

Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing home abuse and neglect can come in many forms, including:

· Bedsores

· Malnutrition

· Failure to thrive

· Physical abuse

· Mental abuse

· Sexual abuse

· Loss of personal hygiene

· Unusual depression

· Unexplained bruises, cuts or broken bones

Taking Every Report Seriously

Sometimes, because of the frail mental condition of the elderly individual, staff and family members disregard their reports of abuse. Investigators believe most cases are never reported. It is our job to protect the victims of abuse and bring the abusers to justice. If your loved one reports nursing home abuse, take the time to listen and investigate.

About the Author

Consult with a qualified nursing home abuse attorney, like Craig Goldenfarb in West Palm Beach, Florida, to understand your rights and your loved one’s rights and to pursue your case according to the law.

(ArticlesBase SC #564515)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Nursing Home Abuse

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Discover How Brain Fitness Exercizes Work

April 5th, 2010

By: Michael Logan

It turns out that brain fitness exercises work in at least three ways, depending on the kind of exercise we are doing, a thinking exercise or a physical exercise, or a computerized training.

Exercize could mean running or lifting weights or practicing one of the new brain exercise programs or monitoring and changing cognitions, which is what Dr. Judith Beck has shown to be effective in her diet solution plan.

The physical exercise of running or lifting weights encourages neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells.

The cognitive behavioral exerises that Dr. Beck used have been shown to reduce activation in the fear center of the brain, called the amydala.

Her work was done using fMRI or functional magetic resonance imaging to observe differing levels of activation in folks suffering from a spider phobia.

The activation in the amygdala after a regimen of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT was much reduced.

In other words, folks did not experience as intense a fear response to spiders as they had prior to the CBT training

The computerized brain fitness programs have been shown, depending on which research you are looking at,to improve memory and processing speed in Senior Citizens (IMPACT study) and IQ in folks using a different program.

Another program has been endorsed by educators, and another adopted by a major university basketball team, with their team in the NCAA final four last year.

The work of Buschkall and Jaegge using the dual n back task has indicated that IQ can be improved, and that there may be no upper limit to what can be done in that regard. More training increases your scores.

Of course, high IQ does not translate into fame and fortune, or even successful relationships. Just a cautionary note for the needy.

Physical exercise has an excellent positive impact on the brain.

Since the brain is the organ which needs the most food and blood, any exercise which increases blood flow will have a positive impact on the brain.

Recently I read that exercise is the best antidote that exists to the issue of insulin resistance, a precursor of diabetes.

That is just one of a plethora of benefits that lifting weights or running or walking will have on your brain.

Just to remind everyone that the current recommendations state that you either engage in: a) 30 minutes/day of moderate intensity 5 or more days of the week; or b) 30 minutes per day of high intensity interval training for at least three days of the week.

A general guideling that people can adhere to is that moderate exercise can get you breathing heavy enough that you can still talk but not sing. High intensity would make a conversation a little difficult.

I have been trying out some HIIT workouts at home, using home made tools, except for an exercise ball, and they do make you breathless, but are not complicated. If you can walk up and down stairs, do push-ups, and or crunches, or walk in your neighborhood, you will be able to take advantage of the benefits of physical exercise, including increased neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells.

Hopefully you are encouraged to work at whatever level you are comfortable with in order to benefit your brain with physical exercise or cognitive exercise or computerized brain fitness exercises.

About the Author

Michael S. Logan is a brain fitness expert, a counselor, a student of Chi Gong, and licensed one on one HeartMath provider. I enjoy the spiritual, the mythological, and psychological, and I am a late life father to Shane, 10, and Hannah Marie, 4, whose brains are so amazing. http://www.askmikethecounselor2.com

(ArticlesBase SC #833750)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Discover How Brain Fitness Exercizes Work

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