Mother’s Day is a time that brings families together. But sometimes those family gatherings can leave adult children with a heavy heart…especially if Mom or Dad isn’t doing as well as they once were.  Unfortunately we all decline as we age, some of us more drastically than others.  And it is sometimes difficult to know when it’s time to step in and offer some additional support. 

Signs that an older adult may need more assistance include:

• Stacks of unopened mail
• Very little fresh food in the fridge
• Unanswered messages on the answering machine
• An older adult’s  balance is precarious
• They seem excessively tired
• Signs of confusion or memory loss

Any of these signs by itself may not be concerning.  But if you’re seeing more than one it might be time to get a little help.  If you’re not sure, call us and let us help you find out.

Missing my own Mother,

Lynn

When an older adult is discharged from the hospital, they are often sent home with a recommendation for homecare.  There’s some confusion over what this means, and therefore people don’t always follow through with the recommendation.  Hopefully this will clear up some of that confusion!

There are 2 different types of assistance that are both referred to as “homecare”.  Private Duty homecare, refers to an aide that you pay for out of pocket that can provide companionship, help with showering, dressing, meal preparation as well as light housekeeping and help running personal errands.  Because traditional insurance doesn’t cover this type of care, no prescription is needed.  The average cost in theDetroit area is $20/hour.

Skilled homecare, is something very different.  That is the phrase used to describe agencies that provide nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists.  They also have aids that can come once or twice a week for one hour to provide shower assistance.  Their services are covered by Medicare as long as you have a prescription from a doctor. 

Both types of homecare play a critical role for older adults and their families, particularly when first coming home from the hospital or rehabilitation center.  An older adult who lives alone might need the help that private duty can offer in order to avoid overdoing it those first few days at home.  And skilled care can make the difference in terms of helping someone stay out of the hospital. 

Some skilled homecare companies offer a service called Tele Health or Tele Buddies, which automatically sends someone’s blood pressure, weight, pulse and other information to a monitoring station.  If the data is outside of that person’s target range specified by their doctor, a nurse calls them to adjust their medication for the day.  This kind of fine tuning helps people stay at home safely.

Whether you need skilled or private duty, one thing to keep in mind is that all homecare companies are not the same… be sure you use a company that comes highly recommended!

So many older adults struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation…even those lucky enough to live in the same city as their family often find their once impossibly busy days suddenly empty, and their nights lonely.  The good news, however is that relief may be only a bark or a meow away!

 At any age pets can provide companionship, and the responsibility of caring for pets can provide a sense of purpose.  But studies have shown that pets can make an even greater impact for older adults. 

Seniors who are pet owners make fewer trips to the doctor’s office, and have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to non-pet owners of the same age group.  They are also more likely to exercise (as they walk their dogs), and eat more regularly.  Perhaps those are some of the reasons why caring for a pet is associated with increased longevity. 

But perhaps most important of all, pets fulfill a much needed outlet for touching and cuddling for older adults who live alone.  They offer seniors a source of comfort and affection they may be missing.  One thing to keep in mind though, is the important of making a good match…a very large dog is a lot to handle, so size and personality compatibility are important factors to consider. 

Buying Puppy Chow,

Lynn

As we get older, many of us begin to develop  chronic medical conditions that can impact our lives. Whether it is diabetes, chronic back pain, depression or a major health condition that is just not going away, it can feel overwhelming at times.  Well, help is on the way!

Personal Action Towards Health or PATH, is a program that helps make disease management and self-care a little less overwhelming.  PATH is a six week program (once a week for six weeks), that covers all the steps, skills and tools people need to begin to manage their disease, rather than feel as it their disease is managing them.

Each class is focused on a specific, concrete step to improve overall health, and includes specific tools to use at home, including medication management and stress management techniques. And, this class is free for people with chronic conditions as well as their caregiver or significant other!  How often do you hear that?

The next PATH class is starting on April 24, 2012 at the Jewish Family Service building in West Bloomfield.  If you would like more information or want to register, contact Becky Eizen at (248) 592-2671.

Signing up right now,

Lynn

Inevitably, we all begin to need a little help as we age.   If we’re lucky, a little help is all we need.  But many older adults end up needing a lot more than that…and are unprepared for the cost.

Whether someone brings help in to their home, or moves to an assisted living, memory care community, or even a skilled nursing facility, the costs can add up very quickly.  Often times people mistakenly believe that Medicare will cover all their needs, however this simply is not the case.

There are five possible funding sources that can be used to cover the costs of any long term care needs we, or our loved ones may have:

1. Personal assets i.e. savings and investments
2. Medicare for short-term qualifying expenses only
3. Medicaid for nursing home residents who qualify
4. V.A. benefits for veterans and their spouses who meet eligibility requirements
5. Long-term care insurance for policy holders

Whether you speak with a qualified financial planner or elder law attorney, it is a good idea to start thinking now about what you need to put in place in order to maintain quality of life as you age.

Calling my financial planner,

 Lynn

One of the toughest conversations to have with an older adult has got to be the dreaded discussion about driving, the keys and the car.  Whether it’s a spouse who has concerns or an adult child, undeniably, that’s a sticky topic.  But, what can make it a little harder, or a little easier is how we phrase the question.  It really isn’t a question of whether or not an older adult needs to stop driving; the conversation is really about whether or not they are still able to drive safely.

One thing to keep in mind in your approach is that age alone isn’t really a determining factor.  There are people in their late 80′s who still have the functional capacity to be really good drivers, where someone 10 years younger may not.  Vision, cognition, reaction time, as well as back and neck mobility may change as we age, and are really the topic of discussion.

So how do you start the conversation?  There are a few different ways to go.  You can commiserate with new technology by saying something like “Boy, driving sure isn’t what it used to be!  Between these new blind spot mirrors on my car, and the round-abouts that have popped up, I don’t feel as confident as I used to.”  Or you may use current events to break the ice for you by saying “Did you hear about that car accident on the news?”  If neither of those approached works, you can try taking the subject back a generation by saying “I remember when Grandma gave me her car when I was a teenager.  What made her decide to stop driving?”  Hopefully one of these will let you start talking.

But the decision to stop driving threatens our very independence.  An older adult who no longer drives may fear becoming isolated and dependent on others.  So be armed with a list of alternatives including local transportation services as well as activities that provide their own transportation.  If you’re not sure what resources there are in your community, contact a local geriatric care manager or social service agency for resources.

 Grabbing my keys,

Lynn

Have you ever heard the expression “you don’t know what you don’t know”?  That point was really driven home for me this week; it was a week full of seminars!  I ran into many professionals we have referral relationships with, and a fair amount of our client family members as well.  As I listened to the various speakers present over the course of several days, I was impressed with how much genuinely new information was being presented.

Yet as I looked around at the many familiar faces, I couldn’t help wondering about all the people that weren’t there, who needed to hear these wonderful ideas, these changes to the laws etc.  I know it’s difficult to find time during the week to attend a daytime seminar. And it can be just as difficult to carve out evening time after a full day at work.  However, when it comes to caring for older adults, things can change very quickly and it is so important to stay in the know.

So as your inbox fills with seminar offerings, or you hear about conferences, how do you know if the program will be worth your time?  While there is no fool proof way to tell, here are a few things to consider:

• Where is the seminar being held?  If it’s at someone’s place of work, they will usually want to be sure what they are offering is of value.
• If this is an annual event, what was the attendance last year?
• Are the speakers professionally credentialed?
• Are the topics relevant to your situation?

Even as a professional who often prepares and gives presentations in the community, I still need to keep learning.  And when a family member hears a great resource or has an ‘Aha” moment, it makes it all worthwhile!

Here’s to your ”Aha” moment,

Lynn

There never seems to be a shortage of financial scams that target seniors, attempting to separate them from their financial resources.  While they often are taken in by entreaties to help underprivileged children and other worthy causes, the latest scam targeting seniors involves, of all things, jury duty!

That’s right.  The latest scam artists are calling seniors, letting them know that they have been selected for jury duty, stating that they will receive a confirmation letter in the mail, but that this is a courtesy call.  They then verify the older adult’s name and address, information easily accessible these days, and then ask the older adult for their Social Security number and Driver’s License number to speed up the registration process.  And Identity Theft is as easy as that!

Please give the older adults in your life a head’s up, reminding them that reputable sources won’t ask for that kind of identifying data over the phone, and that they are under no obligation to provide it.

Ever vigilant,

Lynn

This week has been all about crisis management!  As Geriatric Care Managers we see our clients at least once a month to keep current and look for changes that we can’t pick up on over the phone.  We often look for whether or not they gained or lost weight, if their dementia has worsened, or if it is time to switch from a cane to a walker, to give a few examples. We know how important these monthly visits are, but sometimes a client or family member may question their value when all is stable.  And that value was made clear to families several times this week.

Things can change quickly for all of us, most especially for older adults because their conditions tend to worsen over time.  When a crisis happens, it is much easier to begin to pick up the pieces when someone who knows the client, is familiar with their history, current medications, recent medical procedures, layout of their home, and their support system is there to provide expertise, help and guidance.

So instead of waiting until poor balance gives way to a fall that requires hospitalization, surgery and then rehab, or when progressing dementia gets to the point where someone can’t be alone, start working with a Geriatric Care Manager proactively, so they’ll be there ready to help when you need them. Let us help smooth the way for you the way we did for several of our families this week. 

Waiting for your call,

Lynn

Do you have arthritis pain?  If so, is it in your hands or your knees?  Is it in your hip or your back?  What do you do on those days when the pain goes from bothersome to really bad?  Is Tylenol or Motrin your drug of choice, or do you need something stronger? 

If you’re like most people, annoying aches and pains become an accepted part of life as we get older.  But what would you do if you were unable to get your own pain medicine, and didn’t have the words to tell anyone that it hurt?  Unfortunately this is often the case for people living with advanced Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.  Those lifelong aches and pains don’t go away when dementia sets in.  In fact, the nerves in our brains that sense pain are among the last to be effected by progressing dementia.

Pain can actually be mistaken as behavioral issues for people with advanced Alzheimer’s.  Carol Waarala, LMSW from Odyssey Hospice shared the following story during a recent presentation:

Imagine that you’re a resident in a skilled nursing facility.  During the night you rolled into the wall, banging your thin arm pretty hard.  It’s very painful when you wake up in the morning, but nobody saw it happen and you can’t find the words to explain.  So, when the caregiver comes into your room to help you get dressed, she tries to raise your arm, but it hurts, so you reflexively jerk it back.  She tries again, not understanding that you are in pain, and once again you pull your arm back.  As she continues to try to dress you, you push her away in an attempt to stop the pain.  From the outside, it looks as though you’re becoming uncooperative, or are displaying some sort of behavioral issue.

It’s important that all of us, geriatric care managers, nurses, physicians, aids, and family members be on the look out for indicators that someone is in pain.  Facial grimaces and repeated vocalizations are often signs. Hospice agencies have a wealth of knowledge about observable signs of pain, and can be a resource if you need more information.

Ever vigilant,

Lynn