Memory Loss Screening and Diagnosis: To Do or Not to Do?
Posted on | January 11, 2012 | No Comments
If you suspected memory loss in yourself or a loved one, would you seek a diagnosis? So many of us don’t want to receive bad news about our health or our future. Others believe that if a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, why diagnose because there’s nothing that can be done. In my opinion, not diagnosing is like standing on train tracks waiting to be hit by an oncoming train. While a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can’t be changed, there are measures that can be taken to support a loved one and family caregivers if involved. It’s also extremely important to make plans for health care needs and legal plans for powers of attorney so that when the individual with Alzheimer’s disease can no longer manage on a day to day bais, care and oversight will be available. Many times professionals are appointed as power of attorney because there is no family or family lives too far away to be effective in managing care. Whatever your situation, would you rather be prepared or forced to react to a crises each time one occurs?
Caregiving: Preventing High Costs of Care
Posted on | January 11, 2012 | No Comments
If you’re a family caregiver or an older adult you may not be aware of the high costs of care when chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, COPD, arthritis and Alzheimer’s exist. The older we become, the more likely we are to have not one, but several chronic diseases. If preventative care is ignored, the risks to the family caregiver and to the older adult can quickly dissolve retirement savings. Hidden factors, co-pays for hospitalizations and nursing home stays, are often ignored because it’s believed health insurance will bear the major expenses. While this is partly true, the older adult and the family caregiver bears the personal risks. After a hospitalization and a nursing home stay an older adult will be less likely to care for themselves and require a family or professional caregiver. Some older adults will be unable to return home and have no choice but to move to a retirement community. Curious? Learn how you can avoid the risks and costs of hospitalizations and nursing home stays http://www.tinyurl.com/7cy5c5q
Support Services for Caregivers of Aging Parents
Posted on | January 4, 2012 | No Comments
An aging population has resulted in a significant increase in the number of adult children caring for aging parents. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, “more than 65 million people, 29% of the U.S. population provide care.” These numbers are expected to increase as the population lives longer, but not necessarily healthier, due to medical advances.
Because of the significant need for education about support services for caregivers, The Care Navigator has released a video series educating about issues faced by older adults and their adult children caregivers. The videos outline available support services. According to Pamela D. Wilson, “Many caregivers tell us they’re overwhelmed and that there’s simply too much information to evaluate. They don’t know how to evaluate information or who to trust for support.”
Focus groups initiated by The Care Navigator tell the story of adult children outright lying to parents about providing care and family disagreements escalating because of opinions rather than factual information about caregiving and available services. Adult children, having made promises years earlier to care for a parent, find themselves stuck when the need arises and the realities of providing care, giving up employment and moving across country become unrealistic.
Is Your Loved One Crazy? Maybe Not
Posted on | November 17, 2011 | 1 Comment
Many caregivers suspect that there’s something going on with a loved one but they’re not sure. In these situations there’s often hesitation on one side or another about how to proceed to really find out. In situations where the “something” is memory loss or behaviors it’s often more difficult because the caregiver may see the issue but the person needing care doesn’t. The daily situation becomes like walking on egg shells because the caregiver is afraid to upset their loved one – when this happens there is a firestorm of anger, accusations, paranoid, physical behaviors and threats. The caregiver becomes intimidated by a person when it’s likely a brain disorder causing all the ruckus. Taking the time to obtain a diagnosis may help those involved understand what’s happening so that consideration can be given to future care needs.
Can You Say No?
Posted on | October 23, 2011 | No Comments
Are you a caregiver constantly on the move, working, raising your children and caring for your parents. If so, how are you managing? Is there time for you to take a break, watch a sunset or spend time with a friend? In most caregiving relationships the work over time can become overwhelming and all encompassing, leaving no time for the caregiver to care for him or herself. This is why in the early stages of caregiving, it’s important to be realistic about what you can and can’t do and to say no when the request is more than you can accommodate.
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Are You A Caregiver on Overwhelm?
Posted on | September 30, 2011 | No Comments
On any given day if we’re a caregiver we might be working on our “last nerve”. Caregiving is stressful, it’s work, it’s exhausting and some days seems to never end. Loved ones needing care don’t purposely mean to be demanding or short tempered. If they could care for themselves they would. The problem is they can’t and this alone can make them angry or short tempered. If you’re a stressed cargiver, take a break even if only for an hour or two. Go take a walk, go to the park, see a movie, join a caregiver support group and gain a new perspective. Caregiving for parents and loved ones can be a joyful experience if you make time for yourself and not allow the situation to overwhelm you. After taking a break, you’ll see that that little thing that was getting on your last nerve really was a little thing.
In God’s Hands
Posted on | September 23, 2011 | No Comments
How many people say, “God will help me.” Yet how many of us fail to take responsibility for our own lives because we’re waiting for God to help us? There’s the old story of the man sitting on the roof of a house, a flood raging nearby. A boat comes by and offers to take the man to shore. The man refuses saying, God will save me. A helicopter flies by offering to pick up the man. Again he refuses saying, God will save me. The sky becomes dark, thunder and rain start again and the sky opens. The man prays, “God save me.” A deep voice from above says, “I sent you a boat and a helicopter to save you. You’re not listening, I tried to save you. Now save yourself.” How many of us ignore helpful people around us waiting instead for God to save us?
What Are We Really Grieving?
Posted on | September 23, 2011 | No Comments
Over the past two months three people I’ve known have passed away. All were receiving hospice care under very different situations. One friend fought until the end not wanting to leave this earth. Another was seriously ill and passing was a blessing. The other was unexpectedly diagnosed with a serious condition and passed within days. When we grieve, how many of us feel sorry for ourselves for losing the ability to be with a loved one? How many of us, having been caregivers for parents or another loved one feel relief? Death and grieving are different for each of us depending on the situation.
Losing Control at End of Life
Posted on | August 21, 2011 | No Comments
A woman I know recently and reluctantly agreed to accept hospice care. We often hear stories about people who love life so much they don’t want to give up. This woman was the person who fought for life every day. She was the person, who when you were around her, made you feel like you were the most important person in the world even on days when she was feeling absolutely awful. Yet when it was time for her to receive hospice care, some of those involved didn’t allow her dignity and choice. She was a nurse in Viet Nam who served our country and who knew how to care for others. Admittedly choices had to be made for her when she became too ill to choose for herself. Hers is a story from the other side, being a patient and having to accept the care of others. Listen for yourself, visit thecaringgeneration.com and listen to her story that aired on 7.31.11 It’s truly one of a kind.
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Are You Living the Default American Lifestyle?
Posted on | August 11, 2011 | No Comments
There’s a new term to describe the lifestyle, physical and cognitive decline of Americans with health issues. The term is the Default American Lifestyle. An essay by John Mirowsky in the Journals of Gerontology reports that technological trends and lower physical activity undermine the aerobic and metabolic fitness required for the brain to perform well. It’s no surprise that physical activity has been declining and that Americans are overweight – even morbidly obese. There are commercials on television reporting that 1 in 2 Coloradans are overweight. It’s true, the American lifestyle is unhealthy. Unless we override this lifestyle ourselves, we’ll join the millions of other Americans with health issues who cost taxpayers and the system billions of dollars because they’ve made the decision not to take care of their health.
The impact of our lifestyles in younger years seriously impacts our health in our later years. Yet there’s little discussion of what happens when we become overweight and how weight affects our joints, knees and hips. Little discussion of how eating too much sugar affects our kidneys, circulation and eyesight. Little discussion of anything that might be unpleasant or heaven forbid take any extra effort. We want physicians to cure our ills, we don’t want to think about or make any effort to prevent them.
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