Counseling experts are already witnessing a 66% growth in calls this year from adult children seeking advice on complex medical, legal and financial issues involving aging parents, according to a report being released Wednesday by the ComPsych Corporation, an international provider of 13,000 employee-assistance programs. Add to that high volume the 18% increase during November and December, when families gather after long absences.

“A lot of the calls are financially driven and stress driven,” says Richard Chaifetz, chief executive officer for ComPsych. “People will call and say, ‘I think my father needs to go to a nursing home. Can you help us figure out our options and how to broach it with him?’ ”

Those life-changing conversations are rarely an appetizing mix with a celebratory feast. Chaifetz says it’s best to go home prepared to have a good time but to be aware of changes occurring in older parents.

“A lot of people will decide not to say anything to parents when they’re visiting,” says Chaifetz, “but then they’ll go home and start to realize their parents might need help.”

Or there might be a crisis, says Chaifetz, when adult children have to find alternative living arrangements for their parents.

“It can be extremely daunting and overwhelming for people to have to take over decision-making for their parents,” says Chaifetz. “Most people don’t know where to begin. Our experts can help them sort out options and offer support.”

Taking over for parents should be a last resort, says Sandy Markwood, chief executive officer of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, a division of Health and Human Services.

“It’s really best to have early conversations with parents about what they need and want so they can age in place,” says Markwood. “Sometimes what they might need is a ride to the doctor or a home-delivered meal or someone to help with chores. It’s rare that they need full support overnight.”

Wondering how to know if parents might need some help? Here are four questions to ask yourself, says Chaifetz:

•How do they look? If they were previously fashion divas or dapper Dans and their clothes are dirty or do not match, be sure to ask the next three questions.

•Is the home in good order? If the house and property were always photo-ready for Home and Garden and now are messy or have stacks of old newspapers and magazines scattered around, that could signify other problems.

•Are they eating well? If the refrigerator lacks healthy ingredients, they might not be meeting nutritional needs.

•How are their cognitive skills? If there are unpaid bills or expired pill bottles, or if they get lost on routine trips, they might be suffering from depression or dementia.

Continue reading from usatoday.com…

We help families every day with senior home care. To learn more about how we help families in the Florida areas of Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Englewood, Venice and North Port, visit us at http://floridahomecare.net.

The Holiday Reality Check
By Paula Span

I spoke to a couple of veteran geriatric care managers in the Boston area earlier this week. They were braced for ringing phones today, their own sort of Black Friday surge.

“I get these S.O.S. calls” from adult children visiting family at Thanksgiving, said Emily Saltz, who operates a practice called Elder Resources in Newton, Mass. “They’ve been talking with their parents all year, being told everything is fine. Then they get there, and it’s not fine. And the kids freak out.”

Suzanne Modigliani, who practices in Brookline, Mass., expects to hear the same stories. “The kids come home, they see rotting food in the refrigerator, clothes not washed, bills not paid,” she told me. “And subtler things, like increased frailties. They’re concerned, they sometimes dash around trying to do things — but then they have to leave.”

This jolt is more likely to hit adult children who are distant, who can’t regularly look in on aging family members. They’ve been reassured for months by parents who are trying not to burden them, or who don’t want to confront their own diminished capabilities, or who may not be fully aware themselves that they’re losing ground.

Then their children arrive, look in the medicine cabinet or get into a car a parent is driving and see that all is not well.

Some organizations urge families to use these holiday gatherings to raise the issue of advance directives, giving parents a chance to express their preferences for future care decisions before a real crisis hits. It’s a fine idea to initiate these conversations in person, when older relatives can hear and see their children and when siblings may also be on the scene.

The evidence suggests that it doesn’t happen terribly often (perhaps it seems insufficiently celebratory?) given that most people, even very old and sick people, don’t have advance directives. But, as Ms. Saltz urged, “even if Mom sends you packing, give it a try.” These are seldom one-shot conversations anyway.

(On a less charged subject, The Atlantic magazine has suggested that today should be Update Your Parents’ Browser Day, another idea I can endorse.)

But say we accept that a lot of families are going to duck this dialogue for now. The holiday reality check nevertheless can lead to some pragmatic steps that can help older people maintain their independence, at least for a while.

Continue reading from the New Old Age Blog:

“This is such a big worry for families,” she says. “We tell them their loved ones can wander off at any time, even when you just go into the kitchen for a minute to start dinner.”

Kallmyer advises families that there’s no way to keep an eye on someone 24-7, but that there are some steps they can take to decrease the chances their loved one will wander.

1. Keep wandering top of mind

Sometimes families are surprised when their loved one wanders. Lawrence Schonfeld, an Alzheimer’s expert, has noticed sometimes families forget that wandering is a huge risk because they’re so overwhelmed with other aspects of Alzheimer’s disease.

That can be a fatal mistake.

“Families are worried their loved one will leave the stove on in the kitchen, or they’re annoyed when their loved one asks the same question over and over again,” he says. “Wandering isn’t always their major concern.”

2. Pick up on the red flags of wandering

Wandering can happen at any time, but it’s more likely in certain situations, such as when someone with dementia is in unfamiliar surroundings.

People with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia often leave clues that they’re about to wander. If your loved one says, “It’s time to go to work,” she might truly be headed out the door in a few minutes. “I want to go home” might mean he’s about to go in search of his childhood home, and you have to stop him.

3. Distract them

Don’t say “Dad, you haven’t worked in 30 years,” or “Mom, you’re already at home.” Reasoning won’t work. Instead, distract.

“If they say they want to go to work, tell them ‘OK let’s go see if we can find your shoes,’” Schonfeld suggests. “By the time they get their shoes on they’ll have forgotten about going to work.”

Read more from cnn.com…

For Alzheimer’s care in the Florida areas of Englewood, North Port, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Venice, visit us at http://floridahomecare.net.

Like other problems that have been hiding in plain sight for years, the factors behind this trend are not new:

1. Senior populations are exploding. By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be at least 65 years old. The country’s fastest growing age group is made up of people who are 85 and older.

2. This growing group of seniors is living longer, thanks to healthcare and lifestyle changes. But this also means adding years to the time periods during which many of these longer-lived people will need some form of ongoing care.

3. Republicans and Democrats are arguing over cuts to senior programs—Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—as they debate how to close the yawning federal deficit. But neither the nation nor its taxpayers will be able to afford the growing price tag for supporting rising numbers of aging baby boomers.

4. Still reeling from recessionary conditions, American families increasingly can’t afford the price tag for nursing homes, assisted care facilities, and other long-term care services.

While these forces are raising the need for family caregiving, the nation’s family structure has splintered in recent decades. Increasingly, older Americans don’t live with or even near younger family members. There is some evidence that Americans have recently begun placing more emphasis on access to family members when they move. But such migration has ground to a halt because of falling home values and the difficulty of selling or buying new homes.

Of course, before Medicare and Medicaid, and before the rise of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, American families used to take care of aging family members. Multigenerational households were the norm, not the exception.

Economic pressures have recently triggered a rise in multigenerational households. That’s due in part to caregiving needs, but is being driven more by children being forced to move back in with their parents because they can’t afford to live on their own. As the economy slowly recovers and young-adult employment prospects brighten, most will move back out.

As senior advocates continue to battle budget and program cutbacks that affect caregiving, experts also advise families about caregiving planning and needs.

Consider multigenerational living. According to a recent caregiving survey by the National Family Caregivers Association and Allsup, a fee-based benefits advisory company, two-thirds of caregiving involves people living in the same home and 96 percent of all caregiving involves family members.

Understand what caregiving entails. There is a wide range of caregiving requirements based on the needs of the family member requiring care. If you’re a caregiver, it’s important to understand the care needs of the person you’re helping. People who are thrown into caregiving in a crisis report high levels of stress and anxiety about their roles.

Continue reading from usnews.com…

For senior home care in the Englewood, North Port, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Venice FL areas, visit us at http://floridahomecare.net.

GPS Shoes for Alzheimer’s Patients

Shoes featuring GPS transmitters to help find wanderers suffering Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia are coming soon to the U.S. market, Agence France-Presse reports.

The walking shoes, from GTX, have built-in global positioning satellite systems in the heels. They will retail for $300, and buyers will need to set up a monitoring service. The company said it has shipped the first 3,000 pairs to Aetrex Worldwide footwear.

The project was announced two years ago. The shoes are aimed at saving lives and the costs of police searches for seniors who have wandered away.

Project adviser Andrew Carle of George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services said that 60% of sufferers wander and become lost and that up to half who are not found within 24 hours may die from dehydration, exposure or injury.

AFP notes that seniors have rejected other GPS devices such as bracelets or pendants.

“The primary reason is that paranoia is a manifestation of the disease,” Carle said. “If you put something on someone with Alzheimer’s that they don’t recognize, they remove it. If it’s a wristwatch and it’s not their wristwatch, they will take it off. So you have to hide it.”

Originally, he said, the technology was targeted at children and long-distance runners.

Continue reading here…

NOTE: Clean out closets and drawers so that out of season or difficult to clean clothes will not be temptingly in view.

Most people have favorite colors, textures, and types of clothing–and people with dementia often want to wear the same outfit all the time. If you get duplicates of the items the person always wants to wear, he can still be comfortable when clothes are being washed and you will avoid arguments and explanations.

Lay out clothing in the order in which it should be put on. This will provide a cue to those who are unsure what to put on next, and will generally make the process run more smoothly when you have to assist. You will also not need to leave the person to go find a missing piece.

• Use clothes that are easy to put on.
• Store all like clothes together.
• Use shoes that slip on or fasten with Velcro®.
• Use socks rather than pantyhose.
• Use pants and skirts with elastic waistbands.
• Use bras with front openers.
• Avoid clothes that have to be put on over the head.
• Replace buttons with Velcro closures.

Sometimes, people with Alzheimer’s disease will undress at inappropriate times. If it is because he is fidgeting and unintentionally opening buttons, consider sweaters without buttons, or a one-piece jump suit. Sometimes, wearing an apron will be a distraction. If things are sewn onto the apron, that will give the person something to touch and feel with his hands, distracting him from trying to remove a shirt or pants.

It may be best to have a frail person or someone with poor balance or a disability sit down when you help dress him, unless of course he is bed bound. If the person has a “weak” side, dress it first.

Read more from caring.com…

For Alzheimer’s care in the Englewood, North Port, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Venice FL areas, visit us at http://floridahomecare.net.

New Flu Vaccine for Seniors May Offer Better Protection

DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I’ve read that there is a new extra-strength flu vaccine being offered to seniors this year. What can you tell me about it, where can I find it, and does Medicare cover it?

Flu-Conscious Connie

DEAR CONNIE: The new extra-strength flu vaccination you’re inquiring about is called the Fluzone High-Dose, and it’s designed specifically for seniors, age 65 years and older. Here’s what you should know.

Fluzone High-Dose: Manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc., the Fluzone High-Dose vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2009 and was first made available last flu season.

The main difference between the Fluzone High-Dose and a regular flu shot is its potency. The High-Dose vaccine contains four times the amount of antigen (the part of the vaccine that prompts the body to make antibody) as a regular flu shot, which creates a stronger immune response for better protection. This extra protection is particularly helpful to seniors who have weaker immune defenses and have a great risk of developing dangerous flu complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the flu puts more than 200,000 people in the hospital each year and kills about 24,000 — 95 percent of whom are seniors.

As with all flu vaccines, Fluzone High-Dose is not recommended for seniors who are allergic to chicken eggs, or those who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past.

“This is a unique opportunity, maybe an opportunity of a lifetime in a sense, to really have an impact on this disease,” says Dr. Ronald Petersen of the Mayo Clinic, who chairs a committee that later this month begins advising the government on what that plan should include.

An estimated 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s or similar dementias. It’s the sixth-leading killer. There is no cure; treatments only temporarily ease some symptoms. Barring a research breakthrough, those numbers will worsen steadily as the baby boomers gray: By 2050, anywhere from 13 million to 16 million Americans are projected to have Alzheimer’s, costing a $1 trillion in medical and nursing home expenditures.

But that’s not the full toll. Sufferers lose the ability to do the simplest activities of daily life and can survive that way for a decade or more, requiring years of care from family, friends or paid caregivers. Already a recent report finds that nearly 15 million people, mostly family members, are providing more than $200 billion worth of unpaid care.

Thousands of those caregivers have turned out at public meetings since early August — and at a “telephone town meeting” organized by the Alzheimer’s Association that drew 32,000 people — pleading for a national Alzheimer’s strategy to bring changes.

They want primary care doctors trained to diagnose dementia earlier, describing how years of missed symptoms cost them precious time to make plans or seek treatment.

They demand to know why the National Institutes of Health spends about six times more on AIDS research than on Alzheimer’s, when there are good drugs to battle back the HIV virus but nothing comparable for dementia.

Overwhelmingly, they ask for resources to help Alzheimer’s patients live their last years at home without ruining their caregivers’ own health and finances.

Read more:

For senior home care in the Englewood, North Port, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Venice FL areas, visit http://floridahomecare.net.

How to Communicate Better With Someone Who Has Early-Stage Alzheimer’s
Keep these simple techniques in mind when talking to someone with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

It’s so easy to become frustrated when talking to someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s. It’s hard to know the “right” way to respond to the repetitive or odd things he sometimes says. You won’t be tongue-tied if you keep these simple communication techniques in mind.

How to start a conversation

When you want to start a conversation or ask a question, get the person’s attention in an obvious, direct way. Start by approaching him from the front and saying his name. This will help him focus on you and prevent catching him by surprise, which may set him on edge and make him less able to concentrate on the conversation. Someone who’s older may be somewhat deaf, and this direct approach also makes it easier for him to hear you.

Slow down your usual speaking style a bit. Enunciate your words to be as clear as possible. Also stay conscious of giving the person plenty of time to think about what you’ve said and to reply. Many people have a tendency to rush in and fill a silence with more words, which often only serves to agitate someone with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

Another way you might need to alter your usual conversational style is to stick to common, plain words and short sentences whenever possible. (It’s like talking to a young child, though without using singsong baby talk.) Try to construct sentences that include only one main thought, ask only one question at a time, and give instructions one step at a time.

If the person doesn’t understand something you’ve said, repeat it exactly the way you said it the first time; that will give him more opportunities to figure it out. If you’ve asked a question that’s not connecting, ask it again the same way. Do this within reason, of course — if two or three repetitions fail, try rewording the message in different, simpler terms.

Continue reading from www.caring.com…

Longer Life Possible By Practicing One or More Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors, CDC Finds

Four keys to longevity – not smoking, eating well, regular exercise, limiting alcohol

It’s not a miracle cure for aging but a new study by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention pretty much nails down what aging studies have been finding for some time – if you want to live longer don’t smoke, eat healthy, exercise and drink alcohol moderately. If you do them all it makes a gigantic difference.

But, people can live longer if they practice even just one of these healthy lifestyle behaviors, according to a the CDC.

During the study period, people who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were 63 percent less likely to die early, compared to people who did not practice any of the behaviors.

Not smoking provided the most protection from dying from all of the causes examined.

“If you want to lead a longer life and feel better, you should adopt healthy behaviors– not smoking, getting regular physical activity, eating healthy, and avoiding excessive alcohol use,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.”

People who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were -

● 66 percent less likely to die early from cancer,

● 65 percent less likely to die early from cardiovascular disease, and

● 57 percent less likely to die early from other causes compared to people who did not engage in any of the healthy behaviors.

The study, “Low Risk Lifestyle Behaviors and All-Cause Mortality: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Mortality Study,” was published August 18 online by the American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers analyzed data from CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III Mortality Study, a mortality follow-up of NHANES III survey participants aged 17 years and older who were recruited from 1988 to 1994 and followed through 2006.

The researchers defined low-risk health behaviors as -

> never smoking,

> eating a healthy diet,

> moderate intensity or vigorous intensity physical activity, and

> moderate alcohol consumption.

Moderate alcohol consumption was determined using the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: men should drink no more than two drinks per day; women, one drink per day.

Continue reading from www.seniorjournal.com…