"KNOCK KNOCK "WHO IS THERE?"

"Who is there?" Very Often you here this troubled and unsure voice from other side of the door. I was visiting with an elderly friend recently and she brought up this issue of her friend who is currently getting some home care services from another agency.

"Nancy, my caregiver could not make it today and they sent another caregiver Claudia after about two hours. What is challenging for me is that I have never met Claudia before and I don't know what she looks like. I am in wheel chair myself and I  feel very vulnerable opening the door to a stranger".  Betsy, my friend brought up this conversation to highlight some of the good approaches we have adopted.

In similar situations, always the client is introduced to the new care giver by someone who has met the client before. The difference is our client is meeting with someone they already know. "It makes a huge difference" Betsy insists, "you know you are meeting with someone you know and I feel lot more comfortable opening the doors". Good point.

What we have learned so far is to think from the client's perspective. Seniors in their golden years feels vulnerable in unfamiliar situations. Our promise to our clients is that at no time will they every have to face a stranger at the door who claims to be representing our agency. My biggest benefit has been that I get to meet my client and connect with them. I enjoy their company so much that sometimes Betsy warns me "Sam, you need to get back to your office and run your business". I gently remind her, "Betsy, you ARE my business". Guess what I am enjoying every moment I spend with the seniors. !!

November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

Friends and Family May Be Best Detectors of Early Alzheimer's Disease

Family members and friends may be better judges of early Alzheimer’s disease than standard memory tests, a new study reports. The results could help doctors diagnose suspected Alzheimer’s at an earlier stage, when treatment may be more effective and families can better prepare for the changes to come.

The study comes from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where researchers developed a two-minute questionnaire that asked close friends and family members if they have noticed problems with memory or judgment. The survey asked “yes” or “no” questions about whether they have noticed such signs in loved ones as:

• Bad financial choices or other problems in judgment;


• Less interest in hobbies and other favorite activities;


• Repeating questions, stories or statements;


• Trouble learning how to use a tool or appliance, such as a television remote control or a microwave oven;


• Forgetting the month or year;


• Difficulty handling complicated financial affairs, such as balancing a checkbook;


• Difficulty remembering appointments; and


• Consistent problems with thinking and memory.

Survey results were then correlated with so-called biomarkers, like brain changes on brain scans or blood tests results, that are generally regarded as of Alzheimer’s. The survey proved more accurate than standard word and memory tests like the mini-mental state exam, which doctors perform in their offices to look for early signs of Alzheimer’s.

...continue reading from alzinfo.org

Alzheimer’s home care counselors at ComForcare are available to talk with you and your family about care needs for your loved one, including, how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care. ComForcare is a home care agency providing Alzheimer’s Home Care in Pasadena CA.
 

"Can you take me to my Doctor?" Share a moment with your seniors

There is never enough conversation about this topic.  In my conversation with a doctor recently he explained that the biggest challenge his patients face are transportation and communication. Interestingly these two topics go hand in hand.

Transportation

"My daughter cannot make it and my son is out of town, how do I make it to the doctor's appointment?"  Or very often they just don't know what to do to make sure that they can get around. They are at a stage when it is no longer safe for them to be driving and hence do not have license any longer. Also they need help getting in and out of the car and also to move around. This is not a situation when they could call for cab services. The needs includes lot more than that. "Don't you know I have a problem with the left leg and also I have a bad back?" . Seniors are often worried when they have to plan a trip as to who can hep them with understanding and compassion. With the pace f today's life, family may not have the ability to  take their parents around all the time. While the sandwich generation puts in a lot of effort, many times they themselves are stretched too thin.

Communication

"So how was the doctor visit?" the daughter asked. "It was alright", mom replied. "Did the doctor give any new instructions?" the daughter continued. "Yeah... he said something...... some kind of a test.....  can't remember properly what he said. Yeah he also said to change some medications........ Oh  I forgot reg the next appointment..... I left the card behind....". Doctors tells me that this is the most frustrating part of their work, where the communication is not reaching the family and as a result the health of the elderly suffers.


This is a typical everyday situation with the life of  an elderly. The need of the hour is to offer services that understands the situation and offers solution. What we learned with these experiences, we put that in effect with our services. We offer to drive the elderly for their doctor visits. Our caregivers are trained to take notes regarding doctors recommendations on what needs to be done, when etc. They becomes the eyes and ears for the seniors. The notes are then passed on to the family members. I was discussing the new approach with a Geriatric Care Manager I work with  very closely. "Sam, what you have here is very well developed and has a lot of value for the families". Health Services Director in a retirement community told me "this solves the problem we have been having for several years".

For us Seniors are not part of a forgotten society, they are the reason and the passion for our existence.

New Concepts in Living Well

On November 20th, I will be presenting at a seminar on "New Concepts in Living Well". This seminar will present innovative ideas and useful generation-bridging information to adult family members as they address important family matters around aging and living well. Families who proactively order the affairs of the loved ones and who successfully prioritize their life style choices are better positioned to maximize the quality of home life for their entire family both now and into the future.

The seminar has four components, Fred Sohl will speak on "Legacy Planning",  Sam Gopinathan will speak on "Home Care Services Do's and Don'ts", Bill Hunter will present on Long Term Care Insurance and finally Steve Hamlin will present Cognitive Exercises.

The seminar is co-sponsored by Convalescent Aid Society and Lake Avenue Community Foundation.

Venue          Rose Room,  Lake Avenue Church, Pasadena, CA

Time             10:00 AM  to  11:30 AM

Date              November 20, 2010

This is a free seminar and the location will also provide free parking

Alzheimer's Care: Family Challenges "It is not time yet"

I know several articles have been written and read about this, yet every time we come across a new incident, it has a new twist to it each time.

One of the biggest challenges for Alzheimer's is to convince the caregiver to take help. Nature of the disease is such that the situation is progressively worsening.  progressive and hence you do not observe any visible change on a day to day basis or hour to hour basis. You hear this often " it is not time yet". As the caregivers are living with the loved ones affected by the disease, they often fail to read the situation correctly. In their mind, it is not yet the time to take help.

Driven by a sense of responsibility towards the loved ones and coupled by fact that you are driven from one job to the next without a stop, one fails to see the big picture. The big question is "what should be done?" To start with we have to honor the commitment of the caregivers. They are the true heroes, putting everything else in front of them and putting their own health and interest the last.

Now let us get practical. Does it do anyone any good for the caregiver's health to be affected in the process? Who will take care of the affected one, if something were to happen to the caregiver? Who will take care of the caregiver themselves if their health was affected? Now you have two problems to take care of not just one?

However, try telling all these to the caregiver and you would often hear them reply "true, but I don't think I am there yet".  Well are you sure? Will your physician agree with your assessment? I have dealt with a lot of family members where they are in this no win situation trying to convince their parents to bring in help. Here are some useful suggestions.

Talk to Caregiver's Physicians

Given the wonderful world of HIPPA, the physician may not be able to tell you anything. However, you can be a reporter to the physician. You can tell them what is going on with your dad or mom. The more you can tell them the better. Very often your parents are more likely to listen to their physician than you. Your report to the physician would help them give better advise to your parents. Many times they are not informed fully of the situation.

Change the Game

Do not use the word "help". Given the generation they come from they are very allergic to that term, when it comes to helping themselves. They are very often the first to jump to help someone, yet they would put all excuses and resistance when it comes to taking help. Rather than using the term "help", take the loved ones and subscribe them for day care centers or programs. Arrange ride for them to be taken to the program and back. Make sure the family care giver does not tag along. This is the time the caregiver gets a break.

Create social events. invite friends of your loved ones for lunch and once again arrange for ride to the place and back. The ride actually should be caregiver from a responsible agency. The caregiver from the agency can come pick up your loved ones for the program and bring them back. Similarly get creative to take the loved one away from the family care giver as much as possible. This gives them the opportunity to get much needed rest and recharge their batteries.

Support Groups

Send your family caregiver to as many support group session as possible. Hearing from similar families are much different from hearing from you.

These are just few of the suggestions. You have to be creative and keep trying.

For Elderly, Giving Up Driving Can Be Tough in Pasadena

For Elderly, Giving Up Driving Can Be Tough
By Jenifer Goodwin, HealthDay Reporter

It's a wrenching decision that doesn't necessarily depend on age, experts say

For many Americans, driving equals independence -- the ability to run errands, go to church or visit family and friends as you please. So the decision to hand over the car keys for good can be a difficult one.

To help doctors, seniors and their family members spot the signs of someone who is too old and too frail to drive, the American Medical Association this week released the Physician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers. It includes screening tests, information about medical conditions and medications that may impact driving, and ways of talking to seniors about what can be an emotional issue.

Though largely directed at doctors, the guide is full of information that can help seniors and their families in determining if it's time to park the car in the garage for good, experts say.


...continue reading from healthday.com

For information about how ComForcare can help you and your family in the Pasadena area, visit www.HomeCareConsultations.com.

When Siblings Step Up in Pasadena CA

When Siblings Step Up
By ANNE TERGESEN

Sisters and brothers are finding new ways to circumvent old conflicts as they take on one of the toughest roles in their lives: caregiver.

When Rene Talavera's father, Jesus Talavera, 69, was hospitalized for kidney and heart failure last fall, the 45-year-old Chicago resident and his four siblings were catapulted into an uncomfortable new phase of life: caregiving.

But even as the Talavera siblings absorbed the shock of their father's illness, they set aside old conflicts and concerns to work together. "The common thread is that you all love your parent," says Rene Talavera. "It's not about you or an argument you had 20 years ago. It's about Dad and what you can do for him."

Family cohesiveness is a tall order at any time of life. But as parents grow frail, brothers and sisters often encounter new obstacles to togetherness—at precisely the time they most need to rely on one another.

Sibling rivalry can emerge or intensify as adult children vie, one last time, for a parent's love or financial support. And even as parents grow dependent on children, the desire to cling to old, familiar roles can create a dysfunctional mess.

...continue reading from online.wsj.com

For information about how ComForcare can help your family with home care in Pasadena, visit www.HomeCareConsultations.com.