by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Sep 12, 2015 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
When your senior loved one is discharged from a Michigan hospital, they may have a long road to recovery ahead. Depending on the illness, injury or treatment, it could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months before your aging parent has regained their independence.
In order to heal, they will not only need assistance with healthcare, but also with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing and meal preparation. Your loved one may get this care temporarily in a rehabilitation center, but will also need extra help in their home or in a respite care at an assisted-living community
Being involved in their care before and after discharge can help ensure that they recuperate and return to their daily routine as soon as possible.
The first step
Recovery from a hospital occurs in several stages. If your aging parent is doing well, the hospital may discharge them directly into home care, where family will be responsible for supervising their recovery. Because this situation is not always best for the senior, many are transferred to a short-term rehabilitation center, where they can receive 24-hour skilled nursing services, as well physical, speech and occupational therapy. If the senior meets the criteria, Medicare will cover up to 100 days in one of these skilled nursing communities.
The discharge plan
As soon as your aging parent is admitted, the staff begins discharge planning. When a team of caregivers determines that your senior is healthy enough for release, they will call a meeting and provide options for the family to investigate and consider.
Use a Discharge Planning Checklist to help you prepare for the meeting. It will make it easier for you to have all the information discharge planners need to assess your senior loved one’s care and home environment.
If you aren’t certain if your senior loved one will be safe at home, be sure to share your concerns with the discharge team. They can share resources, offer support and possibly alter their plan. You can also appeal a Medicare discharge decision and request a reassessment.
What’s next?
Once a senior in your care is released from a hospital or rehab center, you will need to decide the best approach for making a full recovery. You will have several choices to consider:
1) Home care administered by family. This will require that you wear many hats as you take on a nursing role. You may need to administer medications, care for wounds, and oversee exercise, as well as bathing, dressing, meals and housecleaning. If your loved one lives alone, you may need to stay with them until they are in better health.
2) In-home care. You might consider hiring a visiting nurse or a private duty aide to lighten your load. A qualified caregiver can make recovery easier on your senior loved one and on you. If a physician orders skilled home health care, it will typically be covered by Medicare. Otherwise, your loved one will have to pay out of pocket.
3) In-home therapy or outpatient therapy. If your loved one needs therapy to build muscle strength, recover lost speech skills, or to re-learn ordinary tasks, a physician may order in-home therapy or outpatient therapy. With a physician’s order, both are usually covered by a senior’s Medicare.
4) Respite Care: You may want to consider a short-term stay at an assisted living community if your loved one is not ready to return home alone after a hospitalization. This allows them to live in a safe and comfortable home-like environment where they can get 24-assistance with care tasks. They can also receive therapy services through a skilled home health agency while they are recovering at an assisted living community.
If you are considering respite care for your recovering senior loved one in the Great Lakes State, call the Heritage Senior Community nearest you.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Sep 2, 2015 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Uncategorized
Alzheimer’s caregivers know how financially crippling this disease can be for families. What they may not realize, however, is the heavy financial burden it is creating for the nation.
Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in America, surpassing cancer and heart disease in Medicare and Medicaid spending. Caregiving resources, education and support also require funding. And as more baby boomers reach their 60s, expenses are expected to increase.
The Alzheimer’s Association is dedicated to raising awareness and lobbying Congress for federal dollars to expand programming and research. They are asking for help to raise awareness on Alzheimer’s Action Day, September 21.
What you need to know:
- More than 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today. The Alzheimer’s Association projects that another 28 million baby boomers will be diagnosed with the disease by 2050.
- An estimated 180,000 people in the Great Lakes State live with Alzheimer’s By 2050, experts believe that number will climb to 190,000.
- About 450,000 seniors will die from the disease this year. That is one in three adults over the age of 65.
- In 2015, the United States will spend $226 billion on Alzheimer’s and dementia care. That number will skyrocket to $1.2 trillion in the next 35 years.
- Alzheimer’s is currently incurable and there is no treatment that prevents the horrific effects of the disease.
- The National Institutes of Health was granted $586 million for Alzheimer’s research in 2015. An additional $52 million is proposed for the for fiscal year 2016 The Alzheimer’s Association says that research is still too low when compared to funding for other disease research.
How you can help on Alzheimer’s Action Day:
- Wear purple all day. This is the official color representing Alzheimer’s awareness.
- Encourage others to wear purple. Organize a “purple day” in your workplace or your child’s school.
- Spread the word in social media. Educate others by posting facts about Alzheimer’s throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. Add a purple filter to photos you post on Instagram.
- Raise money and awareness. Sell purple carnations or forget-me-nots and donate the money to the Michigan Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association or to a dementia care facility.
- Contact elected officials. Congress has added $147 million to Alzheimer’s research budgets since 2013, but the Alzheimer’s Association says much more is necessary to prevent and cure this devastating illness. Email Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and ask them to increase funding for Alzheimer’s treatment and research. Contact your Congressional district representative and do the same. Remind them that 170,000 Michigan residents over 65 have Alzheimer’s. By the year 2050, the number is expected to climb to 220,000.
How you can help every day
- Participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. These fundraising walks are scheduled in Chelsea, Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon, Saginaw and Traverse City in September and October.
- Volunteer as a Public Policy Advocate or Ambassador with The Michigan Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Volunteers are needed to send regular emails and letters or make phone calls to elected officials. They also might share family stories with members of Congress.
Alzheimer’s caregivers often feel powerless against this cruel disease. Raising awareness and funds to eliminate the illness is one way you can fight back and feel empowered.
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 30, 2015 | Caregiving, Dear Donna, Uncategorized
Dear Donna:
My mother will soon celebrate her 88th birthday. Believe it or not, she still lives alone in her home near Grand Haven, Michigan. We are a few hours away but visit her often.
So far we have been able to help her maintain her independence with the use of a private home care aide. I think it might be time for something different now though.
While I think the aide can help her with bathing and dressing just fine, two things I’m most concerned about are that she is alone all night long and also that she is stuck in her house the majority of the time. She has difficulty navigating the steps on the front of her house and getting in and out of the car safely. Between her aide and myself, we do all of her errands and shopping. I think she feels very isolated, but we are afraid she will fall and hurt herself if we try to take her along with us.
I’m a little confused about what an assisted living community can offer that is different from the home care she already uses. Can you help clarify things for me?
Alison in Ann Arbor
Dear Alison:
Thank you for your note! We talk with families visiting our senior living communities across Michigan about this very issue every day. For many adult children, enlisting the services of a home care aide can be a good short-term solution. But when a parent needs a little more care or around the clock supervision, the cost of in-home care can quickly add up.
Here are a few of the benefits an assisted living community can offer residents:
- The privacy of their own apartment or suite in an environment designed to support elder safety. Grab bars, handrails, step-free showers and emergency call systems are standard.
- On-site life enrichment programs to help promote socialization and companionship.
- Caregivers on-site and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Three well-balanced meals and snacks each day.
- Support with personal care needs such as bathing, dressing, and grooming.
- Medication management assistance.
- Housekeeping, laundry and maintenance services to allow for worry-free apartment living.
- Transportation services provided in an accessible bus.
As you can see, assisted living is a balance of independence and support.
We invite you to call us or stop in for a tour so you can learn more about assisted living as a solution for your mother!
Donna
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 22, 2015 | Caregiving, Uncategorized
Caring for an aging loved one requires you to sacrifice a lot of your own time. To make room in an already tight schedule to help a senior loved one with daily tasks, caregivers often move socializing to the bottom of their priority list.
Skipping a group meeting, cancelling a lunch date or passing on a cookout might seem like the best way to reduce the stress of trying to fit too much into the day. It can, however, have the opposite effect.
According to The Caregivers Handbook, being separated from others while devoting extra time and energy to a senior loved one causes caregivers to feel lonely, depressed and stressed. This isolation can also lead to resentment that strains relationships and makes caregiving a negative experience.
Maintaining strong connections with friends and family is crucial to your wellbeing. Make time for socializing in your daily routine. Like exercise, regular social activities are necessary for good health.
Tips for Getting Help When You Are a Caregiver
Taking a break from caregiving is usually possible only if you have someone to take over your aging parent’s care while you slip away. Here are a few tips for Michigan caregivers to consider:
- Enlist family and friends to cover for you while you attend a social event. Don’t be afraid to ask or to accept a previous offer of help.
- Hire an in-home caregiver. Aides can help with bathing and dressing, meal preparation, medications and simply offer companionship to your loved one.
- Consider respite care in an assisted living community. This is perfect for a weekend getaway, a visit with out-of-town relatives, or for a longer vacation.
Staying Social
A few other ideas to allow you to fit socializing into your time-strapped schedule, feel connected to the outside world and improve your relationship with your senior loved one include:
- Try to schedule at least one social engagement a week. This might be having dinner with a friend, going to a movie or attending a sporting event.
- Make a social phone call every day. Touching base with a supportive friend or loved one is a small gesture that relieves a large amount of stress.
- Plan for date nights. Spouses are often the first people neglected when their partner is a caregiver. Even a simple walk in the park together can help you feel less isolated and more in touch with the most important person in your life.
- Take field trips. If your senior loved one is able, take him or her with you to a craft show, festival, church meeting or barbeque. Connecting with others is good for them, too!
- Extend an invitation. Encourage friends and loved ones to visit you and the older adult in your care.
- Connect with other caregivers in Michigan. Join a support group to meet regularly with others who share similar experiences. These are also great resources to learn how to better care for aging loved ones. Contact the Michigan Area Office on Aging to locate support groups in your county.
- Join online support groups. The World Wide Web is home to many caregiver communities where you can talk with others who are facing similar challenges. Some discussion groups are general, like the AARP Caregiver Community. Others are ailment specific, like the Alzheimer’s Association Connected Caregiver Forum .
Staying connected can help caregivers remain healthy, happy and positive about their role in their senior loved one’s life.
If you are interested in learning more about respite care for your senior loved one, please call the Heritage Senior Community nearest you.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 16, 2015 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, which focuses on promoting vaccinations to prevent serious illness and to save lives. Many mistakenly believe that immunizations are only necessary for infants and young children. But vaccines are not just for kids. Seniors in Michigan needs their shots, too.
As we grow older, our immune system weakens, putting each of us at a greater risk of life-threatening diseases that are often times preventable with a simple vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that as many as 70,000 adults lose their life each year from vaccine-preventable illnesses. It is vital that you know which vaccines are recommended for your Michigan senior loved one to ensure they are protected.
Immunizations for seniors over age 65
The CDC recommends an annual flu shot and several one-time vaccinations for your senior loved one.
- Influenza or flu vaccine: This annual shot is a must for older adults. The flu can be deadly to people of all ages, but kills more seniors than any other group. Almost 90% of flu-related deaths are in adults over the age of 65. Seniors also account for more than 50% of hospitalizations for the influenza virus.
This important vaccine reduces the likelihood that an older adult in your care will contract the flu virus. If they do, the symptoms are less likely to be severe and less likely to require a costly hospital stay.
The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends your senior get the influenza vaccine in October or November to ensure they are protected through the peak season.
- Pneumonia vaccine: Pneumonia is responsible for almost 50,000 deaths in older adults each year. It is also the leading cause of hospitalization in Americans over the age of 65. This one-time vaccination, covered by Medicare, can protect against 23 different strains of bacterial pneumonia.
The Pneumovax immunization also helps to prevent infections of the bloodstream and bacterial meningitis.
Recently, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that seniors also receive an additional dose of a new pneumonia vaccine that prevents 11 more types of this life-threatening disease. Prevnar13 is not yet covered by Medicare and costs up to $150.
- Shingles vaccine: Seniors over 60 are more prone to shingles, a painful and long-lasting skin rash caused by the chicken pox virus. The one-time Zostavax vaccine lowers the risk of contracting this infection by 50%. If your senior loved one does come down with shingles, the shot reduces the severity of the rash and the level of pain.
The shingles vaccine can be given even after an outbreak, preventing further infection.
Vaccines for special circumstances
Additional vaccinations may be required based on medical need.
- Tdap: This vaccine is the tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster for adults who may or may not have been given the DTP vaccine when they were younger. The one-time shot was added to the CDC’s recommended vaccinations list after a recent outbreak of whooping cough, or pertussis, which is deadly in infants.
- Hepatitis A and B: Physicians often administer these vaccines to seniors in assisted living communities and nursing homes, where an outbreak may occur.
To track vaccines for a loved one in your care, you may want to use a Vaccine Administration Record.
Vaccinations are an important part of your senior loved one’s health and well-being. Check with their health care provider to make sure they are protected. For more information about vaccinating a senior loved one, visit US Department of Health and Human Services Senior Vaccine Schedule.
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