by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 18, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
When a senior loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, families are often confronted with the difficult task of moving them to a memory care assisted living community. After they learn more about these specialty programs, most families understand their senior loved one will be better off in such an environment. Memory care programs offer safety, security and the support seniors with Alzheimer’s disease need to maintain their abilities. But the very idea of helping their loved one make the transition from home to a senior living community often creates high anxiety for family caregivers. If you and your family are facing this transition, these tips can help.
Helping a Senior Loved One Make a Successful Move to Memory Care Assisted Living
- Bring their favorite belongings. Familiar possessions help decrease the anxiety most people feel when moving to a new home. This is doubly so for seniors living with Alzheimer’s disease. Before your loved one actually makes the move, develop a plan for recreating their home environment. It should include favorite belongings such as their comfy chair, the blanket they use while watching TV, and family photos. The items that indicate this is “home” will help make it easier for them to settle in.
- Plan to move on their schedule. If at all possible, arrange for the actual move to take place during their best time of day. As a caregiver, you likely know when that is. If they are at their worst in the early evening, plan to arrive at the assisted living early in the day. That will give you time to get them comfortably settled before their anxiety and agitation peak.
- Create a reminiscence board. Before the move takes place, make photo copies of your loved one and the people and life events that are important to them. Glue them all on a foam poster board. Label everything on the board. It will be something they can keep in their room and will also help staff identify who all of the family members are. The history presented on the board will make it easier for staff to find things to talk about with your loved one and to get to know them quicker.
- The power of music. Many people living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia benefit from music therapy. It has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety. It might help to bring a small CD player and some of their favorite music on CDs when they move. Talk with the staff to see if they can use it when your loved one is anxious.
We hope these tips help make your senior loved one’s move more manageable. If you are a Michigan caregiver who has been through this process with a senior you love, please share any advice you can offer in the comments below.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 12, 2014 | Caregiving, Uncategorized
If you’ve been noticing that meditation seems to have gone mainstream over the past few years, you are right. Corporate CEOs, professional athletes, physicians, and television personalities are all confessing to using meditation to help improve their performance by reducing stress. It is being touted as the best stress buster out there. For Michigan caregivers, there is ample reason to learn more about meditation. In fact, a study from UCLA released earlier this year showed meditation is better for helping calm caregivers than even a relaxation CD. It can also help to keep the blues –another common struggle for caregivers – away.
Equally important is what meditation did to help increase telomerase activity and cellular aging. It sounds a bit technical but the short version is that telomerase is an enzyme commonly associated with stress-related health risks and diseases. The more telomerase activity is present, the longer the immune cells last. The study showed that the group practicing meditation had a 43% improvement in telomerase activity, while a relaxation group that had just 3.7%.
The Caregiver Meditation Study at UCLA
The study consisted of:
- 49 family caregivers between the ages 45 and 91
- 36 were adult children and 13 were spouses
- The group was divided in two
- The meditation group learned a 12-minute Kirtan Kriya yoga practice
- The relaxation group listened to instrumental music on a CD in a quiet place
- Each group practiced either meditation or relaxation listening at the same time every day for eight weeks
The results of the project showed 65% of the meditation group had a 50% improvement on a depression scale versus just 31% for the relaxation CD group. 52% of the meditation group also had a 50% improvement in mental health and cognitive function compared with to 19% for the relaxation CD group.
Places for Caregivers to Learn Meditation Online
One of the challenges for busy caregivers is not having enough hours in the day to attend a meditation class. Fortunately, there are many sites where caregivers to learn how to meditate online at a time that is best for them. A few of those sites include:
The bottom line is that caregiving creates stress. Finding ways to manage it is important to keeping caregivers healthy. Meditation is proving to be one way to accomplish that.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 4, 2014 | Caregiving, Dear Donna, Uncategorized
Dear Donna:
My 88-year old mother lives near Grand Haven, Michigan. I live with my family in Saline, Michigan. In the past six months she has ended up in the emergency department of the hospital seven different times for problems ranging from falls to mismanaging her medication. It is difficult to get to her quickly when I live so far away. These frequent emergencies are causing real problems for me at work. My boss was sympathetic at first, but it has happened too many times. I’m concerned I could lose my job over this. With two kids in college, we can’t afford for me to be without it.
One of my colleagues suggested I look at nursing homes for my mother, but our HR Director told me she recently moved her father to assisted living after he was falling repeatedly at home. She said they have been able to help him significantly reduce the number of falls he has and his overall health has improved.
My question for you is can an assisted living community really help reduce trips to the ER?
Jamie in Saline, Michigan
Dear Jamie:
Your situation is one that is common among for the sandwich generation. It is a tough spot to be in! To answer your question, “yes” assisted living can help support the activities of daily living and provide a safer, more secure environment.
In your mother’s case, the two things you mentioned were a history of falls and problems managing her medications. Those are two areas an assisted living partner can help you better manage.
First, let’s talk about medication management. It is one of the number one reasons adult children explore senior living for an aging parent. At home, it is easy to miss a dosage or to accidentally take double doses of a medication. Assisted living communities have medication management programs in place. They will ensure your mother takes the right dose at the right time.
Next we move on to the issue of falls. Seniors can experience a fall for many reasons or for a combination of reasons. Mismanaging and forgetting to take important medications like blood pressure is one. Poor nutrition that leads to decreased muscle mass and weakness is another. The physical layout of older homes isn’t always a good fit for seniors. Poorly lit hallways, too many stairs, uneven floors, and bathrooms without grab bars are just a few of the problems that can contribute to falls. Residents in an assisted living community benefit from having well-balanced meals, in-house, age-appropriate exercise programs, and an environment designed to support safety.
I hope this information helps, Jamie! Please call the Heritage Senior Community closest to you or your mother if you have any more questions!
Donna
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Jul 28, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
If you are the Michigan caregiver of a senior loved one who lives with Alzheimer’s disease, wandering is probably one of the behaviors you worry about most. Despite caregivers’ best efforts, experts from the Alzheimer’s Association report that six in ten people who have the disease will wander. Once a person begins wandering they are more likely to continue. If a loved one with dementia goes missing, every minute counts in helping them make a safe return home. Being prepared for just such an emergency can make the difference difference. One way to do that is by assembling an Alzheimer’s Wandering Kit.
Create an Alzheimer’s Wandering Kit
In the event a your loved one wanders, quickly providing emergency responders and the alert the media with the information and photos they need can make all of the difference in how safely and quickly they are located. Here is a list of what your Alzheimer’s Wandering Kit should include:
- A written description of your aging loved one. Height, weight, eye color, hair color, and any identifying marks or features like a tattoo or scar. Include at least three emergency contact people with the description and make sure you list work, home and cell phone numbers.
- A recent photo of your loved one. It is important that the picture be a good quality head shot that can be cleanly photocopied for flyers. Keep the photo updated if your loved one’s appearance changes. A few seconds of video where your loved one’s face can easily be seen will also help.
- Make sure your kit has a copy of your loved one’s complete medical file. You need their medical history, known health problems, allergies and medications they take. You should also include their physician’s name and contact information
- Create a list of places and addresses familiar to your family member. It might give authorities some kind of a starting point to begin their search. Places to include might be past homes, past employers, loved ones homes, and their church or synagogue.
- If your aging family member still drives, be sure you have a description of their car that includes the make, model and year as well as their license plate number. It will help police alert the authorities in surrounding communities to be on the lookout for their vehicle.
One final piece of advice is to have multiple copies of your Alzheimer’s Wandering Kit stored in an easily accessible location. A digital version that you can email to media and law enforcement is best.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Jul 20, 2014 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
July is often referred to as “the dog days of summer” in many towns and cities across the state of Michigan. When the mercury soars, seniors can be at greater risk for developing a heat related illness. In some cases, those conditions can be life-threatening. If you are planning an outdoor event this summer or if the aging loved one you help provide care for enjoys the outdoors, you should be proactive in keeping them safe. Here are a few tips we think can help.
Summer Sun Safety Tips for Seniors
- Layer on the sunscreen. Two common mistakes people make are putting too little sunscreen on before heading outdoors and then failing to reapply it throughout the day. This is even more important as we age and our skin becomes more fragile. Keep your senior loved ones stocked up with sunscreen and remind them to use it. A rule of thumb dermatologists share is that you should apply the equivalent of one shot glass full of sunscreen every two hours.
- Review your loved ones medication list. Some of the medicines commonly prescribed for seniors make them more sensitive to the sun. This Sun Sensitive Medications list from WebMD can help you determine if one of your aging loved one’s are a potential problem. Being aware of their risk can help them prevent a variety of illnesses including sun poisoning and heat stroke.
- Encourage hydration. Make sure your senior loved one knows to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day during the summer heat. Some foods can also help improve hydration. They include melons, cucumber, and leafy greens.
- Knowing the warning signs of heat related illnesses. Early intervention is critical to getting help when someone experiences heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Remember that heat related illnesses may occur quicker in older adults than they do in younger people. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a tip sheet that can help you learn the warning signs in seniors.
We hope these help you and your aging loved one stay safe in the summer sun this year!
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