2010 September

Attitude of Gratitude

Posted in adult children, Age Related Issues, Blog, Relationships on September 28, 2010

Founder and Executive Director Linda Fodrini-Johnson, MA, MFT, CMC

Do you wake up every morning appreciative of another day or do you roll out of bed with, “Oh, another day of the same old thing”? Our attitude sets the stage for how each day plays out. Attitude can affect our health, our marriage, our career and the very essence of our lives.

Most of us model our attitudes based on our parents’ – that can be both a negative and a positive. If you had parents who were very critical, you might make a real effort at not being like them and always look for someone or something to compliment. Yet, again, you might be overly critical yourself (and that usually means self-critical as well). If you find yourself in the latter group, your attitude might just be coloring your life with a very dark crayon and contaminating your ability to live life fully.

A person with a positive attitude is someone who always sees the possibility in every situation as a potential gift – yes, the forest fire can bring about new life and clear the forest of the overgrowth.

The positive attitude seems to breed an “attitude of gratitude”. We like to be around positive people; they make us feel good about ourselves and usually help us feel grounded and safe. They always say “thank you” and you find they smile a lot as well.

As a Geriatric Care Manager, I have been honored to work with individuals who are in their 90’s and have had multiple losses and health challenges; yet they feel good about their lives, seeing good in every day and in every person. They tell me that loss is just part of life and you need to expect it, grieve and move on. Many have added that the “moving on” is a way to honor those you have lost.

So, if you find you are not one of the “positive” people and you don’t say “thank you” at least 5-10 times a day, then you just might want to have an “attitude adjustment”. This can be found by reading, practicing, and sometimes with professional counseling. Many Care Managers are licensed therapists and can help you make this change. Let your life be one of light and don’t use those dark crayons!

E-Mail Made Easy for our Aging Parents

Posted in adult children, Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Blog, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, Future Trends, Relationships on September 24, 2010

Founder and Executive Director Linda Fodrini-Johnson, MA, MFT, CMC

I am always surprised and pleased to see that technology is starting to become simple and easier for those who don’t want a computer. My mother is always asking me to research the side effects of a new medication on the Internet or to look for a recipe for all those apples and lemons in her garden. The little printer/mailbox I saw this week might just do the trick for this type of communication.

I attended a conference and met some people who have a product called “Presto”. It is basically a printer connected to your older or non-tech family member’s phone line. When an e-mail is sent, the machine receives a printed message with pictures or whatever it is that was sent. The cost is about $100 plus a monthly service fee of $14.99. Great for us busy professionals that can send messages to our parents via our smart phones or in-between meetings – when we know we don’t have time for a long call! Just remember, technology will never replace visits or calls – this is just an additional way to stay connected.

I am not affiliated with Presto Services, Inc. and receive no compensation for referrals – I just love the idea that individuals, who are busy, can stay connected with mom or dad with technology in a way that isn’t overwhelming or anxiety producing.

If you want the details, look at their website: www.presto.com.

What Gives Your Life Meaning?

Posted in adult children, Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Blog, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, End of Life, Relationships on September 21, 2010

Founder and Executive Director Linda Fodrini-Johnson, MA, MFT, CMC

What Gives Your Life Meaning? This is one of the first questions I ask most of my clients in geriatric care management and in counseling. The reason for this question is to know what is important to you as an individual – what gives your life meaning, value and purpose. If I know this before the issue, it always helps me to redirect, coach, and counsel you or your entire family keeping that value in all decisions, options and outcomes.

Taking inventory to that which gives your life meaning is important in drafting legal tools and financial planning goals. I say this not as an attorney or a financial planner, but as an advocate for you to have “life your way” no matter what your unforeseen needs may be.

For example, if “family” (children and grandchildren) is your primary focus for meaning, as well as for a relationship, then you will want to live near them or have arrangements made for frequent visits if at a distance. Likewise, in your legal tools, you might want to leave all of your assets for the education and well being of your grandchildren.

If your passion for your faith and God is a primary place of meaning and value, you might want to indicate in legal tools that you would want to live in a religious run or managed care facility should you ever need assisted care. Likewise you might want to give the majority of your estate to the religious institution you are affiliated with. If you are leaving assets for a religious group you might want to indicate how you want them to spend your donation – such as children’s or music ministry or mission outreach. It can be a general donation, but if you have been on many mission trips and want to ensure missions will continue, you want to be specific in your directions.

An inventory of what gives your life purpose is also important in delegating time and energy during ones life. If animal protection is your passion, you might want to volunteer at a shelter. If adult literacy is a concern of yours, you might want to assist those who didn’t learn to read as a child– what a wonderful gift.

What we do with our lives is up to us – take inventory of your passions and make them part of your life today, as well as your legacy forever.

Fielding the Perfect Team – Who to Include and When to Do It!

Posted in adult children, Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Blog, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, End of Life, Relationships on September 17, 2010

Professional Geriatric Care Manager Supervisor Eileen Zagelow, BA, CMC

“I wish I had met you 3 years ago!” This comment makes me smile when I think of the lovely gentleman who said it to me when he first became my client. Fortunately, I was able to work side by side with him for several years, assisting him in the care of his wife and his own adjustment to the changes she experienced. Later we separated out his needs and preferences for his quality of life. This was a very rewarding relationship indeed – for each of us.

During my 17 years at Eldercare this wistful sentiment has presented itself often – people wishing they had connected with a geriatric care manager earlier in their journey. Frequently I am asked for a handbook that prepares one for the eventualities in caring for a person entrusted to them, or perhaps one that helps them prepare for their own unforeseen needs. Surely there are books and articles some of which are very helpful. However, just as one financial how-to book cannot prepare one for all aspects of investing, one how-to book cannot prepare a person for advocacy and navigation in the retirement and healthcare arena.

The fact is that appropriate questions rarely present themselves until after the crisis – this is unfortunate, but true. Having the perfect professional team in place can help avoid crises, minimize risks and foster a plan of action for the short-term as well as the long-term.

This team should include a financial planner; a legal advisor and a certified geriatric care manager. Financial projection is obviously a must; however, what you are planning for may be less clear. Legally, a consultation with an attorney versed in elder law can be strategically important. Benefits often need to be looked into, particularly when couples have shared assets. Also, clarifying legal documents can minimize future problems.

A geriatric care manager is an invaluable member of this team. Their expertise assists in many ways – providing an inside look at living transitions, navigating the healthcare system, working with families to find solutions both internal and external, providing dementia education where needed and advocacy whenever there is a need.

Getting this team in place before it is needed is the best time to do it, but whenever you do it, having your perfect team will allow for greater freedom from worry financially, emotionally, and physically.

Senior Centers and the Baby Boomers

Posted in Age Related Issues, Blog on September 14, 2010

Founder and Executive Director Linda Fodrini-Johnson, MA, MFT, CMC

I was talking to the Mayor of a local city who is a Baby Boomer and a senior and she was saying she can’t take any of the wonderful classes offered at her local senior center because they are all during the day.

Senior Centers take heed, the Baby Boomers will most probably work longer than their parents and they would love to take classes at 6 or 6:30 at night. We all need to exercise and we need specific exercise for the healthy aging body. Individuals need to stay mentally fit and need classes that keep our minds engaged and challenged – we want to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and have a high quality of life!

Don’t miss this growing market of 70 Million future participants – use your buildings and serve the growing number of 60+ working adults. This is an opportunity to expand programming with maybe some fee for services classes.

Senior Centers of the future that work on health, fitness and social engagement will succeed in meeting the needs of a large, vocal, active group of new members!

Hospital Discharge Planner Values Care Managers

Posted in adult children, Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Blog, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, Relationships on September 3, 2010

Founder and Executive Director Linda Fodrini-Johnson, MA, MFT, CMC

I had a call this month from a local hospital discharge planner complimenting us on our professional advocacy (Geriatric Care Management) for clients, our team spirit and wise counsel. She was also very impressed with our caregivers in the hospital setting – whom she said were kind, helpful and an asset to the client. We actually provide classes on how to work with clients who are in the hospital for our caregivers.

The voice mail from this nurse actually surprised me because this is what we do all the time for our clients. We, professional Geriatric Care Managers, are “team” players and want our clients to get the best medical care possible, to see that they are compliant with new orders at discharge and most of all, to convey history, likes, and values to the treatment team inside the hospital. These hospital teams are wonderful, but it can be very frustrating to find answers to a problem when you don’t have the whole picture!

The Geriatric Care Manager is the conduit of information that can mean the difference between life or death in the hospital and most definitely all the difference in the discharge on the “home end”!