Covering All Your Senior Family Member’s Care Needs
Posted in Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, End of Life, adult children on Jun 15th, 2010
Often individuals with dementia are in denial to something as evident as incontinence, deny they have a problem and make excuses for the wetness on their clothing or furniture. This is embarrassing to family members and presents a hygiene issue to the family member with dementia. This could be the sign of a urinary tract [...]
Posted in Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, adult children on Jun 11th, 2010
It is important in communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, to know the words they have always used for a room like the toilet – did they say “powder room”, “bathroom”, ”can” or another?
If your family member is going into a care center, retirement community or dementia care facility and they [...]
Posted in Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, End of Life, adult children on Apr 30th, 2010
Often we hear from families, that need services for a parent, that their brother or sister doesn’t think mom needs anything or they feel she needs 10 times the care she really needs to stay safe and well. This conflict can sometimes delay an intervention that would benefit all family members.
It is hard to accept [...]
Posted in Age Related Issues, Care Management, Caregiving, End of Life, adult children on Apr 20th, 2010
I have a wonderful company to lead and we always refer to ourselves as the “team”. No matter what you do or what your job description is, you work for a common goal. In our case, it is quality of life for elders and peace for families. We acknowledge that the journey of aging can [...]
Posted in Age Related Issues, Care Management, End of Life, Uncategorized on Feb 16th, 2010
This was given by a 92 year old client to a Care Manager in the mid-west:
”Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.”
Posted in Age Related Issues, Care Management, Uncategorized on Dec 22nd, 2009
It has been my honor, over the past 25 years, to help people make hard decisions such as giving up a home of 50 years for a retirement community or a downsized condo. One comes to this decision from various paths; economic reasons, health concerns, loss of spouse or wanting to relocate near adult children. [...]
Posted in Age Related Issues, Uncategorized on Sep 29th, 2009
We experience the world through our senses. When one or more of them is affected by disease, accidents or the aging process, it diminishes one’s ability to function at optimal levels. As one ages, the loss of hearing or sight might contribute to isolation and/or depression.
The aging process causes some changes in vision such as [...]
Posted in Care Management, Uncategorized on Aug 12th, 2009
On August 6, 2009, I contributed to a story in BusinessWeek, “The Elderly: Finding a Good Geriatric Care Manager“. What I would have wanted to add to the story is that just because someone has an educational degree or calls themselves a Geriatric Care Manager it is best to ask two important questions:
1) Is the [...]
Posted in Care Management, End of Life, Uncategorized on Jul 22nd, 2009
I have a client. Her name is Jackie. She is dying, but she doesn’t think so. She looks fondly at the mourning dove settled in her nest in the flowerpot hanging over the patio of the board and care home that Jackie now calls home. “I love sitting in the garden” she says. Even as she struggles [...]