When Seniors Say "NO" to Help

A family caregiver’s job, by definition, is already a difficult one.  Time away from work and family, and the worry of caring for a senior adult take a toll.  But when you consider that many seniors often resist help, that job becomes overwhelming.

A study of family caregivers conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care^® network revealed that 51 percent said that their aging relative was very resistant to care.  These seniors often object to help whether it’s from a family caregiver or a professional.  This is a real problem for family caregivers worried about the safety of a senior loved one. 

Resistance is at the root of many senior-care issues.  Why?  If seniors admit they need help, they feel their independence is in question.  They believe once they acknowledge they need help, they’ll lose control of their affairs.  They are trying to maintain dignity.  Unless they feel they can trust someone, they resist change.  It’s the fear that life as they’ve known it will be taken away from them.

Most caregivers can go into “crisis mode” to rally around a loved one in the short-term, but they can't be totally immersed in crisis mode long-term without their own family, work and health suffering according to family caregiving consultant Dr. Amy D’Aprix, author of From Surviving to Thriving: Transforming Your Caregiving Experience.

The strain can take a particular toll on working family caregivers.  The Home Instead study revealed 42 percent of family caregivers spend 30+ hours a week- the equivalent of a second full-time job- caregiving. Their own personal health and job were affected with 58 percent getting ill more frequently.  Furthermore, 81 percent say their loved ones’ needs are becoming overwhelming compared with 73 percent who thought so just four years earlier. 

These strategies may lessen resistance:

1.   Understand the source of the resistance. 

2.  Explain your goals.  Reassure them you have the same goal of keeping them at home longer while giving you both peace of mind.

 

3.  If necessary bring in professional help, such as a geriatric care manager.

4.  Research local options. The book Stagesof Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions by Paul and Lori Hogan is a great resource for options.

5.  Respect a senior’s decisions.  Unless they have dementia, they have a right to make the final decision about care, even if a family caregiver or professional doesn’t agree. 

The battle to turn resistance into assistance can be fierce.  Education can help arm family caregivers with the tools they need.  Materials and videos on Caring for Your Parents: Education for the Family Caregiver^SM are available at www.caregiverstress.com.

Loneliness, Economy Challenge Seniors This Holiday

Perplexed about what to get the senior in your life this holiday season? That older adult on your shopping list may well be facing two challenges: the economy that has seniors looking for basic items they can no longer afford and the loneliness that many seniors encounter because families may not be able to visit.

Many seniors, including those in care communities, could have no one to visit them during the holidays this year as families cut travel expenses and treasured family time. So the most valuable gift is companionship.

That's why the Home Instead Senior Care^® network has developed a gift guide of presents that seniors may not be able to afford, but that can bring families together. Following are several suggestions:

1. A newspaper subscription - Some of your senior loved one's fondest memories could revolve around life at the dinner table discussing the day's events. A subscription to a daily newspaper can help them continue that tradition with you.
2. DVD player and favorite DVDs - A DVD player will help your older adult enjoy their favorite old movies. But it will be much more special if you bring the popcorn and make a night of it.
3. Tickets to a sporting event or play - What better treat than tickets for your senior loved one and the rest of the family to attend a play or favorite team event?
4. Scenic train or boat trip - Many communities have day excursions - such as scenic train or boat trips - which can serve as great incentives for seniors to get out and about.
5. A calendar - Create a calendar with activities that are going on in your family's life so a senior can feel a part of them. Check online; there are many resources for personalizing calendars with family photos. 

If you're looking for other gift ideas, consider the Homemade Memories Cookbook, which features family recipes and stories. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Home Instead Senior Care Foundation. If you can't be there with an older loved one, remember that the next best thing is the gift of companionship services. Call Home Instead Senior Care of Savannah today at 912-355-0099 or outside the Savannah area at 877-855-0098 for more information.

What’s In Your Cabinet?

Do you have only one physician?  Probablynot.  You may have a primary physician, a cardiologist, an orthopedist, a urologist, a neurologist, all of whom prescribed meds. Or perhaps you became ill on vacation and visited an emergency medical outpatient center where you received yet another prescription. Most likely all of your prescriptions were not filled at the same pharmacy. For example, you may be taking three medications with different names and strengths for pain, not realizing they all do the same thing. Who oversees all these medications and knows their interactions? Your pharmacist - if you go to only one pharmacy.

To save money, always ask your pharmacist if an over-the-counter, generic or alternative drug is available. Some drug manufacturers have a prescription drug and a lesser strength over-the-counter drug.  For example, Clarinex (X30) is approximately $127.70 while Claritin (x30) sells for approx. $7.46.  If you cannot afford a medication, there may be a pharmaceutical program to help you.

Ask your pharmacist to do a “brown bag” review of all the medications you are taking, including over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and herbal supplements.  Also, take all the drugs that you have “saved because I might need them later” from your medicine cabinet with you. 

Throw away outdated drugs!  They lose their potency over time.  Some outdated antibiotics may even be toxic and cause death.  And for goodness sake, don’t keep eye drops!  They don’t have many preservatives and may begin to grow organisms.  Using them may potentially infect your eyes!  Now then…”What’s in YOUR medicine cabinet?”

Pat Summitt Raising Awareness about Alzheimer's

For many of us who are college sports fans, University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt's recent diagnosis of early-onset Dementia hit us like an opposing teams last-second 3-pointer that wins the NCAA Championship game.

As Magic Johnson did in the early 90's to raise awareness of HIV, she hopes her public battle with this form of dementia raises awareness about Alzheimer's and inspires people to do more.
 
For more, we 'd like to share this Nov. 5th, 2011 Washington Post article.


Photo Credit (Dave Martin, File/Associated Press) - FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2011 file photo, Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt talks with reporters during Southeastern Conference Basketball Media day in Hoover, Ala. With her revelation in August that she’d been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, the 59-year-old has chosen to fight the disease publicly.

What to do BEFORE “The Call”

Emergencies can happen at any time. Seniors are at high risk due to the large numbers of medications they are taking.  Older adults represent just over 13% of the population, but consume 40% of prescription drugs and 35% of all over-the-counter drugs, according to the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). According to the ASCP, adverse drug reactions are responsible for 28 percent of hospitalizations of the elderly.

What happens when an adult child receives “the call” that an emergency has occurred?  Panic sets in if it becomes clear that decisions have to be made about your parents’ care and you haven’t a clue where to find the needed information.

A recent survey was conducted by Home Instead Senior Care of future family caregivers – individuals who plan on caring for their parents within the next 10 years whenever the need arises – to determine their level of knowledge and awareness about their parents.  73% felt they were informed about their parents’ current health situation, however 31% didn’t know how many medications the parents take; 49% could not name any of the medications;  48% said their parents had medication allergies, but were unable to name any of the allergies; 70% didn’t know their parents’ blood type.  Only 47% knew their parents’ medical history.

Regarding important documents, 36% didn’t know financial information or where to find it; 35% didn’t know if there are advance medical directives, safe deposit box keys, wills or power of attorney or their location; 46% didn’t know health insurance or long term care information; 40% didn’t know the names of their parents’ physicians, attorney or financial advisor.  Two in five future caregivers have never tried to ask their parents for any information.

The result of this survey is the Senior Emergency Kit.  Home Instead Senior Care and Humana Points of Caregiving have developed an information management tool to help family caregivers track medications and other information regarding their parents’ health and financial information.  The kit contains checklists and worksheets for medications, conditions, allergies, doctors, health advisers and a place to store other vital records.  These worksheets can be downloaded from www.caregiverstress.com or www.homeinstead.com.  There is even a wallet-size emergency card designed to contain vital information should emergency treatment be needed.

If a senior is looking for a way to make life easier for their adult children or spouse; what better gift than peace of mind.  The toolkit should be a guide for any adult to keep their records and information in one place. 

Common Myths about Long Term Care

Myth #1: Long-term care is only for the elderly.

Actually, a surprising amount of long-term care services are provided to younger people. The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that 40% of the 13 million people receiving long-term care services are between the ages 18 and 64.

Myth #2: I’ll pay for my own long-term care.

In 2009, nursing home costs averaged over $79,000 a year nationally, but in some regions these costs are sometimes twice that amount.

Myth #3: Medicare will cover my long-term care expenses.

Medicare does pay for nursing home care, but only for a maximum of 100 days and if the 3-day qualifying hospital stay requirement has been met. In addition, Medicare will only pay as long as you are showing progress towards recovery. Once your condition becomes stable, even if you are not fully well or
back to a completely healthy state of being, Medicare rules indicate that benefits will stop.

Living Longer Isn’t Enough!

Living your life or just counting the years?  What we really want is to live longer well. Many factors influence how we age.  We cannot control our genes, but we can control our choices.   Fortunately, research reveals it is never too late to make changes that can help you live a longer, healthier life.

Here are ten tips for aging well from the American Geriatrics Society’s Foundation for Health in Aging:

Eat a rainbow: As we age we need fewer calories.  Eat fruits and vegetables with a wide range of colors for more varied nutrients.  Include 2 servings of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids a week.

Avoid falls: Walking 30 minutes, three times a week, can help you stay physically fit, strengthen your bones and lower your fall risk.  Exercises like bicycling, dancing, jogging and water aerobics also help.

Smaller Toasts: Drink less alcohol - 1 drink for men and ½ drink for ladies.  A drink is 1 oz. hard liquor, 6 oz. wine or 12 oz. beer. 

Sleep:  Sleep 7-8 hours a night. If you’re still sleepy during the day, you may have sleep apnea which, untreated, can increase your risk of developing heart disease.

Train Your Brain: Playing computer games, puzzles, socialization and learning new things can help keep your brain sharp.

Enjoy Safe Sex: Studies show that older adults are having more sex.  Unfortunately more are being diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases.  Use protection every time.

Medications Check:  Keep an updated list of all your medications, dosages and frequencies.  You may have many medications prescribed by different doctors. Ask your pharmacist to review them to be sure they don’t interact in harmful ways.

Recognize Depression: 1 in 5 older adults suffer from depression.  Learn the symptoms and seek treatment from your healthcare provider.

Get Your Shots: Protect yourself from illnesses that kill thousands of older adults.  Take the shots for flu, pneumonia, tetanus/diphtheria and shingles.

Be Your Own Advocate:  Find the right doctor. Take a list of your questions and medicines with you. State the real reason for the visit immediately. Then follow their instructions.

Paying for the Care You Need

Once you have realized that you, your parents or a friend may need assistance to remain at home, you have probably discovered that Medicare, Medicaid and health insurance do not pay for non-medical care, such as personal care, light housekeeping, meal preparation, or transportation, provided at home.  The next question is: “I need it, but how will I pay for it?”

There are several options, however one of the most underutilized benefits is the US Military Veteran’s Aid and Attendance program.  Never heard of it?  You’re not alone!  This is an earned benefit for Veterans age 65 or older who served 90 consecutive days on active duty, one day of which was in a time when the country was at war, and received a better than dishonorable discharge.  This is financial help to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses for wartime veterans and their widows.  The widow must not have divorced the veteran or remarried after the veteran’s death.  The veteran must be certified by a doctor as needing assistance with their activities of daily living. 

Tax free benefits range from $1,056 - $1,949 per month based on marital status and adjusted household income.  These funds can be used to meet the veterans’ needs, including non-medical services.  For additional information about the program, call Home Instead Senior Care in Savannah at 912-355-0099 or in South Carolina at 877-855-0098.

Senior Con Games

Con games are nothing new.  When the target is a senior, the stakes have never been higher.  Senior scams are costing older adults their life savings, their homes and even their lives. There has been a significant increase in the number of cases in which elderly scam artists have taken advantage of older investors, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

“That’s a definite new trend,” said Denise Voigt Crawford, the Texas securities commissioner. “We’re seeing more cases of older people ripping off other older people.” The Wall Street Journal recaps several cases in which older financial planners allegedly took advantage of fellow senior citizens. Reporters Jason Zweig and Mary Pilon quoted psychologist Mara Mather of the University of California, Santa Cruz, as saying older adults seek less data than younger persons when making complex decisions, and they go out of their way to avoid negative information.

What makes seniors so vulnerable?  According to research  by the Consumer Fraud Research Group and the National Association of Securities Dealers, physical and psychological needs are at the heart of this issue.  Seniors may worry that they will outlive their money and are looking for ways to improve their financial position.

The top five senior scams are:

Prizes and Sweepstakes scams: Being told they have won a sweepstakes and asked to send a check to cover the taxes.

Home Improvement Frauds:  Criminals knock on their door, offer to do repairs, ask for payment to buy materials, then disappear.

Phishing Schemes: A scammer calls claiming to represent a bank stating their account has been compromised and asking to verify their account number.

Internet Fraud: Seniors may unwittingly give their credit card number to a scammer.

Identity Theft:  Giving out their birth date and Social Security number can open their entire identity and history to a thief.

What can you do to protect seniors?

Watch for unusual activity, i.e. changes in lifestyle or unusual financial activity

Be on guard for individuals who have befriended your loved one.  Ask to talk to their new friend.

Investigate organizations looking for money.  Request written information on the organization.

Assist loved ones with their finances.  This may involve becoming financial power of attorney.

Destroy/shred information that could be compromised, i.e. financial information, applications, credit cards.

Seek a second set of eyes.  Help them build a support network which could be neighbors, friends or professional caregivers who can help spot scams.  The website CaregiverStress.com offers a “Helping Seniors with Finances” video providing ideas on how to begin and offering resources.