Maine's John Calderwood has given up retirement for a real labor of love. WABI reports.
Did you know that Monday October 10th is World Mental Health Day? This day was established by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992 to provide education, awareness and advocacy for those affected by mental illness worldwide. Family caregivers are disproportionately affected by mental health concerns as a result of the stress and strain of caring for individuals with chronic disease or other health issues. Beyond managing the day to day activities for the care recipient, many family caregivers find that the biggest struggle they face is letting go of the person they used to know and accepting the current status of the individual they care for. Other factors that can impact a caregiver's mental health include the nature of the relationship with the care recipient, the stage of the disability or disease and the strength of the social support network. There is hope – and there is help. We would like to share with you the Caring for the Caregiver Plancreated by the World Federation for Mental Health. This customizable plan ensures that the mental and physical health of the caregiver is not only maintained but also improved. The Caring for the Caregiver Plan has three components: 1) Cope with day-to-day demands by getting the help that you need2) Create a community of care providers3) Care for your mental healthTake the time to write out a Caring for the Caregiver plan for yourself. In doing so, you can help sustain – and ultimately improve – your own mental and physical well-being while continuing to provide excellent care. At Home Care Assistance, we wrote the book on family caregiving, and we're here to help with respite care when you need us. Have a great weekend!
We are excited to share with you that September 2011 is the first World Alzheimer's Month and today is Alzheimer’s Action Day. This is a great opportunity to show your commitment to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease!
There are nearly 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers providing 17 billion hours of unpaid care—valued at 202 billion dollars— annually. Caregivers are under tremendous physical and emotional strain, with over one-third of family caregivers reporting symptoms of depression.
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s can be extremely difficult. The emotional toll of seeing a loved one slowly slip away can be significant. Given the serious nature of Alzheimer’s symptoms, including memory loss, wandering and hallucinations, around-the-clock care is often the only way to ensure the health and safety of individuals with Alzheimer’s. Most family caregivers who try to provide the necessary level of 24/7 care eventually feel overwhelmed and burned out.
If you find yourself in this situation, one solution is to arrange for respite care. This can include developing a weekly schedule of relatives, friends or neighbors who will fill in for a few hours to enable you to run errands or simply enjoy some leisure time with friends. Home Care Assistance specializes in Live-in Care through our dedicated team of screened, trained and insured caregivers.
Help us raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease by changing your Facebook profile picture for a day to the Alzheimer’s Association “END ALZ” graphic that can be found here. While you’re on our Fan Page, we encourage you to share a link you find interesting or to leave a comment related to Alzheimer’s disease and how it has affected someone you care about.
Lonely people, it seems, are at greater risk than gregarious individuals of developing illnesses associated with chronic inflammation, such as heart disease and certain cancers. According to a paper published last year in the Public Library of Science, Medicine, the effect on mortality of those with loneliness is comparable with those that smoke and drink. The combined results of 148 previous studies that followed 300,000 individuals over an average period of 7.5 years with controlled factors such as age and pre-existing illness, concluded that a gregarious person has a 50 percent better chance of surviving than a lonely one.
On a scientific level, Dr. Steven Cole of the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted a study of the white blood cells in both lonely and social people. By measuring the production of messenger RNA, the molecules that tell the white blood cells which protein to make, he found two functional group of genes in lonely people: one group less active and involved in fighting viral infections; and the other more active and involved in protecting against bacterial infections, thus causing an inflammation response.
Gregarious and lonely individuals generate the same level of RNA, but are regulated differently according to how socialable an individual is. Viral infections are transmitted from person-to-person, whereas, bacterial infections can thrive in just about any environment. Lonely individuals also have greater protection against bacterial infections, which causes them to have a higher relative risk to their health. When loneliness becomes chronic, the inflammatory response becomes chronic at the same time, thus one can develop illnesses associated with chronic inflammation.
With this knowledge, take a few minutes to call up a loved one or friend and plan an exciting outing together!
(via Home Care Blog)
Changes in your thinking processes and memory are inevitable as we age. According to the 2011 Alzheimer's Association's Annual Report, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's disease every 70 seconds. Luckily, simple lifestyle activities, both physical and mental, can decrease your chances of dementia and keep your mind sharp as a tack!
Also note that debilitating memory loss doesn't happen to everyone. Here are 10 ways to boost your memory power. You will notice that most of these activities are probably already incorporated into your daily routine.
1. Take the stairs – Exercise benefits your brain as well as the rest of your body. Increasing blood flow to the brain results in less brain shrinkage and lowers the risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Remember, one step at a time – it all adds up. Avoid elevators, park at the far end of the lot and try taking an evening walk around your block.
2. Take a nap during the day – Memory storage happens while you sleep, which is why a good night’s sleep is so valuable. A six-minute nap is as valuable for short-term recall as a 90-minute nap has been shown to speed up the process that helps the brain consolidate long-term memories.
3. Play a ‘brain’ game - A study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society shows that people over 65 who used a computerized cognitive training program for an hour a day, over a period of eight weeks, improved memory and attention more than the control group.
4. A Cup of Joe - Green and black teas have a protective effect on memory by influencing enzymes in the brain while the caffeine sparks concentration. People who drink moderate amounts of coffee, as many as three to five cups, have lower odds of developing dementia later life.
5. Eat your greens - People who are deficient in folate and vitamin B12 have an increased risk of developing dementia. Great vegetable sources for folate include romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley, collards, broccoli, cauliflower and beets. Don’t like vegetables? An abundant amount of Folate can also be found in lentils, calf's liver, pinto and black beans. Home Care Assistance offers a great health-oriented program for clients that caregivers are trained in called the Balanced Care Method.
6. Learn something new - Pursue a new type of activity using skills far different from those you are accustomed to using. Learn a new language or try a sculpting class!
7. Eat chocolate! - In 2007, a study by the Journal of Neuroscience reported on the memory-boosting effects in rats from a plant compound called epicatechin. In addition to cocoa, epicatechin is found in blueberries, grapes and tea.
8. Put everything in its place - Your memory needs a certain amount of familiarity to keep your life functioning smoothly. Place your keys and glasses in the same place every time. Write notes to yourself as a reminder (the very act of writing will help your recall).
9. Don’t retire – Volunteer. A satisfying work life offers social stimulation and decision-making opportunities, exercises and problem-solving skills. Volunteering after retirement involves learning new material and interacting with others.
10. Spend time with loved ones – Being around other people who keep you engaged and stimulated lowers your risk of developing dementia.
By setting aside time each day to walk, learning something new and munching on chocolate, you can help boost your memory for years to come.
(via Home Care Blog)
Storytelling is one of the oldest human traditions on earth. Stories are integral aspects of our lives and an important part of how we communicate, learn and grow.
According to an article in The New York Times, research is supporting the idea that storytelling is also imperative in improving health. Doctors and patients alike suggest the power of personal narratives to effectively communicate and interpret experiences concerning certain health issues.
A recent study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine reported that listening to personal narratives helped control high blood pressure in one group of patients, an outcome that was just as successful as taking additional medications.
“Telling and listening to stories is the way we make sense of our lives,” said Dr. Thomas K. Houston, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bedford, Mass. “That natural tendency may have the potential to alter behavior and improve health.”
Researchers explain that storytelling counteracts the initial denial a patient experiences when diagnosed. Similarly, patients might distrust the medical system or have difficulty understanding all of the information. However, stories and personal narratives are relatable, and therefore help the patient make sense of their own situation.
Stories are particularly beneficial with the more “silent” chronic diseases, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. They can help the patient realize the importance of addressing a disease that has few obvious symptoms.
“Storytelling is human,” Dr. Houston said. “We learn through stories, and we use them to make sense of our lives. It’s a natural extension to think that we could use stories to improve our health.”
Courtesy of CareNotes: The Home Care Newsletter
By the Numbers
66: Percent of family caregivers who are women
20: Hours of in-home care family caregivers provide each week (often unpaid)
4 to 8: Number of years caring for an Alzheimer’s patient can shorten your life
46: percent of caregivers who are clinically depressed
Roughly 65 million people in the United States are caring for a chronically ill, disabled or elderly family member. The vast majority of these people are also raising kids and holding down full-time jobs and consequently they’re burning out.
“So many caregivers suffer from stress and health issues,” said Susan Baida, 42, co-founder of eCareDiary.com, a website that offers online tools to help caregivers understand the diverse aspects of their duties, including medical legal and financial issues.
Baida’s father-in-law, who had Parkinson’s disease, saw his condition worsen in his early 80s. Baida and her husband, John Mills, took intense care of him the last few years of his life. He died in 2007. Now, Baida’s 92-year-old grandfather is living in a nursing home with dementia.
“My husband and I both have experience in the healthcare and technology fields, and we were stunned at how decentralized the services are. The hospitals don’t talk to the long-term care service providers who don’t talk to the insurance companies. The caregiver becomes the CEO.” -- Susan BaidaTo prevent burnout, Dr. Kathy Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of Home Care Assistance, suggests a number of steps caregivers can take to protect their health and stress levels. She recommends that caregivers stay involved in personal hobbies, eat a well-balanced diet, join a caregiver support group, and rotate the caregiving responsibilities (bathing, eating, medication) among family members to vary the duties. If you feel guilty for taking time for yourself, stop. “The best role you can play is that of son, daughter, loved one and to rekindle the original relationship you had with the person you’re caring for. There is no guilt in that,” said Johnson.
With a new year, comes new innovations in the healthcare industry. The New York Times reports that recent research is stressing the importance of caregiving to those with Alzheimer’s. With no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s, dementia therapy comes from caregiving performed by families, or at nursing homes.
“There’s actually better evidence and more significant results in caregiver interventions than there is in anything to treat this disease so far” -- Lisa P. Gwyther, education director for the Bryan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Duke University.Research suggests that creating positive emotional experiences for Alzheimer’s patients reduces distress and behavior problems. Emotions exist even after cognition deteriorates, so changing things like food, art, exercise, or the aesthetics of a room can generate positive emotions. The Journal of the American Medical Association found that brightening lights in dementia facilities decreased depression and cognitive deterioration.
As more seniors live well into their 80s, 90s, and 100s, the need for long-term financial planning becomes more imperative. Particularly, those stricken with deteriorating health or mental diseases must deal with a multitude of costs such as living arrangements and medical care. In the case of dehabilitating mental diseases such as dementia, arrangements should be made as soon as possible while they still can be made.
Perhaps the most important decision to be made is where you intend to live in your elderly years. If you already have a home that is paid for, it is still important to have money saved to cover the costs of health care. In many unofrtunate circumstances, seniors have been forced to sell their homes to sover these costs. Often times, living alone in a house can be dangerous and arrangements should be made for home health care or residential care. All of these factors should be considered when planning for your future.
Make sure to watch out for elder financial abuse by having an enduring power of attorney. It is a good idea to require the attorney to provide full transperancy of financial information with those involved. If a family member can demand a financial update from your attorney it makes stealing and other abuses much harder to commit. Use your power of attorney to get someone to do the banking for you rather than have a joint account. This reduces the tension and complications involved with sharing finances with family members and loved ones.
The need for compassionate, independent legal and financial advice is just as critical at this stage of life as it is at any other. The difficulty lies in the loss of control that some seniors experience because of failing health or simply by being too trusting.
Source: The Globe and Mail
“Our finding is that even among the people who have the same number of close friends, people who have close friends in a congregation are more satisfied. I think it’s because they meet a group of close friends together on a regular basis and participate in religious activities that are meaningful, they share a sense of community or sense of belonging” -- Dr. Chaeyoon Lim, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin.
