HomeAid Health Care - Elder Topics: March 2014

Friday, March 28, 2014

Alzheimer's Care

People with Alzheimer live with a constant feeling of wrongness,
but cannot pinpoint why.

People with Alzheimer’s disease live in a constant state of confusion and fear. Many are aware that something is off in their lives but can’t quite put their finger on what the problem is. They struggle, search and stress over the missing pieces and often their battle with confusion is overwhelming to them and their families.

Caregivers who work with people with Alzheimer’s disease need to be flexible and diligent. The AD patient’s physical and emotional needs change frequently and without warning. The first priority of the Caregiver to make sure they provide safety and security. A person with Alzheimer’s lives in constant anxiety and knowing that their Caregiver is focused on caring for them physically and mentally will help them relax.

Quick Tips:

Speak Slowly – Slowing down and remaining calm will help those with Alzheimer’s do the same. Avoid phrases that remind them of their problems. It does not help to remind them that they cannot do something or had already asked a question. Redirect the situation to avoid adding frustration to the patient’s confusion.

Use Declarative Sentences – Speaking in short to-the-point sentences conveys information in an easy to understand manner. Avoid long explanations of why something can’t happen or why someone is missing. Overwhelming the patient with information can be counterproductive and frustrating.

Touch – Much is conveyed in a simple touch. Holding hands, touching an arm or giving a hug will help send the message of love and acceptance, which in turn can help the patient relax.

Schedule the Day – Working within a set schedule can help the Alzheimer’s patient. Finding the best time of day for specific tasks and keeping to that general timetable is one way to keep a sense of order intact. Avoid planning too much around the evening as many find those with Alzheimer’s tend to be more agitated at that time.

Get Outside – Those with Alzheimer’s benefit from getting plenty of sunlight and exercise.

Socialize – Generally those with Alzheimer’s disease pull away from their established relationships out of fear or embarrassment over their cognitive problems. Encouraging and providing opportunity to interact with others is very important to keep the AD patient from becoming isolated.

Get Active – Find activities to engage the Alzheimer’s patient. Often simple things such as sorting or organizing can help calm the confusion of the patient’s mind.

Chart the Day – Keeping a running record of the day can help the Caregiver see patterns and correct problems. Daily record eating habits, activities, and incidents to see if there is a connection between agitation and some event. Avoiding anxiety triggers is important and so charting to find those triggers is essential.

As a Caregiver to a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, it is important to continue learning and adapting to provide proper care. Caregivers must be mindful of how confused and afraid those with Alzheimer’s disease generally are, and provide the security and love to help ease their troubled minds.

www.homeaidhealthcare.com

www.prairiehomeassistedliving.com

Kate McCarthy is Director of Operations for HomeAid Health Care which provides services for the elderly who wish to remain safe and independent at home. HomeAid is sister company to Prairie Home Assisted Living which has served the physical, spiritual, mental and health needs of their Residents since 1999. Together the two family owned companies provide comprehensive care for the elderly in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Dementia Village – A New Concept in Long Term Care

New long-term care option for people with Dementia

Currently 35.6 million people have dementia worldwide, and according to the World Health Organization, close to 8 million new cases are diagnosed each year. It is expected that the number of people with dementia will double by 2030 and triple by 2050. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the diagnosis of this disease has increased 68% since 2000 and the cost of caring for those with dementia will increase from $203 billion in 2013 to a staggering $1.2 trillion by 2050.

The numbers are scary

As the world’s population ages, the problem of finding and paying for long-term care is becoming overwhelming. Governments around the world are scrambling to prepare financially and socially for a future full of care issues. Most are not prepared with their infrastructure to accommodate a growing population of elderly, let alone housing for elderly with dementia, which traditionally requires locked down security for safety concerns.

Innovative Care Solution

One innovative care solution, called the Dementia Village, has come out of the Netherlands. Just outside of Amsterdam is a cutting-edge elder care facility named Hogewey. Hogewey is a closed village where people with dementia live, shop, roam and enjoy life freely. The facility is set up with apartments and buildings which form a closed and secure gate to the outside world but opens up internally to its own independent world. The facility has restaurants, cafes, a supermarket, theatre and hair salon, courtyards and gardens, and a pedestrian walkway. It looks and feels like the main street of any town center. The goal of the Dementia Village is to create a world that resembles normal life for the Residents who live there, while maintaining supervision and safety. The concept of this facility has captured the world’s attention and is now being considered as a model by health care experts in several countries.

A Town Tailored To Their Needs

Hogewey has 23 apartments located on a 4 acre grounds. Each apartment holds 6 to 8 people including Caregivers and is decorated in a theme that resembles a lifestyle the Residents once enjoyed. Caregivers, dressed in street clothes, staff the shops, walk through the village and assist Residents whenever needed. The idea is to treat Residents as normal people living in a town tailored to their unique needs so they can avoid the dehumanizing lock-downed security that often is part of dementia care.

A Real Society

Critics compare the Dementia Village to the movie, “The Truman Show,” where a man played by Jim Carrey lives his life in a manufactured reality of town which is really a TV set. Hogewey’s creators and staff disagree with that comparison, saying their village is a real society and the Residents who live there enjoy a better quality of life than they would in a regular dementia care facility.

As societies prepare for the future, the idea of the Dementia Village is intriguing. The model works in the Netherlands and is a cost efficient way to provide care for that segment of their population. The question is would it work in the US?

www.homeaidhealthcare.com

www.prairiehomeassistedliving.com

Sources:

“An Amazing Village Designed Just For People with Dementia” by Kelsey Bampbell-Dollaghan. Retrieved from www.gizmodo.com on 3/10/14.

“Dementia Village may inspire new care model for the elderly” Retrieved from www.advisory.com/daily-briefing on 3/10/14.

“Dementia Village Inspires New Care” by Ben Tinker. Retrieved from www.cnn.com on 3/10/14.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Cost of Caring for Parents

There are obvious as well as hidden costs

when caring for aging parents.

Trish responded as most of us would when she realized her aging parents needed help. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer and her father just wasn't up to the task of caring for his ailing wife during her recovery. Being a single woman without children, Trish left her career and closed up her house and returned to her childhood home to care for them. What was to be a temporary stay turned permanent when her mother passed away quite unexpectedly and Trish was faced with the long term care of her aging father. Siblings with their own busy families pitched in here and there, but the day to day tasks of caring for Dad fell squarely on Trish’s shoulders. Trish struggled to make ends meet on her father’s limited pension but medical bills and living expenses made it difficult. She also began to worry about her own future as she had given up a profitable career to be the family Caregiver.

Adult children Step up to the Task

Trish’s experiences are not at all uncommon these days as the Baby Boomer generation enters their elder years. In fact, over 25% of adult children over 50 are now providing personal care and financial assistance to their parents. This percentage has tripled over the past 15 years and is expected to continue to grow.

Family values play a large role when deciding to put personal lives on hold and become the primary Caregiver for an aging parent. Most families, in response to a sudden need, make the decision without true consideration of the depth of commitment required or the present or future cost. Of course providing care for a cherished loved one is not about the numbers, yet it is wise to know what to expect when taking on this responsibility.

Pull out the Calculator

Providing care for an aging parent does have a cost. According to a 2011 study by the MetLife Institute, women who take time off work to care for a loved one, on average, lose close to $350,000 in earned income, pension and Social Security benefits. Men statistically average less loss, but that is because they are less likely to become the primary Caregiver for their parents. It is job that is traditionally taken on by daughters and daughter-in-laws. In addition to lost future income, there is often the present loss of health insurance, benefits as well as opportunities for career advancement. Moreover rejoining the workforce at a later date is sometimes much harder than expected. All these issues add up to real financial cost for caring for aging parents. This financial loss taken on by the adult children can often be multiplied by their parent’s cost of health care and elder care.

Most aging Americans have some financial preparations made for their retirement. Yet the financial planning industry has traditionally focused on perfecting portfolios and building nest eggs. Until recently there has been little talk about planning for the cost of the care years. The cost of care can totally derail a sound financial plan and then the burden of paying for later life care often falls on the adult children. With hourly rate for certified home nursing aides ranging from $17.00 up to $30.00/hour and nursing facility costs averaging over $80,000 a year, the cost of elder care can be staggering.

Have the Conversation

The problem is that most families don’t start thinking about their parent’s care needs until there is need for actual care. Usually that is due to a parent’s illness or a crisis situation which demands immediate attention. Aging parents and adult children generally are not proactively arranging for these long term care needs and so are caught unaware and unprepared.

The best time to make caregiving decisions is long before they are needed. Having open dialog with your parents and siblings about the financial situation and making advanced decisions on how to cover care costs and divide up care tasks with family members will make the entire process much easier.

Trish never regrets the time she spent caring for her parents, but now that they have passed on, she wonders how to get her own life back on track and get prepared for her own elder care years.