The directors of Home Care Solutions are regular contributors to the Greater New Orleans Senior Resource Guide. Below are current and past articles.
The Caregiving Crisis and Solution (Fall-Winter 2010)
“Family caregiving has become a predictable crisis,” writes author Gail Sheehy in her recent book Passages in Caregiving. “Americans are living longer and longer, but dying slower and slower. There are nearly 50 million unpaid family caregivers taking care of adults who used to be independent. Half of the family caregivers also work full time.”
For seventeen years Sheehy proudly served as her husband’s caregiver. Along the way, she learned she could not do it alone. Through firsthand experience and reporting, Sheehy shares practical information, advice and resources in her book.
One such resource Sheehy promotes is the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and their website www.caremanager.org which helps locate Geriatric Care Managers by zip code. Geriatric Care Managers are health and human services specialists helping families who are caring for older relatives by assisting the older adults and persons with disabilities in attaining their maximum functional potential.
By adopting a team approach, primary caregivers can avoid the inevitable caregiver burnout. A Geriatric Care Manager conducts a thorough assessment to identify problems, provide solutions and recommend care options and available services. Oftentimes, a Geriatric Care Manager serves as a liaison to families at a distance or as a third-party mediator.
Another great option for families is non-medical home care which can provide older adults assistance with daily living activities and companionship. Such services can be hired for a few hours to 24-hours a day. Home care services often include assistance with transportation and errands, medication reminders, meal preparation and light housekeeping. Hiring an experienced sitter/companion gives family members a much needed respite.
While these types of services are not covered by Medicare or Medicaid, several Long Term Care Insurance policies do cover Geriatric Care Management and non-medical home care.
Turn to a Professional: Practical Solutions for Elder Care Dilemmas (Spring – Summer 2010)
Ideally, we would all be prepared with a plan to handle the array of issues that come with aging. But in reality, it is an emergency such as a fall, stroke or heart attack that triggers the need to make instant decisions – often without research.
The result is that more and more Americans are taking on caregiving responsibilities for their aging parent/s. Caring for a loved one – whether full-time, part-time or long distance – takes a huge toll, both physically and emotionally, on the health of the caregiver.
It is important to not only examine the emotional but also the practical factors that go into major decisions about caregiving. Take a realistic look at the challenges and recognize the sacrifices and rewards families experience along the way.
But don’t feel alone while making these monumental decisions. Professionals, such as Geriatric Care Managers, exist and are the best equipped professionals to help navigate through eldercare challenges and to plan for viable family options. Geriatric Care Managers can help the family formulate plans that are best suited to the client’s anticipated care needs, finances and personality versus what the family may be able to find on their own by trial and error while under duress.
A Geriatric Care Manager may…
- Conduct a thorough assessment to identify problems and provide solutions – evaluating the person’s physical and mental status, social situation and daily activity needs
- Act as a liaison to families at a distance, overseeing care and quickly alerting families to problems
- Recommend care options and available services
- Assist with moving an older person to or from a retirement complex, assisted living or nursing home facility
- Review financial, legal or medical issues and offer referrals
Being a primary caregiver for a loved one means continually putting someone else’s needs first. With the drain on emotions and the strain on life, burnout is inevitable unless outside help is sought. Geriatric Care Managers help ease the burden of elder care decisions.
Avoid the Parent Care Crisis: Be Prepared (Spring – Summer 2009)
How do you know what is best suited for your elderly parent’s changing care needs? When do you step in to action? Howe do you find the right services, especially when you live at a distance from your loved one? Here are some tips to get you started:
Don’t wait for a crisis. Decisions about what to do for an elderly parent are usually triggered by an emergency, such as a stroke or a fall, or a gradual loss of independence and personal safety. You and your parents can make more informed choices if you discuss long-term care options ahead of time.
Avoid role reversal. No matter how much your folks depend on you, “You are not the parent,” says Linda Fodrini-Johnson, a California Geriatric Care Manager. Treat your parents with respect and accept that they may make choices with which you disagree.
Find out what resources are available. They system of government, state and local resources for caregivers and their parents, is very fragmented and complex. Resource guides, such as this publication, and internet resources can provide you with specific, helpful information. Check out the following caregiver-friendly websites:
Manage from afar. As we know from years as Geriatric Care Managers, elder care concerns are even more stressful and complicated if you live far away from an elderly parent. Gathering information, building a network of neighbors, friends, doctors, church and social contacts, and staying connected with these resources are all critical to staying involved and “on top of things” for your out-of-town parent.
A Geriatric Care Manager can also help monitor your parents’ care. Care Managers are professionals, usually nurses or social workers, who help families figure out what their parent needs and how to make it happen. A geriatric care manager can also help you choose an assisted-living facility or nursing home for your parent. You can find one at www.caremanger.org.
New Trend in Elder Care Services (Spring – Summer 2008)
The most valuable service we can offer our clients is to be able to understand their situation in order to create the most viable and sustainable solutions for their care needs. This goal is particularly true in “Care-Managed Home Care Services” – a fresh approach and a new national trend in non-medical sitter/companion services. It adds professional services to traditional home care in order to help families resolve complicated elder care issues.
This holistic, professional approach for home care services not only looks at the immediate needs of providing a sitter/companion, but takes a comprehensive approach to care that begins by assessing the following:
- Medical history and functional status
- Psychosocial needs and personal history
- Emotional and cognitive status
- Planning and resources — legal, financial, insurance
When complex situations require additional professional guidance, Care Managed Home Care provides families with an objective assessment and access to a broad range of supportive services. These assessments are conducted by professional Care Managers, credentialed experts in geriatric care with specialized training in social work, nursing or mental health, who work closely with each family to understand their specific situation.
In this unique model, the Care Manager can develop a personalized plan, and then procure the right mix of services to ensure that the clients’ needs will be addressed while honoring their values and independence. The array of client services might include the following:
- Consult with family members for complex care needs
- Coordinate medical appointments
- Manage crisis situations
- Act as liaison to families at a distance
- Evaluate residential options
- Provide moving assistance
Client situations can be complex, and often call for personalized services beyond traditional sitter/companion care in the home. Families across the country increasingly seek more comprehensive elder care services for their loved ones and welcome the availability of professional Geriatric Care Managers. With Care Managed Home Care Services, they can maintain the well-being and dignity of their loved one while considering their own needs and resources.
Physical Fitness Improves Quality of Life in People with Alzheimer Disease (Fall-Winter 2008)
Researchers at the recent 2008 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease reported several findings related to physical fitness and its relationship to Alzheimer ’s disease. One study showed that people with early Alzheimer’s disease who had better fitness ratings had less atrophy in key brain areas associated with memory. Another report showed that a home-based exercise program could reduce falls, improve balance, and maintain independence and quality of life in people with dementia.
“These studies reinforce the need for increased awareness and education about the importance of living a brain-healthy lifestyle, including staying physically active,” said William Thies, PhD, vice president of Medical and Scientific Relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. “Growing evidence shows that physical exercise does not have to be strenuous or require a major time commitment. It is most effective when done regularly, and in combination with a brain-healthy diet, mental activity and social interaction.”
The important caregiver message was how a caregiver-directed home exercise program reduced falls and improved quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers. Falls have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life, often resulting in nursing home placement, increased mortality and significant costs to the community. A significant problem with increasing frailty and problems with balance is that the person with Alzheimer’s becomes less independent due to the fear of falling. The result of this study demonstrated that a physical activity program, combined with good medical management, can reduce falls, improve balance and maintain independence and quality of life in people with dementia.
Thus, maintaining good physical fitness may help counteract some of the fall risks associated with dementia. Not only does this help to maintain functional independence for the person with dementia, but it also improves the overall quality of life for the caregiver in the home. To read more information about this topic, visit the Alzheimer’s Association website – www.alz.org.
