Caregivers' Newsbasket Blog

Medicare - A Primer from http://www.ourparents.com/

Medicare - A Primer

Medicare is a health insurance program designed primarily for people over the age of 65 or people that are younger the age of 65 but suffer from major disabilities. Medicare is federally issued health insurance that was created in the 1960’s to assure that older American’s had health insurance and resulted in a up-swing in the amount of health care facilities and practices across the country.

National Institute on Aging | The Leader in Aging Research

National Institute on Aging | The Leader in Aging Research: HHS is seeking comments on the draft National Plan to fully engage the Alzheimer’s disease community, the public, states, local governments, community based service organizations, the private sector and others in its development. Public comment will be accepted through March 30, 2012 and should be e-mailed to napa@hhs.gov. Creating and maintaining an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer’s disease is part of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011. The draft plan has five goals: Prevent and Effectively Treat Alzheimer’s Disease by 2025. Optimize Care Quality and Efficiency. Expand Supports for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Families Enhance Public Awareness and Engagement. Track Progress and Drive Improvement. These five goals, the supporting strategies and action steps proposed in the plan reflects input from the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services (http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/#Council) and almost 100 public comments received on an initial framework for the draft.

Alzheimer's Paid Caregivers Peer to Peer Connector | LinkedIn

Alzheimer's Paid Caregivers Peer to Peer Connector | LinkedIn: Members are encouraged to invite people to this group to help it grow faster. Subgroups Auto-Join: Any member of the main group may join subgroups without requiring approval from a manager. ........

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4275556&trk=group_mgt_name Certified Home Health Aides (C.H.H.A.’s) Alzheimer's Specialists
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http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4275546&trk=group_mgt_name Certified Nursing Aides (C.N.A.’s)
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http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4275548&trk=group_mgt_name Certified Nursing Aides (C.N.A.’s) Alzheimer's Specialists
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http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4275564&trk=group_mgt_name In-Home Social Workers Alzheimer's Support
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http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4275539&trk=group_mgt_name Non-Medical Carers & Caregivers a subgroup of Alzheimer's Paid Caregivers Peer to Peer Connect

Management of Agitation Behavior

Management of Agitation Behavior: Management of Agitation Behavior By Rich O'Boyle, Editor One of the greatest impacts on quality of life for families and their loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease is the presence of agitation behavior in the middle stages of the disease process. More than half of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease exhibit some type of "agitation" behavior over the course of a year, in addition to depression or psychosis. Experts suggest that the best way to manage agitation is through environmental and atmosphere changes rather than medications. Medications are a last resort.

About » All Things Caregiver

About » All Things Caregiver: About I am a young woman who transitioned into adulthood while caring for, and emotionally supporting, my mother through her six-and-a-half year battle with breast cancer. I was eighteen years old when she was diagnosed and two months shy of my twenty-fifth birthday when she passed. My mother was diagnosed at age forty-four, and fought long enough to see her fiftieth birthday. I am not a doctor, nor am I a nurse. I am not a lawyer, pharmacist, hospice care individual, psychiatrist or family therapist. I am simply an individual who has lived the life of a full time caregiver and I intend on sharing some of my personal experiences in hopes of providing help to others caregivers in a similar situations. Caregiving is a universal practice, meaning this blog will help anyone at any stage of the caregiving process.

topics a personal executor may need to have access to upon a moment’s notice

topics a personal executor may need to have access to upon a moment’s notice:

For a caregiver (or the CEO of Caring for My Loved One, Inc.), the holidays are a perfect time to organize “Board of Directors” meetings of adult family members.

These meetings can be held after holiday dinners, poolside, or anywhere you and your loved ones gather. We will continue to share topics of interest for these meetings in upcoming communiqués, but one of the most important topics may not have anything to do with the loved one for whom you care as much as it has to do with you.

The topic of at least one of these meetings is what needs to be done in case of your own illness or passing. In fact, all adult members of your family need to establish a Personal Records Management solution.

Below, you will find a really interesting list of some of the less obvious topics a personal executor may need to have access to upon a moment’s notice:Board of Directors list

Facebook app called Who Cares?

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers eNewsletter: We have just launched a new Facebook app called Who Cares? The awareness-raising app is aimed at people who may not have first-hand experience of caring. We hope that the app will make them think about the tremendous task carers are doing. The app encourages users to think about who among their own Facebook friends could take on the role of carer, and then simulates, in the form of Facebook messages, the impact of caring on carers' social lives and friendships.

Resource Lists Legal and Financial Issues for People with Alzheimer’s

http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Resources/Lists/legal.htm

U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH National Institute on Aging

Resources > Resource Lists Legal and Financial Issues for People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Resource List Families face a variety of challenges when a loved one develops Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or a related disorder, including coping with legal and financial issues.

This resource list provides an overview of helpful brochures, handbooks, tool kits, and other materials to help people with AD and their caregivers make appropriate decisions. The AD Lib number at the end of each item can be used to search for a full description of the item at www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Resources/SearchHealthLiterature, an online database of resources on the ADEAR Center website.

http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/legaltips.htm
Resources for Low-Income Families Families who cannot afford a lawyer still can do advance planning.

Samples of basic health planning documents can be downloaded from State government websites. Area Agency on Aging officials may provide legal advice or help.

Other possible sources of legal assistance and referral include State legal aid offices, the State bar association, local nonprofit agencies, foundations, and social service agencies.

Summary

Facing Alzheimer’s disease can be emotionally wrenching for all concerned. A legal expert and members of the health care team can help the person and family address end-of-life issues. Advance health care and financial planning can help people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their families confront

Caregiving at the Crossroads

Caregiving at the Crossroads: Caregiving at the Crossroads With the convergence of an aging population, advancement in technology and a baby boomer mentality, caregiving is at a crucial crossroad. Sharon K. Brothers, M.S.W. is President & CEO of the Institute for Senior Living Education, home of aQuire Training Solutions, EasyCEU and Caring for Mom(under development) - but more importantly, Sharon is committed to exploring solutions to caregiving challenges using the best technology and human skills have to offer.

CAREGIVING_Roadmap from arizona.edu

CAREGIVING_Roadmap_021010.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Talking microwave for Seniors. Aging in Place.

Eating & Cooking - LeVaunt. Products for Seniors. Aging in Place.: Talking Microwave The Talking Microwave Oven is a voice output microwave oven designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. In addition to a talking control panel, this microwave has a notched knob to set cooking times. Speech output can be in either English or Spanish. Features include preset functions for common foods, clock, timer, turntable and express cook one-touch buttons.

Cooking Under Pressure: Arming seniors and family caregivers with nutrition resources for healthy aging | Caregiver Stress

Cooking Under Pressure: Arming seniors and family caregivers with nutrition resources for healthy aging | Caregiver Stress: Cooking Under Pressuresm Program The importance of nutrition to healthy aging is why Home Instead Senior Care has launched the Cooking Under Pressure nutrition campaign. This program provides education and support to seniors and their family members who are sometimes stressed-out by the demands of caregiving. Partnering with nutrition experts at the University of Maryland and Duke Diet and Fitness Center (part of Duke University Medical Center), the company has developed a handbook of nutrition tips as well as healthy and interesting recipes that can spice it up for most any senior. The program will assist family caregivers who want to get organized by providing shopping tips and 12 food staples that older adults shouldn't live without.

Meal Plans for Caregivers | eHow.com

Meal Plans for Caregivers | eHow.com: Meal Plans for Caregivers By Laurie Dickinson, eHow Contributor Planning meals alleviates stress for caregivers. A little planning goes a long way, especially when taking care of others. Not only does planning help to organize and manage daily duties and activities more efficiently, but it also allows the caregiver more time for herself. Planning simple, nutritious meals helps relieve some of the stresses of the caregiver's job

Cook for Your Caree

How Can We Help You Cook for Your Caree? - Caregiving.com: How Can We Help You Cook for Your Caree? Posted by cooking4care on Feb 21st, 2011 in Cooking for Caregiving | 15 comments (Editor’s Note: Today, we welcome a new blog, Cooking for Caregiving, penned by John Reaves and Liz Dreyer of Care Lab. Care Lab works to develop new ideas, products, services, partnerships, and sustainable programs that will make a difference to the community of caregivers..) We’ve begun a project we call “Cooking for Caregiving” focusing on issues related to (you guessed it!) grocery shopping, preparing, delivering and serving meals for your caree. There are a lot of reasons why we think this is an important issue. Obviously, it’s a big part of the challenge of caregiving for many caregivers. The excellent 2009 MetLife study estimated that 75% of caregivers helped with food shopping, and 64% with meal preparation. And research is increasingly demonstrating that nutrition is an important risk factor for many chronic conditions, as well as having a critical impact on the health and well-being of all seniors.

The Healthy Guide to Caregiver Cooking | Philadelphia Home Care

The Healthy Guide to Caregiver Cooking | Philadelphia Home Care: Our Home Care Guide to Caregiver Cooking Meal preparation and cooking is often included in the repertoire of services that are offered by traditional home care services. There are many tips and tricks that the caregiver can use to simplify this process while ensuring the safety of the client at the same time. The home care agency should be aware of any dietary restrictions that are prescribed to the patient and pass this information on to the caregiver to help when planning and preparing meals for their client. For diabetic seniors, it isn’t only sugar that poses a dietary threat, but starchy foods that eventually turn into sugar as well. For seniors who are on a low-sodium restricted diet, the caregiver should be mindful of the hidden sodium content in some of the foods. There are many recipes that can be tailored to meet certain restrictions and many recipes that have been created for the sole purpose of being compatible with dietary restrictions. Perhaps the client’s doctor has already given them menu suggestions to follow that can be incorporated into the meal preparation.

Microwave Cooking for One What Wattage Is My Microwave Oven?

What Wattage Is My Microwave Oven?: Microwave Cooking for One by Marie T Smith Fast, easy, and economical, the recipes are ideal for individual cooks, whether they live alone or share busy modern households. With almost 300 recipes for exciting meals