Caregivers' Newsbasket Blog

Alzheimer's and dementia care - Fairfax Station, VA Patch

Alzheimer's and dementia care - Fairfax Station, VA Patch

" the author of "Kisses for Elizabeth: Common Sense Guidelines for Alzheimer's and Dementia Care."
Background : I'm starting this blog so I can be a resource to any dementia caregivers in my community
I believe in using a common sense approach to solving caregiving problems and negative behaviors. For instance, keeping in mind that Alzheimer's and other dementias kill brain cells, it's important for caregivers to understand that the person who has it, cannot understand both sides of an issue. Arguing with them or saying no to them causes only agitation and upset. It could also lead to combative behaviors.
There are better ways to get the person with dementia to cooperate. It's easier to change the topic or bribe a person to cooperate with care, using distraction and treats. For instance, "Mom, I've got some of your favorite cake. We can have it after your shower."
There are lots of other things caregivers can do to make their jobs easier and help the person with Alzheimer's or other dementias have a higher quality of life. This is also true for people in nursing homes.
Learning about dementia care is a never ending process. People who have been caregivers are continually learning from the those they care for. I'd be happy to respond to comments or questions."

Massachusetts Estate Planning, Asset Protection Blog

Massachusetts Estate Planning, Asset Protection Blog: Elder Law Perspective on Taking Early Social Security Payments
by Wellesley Estate Planning Attorney, Dennis B. Sullivan, Esq., CPA, LLM on Tue, Jun 12, 2012

Planning for Care Costs | Caregiver Center | Alzheimer's Association

Attribution, Material from:

Planning for Care Costs | Caregiver Center | Alzheimer's Association http://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-common-costs.asp

In order to plan for financial needs during the course of Alzheimer's disease, you'll need to consider all the costs you might face now and in the future. Since Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, the type and level of care needed will change over time.
Common care costs include:

Ongoing medical treatment for Alzheimer's-related symptoms, diagnosis and follow-up visits
Treatment or medical equipment for other medical conditions
Safety-related expenses, such as home safety modifications or safety services for a person who wanders
Prescription drugs
Personal care supplies
Adult day care services
In-home care services
Full-time residential care services

TIP: Care costs will vary depending upon where you live. Have a family meeting to discuss how much future care might cost and to make financial plans. Consider using professional legal and financial advisors for guidance.

Financial documents you'll need

Gather and organize financial documents in one place. Then, carefully review all documents, even if you're already familiar with them.
Financial documents include:

Bank and brokerage account information
Deeds, mortgage papers or ownership statements
Insurance policies
Monthly or outstanding bills
Pension and other retirement benefit summaries (including VA benefits, if applicable)
Rental income paperwork
Social Security payment information
Stock and bond certificates

At this point, it may also be helpful to identify which necessary documents are not in place. Professional financial and legal advisers can assist you with this task. You'll also need to learn about the legal documents needed to plan for long-term care.

Financial needs and goals

Free e-Learning Course

Learn how to put legal and financial plans in place, and how to access resources near you.

Bring family together to talk about putting financial and care plans in place. Discussing financial needs and goals early on enables the person with dementia to still understand the issues and to talk about his or her wishes. If others are available to help, encourage the sharing of caregiving duties. And discuss how finances might be pooled to provide necessary care.
In addition to planning for the cost of care, there are many ongoing financial duties to discuss, including:

Paying bills
Arranging for benefit claims
Making investment decisions
Preparing tax returns

Get professional assistance

Financial advisors, such as financial planners and estate planning attorneys, are valuable sources of information and assistance. They can help you:

Identify potential financial resources
Identify tax deductions
Avoid bad investment decisions that could deplete your finances

When selecting a financial advisor, check qualifications such as:

Professional credentials
Work experience
Educational background
Membership in professional associations
Areas of specialty

Make sure to ask the financial advisor if he or she is familiar with elder care or long-term care planning.

Read more: http://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-common-costs.asp#ixzz1xOn9aNsw

Care Team Calendar | Caregiver Center | Alzheimer's Association

Care Team Calendar | Caregiver Center | Alzheimer's Association: The Alzheimer's Association Care Team Calendar, powered by Lotsa Helping Hands, is a free, personalized online tool to organize family and friends who want to help with caregiving. This service makes it easy to share activities and information with your community. Here's how:

Helpers can sign up for specific tasks, such as preparing meals, providing rides or running errands. You can post items for which assistance is needed.

From your Care Team Calendar, friends and family can access AlzConnected message boards, post announcements and photos, and share information.

Alzheimer's Association New Caregiver Center

Alzheimer's Association: New Caregiver Center

Caregivers need resources, information and support. Find all three in our new Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver Center.

Inside the Brain: An Interactive Tour | Alzheimer's Association

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