Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 | Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence

Part 2: Five Important Tips for Caregiving and Self-Care
In my last post, I gave you some tips on distance caregiving that arguably could be called the 30,000...
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February 18, 2020
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Tips for Distance Caregiving: Up Close and Personal at a Distance
If you think being a caregiver to an older loved one is hard–with all the trips to help them...
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February 4, 2020
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Five Things You Need to Know about Coronavirus
Okay, there may be more than five things you want to know about the coronavirus, but these five basics...
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January 28, 2020
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Alzheimer’s: A Cure at Hand?
I have posted before that the currently approved therapies for treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease are not really very...
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January 21, 2020
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GOOD NEWS FOR CHRONIC CARE
Associate Care Manager Gregory is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and Medicare Counselor, whose work...
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August 6, 2018
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Long-Term Doesn’t Mean Put It Off Until Later
Gregory Peebles is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and trained Medicare Counselor, whose work focuses...
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June 24, 2018
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Medicare Doesn’t Cover WHAT?!
Gregory Peebles is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) and trained Medicare Counselor, whose work focuses...
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June 18, 2018
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Understanding Medicare as Easy as A, B, D?
Associate Care Manager Gregory Peebles is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and trained Medicare Counselor,...
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June 11, 2018
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Do You Sea a Hero in Yourself?
Associate Care Manager Gregory is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) whose work focuses on...
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June 4, 2018
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What May Flowers Bring
April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but what does May bring? It brings Mental Health Awareness Month…among...
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May 28, 2018
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For so many medical conditions, the package inserts - that thin white paper with the fine print - for doctor-prescribed medications say that "diet and exercise" are first line. This applies to medications used to treat high blood pressure, weight loss or even type 2 diabetes. Would it surprise you to hear that diet and attitude are first line defenses against dementia or other cognitive decline? More and more research is pointing to the importance of the foods we eat as well as our outlooks on life as preventive measures to forestall the onset of dementia. Start with cynicism. Researchers in one study started with a group of more than 600 people whose average age was 71.3 years at the beginning of the study. Initially, the researchers collected data on the patients overall health, their levels of cynicism (yes, you can measure cynicism) and their cognitive statuses using validated scales. Over the course of 8.4 years, the researchers continued to assess all patients' levels on all these metrics. At the end of this time frame, 46 of the original number of patients had, in fact, developed dementia. The scientists adjusted for age, gender and depression, but still found that individuals who started out this study interval with higher measureable cynicism were statistically more likely to develop dementia. Moreover, about two years later more than half of the study participants had died, and those who had been classified as statistically more cynical were more likely to be among the number who died. Switch gears now, and another study based out of Rush Presbyterian Medical Center in Chicago found a positive link between people with quantifiable "purpose" in their lives and their ability to live dementia-free. This study followed about 1,000 people age 80 for about seven years. It measured physical, psychological and cognitive aspects of these patients over the duration of the study. These subjects also agreed to donate their brains for further analysis upon their deaths. At the end of the seven years, the researchers found that those with the highest scores on "purpose" were 2.4 times more likely to remain free of any signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. These subjects also were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, one of the early signs of impending Alzheimer's. Those with high purpose also had had a lower mortality rate than the others and had fewer disabilities as they aged. When the patients did die, the doctors performed autopsies of their brains. Even among those who had manifested no signs of Alzheimer's on cognitive tests and had maintained measurably higher levels of "purpose" some still had the plaque of AD on their brains. The conclusion was that the patients with purpose could more readily work through the deficits and maintain higher functioning cognition. The moral? We often hear people talking about the importance of attitude. And a good attitude certainly enhances the quality of life of those around the people with good attitudes. Evidently, it is also very good for the health, mental functioning and longevity of those with the positive attitudes too. Charlotte Bishop is a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to info@cr eativecaremanagement.com.
Please download our latest white paper "Caregiver Advice about Bad Medicine" by clicking the green button below.

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In the meantime, we invite you to browse more of our FREE downloadable white paper resources - offering both personal and professional advice for those who care for the elderly or people with special needs.

Caregiver Advice on Bad MedicineMany are unaware of the massive scope of the pharmaceutical market and all the ways in which seniors are taking more and more unnecessary drugs because of it. We discuss how caregivers can look out for signs that their loved one’s medication is over prescribed and how to spot warning signs.Get This White Paper

Caregiver Counsel on First Aid for the CaregiverIt is no secret that caregiving can be an everyday challenge, especially when managing a full time job and other family responsibilities. Discover tips about how caregivers can limit stress, boost energy, and stay positive in our latest white paper.Get This White Paper

Caregiver Counsel on Caregiving & the New NormalStatistically, more and more people will become caregivers to an older adult in their lifetime. Becoming a caregiver can be sudden and overwhelming as it is. We offer senior care options for preparing and reacting to different obstacles you may encounter.Get This White Paper

Caregiver Counsel on Taking the Old Out of AgingNo one argues that loss, isolation, or medical ailments may represent genuine setbacks as a person ages, but depression is a significant step beyond just feeling down or blue. Learn how to recognize symptoms of depression and how to be happy even at 100 years old.Get This White Paper

Caregiver Counsel on Senior Living OptionsFinding the best living options for your loved one can be tough. Whether it is picking the right senior living community or making your current family home safer, we help you to prepare for a productive conversation with your loved one about these transitions.Get This White Paper

A Caregiver's Guide Toward a Healthier Senior HeartHeart complications and disease are common issues that older loved ones face. Discover easy and practical ways to give you or the senior in your orbit a healthier heart.Get This White Paper

A Caregiver's Guide for Changes & AgingCoping with change can be difficult. It often involves tough decisions and conversations with the person you care for. Discover strategies to help you and your loved one feel more comfortable with transition.Get This White Paper

A Caregiver's Guide for the HolidaysHoliday stress is tough for everyone but especially for caregivers. Find out how to care for both yourself and your loved ones while managing these hectic seasonal times with friends and family.Get This White Paper

Roadmap to Alzheimer's Learn what to expect when you're caring for someone with Alzheimer's. Inside find tips for detecting dementia, how to best communicate with a loved one with Alzheimer's, and more.Get This White Paper

Making Home Safer Make sure your loved one can navigate daily activities as safely and independently as possible. Read about how to secure the most hazardous areas of the home and what action steps you can take to ensure your loved one is living comfortably too.Get This White Paper

Caring For the Caregiver Learn how to be as good for yourself as you are for your loved one. Are you becoming impatient with your loved one? Are you missing work or finding yourself easily irritated? If so, this white paper can help.Get This White Paper
Part 2: Five Important Tips for Caregiving and Self-Care
In my last post, I gave you some tips on distance caregiving that arguably could be called the 30,000 foot perspective on distance caregiving. But even from afar caregiving is deeply personal and the caregiver needs to be as...
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February 18, 2020
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Tips for Distance Caregiving: Up Close and Personal at a Distance
If you think being a caregiver to an older loved one is hard–with all the trips to help them do laundry, the meals prepared, the trips to the grocery store, the calls received all hours of the day or...
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February 4, 2020
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Five Things You Need to Know about Coronavirus
Okay, there may be more than five things you want to know about the coronavirus, but these five basics are what applies to coronavirus as well as to all new cases of viral diseases. First, always take special precautions...
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January 28, 2020
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Alzheimer’s: A Cure at Hand?
I have posted before that the currently approved therapies for treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease are not really very effective. And they cannot change the ultimate course of the disease. In news released just this last week, however, medical...
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January 21, 2020
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How to Spot and Fight Pneumonia
We have all heard someone this season say, “It’s just a cold,” or “I have a touch of the flu,” or similar expressions that pretty much write off a lot of what is going around. And nobody gets pneumonia,...
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January 14, 2020
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Number One Cause of Stroke…and the Other 8
The number one cause of stroke is unavoidable, but the next eight are not. Number one is birthdays, and the older one is the greater the chance for a blockage of some part of our arterial system which can...
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January 7, 2020
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Not Just Pride Before a Fall
Birthdays are a leading cause of falls that can result in an emergency room visit, and every year this takes a particular toll on those 65 years of age and older. The 65+ year olds represent 2.5 million visits...
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December 17, 2019
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Medigap and Other Scams Targeting Seniors
Let me first say that Medicare is absolutely a boon to older adults who will face many medical issues associated with aging at the same time they also are on more modest fixed incomes than they had enjoyed in...
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December 12, 2019
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Being a caregiver to an older adult or someone else with special needs requires a lot of care and attention to details. It also requires a lot of courage, because some of the conversations a caregiver has with their loved one delves into topics that we all may find difficult. Such a conversation confronts some of the casualties of aging like the loss of certain privileges and some subjects would be awkward to address with just about anybody. Let me start with the easiest of three: giving up the car keys.

       Driving. Talking with an older adult about whether they should still be driving can be most challenging if addressed head on. It becomes easier, however, if you try to take the role of the older adult and simply ask yourself how you would want to be approached. If you already accompany them to their physicians' office visits, you may discreetly ask the provider if there are any physical issues that detract from their capacity to drive. When you do address the issue directly, bear the physician's feedback in mind and ask about how traffic is on the days when mom or dad is out. Chances are that they may initially see it as all those other crazy drivers. Work into it by asking about how safe they feel on the road and be prepared with other transportation options that might be more comfortable and "safer" alternatives to driving themselves. This may take some time. Check out some of my other tips in one of my earlier postings.

       Funerals. What are your loved one’s plans for their funeral? This conversation may surprise you. Your loved one may have gone so far as to have prepaid for their funeral already and all those decisions might now be a thing of the past. But as with the car keys, it can be helpful to think about how you would wish to be approached on this subject before talking it over with your loved one. You may even introduce the subject about how you have recently given it some thought owing to someone whom you both know from the community who has died. And remember, it is not about you. It is about respecting the wishes of your loved one that you are asking, and if they do not wish to speak about it, that may just have to do.

       Intimacy. Finally, if this is your mother or father for whom you are a caregiver, you may remember how awkward that first conversation about the birds and the bees was when they broached the subject with teenage you. Now, if your older loved one is still living independently at home or in a senior residential community, you should not even broach the subject. If one of both require some level of assisted living, then you may ask the facility about their policies and be prepared to advocate on your loved one's behalf. No matter what age, individuals who are capable of making their own independent decisions ought be encouraged to decide about intimacy as well. It may even surprise you to learn that their desire for intimacy may be as basic as holding hands and sharing a quiet moment. All that said, the odds of an older adult being diagnosed with stress, anxiety or depression are lower if they are sexually active. This is one of those behind the scenes conversations where there may be a need for more education and a bit of advocacy.

Charlotte Bishop is a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Case Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to ccbishop@creativecasemanagement.com.