Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 • care managementChicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence

Update on Dementia – part 1
You may have heard the noise about a new drug for treating Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. It would...
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June 6, 2023
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It’s About You
This is personal! Yes, it’s about you! I’d be willing to wager, however, that most of you haven’t thought...
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April 18, 2023
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Follow Your Gut…You’ve Got No Choice
It was back in the sixties and seventies that so many folks embraced the mantra: “You are what you...
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April 11, 2023
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Spring Tips for the Holiday Caregiver
We all know that that Spring in the Midwest isn’t on a straight line from Winter toward Summer, but...
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March 28, 2023
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How (NOT) to Worry, Stress or Be Anxious
It’s not so much whether you’ll have worries, be stressed or feel anxious…it’s how you’ll manage your worries, your...
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March 21, 2023
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Scammer v. 23.1
Call it Ocean’s 65+…instead of Ocean’s 8 or Ocean’s 11…but it doesn’t have a caste of Hollywood stars, and...
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March 7, 2023
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Another Side to the Story
It was just a year ago that Bruce Willis’ family disclosed that the actor would be retiring from acting...
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February 27, 2023
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Ain’t No Sunshine…
…When She’s Gone.” Or how about, “You are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine?” or “Here Comes the Sun?” or...
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February 21, 2023
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How to Say ‘NO’ to Dementia
It was about two and a half months ago that we posted about the diagnostics telling Chris Hemsworth he...
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February 14, 2023
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Long COVID’s Long List of Symptoms
The COVID pandemic is not yet done with us in the United States, and the story certainly is different...
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February 7, 2023
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

I had the good fortune to speak to a local Rotary chapter this morning. The question they had put to me was simply how does one plan with an older loved one for that moment that no one wants to plan? The answer is simple ... because for any conversation, you just need a place to begin. Here are five tips to BEGIN the work for your older loved one’s (or your own) future... Break the ice. Start the conversation with your older loved one…ask questions about their ideas regarding the ‘What ifs’ of life…ex: if you had to go to a hospital, which one would you like to go to? Does your doctor have my contact information if there were an emergency? Make a list of what those choices are; include them in a Living Will or POLST “Practitioner Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment”. Make sure that your family and your health care providers are aware of the choices. Evaluate the whole person. Use your powers of observation to assess your loved one’s situation and make notes. Think about what they have told you over time regarding their wishes, finances, housing situation, health. Plan follow up conversations to learn more about what they would want in the event of an emergency. Guard against abuse. Begin to gather legal documents including mortgage information, insurance information, bank account locations, account numbers, etc. Ask about finances, investments. Investigate the possible utility of Powers of Attorney. If there are any gaps or documents such as wills that are out of date or non-existent, get new ones drawn up. You don’t have to have everything perfect, but you will benefit if you start the conversations or the personal reflection needed to begin the process. Inside out. Make a list of you or your loved ones health history, get a medical release so that providers can talk to you about your loved one, consult current physicians and create a list of medications, dosing, etc. Nest. Think about the home as safe from the inside out, not just safe from the outside in...If they are living in the house you grew up in evaluate all the years of wear and tear on the infrastructure: stair railing, worn carpet. Take a look around the home for any obvious safety issues that can be easily addressed: since the majority of falls occur at home scatter rugs, poor lighting, expired food in the fridge, extension cords stretched under rugs or in walkways. Also, expired medication or medications that resemble each other…Safety first. Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, 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. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
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Let’s take a short quiz. Question: Who prefers coffee…and who prefers tea? Which is healthier for you? Answer: Both together are better for your cardiovascular health than either alone. We see a continuous stream of nutritional information about what colored food is best for us (hint: brightly colored) or that flavonoids are healthy or that high fiber is key to any diet or how many calories should be consumed daily. Yes, the list is seemingly endless. And there can be a lot of accumulated data that are used to support a given position on any of these sources of nutrition, but we don’t always see really large population studies over very long spans of time. Well, in Britain where the government picks up the tab for people’s health care, they invest in broad-based studies to improve health, and what better place to start that with what people eat or drink. Tapping into an existing panel of nearly 366,000 study participants who are part of a panel of the UK Biobank, scientists were able to follow these individuals’ tea and coffee consumption as well as their health statuses for a median of 11.4 years. What they found may be rather surprising, and the statistical significance of the results was even more startling. The researchers found that of these nearly 400,000 people, 2.8% experienced a stroke and 1.4% developed dementia (the vascular, not the Alzheimer’s dementia) over those 11.4 years. These health outcomes were tied to tea or coffee consumption. Those who consumed two to three cups of tea or coffee showed a 30% reduction in strokes and 28% reduction in dementia. Those who drank less than two cups of either beverage had much smaller reductions in either health outcome. The greatest benefit came to those who drank two to three cups of both tea and coffee daily, and the difference from the non-drinkers was slightly better, 32% and 28%, respectively. The odds that these 32% and 28% reductions could have occurred by chance alone were between one and two in a thousand! The researchers continued to follow patients who had strokes and found that the coffee and tea consumption protected them even more from vascular dementia. Again, there was no discernable benefit for Alzheimer’s disease or for that matter hemorrhagic stroke. As a final note, if you were to peruse the 600+ posts to my blog over the years you will find a theme. Paying attention to our diets and exercise are the two best things we can do to live both well and longer. The next time a friend suggests you meet for a cup of coffee or tea, you now have one more reason to say yes…and maybe ask for a refill. Charlotte Bishop is a Caregiver Coach, an Aging Life Care Advisor, 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. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
October 29th is World Stroke Awareness Day. We may not be hearing as much about strokes as we once did, because in the United States the incidence of strokes is on the decline. Just under 800,000 people will have a stroke this year, and three-quarters of them will be over the age of 65. The reason the incidence in the United States is on the decline is because Americans are doing a better job of managing their blood pressure and because fewer of us smoke. Because so many of the stroke victims are older adults, it is important for caregivers to help their loved ones to further prevent stroke. With the proper preventive measures fully 80% of strokes could be prevented. Here are some suggestions for preventing strokes:
- Know your loved one's blood pressure; this is a routine part of anyone's annual physical, but you also can get a screening at health fairs or even your retail pharmacy using a machine;
- Know the signs of atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart rate goes so high that it fails to pump blood effectively which can lead to pooling and clot formation;
- Stop smoking - this is just one more very good reason to kick the habit if your loved one has not already done so as smoking doubles a person's stroke risk;
- Monitor your loved one's cholesterol intake and blood levels - any total cholesterol count above 200 is cause for concern;
- Manage blood glucose levels in your loved one if they are a diabetic - one of the complications of diabetes is poor circulation which can lead to stroke;
- Diet and exercise are part of almost every approach to better health - boost your loved one's intake of fruits and vegetables (five portions a day) and reduce intake of trans-fats and salt;
- Manage alcohol intake - most doctors recommend limiting alcohol consumption to two or fewer drinks a day.
The good news about managing these risk factors is that not only will you as a caregiver be reducing your loved one's risk of stroke, but you will be adding to their quality of life as well. In addition, you may find that these healthy habits also are contagious which can results in a healthier caregiver. Stroke prevention can become a win-win! For more information, I recommend checking out the web site for the National Stroke Association (http://www.stroke.org/site/PageNavigator/HOME). 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@creativecaremanagement.com.
Last week, we talked about how to overcome depression and melancholy after the holidays as a caregiver. For some, the emotions and attitudes of those around them can affect state-of-being as well. If the person you’re providing care for is also feeling down, it might weigh down on you too. We’ve said previously that it is important to take care of the caregiver in order to provide the best for your loved one. However, sometimes assessing the loved one’s emotional needs might help everyone in the household survive post-holiday blues. Here are a couple of quick tips on how to approach a senior or loved one that is feeling down after the holidays.

Sometimes a little bit of rest helps. You may not have to do anything out of the ordinary other than be there for each other and take a break. After the holidays, everyone – including the person you’re caregiving for – is probably exhausted. This can contribute to being down and out for a while. Sometimes it’s best to just let those feelings live while allowing everyone to wind down and rejuvenate after an exciting holiday time.

Feelings of nostalgia of how things used to be can affect the person you’re caring for too. After the holidays is a prime time to reflect on year’s past and about how the holiday just doesn’t feel the same. Even without engaging in feelings of nostalgia, emotional stress regarding health and finances may take its toll. Providing a positive distraction for both you and your loved one might help with these feelings. For instance, taking them out for a relaxing stroll, engaging in some form of activity, or simply having a quiet meal together may help tremendously.

Above all, simply understanding you and your loved one’s feelings– recognizing it, and doing your best to overcome them will help get you through those tough times.

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.
In the meantime, we invite you to download the below featured FREE white paper - offering both personal and professional advice for those who care for the elderly or people with special needs. Make sure to come back and visit us for more great FREE resources.

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.Download