Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 • geriatric careChicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence - Since 1991 | Page 4

Diseases that Mimic Dementia…But Are Treatable-part 3
As you can tell from now a third installment about other medical conditions that can mimic dementia, it’s not...
Read more
March 22, 2021
0
0
Diseases that Mimic Dementia…But Are Treatable – part 1
Dementia is the condition that adult Americans fear the most, and tragically there are conditions that can give a...
Read more
March 9, 2021
0
0
Can I Have A Hug?
I doubt there is anyone who does not have something that they have not been able to do during...
Read more
March 4, 2021
0
0
A Game Where Everyone Wins
Pick your metaphor. If you want your knife to slice easier, you sharpen it. If you want to improve...
Read more
March 2, 2021
0
0
What Tony Bennett Can Teach Us
Tony Bennet has arguably been one of those “one in a million” kind of musical talents, but sadly he...
Read more
February 9, 2021
0
0
Scamming as a Superspreader
We have all seen the advertisements for the on-line services that will help you find your ancestry by taking...
Read more
February 2, 2021
0
0
Until the Vaccine?
We have all been following the news on vaccine rollouts, and frankly you may have been as disappointed as...
Read more
January 26, 2021
0
0
Better than a Resolution
After nearly a year of a pandemic and its quarantine, we are all ready to get back to normal. ...
Read more
January 12, 2021
0
0
How the COVID Vaccines Work
If you’re like me, you have been following too much news on the pandemic, but hopefully you also have...
Read more
December 15, 2020
0
0
Too Good to Be True
With over 300 clinical trials on vaccines for COVID19, it perhaps is not a surprise that at least two...
Read more
December 1, 2020
0
0

In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

map

map
The winter season will soon be upon us, so I have invited Elizabeth Carrollton of Drugwatch.com to guest blog on some of the fall hazards that are part of the ice and snow of winter in the Midwest.

Falls are a serious health risk for seniors. Each year, one of every three adults 65 or older falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly a quarter of a million of those seniors will fracture a hip when they fall, which requires surgical repair or hip replacement. Traumatic medical events of this nature can change lives, taking a major toll on mobility and health, so it's very important to take measures to help your senior family members reduce their risk of falls.

Strength and Balance Issues: Muscle weakness can make seniors much less stable on their feet, increasing risk of falls. Inactivity is often at the root of that weakness. Encouraging that older adult you care about to exercise can prevent balance and stability issues. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise will do, which can be accomplished with a daily walk after lunch or an exercise class at the local senior center. If instability is already a problem, seeing a physical therapist to improve strength and balance should be a priority to prevent falls and serious hip injury.

Check into Nutrition: Poor nutrition is a common problem in seniors. Appetites tend to decrease as we age and digestive problems or other health issues can affect the body's ability to absorb nutrients. Checking into the eating habits of your loved one and, if necessary, ensuring that wholesome meals are provided can help, as can a good multivitamin supplement that has plenty of B-vitamins, calcium and vitamin D.

Other Safety Measures: Vision problems are frequently a factor in senior falling incidents. Vision can change rapidly once we reach a certain age, so regular eye exams are essential. Clearing the home of tripping hazards is important, like loose rugs or clutter, as is ensuring good lighting.

If a Fall Happens: Sometimes, even when the best care is taken to prevent falls, accidents happen. If your senior family member takes a fall, seeking a medical evaluation as soon as possible is important, even if there isn't an obvious injury. If there are signs of hip injury, such as pain, bruising or swelling, immediate medical attention is crucial. If the hip is fractured, your loved one will need surgery. If hip replacement is necessary, there are some things you should know about hip implants in order to help your loved one choose wisely. Several hip implant products, primarily metal-on-metal types, have been recalled lately over high rates of failure and serious complications. The latest recall involves the Stryker Rejuvenate hip replacement system, which was prone to corrosion and failure.

Some patients who received these faulty implants suffered metallosis, a serious condition caused by the accumulation of metallic implant debris in the body's soft tissues, leading to pain and swelling in the hip and in some cases, tissue death and bone loss. Avoiding metal-on-metal devices might be wise, to reduce risk of complications. Seniors who have already had one of these devices implanted should be monitored for any sign of pain and inflammation that might indicate metallosis.

- Elizabeth Carrollton writes about cautions regarding medical devices and drugs for Drugwatch.com. Please visit their website for more information.

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 their families in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to ccbishop@creativecasemanagement.com. Learn more about our Chicago senior services and how we can help you support your loved one.
As we prepare for more holiday cheer even after Thanksgiving, we truly understand how caring for a person with Alzheimer’s takes special attention and patience, especially when stress is already in abundance. For instance, preparing a meal for your loved one may often be a challenge. Depending on the stage of Alzheimer’s, your loved one might have mood swings or lose their appetite. Therefore, it is important to develop a good practice for making mealtimes easier, not just for Thanksgiving or any other holiday, but for everyday eating.

In addition to the tips mentioned in a previous entry about accommodating dementia during the holidays, you may also want to follow these suggestions for making mealtime a smoother experience for both the Alzheimer’s patient and those who care for them.
1. Be sure to check with a doctor about your loved one if they aren’t eating or have lost their appetite. There might be factors, such as other health complications or medications, which could cause a disinterest in eating. Remember too that certain stages of dementia may cause a degeneration of the sense of taste and smell, which can also decrease appetite.
2. You may want to help your loved one by reminding them to eat, as it is common for people with Alzheimer’s to forget to do so. Also, it is often necessary to guide your loved one through preparing their food (cutting the food into small pieces if needed) and making sure they know how to heat and use appliances properly.
3. People with Alzheimer’s have a difficult time utilizing their senses and applying judgment to everyday tasks. It might be helpful to ensure that table setting colors create a large enough contrast between items. For instance, the plates should contrast in color from the table cloth. This ultimately prevents confusion for your loved one. Using only solid colors helps as well.
4. Try to limit distractions by keeping a schedule and eating at the same time every day, turning off televisions and phones during meal time, and maybe keeping a designated spot for your loved one to sit at the table.
Serving foods that are easy to eat, such as finger foods that are not messy or sticky, help as well. In addition, asking your loved one about what would make eating a more comfortable experience can ease some of the stress that may come at mealtime. Find these tips and more at Mayoclinic and StrengthforCaring.com.

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.
Any discussion of hygiene - whether in an older adult or anyone else for that matter - is an admittedly subjective discussion. It is not just about taking a daily bath or shower. In fact, in many other parts of the world, a daily cleansing is considered a bit excessive, and some people of earlier generations did not necessarily grow up on the daily dousing we call personal hygiene. Everyone potentially has their own take on how frequently they wish to bathe, but hygiene also can be an indicator that something else is not quite right in an older adult.

When I get a call from a client who is concerned about their older loved one's hygiene, I start by simply asking if this is a recent change from old habits or if it simply the way they always have been. If it is just the way the habit has always been, then it will not be easily changed...if, in fact, it even should be changed. Old habits are deeply ingrained. But a change in personal habits can be the sign of something else at work.

In an earlier post, I had pointed out that loss in appetite can be a warning sign of depression. The same holds for an older adult who has lost interest in how they look or how they smell. Depression is a bigger issue than hygiene, and in fact, if the older adult addresses the depression with talk therapy or medication, if indicated, they may find a renewed interest in self-care and hygiene.

And as with appetite as I addressed in the last posting, a change in hygiene can simply be a product of the older adult's diminished ability to smell what you as a caregiver may find offensive. Conversely, you may find that your older loved one has dumped excessive amounts of cologne on themselves, because they cannot tell that they have given themselves an overdose of the good smelling stuff. Regardless, any discussion you may have with the older adult about something as personal as how they smell should be a very sensitive discussion.

Your older loved one also may also be finding it difficult to navigate the bath like they used to because of their diminished agility. And modesty may preclude them from asking for help. So if this is the case, consider enlisting the help of third parties like home care aids who will not be as threatening to their sense of propriety.

Forgetting to shower or bathe can also be a sign of a larger pattern of forgetfulness, so try to assess hygiene against the "big picture." Does your older loved one also miss appointments or forget to pick up their clothes from the cleaners? Maybe suggesting a calendar with dates filled-in with the "things to do" can be an assist, because we all can forget things. If the forgetfulness, however, is part of a greater disorientation, be alert to early onset dementia. Even if this forgetting is part of a dementia, don't immediately push the Alzheimer's panic button. Mild dementia can be exacerbated by poor sleep or even a medication that has a side effect of confusion. Diphenhydramine (branded Benadryl), an ingredient in a lot of over the counter medications, can precipitate some amount of forgetfulness in a person of any age.
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.
It was probably ten years ago that my husband’s mother was caught up in a telephone scam on her land line at a time when she was unable to verify the number calling her. The voice started out innocently enough identifying itself as “her favorite grandson.” Never mind the fact that she actually had five grandsons. The voice needed bail money to be released on charges of driving on an expired license, and the voice didn’t want grandma telling his mom and dad. Well, we found out about the scheme only after Grandma had wired money to her alleged grandson from a local chain store. And then there are those emails or texts that could be spotted for their not so clear English, strange looking logos from a person’s bank of account or other more obvious tells. Well, hold onto your phones, because with Artificial Intelligence (AI) the voices just became clones, and the English has been cleaned up. Now, the person will actually sound exactly like your grandson, and the money can be wired or simply sent via Zelle. So, how do you protect yourself and your money from “perfect strangers” versus what once were very imperfect imposters. The security companies are documenting the effectiveness of voice scams. McAfee reports that some software voice-clones require only about three seconds of recorded voices to create a fabricated voice that is 85% true to the original voice. Having your voice in any kind of on-line post is a lot like telling everyone where you keep the backup key to your front door. (It’s in the planter by the front door.) You don’t have to be smarter than the AI to avoid being scammed. You just need to confirm who is or is not on the call.
- Our family has a “safe word” that all the kids know so that they can either provide it if asked or ask for it if they are approached. It can be your first puppy’s name…
- Call another family member who can identify where the caller is or simply hang up and call back directly on the caller’s line.
- If the call is for bail money, follow-through with a separate call to the local police department…don’t use a number they may try to provide you.
- If the call is from your bank, PayPal, your security company or the IRS, just hang up and call them directly.
- Don’t click on any links in any written solicitation you may receive.
Here are a couple help lines that you can access here, or if you’ve been paying attention, you will go to their web sites to retrieve the hotlines yourself:
- Identity Theft Resource Center hotline: 888.400.5530
- AARP Fraud Watch Network hotline: 877.908.3360.
Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of, 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.
There may be as many as 50 million caregivers in the United States today, so the odds are that we all know at least one person who cares for an older adult or someone else with special needs. And we all can help to care for the caregiver with little things that may not take a lot of time or even cost any money. These little random acts of kindness can both help the caregiver and help the person who depends on a balanced and healthy caregiver. What can the rest of us give to the caregiver?

1.    Give the caregiver an excuse. Caregivers can get really caught up in the "have to's" so that they do not even take a coffee break. Be their excuse to get away if only for the hour to share a cup of coffee and conversation with you.

2.    Give the caregiver an ear. We often tend to focus on the older or special needs loved one with questions about "how is your mom?" The caregiver deserves a chance to just vent to someone who can empathize and not judge them as too hard on the "poor mom" who depends on them.

3.    Give the caregiver some familial support. In most families one of the siblings has become the default (or conscious) caregiver, and in my experience it is mostly one of the daughters. Encourage a family conference either in person or on a call to discuss what everyone can do.

4.    Give them something specific. It is really easy to just ask what one can do to help in a general sort of way, and caregivers may simply demure by asking for nothing. But if you are going to the grocery store and call to ask what you can pick up, they can tell you what is running low. Or if you are a neighbor, shovel their walk when it has snowed overnight without being asked. Be creative, but remember to be specific in your offers.

5.    Give the caregiver some time off. Everyone needs a break, so volunteer for specific times or days so that the caregiver actually can make plans for something they need to do - hopefully for themselves.

6.    Give the caregiver a reason to laugh. Most caregiving revolves around helping someone who is in declining health. Change the subject to something they will find more uplifting or something positive in their future. Optimism is a great antidote for the burden of caregiving.

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.