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

COVID’s Other Deadly Toll
During this pandemic, over 13,000 more Alzheimer’s and other dementia patients have died than expected from these cognitive disorders,...
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September 22, 2020
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Hold Your Friends Close and Stangers Closer
Miss your friends, your older loved ones and those summer get togethers in the backyard? We can get together...
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August 11, 2020
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Pre- Instead of Post-?
When was the last time you studied after a test? Or prepared your dinner after you had dined? Or...
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July 21, 2020
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Negative Thinking Causes What?
What could be worse than a COVID pandemic? How about the uptick in depression and anxiety that mental health...
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July 7, 2020
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Distance Caregiving Through a Wall
I’ve written numerous times about distance caregiving, and one of the observations I have offered is that distance is...
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May 19, 2020
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Listen to an Astronaut about COVID-19
A small percentage of us may be coping with symptoms of COVID-19 or we know someone who is, but...
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March 24, 2020
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Trusted Voices on COVID-19
The news cycle calls the COVID-19 crisis a rapidly developing story. It unfortunately also has been one with a...
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March 17, 2020
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One is Number One Threat to Seniors
We’ve all had times when we desperately need our own space…time to ourselves, just ourselves. And it’s good to...
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March 10, 2020
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Helping Your Older Loved One – AND You – Avoid COVID19
All of us here know how to prepare for a blizzard, people in the South know how to prepare...
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March 3, 2020
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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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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

One of my clients recommended a web resource recently, and I am so impressed by it that I am passing it on to you. So often in the process of caring for an elder or other person with special needs we come up against medical language that can be difficult for someone who is not a trained professional to grasp. We can always look up a word in the dictionary, for sure, but the specific way words are used when speaking of geriatric and related issues can be rather esoteric. So, when I can across the glossary of terms offered at the Silverado web site, I just had to pass it along. Please check out: Silverado Glossary. You will get a quick grasp of the differences between amyloid and aneurysm or between dementia and delirium. It also offers really helpful suggestions on the early warning signs of Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s and more.

The same site also is a wonderful compilation of other web resources that can be very helpful for the caregiver trying to navigate a new medical condition or other complication for which a little support or explanation would be greatly appreciated. They have another window on their site that offers at least a couple dozen resources that may be just what you need. Please check out: Silverado Web Resources. It has everything from links to Alzheimer’s support groups to veteran’s health benefits and more.

If you find resources like these, please do not hesitate to pass them on to me, and I will share them on the blog site. Also, do not hesitate to send me your questions, and I will do my best to answer them.

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 throughout metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to Charlotte Bishop.

Copyright ©2011
I think it occurred to me Sunday afternoon last week, and I was anticipating Monday. But Monday was Labor Day. Of course it was, you may say, but that meant that a pandemic that started before Spring had now extended beyond Spring and Summer and now into Autumn. Remember all of the sprinting you did in the early days of the pandemic as it turned into a quarantine … the sprint to get toilet paper before it ran out and veggies and fruit and your favorite dessert. The binge watching you may have done on cable or your computer? As Summer turned into Fall, it hit me that we are not in a sprint these six months in. We are in a marathon. And everyone knows that means 26.2 miles, not a 100 yard sprint. So, how far are you in your marathon? What is your mile marker? And are you pacing yourself? Here’s my advice on going the distance in this pandemic:
1. Talk to any marathoner, and they will tell you how important it is to view your body as an engine that you have to give the right fuel – hydrate, eat healthy foods, etc.
2. Patience is important as it is a long race and you need to pace yourself like a long distance runner who knows their stride and how to breathe so that they will last the miles.
3. Some runners pace themselves by finding someone against whom they will match step for step or friends along the route to cheer them; form a pod of people whom you trust to not expose themselves and therefore you to others.
4. Find an engaging place to take your mind, and in a pandemic this can be on-line learning, reading great books, zoom meetings with family and friends and yes, even bingeing some series on your favorite streaming service.
5. Keep up positive self-talk just as the runner who doesn’t give in to a fatalistic perspective on the race is too far, the hill is too steep and the sun is too hot to keep on keeping on.
6. And know there will be a finish – a vaccine – but don’t sprint until you see the FINISH line, and don’t believe anyone but the mile markers set in place by the professionals who organize this race.
So, we have gone through a Spring and a Summer with this pandemic, and it may not be until another Spring has come that we can begin to look at this pandemic in our proverbial rear view mirrors. And look forward to sharing your stories with others, perhaps like my husband’s Great Uncle who not only survived serving in the Great War a century ago but also the Spanish flu. I will see you all at the Finish line! 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.
We all have seen the news stories in which older adults who are in a senior residential facility or dependent upon caregivers who come to their homes are intimidated by the people charged with their care. It can be physical abuse, emotional abuse, abuse by neglect or theft of the older residents' valuables and money. But we do not often think of identity theft as an abuse targeting older adults. If you are a caregiver to an older loved one, you need to be a vigilant advocate and be prepared to report any suspicious behavior. How can identity theft pose a threat to an older adult? Because someone has to look the part to get away with that, right? A growing number of cases nationwide suggest that older adults are perhaps even more likely as targets of identity theft than other younger people, and the reason very simply is that the person using a credit card in any number of transactions will rarely be asked for photo identification as they use the card. Even so, there are just too many "faceless transactions" for photo identification to pose any kind of barrier to abuse. Filling the tank at a service station or making a purchase on-line or purchasing by phone order are just a few examples. But why target seniors? Well, that is where the money is. By the time one retires, the house typically is paid off and they have accumulated their nest egg for the "golden years." And seniors are not likely to be making those big purchases for which a credit check is necessary, so they are not vigilantly tracking their credit scores nor is a lender. They may also not be using their credit card daily, so if it goes misses from a purse or wallet, it may be days before the loss is discovered. There also are more interactive scams that can defraud seniors. There are fake phone solicitations by what seem to be worthy charities or the call from someone posing as a grandchild or other family member with an urgent need while in another town. There are investments for which they may be "prequalified" with rates that will always be above what the older investor is earning from bonds or other safer investments. And who has not had an opportunity to help retrieve prize or inheritance money from someone in western Africa? As a caregiver, how can you help protect your older loved one?
1. Warn your loved one to the possibility of this kind of abuse.
2. Be alert to caregivers in your loved one's home and limit their access.
3. Suggest a credit card statement audit by a money manager who can spot fraud.
4. If your loved one is already having difficulty keeping up with bills, step in to help organize their finances and give everything due scrutiny.
5. If not you, personally, there are daily money managers who can fill this role (check the top listing on our resource page). 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.
I am really, truly, seriously, absolutely in need of good news – heard news and herd news. Today, I am happy to say that I can share good news about both! Let me start with the first part - a quick story for folks who have a harder time hearing, then I'll tell you what I heard about the herd. First, the heard news. A church-going friend of mine comments on the upside of not being able to attend in person religious services at his place of worship. Yes, this is someone who has become a Zoom fan! He talked of so many areas in his place of worship where the sound quality was virtually non-existent, but at his home computer all the speakers and singers were positioned properly with their mikes, and he had control of the volume. He considered that something of an upgrade. But the upgrade doesn’t hold true for everyone during this time of masks and social distancing where some older adults just are out of reach and out of hearing range. With the sound quality dampened by masks and distance posing a hearing obstacle, they are at an even greater disadvantage in this pandemic. But there is a new hearing device that a lot of people are bragging about, and its success owes as much to the ear bud’s popularity as it does to the cool technology of the new device. Oh, sure, there have been cool hearing technologies in micro before, but unless one has as much as $5,000 in discretionary funds, improved hearing is rather out of reach. Enter the Olive Smart Ear. The really great part is not only the apps for getting the setting just right for anyone’s hearing needs, but the price is less than a tenth of some of the micro-technological devices previously available. And everyone wears an ear bud these days for their smart phones and for their music and more. The Olive Smart Ear blends into the fashion and taste of the 21^st century really well. If you have an older loved one whose hearing and attitude could use a bit of a boost, please check out www.oliveunion.com. And then there is the herd news. You may recall early on in this pandemic that there was talk of herd immunity. Well, it is not the kind where the COVID is going to just disappear, but there was talk about when we would get to the point that about 70% of a community had had the disease with or without symptoms, and then the rate of spread would dramatically drop off. Scientists had estimated that the magic 70% mark was the point at which any given individual who contracted COVID would spread it to less than one person on average. Now, it seems that the threshold is as low as 45 to 50% of people having been exposed to confer “herd immunity.” Cities like New York City or London or other European cities or even Mumbai may not see a second wave after all. And while there still is no guarantee that we will have a vaccine before the end of the year, our herd may be a lot closer to turning the corner on this pandemic than we initially had thought. Until then, keep your distance, wear your mask and practice really good hygiene, and be something that you may not have been for some time…be hopeful! 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.
Over the years I have devoted a lot of space to talking about what a Geriatric Care Manager (GCM) does. And that is because we as a profession have a long way to go before people know what we do as clearly as they know what a doctor, lawyer or accountant do. In this post, I am going to give two examples of when to call a Geriatric Care Manager, because unfortunately we often get the call later than we could. The call comes after a family crisis instead of before a crisis when we could have been the professionals who help avoid the crisis. Here are two examples of when... The Big Fall. After age 65 approximately one in three older adults will take a fall, not just a stumble or a trip, but a fall where they hit the ground hard. Beyond the age of 80 the chances increase to fifty percent. As geriatric care managers, we certainly can be part of the team who helps your older loved one recover, rehabilitate and get safely back on their feet. Much of that process will be in the hand the medical providers who may repair the broken hip, arm or other bone. And the physical therapists will do a wonderful job of helping to rehabilitate your loved one back to full or nearly full recovery. What a GCM can help with is putting together the lifestyle recovery plan with the family. We assess not just the individual, but also the home in which they live. We help the family to get everything for the recovering loved one that they perhaps used to do for themselves. We also help to make home a safer place for getting about, eliminating further fall hazards and helping everyone to navigate the path to recovery. But, what if the family had called when they first noticed that their loved one's gait had eroded from a stride to a shuffle, and what if the GCM had received the call to come by your loved one's home and help make it safer for getting about and avoid the fall? Dementia. Older adults fear losing their mental capacity more than they fear dying itself. As geriatric care managers we can certainly be called upon to counsel the family in how to manage a crisis once your older loved one has actually wandered away from home and given everyone the big scare. We can give family members by coaching in how to deflect instead of confront a confused older loved one during conversation. And much more. But we can be more effective if we get the call before your loved one has walked aimlessly into the night. We can help the family to make your loved one's home safer against "breaking out" just as you would want security from burglars breaking in. There are also ways to sharpen mental acuity at the first signs of confusion through social engagement and other intellectually challenging therapies. Working toward social engagement in meaningful ways is a high priority. The list is longer than just these two crises to which GCMs respond. How is your older loved one's driving? How safe is home from fires? How safe is your older loved one from scam artists? Is your older loved one getting the best medical care and support for a chronic medical condition? and much more. I would be remiss if I did not also add where you can find a professional Geriatric Care Manager. There are a lot of people who offer services to "help older people," but many lack training or certification. The best place to find a GCM is at the professional association's web site. Click on the button that says: "Find a Care Manager" to locate a professional near you. 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.
I have written a lot about caregiving, who the caregivers are, how to cope with caregiving and how to take care of the caregiver. Now, consider an important fact about older caregivers, besides the simple fact that 25% of older caregivers are attending to the needs of their older spouses. The fact is that the older spouse who is receiving the care ultimately will die, leaving the caregiver to cope with the grief and the guilt.

As a geriatric care manager I often find that while I am part of the care team for the older adult with health needs, I also am part of the support group for the family caregiver. This is particularly true when the care recipient finally does die. As a society we do a pretty good job of rallying around the surviving spouse when there is a death in the family. When the caregiver loses their spouse, the extended family and friends gather round to offer their support. Eventually, however, everyone goes back to their homes, their families and their jobs. The surviving caregiver is then left to cope with a now very quiet home and the sudden absence of familial support.

It is typical to see the grieving caregiver manifest any of a number of symptoms including head and muscular aches, weight loss or gain, depression, episodes of crying, difficulty sleeping, memory lapses, lack of focus, or loss of interest in social activities or friends. Research has shown that these symptoms - particularly depression - can last as much as two years with some caregivers. But it does not need to be this bleak in the aftermath of the funeral and the departure of family and friends.

In fact, we as GCMs find that we are often engaged to just "look in" on mom or dad by a member of the family who now may be a distance caregiver to the survivor. But there are some preventive measures families can also employ to help in the coping and then the healing for the survivor:
- When the illness has a longer trajectory, it is important to make efforts to prepare the caregiver for their loss ahead of time, in part by helping with the "goodbye" while the care recipient is still alive.
- During these conversations also help the caregiver to attend to any "unfinished business" with their spouse; it helps to limit the regrets and self-recrimination.
- Support a grieving process that begins while the care recipient is still alive; this includes helping to create a support network of people who will also be there after the death.
- Prepare the surviving spouse for what life will be like without their partner, particularly the financial responsibilities of living alone; this is something of a rehearsal of what the role will be, a rehearsal that allows for trial and error before they must go it alone.
- Appreciate that grieving is a gradual process and it can take at least a full year to get through all the "firsts;" this includes the first trip to their place of worship alone, their first wedding anniversary and other calendar events.
- Help the surviving spouse to appreciate that withdrawal of emotional attachment to their deceased spouse dose not dishonor their spouse; it is expected that they will go on and have a socially-rewarding life after such a loss.
If you know an older caregiver who lost the person they’ve cared for, contact us for a free consultation. We offer three 1-hour sessions to help the older caregiver transition through their time of grieving.

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.