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

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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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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One More BIG Addiction?
If you’re old enough to remember 1969, then you are old enough to remember this bold addition to the...
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December 6, 2022
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Would You Want to Know?
National Geographic has a new documentary series, Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, starring, of course, Chris Hemsworth of Disney’s Marvel...
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November 29, 2022
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Saying “No” May be the Right Answer
Saying “yes” when someone asks you to do something can be like eating candy. It feels right or good...
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November 15, 2022
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What’s Scarier than Halloween?
The short answer to this question is cybersecurity breeches. First, how do you know if that spam in your...
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October 18, 2022
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Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease
September is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and this is the second of four posts we’ll offer on the subject. A...
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September 13, 2022
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The Will To Do the Right Thing
This whole idea to write up a legal document to give surviving loved ones clarity about how to take...
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August 9, 2022
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Before or After the Fall
I came across an informative piece in the Washington Post about a week ago, and it brought to light...
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July 26, 2022
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Why a Flamingo Stands on One Leg
You’ve all probably heard the old joke about why a flamingo stands on one leg…and we have all seen...
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June 28, 2022
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

For a very long time scientists have told us that there are no cures for Alzheimer’s Disease and that even the approved medications do very little to slow the progression of the disease. But researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, are onto what they suspect may be a preventive measure. It’s lithium. Lithium is the lightest of the metals among the elements, and you may have seen it as a component of some of the longer-lasting batteries, but for dementia? Well, it actually has been used historically to treat the manic episodes of bipolar disorder, but it can have side effects and it is dosed in extremely small quantities – micrograms. Yet, some new research holds promise for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Animal studies reported by scientists have shown that Lithium has neuroprotective qualities that improve learning and memory. In humans, observational studies suggest that it could be beneficial in slowing the progression of dementia in patients with bipolar disorder. The Danish researchers collected data on more than 800,000 citizens going back to 1986. About one in ten of these people had been diagnosed with dementia since 1986 and the rest were the “control” group. They examined “naturally occurring” levels of lithium in drinking water across geographic residences of the study subjects. Since most of the study subjects did not move around over their lifetimes, this worked reasonably well. Their conclusion was statistically clear. Individuals with the higher levels of lithium in their natural drinking water were simply less likely to develop dementia that those with lower levels. Some observers are already making comparisons to the fluoride that has been added to public water for generations in order to prevent dental caries. Could this be another “easy fix” as well? While the results of these early efforts are statistically compelling, a bit more research is encouraged to be sure that it is not something else entirely that is making the difference for the Danish subjects or if Lithium just happens to be in the right water at the right time. We will keep you posted. And we also will need to keep this and subsequent studies in mind for a second edition of our recent book, How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia. Please check it out, and please also be so kind as to review it for Amazon and for us. In the book, we cover what we know about dementia, what can be done to stave off the effects of dementia and most importantly what caregivers can do for their loved ones with dementia and for themselves. We also offer a lot of resources, many of them accessible on-line. 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.
Fetch! Come! Sit! Stay! Remember! So, I've given away that I’m a dog owner rather than a cat or other pet, but the commands here underscore findings from research reported at a recent meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. In short, the researchers from the University of Michigan reported that pet owners preserved their cognition better than non-pet owners in a six year study that followed 1,369 people who started with an average age of 65. Cognitive decline was slower for older adults who had pets. It has long been observed that pet ownership (some say that this is the other way around) is associated with lower rates of depression. The researchers here decided to delve into a potential relationship between pet ownership and cognitive decline in a large scale University of Michigan study called the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Of the 1,369 people in this study, 53% owned pets and a majority of these were long term pet owners. People whose cognition was impaired at the outset of the study were excluded from the research. As the researchers followed both pet owners and non-owners, they found a statistically-significant advantage in the cognition measured among the owners. They also found that longer term owners had the edge over everyone else in cognitive retention. Those study subjects who were Black or college-educated or male had a more pronounced positive effect on cognition. While the researchers go on to say that this is not a cause and effect study, the findings favoring pet owners were statistically meaningful. Although the researchers stop short of advising all older adults to rush out and purchase a furry companion, they do point to additional positive effects of pet ownership. Other studies have demonstrated that pet ownership can mitigate loneliness and depressions. Still other research among military veterans not only improved the mental health of those with PTSD and worked to lessen depression as well. I would also add that the study found this positive effect on participants who were responsible for the care and maintenance of their pets. That is, just having a therapy animal show up regularly will not have the same cognitive benefit as hands on pet care and maintenance. Part of pet maintenance are the two or more daily walks for the pet and the owner if this is a dog. Let’s face it: the walks are good for more than cognition if both the furry friend and the owner put in the steps every day. Back to not using this study as a platform for advocating pet ownership. The authors did recommend that the data were sufficiently strong that they could strongly encourage that older adults with pets be supported in keeping their pets. Taking a pet from an older adult who may require alternative housing arrangements should not be considered without also considering how the pet and owner can be supported together. 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.
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As seasoned and experienced professionals in geriatric care management, we work to improve the quality of life for caregivers, their loved ones, friends and family. Through consultation and in depth, personalized assessment, we will develop or improve care plans in ways that will release the stress and strain family caregivers often face. We intuitively prepare for a range of care challenges, unravel complex problems, and answer difficult questions. In essence, we are a lifeline – a place you can turn to for short or long term support and a resource that connects you to the best care options. As creative problem solvers, we have one goal – empowering you and your loved one to make informed decisions toward a more comfortable and secure lifestyle. Get guidance »

In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

You don’t have to be a meteorologist to know that winter can be particularly challenging for older adults in the upper Midwest. So, I am not going to talk about slipping on ice or hypothermia; I think most of us and our older loved ones get those. I am going to talk about four of the more subtle and insidious hazards of a protracted cold spell.

Winter Depression: Isolation is bad for the soul…or more medically speaking, the mind. Being trapped inside their house or apartment, older individuals may be protecting themselves form frostbite, but they also may be setting themselves up for depression. If you have an older loved one who lives alone…or even if it is a couple…make a wellness check to bring a bit of cheer to them. Social engagement is one of the best remedies for winter blues.

Power Outages: When the power goes out in the summer, it may mean we have to eat the ice cream before it melts. But in the winter a power outage can mean frostbite can be happening under their own roofs, not just outside. Make sure your older loved one has flashlights and back-up batteries, warm blankets and a battery-powered radio. The CDC has a longer checklist.

Dietary Variety: Help your older loved one not just have enough food, but have enough variety to get ample quantities of vitamin D. That includes milk and cheeses, seafood, leafy vegetables and fresh fruits. You do not have to be a culinary wizard; it is the variety and freshness that count.

Carbon Monoxide: For homes with gas fireplaces or furnaces that vent from the side of the house. Be aware of leaks in the apparatus inside the house as well as blocked exhaust ports that may become blocked by snow. Check on the carbon monoxide detectors in the hour to see that they are working and have back-up batteries for those as well.

And between trips to visit your older loved ones, please give them a call as well. All of this will help take the chill as well as some of the bleak off their winter. 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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New research recently reported sheds some light on what we need to know about Alzheimer's as well as what we may not want to know. Please allow me to explain. You likely have heard of some of the genetic advances that now allow labs to identify certain individuals who are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on the apolipoprotein E ( APOE) ε4 allele risk factor for AD. Very simply, those who have this gene are at a higher risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's, but how this happens is not yet fully understood. Scientists conducted a study among people with this genetic expression by dividing the individuals into two groups based simply upon whether they knew they had the gene or not. All individuals had the gene expression, so if they were randomly divided into groups one would expect that any person would have the same chance of having cognitive problems as any other individual. What the scientists found was quite remarkable. These study subjects were asked to rate their own memory performance and mental processing on a number of tests. Their actual performance was also quantified by the scientists. At the end of the testing, those people who knew they had the gene performed the same as those who did not know on the objective tests. When they scored themselves, however, those who knew they had the gene did worse than those who were unaware they had the gene. So, a person has to ask whether they will be better off knowing that they have a predisposition to AD or not? In a more upbeat bit of clinical research among Alzheimer's patients scientists offer a glimmer of hope for even those who may be predisposed to AD. It is a federally funded study and the largest and longest duration study of this type. Over a period of five to six weeks the experimental subjects were exposed to a number of hour long sessions in either reasoning, memory or processing speed, cognitive abilities that often decline as individuals age. All individuals were tested for cognitive ability at intervals up to five years from their initial training, and those who had been trained did better than those without the training. Even ten years out, there was a positive difference between the two groups, but the trained group did tend to decline somewhat from where they had been. So, if you are a caregiver to an older loved one, you may have one question along with one certainty. First, do you want them to have the test if knowing can be its own down side? Second, you should know that you want to encourage them to be socially active and intellectually challenged. 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.

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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.

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If you see something, say something. We have all heard this about everything from neighborhood watch programs to announcements in airports…that is, back when people actually took flights to somewhere. But what if you can’t see “something”… something like elder abuse. Another casualty of this COVID quarantine is the blinders it places on all of us who have looked out for or looked after an older loved one. We cannot really get anywhere close to those in senior living communities, and for seniors living less independently, it is even worse. You don’t have to be a caregiver to an older loved one to be “looking out” for their well-being. Let me offer you a number of tips for preventing elder abuse as well as intervening when elder abuse is suspected: Prevention:

Power of Attorney – have the difficult discussions with your older friend or loved one about selecting someone(s) to be POA for health care and for finance. Sure it’s awkward and personal, but not having protection in place is what causes financial or health crises.

Stay Connected – call or email your loved one regularly. And if they have a laptop or access to one, make sure they learn how ZOOM can make a personal contact just a few clicks away.

Know their Caregiver – make sure you know your loved one’s caregivers…by name and more. If a caregiver knows that someone is watching, they will be on their best behavior.

There are more steps that can be taken if you are family so that you have help to prevent breeches of security or fraud. Intervention:

Neglect – We find that self-neglect actually is far more common than caregiver neglect, so be as informed as you can about your loved one’s food and water intake as well as their medical care and living conditions.

Mandatory Reporters – front-line workers like doctors or nurses are mandatory reporters, that is they have to report suspicious behavior or abuse to authorities. Be sure to ask them what they are seeing so that it does get reported.

More Connected – I mentioned calls, messages and ZOOM, but there’s more. Inquire about fall detectors or medication reminders if you have reason to believe your loved one may be at risk.

Follow-Through – Don’t be satisfied with just paying attention. Make it a point to take any concerns to people in charge. If your loved one is not in a facility, find out who you community ombudsperson is in order to get action. When in doubt, call 911.

Take it Higher – If you are unsure who can help locally, there is a federal agency who can help you find help: the Eldercare Locator(800-677-1116), a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging. There’s also Adult Protective Services.

And it’s better to be wrong in sounding an alarm than in not speaking up when something is really wrong. If you suspect something, say something! 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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Creative Care Management has helped:

The adult child and their parent who is suffering from an illness

The family looking for quality senior home care in Chicago

The caregiver who lives away and needs extra eyes and ears to oversee care procedures

Someone who needs help handling doctors, hospitals, and paper work.

The daughter who isn't sure that her mother's medicine is working.

The caregiver who is juggling work and children of their own and may find it difficult to care for their loved one as much as they'd like.

The son who is unsure what steps to take now that his parent has been diagnosed with a mental illness.

The family concerned about the safety of their home

…And many more cases

How We Can Help

We offer a wide range of elder care services. If you'd like general advice and tips about caregiving, visit Charlotte's blog. At her blog, you can read about physical and mental health conditions, geriatric care, Chicago senior care resources, every day home care tips and more. If you contact us, we'll be able to help you even further with:

Home Care Management

Medical Care Management

Caregiving Consultations

Legal and financial Consultations

Independent and Assisted Living

Elder Health Management

Creating Care Plans

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It was just two weeks ago that I underscored the fact that “older adults have a greater fear of Alzheimer’s than of any other medical condition.” Okay, but that doesn’t mean that there are no other health care concerns that deserve attention. In fact, it may surprise you that the second greatest risk factor behind cognitive decline is “falling.” Yes, something as basic as a misstep or a stumble can be number two behind dementia. So that you can be a more vigilant caregiver to your older loved one, let’s go through the list in descending order of risk: Keeping Nimble. Balance is not just for the summer Olympics on the beam. The majority of visits to the ER for older adults is because they’ve fallen. Physical therapy is not just for recovery, but also for maintenance of balance…it’s worth checking out a trainer or PT group before the fall. Dental not Mental. We don’t see as many folks with dentures in this 21^st century, but oral infections can cause gum or bone problems. A dental visit every six months to keep ahead of these problems is as important as brushing and flossing. Take it to Heart. Dementia may be the fear factor, but cardiovascular disease is the real threat. Blood pressure and cholesterol both need to be managed through diet and exercise. If you are a caregiver, help your loved one take care of their heart now and it will take care of them much farther down the road. Feed your Bones. Thinning bones through osteoporosis affects about 54 million Americans over age 50. It’s about a diet with enough calcium as well as load bearing exercise to avoid the brittle than can lead to breakage. Respiratory Health. We often think it’s about smoking when we talk about lung disease, but it is also asthma and COPD, both of which can become more acute as one ages. Encourage your older loved one to visit a pulmonologist, not just their primary care provider, for the latest medications to control these chronic conditions. Diabetes. Specifically type 2 diabetes has become its own epidemic among older adults, most often owing to over-consumption of carbohydrates and poor exercise habits. One in four adults over age 65 have been diagnosed, but it can be avoided with lifestyle change, and it can be managed with good diet and exercise. Lung Infections. Flu (not COVID) or pneumonia don’t happen to just older adults, but they are more vulnerable to complications. Older adults can be more immune-compromised and less physically active which will make them easier breeding grounds for these viruses. Eyes and Ears. It’s a lot like oral health in that regular check-ups will catch conditions that can lead to either vision or hearing loss. Some of these conditions are “age-related,” but a lot of what hinders vision and hearing can be mitigated with early detection. Cancer. It once was everyone’s greatest fear, and it comes in a variety of forms. Talk to your older loved one’s health care provider about what tests are appropriate to their age and gender. Catching most of these conditions earlier means a greatly enhanced success in treatment. 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.

That was on November 19^th this year…the pace of COVID-19 deaths in the United States…one every 44 seconds, or 1,971 in a 24 hour period. They have tallied “only 956 deaths for yesterday so far, but that figure will rise, and the high water mark was back on May 7 with 2,770 recorded deaths from COVID. We were supposed to flatten the curve, but that didn’t really happen, so now we are facing a precipitous rise to perhaps new highs. What can we do? There is no doubt that the two vaccines with 95% efficacy now seeking FDA approval will be a tremendous help in shutting down the pandemic, and there is another from Astra Zeneca with partial results that also are reasonably promising. But for any vaccine, we will be waiting three to six months for the shot. The wait is that short only for front line workers and later the older or at risk populations. They have gotten so much better at treating people with COVID, you may say, and it is true that remdesivir and dexamethasone are tremendous assets as are the ventilator units. What we may not fully appreciate, however, is that the health care workers on the front lines also have become much more informed about when and how to administer these aggressive techniques for them to be so effective. Even more hidden is the simple fact that far more young people have been getting infected, and they simply are more resilient in fighting the infection. And we do not have any real shortage of supplies (nationally speaking, because some more rural areas are a bit short on personal protective equipment, therapies and ventilator equipment), but we are beginning to stretch the capabilities of medical staff in a lot of major medical centers. In fact, in a number of areas there now are more ventilators than there are staff to manage them. So, how do you move toward that light at the end of the tunnel? If you want to have a place in line for the vaccination, you have to survive through the wait. You need to go back to the basics that were offered by the CDC early this year. Wash your hands frequently, keep social distance (I prefer to call it “physical distance” because I like being connected to people) and wear a mask whenever you cannot maintain distance. It’s simple…boring, frustrating and really tiresome…but simple. It’s also a bit ironic if you look at some of the archived pictures of people in urban centers back in 1918. You’ll see that they wore masks…they did not have a vaccine to which they could look forward, but they followed the guidelines. (They didn’t even have Netflix!) Let’s walk the number back from once every 44 seconds to once in a blue moon and then to never. We can do it right now. It’s simple. 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.

You’ve heard the statistic. Every day 10,000 more Americans turn 65 years old. We all know someone who has celebrated their 65th birthday…no crisis. The crisis will be the magnitude of need that’s represented 10, 15 or 20 years down the road as health issues add up. But even that is not the real crisis. The real crisis comes from too few younger caregivers to meet the needs for their aging care receivers who will outnumber them…we might call that the storm surge that follows the Silver Tsunami. Picture a hurricane that just parks in America and stays…for a generation! So if you know there is a storm called the Silver Tsunami in the forecast, do you stock up on bottled water, gasoline and dry goods? Let’s use the Florida panhandle residents as a case in point:

The large percentage of them had a plan…they left the area for safety
But most of those who stayed behind also had a plan…they stocked up
A very small percentage just hunkered down…because they had no plan

Aging America is upside down on this. Seven out of eight of the potential caregivers to older loved ones in America have no plan. That is about 95 million Americans who will just hunker down. They have no water, no gas and no dry goods…and no plan. Well, here is the fall back to an actual plan, and it is a lot like just stocking up. Ask your older loved one to make copies of their important documents and to keep one copy with someone they would designate as a caregiver and keep another one in a safe. The documents to copy should include:

A life insurance policy, if they have one, with contacts
Their written will or trust and the lawyer to contact
Contact people such as their primary physician, close friend, family, etc.
A complete and current list of all their prescriptions
Their written health records or the logon information for their records

Some of you may be saying there is little or no chance to get my loved one to have this conversation. It’s simpler than you think. It is actually all about starting a conversation that can more naturally lead to some concrete action steps like these. Use an occasion like a holiday gathering, perhaps a friend’s unexpected hospitalization or the diagnosis of a celebrity that has created a buzz to start the conversation. This conversation and the list could also be the beginning of a “what if” conversation that results in a plan. Make the Silver Tsunami just another “Tempest in a Teapot.” 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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crisis management

Scammer v. 23.1

Long COVID’s Long List of Symptoms

One More BIG Addiction?

Would You Want to Know?

Saying “No” May be the Right Answer

What’s Scarier than Halloween?

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease

The Will To Do the Right Thing

Before or After the Fall

Why a Flamingo Stands on One Leg

Chicago Senior Care Experts

Chicago Leaders in Geriatric Care Management

In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

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