Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 • elderly careChicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence - Since 1991 | Page 2

Planning for the Holidays is More than a Menu
The latest news reports suggest only about 10 percent of American Adults have received their seasonal booster for COVID. ...
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October 24, 2022
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What’s COVID Going as for Halloween?
It’s been a year and a half since the COVID19 vaccines came on line to address the pandemic when...
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October 11, 2022
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Dementia, Distraction, Delirium and Depression
September is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, so we’re going to be sharing four posts that will help everyone with what...
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September 7, 2022
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Burn Calories to Reduce Dementia Risk
We most often think about exercise as a way to work off the calories that we may have consumed,...
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August 30, 2022
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Food Fight
When you hear the word cancer a lot can come to mind such as “cancer survivor,” “living with cancer,”...
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August 23, 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 AND Is the Most Important Word
Do you recall the 1991 movie called City Slickers? It was another great role for Billy Crystal, but it...
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July 19, 2022
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Age and “Long Covid”
There seems to be a cliché for everything, so we’ll start with this go-to for COVID: “We’re not out...
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June 7, 2022
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When Being in Demand Isn’t Healthy
If you’re a musician, you want to be busy, because gigs represent a better living. If you’re an actor...
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May 17, 2022
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HDL Graduates from “Good” to Better
You may have had the conversation with your physician about your cholesterol levels during your annual physical; there are...
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April 26, 2022
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

What if I told you there is a threat to your mental health that is three times more common than Alzheimer’s disease? Yes, about five hundred thousand people each year will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but 1.5 million adults will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Scientists have reported that type 2 diabetes has a measurably negative impact on cognitive function as adults with the condition age. While these stats are not positive by any means, the critical difference is that type 2 diabetes can be controlled or avoided! Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes in that those with type 1 are insulin-dependent. That is, they need to take injections every day to keep their blood sugar levels in check. There are medications for type 2 diabetes also, and you have seen many of them advertised on television, and these generally are oral medications. But unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 can be managed by diet and exercise. Researchers in Australia reported on a study that tracked 705 older adults for more than four years. They found that those who were type 2 diabetics had a decline in their verbal fluency during this four year time frame, but those without diabetes actually showed a small cognitive improvement. They also measured the brains of these subjects using imaging and found that both groups showed a similar modest decrease in brain size which is a normal part of aging. It was the diabetics that showed measureable cognitive decline, most notably a decreased ability in “word-finding.” The researchers add the usual caveat that their findings do not demonstrate cause and effect, but the fact remains that those with type 2 diabetes just had lower scores on their word-finding ability. The real deal here is that unlike Alzheimer’s or other neurological conditions, type 2 diabetes can be avoided or at least minimized by some simple steps. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that if you or a loved one are moving through and beyond “middle adult years,” follow these basic recommendations to best prevent type 2 diabetes and preserve your brain power:
- Lose some of that extra weight as obesity is linked to type 2 diabetes.
- Cut back on the intake of “bad cholesterol.”
- Cut way back on carbohydrates like sugar, cereals, alcohol.
- Keep blood pressure under control.
- Get up and exercise daily.
Since type 2 diabetes can happen at almost any age, this may be one of those medical recommendations that everyone can do together. And this also is one of those medical conditions that can be managed by the individuals with the condition. 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.
If you’re old enough to remember 1969, then you are old enough to remember this bold addition to the packages containing cigarettes that year: “Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health.” It was supposed to alarm consumers enough to quit smoking, but it was reinforced even more with the 1984 rule that let potential consumers know more specifically what kinds of terminal illnesses smoking was known to cause. By the way, nicotine is addictive. What would your take be if you were to see this on your next frozen dinner or cereal box or other processed food product: “Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That This Processed Food Product Is Addictive.” The Surgeon General may or may not point to the poor nutritional value of many of these food products, but addictive? Well, that’s precisely what a number of recent clinical studies have shown. Clinical investigators in both Southport, UK, and the University of Michigan here in the states have demonstrated that highly processed foods and fat have the unique ability to rapidly metabolize leading to an addictive outcome in line with nicotine-based products. While the diet does not inexorably lead to bad outcomes, the addictive potential means that they become the slippery slope toward either obesity or diabetes or both. The rest of the story, the doctors note, are in step with addictive behavior:
- Poor control of intake among those who are addicted;
- Major cravings among those who are addicted;
- Continued use despite bad health outcomes;
- And all the other hallmarks of addiction.
When you consider what finally led to all the boxed warnings on tobacco products, you will see the parallels. Tobacco products, researchers found,
- Were triggers to not just continued, but compulsive, use;
- Were able to create cravings that were psychological; and
- Were repetitive behaviors that encouraged more and more.
Remember also that cigarettes used to be in the checkout lanes of grocery stores like…well, like the candies and other snacks that include highly processed carbohydrates. While there is no labeling of such commodities yet, that time will come. Don’t wait for the label to give a mindful consideration to the foods you label as your favorites when they may actually be your addictions. 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.
It is November, and for most of us that means gearing up for the holidays, family and memorable events. The first two are true of almost everyone, but the third one - memorable - can be a huge challenge to caregivers and patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Caregivers to a loved one whose mental faculties are declining from Alzheimer's Disease can face a lot of challenges, not the least among them the guilt that can come from hosting a holiday get together when things just cannot be the way they used to be. Here are some tips for caregivers to a loved one with Alzheimer's or any of the dementias that may affect memory:
1. Take care of the caregiver: The person whose needs most often are at the bottom of the list is the caregiver to an AD patient. Do something for you, and it will make it easier to do all those other things for all those other people.
2. Be realistic: We all tend to have a notion about what the "holiday is supposed to be." That may not be feasible when a loved one has Alzheimer's, so work within the capabilities and the comfort zones of all concerned.
3. Include everyone in the plan: If you talk over plans for the holiday with all the family, it can help all to enjoy the event. Everyone will have had a say in what happens and expectations will be better met.
4. Avoid over-doing the alcohol: There is a great deal of loneliness in being a caregiver to a loved one in decline, so avoid the inclination to self-medicate. If you as a caregiver already feel melancholy, alcohol will only fuel the depression.
5. Let visitors know: If visiting family does not know exactly what to expect from a loved one with AD, they probably will not act appropriately. Help them to understand about talking and living in the moment.
6. Let your loved one know: For patients with early onset AD, there can be moments of lucidity as well as confusion. Help them to also be in the moment and not lapse into the sadness or even the angry outbursts that can come from AD's confusion.
7. Manage the environment: AD can be confusing enough without exacerbating the challenge with a noisy environment. Helping your loved one to engage people in quieter surroundings can help everyone communicate better.
As you navigate through the holidays, appreciate that they may not be as they once were before the intrusion of Alzheimer's, but you are making new memories for you and the rest of the family. With attention to some of these tips, you will find that the new experiences will help everyone's holidays to be their own new memories to cherish. 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.
Medicare has been one of those political footballs where both sides of the aisle have had an entrenched position for decades. One side has been vying for better coverage for our older citizens and the other side claiming a need for more fiscal constraint so as to limit the ever “threat of bigger government.” But regardless of which side of the argument one may have taken, there was never any denying that insuring our most vulnerable population has been an expensive proposition. And it has just kept getting more and more costly. …until recently. True, it continues to grow as an overall price tag, but the cost per Medicare enrollee has been almost flat for more than a decade, something that has not happened ever before for this entitlement program. If the spending per enrollee had continued on its trajectory since 1970, the average spent per individuals should have exceeded $20,000 by now, but instead it has been hovering$12,000 to $14,000 for more than ten years. The overall budget for Medicare has continued to climb, but this plateau translates into $3.9 trillion in federal dollars saved. That’s about 85% of the total federal pandemic expense, 14 times the annual benefits to veterans, 18 times the annual salaries paid to public school teachers, 27 times the annual federal spend on food stamps (referred to as SNAP), 161 times NASA’s annual budget and the list goes on. Recognizing that we’re not out of the proverbial woods yet, Medicare has been most recently granted permission to negotiate directly with Big Pharma on the prices of ten branded drugs. I had talked through this in a recent post. Better drugs are important to our vulnerable older citizens, but higher prices are not as I wrote in that earlier post. There is also the suggestion from the Congressional Budget Office that adding more Boomers to the Medicare rank and file will kick prices up soon enough. If you have an older loved one either on Medicare or soon to be enrolled in Medicare listen closely to what your representatives are saying about Medicare. You may want to make the call to inform them of the facts. Being an active citizen just might turn out to be really good for your older loved one’s health! 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.
“Necessity is the mother of invention” is most often attributed to Plato, although he actually wrote, “Our need will be the real creator.” But you get the point. This often-quoted phrase, however, really sums up what many are referring to as a tech boom among America’s older population segment. Despite the toll that COVID has taken among older Americans, the 60+ cohort of our citizens is projected to grow 65% between the beginning of this decade and 2040. This, despite a near record slow population growth of the overall population since 2020 and a heavy death toll among our oldest. This older cadre of Americans also represents a growing share of Americans who embrace social media, online applications in finance and healthcare and even digital gaming. Research shows that more than 60% of the 60+ year old contingent have visited a social networking site at least weekly and more than one in five also has engaged in video gaming each week. More than four of every five 60+ year-olds have a smartphone. They are also the dominant segment of the high income market with companies and developers working harder to make their technologies more available and more useful to these older gamers and surfers. Necessity came into play not just because older adults are more affluent, but they also have represented greater demand for health applications to compensate for the isolation and dangers of our COVID pandemic. It may have started with “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” but it now extends to virtual health visits with providers and remote downloads of key biometrics, all facilitated by cellular communications. Medical “concierge” practices are popping up that offer virtual visits as well as same day answers to text, email or telephone inquires for a fee. And 60+ year-olds – as well as the rest of us – can carry access to their bank accounts on their phones. “Help, I’ve fallen” has expanded to give digital access to family and friend calls ala ZOOM and a host of other platforms. If you are a caregiver to an older loved one, don’t just give your loved one a “wellness call;” do a connectedness call to be sure your loved one can reach their health care providers, their drug store and don’t leave out the plumber, the handyman or ever their fitness trainer. Remember that restaurants and grocers are still bringing to your older loved one’s door just about everything that they used to make the drive themselves to secure. Plan your next visit – and this may be virtual — with your older loved one around their social media access, their household needs, their social and fitness needs, their banking and finance needs and consider how you can loop their front doorbell into their phone as well as their HVAC and lighting. Technology wants access to the “older” and affluent market as much as your older loved one wants to take charge with the controls in the palms of their hands. Don’t think of digital connectedness as an intrusion – although it can be – think of it as the new “village.” Just as it takes a village to raise a child, this same village lends support and connectivity to our older loved ones as well. 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.
Even among those older adults who dodged COVID, “gymnesia” may be a lingering effect. Please let me explain…
What business has more facilities than McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell combined, and saw almost universal closings during the pandemic? And what business saw far fewer clients returning than McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell combined as the pandemic restrictions have begun to relax? The answer may not come as much of surprise since even I have been holding back from going back to the fitness center for my daily caloric burn. There are over 32,000 fitness centers across America, and a lot of them continue to remain shuttered in this phase of the pandemic that some are beginning to call the “post-pandemic.” Almost all of these facilities have gone to extraordinary lengths to make their establishments cleaner (air and contact surfaces) and safer than ever before, but some folks, especially older clients, are hesitant to get back into their routines. It’s time to get back into shape, and here are some tips for the older adults in your circle: Safety check. You can call or email any of these facilities, and when you do be prepared with some important questions. How often and how extensively do they clean equipment and locker rooms? Ask about how they have upgraded their ventilation systems. Then go on-line and see how they compare to what is recommended by public health experts. Getting there. The average person travels 2.6 miles for their fast food favorite and 3.8 miles for their groceries. No surprise, then, that most people will travel less that four miles to work out. Go ahead and Google: “fitness center near me,” and you’ll probably be surprised how many spas, gyms or workout facilities are within four miles. Walk through. Of course, you won’t sign up without a visit to see what a facility looks like close-up…and yes, walk through their locker rooms as well. Really key, however, is when to schedule your visit. Set a time that matches when you like to work out so that you can see exactly what you will experience if you sign the contract. Partner Up. This is not about safety and the importance to not go to the facility alone. Find a friend or encourage your spouse who will buddy up with you for your regular workouts. It’s nice to use the guilt of not wanting to leave our work out buddy all alone to get us to make the trip each day that we have committed. How much. There are some spectacular palaces to body fitness, and they may be right for you. Yet, if you’re just a yoga type or a Pilates junky, a smaller venue is more than adequate. Some of you may still want to work from the safety of home; then, consider a trainer, even if it’s only once a week to hit the rest button to keep you at it. I personally like the machines that tell me how many calories I burn with each workout, and my phone has an app that helps as well. It’s a built-in reward for all the sweat, and it does feel a lot better. And as my workout partner says, “The shower is the best part.” 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.