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

How to Say No to Cancer
Who would say “yes” to cancer, you may be thinking, but saying “no” means you’re committed to the lifestyle...
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July 23, 2024
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LIFE: What Are You Going to do About It?
I had the good fortune this past weekend to attend a Billy Joel concert, and he had a great...
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June 24, 2024
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What’s Your Complaint?
If you grew up in a family as I did we were taught not to, or shown role models...
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June 11, 2024
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The Synergy Between Seniors and Earth Day!
April 22 is Earth Day, a date that has brought together activists and celebrants since its inception in 1970. ...
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April 22, 2024
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Can’t Find Your Keys?
When I speak to some clients our conversation moves from their work lives and forward to their retirements now....
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April 16, 2024
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Another Side Effect of COVID: SCAMS
Just when you thought you’d heard everything about COVID! We early on learned how to be vaccinated, and most...
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March 12, 2024
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If You Want to be More Fit, Don’t Exercise…
Just coming off Super Bowl Sunday, it’s easy to talk about who could run faster, who could pass more...
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February 12, 2024
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If It’s All in Your Head, Are You Out of Your Mind?
You know what makes a real difference between grade school children and adults over the age of forty? We...
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February 6, 2024
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Why D is More than a Passing Grade
There is much talk recently about “grade inflation” which rather diminishes the formerly exclusive appeal of a report card...
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January 29, 2024
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The Risk Factors AND Ways to Prevent Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s Disease affects nearly six million people in the United States according to estimates from the CDC, and that...
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January 22, 2024
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

One of every three adults over age 65 will have a fall this year. This rate increases to one half of adults over age 80 who will fall during the year, some of them multiple times. On top of this, half of all falls occur in an older adult's home. With these alarming rates, it may come as no real surprise to those of you who may be caregivers to an older loved one that falls affect more older adults than heart attacks and strokes combined. As a geriatric care manager, I commonly get the call from a caregiver to an older loved one who has had one of these falls. And the fall often has resulted in serious injury, most often a fractured hip. One thing caregivers may not know is that unintentional falls result in death of the older adult in nearly 22,000 cases each year. We are not talking about just a bump or a bruise, and even more sobering is the simple fact that most falls are preventable. And, if not preventable, early intervention can make a huge difference in your older loved one's safe recovery from the fall. Here are some tips you can employ to help your older loved one be safer from falls:
1. Exercise. Yes, it is that simple. I have talked in other postings about "use it or lose it." It is not news that older adults tend to lose muscle mass as they age, and with this loss there is a proportional diminution of strength and endurance. There also is a loss in balance and coordination. Encourage your older loved one to take part in an organized exercise plan, perhaps with a fitness instructor who can teach safe exercise to improve balance. Research has shown that this can reduce fall risk by as much as 20% to 50%. And yoga or TaiChi can be a wonderful way to improve balance by strengthening and enhancing muscle coordination.
2. Home Safety. Do a search of my Blog for other postings devoted to "home safety" and you will see a lot more detail than I will give here. But safety at home starts with clearing floor surfaces of scatter rugs, worn carpets or electrical cords in trafficked areas. Go through your older loved one's home at night and look for dark or shadowy areas that may be fall risks. And be sure that a light is within easy reach of your loved one's bed so that getting up at night in the dark does not result in a fall. And be sure to have sturdy handrails in stairways as well as long hallways. Bathroom grip bars are also important as most falls in the home happen in that porcelain minefield we call the bath.
3. All of the Above. The most successful fall prevention efforts incorporate steps toward a safer home environment along with a more fit older loved one. To these I would also add a healthy diet high in protein and complex carbohydrates to help fuel the musculature that will prevent a fall. Although the evidence is not entirely clear yet, there is good reason to believe that vitamin D supplements also can be important as they help to maintain bone density and strength as well. Not sure how to implement these steps? If you are a caregiver to an older loved one, speak with their provider about appropriate exercise or a nutritionist about their diet. And reach out to a geriatric care manager about a home safety inspection. You may find that your older loved one may be much more willing to listen to an expert outside the family that to their son or daughter. We are here to help. 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.
That depends on what you mean by “slow” motion. It was just a couple years ago that I noted in my book on dementia that a new case of Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed in the United States every 67 seconds. I received a solicitation from my state chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association yesterday, and an opening sentence informed me that “every 65 seconds someone in the United States developed Alzheimer’s disease.” I paused for a moment, and then it really struck me. The train wreck is gathering speed. Two seconds less is no big deal, but that is three percent faster; three percent is higher than the current inflation rate. Would you invest in a financial instrument that guaranteed you three percent less each year? I think the takeaway is that we all need to be vigilant with our friends and loved ones when it comes to “forgetfulness.” The Alzheimer’s Association offers some very basic tips on the most common early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease:
1. “Memory loss that disrupts daily life,” like recently learned dates or events
2. “Challenges in planning or solving problems,” such as recipes, paying bills, etc.
3. “Difficulty completing familiar tasks,” because familiar no longer is familiar
4. “Confusion with time or place,” is like having no clock, no map
5. “Understanding visual images and spatial relationships,” such as a clock’s hands
6. “New problems with words,” but it is not just “word-finding”…it’s sentence-making
7. “Losing the ability to retrace steps,” and then blaming someone for the problem
8. “Decreased or poor judgment,” like giving up on self-care or donating in excess
9. “Withdrawal from work or social activities,” because they just can’t keep up
10. “Changes in mood or personality,” like confusion, paranoia or depression.
The challenging part when we may take stock of a loved one is that all of these in some minor ways are simple products of just having more and more birthdays. I strongly encourage you to visit this page to see not just the warning signs, but also the “normal signs.” But I also add that the first steps one should take when the signs begin to seem real include getting specialized assistance in a proper diagnosis from a neuro-psychiatrist…and then, don’t go it alone. There are numerous resources in almost every community and on-line that help all of us with a loved one with “that diagnosis” … and to find the support that you as the caregiver need. You will do a much better job of caring for a loved one if you first take care of you! 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.
In past postings I have talked about the very difficult conversation caregivers can have with their older parents or loved ones who are no longer safe behind the wheel. The rate of per mile casualties for drivers 75 and over escalates rapidly, approaching and then exceeding that of under 20 year old male drivers. How does one tactfully and sensitively talk with an older adult into giving up the keys of that four-wheel machine that is so entwined with their sense of independence. But should we feel safer after that awkward conversation and our older loved one is back to curbside as a full-time pedestrian? Not necessarily. According to recent national statistics, fully 19 percent of all pedestrian traffic fatalities involved adults 65 years of age or older. Translated, a 65+ year old's chances of being killed in traffic while walking is fifty percent higher than other younger pedestrians. Some of you may see that and jump to the conclusion that well, that is an urban problem...not a suburban or rural one. Not so. The data show that pedestrians in small towns are more likely to be killed or injured than those in more urban or metropolitan areas. And a majority of all pedestrian, auto or cycle fatalities occurred in rural areas. Every two hours a pedestrian in America is killed. There is an initiative in both national houses to introduce new legislation to address the issues in an law known as the Safe Streets Act. It is all about smarter planning of American's streets and sidewalks so that at least the new road or walkway construction will be safer for older adults. And there are new safe street policies being embraced by more than 600 city and county governances across the United States. While there are national and local governmental moves afoot to make streets and sidewalks safer for pedestrians, that alone may not make your older loved one safe enough. If you are a caregiver to an older loved one who is a full- or part-time pedestrian, you should not feel that you need to take your loved one off the sidewalk to protect them. But you can help them to improve their "pedestrian fitness." For starters, have their hearing checked as part of a regular physical exam. If your loved one can hear something coming from a roadway, they will have a much better chance of finding safe ground than if not. By the same token, have their visual acuity checked yearly to make sure the glasses they may wear are sufficient to see the number of seconds left on the crosswalk light. Finally, your loved one does not need to go through training to be an Olympic runner or walker, but they need to have the best gait possible. As adults age, they point decline from a slow walk to a shuffle which is an accidental fall waiting to happen or an inability to get out of the way of oncoming traffic waiting to happen. See if their physician can write a prescription for physical therapy. 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.
In the U.S. there are 94 million employees who are a phone call away from their caregiver crisis. That’s the combined population total of Texas, California and New York! The Met Life Market Institute estimates the combined caregiving cost of absenteeism, workplace disruption and reduced work status is $33.7 billion annually. The employee caregiver crisis at home is also an escalating liability on the employer’s books. More than one in five working Americans is balancing the demands of the full time job along with caring for a family member- typically a parent. Working caregivers:
- cut back on their jobs to accommodate their caregiving.
- health care costs are significantly higher than non-caregivers.
- smoke more, drink more alcohol and get fewer preventive screenings.
The working caregiver employee puts in 44 hours per week attending to a loved one’s needs at the same time they hold down their day job. If you are the head of HR or serve on one of the teams that support your company’s human capital, perhaps you should have an early warning system in place at your company? If you can judge by the percentages, there is likely going to be more than one warning sign for any given employee. Consideration should be given to the tangible steps which will support the working caregiver by:
- creating a “safe work environment” at work so that employees will seek help before they burnout.
- helping management develop “an eye” for seeing problems before they grow out of control.
- providing support and resources so that family crises become opportunities to grow loyalty.
There is education for professional careers, and there is on the job training. There are even books for expectant parents along with birthing and infant care classes. But there is no preparation for accidental caregivers, the caregiver that has very little warning that they will be responsible for the care of a loved one. We call providing caregivers with resources and assistance the newest employee benefit. It’s good for the employee and their loved one and it is good for the corporate bottom line because it reduces employee distraction, time away from work and improves employee retention. Did smoking cessation programs benefit the employees and the bottom line? Employers who step up and who recognize that their employees’ “other full-time job” is also their problem will be the ones who thrive in the 21^st century. If you have a colleague or a boss who would benefit from Charlotte’s posting, please share it. If you would like them to get the notifications of this and new posts, please have them reach out to info@creativecaremanagement.com or just forward their email address to us at same. 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.
My mother used a phrase to put a good face on her moments of leisure. She would say: “Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.” I have some bad news for my mother – sitting (thinking or not) too much is not good for your health or your life expectancy. I haven’t missed too many opportunities to talk up the virtues of exercise and diet in not just extending one’s life, but also improving the quality of life. Just when you think that your hearty breakfast this morning and your 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise will assure your good health, think again. If you took the afternoon off to watch your screen or even read a book and the time spent on that couch over the course of the day totaled 6 or more hours, your chance of dying young just shot up 19 percent over your peers who sat for less than three hours. And the causes of these premature deaths are not limited to just heart issues. There is a whole range of conditions that can get in the way of longevity for couch potatoes. The conditions that can shorten a person’s life can include everything from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to diabetes or lung disease or kidney disease and more. And here’s the part where those of us who are caregivers to older loved ones should pay more attention; it is not just older individuals who run this risk if they sit too much. Researchers have compared transit drivers with transit conductors or prison guards and found that these occupational groups tended to have pretty similar diets and lifestyles. The drivers, they found, were twice as likely to die of a cardiac condition as their counterparts who spent more time on their feet. The scientists cannot claim a cause and effect, but they do point to higher rates of obesity tied to sedentary lifestyles. And the obesity is tied to higher levels of inflammation overall which leads to a host of diseases. But sedentary people also have higher rates of suicide, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s as well, and this leaves the researchers scratching their heads a bit. The basis for some of these conclusions is a 21 year long prevention study sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Of the 128,000 healthy volunteers who were enrolled in this study, 49,000 died during the succeeding two decades for the causes I have outlined. So, even though they cannot say that sitting kills people, my takeaway is pretty clear. No matter what your age, make it a point to stand up, stretch and walk around every hour and then rinse, repeat. 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.
All of us here know how to prepare for a blizzard, people in the South know how to prepare for a hurricane, and folks on the Great Plains know how to prepare for a tornado. Maybe what is most challenging about the virus that is part of every news cycle these days is that it is a “novel” coronavirus. If you are a caregiver to an older loved one as well as looking out for your own health, let me address four major questions about the “new” virus:
1. What are signs and symptoms? The incubation period can be as long as 14 days, but is generally expected to be about five days. This virus does not initially differentiate itself from any other “bugs” going around. Initial symptoms likely include a cough or sneezing, but with or without an elevated temperature. Rarely is there diarrhea. Drinking lots of fluids is very important at this early and all stages of the disease. Milder cases can be treated at home, but if the condition persists or if the lungs become affected, seek professional help.
2. How is it transmitted? COVID 19 is not transmitted through the air we breathe, but it is transmitted through mucous droplets. If someone with the disease sneezes or coughs, they should cover their nose or mouth with a tissue or the sleeve at their elbow to avoid spreading the droplets. Be careful of surfaces on which a carrier has had contact (or their sneeze or cough droplets have had contact) as the virus may survive as long as several days. Those diagnosed with the condition should wear a face mask.
3. Who is most susceptible? This is where COVID 19 is similar to other flu viruses in that as many as four in five deaths will be among patients 60 years and older. It is not just the age of the patient, however. It is other conditions that weaken their bodies’ ability to fight the virus. Those particularly at risk will be those with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or lung disease. Those who are immune-compromised may also be at greater risk, but it is wise to consult a family physician before sounding alarms.
4. How to protect your loved one / yourself? Stand at least three feet away from anyone with whom you are conversing which will lessen the chance of your receiving a stray droplet. Wash hands often according to the WHO guidelines (link is below), avoid touching your face and wipe surfaces with sanitizer materials with at least 60% alcohol content. The World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend face masks for the general population, but patients are encouraged to wear a mask. And then there is the obvious precaution that one ought to avoid contact with COVID 19 patients or travel to geographic areas where cases have been confirmed.
To get answers to your other questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at: info@creativecaremanagement.com or go to the World Health Organization website. 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.