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

Ain’t No Sunshine…
…When She’s Gone.” Or how about, “You are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine?” or “Here Comes the Sun?” or...
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February 21, 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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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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Stranger Things: Step up Your Diet with New Options
If I were to ask you what you or an older loved one had for dinner yesterday, the chances...
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October 4, 2022
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Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease
September is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and this is the third of four posts we’ll offer on the subject. I...
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September 20, 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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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 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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What You Can and Cannot Change About Dementia
Let me start with the short answer to a question we raised in the email announcement of today’s post. ...
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June 21, 2022
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlotte Bishop is a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Case Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults their families in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to ccbishop@creativecasemanagement.com. Learn more about our Chicago senior services and how we can help you support your loved one.
Okay, "Grain Brain" is not something that immediately tells you what it is all about. Grain Brain is the phrase that neurologists and other brain scientists are using to describe a link between blood glucose levels from high carbohydrate consumption and dementia. A book by the same name is going into its 15th straight week on the New York Times bestseller list, so the concept is getting a lot of attention. But what does it mean for you or an older loved one in your orbit? In a scientific study recently published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, researchers followed a large group of men and one of women for an average of almost seven years. During this nearly seven years they regularly measured the individuals fasting blood glucose levels. At the end of the study they found that people with higher blood glucose levels were more at risk for developing dementia that those whose levels were not as high. They found this to be true even with people who did not have diabetes. It is true, that this kind of study cannot say that increased blood sugar levels actually cause dementia, but the link is sufficiently clear that the New England Journal would publish the findings. Scientists also find that not all grains have the same negative effect on cognitive ability. Those with the highest gluten content seem to be the worst offenders. This is not the first research to show negative health outcomes associated with elevated blood sugar. Researchers have well-established proof that a high carbohydrate diet and the associated elevation of blood sugar poses a risk to one's heart and to the immune system. And there are other studies. in a 2012 study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, researchers reported that risk for cognitive decline was 89% greater among those on a high carb diet; those on a high fat intake diet saw a 44% decrease in their risk for cognitive compromise. And researchers in another British journal, Lancet Neurology, estimated based on their findings that as many as 54% of the cases of Alzheimer's Disease in the United States could be avoided with exercise, weight reduction and steps to reducing blood pressure. This last study really drives home a great point. If you are a caregiver to an older loved one, you both will see great returns on a few basic investments of time and effort. Increase the daily amount of exercise, reduce the carb intake and the rewards will be weight loss, reduced blood pressure, a healthier heart, a more vigorous immune system and more acute cognition. Sounds like a really great return on investment to me. So, will you and your older loved ones be among those who avoid the "grain brain?" 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.
Wearing a face mask is the new front line of defense against the spread of the war on COVID-19, but it does little to protect against the other public health crisis that is hitting people around the globe. Scientists surveyed more than 5400 adults this past June and found that nearly 41% of respondents reported one of more of anxiety, depression, trauma, stressor related disorder (TSRD) or increased substance abuse. You may have thought the spread of COVID-19 was rampant, but two of every five adults are way stressed out. To be honest, it is not just fear of COVID that is driving this spike in emotional trauma, although having our bodies on high alert full-time is not healthy. People are facing losses and/or the stress of a loved one or friend who has contracted the virus, and everyone who is following the guidelines is also facing a whole lot of alone time and a world that is radically different that what anyone would have predicted in the early days of 2020. And if you have an older loved one, chances are that all that you’re facing is ramped up even more for those who may feel even more isolated than before or just plain trapped in what was supposed to be “carefree senior living.” One of my acquaintances in a very upscale senior living community has taken to calling their campus a “death farm.” Here are some tips from health care professionals about how to hit the reset button on your mental health during this unprecedented time of COVID-19:
1. Know where you would go if you needed treatment for a COVID-19 infection ahead of any need for care. Preparation is a great anxiety-reducer.
2. Take a break from the news; this does not mean just the COVID-19 news…all the national news can be very stressful in the aftermath of our national election.
3. Eat regularly…just like before COVID, and eat a balanced diet; comfort food may make you feel, well, comfortable, but eating high fat or carbohydrate foods can make you feel worse and certainly take a toll on your body.
4. Exercise regularly, and not just walking, although walking may be one of your single best ways to boost your endorphins and burn calories; recall the post from a number of weeks ago about introducing new exercises to stay nimble.
5. Stick to a regular sleep regimen. Eight hours of sleep daily and bed time at the same times can be an important reset for your mental and physical health.
6. Avoid excessive alcohol or substance use; keep a log if you need to actually be critical of your own patterns.
7. Take timeouts…maybe more of them than you did before COVID, because remember that you are living in a more stressful world these days.
8. Connect with friends at distance or on ZOOM, stay connected to clubs or your faith family via ZOOM or telephone.
9. Take solace from the milestones like two vaccines showing promise and more to follow; we will get through this; “hope” actually is a plan in this case.
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.
How about a free genetic test to learn more about your ancestors? Free… And finding out about the people who no longer are alive to tell their stories? And your older mom or dad figure why not... Well, identity theft is why not. How many of you have taken the test to find out more about your ancestors? You know, the one where you offer a sample of your saliva in a tube, mail it off and they return a “report” to you that details what they know about where other people with similar genetic profiles call “home.” Most people find they have ancestral roots that go back to a lot of places, not just the family homeland they heard about as children. So, of course, scammers would be finding a way to use this test which is supposed to put us all on the map in order to defraud unsuspecting elders. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has sent out an alert. Scammers are offering people qualified for Medicare to get the same test that you or I may have paid for on-line. You may have thought your older parents were pretty insulated from this kind of scam, but here is how it works. We’ve all been to the public health or “aging well” events where a roomful of professionals are giving away books on senior residential options, refrigerator magnets, sticky note pads and a cool bag for carrying home the haul of freebies. There are other ways like telemarketing and door to door calls, but scammers are offering the unsuspecting older individuals a free cheek swab by simply providing their Medicare identity, and the target who does not recall that they no longer need to provide their social security number don’t hesitate to offer that in exchange for an ancestral map. Well, it becomes an access point to a different kind of map, your loved one’s financial map. And with the address and social information, scammers can begin the kind of work they do all too well. So, prepare your older loved one to be vigilant about:
- If a testing kit arrives at your loved one’s home, tell them to not do a thing if their physician did not request a test. Better yet, take note of the address of return and report it to the authorities.
- If a stranger offers a genetic test and…by the way…asks for a Social Security or Medicare number, stop. In fact, anyone other than a physician’s office or lab should not be given any of these pieces of identification.
- If anyone asks for Medicare information, and they are not a medical provider to your loved one, beware. So, this is more than saliva in a test tube. If you suspect Medicare fraud, depart the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
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.
When I talk to people about advocacy and geriatric care management, they get that part of what we do in our professional role is look out for older adults and guard against abuse of a variety of sorts. One of those kinds of abuse is financial abuse in the form of scams that target older adults. Scammers target older adults in part because, as a group, older adults can be more vulnerable, but older adults also are the ones who will have accumulated some amount of money over their lives - their nest eggs. But did you know that more than 90% of reported financial scams targeting seniors are perpetrated by their own family members? If you are a caregiver to an older adult or just a concerned person in the orbit of a senior, here are some of the common scams going around.
1. Meet you at the Funeral - Believe it or not, some scammers will go to a complete stranger's funeral claiming to the family or widow that money is owed for some prior contract or other obligation. But that is not all. Beware of the "add-ons" that some funeral homes may try to railroad at this vulnerable time in a family's loss. It is a really good reason that we all should make our own funeral arrangements before the time comes.
2. Boomers don't Age - With the boomers starting to fill the ranks of the over 65 cohort, there is a host of anti-aging products to assist those who feel 70 is the new 50. Help your senior to see through the false claims as well as the fake products posing as the brand names like Botox. And remember that if it is not fake in the case of Botox, that it Botox made from a deadly toxin; be certain of the recipe.
3. Fake Drugs - With pharmaceutical prices still a large part of any senior's budget, the lure of non-U.S. pharmacies is still there. Be sure that the distributors actually offer the real deal. FDA has been reporting an average of 20 major investigations of fake manufacturers every year.
4. Just Bill Medicare - Anyone over age 65 will qualify for Medicare to pay part of their medical costs. Some providers working the system, however, can purport to offer services and then bill Medicare. Since they can use your elder's personal information for a direct billing, the older patient will never be the wiser.
The list, of course, goes on. The reason why some of these frauds may happen is that they take advantage of a senior who is not as tech savvy on the web as younger web surfers may be. And at any age, we all can be victims of the deal that sounds too good to pass up. So, if you are a caregiver, lend an eye and an ear to that older adult in your orbit. Your vigilance will benefit them, and it also will give you the benefit of advance learning for when you are there one day. 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.