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

Friends Don’t Let Friends Have Dementia
I have talked before about the FDA-approved medications indicated for Alzheimer’s disease. The short answer is that they are...
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August 13, 2019
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The Heart of the Matter
I promise that I am not going to get up on my soap box about diet and exercise and...
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August 6, 2019
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Exercise Beats More than Dementia
You may be familiar with the statistics on breast cancer in America. One in eight women will develop breast...
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July 23, 2019
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An Effective Defense Against Alzheimer’s … and More
If you could do one thing to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease even if you had the genetic...
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July 16, 2019
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This Is Not a Test
How about a free genetic test to learn more about your ancestors? Free… And finding out about the people...
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July 9, 2019
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Losing Sleep Over Alzheimer’s
We watch the weather segment on the news to get a heads up on what tomorrow is going to...
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June 25, 2019
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Don’t Fall Into Spring
Do you know how kinesiologists refer to walking…at least some of them with whom I have spoken? (These are...
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June 18, 2019
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Warning Signs of a Bad Date
I would wager that all of you can remember your first crush after you were no longer living at...
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June 11, 2019
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When the Polls are Right!
We already have begun to see polling regarding the candidates for the 2020 National Elections. Most pundits suggest that...
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June 4, 2019
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It IS all in Your Head
Have you ever noticed how we all can get into a place where we are multi-tasking, we are reflecting...
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May 28, 2019
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

Thanksgiving is just days away, and if you are like a lot of folks, you may have shifted from going to the grandparents' house for Thanksgiving Dinner to now being the host for the annual feast. And if you are like a lot of parents, you have learned along the way how to prepare meals for your children's challenging palates. You may not have recognized that there also are some unique challenges to please an older adult's appetite as well.

It is important to recognize a couple of aspects of seniors that may not be obvious. First, senior metabolisms work a good deal slower than yours and a good bit differently from any teenagers at the table. Second, their sense of smell and taste are not as acute as they were when they were younger, so you may want to adjust your dishes accordingly. But let's start at the top.
1. Especially if your senior guests are on any medications for high blood pressure, be very sparing with your use of salt as the added water retention will raise their blood pressure. Other dinner guests who do not have the same concerns can add salt to any of the items on your menu.
2. To compensate for less salt as well as a senior's reduced sense of smell, be creative with your use of spices. There is a veritable bounty of options available to use that will not make food too spicy while at the same time getting the chef rave reviews.
3. If any of the seniors at your table wear dentures, you will want to have foods that will be easy to chew and swallow. Don't believe all the TV ads that show delighted seniors eating corn on the cob with their dentures. Be careful that the dishes are moist as well, because seniors whose taste buds don't get as stimulated may not be salivating quite as much as the rest at the table either.
4. Tied back to their diminished appetites, be mindful of serving entrees that will pack a lot of nutritional value and calories. If you are worried that your recipes are not up to the "senior challenge," there is a lot of food help on the AARP ( http://www.aarp.org/food/ ) web site. Check it out.
As you put the finishing touches on your final dinner plans, it may also be helpful to just ask if your loved ones have a favorite dish they would like to have for Thanksgiving, and also find out about any new likes or dislikes. But most of all, remember that it is about giving thanks and enjoying the company of family and friends. Don't forget to have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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 in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to ccbishop@creativecasemanagement.com.
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Many are unaware of the massive scope of the pharmaceutical market and all the ways in which seniors are taking more and more unnecessary drugs because of it. We discuss how caregivers can look out for signs that their loved one’s medication is over prescribed. We also discuss other warning signs people should look out for when buying prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

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Yes, you are supposed to ask why being male and over 65 is a medical condition; so what do I mean by cure? The best "cure" at any age is appropriate prevention, and I would like to offer some prevention guidelines for any of you who have a loved one over age 65. I offer 65 because as we all age, what we should be screening tends to change along with the frequency of screening. I am starting with men in this posting, but I will offer a parallel "cure" for women in my next post. Blood Pressure - everyone should have their blood pressure documented annually, and hopefully by the same provider so that they can track any trends. If your older man already has diabetes or heart disease, this monitoring should be at much shorter intervals. Oral Hygiene - a cleaning and an exam once a year is the minimum, and most dentists recommend a cleaning twice a year. Appreciate that oral health is correlated with heart health, so consider your trip to the dentist to have more benefit that just a great smile. Cholesterol Levels - if your cholesterol have been within normal ranges in the past, you may need to check them only about every five years. As with blood pressure, however, if your older male has heart disease or diabetes, this should be more frequent. Colon Health - guidelines suggest annual stool sample screenings, but a flexible sigmoidoscopy is suggested only every five years and a colonoscopy every ten years. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended talking with a provider after age 75 and no invasive testing after 85. All of this is much more aggressive for anyone with colon issues or cancer or who has a family history of any of that. Eye Health - a vision exam is generally recommended every other year as a screen for glaucoma or visual acuity, unless the older patient has diabetes. More frequent testing for a diabetic is recommended to watch for diabetic retinopathy. Immunizations - keeping current is the important part of immunizations. For pneumonia vaccines, every five years is recommended. Flu shots are an annual regimen given the variation in strains that are considered the biggest risks. A shingles vaccination may be a one shot matter, but ask your doctor, and a tetanus booster every ten years is recommended. For other immunizations or other infectious diseases consult a physician. Prostate Health - most doctors will test the size of the prostate during an annual exam, and the doctor also is the best one to advise on how often a patient should take a PSA test. Bone Density - although women are more at risk for osteoporosis than men, the risk increases appreciably after age 50. Taking in calcium and some vitamin D along with aerobic exercise will go far in maintaining bone health, but a physician may recommend how frequently to measure bone density. Everything else - annual exams are a great time to assess weight, height and hearing. It also can be a good time to check your 65 year old for signs of depression as well as go over all medications and any possible interactions or contraindications. 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.
What do tennis, racket ball and soccer have in common? What do jogging, swimming and biking have in common? You may see that you need at least one partner for each of the first three, and the other three are pretty much solo activities. But the other point is that people who participate in the first three tend, on average, to live longer than the people who participate in the latter three. They are all good forms of exercise and all contribute to longevity, but the team activities just do a better job of giving us more birthdays according to a number of research studies. A 2017 study that followed 80,000 British men and women showed that those who played racket sports outlived those who were joggers. They originally had used this research to identify if the duration, strain or amount of jogging showed any differences in longevity, and the answer was yes those who were in the “happy medium” – not too strenuous and not too gentle - did live longer. On closer examination they further uncovered the greater benefit of racket sports over the solo sport of running. The researchers looked to even more data to see if this general pattern would hold in other populations, and they discovered that a Danish study that encompassed a greater number of activities that people had described in questionnaires showed that people who engaged in more social or team sports like tennis, soccer and even badminton lived longer than the more solo athletes. And they tracked these individuals for 25 years. No surprise, those who had reported relatively little or no exercise during their lives did not survive as long as their more active counterparts. Cyclists who bilked four or more hours a week, for instance averaged almost four more years of longevity than those who chose to “sit out” their lives. Running added about 3.2 years when compared with their sedentary counterparts. But tennis added nearly 10 years to players’ lives and badminton added 6.2 years. Soccer contributed 5 more years to players’ lives. Even when the researchers controlled for education, age and socioeconomic standing, this pattern held. It may be about the kind of cardiovascular benefit conferred by one sport over another according to the researchers, but they offered one more possible explanation. The sports that gave the greatest benefit in years also are team…or social…sports. Other research has often cited social isolation as one of the big detractors from both quality and quantity of life. Social engagement, they pointed out reduces stress at the same time one derives physical benefit from a sport. It seems to give new meaning to being “heart-healthy.” It is not just your pump that is healthier, so is your spirit, and both contribute to more birthdays. 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.
This is the third in a series of posts on dementia in advance of the release of my new book, How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia. It will be released through Family Solutions Press of Los Angeles and available from Amazon the week of July 17. We will keep you up to date on details. Who are the experts on dementia? There are some incredibly useful on-line resources that families with an older loved one suffering from dementia can turn. We offer a lot of wide-ranging resources in our book, but here are the links on a couple of the more outstanding among them. Consider these national resources available to support the individuals who may need help when dementia rears its head. In these and other resources, there also are local or regional chapters that can be that personal touch that makes such a difference.: 1. Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Caregiver Center is an arm of the Association that has done the most to help patients with the disease as well. The Center provides training and other resources to caregivers as well as a 24-hour telephone hotline. http://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-support-help.asp 2. Aging Care offers answers and support from those caregivers who also are facing the challenges of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or Dementia. The site allows you to “ask your questions and get helpful answers from caregivers, and memory care experts.” They also offer a free guide, "Life as an Alzheimer's Caregiver". The guide draws upon the experiences of elder care experts, caregivers to those with AD and patients themselves https://www.agingcare.com/Alzheimers-Dementia/Questions-1 In my 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, amny 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.
Today's Blog is a guest posting from Cindy Levitt, founder of peace by piece professional organizing and design. Moving can be one of life’s most stressful events, or it can be one of the most liberating. Studies rank moving right up there with death and divorce. However, with proper planning you can minimize much of the stress. Are you helping someone to move? Or are you the one organizing your own move? It can be very emotional and often stirs up a lifetime of memories, both good and bad. Think about your move as a fresh start. Tip #1 Start early. Don’t wait until the last minute to start making decisions about what to bring with you. It will seem less rushed if the hard decisions are made when you have time to think and contemplate. Know where you are moving? Great! Get the floor plan and think about how much space you will have and what will fit. Especially when it comes to memorabilia, start well in advance of the move, if possible. Sort, edit and archive the photos, important family documents and other meaningful items. You can find some nice archival boxes and products to use. Here is one type I like: http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-archival-storage-boxes/ Tip #2 Evaluate what you have. Be ruthless. Whether it’s clothes, knick knacks or furniture, this is the time to decide what you can live without and what you truly value. Ask: Do I love this enough to bring it with me? Does this make me feel good when I see this or use this? Does this item remind me of joyful times? Tip #3 Organize! I usually suggest creating a notebook with various pages or sections that you can add to as you go along. Headings could be: Donate, Sell, Give to Family, Bring to New Space, etc. Go room by room and list each large item. If you are using your furniture right now but know that you will not be moving the green couch and the maple table, add those to the “Donate” list or the “Give to Family” list. Ask family and friends what they may like before you decide about donations. Maybe someone close to you can really use that couch or table. Tip #4 Enlist help. You can’t do it alone so don’t even try. Find good friends, family members or professionals to work with you. Host a coffee and dessert party or a wine and appetizer night to divide up the photos or knick knacks you would like to share with friends and family members before you start packing up. Tip #5 Simplify your daily life. Remember your mantra is “I can live more fully with less stuff weighing me down!” Too much stuff around you causes stress and creates more anxiety. Less stuff equals fewer items to keep clean and organized. .Your move can be the road to finding peace of mind. Cindy Levitt (click here) holds a Master of Education from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Washington University. Peace by piece professional organizing and design offers on-site residential and business organizing, speaking and teaching, coaching, consultation, relocation and moving services, staging and redesign services. Cindy also works with seniors to organize and archive photographs and a lifetime of memorabilia. After moving from her home of 29 years to a smaller space, Cindy understands how difficult it is to make those tough decisions on what to keep and what to let go. Visit her web site.