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

Dementia: We’re Not Post-COVID Yet
If you have a family member or loved one with dementia, this pandemic and its restrictions have been exponentially...
Read more
May 26, 2020
0
0
Distance Caregiving Through a Wall
I’ve written numerous times about distance caregiving, and one of the observations I have offered is that distance is...
Read more
May 19, 2020
0
0
Caregiving During COVID: Four Tips for Reengagement
You may recall that I have recommended limiting your news consumption, because it really does add to our stressed...
Read more
May 12, 2020
0
0
Tips for Distance Caregiving: Up Close and Personal at a Distance
If you think being a caregiver to an older loved one is hard–with all the trips to help them...
Read more
February 4, 2020
0
0
Mittens Before the Frost
I was asked today about the “mitten test.” It was one of our colleagues who had remembered something I...
Read more
September 18, 2018
0
0
GOOD NEWS FOR CHRONIC CARE
Associate Care Manager Gregory is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and Medicare Counselor, whose work...
Read more
August 6, 2018
0
0
Long-Term Doesn’t Mean Put It Off Until Later
Gregory Peebles is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and trained Medicare Counselor, whose work focuses...
Read more
June 24, 2018
0
0
A House is Not a Home (Part 3)
At CCM, home and safety are as important to us as to you, so it’s no surprise that it’s...
Read more
June 18, 2017
0
0
A House is Not a Home (Part 2)
At CCM, home and safety are as important to us as to you, so it’s no surprise that it’s...
Read more
June 12, 2017
0
0
A House is not a Home (Unless You’re There)
At CCM, home and safety are as important to us as to you, so it’s no surprise that it’s...
Read more
June 5, 2017
0
0

In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

There may be as many as 50 million caregivers in the United States today, so the odds are that we all know at least one person who cares for an older adult or someone else with special needs. And we all can help to care for the caregiver with little things that may not take a lot of time or even cost any money. These little random acts of kindness can both help the caregiver and help the person who depends on a balanced and healthy caregiver. What can the rest of us give to the caregiver?

1.    Give the caregiver an excuse. Caregivers can get really caught up in the "have to's" so that they do not even take a coffee break. Be their excuse to get away if only for the hour to share a cup of coffee and conversation with you.

2.    Give the caregiver an ear. We often tend to focus on the older or special needs loved one with questions about "how is your mom?" The caregiver deserves a chance to just vent to someone who can empathize and not judge them as too hard on the "poor mom" who depends on them.

3.    Give the caregiver some familial support. In most families one of the siblings has become the default (or conscious) caregiver, and in my experience it is mostly one of the daughters. Encourage a family conference either in person or on a call to discuss what everyone can do.

4.    Give them something specific. It is really easy to just ask what one can do to help in a general sort of way, and caregivers may simply demure by asking for nothing. But if you are going to the grocery store and call to ask what you can pick up, they can tell you what is running low. Or if you are a neighbor, shovel their walk when it has snowed overnight without being asked. Be creative, but remember to be specific in your offers.

5.    Give the caregiver some time off. Everyone needs a break, so volunteer for specific times or days so that the caregiver actually can make plans for something they need to do - hopefully for themselves.

6.    Give the caregiver a reason to laugh. Most caregiving revolves around helping someone who is in declining health. Change the subject to something they will find more uplifting or something positive in their future. Optimism is a great antidote for the burden of caregiving.

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.
There is a lot of advice that goes around for older loved ones in our orbits when we see the first signs of winter setting in, and most parts of the country have seen some near record lows already this season. But there also are some threats to an older person’s well-being that are more a part of the relentless part of winter the longer the season tests us all. We know to help our older loved ones to dress warmly and to avoid ice and more. Here are five threats to look out for as we all endure more of the season for sneezin’:
1. Be vigilant about depression – The severe and sustained cold can make it for harder for older adults to get out and socialize as much as they can in fairer weather. The toll the isolation takes can manifest itself in a situational depression.” If you live at distance from your older loved one, be alert to changes in their demeanor, their voice, their affect. Call on your way home from work or after your lunch…daily contact can be very cheering.
2. Winter is hard on their car – The human body is not the only body that takes a hit with winter cold. If you are able to drop by, check on your older loved one’s windshield wipers, the tire air pressure and the battery as well. Especially if the car does not leave the driveway frequently, the winter can shut down the car. Be aware of your loved one’s capacity to drive on ice and suboptimal road conditions.
3. If the power goes down – Winter storms can take out the power grid and with it your older loved one’s ability to keep refrigerated food cold or even their own bodies warm. Help by checking to be sure there are enough warm blankets and maybe a battery-powered radio or charge stick for their cell phone. This may be another reason to check on your loved one’s with greater frequency as well.
4. Vary the foods available – It’s easy to not visit the grocery story with the same frequency when the weather is the disincentive. Be sure your loved one has a variety of fruits or vegetables. Milk and fish also are a great source of vitamin D as well as leafy veggies. A varied diet also will help them feel the extra perk that can stave off the blues.
5. When you stop by to visit, especially if there has been a significant snow accumulation, check around the exhaust vents of the furnace, the clothes dryer, the fireplace, etc. And be sure that the carbon dioxide and smoke detectors are in place and with fresh batteries.
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.
It’s not a new story that the internet is a potentially hazardous place to conduct financial transactions. You may have warned your kids and even your older parents. Beware of the companies who may be hacked and your older loved one’s (or your) credit card information is compromised…or the companies that ask for your mom’s or dad’s social security number and now someone has access to your loved one’s identity…an identity that can be used to build new credit requests, run up dollars of debt and more. Well, all of this has now gone from bad to worse. Think of the Web – the place we go to learn the stats on our favorite teams, what size shoes the presidents have worn or picking a gift that can be delivered in two days to our door. There is transactional activity here and some risk to our credit, but a lot is manageable. But there is a layer beyond this called the Deep Web. This is where social media like Facebook call home or where your bank hosts your information so that you can access your checking account, make recurring purchases and store really big files for sharing…DropBox and others. Bad guys can lurk around either of these levels of the Web, and they can hack your information. So, okay, they get your credit card details and go on a shopping spree – you can call your credit card company and contest the charges. It’s a headache, but it’s a one and done and you’re then back to business as usual. A lot of what is stolen on the Web and the Deep Web can be auctioned on the Dark Web. Why not take that credit card – and password – information that you just hijacked and sell it at an auction site on the Dark Web to anyone who can spend less than ten dollars for it…but there will be thousands of buyers? And even if the bad guys get just part of your loved one’s identity like their social security number, and they can go on-line and do searches for anything that matches that information. They soon can have a credit card number, a home address, a mother’s maiden name and more. You can help your loved ones and yourself with just three basic safeguards:
1. Monitor your loved one’s accounts. Ideally, they should be going on-line regularly to check their credit cards, investments or bank accounts for activity. Most accounts also allow for a feature that sends text alerts when there is activity…perhaps in excess of a certain dollar amount that your loved one can establish.
2. Place a security freeze on all your loved one’s accounts. They can do this by reaching out to one of the three credit reporting agencies. This will stop anyone from applying for a new credit card, securing a loan or otherwise misusing your loved one’s information.
3. Secure your passwords. Discourage your loved one from making everything tied to a sequence of numbers that are their birth date or anniversary. Even go so far as to use a secure online vault that will create really complex passwords and keep them secure. Passwords can also be changed quickly if security is suspect.
So, instead of buying grandma a new Chromebook or iPad for the next birthday or holiday, enroll them in a secure vault and work from there on steps they can take to be both tech savvy and safe! 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.
I had the good fortune recently to meet Jennifer Muskat, the Director of Client Services for San Diego Home Care Assistance. She shared some helpful perspectives on the importance of geriatric care management services for older adults who need emotional support. "The physical obstacles that your aging parent or loved one encounters in old age are often the most noticeable. While you can easily observe their struggles with walking or daily chores, it is much more difficult to recognize, understand and empathize with the emotions they experience on a day to day basis. Your elderly loved one will be forced to deal with a handful of life-changing events as they age. Retirement, forfeiting the right to drive, and the loss of a spouse, sibling or close friend are just a few examples of inevitable changes that accompany aging. Without emotional support from family members during life’s new and unfamiliar events, seniors become vulnerable to depression and often suffer from a decreased quality of life. As an adult, your sense of worth comes from your ability to provide for your family, perform your job well and most importantly, function as an independent individual. Whether from frailty or age-related illness, seniors lose these abilities, resulting in an increased dependency on their adult children. When this role reversal occurs, many seniors experience feelings of worthlessness and a lack of self esteem. Becoming dependent on their children, who once relied on them for everything, is difficult to cope with emotionally. When neglected, these negative feelings can result in depression in seniors. They feel alone and helpless and that no one understands their situation. To ensure the health and wellbeing of your loved one, it is crucial that you are aware of how your loved one may feel. If they seem withdrawn, upset or have just suffered the loss of a close friend or family member, take the time to talk with them. Listen with patience and compassion and try not to criticize their feelings. By letting your elderly loved one know you are by their side and are available to offer emotional support, you can help combat depression and enhance their overall happiness and quality of life. Also recognize that seniors become socially isolated in their later years and encourage your loved one to pursue new hobbies and stay in touch with old friends. Participation in these activities offers another channel for emotional support. We often do not look beyond the physical ailments of our aging parents and fail to provide the emotional support and encouragement they once provided us as children. However, it is never too late to help. Reach out to your elderly loved one and let them know you are there for them as they enter this new stage of life." Jennifer Muskat is the Director of Client Services for San Diego Home Care Assistance. She offers geriatric care management services as an advocate for senior health and wellness. By constantly developing new programs, she ensures Home Care Assistance caregivers can provide optimal quality of life for senior clients. 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. We provide elder care services to those in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to ccbishop@creativecasemanagement.com.
We have all heard the phrase and it usually is a reference to someone who is just a little less on top of their game. Just last week, however, The New York Times released data on staffing in nursing homes that showed a tremendous variance in staffing levels on their units based on time of day and time of week. These staff levels are not inconsequential, because when we talk generically about “nursing homes,” we may be making reference to assisted living or skilled nursing or other supportive living facilities. This is all a way to say that the residents need help with any number of their key activities of daily living like toileting, dressing, bathing, eating and walking, etc. The New York Times reported variances from fully staffed to the understaffed weekends to be as much as a 100 percent difference. That is to say that the number of nurses or aides covering the residents on weekends was as little as half the number as during weekdays. Before the Affordable Care Act, nursing homes self-reported their staffing levels to the government watchdog agencies. Whatever they said was what was on record, so less ethical organizations could easily game a system where no one was minding the store. Since the ACA in 2010, these numbers are now verified. While ACA now more closely monitors staffing, there can still be day to day variances that may elude detection. Some defenders of the status quo claim that on weekends more family are visiting their loved ones allowing thinner staff to keep up with what is alleged to be lower demand. Maybe? How many visiting sons are comfortable helping mom to the toilet? If your older loved one is one of the 1.4 million Americans who are a resident in a nursing home, you can check on their staffing variances. The New York Times actually published a map on line that allows you to hold your cursor over a specific facility on the map to see how they rate from “much above average” to as low as “much below average.” They also will note for you the low and high resident to staff ratios of both nurses and aides. I have in our inset a picture of a facility in Nebraska as an example. So, do three things if you are helping a loved one move to, or have one already in, a nursing home…or may have one moving anytime soon:
1. Go to the map to get the data and also those of competing facilities around the region where your loved one may move;
2. Get references on facilities from care managers or other health care professionals from your locale; and
3. Once your loved one moves in, drop by as frequently as you can, but do so at different times of the day or week.
Consider all of these as steps toward catching a facility in the act of doing things right. If not, don’t be afraid to make a change of venue and a change for the better for you and your loved one. 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.