Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 • home care servicesChicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence

COVID’s Other Deadly Toll
During this pandemic, over 13,000 more Alzheimer’s and other dementia patients have died than expected from these cognitive disorders,...
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September 22, 2020
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Hold Your Friends Close and Stangers Closer
Miss your friends, your older loved ones and those summer get togethers in the backyard? We can get together...
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August 11, 2020
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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...
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May 26, 2020
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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...
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May 19, 2020
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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...
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May 12, 2020
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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...
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February 4, 2020
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Mittens Before the Frost
I was asked today about the “mitten test.” It was one of our colleagues who had remembered something I...
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September 18, 2018
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GOOD NEWS FOR CHRONIC CARE
Associate Care Manager Gregory is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and Medicare Counselor, whose work...
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August 6, 2018
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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...
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June 24, 2018
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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...
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June 18, 2017
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

The best estimates suggest that more than 7 million American have experienced and survived a stroke of some sort. Most of these people will be dependent in some capacity on a caregiver or certified geriatric care manager, because full recovery is relatively uncommon. In fact, the percentages break out generally along these lines:
- 10 percent of stroke victims will recover almost completely
- 25 percent will recover, but still manifest small deficits
- 40 percent will require ongoing care for moderate to severe deficits
- 10 percent will depend on skilled nursing care in a facility
- 15 percent fail to recover and will die within a short time of their stroke
Some of what will determine the category of a stroke victim is how severe the hemorrhage or clot was in the first place as well as how promptly medical attention was received. The rest will depend upon the rehabilitation following the acute phase of the stroke episode. Those who have suffered a "mini-stroke" or what are called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) may recover spontaneously, but for the vast majority active physical rehabilitation will begin as soon as possible in the hospital. If the patient is stable following a stroke, rehab can begin within two days of the event. Once discharged, if you are a caregiver you want to be well-informed so that you can have an effective conversation with the care team at the hospital to get the best match of rehab for your loved one. This is where we often become involved with families of stroke survivors. This is so that the best care is provided and everyone has a clear picture of the goal of the therapy as well as the work that will be required to get there. The principal objective of all rehabilitation is to restore or improve physical function, but rehab also focuses on giving the stroke victim maximal independence and quality of life. To do this, some skills that have been taken for granted may need to be relearned, such as eating, walking or dressing. If you are a caregiver to a stroke patient, you will want to learn the language of rehabilitation in order to be the best advocate you can be for your loved one. The National Stroke Association has created a guide for choosing the right rehabilitation facility as well as understanding who all the players will be and what you should expect from each. It also includes a grading form so that you can compare facilities in order to pick the best program for your loved one. For a download of this Guide, just click here. Charlotte Bishop is a certified 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.
If I were to ask for a show of hands, I suspect nearly all would want their older loved ones to live long. We hear stories with some regularity about someone who is 100+ years old, and I have written about “super-agers.” I am going to share ten tips for healthy aging. Spoiler alert…the “aging” part is pretty easy if one attends to the “healthy” part. You may recall from my post about super-agers that a defining trait is that they may be 70 or 80 years old, but they have the cognitive or physical characteristics of a person decades younger. I had a client whom I remember most for her comment at her 100^th birthday party when she giggled a bit and remarked: “I guess I can start on my second century.” And she did! If you are hoping for a longer age span for your older loved ones…or yourself, a lot of it is about choices more than genes. Let me to share some tips:
1. Stress reduction – We all can agree that stress reduction is important at any age, but for our older loved ones stress actually can damage brain cells, precipitate depression, diminish our immune response to infection and even impair memory. A person is never too old to benefit from “talk therapy,” practice relaxation therapy or take up yoga. And just keep things in perspective…don’t sweat the small stuff.
2. Prevention is better than a cure – It is more than the annual flu vaccine, but that is as important as good hand washing hygiene. It is important for your older loved ones to get their vision and hearing checked regularly. And do a home safety test to see if your loved one’s home is still “user friendly” as the “user” ages in place.
3. Health is a lifestyle – We all can complain about the cost of health insurance or medical care or medications. The fact is that most of your older loved one’s health is about their lifestyle. And when they do have a doctor’s visit, make the most of it with lists of their meds and most important any questions they may have.
4. Engage others – Reading a good book is great, but participating in a book club is even healthier for your older loved one. Getting involved in community events, committee work or a trip with friends and anything that gets a person out of the house and engaged is an investment in longevity.
5. Sleep more than food – Humans are able to last longer without a meal than without sleep, and this does not change as they age. Some older adults talk about not needing as much sleep as they age, but what they really are saying is that they have more difficulty sleeping longer. Encourage good sleep habits that include 7 to 9 hours a night, just like we would encourage our kids to do.
To cover all ten tips, I am going to continue this into next week’s post. So, to learn more about living well…and therefore longer…please check out my post next week. 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 mom died on March 9th with dementia. During the 4 years as her caregiver, I really valued your emails. I learned so much from reading them and tips made my life better.
A satisfied client
In my last posting I spoke to ways to improve the safety and accessibility of the bath for seniors who choose to age in place at home. Some of the same preventive measures can apply to the kitchen, but the kitchen also poses some of its own unique hazards.

As with the bath, beware of scatter rugs in front of sinks or food preparation areas. Areas that may be targets for water or grease spills should have non-slip mats or nothing at all. Check all thresholds leading to and from the kitchen to be sure there is nothing that may be trip hazard to individuals whose stride may be devolving to a shuffle. For individuals who may be unsteady on their feet, consider grip bars in key spots as well as check the walkways in and around dining areas to make sure there is enough clearance for easy mobility. Also look for electric cords or clutter on the floor.

As with all areas of the house, check to see how much wattage can be accommodated by fixtures, and maximize the light while also minimizing the shadows cast by the lighting. In addition to task and ambient lighting while the elders are using the kitchen, place night lights in strategic parts of the kitchen to aid with walking late at night. As with the bath, you may also consider the night lights that automatically turn on when the ambient light falls beneath a critical threshold. As a person ages more and more items on upper shelves may be out of reach. Facilitate easier access to upper shelves with step stool that also has a grip bar on top. Reinforce in your conversations with your loved one that stepping onto chairs to reach a shelf is always a fall hazard. If practical, move frequently used items to lower shelves or to the counter top. You may also consider the assistive grab devices that can be as easily used to retrieve items from floor level as to grab items from higher shelves. Check out Sammons Preston; beware of heavier items that may fall on the reacher.

Gripping may also be a challenge to individuals as they age, especially cast iron skillets – great for cooking, but hard to manage. With less manual strength, opening jars or bottles can be difficult. The gripping devices that fit over the lid can make turning or twisting a great deal easier. Check out kitchen and other supply stores like the Container Store. Similarly, there are accommodating devices that can help with cutting, can opening and other day to day tasks that require nimble hands or stronger grips. There also are nonslip bowls, cups, knives and more.

I had mentioned the potential for forgetfulness. If your loved one leaves the lights on or the ice cream out on the counter, they will not pose a hazard to their safety. If the gas stove is left on or an oven is left baking, these can be real fire risks. Consider getting portable timers that your elder can carry with them after starting the cooking. It is better that they have the time with them so that they will be sure to hear the alarm when it goes off that left behind in the kitchen where they may not hear it. And one more caution regarding the stove. If your loved one retains a gas stove, talk to them about avoiding loose-fitting clothes that could catch fire. And if there has been a real accident already, either disconnect the stove (with the help of a professional), or replace it with an electric cook top.

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 throughout metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to Charlotte Bishop.,geriatric care manager Chicago, geriatric care Chicago

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“We are what we eat” is an old adage that takes on new meaning with some research recently published by a nutritionist at Rush University Medical Center. According to findings reported by Martha Claire Morris, a Ph.D. nutritional epidemiologist at Rush University, a diet high in the right fruits and vegetables among other foods is a significant deterrent to late onset Alzheimer’s Disease. The researchers in Rush’s Memory and Aging Project followed a group of 954 patients whose average age at the study outset was 81 years, tracking their diets and also monitoring their mental abilities for five years. It is important to point out that with this older age group – unlike younger adults - genetic issues play a very small role in developing AD, but the researchers found that diet did. Participants who followed a “brain healthy” diet reduced their risk of developing AD by as much as 35% to 53%. A brain healthy diet includes vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables like kale and spinach. It also includes beans, nuts, berries and whole grains. The berries that packed the biggest preventative punch were blueberries. Fish and poultry were the primary meats in the diet, and the diet also included olive oil and wine (sorry…only one glass a day). As important as consuming the good foods is avoiding the “bad diet.” On the list of foods to avoid in order to maintain brain health are red meats and fried or fast foods. And if you have a sweet tooth, you may need to retrain it as sweets and pastries are also taboo. Finally, cheese and butter are unhealthy for cognitive health…at least in amounts that exceed about a tablespoon of butter a day. As the researchers reported, it is not a surprise that the “brain healthy” foods are high in vitamin K, but they cannot say it is vitamin K alone or whether something else in combination with this vitamin that helps brain health. They also caution that this is not a predictive study, but given that the results square with other research on “brain healthy” foods their findings suggest that we can use these foods to good benefit. To learn more about the research and how nutrition is part of your brain health, visit the Rush University Medical Center web site (click here). And then head out to the grocer and grab a bunch of kale. 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.
We are into the season of giving, but for some dishonest scammers, it is a season for taking. Older adults are targeted more often because they answer their home phones, they have more cash available and the services scammers purportedly offer are more often the services older adults may want. Older adults may be more trusting as well. So, if you are a caregiver to an older loved one, here are some of the scams you should alert your loved one to and be on the lookout yourself: • Great Investments - If there is one thing that older adults fear more than losing their mental faculties, it likely is running out of money. They may have made solid investments in safe securities, but they may be easy prey for someone calling to let them in "on a limited time offer." It may not be huge investment, but it promises a hefty return. Just remember, if it seems too good to be true, it most often is. • Cheaper Medications - With the changes of the Affordable Care Act, older adults will have the chance to save more money on their expensive prescriptions, but the allure of cheaper meds offshore is still present on the internet. Make sure that the pharmacies making the offer are legitimate - and many are - but ask for substantial verification before ordering scrips; your loved one's primary care physician may be of help. • Fake Charities - This is another one where you want to verify the legitimacy of the cause. Especially on the heels of the tornado disasters recently, there may be callers posing as agents to get money to victims of disasters. Verify! The IRS posts lists of tax exempt charities on its web site, and there is another great site called Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/). • Pleas for Help - What grandparent does not have a soft spot for their grandchildren? Scammers can call older adults with just enough information to appear as one of the grandchildren in some kind of trouble that requires an immediate cash transfer. Caution your older loved one not to respond to calls from "their favorite grandchild" that offer no identifying name. Verify! • Bad Checks - If your older loved one is selling anything on-line, beware of the scammer who just happens to have a cashier's check that is for an amount much greater than the purchase price. They will ask if the excess can be wired to them along with transfer of the item. This is the part where the original check turns out to be bogus, so your loved one is out the sale item and the cash difference. All of these are just some of the examples that have played out in holidays past, but be prepared for the next new scam. And know that it will be too good to be true. 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.