Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 • In Home CaregiverChicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence

Making Your Holidays Happy Again
Yes, “holidays” is a plural word here. Please allow me to digress on this plurality and simply point out...
Read more
November 16, 2021
0
0
Not Just Spring…
We’ve heard of Spring Training for those who follow baseball teams like the CUBS or the SOX, and we...
Read more
April 13, 2021
0
0
Can I Have A Hug?
I doubt there is anyone who does not have something that they have not been able to do during...
Read more
March 4, 2021
0
0
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,...
Read more
September 22, 2020
0
0
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
Caregivers and their Medicare?
Yes, you read it right. I am posting this one about what caregivers should know about their Medicare. But...
Read more
September 12, 2013
0
0

In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

Actually names can hurt you…sticks and stones can break your bones, but ageism affects the health of older adults. When older adults are at the receiving end of ageist comments they internalize what they hear, so much so that this lower self-concept results in a slower walking gait, brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease and even a shorter life span. Researchers with the World Health Organization and the Yale School of Public Health have demonstrated a negative link between ageist labeling and senior mind-set. But the good news is they have shown that a positive mind set makes a positive difference in health like walking speed, balance, memory and longevity. This last one comes from what one of the researchers says is a person’s “will to live” which actually results in longer lives. And the individuals who benefit may not even be aware of the positive or negative self-concepts they have developed; it’s often subliminal. In one study adults between 60 and 90 years of age were randomly divided into two groups, but all were first administered a memory test. One group was placed in front of computer screen that flashed positive words about aging and the other group was shown negative words. The words flashed faster than anyone could read, but they made a difference subliminally. Those in the negative exposure group were flashed words like “decline” or “decrepit” and more. The others were flashed words like “sage” and “accomplished.” Both groups then took a memory test again, and the first group showed a decline in ability to recall versus those in the positive group who showed an improvement in their recall. In a separate study in Ohio with about seven times more subjects over 20 years they showed that negative attitude participants died an average of 7.5 years earlier than those with a positive attitudes. Some explain this as part of an evolution of how we look at “seniors” in our culture. Language has become increasingly negative in our literature over the past 200 years and age has come to be viewed as a medical condition. So, what do you get for a medical condition when you visit a doctor…most often another prescription to add to what you already are taking? And what do most medications have? …side effects. Did he jump or was he pushed is a question that comes to mind. Back to the study with computer exposure to negative or positive language. Those who had been exposed to the positive language were interviewed again three weeks after the original experience, and they were significantly better still at the memory and physical tests. This is where it gets to be both a half empty and a half full glass. If through actions or words older adults are reinforced with negative language or behavior, they won’t let you down…they will go downhill in their abilities and their sense of themselves. Those who are exposed to positive situations and affirming language actually become happier…and healthier. So, please think about how you talk with your older loved one next opportunity you have…what you say…and how you act will have a measureable impact on their quality of life. 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.
Please consider what I am sharing with you here to be the raw material side of recommending some recipes for your upcoming Thanksgiving feast. By raw materials, I mean that these recommendations are not recipes, strictly speaking, but I am recommending your feast this week have ample quantities of vitamins D and E. In fact, you might carry these doses over into your regular diet after this week. If you are like most folks who have been following advice on healthy eating, you already appreciate that vitamin D is very important for bone health and vitamin E is central to heart health. But what you may not have seen is that both of these also are important to brain health. Separate studies have shown that vitamin E can help to keep Alzheimer's at bay and vitamin D can lower the risk of cognitive decline. Starting with the case for vitamin E, researchers at New York State University have studied the effect of regular quantities of walnuts (rich in vitamin E) on what they termed "Alzheimer's-susceptible mice." Granted, these are animal studies, but the nutrition needs of mammals can be generalized to some extent. And their results published just this month were quite striking. The group of mice in their experiment who consumed regular doses of walnuts showed statistically significant improvement in learning, memory, motor skills and even anxiety levels over the mice who received no walnuts. (How do they measure anxiety in mice?) No surprise that walnuts contain Omega-3 fatty acids as well as other antioxidants which have been proven in other studies to ward off cognitive decline. And then there is vitamin D. This was a study among older Italian adults rather than mice. The researchers tracked vitamin D levels of nearly 2,000 adults whose average age was 73.9 years for over four years. They found that those individuals with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (measured by their serum 25OHD) were more likely to have declining cognitive skills as measured by a standard test called the "Mini-Mental State Examination." This was compared to their baseline test at the outset of the study which showed all participants to begin at comparable and robust levels of mental ability. It is important to note that this second study simply noted the differences among individuals based on their blood serum levels and did not control what they ate. More testing will be needed to see if vitamin supplements can make a positive difference versus in mental capacity. And, of course, the first study was on mice, so it would be helpful to move this up to humans. And by the way, the amount humans would consume to give the equivalent dose for what the mice ate would be only about 1-1.5 ounces of walnuts daily. So, if you are a caregiver to an older loved one this holiday, these two studies may not include any recipes, per se, but they do suggest what you may wish to add to your Thanksgiving spread as well as the dinners that will follow. And you don't have to choose between these two vitamins; cover your bets by adding a bit of D and a bit of E. 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.
Have you ever noticed how we all can get into a place where we are multi-tasking, we are reflecting on yesterday’s game, today’s meeting, the kids’ games, the weekend’s events and pretty soon we don’t just avoid stopping to smell the roses…we don’t even remember there was a rose along our path this morning. Scientists suggest that mindfulness is an alternative to the stress of multi-tasking. Mindfulness, they explain, is simply focusing on the present, not getting caught up in judging any aspect of it, and finding a calm within the chaos that seems to be ever-present in the 21^st century. Researchers at Harvard Medical School talk about readjusting how we view things in terms of mindfulness…that is being really in the present and just experiencing the present without judging it as bad or good…just experiencing it. It will take some practice because virtually all of us are really good at being stressed and overloaded. Yet, if we can learn this thing called mindfulness, we will have less stress, a better immune system and generally happier days. It may be even more important for our older loved ones. They have a lot more yesterdays about which they can have regrets and a lot more losses they can grieve. No wonder depression affects about six million adults over the age of 65 each year…but it is not just a normal part of aging. It is their points of view. The scientists tell us that mindfulness can improve gastrointestinal function, address heart disease, lower blood pressure, ease stress, enhance sleep, and moderate chronic pain. Practitioners are using mindfulness as part of the treatment for depression and anxiety, eating issues, alcohol and substance abuse and marital discord. They are even using it to address one of the big challenges of older adults – isolation and, yes, depression. Not being in the present also gives people way too much time to regret the past and fret about the future. Try this yourself…and share with an older loved one:
1. Sit in a comfortable, straight-back chair or on a cushion with crossed legs
2. Relax - slowly breathe in through your nostrils and out through your mouth
3. Focus on breathing…if you wander, bring your attention back
4. Take note of the rest of your body
5. After you establish this calm, then allow one thought at a time to enter
6. Gently guide yourself back to just breathing to keep from scattering
Try this for 20 minutes a day…and later expand to 40-45 minutes. Try to bring some of the method to how you handle the rest of your life by single-tasking, add moments of single-focused thoughtfulness. Rinse. Repeat. And share. 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.
Full Name:*
[text* fullname 75/ id:Full_Name]
Phone Number:
[text phones 75/ id:Phone_Number]
Email:*
[email* emailc 75/ id:Email]
Your Question:
[text question 75/ id:question]
Type the Characters Shown:*

[captchar captcha-220 class:contact-input]
[captchac captcha-220 class:contact-image size:m]

[submit class:ccm-send-btn1 "Get In Touch"]

Personally committed to you and your loved one's well being.

1 New contact form submission received from CreativeCareManagement.com - A Caregiver’s Guide for Changes & Aging [fullname] <[emailc]> info@creativecasemanagement.com, lynda@llvirtual.com From: [fullname] <[emailc]> Phone: [phones] Message Body: [question] -- This email was sent via the contact form on the Creative Case Management website, http://www.CreativeCaseManagement.com. Your message was sent successfully. Thanks. Failed to send your message. Please try later or contact the administrator by another method. Validation errors occurred. Please confirm the fields and submit it again. Failed to send your message. Please try later or contact the administrator by another method. Please accept the terms to proceed. Please fill the required field. The field is too long. The field is too short. Date format seems invalid. This date is too early. This date is too late. Failed to upload file. This file type is not allowed. This file is too large. Failed to upload file. Error occurred. Number format seems invalid. This number is too small. This number is too large. Your answer is not correct. Your entered code is incorrect. Email address seems invalid. URL seems invalid. Telephone number seems invalid.
This marks the 100^th posting on our blog since its inception October, 2010, and it gave me pause to stop and reflect on what one learns at 100. So, whom better to ask than people who have had 100 birthdays, made it to that milestone and have been paying attention along the way. I have gathered together here a short compilation of wisdom from some centenarians whom I felt had something to offer the rest of us. You tell me what you think.

    Ruth offers advice on life and style. Appreciate that Ruth lifts weights everyday and practices Pilates weekly, an activity she just picked up when she was 92. Perhaps her most memorable piece of advice is about time and age; she says, “Don't look at the calendar just keep celebrating every day.” This, from a lady who does not wear blue jeans and makes herself get up and out every day for at least a short walk. (And she is a real believer in the values of skin moisturizer.)

    Ephraim is a doctor still in practice at age 100 His advice to all of us starts with choices. The two important choices that top his list include “choosing the right parents” and then “choosing the right spouse.” The doctor still has a sense of humor, and you will appreciate that if you go to his site to see the rest of his advice which include “keep breathing.”

    Jessie is the other side of 100 at 105. She commends that peace is the root of happiness. She does not count her time in years, but rather in minutes and the promise that each minute holds for her. She also stays active and only just recently gave up her favorite activity, swimming, at the age of 101.

    Patsy is a quiet man at age 100. His secret is to simply enjoy life. Part of that includes his weekly treat from the local pizzeria, one slice of thin crust sausage pizza. And when he is asked what he means by enjoy, he responds: “I like to be sociable with everybody.”

    Fauja finished the Toronto marathon last year. This stands as a Guinness record, and Mr. Singh was very excited to make the distance on behalf of local charities. Perhaps the secret to being able to run that far at age 100 is to not start, as Mr. Singh did, until you are 80 years old and also to surround yourself with friends as Fauja did for his run.

So, the common thread? Maybe the lesson we can take from centenarians is that it is not about a destination as much as it is about a journey. It is not about having lived to 100; it is about having lived each day along the way.

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 .
May is National Stroke Awareness month. As a certified geriatric care manager, I maintain that it is a good time to review not just the warning signs of stroke, but also what you should do if you are a caregiver to a loved one who may be susceptible to a stroke. You may have heard of the acronym we often use to make it easy to remember what to look for as possible sign and symptoms of stroke: F-A-S-T. F-Face: Strokes can manifest themselves in a slight droop on one side of the face, and a clear way to test for the possibility of stroke s to ask your loved one to small. If you notice one side of the face does not match the other side you may be seeing the immediate aftermath of a stroke. A-Arms: Ask your loved one to raise both arms above their head. If they have had a stroke, one arm may tend to drift away from being straight up or they may be unable to lift one side. S-Speech: Ask your loved one to say a short sentence and listen for any slurring of words. Try something like: "No ifs, ands or buts." They may also manifest the stroke with inability to retrieve the right words to describe how they feel, their surroundings or something else. T-Time: Time works against the stroke victim, so it is essential to act quickly by call 9-1-1 and get help as soon as possible. Especially if the cause of the stroke is a clot (versus a hemorrhage) it is critical to get them to a hospital for examination and possible intervention using new medicines for breaking up a clot within three hours of the stroke event. The symptoms of stroke are not slow to develop which should make it easier to spot them. If your loved one comments on a sudden numbness or weakness in any of their limbs or on the side of their face, try the FAST test and call 9-1-1. If they are having difficulty speaking or appear suddenly confused, test them and then make the call. If your loved one has blurry vision, is suddenly clumsy, dizzy or has a severe headache, remember FAST. In all of these potential scenarios, you will see a general pattern. The symptoms come on suddenly, and they are most often asymmetrical, affecting one side or the other depending on which side of the brain is manifesting the stroke. And your FAST response as a caregiver can make all the difference in how severe the stroke will be and how fully your loved one may recover. Charlotte Bishop is a certified Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Case Management, certified professionals who are geriatric care managers, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to ccbishop@creativecasemanagement.com.