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

Looking Out for Your Older Parent 24/7
There will come a time for everyone with an aging parent that the question will arise, “Is it still...
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July 11, 2022
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When Being in Demand Isn’t Healthy
If you’re a musician, you want to be busy, because gigs represent a better living. If you’re an actor...
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May 17, 2022
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Making Your Holidays Happy Again
Yes, “holidays” is a plural word here. Please allow me to digress on this plurality and simply point out...
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November 16, 2021
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Not Just Spring…
We’ve heard of Spring Training for those who follow baseball teams like the CUBS or the SOX, and we...
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April 13, 2021
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Can I Have A Hug?
I doubt there is anyone who does not have something that they have not been able to do during...
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March 4, 2021
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No Vaccine for the Other Plague
You’re fortunate that you haven’t contracted COVID, and you may even have received your first dose of a vaccine,...
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February 16, 2021
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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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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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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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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

This month I have been posting exclusively about Alzheimer’s because November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness month. Most of us probably know someone who has been diagnosed with the condition, a condition that sees a new diagnosis in America once every 67 seconds. If you know anyone who is a caregiver to a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease you also know that the caregivers are losing sleep with the stress that Alzheimer’s can represent. But who would have thought that losing sleep itself can be a cause of Alzheimer’s? Researchers in New York have recently published their findings that show a distinct correlation between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the accumulation of plaque amyloid in the brain. At first, the researchers had to seriously question whether the Alzheimer’s promoted the sleep issue or if the sleep disturbance could exacerbate the progression of Alzheimer’s. They divided a group of 55 to 90 year old adults into groups with no sleep apnea, those with mild sleep disturbance and those with pronounce obstructive sleep apnea. They followed these individuals for two years taking regular measures of the amyloid deposits in their brains through PET scanning as well as their OSA intensity through monitoring. They found that those with the more advanced sleep issues developed statistically more deposits of amyloid on their brains over time. The modest good news here is that not everyone who develops amyloid deposits is doomed to cognitive decline…it is not quite so linear. But people with more advanced Alzheimer’s symptoms also tend to have more amyloid plaque deposits. These scientists continue to work on this association, because while Alzheimer’s has no proven treatment to alter the decline in cognitive function, sleep apnea can be treated. And slowing the progression of a disease with no present cure by addressing OSA is a win. It is also important to take sleep apnea seriously, because it is not just the rattling of the rafters for the poor bed partner; it is a medical issue with implications for brain health. Please check my interview with Eric Horng of Chicago's ABC7 Sunday morning, November 12. We discussed what caregivers in the midst of a crisis can do ... for themselves! Please check it out on this link. 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 is available through Amazon. But if you would like $10.00 off the Amazon price, I invite you to follow this link: and apply the discount code: ZH3VK3U6.
Mr. Rogers Told You…but were you listening? And it wasn’t just once that he shared the message; it was every episode for 31 seasons. You probably thought Mr. Rogers was talking only to kids when he sang:
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor, Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Actually, we all should have been listening, because his message was for all of us. According to research reported recently by Axios, the majority of us don’t know our neighbors, and among those of us who do know our neighbors, we barely communicate. Some of this, we can admit, owes to about two years of being “confined to quarters.” Pandemics, we have found, pretty much disincentivize socializing, but we have passed through that stage. But the numbers suggest that it may not be the pandemic that has gotten in the way of being good neighbors. According to a recent PEW Survey, nearly three in five of us report we know only some or none of our neighbors, and that rate climbs to 72% of people between 30 and 49 years of age and 78% of those who are younger. In neighborhoods where neighbors do speak, recoveries from natural disasters are faster, crime rates are lower and the people are healthier. I’ve written a number of times about the risk or isolation to those of our older loved ones and how isolation leads to depression as well as dementia. Getting to know one’s neighbors is even more important for older adults, and the same PEW survey showed that people are twice as likely to strike up a conversation with a neighbor in person than online. How does one set the stage for that in-person chat? I don’t recommend going out and knocking on doors, but taking a stroll in your neighborhood on a nice day will produce any number of chance meetings. Encourage your older loved ones to do exactly that or maybe find a “walking buddy” with whom they can pass the time? Here is our walking buddy. All the neighbors know Tami by name…even if they may not remember our names. Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of, 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.
Scientists have long known that Alzheimer’s Disease has a hereditary component, but new research suggests the predisposition is more often passed on from the maternal side than from the dad who has had Alzheimer’s. This, according to research reported in the March 1, 2011, issue of the journal, Neurology.

One of you who are following my blog had asked about Alzheimer’s recently, so the timing could not have been better. As a geriatric care manager, I often counsel sons and daughters of elder parents who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I now will tell them that in addition to age of onset, gender of the older parent also is a factor when considering one’s own future. But I can also report that there is very good reason for hope.

The researchers whose work was published studied 53 mentally healthy individuals, some of whom had a mother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, some with a father diagnosed, and most with no history of the illness in their families. These patients had a baseline MRI at the start of the study to measure how much brain atrophy they had in the key areas of the brain associated with memory, areas that Alzheimer’s compromises. The same individuals also had MRIs two years later, despite the fact that none of them showed any outward signs of cognitive impairment at either time point. The researchers found significantly more brain atrophy among subjects who had a family history of the disease, and particularly if it was from the mother’s side of the family.  The researchers admitted that they had to depend on their subjects’ own reports of parents’ medical conditions, and they also acknowledged that they need larger studies to have greater confidence in these results.

So, what does a person with a mother with Alzheimer’s do? Well, with all the research presently focusing on Alzheimer’s these days, the person in this position should be optimistic. The same researchers who suggest a maternal link to Alzheimer’s have reported on the positive effects of cardiovascular exercise on affected patients. Regular exercise, they report, is associated with less atrophy in the areas of the brain most affected by Alzheimer’s. It does not have to be really strenuous exercise to see this benefit, and regular cardio-respiratory exercise is better than the “weekend warrior” version exercise. The researchers also reported that people already diagnosed with dementia had fewer falls and improved quality of life when they followed a caregiver-directed home exercise program.

Results like this and others are promising. They show that clinicians are getting a bit better at predicting and diagnosing Alzheimer’s as well as slowing and limiting the frailty so much associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. I encourage you to go to the Alzheimer’s Association web site for more useful information if you or someone you know is a caregiver to an older adult with Alzheimer’s.

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.

Copyright ©2011
With all the talk of risk mitigation amid this COVID pandemic, home improvement may seem low on your list of things to do. But after we all have self-quarantined, maintained our “physical distance” (I don’t call it “social” distancing.) and stocked up on comfort food, please allow me to give you five insights into getting through this and coming out of this a better, more balanced and healthy person.
1. Start with You – It is not time to slink into the recliner chair with the remote in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. Take stock of what you eat, what you drink, how you exercise and how you are sleeping. Then choose one area for self-improvement, set a goal and work on it. Then another…all of these steps that make a better you will also protect you from a virus.
2. Reduce Stress – I know, easy to say, hard to do. Stress may have made our ancestors effective in defending themselves against predators, but they burn up our systems if we get stuck on “high alert.” There actually is a special web site designed around how to calm ourselves about COVID-19.
3. Socially Close while Physically Distant – I talked in an earlier post about ZOOM meetings with people who are important like family, friends and folks who just are isolated themselves. This last is important, because it can help us receive the calming benefit of extending our own empathy. (Key is to ask a lot of questions instead of “dumping” about ourselves.)
4. Use the Timer – This is not for the perfect three-minute egg, but for setting what I used to call with my kids “loving limits.” You may have your favorite newscaster or channel, but there is too much bad news if you let yourself get sucked into the endless news cycles. Use your Egg Timer or your app: 30 minutes is a good limit…and stick with it.
5. Attitude of Gratitude – I know it seems rather cliché, but you cannot tell the important people in your lives too many times just how important they are. You cannot stop to smell too many roses (I know I am rushing that season). You would be amazed at how cordial strangers can be if you extend the first courtesy.
We at CCM want you all to remain safe and follow the rules so that you all will get through this health crisis. And if you follow as many of these guidelines as you can fit into your day, you will be better coming out of this pandemic than you were going into it. Be safe and be healthier. 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.
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Who thinks it’s a good idea to just blow off Valentine’s Day? I am guessing not many hands will go up for that idea…some might even say that their spouse will kill them if they don’t bring forth at least a sentimental thought. Never mind the flowers, candy or sparkler. Just forget about the day later this week. Well, that probably is what some of us do every day … with our hearts…we just forget about our hearts. And that is why heart attack and stroke are the top two causes of mortality in the United States. So, what do you do to remember of your hearts? Earlier this decade the American Heart Association came up with seven habits to embrace to help avoid heart attack and stroke. You don’t have to wait until February 14^th to start:
1. Exercise - there is a new exercise program recommended almost every week, it seems, but the simple fact is that getting your body moving regularly and vigorously supports a healthy heart…and the rest of the body with it.
2. Eat right - we all know what the good foods are and what the bad foods are; make a healthy diet your Valentine’s Day resolution.
3. Lower blood pressure - you will need a medical provider to give you your actual numbers (not to exceed 12/80), and if your numbers are high stick to the prescription you will be given and follow #1 and #2 along with losing weight and cutting your salt or sugar intake.
4. Lower your cholesterol - focus your diet on fruits and vegetables along with fish, nuts and soy; your doctor can tell you if a statin is indicated.
5. Manage your blood sugar - sugar is not your friend, so limit its visits to your body in order to keep down your weight and not beat up your pancreas…your heart will thank you.
6. Maintain a healthy weight - losing weight should be an outcome of the first 5 instead of a goal in itself, but keeping your weight down lightens the workload for your heart.
7. Don’t smoke - smokers have double the risk of a heart attack and triple the risk of a stroke over nonsmokers; it is not just your lungs that suffer if you smoke.
So this list is the short version of a lot of material I have covered in other posts. If you have questions, you can use key words to search the blog for a related post or you can go to the American Heart Association web site. Make February your heart-healthy month! 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.