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Nursing Homes Still a Risk for COVID-19?
It has been a tough pandemic for everyone, but it has been especially difficult for residents of nursing homes...
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August 31, 2021
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Get Smart!
Would you look for advice from an investment counselor who simply promised a lower rate of loss on your...
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August 24, 2021
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The Side Effects Physicians Don’t Talk About
You all have heard about the side effects of FDA-approved medications that make their sales pitches on your television. ...
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June 29, 2021
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Breaking News for Alzheimer’s … part 1
The big splash on the medical news this past week gratifyingly was not COVID-19, but instead an approval of...
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June 15, 2021
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To B or Not to B12?
I have written a lot about dementia over the years as well as other issues that can mimic the...
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May 11, 2021
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Three Milion More Victims…
We see the numbers on a daily basis. How many have died from COVID, to date, we all probably...
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April 27, 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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Three Steps to the Now Normal
Yes, it has been a long year, maybe in part because it has been more than a year of...
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April 6, 2021
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Diseases that Mimic Dementia…But Are Treatable-part 3
As you can tell from now a third installment about other medical conditions that can mimic dementia, it’s not...
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March 22, 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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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

You may have heard about music therapy, and you certainly have heard the often misquoted: “Music doth have charms to soothe the savage breast.” But does it work? Music therapy, that is. There actually has been a fair amount of research into how music can address some of the issues that trouble people, and some scientists in the Netherlands have scoured the scientific literature to see if music can be of help with patients who have Alzheimer’s. Specifically, they looked to see if a case could be made that music can help relieve the agitation, aggression or depression of dementia patients. In what is termed a “meta-analysis,” they examined a large body of literature to see what others have reported. While they could not control for variables like the size of groups being tested or the therapeutic elements of the settings, they did offer some tentative conclusions:
1. Music does not seem to have a measureable impact on a patient’s agitation. But the researchers suggest that there may be an effect, but since the therapy sessions may have been too long in duration, the effect may have been clouded by patients’ in ability to be stationary for the duration of the tests. The “calm” that was expected also could have been clouded by social interactions among patients in a group setting.
2. The findings were pretty much the same with aggressive behavior. There is no evidence. They could not sort out all the other background noise – not the music – to say with certainty that music reduced aggressive behavior.
3. What did seem more clear is that patients who had been predisposed to depression seemed to have a lifting of their moods with music. While this was a more consistent pattern, it might also have been confounded by the fact that the music therapy took place in a social setting. And isolation is one of the big causes behind depression.
When it comes down to it, we really cannot conclude that one kind of music will always have the same effect on all people. The fact that there were some positive changes across most studies, however, suggests that it is more than a bunch of notes. Music can make a positive difference for people who have cognitive issues…it simply may not be enough. But at the end of the day, we may come back to the traditional rule about not doing harm. If music is not a problem for people, then let the band play on. 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.
Anyone who has raised children in the 21^st century can probably remember helping their young ones learn how to stay safe while out of the house, and later while driving the car and in between while surfing the internet. If you also have an older loved one, you may now have to work with mom or dad to be alert to the new scams targeting the unsuspecting who have internet access. It is not just a matter of helping your older loved one install current anti-viral and anti-malware software. The new scammers are taking advantage of the perfect storm of technology, trust and assets.
Today more than three in five adults over age 65 have access to the internet, and nearly four of every five have a cell phone. According to Microsoft there is a new consumer scam taking advantage of these technologies and the trust of their owners to dupe an estimated 3.3 million individuals – many of them 65 years and older – of an estimated $1.5 billion. It starts with their phone when an alleged representative of Microsoft or Windows calls advising of a virus detected on their equipment. The consultant directs them to log on and go to a support web site that will double-check their computers for the trouble. Once logged on to the site, malware is installed that can hijack any personal or financial information your trusting loved one may have on their computer. But be aware that Microsoft does not make outbound calls. Or it may be just the phone alone that gives the bad guys access to your older loved one. Ask your loved one if they have received any calls where no one was on the line when they picked up. If so, they may be part of an automated system that is accumulating a data base of people who can be targeted for later scams. If your older loved one does not yet have caller ID, have it installed. Or the number one fraud presently taking advantage of people’s phone access poses as a representative of the IRS. This may be the one phone call everyone dreads, but the simple fact is that the IRS does not make outbound phone calls. That said, when an unknown caller invokes the name of the IRS and then proceeds to make demands, most people – elders included – can become very intimidated. Let your older loved one know about this, and if they ever receive a call like this or from any of a number of agencies or federal offices, simply look up the number of the nearest office by that name and call them yourself. Again, the IRS – or any other predator - does not call you; you need to call them. Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Professional and 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.
I would like to share a bit of insight into what our more mature male friends should be aware of regarding prostate cancer, and it is not about the cancer itself. If you ask most men of an age what health issues they fear, chances are that prostate cancer will be high on the list. One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes, but only one in 39 actually will die of this disease. Even so about 80% of men who reach age 80 will have cancer cells within their prostate. For men who may have a family history of prostate cancer or who are getting on in years, it is important to be vigilant. A patient may have signs of possible prostate cancer from other screenings such as MRIs, and this usually results in a referral to a urologist. If you or an older loved one comes to this fork in the road, listen carefully to what test is proposed to see if there is cause to truly be addressing the potential for cancer…or is it just a suspicion or a possibility. If the urologist talks of a random transrectal biopsy, that means they are planning to take a number of samples from the prostate. The random means that they don’t have a specific locale to investigate, so they will check around to see if there is anything to cause concern. They may take a dozen or so samples and test for cancerous cells. The tansrectal part is pretty clear as their point of access to the prostate, but this also is where other more immediate problems can arise. In about one in twenty of these procedures, an infection results. Since this infection will now be inside the patient, there are no signs before the fever spikes, and since it is inside, it can quickly turn into a full-blown sepsis. As many as one in three patients will die from a “severe sepsis,” so this is not a sequence of steps to be taken lightly. And there are alternatives. Ask your physician about the utility of a color Dopplar ultrasound or an MRI to check for signs of prostate cancer. These procedures can be repeated over time to be on top of things. There also are alternative biopsy procedures such as a transperineal approach which has an infection rate of only 0.5 percent. There are also MRI-guided biopsy systems which can be directed specifically at any suspicious tissue first identified by non-invasive imaging. And by the way, random biopsies do not have a stellar diagnostic track record either; they miss up to 30% of actual tumors. So, it is important to be watchful in all cases, but it also is important to listen carefully to what is recommended by your physician or the specialist to whom you have been referred. And never hesitate to ask for a second opinion. 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.
October 29th is World Stroke Awareness Day. We may not be hearing as much about strokes as we once did, because in the United States the incidence of strokes is on the decline. Just under 800,000 people will have a stroke this year, and three-quarters of them will be over the age of 65. The reason the incidence in the United States is on the decline is because Americans are doing a better job of managing their blood pressure and because fewer of us smoke. Because so many of the stroke victims are older adults, it is important for caregivers to help their loved ones to further prevent stroke. With the proper preventive measures fully 80% of strokes could be prevented. Here are some suggestions for preventing strokes:
- Know your loved one's blood pressure; this is a routine part of anyone's annual physical, but you also can get a screening at health fairs or even your retail pharmacy using a machine;
- Know the signs of atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart rate goes so high that it fails to pump blood effectively which can lead to pooling and clot formation;
- Stop smoking - this is just one more very good reason to kick the habit if your loved one has not already done so as smoking doubles a person's stroke risk;
- Monitor your loved one's cholesterol intake and blood levels - any total cholesterol count above 200 is cause for concern;
- Manage blood glucose levels in your loved one if they are a diabetic - one of the complications of diabetes is poor circulation which can lead to stroke;
- Diet and exercise are part of almost every approach to better health - boost your loved one's intake of fruits and vegetables (five portions a day) and reduce intake of trans-fats and salt;
- Manage alcohol intake - most doctors recommend limiting alcohol consumption to two or fewer drinks a day.
The good news about managing these risk factors is that not only will you as a caregiver be reducing your loved one's risk of stroke, but you will be adding to their quality of life as well. In addition, you may find that these healthy habits also are contagious which can results in a healthier caregiver. Stroke prevention can become a win-win! For more information, I recommend checking out the web site for the National Stroke Association (http://www.stroke.org/site/PageNavigator/HOME). 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.
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.
In the meantime, we invite you to download the below featured FREE white paper - offering both personal and professional advice for those who care for the elderly or people with special needs. Make sure to come back and visit us for more great FREE resources.

A Caregiver's Guide Toward a Healthier Senior HeartHeart complications and disease are common issues that older loved ones face. Discover easy and practical ways to give you or the senior in your orbit a healthier heart.Download