Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 • Mental HealthChicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence

Caregivers and Fit Brains
As geriatric care consultants, we always tell our clients that caregivers and the loved ones for whom they care...
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September 17, 2013
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Five Geriatric Care Manager Tips for Helping Your Elder Remember
When we as geriatric care managers talk about memory loss and aging, it seems inevitable that the discussion turns...
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August 29, 2013
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Three Tips for Relieving Elder Stress
I have really lost track of how many conversations and/or blog postings I have had about Caregiver Stress. As...
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August 1, 2013
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Geriatric Care Management News: Possible Alzheimer’s Breakthrough
Most of you probably know that Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among younger and older...
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July 29, 2013
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Six Geriatric Care Management Tips for a Healthier, Older Brain
Because I work in geriatric care, it almost goes without saying that I talk with a lot of people...
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July 15, 2013
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Emotionally Healthy Older Adults
I had the good fortune recently to meet Jennifer Muskat, the Director of Client Services for San Diego Home...
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June 10, 2013
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Nine Geriatric Care Management Tips on Caregiver Talk for Dementia
If you are a caregiver to someone with dementia you may have found that communication can be frustrating, but...
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May 20, 2013
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

Just coming off Super Bowl Sunday, it’s easy to talk about who could run faster, who could pass more accurately, kick farther and just plain who was in the best shape to work to the end of the game – and what amounted to overtime. But this post is not about football or about who Taylor Swift was rooting for…shame on you if you don’t know. But I digress. As your older loved ones age and as we all get older, it’s very easy to gain weight by not doing the good things we used to do – exercise - as well as the wrong things that we now do - sitting. So, our health can begin the decline down that slippery slope toward a bit more weight and a bit less fitness and a lot less healthy. I’m going to get radical and suggest having fun can help you lose weight and get into much better shape. Dancing can be a great cure for what ails us…too much fat that we carry around and that we continue to accumulate without activity. But you say, I have cut back on the “bad foods” that I used to enjoy. Just cutting back on our caloric intake is not enough, because without activity, we’re telling our bodies to begin converting what we already have into the energy to survive. Unfortunately, that typically means we’re feeding our body the muscle tissue, not the fat. We’re hard-wired to do that. I mentioned dancing. In a meta-analysis (research of a number of similarly focused research efforts) people who danced regularly for at least three months lost, on average, about four pounds compared with those who did not dance. And almost all of that was body fat. Their biomarkers also improved, musculoskeletal function, cognition, mental health and general quality of life. For couples, it also improves their relationships. But at its core, the research suggests that if we add the element of un into what otherwise we might simply call exercise, that it’s better for our bodies. And if you are a solo adult, virtually all the gyms have Zumba, Latin dancing, line dancing, dance aerobics and even pole dancing – no, not that kind. The key is to make the fun of the dance/exercise to be the definition of the activity and everything good follows. My partner has his own dance we refer to as “wild abandon.” You don’t have to be dancing with the stars to benefit from movement to music! It is estimated that one must dance about 12 hours total to lose a pound, but don’t get caught up in counting that. Appreciate that the dancing lifts your spirits, makes you less prone to falls and better able to maintain a lower blood pressure. Start with three tunes on your phone…that’s about ten minutes of dance, and you’ll be on your way to your happy and your healthy place! Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Retirement Lifestyle Coach and founder of Creative Care Management, LLC, 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 health care some basic rules apply, no matter what the medical condition. Number one is that prevention is better than treatment. Number two is that early detection is better than too late…especially too little too late. And now for the “breakthrough;” all of this is changing for the better in Alzheimer’s disease. At the most recent meeting of the American Neurological Association new research was shared that showed not only a very early way to detect Alzheimer’s disease, but the test itself is quite easy to administer. Physicians had been able to detect one of the key biomarkers of Alzheimer’s, a biomarker that identifies if a patient has amyloidosis forming in their brain, but that test required a lumbar puncture for the fluid needed for testing. And add to this PET (positron emission tomography) scanning to confirm the manifestation of the disease. Definitely not tests everyone would want as part of their annual physical, let alone afford to have done with any regularity. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine have found a way to detect this Alzheimer’s biomarker in a simple blood test. So, it’s easy, but the best part is that the biomarker can be detected in the blood as much as 20 years prior to any other signs and symptoms of the disease. In fact, the researchers have found that an early positive blood test seems more accurate than the PET scanning. That is key, because once a person has the symptoms of the cognitive decline that is Alzheimer’s, the damage is done. None of the current treatments do any more than slow the progression of the disease that has already taken root, and even then only slightly slowing the progression. I’ve talked in the past about the medications currently available for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Three belong to a pharmacologic family of medications called cholinesterase inhibitors: tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine and another is called memantine. Sadly, they merely slow the disease’s progression. But they have not been tried in really early stage Alzheimer’s disease. There is hope, therefore, that with a highly reliable and easy to administer early test for the disease that cognitive decline may be forestalled for much longer than when treatment was only introduced later in the disease progression. Wider availability of this blood test is still as much as four years out there, but for people who “have Alzheimer’s in their families,” this could be a great break through…and the beginning of a better chance in the fight. 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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Not a day goes by that the sun does not linger a bit longer, that the landscape gets a bit greener, that the weather gets bit warmer and that the scammers get a bit craftier. We all are accustomed to preparing for a change in the seasons, but we also need to be able to help our older loved ones defend themselves against an evolving art of scamming. I want to share five of them that have taken scamming to new depths. It’s always the same bottom line: they are looking to steal people’s money or people’s identities with which to make monetary gains. But they continue to improve their game, so help your older loved ones prepare.
1. It starts with ZOOM – For the past year or more we have had to substitute real gatherings with digital gatherings. We are all accustomed to receiving the “link” and clicking into a meeting with a friend, a club, a congregation and more. Scammers, however, send authentic-looking links that take your loved one to a platform where the scammer may download malicious software that hacks passwords or gains access financial information. RESPONSE: Impress upon your older loved ones to not click on links in unsolicited emails.
2. Generous Actor giving away money – There have been noteworthy screen actors or athletes who have stepped up to help communities that have been devastated by the pandemic quarantine. Your mom or dad get a text or email invitation from a famous someone, and all they have to do is send their account information and small deposit to cover the “cost of the transaction.” RESPONSE: If it is too good to be true, assure your loved one that it IS too good to be true.
3. New Medicare benefits – With expanded health benefits lately and pandemic-related benefits, there can be a lot of information being broadcast. The offers sound great. RESPONSE: Medicare will never solicit your older loved one; hang up, log off, just close that screen.
4. On-line romance is not love- There is an ever-increasing array of options that allow people to meet on-line. And with the incredibly long quarantine who is not in need of some social interaction. It may even be a book club or a prayer group. RESPONSE: The red flags will be provocative videos or language or any number of suggestions that ultimately lead to a request for money or confidential information; this is another hang up, log off.
5. Account Issues – A text or email with your loved one’s credit card logo and an alert that payment is past due or a text with similar wording. Maybe it is an alert, but… RESPONSE: Encourage your older loved one to ALWAYS call the toll-free number on the back of the credit card or visit the actual web site; never click on a link or provide account details to a caller.
So, you and your loved ones have just these five scams to guard against? Not exactly. These are in the top tier, but scammers are a creative lot, so follow all these general rules of response so as not to be taken in by the next wave. Charlotte Bishop is a Caregiver Coach, an Aging Life Care Advisor, 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. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
I was just reminded of a very important aspect of senior residential options that can get overlooked in conversations between caregivers and the elders with whom they discuss their residential options. As a geriatric care manager, I often am asked to facilitate the discussion that a family will have with mom or dad or other loved one as they consider moving out of what can be their lifelong home.

Let’s start with the stuff we always address. Surveys among older adults usually tell us there are three important touchstones for seniors making these decisions:
- Safety – Older adults can become a bit fearful about going out at night or live in fear of break-ins and more. Senior residential options offer a very safe alternative, often with security personnel and gated grounds.
- Helping Hands – Seniors have had a lifetime of cleaning up the house, mowing the lawn, and more. Senior residential communities can give them the independence to do for themselves what they want to do and the freedom from the “heavy lifting.”
- Medical Security – We have all seen the ads for “help, I’ve fallen…” Senior residential communities have behind the scenes staff to respond to emergent needs as well as support independence with help for activities of daily living.
But there is another facet of senior residential living that can be overlooked - a sense of community. I have a client who is now 85 who had tried a senior residential community when she was in her seventies. She and her husband moved back out within a year, because they did not feel “that old.” A few years later, the now-widowed wife moved back in to the same place, because she wanted all those items above. But also because she wanted a sense of community. The residence, it seemed, acted like her more manageable size version of a neighborhood. For her, it was a group of people she could play bridge with in the afternoon after lunch dishes were cleared away in the common dining area. It was a place where just down the hall (what used to be just down the block) were people she could just drop in and visit with when she felt like it. In fact, a lot of her neighbors keep their doors open all day so that people who walk by can feel welcome to do just that.

There are weekly events and daily activities at most senior residential communities ranging from book club meetings to – yes, bingo - and sing-alongs and craft clubs. If you listen to any of these people, they like “being active.” And for them, active is all of the above. They even have gatherings to get really active in yoga or stretching classes adapted to their older bodies and more limited range of motion.

So, if you are a caregiver having a residential discussion with your older family member or friend, listen for the cues. Do they talk about feeling lonely, isolated or just not being close to friends? And if they have been active in clubs and groups, but lately are not as active? This may be where it may be time to talk about a neighborhood where everything is within a short walk.

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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About 50% to 70% of Americans will die without a will. So, you can imagine that the percentage without a “living will” or other type of “advance directive” is even larger. I attended a program last month in which a local lawyer specializing in elder law, Eric Parker, shared a lot of useful information about the types of advance directives and answered some common questions people have about them.

With the holidays coming and everyone getting together, I get a lot of questions as a geriatric care manager about how to help an older adult or someone else with special needs. The holidays may be a good time to have some discussions about what an older loved one really wants. In very plain terms, this conversation – while potentially awkward – will help assure that others do not make the critical health care decisions for an older adult. And, of course, these are discussions we do not have to be “old” to begin to have.

I start out by saying that I am a geriatric care manager, not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. But let me give you a brief overview of the legal documents you should consider having in place so that health decisions are in accordance with what your loved ones actually want. If you want more information, I also will give you some Web resources to answer your questions.

First, a “living will” allows the writer to tell their doctor whether they want death delaying procedures used if they have a terminal illness or if they are unable to act. This only works with incurable or irreversible illnesses, so it is limited.

Second is the Gold Standard of advance directive, the “durable power of attorney for health care.” It allows the individual to name a person who will make health care decisions on their behalf. This can include refusing “life-saving treatment,” but it really is meant to take the place of the patient’s own decisions, so it covers a lot more than a living will.

Third, is the “do not resuscitate order” or DNR. It is limited to dictating that the patient does not want CPR if the heart or lungs stop.

Finally, the last one is not truly an advance directive, but it allows a family member to make certain health care decisions on behalf of the patient if there is no other advance directive. It is called a “health care surrogate act.”

Now comes the hard part – determining what is best for your loved one. And that is where good legal counsel is essential, but do your homework first. Check out some of the following elder resources:

Eric Parker has a ElderLaw Blog with lots of helpful information

AARP about advance planning

Caring Connections has state-specific advance directive requirements

Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care talks about advance directives

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.