HOME CARE and CARE MANAGEMENT
Marin, San Rafael, Novato,
Santa Rosa, Healdsburg & North Bay

JOIN US FOR A CAREGIVER WORKSHOP AND LEARN ABOUT
 OPTIONS AND RESOURCES TO HELP CARE FOR AGING OR ILL ADULTS.

Our workshops are designed to help working adults to prevent lost work days and stress, while caring for an aging or ill relative.  We offer time and energy saving information and resources, access to community services and education about important issues to help achieve and maintain stability for your loved one.
We also share stories and concerns, mutual experiences and support.

For More Information:

415-497-5110 - MARIN    ~ 707-490-6576 - SONOMA

Will you need to take time away from work or cut corners caring for your own
family to assist your aging parents, grandparents or close friend, if they become ill?

If you have an aging parent and a family of your own...and if you're a woman, chances are you will
eventually be the one that will assist an aging parent or close friend with their affairs, personal care

or coordination of care during their rehab and healing. If your parent has a hospital stay for a broken

hip after a fall or has a knee replacement surgery, most likely they will need supervision at home.

In order to insure that theyare safe and that they adhere to their physical therapy
exercises, get healthy meals and good personal care, someone will need to help.

In most cases, you will likely only have a week or perhaps only a few days from the date of the surgery
to prepare for their care at home.  If they require 24/hr care, you will need to make some quick
decisions about how to cover them 24 x 7 with reliable, trusted and experienced help
(should you decide not to do it all yourself...recommended).

The tasks of caring for a loved one, statistics show, usually falls on the female family member. 

That may cause a woman to go into overwhelm - even before she realizes what just happened to her.
As women, we are the healers and most often we want to help, so naturally we say, "...sure...I'll take

care of mom to makesure she is safe...," when the doctor tells you the news that she must not be

alone for at least the first few weeks. If your parent was totally independent prior to entering the hospital,

this could be a tall order for them as well as for you. That is where our desire to do for others,
to serve selflessly and be of help can cause our own affairs to fall behind or even to
become chaotic before we even know why.

      Thank Goddess...help is available!

           Some of the options are:

Contact the National Association of Professional Geriatric CareManagers.

A Geriatric Care Manager is trained in providing a home safety assessment and

recommend qualified, screened and reliable caregivers. There are local

references on the site.   National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers

Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to request resources inyour area.

There is lots of helpful information and links to resources on the site.

National Area Agency on Aging

Contact Ellen's Angles a Woman's Organization designed to organize care groups.

Ellen's Angles

Contact Elder Care Locator a government program to assist inlocating caregivers.

Elder Care Locator

If you would like more information on any related issues regardingcaring for someone with a
medical or psychiatric condition, feelfree to contact me.  I'll be happy to help...
(after taking necessary time-outs for self care...of course...smile.)

Trish Mairet, M.A., Care Manager

  Email: caremanager@vom.com

HEART & SOUL CARE MANAGEMENT

  Web:  Heart & Soul Care Management

Related: seniors, senior citizens care, senior care, nursing homes, home health care, home care, geriatrics, geriatric care, elder care, case manager, caregivers, care manager, care giving, assisted living, aging parents

Have you ever done that...gone into the next room and not remembered what the trip was for?  I have and I imagine you may have also. Some of our elders experience this sort of fleeting forgetfulness and we may tend to wonder...is it Alzheimer's?  Not necessarily so...it may be due to stress...overload of the nervous system, or simply juggling too many tasks at one time.

It may be time to remember to slow down and only multi-task when necessary to get a project out on time. When you feel overwhelmed, take time out to enjoy nature or some other very pleasurable experience. Usually, these short respite breaks will recharge your vitality and your memory can receive a boost at the same time.

However, if the forgetting what you came into the next room for trend continues...it may be time for a serious break or even a cognitive check-up. Early detection of Dementia or Alzheimer's is vital, since some symptoms are treatable.

If you suspect that you or your aging parent may be suffering symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, do you know what the common symptoms are?

According to Web MD:

Dementia is the loss of mental functions -- such as thinking, memory, and reasoning -- that is severe enough to interfere with a person's daily functioning. Dementia is not a disease itself, but rather a group of symptoms that are caused by various diseases or conditions. Symptoms can also include changes in personality, mood, and behavior. In some cases, the dementia can be treated and cured because the cause is treatable.

Examples of this include dementia caused by substance abuse (illicit drugs and alcohol), combinations of prescription medications, and hormone or vitamin imbalances. In some cases, although the person may appear to have dementia, a severe depression can be causing the symptoms. This is known as pseudo-dementia (false dementia) and is highly treatable. In most cases, however, a true dementia cannot be cured.

Dementia develops when the parts of the brain that are involved with learning, memory, decision-making, and language are affected by one or more of a variety of infections or diseases. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, but there are as many as 50 other known causes. Most of these causes are very rare.

Because some causes of dementia can be cured or partially treated, it is very important that your doctor is thorough when making the diagnosis, so as not to miss potentially treatable conditions. The frequency of "treatable" causes of dementia is believed to be about 10%.

What Causes Dementia?


There are several things which could cause dementia

o Diseases that cause degeneration or loss of nerve cells in the brain
o Diseases that affect blood vessels, such as stroke
o Toxic reactions, like excessive alcohol or drug use.
o Nutritional deficiencies, like vitamin B12 and folate deficiency
o Infections that affect the brain and spinal cord, such as AIDS dementia   complex
o Certain types of hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid in the brain
o Head injury -- either a single severe head injury or longer term smaller injuries, like in boxers.
o Illness other than in the brain -- kidney, liver, and lung diseases can all lead to dementia.

Alzheimer's disease causes 50-60% of all dementias. But researchers have found that two nervous diseases, which were originally incorrectly diagnosed as Alzheimer's, are emerging as major causes of dementia: Lewy body disease and Pick's disease.
               
      

How common is dementia?
Diseases that affect blood vessels, such as stroke, which can cause a disorder known as multi-infarct dementia. Dementia caused by nervous system disease, especially Alzheimer's disease, is increasing in frequency more than most other types of dementia. Some researchers suspect that as many as half of all people over 80 years old develop Alzheimer's disease. Also, the increased incidence of AIDS dementia complex, which results from HIV infection, helps account for the increased dementia in recent history, although with the invention of newer and better drugs to treat HIV, the occurrence of AIDS-associated dementia is declining.

Next time: How can a caregiver find support when dealing with a loved-one with dementia or Alzheimer's?

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Well, how in the world...you say...can anybody stay calm during times like we are living in now?  With the global climate changes, the strapped economy, all of the fraud, corruption and scammers bilking every Tom, Dick & Mary out of their hard earned cash...anybody in their right mind would say...it's nearly impossible to not be completely stressed out!

And, we are hard-wired to react to any perceived, imagined or real threat to our physical or emotional welfare. Our body/mind, soul/spirit knows how to take care in times of danger and it reacts quickly and early to danger, in order to be as prepared as possible. Every cell of our being gears up to RUN away from the attack which takes a lot of energy and requires immediate ACTION. 

 

When our world was more prehistoric, our ancestors had to respond quickly to several threats of a physical nature. Our biophysiologic responses were reinforced over and over by the numerous threats during day to day survival. This hard-wired response system became perfected and explains why when a car falls on a mechanic, his co-worker can muster up the strength to lift the car and free them from the 700 - 1K Lb vehicle.

This heightened response system remains with us today, even when the threats to our survival are not as immediately physical in nature, as they once were. Some of us react very strongly to tragedy we hear about in the news which can cause the stress-response cycle to be set in motion. When we hear stories about global warming, the economy and all of the environmental warnings or any POSSIBLE (not ACTUAL) threat, our system gears up.

We may not even be aware of the cycle but we can be sure it is there and working over-time.  Especially if we are the sensitive type (me included) if we are not careful, we can go around processing, registering and reacting to every news report, sad story, off-colour comment or problems of others we encounter on a daily basis. Conscious awareness and choosing to react or to not react, is key.

Some of the tools that are helpful to gain leverage and to be able to spend your day in a calm state are just that...REMAINING CONSCIOUS and CHOOSING TO NOT REACT. Additionally, to take a time-out when you sense yourself feeling anxious or agitated or ready to react to something that is just not worth it, and BREATHE. Deep or diaphgramatic breathing is magic and works on the stress cycle immediately to help induce immediate relaxation.

It seems too simple...and it is...but it does work. Another one is to stop what you are doing, sit back comfortable, close your eyes and imagine a peaceful setting that you feel warm and comfortable in. Breathe deeply and remind yourself that we are directly connected to a great and mighty life-force that is all powerful, while exhaling long and slowly.

Remember, REACTING IS A CHOICE...we don't have to respond to everything.

Don't sweat the small stuff.  It's good to have empathy when bad things happen to others and to say a little prayer, but to focus on it is to reinforce the negative body/mind responses. 

Healthy boundaries to let go of and to choose to not allow others' problems to become your own, is vitally important to maintaining your calm, cool and to be collected...to handle the issues that life gives to you.  Every obstacle has a lesson, blessing and is life's way of preparing us for our next step.

Exercises to invoke CALM:  

1) Take a time-out. Remove yourself from
       over-stimulating situations - STRETCH...

2) Stay consciously aware and practice not reacting

3) Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
   (a great book you can find on... http://www.amazon.com

4) Say a little prayer for those who suffer tragedy then, let it go

      (if dizzy take a break)

6) Close your eyes and imagine a warm, comfortable setting
     (at the beach)

      (if dizzy take a break)

6) Close your eyes and imagine a warm, comfortable setting
     (at the beach)

7) Develop a trust for the power of Life Force 
     (God or whatever you believe)

Develop a one-line saying to repeat in times of stress
      (I am safe & healthy)

10) Find one thing to be grateful for each day...

7) Develop a trust for the power of Life Force 
     (God or whatever you believe)

Develop a one-line saying to repeat in times of stress
      (I am safe & healthy)

9) Reach out if you feel isolated...people love to help others...

10) Find one thing to be grateful for each day...

11) AND...REMEMBER TO LAUGH!   
 

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For More Information:

Heart & Soul Elder Care & Consulting Services
Trish Mairet, M.A., Care Manager/Owner

Phone: 707-490-6576
Email:caremanager@vom.com
 

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http://www.eldercaremanagement.blogspot.com/