What Matters Most . . . and All That Jazz!

Helping people is what we do.  Improving their quality of life is our mission.  Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make people really, really happy.  Most people who work in the home care business get job satisfaction from helping seniors and others with everyday tasks that most of us take for granted but which mean the world to the recipient of the assistance.

I met a woman a week or so ago who has been a musician her entire life.  When she immigrated to the United States almost sixty years ago at age 18, “Mavis” was already an accomplished musician.   Her mother was a professional classical violinist, so Mavis had a good teacher.  Mavis met her husband in a jazz club in Minneapolis and the two of them hit it off immediately!  They formed a marriage partnership as well as a professional musical team and toured the United States playing jazz and blues in places such as Nashville, New Orleans, and Memphis.

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5 Commons Errors in Taking Care of Elderly Parents

There are no fool-proof maps than can show the best way to care for an elderly parent.  But there are some common “potholes” that can make the road difficult to travel.  To help you on your caregiving journey, here are five more common errors adult children make in taking care of their elderly parents.

1. Not Taking Fall Hazards Seriously

There are many simple modifications you can make at home to reduce the risks of falls:  eliminate throw rugs, keep walkways clear, improve lighting, install grab bars next to your toilet and in tub or shower, keep commonly used items at an easily reachable height, and make sure stairways have handrails.  Encourage your loved one to turn on a light when using the bathroom at night, and make sure hallways and stairways are well lit.  It is also a good idea to have a licensed occupational therapist do a home safety evaluation.  Of course, one of the best ways to protect from falls is to maintain your strength through routine exercise and balance training.  Physical therapists provide tremendous support in helping seniors stay fit, balanced, and safe in their homes.

2. Not Planning Ahead

If you have a parent who is beginning to experience a significant decline in health and functioning, it is important to make a plan.  Anticipate increasing need for help in the home, and discuss different ways for meeting those needs.  It is a good idea to call a family meeting and discuss all available resources, recognizing that more and more help may be needed as time goes on.   Make a plan BEFORE a crisis hits.  It can be awkward to discuss at first, but no one thinks clearly in an emergency.

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Getting Your Money’s Worth at the Doctor

As we get older, it seems, at least for many of us, that our trips to the doctor become more and more frequent.  To make things worse, our trips are no longer one-stop shops.  There’s a different doctor to see for every medical ailment affecting our bodies.  This means, of course, that we go to the cardiologist on one day, the neurologist on another, the eye specialist on a different day—you get the picture—and in no time we find we are spending  most of our time lining up transportation and then sitting in waiting and exam rooms.  The doctor pops in, and before we even know what’s happened, he or she is running out, saying, “I’ll see you again in three months.”  And after he or she is gone, you realize you didn’t even get a chance to ask all of your questions!

Many adult children in the sandwich generation accompany their elderly parents on hospital visits.  Whether going for yourself or with your elderly parents, here are some ways to ensure that you make the most of both your and the physician’s time and energy:

  • You will be more prepared if you write down your questions as you think of them before seeing the doctor. Keep a running list of them on your refrigerator or somewhere else that is handy for you.  When you go to the doctor, take the list with you.  All of your questions will be right there so you won’t have to rely on your memory, which is especially important if the doctor is in a hurry and wants to rush out the door.
  • It’s a good idea to take someone with you. There are several reasons for this.  Maybe your hearing isn’t so good or your memory isn’t what it used to be.  Having another person with you lessens the chance that you may not hear or understand everything the physician is telling you.  Also, if you receive bad news of any kind, you’ll have someone with you to support you.  And, most importantly, you can go out for lunch together afterwards!
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Eldercare at Home: When Mom Refuses Help

“Lilly” wasn’t a Right at Home client, but she actually was a Right at Home client.  And she was to get a Right at Home caregiver who wasn’t really a Right at Home caregiver.

And if you think that sounds confusing, try explaining it to her potential caregivers.

Lilly was an intelligent woman in her seventies who was working very hard to mask her dementia.  In fact, she refused to acknowledge her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and any discussion of the topic was strictly off limits.

The problem was that, although she denied her memory loss, Lilly needed help.  Like many people in her shoes, Lilly was losing her ability to take care of herself or to live safely on her own.  In addition to needing someone to tidy up her apartment, she needed an at-home caregiver to prepare meals so she wouldn’t forget to eat.  She also needed reminders to take her medications.  Her family wanted to have time to select the perfect memory care facility, but until then, they wanted to use an assisted home care company to ensure that Lilly was safe and healthy.

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Depression Is Not a Normal Part of Aging

“Lorraine’s” at-home caregiver always arrived on time and ready to perform her homemaking tasks, but Lorraine could never decide what she wanted her caregiver to do. Lorraine couldn’t make any decisions about what she needed help doing, so she’d go into the kitchen and make breakfast, leaving her caregiver alone in the living room to figure out what to do with her time. When Lorraine would finally give direction, she would then inevitably change her mind. Her caregivers, of which there were several, felt like they could never please Lorraine.

In addition to her indecisiveness, Lorraine had a flat affect and reported vague physical complaints which were not of concern to her medical doctor. Her physician had been telling her for many, many months that she was suffering from depression. Unfortunately, Lorraine refused to seek help for her depression. Because or her religious beliefs, she was waiting for “God to make it better,” even though her care management nurse, her physician, and her home care nurse each had recommended a trial of antidepressant medication. I also did my best to convince Lorraine to try an antidepressant but to no avail. After three years, Lorraine was still waiting for God to heal her depression. It was affecting her relationships and, unfortunately, she eventually lost her elderly home care service as well. It was just too frustrating for caregivers to work with Lorraine. They felt helpless.

What exactly is depression? According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a “medical illness that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Depression can cause physical symptoms, too.” People with depression tend to isolate themselves. They lose interest in life and usually have sleeping and/or eating problems, two of the most common symptoms of depression. Not having an appetite, weight loss, weight gain, and eating too much can all be symptoms. Not being able to get to sleep, awaking in the middle of the night, or not being able to sleep at all can also be symptoms, as well as wanting to sleep all of the time. It is estimated that 5-6 million people over the age of 65 have depression. One study indicated that as many as 25% of the elderly are depressed.

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Maintenance Therapy – The Best Kept Secret in Senior Care!

By Above & Beyond Senior Services

Have you ever needed physical or occupational therapy (PT/OT)? Conditions that cause decreased strength, range of motion, balance deficits, difficulty with walking and memory issues are leading reasons seniors might need therapy. Most therapy is based on a model that requires patients to meet certain qualifying criteria. Typically, a person must demonstrate measurable, skilled progress or the therapy provider is required to discharge. Over the course of the last decade, a new option for wellness and exercise has become increasingly available to Minnesota seniors!

Maintenance therapy is the same PT/OT that you are familiar with, but with a few differences:

  • Starts after traditional therapy ends.
  • Has no requirements for frequency or duration of service.
  • Can continue on a long-term basis.Comes into the home, while allowing freedom to be active throughout the community.

Let’s meet Mary:

Mary had a massive stroke at 68. She was left with an inability to walk, difficulty with speaking, and decreased movement on the left side of her body. After completing rehabilitation in the hospital, then a care facility, she was able to return home with her husband, Ed. She also qualified for Medicare home therapy. When Mary was no longer considered home bound, she transitioned to an outpatient clinic. Mary was very motivated to get better, but this proved more difficult than imagined. It was hard to be disciplined in completing the home exercises her therapists assigned. Ed began to notice declines, despite Mary going for therapy twice a week. They were disappointed in her regression. It was time for a change. She wanted home therapy that focused on the tasks and activities that were important to her and allowed them to be in control of her rehab. Thanks to a recommendation from a trusted health care worker, Ed inquired about direct-pay, maintenance therapy.

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