wondering asked:


I have a very dear friend in need of home help/companion. I have tried my churches, home health care, hospice and do not know where to turn now. She is 91 and failing health where would I go to find home help. That doesn’t have drug or stealing problems. And would be patience with her.

Kyle

Dr Mike Shery asked:


Alzheimer’s disease is seen often in elderly care and is the term used to describe a dementing disorder marked by certain brain changes, regardless of the age of onset. It is not a normal part of aging—it is not something that inevitably happens in later life.

Rather, it is one of the dementing disorders, a group of brain diseases that lead to the loss of mental and physical functions. The disorder, whose cause is unknown, affects a small but significant percentage of older Americans. A very small minority of Alzheimers patients are under 50 years of age. Most are over 65.

Alzheimers disease is the exception, rather than the rule, in old age. Only 5 to 6 percent of older people are afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia—but this means approximately 3 to 4 million Americans have one of these debilitating disorders.

Research indicates that 1 percent of the population aged 65-74 has severe dementia, increasing to 7 percent of those aged 75-84 and to 25 percent of those 85 or older.

At least half the people in U.S. nursing homes and elderly care facilities have Alzheimers disease or a related disorder; in 1985, the annual cost of caring for individuals with Alzheimers disease and related dementias in institutional and community settings was estimated between $24 billion and $48 billion for direct costs alone and is probably higher today.

As our population ages and the number of Alzheimer patients increases, costs of care will rise as well.

Who Gets Alzheimer’s disease?

The main risk factor for Alzheimers disease is increased age. The rates of the disease increase markedly with advancing age, with 25 percent of people over 85 suffering from Alzheimers or other severe dementia.

Some investigators, describing a family pattern of Alzheimers disease, suggest that in some cases heredity may influence its development. A genetic basis has been identified through the discovery of several genetic markers on chromosomes 21 and 14 for a small subgroup of families in which the disease has frequently occurred at relatively early ages (beginning before age 50).

Some evidence points to chromosome 19 as implicated in certain other families that have frequently had the disease develop at later ages.

At the same time, data indicate that the likelihood that a close relative (sibling, child, or parent) of an afflicted individual will develop Alzheimers disease is low. In most cases, such an individual’s risk is only slightly higher than that of someone in the general population, where the lifetime risk is below 1 percent.

And, of course, many disorders have a genetic potential that is never expressed—that is, despite being at risk for a certain illness, one might go through life without ever developing any symptom of the disease.

What to Look for in Earlier Stages of Alzheimers Disease

-Inability to remember names, birthdays, or details of any sort.

-Sitting on the sidelines during conversations, answering politely but vaguely if spoken to, but never engaging meaningfully.

The onset of Alzheimers disease is usually very slow and gradual, seldom occurring before age 65. Over time, however, it follows a progressively more serious course.

Among the symptoms that typically develop, none is unique to Alzheimers disease at its various stages. It is therefore essential for suspicious changes to be thoroughly evaluated before they become inappropriately or negligently labeled Alzheimer’s disease.

Problems of memory, particularly recent or short-term memory, are common early in the course of the disease. For example, the individual may not recall which of the morning’s medicines were taken. Mild personality changes, such as less spontaneity or a sense of apathy and a tendency to withdraw from social interactions, may occur early in the illness.

As the disease progresses, problems in abstract thinking or in intellectual functioning develop. The individual may begin to have trouble understanding what s/he is reading. Further disturbances in behavior and appearance often seen in elderly care and skilled nursing facilities are agitation, irritability, quarrelsomeness, and diminishing ability to dress appropriately.

Later in the course of the disorder, the affected individuals may become confused or disoriented about what month or year it is and be unable to describe accurately where they live or to name correctly a place being visited.

Eventually they may wander, be unable to engage in conversation, seem inattentive and erratic in mood, appear uncooperative, lose bladder and bowel control, and, in extreme cases, become totally incapable of caring for themselves if the final stage is reached.

Death then follows, perhaps from pneumonia or some other problem that occurs in severely deteriorated states of health. The average course of the disease from the time it is recognized to death is about 6 to 8 years, but it may range from under 2 to over 20 years.

Those who develop the disorder later in life may die from other illnesses (such as heart disease) before Alzheimers disease reaches its final and most serious stage.

Though the changes just described represent the general range of symptoms for Alzheimers disease, the specific problems, along with the rate and severity of decline, can vary considerably with different individuals.

Indeed, elderly care professionals must remember that most persons with Alzheimers disease can function at a reasonable level far into the course of the disorder.

Moreover, throughout much of the course of the illness residents maintain the capacity for giving and receiving love, for sharing warm interpersonal relationships, and for participating in a variety of meaningful activities with family and friends.

A resident with Alzheimers disease may no longer be able to do math, but still be able to read a magazine with pleasure. Playing the piano might become too stressful in the face of increasing mistakes, but singing along with others may still be satisfying. The chess board may have to be put away, but one may still be able to play tennis.

Thus, despite the many exasperating moments in the lives of Alzheimer residents and their families, many opportunities remain for positive interactions. Challenge, frustration, closeness, anger, warmth, sadness, and satisfaction may all be experienced by those elderly care workers who work to help the resident with Alzheimers disease cope as well as possible with the disease.

The reaction of an individual to the illness—his or her capacity to cope with it—also varies and may depend on such factors as lifelong personality patterns and the nature and severity of stress in the immediate environment.

Depression, severe uneasiness, and paranoia or delusions may accompany or result from the disease, but they can often be alleviated by appropriate treatments.

The elderly care worker must remember that although there is no cure for Alzheimers disease, pharmacological and psychological treatments are available to alleviate many of the symptoms that cause suffering.



Rafael

X asked:


I prefer California.

Evan

Valerie VanBooven asked:


I love the start of a new year. It brings to mind that the possibilities are endless, and for many of us, it’s a great time to start something new or different in our lives.

I’d be a rich person if I had a nickel for everyone out there who has decided to open a new in-home care agency, open a professional geriatric care management practice, or start some sort of elder care business. (I get a call or email about this at least 3 times per week consistently!)

What I know for sure is that there is plenty of business to go around. As we live longer, as our parents and grandparents live longer, we create an unlimited opportunity and need for senior related services.

The key is to create an appropriate and realistic business and marketing plan that generates clients and results. The key to the senior market, is not surprisingly, their adult children.

If you have been in the senior market for any amount of time, you know that families often contact senior service providers when they are in crisis due to an acute illness or other event that signals the need for services and support.

So whether you are just starting a new senior/elder care business, or already own one- think about marketing to more than just seniors. Your target audience may be a little younger than you imagine!

Consider some of the other things we have talked about over the last few months:

• Issues related to senior living options, senior care options, and financial issues that affect seniors require education, so educate your prospects.

• Advertising with vanity ads and the “same old thing” is “OUT”, and offering information in the form of a free report, CD, seminar, or consultation is “IN”.

• Directing messages to baby-boomers who HAVE aging parents is key. Finding them is not as easy as buying a “list”.

• Understanding financial options for seniors is a MUST for all senior service providers. It’s impossible to offer good advice to a family if you aren’t up on the latest programs and strategies.

• Networking is possibly the most effective and least costly form of advertising and marketing. You should attend only the networking events that make sense for your business. Pick 2-3 key groups and stick with them. (But try as many as you can, it never hurts to check out a new group!)

• Finally, when you are budgeting for your marketing, budget for consistency and frequency, not the big bang. This market does not work like that.

o The reality is that you must touch a consumer 6-10 times- either through print, radio, or TV, in order to get a response. o Running a radio ad 4 times and pulling the ad because you didn’t get a phone call is not the way to execute a marketing strategy.

o This is a sensitive subject for many (long-term care needs), so in short order you must articulate your message, interrupt your target (ie get their attention), engage them, educate them, and then make an offer.

o Offering something for free- your time, your printed report, your audio CD, etc, will get the most response. Some people like to remain anonymous…so let them, but engage them.

Finally, this is a very good year to live your dream, be an entrepreneur, and serve the greatest generation of all time. Take a realistic, slow but steady and consistent course of action, and you will succeed! We need more senior service providers who really know their stuff. We need senior service providers who are educated, efficient, and trustworthy. Best wishes for continued success in 2008!



Roger

Molly Shomer asked:


Taking care of an elderly person in their own home often seems like the first and best option for families. Most seniors want more than anything to stay at home, and their families want to see them remain independent as long as possible.

Asking an elderly person to make the best long term plans and choose the “best” options doesn’t always work, however. An elderly person who wants desperately to stay at home will often deny problems and safety hazards that are glaringly obvious to everyone else. So, adult children and other family members are the ones who may have to ultimately make some of these decisions.

Caregiving spouses and adult children have often made promises to do whatever is necessary to keep an aging person at home. Often they have made this committment when the older person was still living an active and independent life. When the disabilities of aging begin to crop up, these famiy members feel guilty even thinking about alternatives to care at home.

Very few family members can leave jobs and their own family responsibilities to manage a senior’s care at home full time. With the passage of time, family caregivers often find that they are stretched beyond the breaking point by the needs of their elderly family member. Sooner or later, almost everyone will have to turn to outside help to make home care possible.

The trick to making aging at home successful is to anticipate changes before they happen, and to ask the important “what if” questions early.

If a senior is both able to afford and willing to accept non-family care, then staying at home can be a very successful option. If home care is not affordable, or if your senior will not willingly accept help from someone other than family, then remaining at home will probably not be a good choice for long term elder care.

Ideally, seniors and family members will talk frankly about both the financial and the personal facts openly and honestly long before the need is obvious. If a senior is firm that no outsider will ever be accepted into his or her home, it’s better to know early that getting professional home care assistance will be a fight.

Unfortunately, many families aren’t able to talk frankly about these issues. If your elderly relative refuses to talk about those future “what ifs,” this may be your clue that home care may be difficult when it’s most needed. An assisted living residence might actually be more acceptable to this senior than having someone “invade” their home.

If home care would be acceptable, but the available funds won’t stretch to cover the cost of private elderly care at home, starting early will permit everyone to look at and talk frankly about less expensive alternatives before a crisis occurs.



Brittney