admin, Author at Age With Grace

Caregiving is a marathon. Make sure you have the right people in your lifeboat.

admin — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 16:00:16 +0000

Being a caregiver can be lonely. Over time, friends and family may start to fade away or your involvement with your elder can become more and more time consuming. Your world can begin to feel very small. As you encounter tricky situations, you might struggle to know how to navigate them gracefully. This caregiving race is a marathon and not a sprint. Equipping yourself for the long haul is essential. Just as you would never head out to sea alone, you shouldn’t start this caregiving journey alone.
As you get into your lifeboat, you don’t have to float alone. Here are some key players you’ll want with you to ensure a smooth ride:

#1 Elder Law Attorney
Having your legal paperwork in order is essential as a caregiver. An elder law attorney specializes in the complex issues surrounding dementia and end of life planning. They will help you identify the most effective person(s) to make health care and financial decisions on your behalf when you are no longer able to make your own decisions. They will also help you think through important end of life decisions such as, will you want heroic measures (such as a feeding tube, ventilator, or even CPR to save your life when the end of your life is near) If your family is not on the same page about how to provide care for your family member with dementia or ways to spend the money for care, an elder law attorney can be a helpful resource to navigate complicated family dynamics.
You can find an elder law attorney at the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys: www.naela.org

#2 Aging Life Care Professional
Aging Life Care Professionals are consultations who work with individuals with dementia and other issues, and their families. They are experts in navigating care options, can help you evaluate all your choices, and guide you to the best decision based on your own finances, preferences, and family dynamics. They know what is needed to stay at home, what to keep in mind if you are considering a retirement community and provide you with signs that it is time to make a move. This knowledge will bring clarity to the decisions that you need to make.
Aging Life Care Professionals are creative problem-solvers. One of their superpowers is overcoming resistance to help. After building a relationship, they can often talk people that have been resistant to help into accepting this much needed help. Aging Life Care Professionals can often predict what challenges will come next and plant seeds about topics you should be thinking about. They can help you shift from putting out fires (sometimes literally!) to being proactive.
With their support, there will be few surprises along the way. You can even outsource your caregiving “to do” list to an Aging Life Care Professional. Having this outside guide and unbiased expert is often the missing piece of the puzzle to move from crisis to action.
You can find an Aging Life Care professional at The Aging Life Care Association: www.aginglifecare.org.

#3 Financial Advisor
The cost of care for individuals with dementia continues to skyrocket. A financial advisor can work with your elder law attorney and Aging Life Care Professional to help create care plans that are realistic and sustainable given your unique financial situation. They can also make sure you are properly insured and have all your financial documents in order.
You can find a certified financial planner at www.cfp.net

#4 Professional Fiduciary
Just as an Aging Life Care Professional can help take tasks off your plate related to medical coordination and oversight of care, a professional fiduciary can help simplify your financial life. They can assist with bill paying, organizing financial details (insurance payments, medical bills, and long-term care insurance reimbursements), and support you in your role as financial power of attorney. Some fiduciaries can even serve as a power of attorney for finances or as an executor of an estate. Outsourcing these financial tasks to a professional can often save you significant time and money. Having help on the financial side will free up some time and energy to focus on the other demands of caregiving or create some much-needed time for self-care!
You can find a professional fiduciary at the American Association of Daily Money Managers: www.aadmm.com

#5 Effective Medical Provider
Not all doctors are created equal and not all doctors have an expertise with dementia. As the disease progresses, many doctors struggle to have solutions for the complexities and challenges that often come with Alzheimer’s disease. Having a doctor with experience and a strong foundation with dementia is essential. If you feel that your doctor is lacking creativity and tools to manage difficult behaviors, keep looking! A geriatrician is an ideal doctor to work with but can often be hard to find. Aging Life Care Professionals and the Alzheimer’s Association can often provide recommendations for effective medical providers. An informed and patient doctor is an essential part of your team.
You can find a geriatrician at the American Geriatrics Society: www.healthinaging.org

#6 Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is an invaluable resource. They can connect you to local resources, provide education about the disease and what to expect as the disease progresses, tips about navigating challenging behaviors, and they have caregiver support specialists who can help problem-solve challenges, without a cost.
You can find the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org

#7 Support group
Being a caregiver can be very isolating, especially as friends and family visit less as the disease progresses. Being part of a community of people who are in a similar situation, can be surprisingly comforting. It can be difficult for those who are not in the middle of caregiving to understand your perspective and to know how to help. Support group members get it. They understand. There is a shared knowing. Their collective wisdom will become invaluable. Although taking the first step of joining a support group can be intimidating, I encourage you to take a leap of faith and dip your toe in the water. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
You can find a support group at www.alz.org

#8 Professional caregiver
The caregivers I know give 110% to their caregiving role and frequently neglect themselves in the process. Most slowly give up their hobbies and feel selfish if they find themselves craving some time alone. It is not realistic or feasible to be on duty 24/7 and it is not sustainable. If you do not make yourself a priority, your own health and mental health will suffer. Being a caregiver requires that you are your best self and that is not possible without exercise, sleep, and time spent away from caregiving. Getting a break for a few hours 1-2 x/week is essential (at a minimum!). There are many options for getting a break…utilizing family or friends, hiring a professional caregiver, or taking advantage of a local adult day program.
You can find a professional caregiver at the Home Care Association of America: www.hcaoa.org

#9 Creative Engagement
The experience of being a caregiver can be far more gratifying if you know your loved one with dementia is having moments of joy in their life. Many cities around the country are starting to develop more and more programs for individuals with dementia. Here in Seattle, organizations have created Alzheimer’s Cafés for individuals and their caregivers can spend time in local restaurants and coffee shops with other people with dementia. Our local art museum, the Frye, has many art engagement programs focused on dementia. Your local Alzheimer’s Association or Aging Life Care professional can refer you to similar programs in your area. Another great resource for engagement is an adult day program. These are programs that typically run for 4-6 hours/day to provide meals, activities, and respite for family members.
You can find an adult day program at the National Adult Day Services Association: www.nadsa.org

#10 Your local librarian
Knowledge is power. The more information you have about dementia and your role as a caregiver, the more empowered you will feel. There are many books available on caregiving, managing difficult family dynamics, or tips for difficult behaviors. Your local librarian is a wonderful resource for finding just the book you need. They might even be able to find you a pleasure book to dive into as you start to expand your self-care time.
The easiest way to find your local public library is through a Google search.

If you take these 10 keys supports in your lifeboat, you will feel far less alone and will be equipped to face the rough seas ahead. You’ve got this!

Lisa Mayfield is the founder and co-Principal of Aging Wisdom®, an Aging Life Care practice in Seattle. Trained and licensed as a Mental Health Counselor, Geriatric Mental Health Specialist, and a Certified Care Manager, Lisa brings over two decades of experience working with older adults and their families. She is currently serving as the President of the Aging Life Care Association board of directors.

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Call your local SHIP office

admin — Wed, 21 May 2014 02:39:55 +0000

Do Seniors Have Too Many Medicare Plans To Choose From?

By Phil Galewitz

May 14th, 2014, 5:00 AM

Most seniors face a dizzying array of options each year when it comes time to choose a Medicare health or prescription drug plan. Beneficiaries can select from an average of 18 health plans and 31 prescription drug plans. In South Florida, they have 88 plan choices altogether.

While choice may sound like a good thing, many seniors say they find it difficult to compare plans. As a result, they often stick with the same plan even if it is not best suited to them, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation based on conversations with beneficiaries in Memphis, Tennessee; Tampa, Florida; Baltimore; and Seattle. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

Many seniors said they did not want to switch plans because the process was so frustrating, the report said. That can cost them money because companies change prices and benefits almost every year.

At a briefing on the report Tuesday, Barry Schwartz, a psychology professor at Swarthmore College and author of the book, “Paradox of Choice,” explained that older people tend to make choices that are “good enough,” while younger people often search for the “perfect” choice.

But Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a consumer advocacy group, said that Medicare beneficiaries sometimes find that a health plan that is “good enough” when they are healthy does not meet their needs when they are sick. That’s because a plan may not include coverage for the hospital or doctor they want, or may charge too much for the drug their doctor recommends.

Even with so many choices, most seniors flock to a small number of plans, said Joshua Raskin, senior analyst for investment firm Barclays Capital. He said plans with the most market share, including those run by insurer giants, Humana and UnitedHealthcare, have grown the fastest in recent years.

To give seniors tools to help them choose the best plans, the federal government several years ago began rating them based on factors such as access to doctors and customer service. But seniors seem to pay little attention. In recent years, the best-rated health plans, those with five stars, have increased enrollment at the slowest pace, compared to 8 percent in the market overall, Raskin said.

He said the fastest growing plans are those with three stars — which have seen 12 percent enrollment growth,

He said the fastest-growing plans have been those with just three stars – many of which have seen 12 percent enrollment growth. He added that price, particularly monthly premiums, often drive seniors’ choices.

But one reason why seniors have not flocked to the best-rated plans may be because there are so few of them. For 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded five-star ratings to 14 health plans and 5 prescription drug plans.

About 75 percent of Medicare’s 54 million beneficiaries are enrolled in a private health or drug plan. The rest get traditional Medicare.

Raskin said because health insurers know seniors are most likely to pick plans based on price, they are hesitant to charge a monthly premium if they have not had one, or to implement a major rate hike.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 at 5:00 am.

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GPS Shoes for Wanderers

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:03:55 +0000

The term “track,” as it pertains to shoes, is no longer only associated with a “track and field” competition. The new trend in the shoe market is shoes that use a global positioning system (GPS) located in the heel of the shoe to actually track the location of a person. Originally developed for serious runners and misplaced children, these GPS shoes have found a promising market with seniors who have Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Of the 5.3 million Americans who endure Alzheimer’s, about 60 percent of seniors with Alzheimer’s will wander off at some point during their illness and 70 percent will wander more than one time. This behavior puts the senior’s safety and health at risk and gives families reason for concern. The senior may become dehydrated, could fall or may become seriously injured. Families and caregivers are in a challenging position when their senior loved one is a wanderer. A tool such as the GPS shoes can make caring for that loved one more manageable.

Seniors who wear the GPS-enhanced shoe can continue with their normal activities. While most GPS shoes resemble sneaker-style footwear for comfort and exercise, shoemakers are introducing new styles all the time. For instance, California based GTX Groupis now making loafers and sandals to accommodate all walks of life.

Source: gtxcorp.com

The GPS technology is so small that it unnoticeably fits into the heel of the shoe. To work, the shoe’s GPS technology couples with a downloadable app for a computer and/or smart phone, or the device connects with a tracking service for a monthly fee.

Families of people with Alzheimer’s can easily track where their loved one is at at any given moment. A pre-set “safe zone” or “geo-fence” can be set on the app or with the tracking service. If the person wearing the GPS shoes meanders out of that area, the app sounds an alert or the tracking service sends a text message. Families or caregivers can locate the senior immediately and bring them back to a safe setting.

The GTX GPS Smart Shoe retails for more than $300 retail, and this high-tech footwear is available for purchase through Aetrex Worldwide, a company that specializes in pedorthic footwear, designed for optimal comfort.

“The GPS Shoe has the potential to be life-saving as well as life-changing technology for those afflicted and their caregivers,” said Andrew Carle, director of George Mason University’s Program in Senior Housing Administration and advisor to GTX Group. “The shoes also hold the potential to save governments hundreds of millions of dollars in search and rescue operations, as well as in health care costs for those otherwise injured.”

After Bill Johnston, an 83-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, had a wandering indicent, his family knew they needed to do something different before Bill was hurt.

“I had been leaving him at a McDonald’s and going to the grocery store nearby. I would say to him, ‘Ok, go in, drink your tea and wait for me, and I will come back.’ And he would do that,” Joan, Bill’s wife, explained. “But one time I spent a little longer in the grocery store and got back maybe 45 minutes later and I looked in McDonald’s and he wasn’t there. I opened the bathroom door and hollered ‘Bill,’ and no answer.”

Joan recalled, “I was looking all around the parking lots and the shopping center, across the street from McDonald’s I saw him. He was headed toward a major highway. He couldn’t remember when I would be back. When I wasn’t there, he said to himself, ‘Well where is she I’ll just walk home.”

Seeking ways to control Bill’s wandering, Joan and her son, Alan, were led to George Mason University and Andrew Carle. Carle offered the Johnston’s a pair of GPS shoes to test.

Joan said the shoes gave her peace of mind. “When I lost him, you, you kind of panic.” she said.

“We discussed it, and we decided to try these shoes out on him.” said Alan, who takes care of the technological side of the GPS for his parents. “And we thought this would be a good match and kind of went from there.” “The shoes give you more control,” Alan Johnston said. “My mom can call me anytime, and I can give her immediate feedback on his location.”

Joan and Alan hope the GPS shoes will make life easier for them and safer for Bill.

About the development of the shoe, Carle said, “We’re trying to maximize the odds that wanderers are going to have this technology on them, and the best location is to put it in shoes.”

Other tracking devices include watches or bracelets with a GPS inside. However, it is easier for a person to forget to put those devices on before leaving the house. Shoes are more of a necessity, and most people don’t forget to slide their shoes on before going somewhere. This increases the chances that a person who wanders would be wearing the GPS device and therefore would be locatable.

The GPS technology in a pair of shoes can help bring peace of mind to families and caregivers while assuring a safer environment for seniors suffering from wandering behaviors.

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