Today, there are more than 5 million older adults in U. S. that have some form of dementia. If you are a caregiver for a loved one that is suffering from memory loss, one of your key questions may be is it safe for my loved one to continue to drive? Or when should I take the keys away?
This is such an important concern in managing independence and total well being versus safety that you should talk have conversations with your loved one about their feelings and perceptions of their driving ability.
Some points to remember when a person has dementia:
- There are different regions of the brain that cooperate to receive data from hearing and seeing
- The brain has to prioritize the information, recall related experiences, anticipate, plan and judge with some speed
- Every older adult with dementia presents with a different capabilities to execute their driving skills depending on how many of the brain functions are impaired
- With the aging process there are also physical changes that may affect driving such as poor eyesight, night vision, and slower reactions times.
My next post will talk about some of the way to assess a senior’s ability to drive safely. I’ll also provide some resources that may offer driving assessments or training for seniors.
Most readers likely already know that falls are a major problem for families caring for aging parents. Historically, fall prevention has been left to general advice offered by the senior health system. Far too often, such advice is offered after a major fall and even injury.
Recently, technology is being employed to help understand and predict fall risk. Here is a link to an excellent New York Times article on the topic -
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/business/08unboxed.html?_r=2&ref=health.
Researchers are using low cost motion sensors to examine the behavior of older adults living independently. This data can then be analyzed to better understand the overall problem and make specific recommendations to families, before falls lead to injury.
These motion sensors have a variety of other uses, as well. For example, they can be used to detect activity levels which may indicate an older adult needs help or is ill. Monitoring for wandering and other concerns could also be improved.
I recently watched a video about Alzheimer's disease and creative arts that a co-worker sent to me that I wanted to share. Often we hear about the many losses that are associated when somebody has this disease but I wanted to touch on a strength that people with Alzheimer's disease still have until the very end - creative arts. Drawing, painting, clay making are all activities that can be used as a way to tap into the person's imagination and improve their quality of life. Plus, it is fun!
Somehow, paintings speak to them and the person is able to tell a story from it. They take in the colors of the painting, the form, and design and they live in the moment. For them - it has meaning to them. This is a great non-verbal way of communicating with someone with Alzheimer's disease. Not only are they being engaged, but it is a great way to work out the muscles in their bodies. Imagination is one thing that stays with someone through the duration of the disease.
Click here to watch the video.
There is also a "Memories in the Making" program through some of the Alzheimer's Association chapters that focuses on art and those with early stage Alzheimer's disease. Contact your local chapter for more info and to see if they are participating.
This evening I'm participating in a Panel Discussion at Butler University. Nick Caldicott the President of the Management and Information Systems Technology Association at Butler has put together a discussion on careers in IT.
The event is at the Butler Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building at 7:00 in room PB156. Butler campus is located at 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208.
As I was putting my opening remarks together, I added a bullet to a slide titled "Why Love Technology?" that struck me as needing more explanation. The bullet simply said "Helping People". This is a great strength of technology and in particular creating tools for eldercare.
Most any computer system is built to help people, at least a some level; even if it's just to help do some menial task more quickly and easily. Building software that effects lives and helps families caring for aging parents with things like medication management, senior health care, following treatment plans, home safety, and overall well-being, is a special case.
What I really love about this kind of technology advance is that we can multiply ourselves way beyond our ability to help as an individual person. While we might be able to help a handful of families each day, a software system can be used by hundreds or even thousands of people everyday to make a difference in the lives of seniors. We simply can't do that by ourselves.
Do you ever find yourself having a hard time concentrating? Do you get worried or anxious about things in your life? Is it difficult for you to stop worrying? We all have moments in our life when we are worried about things and usually our worry goes away. However, for some individuals they do not go away and may be experiencing anxiety. Experiencing stress and anxiety can be very taxing for both the older adult and the person caring for them.
The National Mental Health Association offers 12 steps that can help people cope with stresses and anxiety:
- Set realistic goals and have realistic expectations
- Let others share the responsibilities of special tasks
- Live and enjoy the present; look into the future with optimism
- Do not compare one day with the good ol' days of the past. This can and often does lead to disappointment.
- Those who are lonely should try and volunteer some time to others
- Limit drinking - excessive alcohol can increase feelings of depression
- Get exercise or do some physical activity regularly
- Spend time with supportive and caring individuals
- Reach out and make new friends
- Make time for yourself
- Find activities that are free in the community
- Keep tracking of your financial spending. Over spending can lead to stress and anxiety when the bills arrive.
If you still feel you are anxious or can't stop worrying, please get an appointment to your primary care physician to discuss them with him/her so you both can work together on how to alleviate feelings of anxiety.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services would like to “highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as foster greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January and beyond… the spread of 2009 H1N1 influenza is likely to continue” into 2010.
Influenza is unpredictable, but it is known that if people are vaccinated, the flu is less likely to spread in the coming months. Ask your health care provider if you have questions about the flu vaccine for you or your senior loved one.
Symptoms of Flu
Seasonal Flu- All types of flu can cause:
- Fever
- Coughing and/or sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Headaches and/or body aches
- Chills
- Fatigue
H1N1 Flu- Same as seasonal flu, but symptoms may be more severe.
Fever
- Coughing and/or sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Headaches and/or body aches
- Chills
- Fatigue
In addition to the above symptoms, a number of H1N1 flu cases reported:
If you're a caregiver, speak to your health care provider with any questions about the flu or the flu vaccine for you and your senior loved one.
My next post will give some of the most important flu prevention tips to keep you and your senior loved one healthy.
This past week I got a handful of comments about a Wall Street Journal article titled "Your iPhone Just Called: Your Blood-Sugar Is High". Pretty neat concept, but the article really doesn't talk about the future convergence of in home heath monitoring/diagnostic equipment with personal health information repositories, as the title might imply.
Instead the article focuses on something much more accessible today - the use of mobile devises to view and even update personal health information. One family cited in the article actually uses such an application to help in caring for aging parents. The iPhone application in question is Polka. Polka, like nearly all the applications mentioned in the article, uses a central web application to house the personal health record. Polka is primarily and personal tool, but the "team" tools allow some sharing of information across a team or family in the case of senior health care.
Most of the applications mentioned in the article, including Polka, have a strong bias toward disease management. This is certainly an important issue in geriatric care. Polka also has some more holistic tools including over all well-being.
For easy reference, here are the products mentioned in the article with hyperlinks to their web sites:
Navigator 1.12 is here!
The latest version of Navigator has gone into full production use. Navigator is My Health Care Manager's case management system which supports our Geriatric Care Managers and the care managers at our Licensees in assessment, planning, tracking, and implementation of well-being support for families caring for aging parents.
This is an exciting new release including the following new features:
- Introduction of next generation Care Planning supporting a direct SCANS(TM) interface, identification of key findings and intervention, outcomes tracking, and more.
- Care Plan Reporting
- Improved Assessment Summary Report
- Client Portal Care Plan Review
- Client Portal Improvements
- Past Assessment Reporting
- Menuing improvements and more
Sometimes you think all the "predictions" of science fiction really will come true. Well here's more support for your case. GeckoSystems International Corp. announced limited trials of a "Mobile Service Robot" called Carebot. Really... "carebot".
This little guy can navigate through the home on it's own; provide assistance caring for aging parents with medication reminders, monitoring vital signs, delivering supplies, and other simple tasks. The system works thought independent computers and software that work together to deliver coordinated activity. GeckoSystems has gotten a bit cheeky by calling these GeckoSavants(TM). Each functional area has a "geckoname" like, GeckoNav(TM), GeckoChat(TM) and GeckoTrak(TM).
This version of the Carebot is not likely to replace a geriatric care manager or other caregiver any time soon, but GekoSystems has been solving some of the most difficult challenges to making robot helpful in the home. For example, Navigating independently in crowds or narrow spaces is something we take for granted, but it's actually a major challenge for a machine.
I'm looking forward to Carebot II.
Holiday time is often an extremely difficult time for those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's Disease. The Alzheimer’s Association has prepared a special Web page with
helpful tips to make the holidays less stressful for caregivers and family members. If you're caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease, make sure to take care of yourself as well during the holidays. Caregivers often experience increased stress during the holidays, which can affect your well-being, and your ability to care for your aging loved one. Make sure to ask family and friends for help with your caregiving duties, and maybe even investigate respite care. A geriatric care manager can help you find caregiving solutions, and your health care provider can help you find ways to remain healthy and well during the holidays.
You can also visit my blog from last year on
Caregiver Stress and the Holidays. It includes some more tips to maintain your own well-being, and also a quiz for caregivers.
If you notice changes in your aging loved one over the holidays, a qualified professional with gerontology experience - such as a geriatric care manager or your loved one's physician - can help.
In my blog on Nov 9th, I discussed the end-stage dementia issues and raised the question ‘Is dementia a terminal illness?’ When faced with terminal illness, seniors and their caregivers often choose palliative care. Today, I’ll discuss that further.
What is a terminal condition?
In most states, a terminal condition is a status that is incurable or irreversible, and in which death will occur within a short time. There is not a precise, universally accepted definition of “a short time,” but in general it is considered to be less than one year. When looking at the hospice benefit, it will define “short term” as six months or less.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is a comprehensive approach to treating serious illness that focuses on the physical, psychological, spiritual, and existential needs of the patient. Its goal is to achieve the best quality of life available to the patient by relieving suffering, by controlling pain and symptoms, and by enabling the patient to achieve maximum functional capacity. Respect for the patient’s culture, beliefs, and values are essential components. Palliative care is sometimes called comfort care or hospice type care.
For more information: go to Caring Connections which is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer and community engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life, supported by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Caregivers and seniors can find them online at www.caringinfo.org.
Caregivers and seniors can also visit the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) home page at http://www.nhpco.org/templates/1/homepage.cfm.
There has been a continuing increase in the number of new products surfacing to help with the issues of health management. Everyone's getting into the act... even the iPhone!
MedScape is a new application for the iPhone that allows you to look-up information about medications you or your aging parent are taking. You can review lots of information helpful in medication management - dosage, drug interactions, adverse effects, costs, and so on. The application is currently free and can be downloaded using iTunes or directly from the App Store.
Similar information is available on the Internet from lots of resources.
WebMD is a well known example. Most to the major pharmacy sites like
CVS or
Walgreens also have drug information available.
I’m pleased to welcome Jane Niederberger as My Health Care Manager’s new President. With over 25 years of experience in the health care industry, Jane is a great addition to our team. Most recently, Jane founded Niederberger Ventures LLC and has been active in HALO, an Indiana angel investment group. From 2004 – 2006, Jane was Vice President and General Manager of Operations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Central Region, a $16 billion subsidiary of WellPoint. Prior to leading the consolidation of operations, Jane was Anthem’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (1997-2004).
To read the Indy Star article 'Ex-WellPoint exec to lead elder-care services startup' visit the Star's website:
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910050305To learn more about Jane, please visit our website:
www.myhealthcaremanager.com/aboutUs_manageteam.asp.
My
last post covered some general vaccination information for seniors and caregivers. Today, I’m going to provide you with some eldercare resources for flu season. The best advice during this flu season is to talk to your health care provider about the seasonal flu vaccination and the “novel” H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccination.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “One thing that appears to be different from seasonal influenza is that
adults older than 64 years do not yet appear to be at increased risk of novel H1N1-related complications thus far.” To keep up with the latest information, visit the CDC (
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/).
Remember to take everyday flu-prevention and well-being precautions such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water You can also use alcohol based hand cleaners
- Throw away your tissue after use
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
- Avoid close contact with people who have flu type symptoms if at all possible
- Listen for your local public health advice especially regarding closing and crowds
- When you are sick (or have flu symptoms), stay at home and have the supplies in need in your home for a week or so.
If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick. If you have additional questions, please speak with your health care provider. Your physician can also advise you on prevention measures, such as the flu vaccination.
For seniors and caregivers: if you would like to locate a flu center by zip code, visit
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.aspx?c=aqKGLXOAIlH&b=1015035.
We’re pleased to announce an agreement with Anthem and Wellpoint, which was covered in the August 24 – 30 issue of the Indianapolis Business Journal. My Health Care Manager’s Eldercare benefit (which provides senior care management and caregiver support services to covered employees) will be offered in Indiana through the Anthem 360 Health program. After the Indiana pilot, My Health Care Manager’s benefit will be rolled out by Wellpoint to all 14 states in which they operate.
The benefit will help working caregivers balance the challenge of providing care to a loved one with work responsibilities, and also help improve the care and quality of life for the senior. Employers assisting their employees by offering the Eldercare benefit look to reduced costs associated with working caregivers such as absenteeism, workday distractions, and time taken off to provide care. My Health Care Manager provides an experienced nurse, a Health Care Manager, to guide the caregiver through their personal situation – and can assess a senior in the home anywhere in the U.S.
To learn more about Eldercare benefits for your business, or geriatric care management services for your family, please contact us at (800) 499-8020.
We all hear everyday the risks of smoking and what it does to our health. But, what about older adults who smoke...is it beneficial to them to quit smoking now even though they may have smoked for 30-40 years? The answer is yes! It's never to late to quit smoking. Part of healthy aging is keeping our lungs clean and free of all the tar that builds up from smoking. If you quit smoking you are more likely to add years to your life, not to mention the money you will save from not smoking. Food will taste better and you will have more energy.
Even if you are older than 65 and quit smoking, here are the benefits it will do to your health:
- Decrease your risk of cancer, heart attack, and lung disease
- Have better blood circulation
- Have a more sensitive sense of smell
- Have healthier family members, especially children and grandchildren
Smoking is often a difficult habit to break since nicotine is so addicting, however there are products available to help you quit smoking. Talk to your doctor first to see what choices are best for you. There are:
1. Nicotine gum, patches, or lozenges that you can get over the counter
2. Join a support group
3. Ask a friend to quit with you. This will help to motivate each other.
4. Stay busy
5. Begin exercising
For more information on how to quit smoking, please visit: www.smokefree.gov
Likely you have seen some variant or another of this article "
Helping the Elderly Keep Their Driving Skills" talking about helping seniors keep their mind sharp. Whole companies have cropped up like the one mentioned in this article, Posit Science, around the idea computers and software can help.
Certainly games like these are interesting and often fun, but their claims are largely unproven. Comments like the brain is "the most important muscle in the body" is, at best, metaphorical. The brain is, of course, nerve tissue not muscle tissue. "Exercising" the brain has little impact on senior memory loss brought on by Alzheimer's or other serious forms of dementia.
Driving is one of the big safety issues with seniors and for those people who are not facing serious cognitive decline, they may find these games fun and somewhat beneficial. Of course, physical limitations such as immobility are not impacted. At a minimum, I would expect some gains in driving skill just from the heightened awareness. Likely most of us could gain from that lesson.
See more on Posit at
http://www.positscience.com/.
We all hear day in and day out how beneficial exercise is to our overall health. But what about for older adults? Is it beneficial for them too? The answer is ABSOLUTELY! Exercise is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself, young AND old. Staying active and exercising regulary can prevent or delay many disabilties and diseases. This is one healthy aging topic that keeps getting discussed within the health care world. Some older adults are afraid that exercise will be too strenuous or that physical activity will harm them. Older adults actually hurt their health by not exercising. Before beginning any exercise program, it is important to discuss the details with your physician and especially if you begin a program and you notice any symptoms or changes that were not there before.
So, what are some examples of exercises for older adults?
Strengthening Exercise: Build muscles as well as increase metabolism
Balance Exercise: Build leg muscles and prevent falls
Stretching Exercise: Gives you more freedom of movement to do the things you like to do
Endurance Exercise: Any activity such as walking, jogging, swimming, raking, which all increase your heart rate
Taking your pet for a walk in the neighborhood or parking further from the grocery store are just a few of the examples to incorporate in your daily routine. Increasing your physical activity for 30 days can be significant to your health.
Happy Exercising!
Source: National Institute on Aging
The final installment of the SCANS 1.3 rolling release is complete. The July release includes some 22 new and revised tools and resources. The list includes:
- Medicare Summary
- Medicare A Information
- Medicare B
- Insurance Resource
- SHIP
- Medigap
- Medicare C and Advantage Plans
- Earwax
- Visual Impairment Websites
- Hearing Impairment Websites
- Visual Impairment Devices
- Optometrist vs. Ophthalmologist
- Bladder Training
- Foley Catheter Care
- Urinary Continence Education
- Incontinence Supplies
- Catheter Education and Support
- Brain vs. Bladder
- Incontinence – Foods to Avoid
- Tips to manage Incontinence with dementia
- Continence Bladder Diary
- Modify Environment to Assist with Continence
Thanks to the SCANS research team for this successful (and popular) release which included some 74 new tools! You can read more about these topics from a caregiver's perspective directly from one of our researchers Karen Witt Kelsey.
Click here to read more in her Caregiver Support blog. Karen is a key member of the research team as well a caregiver for her own mother. You'll enjoy her unique perspective on senior health care.
Last week I had the opportunity to present a paper at the Human-Computer Interaction International Conference. This was the 13th occurrence of the conference and the event was well attended by key researchers and companies concerned about how computers interact with people.
Jean Bandos co-authored the paper titled "Impacting the Continuum of Caregiving through Innovation in Informatics: Senior Care Navigation System (SCANS)". Other members of the SCANS team contributed, as well. You won't find the paper in the conference proceedings however, due to Intellectual Property concerns with the conference publisher's copyright requirements. In spite of those restrictions the paper and the presentation were well received.
What struck me about the conference on a general level was the amount of attention being given internationally to the challenges of older adults and senior health care. Conference attendees came from China, Japan, UK, Germany, India, Spain, and many other places - representing some 49 countries in all. Support for seniors living independently and dealing with challenges like immobility, well-being, and cognitive decline surfaced as a major sub-theme to the conference. World wide researchers are examining how computers can help with aging parents.
The specifics were wide ranging from topics like augmented navigation for assistive mobility devices to ontologies for adaptive user interfaces to cope with the specific needs of the elderly.
I was genuinely encouraged that so many top brains are looking for ways to improve eldercare services.
Eric Tinsley
Alan Stanford 
Jean Bandos
Karen Kelsey
Natalie Crohn
George Slater
Powered by Compendium Blogware