About Bill & Diane Mathis

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Caring For Yourself and Your Spouse In El Cajon CA

Spouses Face Challenges in Caring for Themselves and Their Ailing Partners

They met on a blind date in 1949 and married two years later. They lived in the same Cape Cod-style house in Silver Spring for nearly 50 years. So when Leonard Crierie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2005, there was no question that his wife, Betty, would take care of him at home for as long as she could.

Betty led him into the shower, helped him dress each morning and took him everywhere with her because, once he started wandering, as some dementia patients do, she dared not leave him alone. She learned how to change the colostomy bag he wore since he’d survived rectal cancer years earlier. She slept, fitfully, with a monitor by her bed so that she could respond if he
needed her at night.

“It was difficult, but I was able to take care of him,” says Betty, now 80. “Because it happens slowly, you don’t realize how bad it’s getting.”

She agreed to have Leonard attend an adult day program at nearby Holy Cross Hospital — he enjoyed socializing there — so that she could get a few hours’ break several times a week; she found a Holy Cross caregivers support group very useful. But she refused the pleas from her three adult children to hire an aide to help at home. “I always felt like I had it under control,” she explains, though her children thought the $18-an-hour cost also troubled a frugal woman who shops at dollar stores.

As the months passed, “we could see the stress level affecting her,” recalls her daughter Linda Fenlon. “The frustrating part was, we wanted her to have some independence, some quality of life. But she saw it as her duty in life to take care of him.”

For four years, Betty Crierie rarely asked for or accepted her family’s help, until a Wednesday last June. As she left her support group meeting, she remembers, “I got this funny feeling in my chest.” It worsened on the 10-minute drive home. She called her daughter and said, “I’m calling 911. I think I’m having a heart attack.”

Caring for a sick or disabled elderly relative exacts a toll — physical, emotional, financial — on any family member, but being a spousal caregiver brings particular challenges.

“Spouses are older and dealing with their own age-related health limitations,” says Steven H. Zarit, a Pennsylvania State University gerontologist. The tasks they shoulder have grown more demanding: Family caregivers now administer arsenals of medications and undertake procedures, from wound care to dialysis, that were once the province of medical professionals.

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If you need care and assistance for a loved one in the surrounding San Diego area, visit www.inhomecaresandiego.com.

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By: Always Best Care Senior Services – San Diego California (CA)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

In Santee CA, Can We Stop Mom Sundowning?

Can We Stop Mom Sundowning?
By Frena Gray-Davidson

It’s called sundowning because, traditionally it tends to begin around sunset. It’s the agitation time, which affects many who have dementia. It typically continues for a couple of hours and then may pass. It is most likely to start in late afternoon, although some people begin earlier and others reported as starting in the morning.

That’s untypical. It’s also untypical that someone begins agitated behavior in late afternoon and then continues all night long, but it happens. Whether that should really be called sundowning is something for a medical expert to decide. If I were a caregiver to someone with dementia whose behavior included agitation all night long, I’d be getting the help of a good psychiatrist.

Families tend to attribute everything to Alzheimer’s dementia, whether it is or not. You have other conditions as well. You could have Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Alzheimer’s. You could have flashbacks and Alzheimer’s. So it’s very important not to blame everything on the dementia.

Sundowning needs a multi-faceted approach because we don’t know exactly what causes it. We can make good guesses though.

Five Possible Causes of Sundowning:
1. Fatigue
2. Hunger
3. Dehydration
4. Disorientation
5. Loss of purpose, belonging and sense of security

In my 20 years of working with people with dementia, Alzheimer’s and other dementias, I’ve learned that we can make affective care plans for sundowning. Each plan is particular to each person, but every plan should include some or all of the following.

The Sundowning Care Plan:
1. Study the typical pattern of your person’s sundowning
2. To decrease fatigue overall, encourage sleeping later and having a nap after lunch, if possible
3. Give a nutritious snack of, for example, banana bread and a sliced apple about an hour before normal sundowning time
4. At the same time, give a natural juice drink and plenty of water
5. Listen attentively to the feelings expressed by your person during time of agitation to learn what emotional issues are unresolved
6. Remember that, in sundowning, this person expresses real issues with which we can help
7. Plan for diversion at the expected sundowning time and increase emotional support
8. Use environmental support — music they love, lavender oil diffused into into the air (notably effective in reducing emotional stress responses)
9. Understand that agitation can be contagious and that your best contribution is to stay calm

I have been able to recommend this approach to care units, which have found very positive responses from the plan. I and many other family members have found it very affective at home.

It is definitely possible to reduce sundowning time and intensity and even to eliminate it altogether. While you’re working on those results, remember anyway that sundowning tends to reduce and eventually disappear as dementia progresses.

As a caregiver, not as a doctor, I can assure you that we can do a great deal to help as caregivers. However, not all caregivers can do this and that’s okay too. Caregivers can only do what they can do. We are all human and it is out of our humanity that family caregivers undertake the heavy task of caring for a family member with dementia needs.

One last suggestion: it is not usual that sundowning involves violent acting out or extravagant fear reactions. Such manifestations suggest a deeper psychiatric issue. Please don’t hesitate to see mental health specialists if you have questions.

Frena Gray-Davidson is a longterm Alzheimer’s caregiver and her latest book is “Alzheimer’s 911: Hope, Help and Healing for Caregivers”, available from Amazon. Frena presents dementia seminars nationally and internationally. Go to her website at  www.alzguide.com and sign up for her free monthly online newsletter for caregivers. Email her at frenagd@gmail.com

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For information about care and assistance for a loved one in the Santee CA area, visit www.inhomecaresandiego.com.

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Original: Always Best Care Senior Services – San Diego California (CA)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Aging In Place With Style And Grace In Bostonia CA

Aging In Place With Style And Grace In Bostonia CA

(ARA) – Aging in place – updating one’s home to accommodate changing needs and abilities as one ages – doesn’t have to mean sacrificing a home’s style and decor. From attractive lighting designed to work well for aging eyes to barrier-free shower stalls that compete in beauty and practicality with what you might find in a luxury community for those 55 and older, plenty of home modifications now make it possible to age in place gracefully and stylishly.

“It’s no longer necessary to give up your home’s good looks for a more institutional-looking appearance just to achieve a safer, more usable house,” says Eric Kozak of Premier Care In Bathing, leading makers of walk-in baths. “You can age in place and retain the style that makes living in your home comfortable and safe, and maintain your independence at the same time.”

With more than 78 million baby boomers growing older in the United States, aging in place – and how to do it well – is a hot topic for many homeowners. If you’re planning ahead or thinking it’s now time to update your home to accommodate changing needs, keep a few things in mind:

Kitchens and baths are commonly the most challenging rooms in the house for people, like many seniors, with mobility issues. Updating these rooms can go a long way toward helping you stay in and enjoy your own home for as long as possible. “Bathrooms, in particular, pose safety issues. Falls are one of the leading reasons seniors must go into nursing homes and most home falls occur in the bathroom,” Kozak says.

When renovating your bathroom, focus on the important elements, including low-level entryways, accessible grab bars, easy grip faucets and showers with safety screens. Other elements include safer, slip-resistant flooring; brighter, more flexible lighting; and safe access to the shower or bathtub.

Walk in showers

Stepping in and out of a tub or shower is one of the riskiest times for people with mobility challenges. Appropriately placed grab bars – now available in designer colors and textures – can help improve safety in these high-risk areas. Another option that’s high on safety and style is to replace a current shower or tub with a walk-in shower like those now offered by Premier Care In Bathing, whose walk-in bathtubs have made bathing safer and more convenient for thousands of Americans with mobility issues. The walk-in showers are a good option for wheelchair users or in rooms where a full-size tub is not practical.

Two size options, 48 inches and 60 inches, ensure convenience and luxury. A waist-high, folding screen, designed with proprietary technology, keeps water inside the shower and not on the bathroom floor. From the waist up, you can add your own decorative touch with the shower curtain design of your choice, hung on a gracefully curved rod like the ones found in quality hotel baths. Dual Delta showerheads provide the option of an overhead shower or a hand-held shower, and a safe and relaxing folding seat. Installation can often be done in just a day or two.

Visit www.premier-bathrooms.com or call (800) 578-2899 to learn more.

Flooring

That tile floor that you adored in your 40s can be a slip hazard when you reach your 70s. In fact, any hard bathroom floor surface such as linoleum, vinyl or tile can put you at increased risk of slipping and falling. Carpeting might be a better option, one that is slip resistant and warmer and softer on the feet. Many manufacturers now offer materials that are attractive and able to repel moisture. If installing carpeting isn’t practical for you, use area rugs with sticky backing to help ensure safe footing in high traffic areas, like in front of the commode, sink and bathtub.

Lighting

Aging eyes not only need more light to see, they need better quality light, especially at night. Avoid dim lighting; older eyes need several times more light than younger eyes to see well, experts say. Increase the amount of light in your bathroom and consider using naturally brighter bulbs like compact fluorescent bulbs, which are also energy-efficient.

Be aware of glare, as well. Bright lights bouncing off all-white bathroom surfaces can create glare that makes it difficult to see and navigate for older people, especially at night when they may not be fully awake. If your bath is all white, paint the walls a light color in a finish that will help reduce glare. Use area rugs on white floors to help break up the expanse of white and reduce glare.

“Boomers aging in place will find more options than ever before to do so with style,” Kozak says. “Safety should be your first concern, but you can also enjoy good style and beautiful design as well.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

At Always Best Care Senior Services we understand the needs of our elderly loved ones. If you need care and assistance for someone in your family, visit www.inhomecaresandiego.com.

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Original: Always Best Care Senior Services – San Diego California (CA)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Finding a New Focus In La Mesa CA

Vision is so important and most of us need to make an appointment to have our eyes checked.  It is also important to make sure our elderly loved ones aging eyes are checked for problems.  At Always Best Care Senior Services we care about our seniors and their vision. If you would like information about our care and assistance services, visit www.inhomecaresandiego.com.

Finding a New Focus

Advances in lenses help address two vision problems at one time

Getting cataracts? Need reading glasses too?

Several new options for artificial lenses can both eliminate cataracts and correct vision problems so you may not need glasses ever again.

The same crystalline lens in the eye creates both presbyopia and cataracts. In healthy, young eyes, the lens, which sits behind the iris, adjusts automatically for near, intermediate and long-range vision. But over time it becomes harder and less able to focus on objects close up, a condition called presbyopia, which most people notice around age 40, when they need help to read. Eventually, the lens can become cloudy and opaque as a cataract forms. By age 65, about half of all Americans have some lens clouding, and by age 75 as many as 70% of Americans have significantly impaired vision due to cataracts.

Read more from the Wall Street Journal

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By: Always Best Care Senior Services – San Diego California (CA)

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Elderly in Home Care Doesn’t Mean a Lack of Socialization In San Diego CA

Elderly in Home Care Doesn’t Mean a Lack of Socialization In San Diego CA
By Gary M Skole

While the vast majority of seniors prefer to age in one place, many seek assistance from home health companies and assistant living services because of an increased need for personal assistance or in home care. Numerous studies have been conducted that show that seniors having social connections through family members, friends, social organizations, even companion animals is directly linked with their overall good health, prolonged survival from serious illness, and longevity in general. As seniors age, the need for socialization is even more important to help maintain overall good health. Evidence of the connection between a strong social connection and good health include:

• Studies show that people who are able to get out and interact and spend more time with people during cold/flu season actually get fewer colds and illnesses than those who spend most of their time alone.
• People that have companion animals to interact have fewer illnesses that people who do not have a companion animal.
• People who use words such as “I’, “mine”, and “me” often during casual conversation are more susceptible to heart attacks than those whose conversations don’t focus on themselves.
• Our immune system has natural killer cell activity that is negatively affected by a lack of social support.
• Our natural killer cells are more sluggish if we are lonely.
• Feeling grateful for what we have in life is associated with better physical and emotional health. The elderly can be at risk of isolation, which can directly affect overall health and longevity. If one spouse becomes ill, the other spouse tends to be the primary caregiver, which can consume much of their time.

Caring for an ailing spouse can lead to isolation from the people and activities that were once enjoyed together on a regular basis. Seniors may also face the loss of a spouse. This event often further isolates you from some of the activities that you might have once enjoyed as a couple, as well as isolation from some of the friends that you interacted with together. Seniors are also at risk of decreased socialization as they age if they can no longer drive. Giving up driving for many means giving up on independence and access to the people and activities they rely on for social support. It’s critical to take into account the importance of socialization as we age. Getting the personal care that is needed doesn’t have to eliminate the opportunity to maintain social connections.

Most communities have resources for seniors to foster good health and social connections. Many towns offer a variety of activities through local seniors’ centers, support groups, libraries,religious organizations and active retirement communities. For those unable live independently, assisted living communities and home care companies offer a variety of services. Seniors should be encouraged to participate in assisted living community activities and outings. Those living at home should be encouraged to look for the right home care company-one that recognizes the value of a support network and social connections. The elderly no longer need to sacrifice socialization for quality senior care.

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To learn more about Always Best Care Services, visit www.inhomecaresandiego.com or call us at 619-757-1114.

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Credit: Always Best Care Senior Services – San Diego California (CA)