Omaha Business Hall of Fame

November is National Family Caregivers Month

Every day, more than 65 million family caregivers in the United States fulfill a vital role on the care team. November is National Family Caregivers Month, a great time to honor the family caregivers who devote their lives to caring for senior loved ones.

Family caregivers need support, which is why the Home Instead Senior Care^® network launched Caring for Your Parents: Education for the Family Caregiver^SM. This family caregiver support series addresses senior resistance to care and features a variety of topics such as choosing an in-home care provider, the signs of aging, long distance caregiving and communicating with aging parents. Materials and videos are available at www.caregiverstress.com.  Tell a family Caregiver about this valuable resource.

ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2011) — A large proportion of Medicare expenditures for nursing home residents with advanced dementia, a terminal illness, is spent on aggressive treatments that may be avoidable and of limited clinical benefit, according to a new study by the Institute for Aging Research, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, published in the online version of the Archives of Internal Medicine on Jan. 10, 2011.

The study examined Medicare expenditures for 323 nursing home residents with advanced dementia in 22 facilities in the Greater Boston area as part of the Choices, Attitudes, and Strategies for Care of Advanced Dementia, or CASCADE, study. According to the findings, the largest proportion of Medicare expenditures was for hospitalizations (30.2%) and hospice (45.6%). Medicare expenditures rose by 65 percent in each of the last four quarters before death, primarily due to an increase in both acute care and hospice services. Acute care costs were lower among residents who had either a Do Not Hospitalize (DNH) order, lived on a special care dementia unit, or did not have a feeding tube.

“Our study demonstrates that a large proportion of Medicare expenditures in advanced dementia are attributable to acute and sub-acute services that may be avoidable and may not improve clinical outcomes,” says senior author Susan L. Mitchell, M.D., M.P.H., a senior scientist at the Institute for Aging Research.

An additional 10 percent of Medicare expenditures were for care in a rehabilitation facility after hospitalization. Dr. Mitchell calls the benefits of skilled nursing or rehabilitative care for these patients “questionable,” given that most of them are totally physically functionally and cognitively impaired.

Strategies that promote high-quality palliative care may shift expenditures away from aggressive treatments for dementia patients at the end of life and more toward a comfort care approach, say the researchers.

“The strong association between the lack of a DNH order and higher acute care expenditures supports the notion that advance care planning may be a key step toward preventing aggressive end-of-life care,” says Dr. Mitchell, an associate professor of medicine atHarvardMedicalSchool. Among cancer patients, advance planning lowers costs in the last week of life, and lower costs are associated with a higher quality of dying experience.

Both hospice and palliative care focus on quality of life or “comfort care,” including the active management of pain and other symptoms, as well as the psychological, social and spiritual issues often experienced at the end of life. Unlike hospice, however, palliative care services do not depend on life expectancy and may be used in conjunction with curative treatments.

Estimates peg 2010 total health-care expenditures for dementia at $172 billion, which will continue to rise as the number of people experiencing the end stages of this disease increases. Currently, more than 5 million Americans suffer from dementia, a number that is expected to increase to almost 13 million in the next 40 years. Total Medicare and Medicaid payments (nursing home care is generally paid for by Medicaid after individuals have exhausted their savings) for patients with dementia are roughly three times higher than they are for those without dementia.

Dr. Mitchell’s team looked at Medicare health services used by the nursing home residents over 18 months, culling data from hospital admissions, emergency department visits, primary care provider visits, and hospice enrollment. Roughly one-third of all Medicare costs for dementia were for hospitalizations, which Dr. Mitchell says are burdensome for many of these patients because, among other reasons, they involve a physical transfer and dementia patients often become even more confused and agitated in an unfamiliar environment. Previous studies by Dr. Mitchell and others have shown that most hospitalizations for patients with end-stage dementia are for conditions such as pneumonia that could be treated as effectively and at less cost in a nursing home setting.

Hospice payments accounted for close to half of all Medicare expenditures even though only 22 percent of the nursing home residents received hospice care. Hospice has been shown to benefit residents dying with dementia, but it is greatly underutilized with this population.

Dementia is a group of symptoms severe enough to interfere with daily functioning, including memory loss, difficulty communicating, personality changes, and an inability to reason. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

A 2009 study by Dr. Mitchell in the New England Journal of Medicine was the first to rigorously describe the clinical course of advanced dementia and to label the disease a terminal illness similar to other incurable diseases, such as cancer.

Alzheimer’s Wine Country Memory Walk 2011!.

Hey Check out our video from this years 2011 Walk to End Alzheimer’s!

Did you walk? IF so which walk did you do?

The Loneliness Factor

Loneliness – it’s one of the most serious obstacles to good nutrition that your senior loved one could face. In the United States, approximately 40 percent of the population age 75 and older – 6.7 million people – lives alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. These seniors face significant socialization challenges, particularly when it comes to lack of shared mealtime experiences.

“Who likes to eat alone?  Nobody,” says Sandy Markwood, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) – who served as expert source for the Home Instead Senior Care^® network’s Craving Companionship^SM program. “Meals are not just a matter of sustenance, but a social outlet,” said Markwood, whose members coordinate the popular home-delivered meals program, also known as “Meals On Wheels^®.”

“It’s how we come together as a family or a community. When you’re isolated from that opportunity it’s indicative of bigger challenges that person could be facing.”

The far-reaching impact of loneliness prompted the Home Instead Senior Carenetwork to conduct a first-of-its-kind study* to measure mealtime routines, challenges and preferences of seniors age 75 plus who live by themselves in their own homes or apartments. 

This comprehensive study, which involved 600 interviews, provides evidence that increased opportunities for seniors to share meals with others will promote nutritional and emotional well-being. Key findings include:

• Two of five seniors who live alone have at least four warning signs of poor nutritional health.
• One in five seniors says he or she sometimes or most of the time feels lonely when eating alone.
• Seventy-six percent of these seniors eat alone most of the time.
• The biggest mealtime challenge for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience, including lack of companionship. 
• Mealtimes last nearly twice as long when seniors who live alone share meals with others compared with when they eat alone.
• A majority of seniors who live alone say they eat more nutritiously and the food actually tastes better when eating with others.
• More than three-fourths of seniors say they wish their families shared more meals together.
• The most common obstacle preventing these seniors from sharing more meals with others is that their family and friends don’t have enough time.  

As a result of this study, the Home Instead Senior Care network launched the Craving Companionship program to encourage extended families to bring back the family meal for the benefit of their seniors, especially those who live alone.

For more information, visit www.mealsandcompanionship.com. The program includes a variety of resources such as recipes and tips to help family caregivers make the most of mealtimes.

*The Home Instead Senior Care network completed 600 telephone interviews with seniors age 75 and older in the U.S. who live alone in their own homes or apartments. The sampling error is +/-4.0% at a 95% confidence level.   

The Elder Care Radio Show – August 2011

KSRO 1350 AM Fridays – 12:30 – 1:00 p.m.

KNEW 910 AM Saturdays – 8:30 – 9:00 a.m

Do older adults disengage as they get older? It may seem that way if it’s hard to get Mom to go out and do things like she used to.  Experts explore the topic of QUALITY OF LIFE in August.  We’ll discuss the importance of helping people connect with a sense of purpose and meaning – even, and especially, when there are health issues or cognitive impairments that compete for “attention.” I hope you will give yourself a 30-minute break each week to tune in to the live show or to a podcast. Take good care, Kira Reginato

Nina Herndon, MA, CMC
Care Manager and Principal of Sage Eldercare Solutions
What can quality of life (QOL) mean if you’re limited physically or mentally?  Nina will share stories of clients who are non verbal, have Alzheimer’s, have physical challenges, and have found interests adapted to them that have returned QOL to them. Learn to build a quality of life plan and/or a therapeutic activity kit for your loved one.

Julie Ann Anderson, Owner
Home Instead Senior Care
What can quality of life mean if you’re living alone?  Julie Ann will fascinate you as she explains their LifeCatching Program, a way to record personal histories to share with others.  She will entice you to enter the Craving Companionship Recipe Contest, too.
 

  Dr. Michael Fraga, Neuropsychologist
Neuropsychological Associates
What can quality of life mean if you have a brain injury, whether from a bicycle accident, stroke or disease?  Dr. Fraga will tell us about his amazing work with patients and the improvements they make to increase their quality of life and regain independence.
 
  

Dorothy McReynolds, Admissions Director
Golden Living Center, Petaluma
What can quality of life mean if you’re in a facility?  What can you expect from an excellent facility?  Dorothy will tell you how their staff goes the extra mile in their “Life’s Simple Pleasures Program.”
Special guest, Diana Gruhl, MSW, will talk about her Elder Active Program.
 
THE ELDER CARE RADIO SHOW THANKS ITS SPONSORS:
SearchSeniorLiving.Com • Dr. Michael A. Fraga, Neuropsychologist • Brookdale Senior Living •
Arcadia Home Care and Staffing • Golden Living Centers • Home Instead Senior Care • Institute on Aging •
Jewish Home of San Francisco • Lifeline Personal Response and Support Services • Dr. Thomas Yatteau, Concierge Medicine • Reliable Caregivers

Happy Monday Morning!

 As CAREGivers caring for seniors in our community, every day we are reminded of no matter how great or small our acts of kindness or helping helping hands enabling older adults to remain independant in their homes… we can make a difference every day!

Here is another great thing I found in this ever shirking Internet world that I thought I wanted to share with you all today.I hope you enjoy these positive words of encouragement…because there are days we all can use some!

remember you have no idea the impact just a smile can make on a strangers life!

Monday Mojo: Today I Will Make A Difference
 
By Tom Tognoli | July 25th, 2011

This week, I’m pleased to bring to you some “guest MOJO,” from our very own J. Shoop.

J. Shoop as one of Intero Real Estate’s  top producing Area Sales Managers for Western Bancorp, he is also an author, coach, and aspiring professional speaker. His first co-authoring project is set to be released on July 15th, and is available now on Amazon.com!
We welcome J’s insights for this week’s installment of Monday Morning MOJO!

Every day we are faced with a multitude of choices.

In my opinion, one of the greatest freedoms human beings enjoy is the freedom to choose our thoughts. We can choose to focus upon and think about what’s right in our world, or we can choose to focus on what’s not.

One of my favorite inspirational authors, Max Lucado, wrote a book over 15 years ago called “On The Anvil.” The excerpt below is from his book.

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.
I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble…I will get up. It’s OK to fail…I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.
I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

I’d like to encourage you to start each day reading aloud the words above. I assure you that you will notice an immediate impact in your attitude, and it will fortify you for the day ahead.

Thank you,

J. Shoop

 ~ so well said! Thank you for sharing your wise words & positive insight  to Tom  Tognoli from Intero Real Estate & J.Shoop of Western Bancorp. Happy Monday everyone!!

Jeff Huber, President of Home Instead Senior Care Inc. was recently interviewed and here is a few of Jeff’s words….

Most professionals involved with eldercare are aware that adult children are not prepared to care for their parents when they receive “that call” that throws them into the caregiving role.  But the Home Instead Senior Care network wanted to learn more about that and so in conjunction with The Boomer Project, a study of 600 baby boomer aged adults was conducted. 

The results surprised me:

• Less than 50% were knowledgeable about their parents’ medical history
•  49% were unable to name any of their parents’ current medications
• More than 30% did not know just how many medications their parent(s) was taking
• 34% were unaware whether or not their parent  owned a safety deposit box
• and 36% were unaware of the location of their parents’ financial and legal information

The time to gather this information is NOT when a crisis occurs.  At that time, decisions need to be made quickly, tempers may flare and fights between siblings and other family members can ensue.   Family members can panic and incorrect choices may be made which may cause long term problems for all involved. 

 There will come a point when all of this information will be needed so it’s best to begin to gather it early.

Jeff suggests adopting the 40-70 Rule® which is a program to help bridge the communication gap between adult children and their senior loved ones.  Basically,  the earlier the conversation begins, the less stressful it will be and the more prepared the adult children will be.  The site provides conversation starters and communication tips.

Home Instead is also offering a free “Caring for Your Parents: Senior Emergency Kit” that you can download from our  website www.SeniorEmergencyKit.com.  This kit contains information such important contact information, a medication tracker, an allergies and conditions worksheet and some extra listed resources.

Do something good for YOURSELF and be prepared as your parents age…trust me, you’ll be glad you did!

I don’t have to tell you that Alzheimer’s is a worldwide epidemic.  Currently, five million people in the U.S. have this disease, and there are more than 35 million globally.  By 2030, those numbers will double, and by 2050, they’ll more than triple.  Last year the worldwide cost of Alzheimer’s was more than $600 billion – if it were a country; it would be the 18th largest economy in the world.  That’s because it costs about four times as much to care for a senior with Alzheimer’s.   And there is no cure in sight, sadly.   

But what occurs to me is that until that cure is found, Home Instead CAREGivers ARE the treatment for Alzheimer’s.  Quality home care is the future.  Home Instead trains our CAREGivers to deliver on that care for your family! Our training program is paramount to your parent’s best quality of life & quality of care.  There is no greater differentiators for hiring a Home Instead CAREGiver we could offer today than our specialized Alzheimer’s program. 

  We have partnered with David Troxel, Dr. Amy D’Aprix and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – to take gathered information and add their expertise to create a training that directly responds to family needs and is custom tailored to our Home Instead CAREGivers.  

If you have a family member suffering from Alzheimer’s and you are looking for some help at home, please visit our web site to learn more about Home Instead CAREGivers or call our office and ask us about our training programs. We’d be more than happy to share our expertize with you. You are not alone, We are your home care & Alzheimer’s Solution!

www.homeinstead.com/sonoma

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hey click on the link above to checkout a very clever way a Home Instead Owner got his point of drawing Attention to seniors in need! You will love it! Please watch & let us know what you think of this. So creative & fun way to get attention towards seniors in need on our country!