If you’re not familiar with it, The New York Times has a well-written blog column in the health section called The New Old Age.  The column often features topics of caring and coping with stories of people who are being full-time family caregivers either for a spouse, a parent of other loved one.  There are often senior health related topics as well.

Home Instead CEO Paul Hogan quoted in The New York Times’s New Old Age Blog

Once again, our CEO and co-founder of Home Instead Senior Care has been featured in a prominent publication. 

This time, Woman’s Day magazine features Paul Hogan in an article entitled, “How to Care for Aging Parents: try these strategies to make helping Mom and Dad less stressful.”

There are literally millions of baby boomers who are caring for their aging parents.  If you happen to be one of them, this article contains some helpful advice such as: 

• Be Prepared
• Explore the Options
• Think Twice about Relocation
• Talk Money
• Ask for Help

A elderly parent’s sudden stroke or fall can alter an adult child’s life quickly, so it’s important to have the caregiver conversation when everything is still fine. Use the 40/70 rule, suggests Paul Hogan, coauthor of Stages of Senior Care. When you’re 40 or your parents are 70, talk to them about their preferences.

For additional tips on caring for your aging parent, you can download the 40/70 brochure here:  The 40-70 Rule: A Guide to Conversation Starters for Boomers and their Senior Loved Ones.

And for more information about how our Home Instead CAREGivers can help both you and your aging loved one, please call our Sonoma County home care office at 707.586.1516.  From our Rohnert Park office, we  serve all of Sonoma County including Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Windsor and more.

It’s only March 8th and we still have two weeks before Teepa Snow, Dementia expert, comes to Santa Rosa on Monday, March 22nd, but already this event is filling up and we’re 80% booked.  So if you’re thinking of attending, please call our office today to make your reservation as you must RSVP in advance.

For more information, visit our events page at http://homeinsteadsonoma.com/events.  Then call our Rohnert Park office at 707.586.1516 to RSVP today.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Is pill splitting safe? I have several friends who split their prescription pills to save money, and several who don’t because they don’t think it’s safe. What can you tell me?

Split Decision

Dear Decision,

Splitting your pills – literally cutting them in half – is a simple way to save money on your prescription drugs but be sure you talk to your doctor first, because not all pills can be split. Here’s what you should know.

Savings and Safety

The reason pill splitting is such a cost cutter is because of a quirk in the way drugs are manufactured and priced. A pill that’s twice as strong as another may not be twice the price. In fact, it’s usually about the same price. So, buying a double-strength dose and cutting it in half may allow you to get two months worth of medicine for the price of one. But is it safe? As long as your doctor agrees that splitting your pills is OK for you, you learn how to do it properly, and you split only pills that can be split, there’s really no danger.

What to Do

If you’re interested in pill splitting, the first step is to talk to your doctor or pharmacist to find out if any of the medicines you use can be safely split. It’s also important to find out whether splitting them will save you enough money to justify the hassle.

The pills that are easiest to split are those with a score down the middle. However, not every pill that’s scored is meant to be split. Pills that are most commonly split include:

• Cholesterol lowering drugs, like Crestor, Lipitor, and Pravachol
• Antidepressants, like Celexa, Paxil, and Zoloft
• High blood pressure medicines like, Monopril, Prinivil, Univasc, Zestril, Avapro and Cozaar.

Having the right equipment helps too. Don’t use a knife to cut your pills in half. It can cause you to split them unevenly resulting in two pieces with very different dosages, which can be dangerous. Purchase a proper pill cutter. They only cost around $5 to $10 and are available at most pharmacies and large discount stores.

For convenience, you might be tempted to split the whole bottle of pills at once. But check with your doctor first. It’s possible that exposing the interior of the pills to the air could reduce their effectiveness. It’s also important to know that pills are only safely split in half, and never into smaller portions such as into thirds or quarters.

Unsafe Splitting

Many medicines, because of their ingredients or design, cannot be split safely. Here’s a list of pills that should not be split:

• Blood thinners.
• Chemotherapy drugs.
• Anti-seizure medicines.
• Birth control pills.
• Capsules of any kind that contain powders or gels.
• Pills with a hard outside coating.
• Extended-release pills that deliver medication over time in your body.
• Pills that are coated to protect your stomach.
• Pills that crumble easily, irritate your mouth, or taste bitter.

Again, your doctor or pharmacist will know which drugs can and cannot be split. If you’re taking a medicine that can be split, you’ll need to get a prescription from your doctor for twice the dosage you need. Then you can start splitting and saving, safely.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit http://SavvySenior.org.

About Jim Miller

Jim Miller is the creator of Savvy Senior, a syndicated information column for older Americans and their families that is published in more than 400 newspapers and magazines nationwide. Jim is also a contributor on NBC’s “Today” show, and is the author of The Savvy Senior, The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and Finances for Senior Citizens, (Hyperion, 2004).

Jim is frequently quoted in articles about issues affecting senior citizens and has been featured in numerous high profile publications, including Time magazine, USA Today and The New York Times. In addition, he has made multiple appearances on CNBC, CNN, Retirement Living Television and national public television.

The Savvy Senior column is brought to you by Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma County, CA

Home Instead Senior Care provides extraordinary senior care, personal care and companionship services to seniors in the Sonoma County area which includes Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor and more. For more information, please visit our digital brochure or call our office at 707.586.1516 anytime.

Candy & Baby Tristeenah

We’re so happy to have our staffing manager, Candy,  back from maternity leave.  

Tristeenah Wilson was born November 20th, 2009!  Don’t you just love that little bundle of joy!   And she’s got a head of hair, too.

Welcome back Candy, and welcome Tristeenah into the world!  Simply adorable.

Candy started her career in 1998 as a Certified Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide, working with patients in nursing facilities and hospitals. She came to Home Care as a Home Health Aide and then moved into staffing.

She has been Staffing Manager with Home Instead Sonoma for over 3 years and excels at matching the best CAREgiver for each client. The process is truly magical the way it comes together for both the client and the CAREgiver.

UPDATE 3/8/10: This event only has 20 seats left and is booking fast.  Please RSVP today to reserve your seat.

Teepa Snow, renowned Alzheimer’s and Dementia expert, will be in Santa Rosa, CA, on March 22 for an all-day training and dementia workshop on Changing the World of Alzheimer’s. Event will be held 9-4pm at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center and is sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma County and Brighton Gardens. CEU Credits available. Additional senior home care seminar dates the week of 3/22 in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Millbrae.

Teepa Snow, renowned dementia care and Alzheimer’s care expert, will lecture on “Changing the World of Alzheimer’s” on March 22nd, from 9-4pm, at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Santa Rosa.

Her training will include: 

• understanding of dementia (symptoms, progression and support that can help)
• demystifying resistance and
• coping with challenging behaviors during personal care activities

This all-day educational course is free to general public, and family caregivers, and has been approved for CEUs for registered nurses and health care professionals for small processing fee.

Teepa Snow is an occupational therapist specializing in dementia care and education. In addition to her private practice, Teepa has clinical appointments with Duke University’s School of Nursing and UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine. She is a frequent speaker on dementia care to gerontology and health care and nursing professional programs throughout the U.S.

In addition, Teepa Snow provides training and education to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer Society, state health care provider organizations, professional and caregiver associations.

For health care professionals, this all-day Santa Rosa course has been approved by the California State Board of Registered Nurses (BRN for RNs, LVNs, and CNAs) and is eligible for 6 CEU Credits, provider No. CEP 11967. MFTs and/or LCSWs has been approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as well — 6 CEU Credits, provider No. PCE 987.

This dementia training event is sponsored by the senior in-home care professionals at Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma County (Rohnert Park, CA) and by Brighton Gardens of Santa Rosa, CA — a Sunrise senior living community.

COST: $40 processing fee for CEU credits per attendee, $15 for CNAs. NO CHARGE for family caregivers or general public. Seating is limited. Lunch is included. Must RSVP in advance of event.

RSVP: For information and pre-registration, call 707.586.1516 which is the Rohnert Park office of Home Instead Senior Care or you can view details online at http://HomeInsteadSonoma.com/events.

Can’t attend March 22 in Santa Rosa? Home Instead is sponsoring additional Teepa Snow events that same week: March 23rd in Oakland, March 24th in San Francisco, March 25th in San Jose, March 26th in Millbrae. Call Home Instead Senior Care of Rohnert Park for more information and contact info for the other events: 707.586.1516.

Choosing a nursing home for a loved one is a daunting task. Let Home Instead help make it easier.

For a reasonably healthy senior, a nursing home still is probably not the right choice.  But for the senior who truly needs skilled medical care and intense supervision, a nursing home may be exactly the best place to live.

If your elderly parent or loved one – perhaps a mom, dad or aunt — is in the stage of senior care in which they need a nursing home in Sonoma County, there are a few things to remember when choosing one over another.  The important thing is to do your research and homework to find the one that best suits your senior’s needs. 

Here are 12 things to look for in choosing the right nursing home for your elderly parent or loved one in Sonoma County:

• Visit, observe, ask and try
• Check ratio of nurses and nursing assistants to residents
• Determine staff tenure and turnover
• Ask about physician availability:  full-time or part-time?
• How close is the closest hospital?
• Review the most recent oversight-agency survey
• Look for activities offered by the facility
• Check the food by inviting yourself to meals
• Check exercise and entertainment offerings – do residents participate?
• Determine if speech and physical therapy services are offered
• Consider proximity to family
• Understand the cost and financing options

And don’t forget to ask people for referrals.  At Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma, we work with many senior care facilities including independent living, assisted living, retirement homes, retirement communities and nursing homes.  Our caregivers provide non-medical care such as companionship services and individual transportation — those are things that nursing and medical care facilities don’t always provide.

Many of the best nursing homes in Sonoma County are staffed with teams of well-trained, professional registered and practical nurses as well as certified nursing assistants.  In case of an emergency, physicians and psychiatrists are close at hand to deal with medical crises, which should give you and your family greater peace of mind.  So nursing homes continue to serve a very important role on the spectrum or continuum of care for the elderly.

Keep in mind that when people are in a nursing home, companionship is the one thing that is often left out.  Our Home Instead CAREGivers often visit our clients to reminisce about the past, to play their favorite game, to read an inspiring book to them and simply to be there on a regular basis when family cannot.

For a free, no-obligation home care consultation, simply call our home care Rohnert Park office at 707.586.1516.  Or, if you’d like to view our digital brochure, you can do so at this link:  Home Instead Sonoma Digital Brochure.  We serve all of Sonoma County including Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor and more. 

And remember, “To us, it’s personal.”

Jim Miller, creator of Savvy Senior, answers your questions about senior living.

Dear Savvy Senior, 

What are the risk factors for glaucoma? My 82-year-old father lost much of his vision from it about 10 years ago and my sister was recently diagnosed with it, and neither had a clue anything was wrong.  

Blindsided

Dear Blindsided, 

It’s called the “silent thief of sight” for a reason. With no early warning signs or symptoms, most people that have glaucoma don’t realize it until their vision begins to deteriorate. Here’s what you should know. 

What is Glaucoma? 

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss and blindness if it’s not treated. This typically happens because the fluids in the eye don’t drain properly, causing increased pressure in the eyeball. The two main types of glaucoma that affect most people are:    

• Open-angle glaucoma:  This is the most common form, accounting for around 80 percent of cases in the U.S. This type progresses very slowly when the eye’s drainage canals become clogged over time, leading to blind spots in the peripheral vision, but by the time you notice it, the permanent damage is already done.
• Angle-closure glaucoma:  Occurs when the drainage canal gets blocked, causing a rapid increase in eye pressure. Symptoms include nausea, blurred vision and severe pain. If you have these symptoms, get to an emergency room immediately.  

Are You At Risk? 

It’s estimated that more than 4 million Americans today have glaucoma but only about half of them know that have it. Are you one of them? Here are the key factors that can increase your risks: 

• Age: While anyone can get glaucoma, people over the age of 60 are six times more likely than those younger.
• Family history: Having a brother, sister or parent with glaucoma increases your risk of developing this disease by four to nine times. 
• Race: African-Americans are six to eight times more likely to get glaucoma than are Caucasians, and they are much more likely to experience permanent blindness as a result. Hispanic-Americans also have an increased risk of developing glaucoma earlier in life, and Asians also have a higher risk for developing angle-closure glaucoma.
• Health conditions: Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, hypothyroidism, migraine headaches and even being nearsighted can increase your risk.
• Medications: Studies show that long-term use or high-doses of steroid drugs or cortisone can put you at a higher risk. 
• Injury: An injury or trauma to the eye can cause glaucoma even years after it happened.

 What to Do 

Early detection is the key to guarding against glaucoma. So if you’re age 45 and older and have any risk factors, you need to get a comprehensive eye examination every year or two. Or, if you notice some loss of peripheral vision, get to the eye doctor right away. 

While there’s currently no cure for glaucoma, most cases can easily be treated with prescription eye drops which can prevent further vision loss (it cannot restore vision already lost from glaucoma). If that doesn’t work, your doctor may recommend oral medication, laser treatments, surgery or a combination of these methods. 

Screening Help 

If you have Medicare Part B, annual eye examinations are covered for those at high risk for glaucoma. Also check out the Glaucoma EyeCare program through EyeCare America (www.eyecareamerica.org; 800-222-3937). This is a nationwide program that provides free or low-cost glaucoma eye exams and the initiation of treatment, if needed, and there are no income restrictions.  

Savvy Tip: To learn more, the Glaucoma Research Foundation offers comprehensive information on their Web site along with a variety of free educational booklets you can order. Visit www.glaucoma.org or call 800-826-6693. 

 Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit http://SavvySenior.org 

About Jim Miller 

Jim Miller is the creator of Savvy Senior, a syndicated information column for older Americans and their families that is published in more than 400 newspapers and magazines nationwide. Jim is also a contributor on NBC’s “Today” show, and is the author of The Savvy Senior, The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and Finances for Senior Citizens, (Hyperion, 2004).   

Jim is frequently quoted in articles about issues affecting senior citizens and has been featured in numerous high profile publications, including Time magazine, USA Today and The New York Times.  In addition, he has made multiple appearances on CNBC, CNN, Retirement Living Television and national public television.  

The Savvy Senior column is brought to you by Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma County, CA 

Home Instead Senior Care provides extraordinary senior care, personal care and companionship services to seniors in the Sonoma County area which includes Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Windsor and more.  For more information, please visit our digital brochure or call our office at 707.586.1516 anytime.

Don't let the stress of the caregiving for a loved one negatively affect your health. Call Home Instead Senior Care for help.

According to a recent MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employee Health Care Costs, people who are employed and who are also responsible for taking care of an elderly relative or friend, will likely have more health issues than those who are not caregivers and will potentially cost their employers $13.4 billion annually.

Anyone who has ever bore the responsibility of being a caregiver to a spouse, mother, father or other loved one or friend, knows that it can be a full-time job alone.  For those who also have to hold down a full-time job on top of that, it can be nearly devastating physically, emotionally — and even financially.

Many family caregivers just don’t know where to turn.  They feel responsible for taking care of their loved one and that it is necessary for them to bear the entire burden of care themselves.  But that’s simply not true. 

There are so many things that a Home Instead CAREGiver can help with that can remove at least some portion of the stress of family caregiving.  Things as simple as running errands, providing companionship, medication reminders and shopping.  Or things that you just don’t have time to do such as ironing, light housekeeping or making meals. 

Home Instead Senior Care can be there when you can’t.  But Home Instead can also be there caring for your elderly loved one when you need to take time for yourself perhaps to exercise, go get a massage, or simply for you to take care of other responsibilities for your job or your family.  Maybe you’re called to attend an out-of-town meeting or you need to attend your son or daughter’s college graduation or other important family event in which your elderly loved one isn’t able to attend.

These are real issues that the family caregiver has to handle every single day.  And it’s often tough for the caregiver to even think about taking time out of their busy day to do something for themself.  The stress can cause a wide range of health issues, according to the MetLife research, such as depression, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension and many employeed caregivers experience multiple health problems. And the research also says that female caregivers, even those younger, experience even a higher rate of health issues.

“While this news may be distressing, our research points out that coordination of eldercare services and wellness initiatives may open new avenues of innovation to benefit both employees and employers,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute.  “Employers can provide support to their employees and, at the same time, reduce their health care costs by anticipating and responding to the challenges of eldercare.”

Home Instead’s process of finding a caregiver to meet your needs is simple and fast.  Many times, we are able to match up the right CAREGiver to your needs either same day or within 24 hours.  While our office staff has regular business hours, you can reach us anytime by simply calling 707.586.1516 to discuss your senior care needs.  Home Instead Senior Care can help you get back to your main role of being a spouse, daughter, son or friend — and even employee — so that the stresses of family caregiving don’t negatively affect your own health.

Whenever we take a trip by airplane, we’re always reminded of the flight attendent’s instructions that, if you’re traveling with a child, always put your own mask on first and then help the child.  It’s a great reminder for family caregivers as well.  Let Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma County help you stay healthy and provide the best care possible for your elderly parent or loved one.

Put your own mask on first.