I found this great article on Administration for Aging’s website, which I want to share wiht you!  I think it pretty much says it all - I especially appreciate the proactive focus on positive and healthy aging - instead of just reacting to problems.

The United States is nearing the start of a tremendous demographic shift. Beginning in 2011, the first of 78 million baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) will start transitioning into retirement, kicking off an expansion in the number of elderly people that will continue for decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one out of every nine baby boomers will live to be at least age 90. Our Nation will benefit in many ways from a larger population of older adults, a group that constitutes one of our greatest resources. Older adults support our society by providing millions of hours of volunteer, community, and civic service through formal organizations and a variety of informal arrangements. They enhance our communities and personal lives by sharing and transferring knowledge of cultures, values, and life experiences among generations. Thankfully, the contributions of older adults will continue to flourish in the coming years, since older citizens of today and tomorrow promise to be among the most active and engaged older adult populations in our Nation’s history.An expanding older adult population also spotlights our responsibility to ensure the well-being of our older citizens. As a Nation, we are working diligently to address older adults’ unique health and long-term care challenges. The thousands of professionals, caregivers, and volunteers that make up the National Aging Services Network have been collaborating in innumerable ways for decades to fulfill the mission of the Older Americans Act. Led by the U.S. Administration on Aging, the Network is now engaged in modernizing systems of care to provide consumers with more control over their lives.May is Older Americans Month, a great time to bring attention to the issues that affect older adults. This year’s theme is “Working Together for Strong, Healthy, and Supportive Communities,” which speaks to the opportunities we have to create better care and reinforce healthier societies for all ages. Working together, our communities can improve older adults’ overall quality of life by helping them:

• Make behavioral changes in their lifestyles that can reduce risk of disease, disability, and injury.

• Obtain the tools they need to make informed decisions about, and gain better access to, existing health and long-term care options in their communities.

• <Have more options to avoid placement in nursing homes and remain at home as long as possible

Americans of all ages and backgrounds can celebrate Older Americans Month. Contact your local Agency on Aging and volunteer for activities in your area, promote community, state and national efforts to serve older adults, and find ways to enrich the lives of the older adults who touch your life. By working together we can improve the health and well being of our Nation’s older adults and pave the way for future generations.

The internet is helping caregivers share information with family and friends who live out-of-town, more conveniently and efficiently.  Personal-help websites are offering free services enabling caregivers, to share updates and personal messages.   These sites are being used by caregivers who may be caring for someone with life-threatening medical conditions, newborn infants, and frail older adults. 

This could be an excellent tool for adult children and other family members to stay abreast of the status of their loved ones, and make it easier for the primary caregiver.  Having been a caregiver in this situation, I know how draining it can be to try and keep everyone informed, while also providing care and communicating with the myriad of healthcare professionals who may also be involved.

 The Miami Herald posted a full article on this topic, which provides more in-depth information.  The two websites named in the article are CaringBridge.org and CarePages.org.

Tags: Elderly Care, Elderly Issues

 10 Ideas on Caring — when you’re not the primary caregiver

At Pathways for Aging we hear from out-of-town caregivers, who need someone nearby who can be their eye and ears, help prevent crises, and advocate for their loved one, but that doesn’t mean the long-distance caregiver no longer wants to be involved.  Especially when a caregiver is not involved in the day-to-day care, they aren’t always sure of what their role should be. I found these great tips on Caring.com website, and thought I would share an excerpt of the article by,   Paula Spencer, Senior Editor.

“Whether you live across the country or across town, if you’re not the one primarily responsible for the care of a parent with Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia, it’s easy to feel helpless or be unsure how to help. Here are some productive ideas:

• - Lend a supportive ear
• - Connect with your parent
• - Make visits productive”

You can read the full article @ http://www.caring.com/articles/alzheimers-support-from-a-distance#lend-a-supportive-ear

Tags: Alzheimers Disease, Elderly Care

“It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.”

……said Singer, Ella Fitzgerald

Recently I had the opportunity to see the stage presentation “Ella” at the Repertory Theater in St. Louis.  It was an amazing show, and portrayed legendary singer, Ella Fitzgerald, not only singing her way through most of the show, but reminiscing about her life, and deciding to mend some relationships before it was too late.

 Ms. Fitzgerald’s quote, illustrates her philosophy about life and is no doubt a secret to her success.  The idea of looking forward, is not always popular with the elderly, but the ability to live in the present, not the past, and to look forward to the future, is certainly a key to happiness.   Taking time to enjoy the moment and making plans for the future, rather than brooding over the past, is a practice that people of all ages can benefit from.

Tags: Aging with Grace, Positive Aging

 This excerpt was taken from the April 14, 2008, Health Section of the New York Times.
  “[Alzheimer’s Disease…..] Meanwhile, the numbers are staggering: 4.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s, 1 in 10 over 65 and nearly half of those over 85. Taking care of them costs $100 billion a year, and the number of patients is expected to reach 11 million to 16 million by 2050. Experts say the disease will swamp the health system.

It’s already swamping millions of families, who suffer the anguish of seeing a loved one’s mind and personality disintegrate, and who struggle with caregiving and try to postpone the wrenching decision about whether they can keep the patient at home as helplessness increases, incontinence sets in and things are only going to get worse.”

 …….The person with dementia has been transported into a strange, confusing new world and the best other people can do is to try to imagine the view from there and get with the program.”

I recommend that you save your sanity and avoid arguments and constantly correcting your loved one.  They are not doing this on purpose.  Don’t beat yourself up trying to correct them; it will only frustrate both of you. Instead, focus on their fear/concern and then try to alleviate it and redirect them.  Continually correcting them only makes both of you feel worse.

If you are having difficulty doing this, consider consulting with a professional for specific recommendations and coaching regarding your situation.

Tags: Alzheimers Disease, Elderly Care

On April 16, 2008, join Americans across the country to talk to others about your future healthcare decisions and to complete your advance directive!

In this month’s newsletter I mentioned the website for National Health Care Directive Day: http://www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org/.

 I cannot emphasize enough how strongly I believe in the importance of completing an Advance Directive, or at least discussing your wishes with family members.  Having worked in a large medical center with patients on life support and close to end-of-life, I witnessed the anguish of family members as they were faced with difficult decisions that they were not prepared to make.  I feel so strongly about this, that as an Adjunct Instructor at The Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in Saint Louis, I require my students to complete one as one of their assignments, and write an essay about their experience. 

For those who may not be familiar with the process or terminology, I have included an excerpt from the website; it is never too late to begin the discussion…..

What is an advance directive?

All adults can benefit from thinking about what their healthcare choices would be if they are unable to speak for themselves.  These decisions can be written down in an advance directive so that others know what they are. 

Advance directives come in two main forms:

• A “healthcare power of attorney” (or “proxy” or “agent” or “surrogate”) documents the person you select to be your voice for your healthcare decisions if you cannot speak for yourself.
• A “living will” documents what kinds of medical treatments you would or would not want at the end of life.
•  http://www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org/

Tags: Elderly Issues

• Story Highlights
• Internet can help you find qualified, trustworthy in-home care for aging parents
• Empowered Patient this week does a lot of the searching for you
• Government and privately run sites match service providers to your needs

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/03/20/ep.family.care/index.html?iref=nextin

I am including an excerpt of this great article I just read on the CNN website, by Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Empowered Patient, a regular feature from CNN Medical News correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, helps put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to health care.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — There are a lot of Marys in Mary Jane McGill’s extended family, so each one gets a special name. Mary who lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts, is “Mary Rozy.” Mary from Everett, Massachusetts, is called “Mary Everett.” And McGill? She’s “Mary Google.”

When Mary Nee, back second from left. needed an in-home caregiver, her daughter turned to the Internet.

“I use it for everything,” McGill says of the search engine. “My family kids me about it.”

One day last week, McGill used Google in a way even she never dreamed of: to find care for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease and suddenly needed someone living at her house 24/7. Her search quickly turned up a number of the many resources that can help you connect with in-home help for a parent who’s aging, ill or both. And this week, Empowered Patient will save you some searching time.

But these days, more and more people are using the Internet to find a caregiver instead of, or along with, traditional methods of finding care, such as asking friends and family. Here, from caregiving experts, are Web sites that link you to caregivers, plus sites that offer other services.

1. To find a caregiver in your area, visit these sites.

2. Tips for selecting a caregiver

3. A geriatric care manager may help.

4. Find home health care experts where you live.

5. Set up a Web site for your family.

Baby boomers and older adults are increasingly using the internet to access information about aging, caregiving, resources, and even for support. Our goal is that you will come to see the Pathways for Aging website as one of your tools and resources for helping you to access what you need in navigating the challenges and rewards of aging.

Read the entire article and visit the links here.

Tags: aging resources via websites

I saw this article last week on CNN.com: Study: Alzheimer’s risk higher if both parents have it -

Story Highlights

Study finds higher Alzheimer’s risk if both your parents have it

Researcher: “We’re working on trying to find out what the magnitude is”

Risk grows with age, study found

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/10/alzheimers.both.parents.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

This story has been on all the major networks and CNN the past week, and gives voice to the concerns of millions baby boomers. We have known for years that the longer we live, the greater our chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease. But with the growing aging population, the burden of care on our society as well as individual families will certainly increase. There is a multitude of resources out there which can assist with care giving, but families trying to learn about all of them can become quickly overwhelmed and exhausted as they add this to the burden of care they are already providing.

That is where the expertise of a geriatric care manager or professional social worker experienced in working with older adults, can provide a family with guidance and support. Performing a comprehensive in-home assessment of the older adult and their environment enables the care manager to fully assess the needs of the older adult and their family, and then resource information can be targeted to their needs, and eliminate the need to spend time making multiple and potentially futile telephone calls or tours of inappropriate resources.

The professional Social Workers at Pathways for Aging, specialize in working with older adults and their families, and strive to provide unbiased information and resources. We are not affiliated with, and have no financial incentive, to use a particular service provider for home care or any other services. When you use the services of Pathways for Aging, you know you are receiving recommendations based on your family’s needs and situation.

Tags: Alzheimer's Disease and baby boomers

Welcome to the Pathways for Aging blog… we will be using this site to share with you some of the best information on resources on helping the older adult in your life navigate the challenges of aging.

PATHWAYS FOR AGING is a group of professional clinical social workers, who are licensed and hold Masters Degrees in Social Work. All of the social workers on staff are experienced in working with older adults and their families, and are Medicare approved mental health providers.

We will be sharing our experiences with you through this blog including information on aging with grace, Alzheimers Disease, elderly care, depression in the elderly, elderly drivers, memory loss, and many other elderly issues.

Feel free to contact us at 314.361.3530 if we can be of further assistance.

Tags: Elderly Issues