Books to help kids understand Alzheimer’s
If you’re struggling to explain to a child how Alzheimer’s is affecting their grandma or grandpa, you’re not alone. And there are a number of children’s books that tackle the disease.
In fact, three doctoral students at Washington University who were analyzing the way that children’s books describe the disease found 33 titles published for 4- to 12-year-olds from 1988 to 2009, as reported in The New York Times. Their findings were recently published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.
Erin Y. Sakai, the lead author of the study, told The New York Times. “Storybooks about a difficult disease like Alzheimer’s can be a gentle way to introduce it to young children. [Books] can also guide parents with their discussions.”
Sakai said that in general the books did a good job of portraying the cognitive aspects of the disease such as memory problems and poor judgement, but represented other elements less-so.
Areas that Sakai would have liked to have seen covered more were symptoms such as wandering, sleep disturbances and depression. She told the newspaper that she found only around a third depicted anger or irritability, and even fewer showed limitations in functioning like the inability to drive, feed oneself or walk, not to mention the diagnostic process and the fact that the disease is incurable and progressively gets worse until death — the aspects which are often the hardest for family members to deal with.
An abstract from the analysis states, “Clinical presentations are diverse among characters with AD, and no single book presents a comprehensive depiction of the cognitive, behavioral, affective, and functional symptoms of the disease. In fact, the prevalence of some symptoms in this population of storybook characters diverges substantially from epidemiological reports.”
Additionally, the paper states that books designed to familiarize children about AD should be comprehensive and accurate.
Paula Span, a columnist for The New York Times, brings up a valid counterpoint. Storybooks about the disease must also have an interesting story (to capture the attention of young children), something that’s often difficult to do when also cramming in facts about the realities of a disease.
Although the study didn’t rate any of the books — and despite the fact that Sakai declined to comment on which books among the 33 were the best at offering a comprehensive portrait of Alzheimer’s — Span and children’s book reviewer Marjorie Ingall offered their expertise on the subject at hand.
The top mentions from the article:
- “The Memory Box“
- “Still My Grandma“
- “Pop“
- “Curveball: The Year I lost My Grip“
Numerous other books on Alzheimer’s for children can be found with a quick search.
Caring for a family member suffering from Alzheimer’s is never an easy process, that’s why having the entire family — including young children — understand what the disease entails is important. Are there any books for children about Alzheimer’s that you have found particularly good? Let us know in the comments.
Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa” provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“
Real Stories: The many forms of assisted living
Real Stories: The many forms of assisted living
Todays post features real-life stories of how Physicians Choice Private Duty helped an elderly person and their loved ones through a tough decision-making process that ensured each persons individual care needs were met. Names have been changed to respect privacy.
Mabel
After many frustrating weeks, Mabel, a retired nurse with significant heart failure, dreamed of returning home from a local assisted living facility. By working with her son and daughter Physicians Choice Private Duty was able to help. Even though Mabel’s well-being required significant in-home care, medication management and financial restructuring, a plan set in place to make it happen. She is now living her dream, safe, and in her own home.
Walt
A frontal lobe atrophy diagnosis sent Walt into an assisted living environment. His family wanted the best for him, even though he was often physically and emotionally abusive towards them. Physicians Choice Private Duty assessed the needs of Walt and the family. In the end we were able to provide Walt with independence through transporting him to and from supervised outings. Walt was well-taken care of and so was his family, who could keep their respectful distance if needed.
Anne and Ed
When Anne’s husband, Ed, was sent to skilled care, it soon became obvious that she could not properly care for herself. Even though finances were an issue, Physicians Choice Private Duty was able to assist them. For Anne, we found low-income senior housing with some in-home care as well as transportation to see Ed, who remained in the skilled care facility long term.
Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/.”
Study finds brain damage makes elderly susceptible to scams
Study finds brain damage makes elderly susceptible to scams
In an earlier post, we discussed methods that were being used to scam the elderly out of money. But did you know that there’s a scientific reason that the tactics of con artists often work on the elderly?
Researchers at the University of Iowa have found that it may be the result of parts of the brain deteriorating or becoming damaged. To make this conclusion they pinpointed the exact location in the human brain that controls belief and doubt. It’s called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and its condition may explain why some are more easily duped than others.
The National Institute of Justice conducted a study in 2009 that found nearly 12 percent of Americans 60 and older had been exploited financially by a family member or stranger. Combine this with an estimate by MetLife that the annual loss to victims of elder financial abuse totals $2.9 billion and you’ve got a good picture of how often the elderly are exploited.
Nearly the size of softball, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is oval in shape and lodged in the front of the human head above the eyes. It’s part of a larger area that controls a number of emotions and behaviors including impulsiveness and poor planning. Though this is known by scientists, it has been difficult for them to find which regions of the prefrontal cortex are responsible for specific behaviors such as belief and doubt.
To crack this mystery the University of Iowa team relied on its Neurological Patient Registry. The registry was established in 1982, with more than 500 active members suffering various forms of brain damage to one or more regions of the brain. From this sampling the researchers selected 18 patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and 21 with damage outside of this area.
Then those patients, along with people with no brain damage, were shown (slightly misleading) advertisements as flagged by the Federal Trade Commission to test how much they believed about the ads.
It was found that patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex were about twice as likely to believe an ad, even when given disclaimer information that stated it was misleading. Also, they were more likely to say they’d buy the item regardless of how misleading an ad had been.
Even without prior damage, this region of the brain begins to deteriorate in people 60 and older. The deterioration onset and speed varies from person to person, however. Hopefully, these findings will help caregivers and family members be more understanding of the decisions that the elderly make.
Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“
Books to help kids understand Alzheimer’s
Books to help kids understand Alzheimer’s
If you’re struggling to explain to a child how Alzheimer’s is affecting their grandma or grandpa, you’re not alone. And there are a number of children’s books that tackle the disease.
In fact, three doctoral students at Washington University who were analyzing the way that children’s books describe the disease found 33 titles published for 4- to 12-year-olds from 1988 to 2009, as reported in The New York Times. Their findings were recently published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.
Erin Y. Sakai, the lead author of the study, told The New York Times. “Storybooks about a difficult disease like Alzheimer’s can be a gentle way to introduce it to young children. [Books] can also guide parents with their discussions.”
Sakai said that in general the books did a good job of portraying the cognitive aspects of the disease such as memory problems and poor judgement, but represented other elements less-so.
Areas that Sakai would have liked to have seen covered more were symptoms such as wandering, sleep disturbances and depression. She told the newspaper that she found only around a third depicted anger or irritability, and even fewer showed limitations in functioning like the inability to drive, feed oneself or walk, not to mention the diagnostic process and the fact that the disease is incurable and progressively gets worse until death — the aspects which are often the hardest for family members to deal with.
An abstract from the analysis states, “Clinical presentations are diverse among characters with AD, and no single book presents a comprehensive depiction of the cognitive, behavioral, affective, and functional symptoms of the disease. In fact, the prevalence of some symptoms in this population of storybook characters diverges substantially from epidemiological reports.”
Additionally, the paper states that books designed to familiarize children about AD should be comprehensive and accurate.
Paula Span, a columnist for The New York Times, brings up a valid counterpoint. Storybooks about the disease must also have an interesting story (to capture the attention of young children), something that’s often difficult to do when also cramming in facts about the realities of a disease.
Although the study didn’t rate any of the books — and despite the fact that Sakai declined to comment on which books among the 33 were the best at offering a comprehensive portrait of Alzheimer’s — Span and children’s book reviewer Marjorie Ingall offered their expertise on the subject at hand.
The top mentions from the article:
Numerous other books on Alzheimer’s for children can be found with a quick search.
Caring for a family member suffering from Alzheimer’s is never an easy process, that’s why having the entire family — including young children — understand what the disease entails is important. Are there any books for children about Alzheimer’s that you have found particularly good? Let us know in the comments.
Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa” provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“
Two tools for quickly comparing nursing home track records
Two tools for quickly comparing nursing home track records
Before placing a loved one in a nursing home, you’ll undoubtedly want to check and compare the track records of numerous care facilities. Luckily, two websites make the task of reviewing problems at nursing homes, and comparing one nursing home in your area to another, quick and easy.
Nursing Home Compare
Nursing Home Compare is Medicaid’s online tool for comparing the rankings and complaint records of care facilities. Users can search for rankings based on area code, city/state or facility name. Rankings are based on five stars, which in turn makes comparing one facility ranking to another very efficient. A drawback is that nursing homes aren’t included in the listings if they aren’t certified to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. Still, the site does include information on more than 17,000 nursing homes nationwide.
A search of “Omaha, Nebraska” brought back 22 results, with each nursing home being ranked in several categories. The facilities are rated overall on health inspections, staffing and quality. Also useful on the site is a downloadable guide to choosing a nursing home and a checklist to take when visiting nursing homes, which is also downloadable.
Nursing Home Inspect
This database comes from Propublica — the nonprofit investigative news organization. It is also more than helpful in assisting with the daunting task of evaluating nursing homes, though it was developed by journalists to make the task of studying problems in nursing homes easier. At first glance, it may seem hard to navigate — a deficiency rating scale based on the alphabet might also throw some off — but with a little practice it delivers very specific results. Nursing Home Inspect allows users to search based on state rather than specific city, unlike Nursing Home Compare. It’s also possible to search based on severity of nursing home deficiency if you’re looking to quickly weed out nursing homes based on possible problems. Keyword search and searching by nursing home name are also possible.
One of the features that makes Nursing Home Inspect different from other options out there is that it makes finding the actual inspection reports readily available so that a user can get context into why a particular nursing home received a certain rating. For those not very technically inclined it may prove useful to check out the website’s tipsheet — a tutorial for using Home Inspect — prior to use.
If you don’t want to attempt the nursing home selection process on your own, Physicians Choice Private Duty can help.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“
Helping Your Parent Age: Protecting from scammers
Helping Your Parent Age: Protecting from scammers
Nearly 7.3 million seniors — nearly 20 percent of all Americans 65 and older — have been scammed. This news comes according to estimates from a study by the Investor Protection Trust. An article at the Huffington Post states that MetLife Inc. estimated the yearly loss to victims of these scams to be $2.9 billion.
The article also brings up a deceptive tactic that these swindlers are using to gain an air of legitimacy. They’re taking to hiring courier services to deliver documents, which require a signature from the victim. As an added bonus to the scammer, this practice also limits the time that potential victims will have to read the documents somewhat. Since most couriers work on a per job basis they are under time constraints that they might convey to those being scammed. Subsequently, the courier becomes an unwilling participant in the scam while performing his or her job.
AARP The Magazine has an entire section titled Scams and Fraud, which is dedicated to articles about scams that target the elderly. The Huffington Post also offers readers advice on preventing the top five scams targeted to the elderly:
The Nigerian Prince Scam
The Craigslist Scam
The Prize Scam
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/.“
Real Stories: Helping dementia patients and their loved ones
Real Stories: Helping dementia patients and their loved ones
Todays post features real-life stories of how Physicians Choice Private Duty helped an elderly person and their loved ones through a tough decision-making process that ensured each persons individual care needs were met. Names have been changed to respect privacy.
David and Karen
A husband with a recurrence of his cancer and a wife with early onset dementia wanted a long-term plan developed for both of them, they reached out to Physicians Choice Private Duty. We studied their financial, social and living future and developed a plan that kept them as independent as possible for as long as possible. Their major request was to be able to remain together, and with some creative planning this has happened.
Gail
Gail, an elderly woman with dementia, moved to Omaha to live with her daughter when her disease made it impossible for her to function independently. Unable to take on full time caregiving duties, Gail’s family contacted Physicians Choice Private Duty to create a plan that would allow her to remain with the family for as long as possible. After she was safe and taken care of in home, we then worked on long-term care placement for her, which included applying for a Medicaid Waiver.
Ray
A farmer with dementia living in rural Nebraska needed to be placed in a memory care facility to ease the caregiving burden put on his family (who were unable to forgo their daily work duties). Physicians Choice Private Duty worked with the family to apply for Veterans Benefits, Medicaid and Spousal Impoverishment so he could get the care he needed and the wife could remain in the family home. He was placed in a facility close enough to the family farm so that he could be visited regularly.
Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“
Snoring can be a predictor of potentially deadly disorder
Snoring can be a predictor of potentially deadly disorder
NFL legend Reggie White died in his sleep at the early age of 43. Although the medical examiner who performed an autopsy on White said a “fatal cardiac arrhythmia” was the cause of death there may have been another contributing factor: sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which a person has one or more cessations in breathing, or otherwise shallow breaths, while sleeping. These pauses can last a few seconds to minutes at a time and may occur 30 or more times per hour. When breathing resumes there is sometimes a loud snort or choking sound. Sleep apnea is normally chronic in nature and disrupts sleep causing one to move from deep sleep into light sleep.
Since sleep apnea occurs during sleep, it is often undiagnosed although there is a clear sign that can indicate the disease: snoring while sleeping.
Obstructive sleep apnea is caused when the airway becomes blocked. Air that squeezes past this obstruction can cause snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is most often found in those who are overweight but can also occur in young children as the result of swollen tonsil tissue.
AARP The Magazine offers other signs to look out for:
If you have an aging loved one who’s quality of life is diminished due to recent diagnosis of sleep apnea, consult a senior care provider, such as Physicians Choice Private Duty, serving Omaha, Nebraska and surrounding areas.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit us today..“
#eldercarechat recap: October 3rd, 2012
#ELDERCARECHAT RECAP: OCTOBER 3RD, 2012
Elder Care Chat is a bi-monthly Twitter chat hosted by Seniors For Living and Denise M. Brown. Physicians Choice Private Duty, providing elder care solutions for the greater Omaha area, once again joined in on the conversation, which focused on the quality of life for caregivers, their families and the seniors they are caring for.
We’ve found chats like this one are a great online gathering place for professional caregivers from across the world to discuss the issues currently facing our industry. With so many people sharing their insights, it’s also a great resource to learn from, helping us all to make the services we provide better and better.
Below is a recap of yesterday’s #eldercarechat, which we put together via Storify.
http://storify.com/EncompassSenior/encompass-senior-solutions-elder-care-chat-october
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“
A drama about caregiving for aging parents on YouTube
A drama about caregiving for aging parents on YouTube
“Ruth and Erica,” a new drama showing only on YouTube, gives those caring for their aging parents something to relate to. The show stars veteran actors Lois Smith and Philip Baker Hall as Ruth and Harry Rappaport, a couple who resist the suggestions of Erica (Maura Tierney), their only child, that they move to a retirement community following Harry’s decline into dementia. And with Michael C. Hall involved behind the cameras, it’s safe to say that the series has some star power and the production is of professional quality.
Each episode of the 13-part series will run approximately eight minutes. “Ruth and Erica” follows the characters over the course of a year as they grapple with the decisions forced on them by aging.
Amy Lippman created the series and directed all 13 episodes. Lippman told the New York Times, I decided to write about something I was experiencing, and all my friends were experiencing — parents who’d been independent and self-sufficient, but were beginning to need more support and guidance. It seems to have come as a shock to all of us.
In the show, Erica struggles to balance the long-distance care of her aging parents with the events in her own life. Erica must also face what will become of her in old-age as, she has no children of her own.
Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“
Music aids with transition to dying
Music aids with transition to dying
As Growthouse.org points out in a recent article, for most people music as a comfort starts with a lullaby when they are still just babies. Thus, for a very long time, the healing power of music is believed to be real.
Aristotle and Plato wrote about their beliefs in the healing power of music, and during medieval times, a monastic chant for the sick developed. In fact, the Benedictine Order supported their sick or dying members with formal musical rituals.
In 1944, Michigan State University offered the first actual college degree in music therapy.
Creativity in Healthcare points out some benefits to patients who listen to music:
The end of life journey is different for each individual. As difficult as it may be, try talking with your loved one, as well as their caregivers, you can ensure that they are as comfortable and happy as possible.
Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“