Elderly diseases that overlap

home care omahaA new government study shows that among America’s 733,000 assisted living residents, 82 percent have at least one of the three most common chronic conditions — high blood pressure, heart disease or Alzheimer’s. And many of these residents suffer from multiple chronic conditions.

What’s most concerning, however, is how multiple diseases are treated in an elderly adult. For example, treatment for high blood pressure often includes diuretics, which cause someone to urinate frequently. But if that same person also suffers from Alzheimer’s or other onset dementia they’ll likely already be incontinent.

Much of the way we practice medicine is looking at disease by disease, Dr. Cynthia Boyd, professor of geriatric medicine at Johns Hopkins, told the New York Times. We aren’t doing enough thinking about how to add them together and really integrate care.

The Times article has a beautiful Venn diagram accompanying it, showing data from 2010 National Center for Health Statistics, including how often the above mentioned conditions coincide and why overlap is fast becoming an important new field of study.

Check out the interactive diagram here. Some stats are adapted below.

    • 42% of assisted living residents have Alzheimer’s or other onset dementia — a higher percentage than expected by the authors of the National Center for Health Statistics.

 

    • 57% of residents had high blood pressure, which can be especially difficult to treat properly in a patient with multiple conditions.

 

    • Among those 57% with high blood pressure and 42% with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, 18% suffered from both.

 

    • 34% of assisted living residents in the study had heart disease. Certain treatments like statins can cause cognitive impairment, a big concern if the patient also has dementia.

 

    • 9% of residents had all three conditions, which are extremely difficult to treat due to complicated drug regimens and several side effects.

 

 

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 Encompass services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.

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Elderly Care: How to approach mental illness

home care omahaStudies show that upwards of 20 percent of people over the age of 55 suffer from some sort of mental disorder. Among the most common conditions are anxiety disorders, substance abuse, severe cognitive impairment (e.g., Alzheimer’s) and mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder. On top of this, older adults with other debilitating conditions such as heart disease can easily develop severe depression, especially if their mental health is ignored.

As a family caregiver, addressing the mental illness of your aging loved one no doubt evokes stress along with feelings of dread. But it’s a necessary conversation to have, one that will help ensure your loved one’s care needs are met. A recent post on senior living news blog A Place for Mom offers the following strategies for approaching the touchy topic.

    • Make sure they are taking proper medication. Medication prescribed for mental illness aims to help diminish symptoms like anxiety. It’s also a good bet that your loved one will be more receptive when they are properly medicated.

 

    • Choose a safe, calm time. Find a time of day and a place when you and your loved one are both calm (e.g., after running weekend errands together). Chances for having an open, honest conversation is more likely if you and your loved one are both calm and clear-headed.

 

    • Take resistance in stride. When the conversations takes a negative shift, try to switch to a less inflammatory topic. Threats and outbursts from you will only shut down the conversation and add anxiety. Also, don’t take outbursts directed at you personally.

 

    • If at first you don’t succeed, try again. If your loved one is unreceptive to a conversation regrading their mental health issues don’t be afraid to drop it for the time being and address it a later point in time.

 

    • Get the proper paperwork you to care for your loved one. In some cases, elderly persons with mental health problems may be unable to take care of their day-to-day care needs. Don’t feel guilty about getting a medical power of attorney that will allow you to make decisions on your loved one’s behalf.

 

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 Encompass services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.

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“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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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Experts to discuss elder care & dementia on NET special

logoThe public is invited to be a part of an April 30 TV special that will address elder care and dementia, reported the Lincoln Journal Star. For the show, a panel of experts will answer live audience questions. Those interested should head to NET Television Studio in Lincoln, located at 1800 N. 33rd Street. Seating begins at 1:30 p.m. followed by live recording beginning at 2 p.m. Airing takes place in May on NET Television.

The panel experts — who will cover areas such as dementia research, psychosocial issues, care levels and financial issues – include:

    • Dan Murman — neurologist at University of Nebraska Medical Center

 

    • Abbie J. Widger — attorney with Johnson, Flodman, Guenzel and Widger in Lincoln

 

    • Helen Crunk, RN — administrator of Hillcrest Mable Rose in Bellevue, Nebraska Assisted Living Association chairperson and member of National Center for Assisted Living Board of Directors

 

    • Carol Ernst — executive director of Eastmont Towers Community and Nebraska Assisted Living Association vice chairperson.

 

The panel will be moderated by Anna Fisher.

The article also mentioned that there will be a lunch with guest speakers held at noon prior to recording. Lunch speakers are Clayton Freeman (program director of Alzheimer’s Association Midlands Chapter) and Heath Boddy (president and CEO of the Nebraska Health Care Association).

The show is affiliated with the NET’s “Now What? a program dealing with elder care and dementia issues.

The event is free to attend but RSVPs are required by April 25 by calling Charity Thomas at 402-682-6595 or online at brownpapertickets.com/event/360753.

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 Encompass 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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day

When a loved one nears the end of his or her life, there are important decisions to make — decisions that few families are prepared for. That “oh no” moment when you realize your ailing mother might not recover from a stroke or your father is nearing the end of late-stage renal disease leaves you and other family members emotionally confused about exactly what’s the best thing to do. It doesn’t help that your ailing loved one is in such a fragile state that he or she is unable to make any decisions on her own.

This situation is what National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) aims to address. Held Tuesday, April 16th, NHDD raises awareness on how to prepare for the important end-of-life care decisions we all will eventually face. NHDD emphasizes mapping out an advance directive complete with designating a healthcare power of attorney and creating living will.

Watch this video for more information about NHDD:

https://vimeo.com/36052824

Tips from the video on how to make a plan

    • Think about what’s right for you.

 

    • What medical treatments would you want or not want if you were unlikely to survive?

 

    • What’s meaningful for you? Spiritual support? Having family nearby? Being at home?

 

    • Name a substitute decision maker — someone who can speak for you when you cannot.

 

    • If you can, put your wishes in writing.

 

  • Talk to your family and your healthcare team about your wishes.

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 Encompass 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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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What’s a ‘granny pod’?

Losing our independence is something we all dread. That’s why it’s so common for an elderly person to so adamantly oppose moving from their home into an assisted living facility. Even so, living alone at home is not always an option in cases where an elderly person’s family may be too far away to offer daily care. Recognizing a need for a new type of senior housing that allowed the elder to remain as independent as possible yet live close to his or her family, Pastor Ken Dupin developed the MedCottage.

Commonly called a “granny pod,” a MedCottage is a mobile apartment that can be installed adjacent to a house. The MedCottage’s three rooms are set up much like a hospital suite and come complete with cushioned floors, a walk-in shower, first aid kit and support bars equipped throughout the pod. It even has multiple webcams installed to monitor the elder’s whereabouts, allowing the family to quickly seek help if anything should happen while they’re away from the house.

As you could imagine, MedCottage’s don’t come cheap. A 12×24-foot prefabricated unit will set you back at least $85,000. Still, taking into consideration the cost of living in a nursing home averages more than $70,000 per year, it may pan out to be a good investment — especially since it maximizes the happiness of your elderly parent.

Take a video tour of a MedCottage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVenuZ7-WM0

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 Encompass 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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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Company culture and caregiving

home care omahaResearch tells us that more than two thirds of caregivers work full or part-time and represent 15 percent of the the entire U.S. workforce. And that’s just today — with an aging population these numbers are expected to grow over the next several decades, creating more strain on companies not adept to meeting the needs of employees who care for an aging parent, spouse or other loved one.

A Huffington Post article by Caregiver Club CEO Sherri Snelling examines this situation in-depth, concluding that the culture at many companies needs to change from the C-Suite down to open up and willingly help employees meet the demands of family life rather than punishing employees by forcing them to live in fear of losing their jobs.

Here are some key takeaways from Snelling’s article:

    • Caregiving doesn’t discriminate — Everyone will be affected by it in some capacity during their life. That’s why it’s important for employers to not discriminate against caregiving employees.

 

    • Train HR to accommodate caregivers — While a leave of absence or working from home for a period of time is routine in a situation like child birth, it’s usually not an option for someone in a long-term caregiving situation. Snelling argues it should be.

 

    • C-Suite should be champions (not challengers) of caregiving — Snelling points out that many C-level executives are completely unaware of the struggles many of their employees face when juggling work and caregiving. A good starting point is education. For example, the Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance campaign has signed up more than 1,600 companies to receive information and educational materials for employees about the prevalence and impact of Alzheimer’s disease.

 

    • Many employees are reluctant to tell their supervisor about their caregivng duties — Caregiving.org found that 50 percent of working caregivers are reluctant to tell their supervisor about any caregiving responsibilities. This happens because many companies don’t allow time off for caregiving, forcing employees to choose between elder care and keeping a job. On the other side, because employees don’t want to reveal themselves as caregivers, their employers are a lot less likely to try and understand why some time away from the office might be necessary.

 

Is your company culture adapting fast enough to the demands of its caregiving employees? Let us know on Twitter or 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 Encompass services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.

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“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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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Walgreens to diagnose and treat chronic conditions

WalgreensWalgreens announced last week that it will expand its health care services to include diagnosing and treating patients for chronic conditions, reported USA Today. On the senior care front, those suffering from diabetes and high cholesterol could benefit from the expanded services from Walgreens Take Care Clinics.

Dr. Jeffrey Kang, senior vice president of health and wellness services and solutions at Walgreens, revealed in a press release that this will effect more than 300 Take Care Clinics in select Walgreens in across the United States:

With this service expansion, Take Care Clinics now provide the most comprehensive service offering within the retail clinic industry, and can play an even more valuable role in helping patients get, stay and live well Through greater access to services and a broader focus on disease prevention and chronic condition management, our clinics can connect and work with physicians and other providers to better help support the increasing demands on our health care system today.

The service expansion will allow medical professionals at Walgreens to treat and help patients manage several chronic conditions. Medical staff at Walgreens will even be able to write prescriptions and offer preventative health services including conducting lab tests and screenings based on a persons age, gender and family history, CBS reported. The whole process will be overseen by physicians who will be able to receive test results and other information electronically.

Walgreens announcement does have its doubters, however. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) released a statement saying that it’s more difficult to manage a patients care when treated in various settings and that these clinics may not have the specialty services required to treat more complex diseases.

The article didn’t mention whether or not Walgreens in Iowa and/or Nebraska are to be initially included.

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“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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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Are you ambivalent about your caregiving role?

StressLet’s just address the elephant in the room. Although it’s the noble and often right thing to do, having to care for an aging loved one can cause mixed feelings of dread and resentment with kindness and love.

A recent post by Barry J. Jacobs on the AARPs caregiving blog makes the point that such ambivalence is perfectly OK — and maybe even should be expected. In the article, Jacobs writes about resenting the many trips he made with his mother to visit his demented stepfather in a smelly, crowded and unpleasant nursing home. On the way home, the guilt always began to seep in. Who am I to complain about this inconvenience, he writes, when my mother is experiencing so much loss?

These feelings were especially perplexing to Jacobs, who is a psychologist specializing in emotional strain surrounding family caregiving. So after much rumination he offered the following tips on avoiding the debilitating effects of caregiver ambivalence, adapted from the article.

Accept the fact that caregiving will stir up different feelings at different times. Very few (if any) caregivers are gung-ho about their duties at all times, so there’s no reason to beat yourself up for having moments of frustration, anger, etc. over your personal sacrifices. And remember such negative feelings do not mean you feel antagonistic towards your loved one, rather it might just mean you hate the dirty work involved.

Spare yourself harsh self-judgments from the imperfections in the personal relationship between you and your loved one.If there’s a long-running imperfections in a relationship — like a bad marriage between spouses or lifelong resentment between a child and an over-controlling parent — just expect it to bring about some ambivalence. This is perfectly normal and is nothing to beat yourself up over.

Gauging your feelings will help guide your caregiving. You’ll be more comfortable, less reactive and better able to sustain yourself if you accept the natural ambivalence brought on by caring for a family member. Those who are often stressed out and overwhelmed by caregiving duties should reevaluate their plan of action and consider seeking support and/or help.

Are there any other ways to cope with caregiver ambivalence? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments.

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“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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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Study: Alzheimers costlier than cancer and heart disease

Calculator and ReceiptWhile both cancer and heart disease claim more lives each year, a study by nonprofit RAND Corp. found that Alzheimers and other types of dementia are more costly to families and society in the U.S., racking up $157 billion to $215 billion a year in bills. And the majority of the cost isn’t wrapped up in drugs or medical treatment but rather the day-to-day care that is required to help cognitively impaired people function.

The study also found that about 4.1 million Americans suffer from dementia, a new number that experts now consider to be more reliable than the 5.2 million estimate from the Alzheimers Association, reported the Associated Press.

More numbers from the RAND study:

    • Nearly 15 percent of people over 70 have Alzheimers.

 

    • Dementias direct costs topped out at $109 billion for 2010 compared to $102 billion for heart disease and $77 billion for cancer.

 

    • Caregiving costs average between $41,000-$56,000 per year for each dementia case.

 

“Dementia is among the most costly diseases to society, and we need to address this if we’re going to come to terms with the cost to the Medicare and Medicaid system,” Matthew Baumgart, senior director of public policy at the Alzheimer’s Association, told the AP.

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“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..”

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Heart Disease and Women: Know Your Numbers

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women (and men) in the United States. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, one in four women die from heart disease. Although these numbers are daunting, small changes such as losing weight and sleeping more can significantly reduce someone’s risk of heart disease. Living a heart-healthy lifestyle is something women age 55 and over should especially “take to heart,” as 70.4 is the average age when women are at the greatest risk for having a heart attack.

The following video from the University of Virginia Heart and Vascular Center Initiative breaks down heart disease by the numbers, stressing the importance of knowing what numbers are good and bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4cRMGp3bPI

Facts and figures from the video:

    • Of the 157 million women in the United States, 40 million are currently living with heart disease.

 

    • A total cholesterol number less than 200 is considered healthy.

 

    • A (bad) cholesterol LDL number is less than 100.

 

    • A (good) cholesterol HDL number is equal to or greater than 50.

 

    • A healthy triglyceride level is less than 150.

 

    • A healthy blood pressure reading is less than 120/80.

 

    • Fasting glucose should be less than 100.

 

    • Body mass index (BMI) should be less than 25.

 

    • Losing five to 10 pounds can lower you triglycerides.

 

    • 30 minutes of exercise a day can help protect your heart.

 

    • Getting eight hours of sleep a night can lower your blood pressure.

 

The biggest takeaway from the video? The majority of heart disease is preventable by simply adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle.

“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 http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”

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