Minding Our Elders®

LTC ombudsman discovers first-hand dehumanizing nature of some nursing home procedures

One of my most cherished mottos is that we can’t really know – deeply and completely – what another person feels or is going through unless we’ve experienced their pain. An obviously enlightened, educated long-term care advocate has proven this old adage to be correct.

Deb Holtz is Minnesota’s Long-term care ombudsman, the top consumer advocate for thousands of elderly Minnesotans. Her career is helping nursing home residents or their families, who have complaints about facility care, resolve those complaints.

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Caregiver alert: today’s middle-aged women first generation not expected to outlive male counterparts

We've read the statistics repeatedly. Stress shortens life. Caregivers are generally stressed by the many demands, emotional and physical, on their time and energy. Many are of the sandwich generation, those who are defined as caregivers for both the young and the aged. Several studies show that 30 percent of caregivers will die before the people they care for. This is not just true of older caregivers. All ages are at risk since stress levels, combined with self-neglect because of time constraints and exhaustion, can lead to undetected cancers, depression, auto-immune diseases, high blood pressure and other health risks.

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Caregivers May Wonder about Quality of Life for Elders

As a person who was the primary caregiver for multiple elders, many of whom lived for years with debilitating medical problems, I join the ranks of those who have wondered about the price we pay for being “saved” from diseases, only to live for years in a much diminished state. Please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. I loved my elders, and wouldn’t willingly have given up a moment that I spent with them.

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How to preserve our elders sense of purpose and dignity and still keep them safe

How do we get them to stop doing “handyman” tasks, doing yard work that should be hired out or even extensive kitchen work? Everyone needs a reason to get out of bed in the morning. If a person has no purpose in life, why go on living? For elders whose bodies – and sometimes minds – seem to betray them more each day, this becomes and issue.

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More tests developed to diagnose Alzheimer’s early: would you want to know?

News from the Alzheimer's Association's International Conference which recently took place in Paris has been exciting in many ways. One of the most interesting - and to many people, controversial - topics has been the advancement of tests that can diagnose Alzheimer's disease up to 20 years prior to symptoms.Why the controversy?

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When caring for people with Alzheimer’s Give Choices When Possible

Maybe it’s because I grew up close to my maternal grandparents. Maybe it’s because my paternal grandmother lived with us in our home for many years. Maybe it’s just my nature. Whatever the reason, I’ve always loved older people. I’ve loved their stories and their histories.  These are people who have lived full lives. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect no matter what age and disease has taken from them. Part of that respect is to allow them to make choices whenever they can. This approach is the aim of person-centered care, which is now the epitome of good nursing homes.

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When Alzheimer’s turns nice people violent

Dear Carol: My husband has mid-stage Alzheimer’s. He’s always been a wonderful man, but the disease has changed him and he’s become violent. After he hit me in the face, I needed eye surgery. Even after this event, my children fight the idea of placing him in assisted living. How do I convince them that things need to change? – Andrea

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How do your elders view new technology that monitors their home life?

During my busiest elder care years, I convinced several of my elders to wear personal medial alarms. With personal medical alarms, the person wearing the alarm is in control. If there’s a fall or other emergency, the person pushes a button on the bracelet or necklace style alarm, and help is summoned. Once they agreed to wear the devices, my elders did feel more peace of mind.

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The “hidden” financial costs when we quit our jobs to care for our loved ones

I don’t need a study to tell me that leaving the workforce to become a family caregiver has cost me, financially, big time. All I have to do is look my puny projected Social Security. Over two decades of my adult “productive” years have been spent caring for elders and children while not working at paid employment.

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"Green Kitty" helps explain Alzheimer’s to pre-teens; emphasizes elders’ value

“Green Kitty,” written by Faer Bryan, takes me back to the delights of my pre-teen years as I listened to my grandparents’ talk of “the old days.” I loved their stories. My mom’s mother, particularly, was a natural storyteller. When my older brother and I would visit my grandparents, who then lived a couple of hundred miles from our community, we’d go with them to historical sites. My grandparents knew more than the young summer guides.

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Extreme heat puts elders at risk for illness or death

This heat wave is affecting nearly the whole country.  I expect soon to read articles about our large metro areas sending volunteers to check on elders who live in small apartments without air condition.

My mother-in-law was always a worry in the heat as she couldn’t understand why she had to leave her AC on, though she’d sit in her hot condominium under stifling conditions. When I went to her home for my daily visit, I'd adjust her AC and try to explain that she needed it set at least on low for some air movement. However, the next day when I visited, she’d have turned it off. She was again sitting alone in a virtual oven.

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Alzheimer’s or not, Glen Campbell has what it takes

According to an article reporting on Glen Campbell's first performance since the announcement of his Alzheimer's disease, Campbell is still - well, Glen Campbell. The article states that, "Campbell's first performance since announcing he has Alzheimer's, the degenerative brain disease that's slowly robbing him of his memories and abilities, was largely a triumph. His family and road crew were worried he might be rusty after a long layoff since his last performance."

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Micro-bleeds in the brain may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to study

Lately, I’ve been reading about doctors finding “mixed dementias,” as they attempt the tricky diagnosis of people with dementia symptoms. This makes sense to me. Several people have told me about an aging parent who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, only to find out later that the diagnosis should have been vascular dementia with some additional symptoms that could point to possible Alzheimer’s disease.

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Readers support caregiver’s decision to place mom in a nursing home

Dear Carol: How do I live with the guilt of putting my mother in a nursing home? How do I stop crying? I am an only child and not from this community. I can’t care for my mom alone, but I feel like I did the worst thing for her. I didn’t know what else to do.  - Suzanne

Dear Suzanne: There is no need to feel guilty for finding your mom a safe environment where she is getting good care. If you aren’t happy with the care she is getting, that’s a different issue, but the tone of your note doesn’t sound as though that is the case.

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Diabetes education (DSMT) is a Medicare-paid benefit – don’t miss out

Diabetes is a sneaky disease, in that most of the time early symptoms go unnoticed. As with many diseases, prevention, when possible, is best. If we can’t prevent a disease, then early detection and treatment may offset many of the ailments that could accumulate as an undetected disease progresses.

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Study shows vitamin E could limit or prevent stroke damage

As is the case with so many vitamins, minerals, and prescription drugs, vitamin E supplementation has gone through times where it’s been heralded as a miracle later to be berated as a risk. A new study has once again brought vitamin E to the forefront as a possible preventative step for people at risk for strokes. This study authors put vitamin E right up there with the daily low-dose aspirin that many, if not most, doctors prescribe for middle aged men and post-menopausal women.

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Reduce stigma of dementia by sharing diagnosis

When my dad had brain surgery to drain fluid that was damming up behind scar tissue in his brain, the medical reasoning was that this surgery would prevent dementia. Dad had suffered a closed head injury during World War II, but had recovered fairly well from the trauma. However, age brought on new challenges. This surgery was supposed to be the answer. For unknown reasons, the surgery backfired. Dad came out of surgery with severe dementia.

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Siblings Can Be Ostriches When It Comes to Recognizing Caregiver Problems

Even with updates and warnings, a distance sibling doesn’t always get the full picture. Added to that is the disturbing reality that often an elder will perk up when the distance adult child shows up for a visit, making the caregiver look like he or she is exaggerating the illness of the parent. That’s only natural. The parent is thrilled to see the long-lost child. Everyone is excited and the adrenaline is pumping.

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How do we cope with the plea "I want to go home"?

Your heart will continue to break. But understanding that the home the person wants likely no longer exists can help the caregiver's "guilt factor" a great deal. Even if you were to pack him up and take him to his last home, he would likely not be satisfied because it's not really the home he means. He doesn't want the home he left three months ago, he wants to go to the home from 60 years ago.

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Am I losing it? Caregivers can question their own capabilities

Please don’t suggest to me that I get an evaluation because I messed up the checkbook – again. I never could keep a checkbook straight, so there’s nothing new here. However, if you are an accountant and the numbers no longer make sense when you try to balance your checkbook, then it’s time to consider a checkup.

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