14 Tips for an Elderly Friendly Fourth of July

By June Fletcher, AgingCare.com editor-in-chief

Almost everyone looks forward to gathering with family and friends for a backyard barbecue. But if you’ve been dreading going to one because of your responsibilities as a caregiver, never fear: Both you and your elderly loved one can have a fine time, if you plan ahead.

But first, make sure that your relative is in good enough health to attend a party where there will be heat, bugs, noise, smoke from the grill and possibly rambunctious children. Also, check with your hosts to ensure that they understand and can accommodate your loved one’s limitations. If not, find another caregiver to look after your relative while you attend alone; it’s important for you to socialize and recharge.

However, if your hosts are amenable and your loved one is up to it, don’t leave him or her behind. Joan Wright, a certified geriatric manager at NVNA and Hospice in Norwell, Mass., told AgingCare.com that you should remember that every elderly person was once young, mobile and eager to socialize. “Those desires are still there even if their physical capacity to fulfill them is not.”

Here are some tips from Ms. Wright and others to ensure that everyone has a good time:

Before the barbecue

–Talk to the host or hostess about dietary limitations your elderly relative may have. If the menu is too spicy, fatty or hard to chew, plan to bring some food that the senior can eat, and request that the meal be served at the same time as everyone else’s.

What to Serve Seniors at a Cookout

–Find out what sort of seating the hosts will have for guests. If they just have backless picnic benches, which can be difficult for an elderly person to sit on and provide no back support, ask if you can bring a folding chair or stackable plastic chair.

–If your relative is in a wheelchair, find out in advance if your hosts’ gates are wide enough and slopes gentle enough to maneuver it into the back yard.

–Ask if there’s any shade in the backyard; if not, ask if you can also bring a portable beach umbrella.

–Lay out comfortable clothes that include layers, since some seniors feel cold even when it’s warm out. Include sturdy shoes to prevent falls and trips.

–Before you go, make sure that the senior has put on some sunscreen.

At the barbecue

–Set up a spot for your relative away from the hot grill and any areas where children are likely to be throwing balls or rough-housing.

–Find out the location of the closest bathroom, and if accidents could be a problem, seat the senior near it. If your relative needs assistance using the restroom, you might want to arrange a discreet hand sign or code word between you so you can excuse yourself to help without embarrassing him or her.

–If your relative can’t get around much but is sociable, bring other party-goers over for brief chats.

–Since dehydration can be a problem with elderly people, make sure that a glass of water is always at hand. Avoid alcoholic beverages, which are not only dehydrating but also can conflict with medications.

–If you must cut some meat off a bone or corn off of a cob, do it in the kitchen and then bring the plate to the senior. Cutting up food in front of other partygoers puts the senior in an embarrassing, child-like position.

–If your relative can’t get around much but is sociable, bring other partygoers over for brief chats. And ask other family members or friends to sit down with the senior from time to time so you can mingle, too.

–If your loved one can’t communicate well, bring headphones, a CD player and some music. He or she will be able to enjoy being around others without being under pressure to talk.

–Watch your loved one for signs of restlessness, overheating or other distress, and be prepared to leave before the festivities end.



Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/14-tips-to-make-the-fourth-fun-for-you-and-elderly-loved-ones.html#ixzz1QmQ0SVDW

Are You At Risk For A Stroke?

Police: Elderly wife may have shot ill husband before turning gun on herself

(If you know of anyone who needs assistance, please offer your time or refer them to services like ours.  This is tragic and we need to recognize the stress our elderly community endures)

The lives of artist Barbara Robinson and her husband, Richard, were surrounded by vibrant colors — in their home, garden and artwork.

But at the end of their lives, poor health dimmed those colors to darkness.

Richard Robinson, 76, and his wife Barbara, 83, were both found in bed with single gunshot wounds to their heads Saturday morning in their LaBar Village Stroudsburg townhouse.  Police believe Barbara Robinson shot her elderly husband before she turned the gun on herself this weekend.

According to police, Barbara was despondent over the health of her husband, who suffered from dementia.

"There was a woman from the church over there the night before," according to Stroud Area Regional Police Lt. Brian Kimmins.

"She said Barbara was crying that there was no one there to help her. The volunteer said, 'No, I'm here to help you, and I'll be back tomorrow to make you breakfast.'"

That same woman returned the next morning and let herself into the home. She went into the bedroom, discovered the couple in their bed and called 911.

Barbara Robinson was already dead when police arrived, but Richard was taken to Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg. He was later flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, where he died Sunday at 5:20 p.m. without regaining consciousness.

A .32-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver was recovered at the scene. Police believe it was the weapon used in the shootings.

Known as Barbie

"This whole thing has been a terrible shock," neighbor Eleanor Schmit said. They were very nice people. Very friendly, outgoing. People you'd want to be friends with."

Barbara, known to her friends as Barbie, was a trained artist with a master's degree in art education from Temple University. She taught in both the Center City Philadelphia School District and at East Stroudsburg High School. Her work was regularly displayed at local shows.

But as Richard's health deteriorated, Barbie needed more help at home.

"He needed supervision," neighbor Ruth Alberts said. "She (Barbie) went out every single day, and she'd always make sure he was well taken care of."

Alberts recalled the Robinsons as a loving couple.

Barbie was a free spirit who marched to the beat of her own drummer, according to PoconoArts Council Executive Director Laura Goss.

"She was a ball of fire. She loved life," Goss said. "Barbie was upbeat, opinionated and a unique participant in the local arts community, where she will be greatly missed."

Barbie's artwork ran the gamut from stylized frogs to bright and vivid florals and abstracts. "She was especially proud of recent work she created for the Music Motif show at the COTA Jazz Festival last September," according to Goss.

For more info go to poconorecord.com

Helping seniors live at home longer

The new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims to provide at-home alternatives to nursing home care.

• 

United HomeCare Services home health aide Wendy Cerrato hugs Olga Socarras… (Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

Patricia McGinnis has six brothers and sisters who help her take care of their 89-year-old mother. Though their mother is alert and able to live on her own, she is blind and has balance problems that have led to several falls, for which she has received care.

It takes all of the siblings working together to help their mother stay at home. But every day, as president of the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, McGinnis deals with people who don't have that choice and must live in nursing homes because they lack the financial resources or social support to remain at home as they age.

Home-based concern is progressively more seen as a legit and less expensive substitute for nursing home concern. The Patient Defense and Reasonable Concern Act, signed in law by President Obama in March 2010, incorporates provisions to aid persons who wanna be in their properties longer.

“I think it is possibly one of the most significant reforms to long-term concern since Medicare and Medicaid went in effect in 1965,” McGinnis said. “That is very important, so I’m indeed exhilarated about it.”

About 1.5 million persons live in nursing properties in the U.S., in accordance with the Centers for Illness Control and Obviation. And more than Ten million US Citizens — as a rule persons Sixty Five or perhaps older — need long-term services and support to help them with every day actions, in accordance with the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Elinor Ginzler, senior vice president for livable communities at AARP, said the organization is constantly fighting for more financing to help persons be in their properties longer.

“Nursing properties are not a first option,” she said. “Persons like where they’re living. We researched the Fifty-plus population and uncovered that Eighty Six percent of them wanna be in their properties.”

One of the top reasons is economical.

The cost of remaining at a nursing home ranges from about bucks 40,000 to bucks 85,000 a year, in accordance with a latest report by John Hancock Economical Services Inc., a cover and economical services corporation. The average cost of a home healthiness aide, on the different side, is about bucks 37,000 a year.

A long-term concern cover policy McGinnis acquired some time ago spends funds on almost all of her woman’s medical care at home. However not each one has that type of cover. “If you look at the infant boomers coming up, I wonder how we will spend funds on all of that,” she said. “The average retirement reserves of persons Fifty Five or perhaps older is bucks 29,000 a year.”

New provisions of the Reasonable Concern Act should help. The most motivated part of the act to do with long-term concern is the Public Living Help Services and Supports Act, or perhaps CLASS — a voluntary, customer-funded cover plan to cover long-term concern costs.

“It is an indeed diverse and new way of looking at the delivery and financing of long-term concern in the U.S.,” said Dee Mahan, deputy chief of healthiness policy at FamiliesUSA, a nonprofit medical care advocacy organization. “I think the program is indeed, indeed significant.”

The cover plan is akin to those at present accessible in the personal market, however there are some major differences. First, the program will be managed by the authority. Second, any working grown age Eighteen or perhaps older will be capable to sign up, in spite of any preexisting medical condition, and benefits will be fine for as far as somebody needs long-term concern.

And not like most personal long-term concern cover plans, which limit how funds might be applied, the authority plan will proffer benefits that can be applied for a large number of costs incorporating hiring a home concern supplier and doing home amendments.

Before obtaining every day money benefits through the authority program, persons will have to pay premiums for as a minimum 5 years and work for a minimum of 3 of those years. The benefits will be computed on the bases of the degree of incapacity or perhaps cognitive harm. Even Though the average every day benefit will not be specified till October 2012, the law states that it should be no less than bucks Fifty, and it is anticipated to be about bucks Seventy Five, in accordance with a Congressional Budget Office report.

Employers that take part in the program will independently sign up their workers, who will be capable to opt out. Other Ones will be capable to sign up individually.

The cost of premiums has yet to be defined, however it is going to hinge on age and will be less expensive for younger persons. The cost for low-revenue persons and full-time students will start at bucks Five a month. The plan will be funded completely through premiums — one of its only issues, Ginzler said.

“CLASS runs the possibility of not being used optimally,” she said. “For it to work, you have to have a considerable pool of persons paying in the system. And the truth is that most persons do not wanna think about their need for long-term concern; they would quite plan for their funeral than their incapacity.”

Different provisions in the Reasonable Concern Act will in addition help persons be in their properties longer if they pick.

Extended spousal impoverishment defense: Before obtaining Medicaid help for nursing home concern, persons must first “outlay down” their assets to an amount set by the state (in effect, impoverishment). Though, home-dwelling spouses of persons who obtain Medicaid help at nursing properties might preserve a definite quantity of revenue and assets to safeguard these pairs against total economical ruin.

The same defense doesn’t apply to the spouses of persons obtaining Medicaid for home-based services — however the Reasonable Concern Act has a provision that permits persons to get Medicaid help for home- and public-based concern without forcing their spouses to outlay all of their assets. The provision will go in effect in 2014 and will last for 5 years.

“Public-first option option”: In accordance with FamiliesUSA, Thirty Five states supply home- and public-based concern services through Medicaid. When budgets are tight, though, these services are amongst the first to get cut, Ginzler said. The “public first” option, accessible to states beginning that October, is aimed to extend these programs through a Six percent boost in the quantity of matching funds the authority proffers to states for the cost of these services.

Funds follows the individual: A demonstration plan is assisting persons on Medicaid leave nursing properties and return to their communities. It proffers case management services and help with home amendments, one-time housing costs and help with different costs related to that transition. To be eligible for benefits, persons were needed to live in nursing properties for as a minimum 6 months; the Reasonable Concern Act specifies that they require to stay there only Ninety consecutive days. It in addition expands the plan for 5 years.

Balancing inducement charges program: That program, which will run from October through the end of September 2015, will boost federal matching funds by up to Five percent for state Medicaid programs that supply home- and public-based concern. The program will apply to states that at present outlay less than fifty percent of their Medicaid funds for long-term services on noninstitutional concern. The plan will in addition help states boost access to long-term services and standardize eligibility criterion.

Go to LATimes for more info

Survey: Most Baby Boomers lack a plan to care for parents

A majority of Baby Boomers say they are likely to become caregivers for their parents, but only half can name any medications their parents take, a new survey shows.

The survey of 600 adults ages 45 to 65, conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network, also found:

•31% don't know how many medications their parents take.

•34% don't know whether their parents have a safe deposit box or where the key is.

•36% don't know where their parents' financial information is located.

"The majority of caregivers we work with have done no advance planning,'' says Jeff Huber, president of Home Instead Senior Care, a company that provides non-medical care services. "It is not important until it's urgent. So much stress and uncertainty down the road can be prevented."

Lack of planning can lead to serious complications when decisions need to be made quickly, says palliative care nurse practitioner Mimi Mahon, an associate professor at George Mason University in Virginia. "It's vitally important to plan ahead and have these conversations with parents, or families can act out of fear and make mistakes when emergencies arise."

Prescription drugs are of particular concern. In the survey, 49% couldn't name a single drug their parents took. Ask parents about their medications and, if necessary, do research, experts say. Find out the dose, what it's for, who prescribed it and why. People 65 and older account for about a third of all medications prescribed in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health, and older patients are more likely to have long-term and multiple prescriptions, which could lead to unintentional misuse.

"It's kind of a never-ending process for caregivers," says Sandy Markwood, head of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. "It gets further complicated when there is more than the family practitioner. A parent might have several specialists. It's a lot for a caretaker to keep up."

Markwood says the Administration on Aging, also under HHS, has been encouraging better record-keeping by seniors and stronger communication between seniors and caretakers since Hurricane Katrina. "Then you had a situation when seniors were evacuated without their medications and no one knew what medications they were on," Markwood says. "Doctors had to start from scratch."

One must-have answer for caretakers: What drugs can parents go without and which ones must be taken on schedule. For instance, blood pressure and anti-depressant medications cannot be missed, Mahon says.

The bottom line, she says, is being a staunch advocate for your parents' health care starts with "having conversations and putting plans in place."

Go to USA TODAY for more info

Alzheimer’s disease screening tool to hit market next year 

Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about the healthcare industry.

Alzheimer’s screening: PET scans that show the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease by detecting a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid will reach the marketplace within a year, according to researchers.”For individuals who have already developed a measurable memory decline, a positive scan for amyloid is the most accurate predictor of progression to Alzheimer’s disease,” a researcher said.

Slashing vaccine costs: Several drug companies have pledged to cut the prices on potentially life-saving vaccines for people in the world’s poorest countries. The companies include: GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Johnson & Johnson’s Dutch division Crucell, Bharat Biotech and Sanofi SA’s vaccine unit Sanofi Pasteur. For example, GSK said it would cut the price of its vaccine for rotavirus by 67 percent to $2.50.

Can’t trust it: Pharmaceutical companies are using their cash to influence the content of medical journals, the American Scholar reports. “All journals are bought — or at least cleverly used — by the pharmaceutical industry,” says Richard Smith, former editor of the British Medical Journal.

Good sign for Obamacare? In Massachusetts, Romneycare has grown more popular over time, according to a recent poll that compared residents’ support of the law two years ago to today. Will Americans similarly warm up to Obamacare over time?

Social media and HIPAA: KevinMD has a list of seven tips for physicians on how to avoid HIPAA violations in social media.

Bad day for Exelixis: Shares of Exelixis lost a fifth of their value Monday after the cancer drug developer reported the deaths of six patients who took an experimental treatment in clinical trial.

http://www.medcitynews.com

Elder Abuse: How To Protect Grandma From Con Men and Thieves

Who would pick the pocket of your grandma or grandpa? Apparently, any number of people. Older Americans are losing $2.9 billion annually to elder financial abuse, a 12% increase from the $2.6 billion estimated in 2008, according to The MetLife Study of Elder Financial Abuse: Crimes of Occasion, Desperation, and Predation Against America's Elders, released Wednesday.

According to the study, 51% of these abusers are strangers, but 34% of the perpetrators were family, friends and neighbors. As for "trusted advisers," exploitation from the business sector accounted for 12% of reported cases. Medicare and Medicaid fraud accounts for 4% of reported cases. As a subset, the percentage of robberies and crimes classified as "scams perpetrated by strangers" increased from 9% to 28% from 2008 to 2010.

Who's on the top of the target list? Women. The study, produced by the MetLife (MET) Mature Market Institute in collaboration with the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, shows women were nearly twice as likely to be victims of elder financial abuse as men.

Also prime for the picking were people between the ages of 80 and 89 who lived alone and required some help with either health care or home maintenance. Primarily, men were the menace: Nearly 60% of perpetrators were males, mostly between ages 30 and 59.

Predators lie in wait, watching: In the most common scenarios, strangers targeted victims who were out shopping, driving or managing the financial affairs, and often looked for particular flags of vulnerability like handicapped tags on cars, canes or displays of confusion. Crimes included cons, purse snatchings and associated physical assaults.

But that even those closest to an elderly person can give in to temptation or desperation. In cases involving a person known to the victim, trusted helpers like caretakers, handymen, friends, "sweethearts," children, lawyers and others seized upon opportunities to forge checks, steal credit cards, pilfer bank accounts, transfer assets and generally decimate elders' finances, the study revealed. The holidays apparently bring out the worst in people: At that time of year, overall dollar losses due to family and friends were higher than any other category.

Married to the Con Job

People can get quite creative with abuse. One unusual method -- caregivers secretly marrying their elderly charges, says Susan Slater-Jansen, an attorney at Kurzman Eisenberg Corbin & Lever.

There have been numerous lawsuits over cases in which a caregiver married a mentally incapacitated older patient and the patient's family didn't learn about it until after the patient had died. Once a person is dead, it's too late -- in all but three states, you can't void a marriage if one spouse has died, says Slater-Jansen. To help lower the odds of such a thing happening to your parent, adult children should make sure they receive duplicate monthly statements from all bank and brokerage accounts; install nanny cams; carefully and thoroughly check references for all caregivers; visit parents often, both while the caregiver is there and when they are not; and discuss with your parents the treatment they are receiving from caregivers.

If you discover such a fraudulent marriage has taken place, act quickly to get it annulled.

After the parent dies, heirs can sue to recover money from the "spouse." More and more, courts have found ways to deny spouses if the marriage was fraudulent, says Slater-Jansen.

"The most flagrant abuse is perpetrated on the elder by the hired caregiver, neighbor, or 'new' friend," warns Karen Maarse Fitzgerald, a principal in her own elder law practice. "A simple power of attorney signed by the elder can give to the "agent" broad and sweeping powers over the elder's life savings. I have seen bank accounts drained within days, the money and perpetrator vanishing to another country."

Protection Yourself and Your Relatives

The worst forms of elder abuse go beyond money: There can be physical abuse and sexual violence as well. "The vigilance of friends and family can help protect elders from those who are predatory, which may, unfortunately, include strangers or even other loved ones," said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute, in a prepared statement.

What can the elderly do to protect themselves? Among the guidance offered by the report's authors:

• "Stay active and engage with others; socialize with your family members and friends. Avoid isolation, as it can lead to loneliness, depression, and make you more vulnerable to financial abuse or exploitation."
• "Use direct deposit for Social Security and other payments to prevent mail theft. Sign your own checks whenever possible."
• "Stay organized and keep important papers and legal documents in a safe, secure location."
• "Review your legal documents (i.e., wills, trusts, and power of attorney), as well as other important documents (i.e., insurance policies) at least annually, to make certain they continue to represent your wishes."

Ted Sarenski, who chairs the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Elder Planning Task Force, would add to that list. His tips:

• Subscribe to national and state Do Not Call lists;
• Keep Social Security cards in a safe place;
• Remove mail promptly from the mailbox;
• Shred all confidential and financial information prior to discarding.

"Consider allowing the bank to send a duplicate copy of your bank statement to a trusted family member," advises attorney Andrew Stoltmann, who has a large client base of seniors. "Usually, most financial elder exploitation cases are only reported or discovered six to 12 months after the initial losses have occurred."

Elders whose sight is failing are at even greater risk because they may rely upon the very person who is stealing from them to ensure that their financial transactions are in order, says Stoltmann. "An independent pair of eyes that is able to review bank statements every 30 days will be able to catch suspicious activities in the early stages and cut it off. This is crucial."

Advance Planning Can Help Dodge Dangers

When you are the responsible caregiver, know too, that your prudence can go a long way in preventing financial abuse.
Have some tough conversations. You need to know whether there is a will or a durable power of attorney, and where such documents are. Does your parent have a living will? If so, does it give you clarity about what your loved one's wishes are? A health care power of attorney would permit a trusted individual make medical decisions if your elderly relative was unable to.

It's important not to wait until the eleventh hour to have these talks. Ideally, those documents should be drawn up when your relative is of sound mind and body. It's not a bad idea either, to have a trusted adviser, not only know where the documents are kept, but be able to get to them if needed.

Beware of the appearance on the scene of the "trusted new friend." If mom and dad have a neighbor, caregiver or other outsider who is suddenly their best pal, running errands, going to the bank, and generally being around all the time when they never were before, it can be a warning sign that someone is taking advantage, warns Sarenski.

"Elder financial abuse invariably results in losses of human rights and dignity," said Karen A. Roberto, Ph.D., director of the Center for Gerontology, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. " Despite growing public awareness from a parade of high-profile financial abuse victims, it remains under reported, under-recognized, and under-prosecuted. The 2010 Passage of the Elder Justice Act may bring more attention and resources to this crime leading to prevention among the expanding older population."

The bottom line, says Maarse Fitzgerald: "Protect elders from isolation, which allows the perpetrators to take control of our elder's lives."

For more info go to : http://www.dailyfinance.com