A Demanding Mom

A big thank you to Dennis for sharing a caregiving story! He titled it “A Demanding Mom.” Can you relate? Give Dennis encouragement or share your own story here: Strength For The Moment, Stories of Caring

I grew up in a broken home. My father and mother divorced each other when I was around 8 and my brother was 6. Due to circumstances I won't get into, my brother and I spent about a year in the home of strangers supplied to us by Children's Aid...mostly in their basement.

As the years past I was the first to leave home. I lived my life not knowing who I really was until I had my encounter with Christ at the age of 45. Married and with no children I felt this was a fresh new start for me.

A very "late" bloomer, I always thought about how I would eventually provide care for my aging mom. This concern has been in the back of my mind always. But it was just a thought. I didn't put a plan together.

Fast forward to today. My mom is 85. Lives alone in an apartment. My wife and her have had a falling out in the last 2 years. Recently I discovered that we also owe my mother money.

Over the years I have often heard my mom tell people that her boys would take care of her. As I alluded to, In the back of my mind I had always hoped we could. But as the years past, that dream seemed to fade away.

Today, she is crippled with emotional and physical issues. She is angry at both of her boys for failing her. To add to my sense of shame and failure I feel as a son, everyone in her circle also knows we have failed her. This has not added to my testimony in any positive way.

I have a sense that I owe her for raising us. But my joy of wanting to help her is stolen by her demands and my being stuck between the two main women in my life.

The Bible tells us to honor our father and mother. This an area I feel I have failed the most. When my mother's demands are expressed, my first thought (an incorrect thought) is to pull back. Sometimes I push back (even worse).

In the midst of this storm, I undeservedly go to the Father in prayer. I ask him to give me wisdom, patience and kindness so that I can honor her. To forgive my reactions to her. (and to allow me to live peaceably...happily... with my wife).

Lately by His grace we have been looking for a home for her. I also need to find a care giver.
My prayer is hat she lives out her winter season 'happily'. That if she isn't already, she would be reconciled to God through Christ. And that Christ would not let any of my family perish.

Demanding people are the hardest to deal with. But this is my mother. Maybe if she was easy, there would be no room for God to change me.

Denis

Spending the Inheritance - Laughing with Mary

Get Inside The Human Brain c/o Alzheimer's Association alz.org

1. Three pounds, three parts

Your brain is your most powerful organ, yet weighs only about three pounds. It has a texture similar to firm jelly. It has three main parts: The cerebrum fills up most of your skull. It is involved in remembering, problem solving, thinking, and feeling. It also controls movement. The cerebellum sits at the back of your head, under the cerebrum. It controls coordination and balance. The brain stem sits beneath your cerebrum in front of your cerebellum. It connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart rate and blood pressure.

http://www.alz.org/braintour/3_main_parts.asp

Why Move Out? Seniors Can Find Help at Home

Home Instead CAREGivers^SM can perform 60 functions in a senior’s home, including meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, transportation, errands and shopping.

Many options exist for seniors who need help as they age. While care facilities can play a valuable role, there are alternatives. A growing and popular plan is to help a senior remain at home with non-medical caregiving assistance.

Q. Our 88-year-old mother has lived at home with help from the family. Because it’s becoming more difficult for her to be at home, it’s now time for her to move to a facility. How do we decide which option is best?

It’s great that your mother could stay at home for to long, since that’s where most elderly individuals want to be. In a survey conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network, nearly 90 percent of seniors surveyed say they are very or somewhat likely to remain in their homes rather than move to a care facility.


Most communities now have a variety of services, including home health agencies and non-medical care companies, which can make that possible. Have you looked into community resources that could help your mom continue to stay at home?


“Most older people seem to think that where they live is an all-or-nothing affair: stay at home or be sent off to a nursing home,” said Linda Rhodes, author ofCaregiving as Your Parents Age.


Call your local senior center or Area Agency on Aging to find out the types of services that are available in your community. Or contact your local Home Instead Senior Care office. Home Instead CAREGiversSM can perform 60 functions in a senior’s home, including meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, transportation, errands and shopping. Another great benefit of non-medical caregiving is the respite that it provides to family caregivers who are weary and need a break from the rigors of caring for their loved ones.


For some seniors, however, the day may come when it’s time to leave home. If so, look for options that continue to help seniors remain as independent as possible. In her book, Rhodes outlines some of those including continuing care retirement communities that feature independent living apartments and homes, assisted living apartments and nursing home care.


Whatever your mom and your family decide, you should encourage your mother to maintain the relationships that she’s formed at home. For instance, if your mother has had a non-medical caregiver that person may be able to accompany her into her new home to supplement care. That can make the transition to a new setting much easier
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Stories Of Caring

Need a little strength for the moment? Read one of these uplifting caregiving stories from Lori Hogan’s new book and let us know which one you find most inspiring! 

Stories of caring are all around us. Every caregiver has a story, and every story ripples through family members, friends, coworkers and beyond. When Lori Hogan set out to collect 52 caregiving stories to include in Strength for the Moment, she didn’t have to go far to find an abundance of personal narratives, advice, wisdom, inspiration and hope.

The caregiving stories shared in Strength for the Moment come from people in or close to the Home Instead Senior Care® network—staff members, franchise owners, partners, family members, friends and other acquaintances—who have generously offered to share their stories to help caregivers find strength and encouragement.

Here are a few of those stories, and we encourage you to also share yours.

Staying Active Could Protect Elderly From Psychological Distress, Study Shows

Older adults who stay active could be shielding themselves from psychological distress such as depression, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Western Sydney reported that people who are the most physically active are also the ones who are the least likely to be functionally limited -- meaning, the less active a person is, the higher the risk of being functionally limited.

However, researchers also found that people with psychological distress are four times more likely to be functionally limited than people without psychological distress.

"There is a significant, positive relationship between physical activity and physical function in older adults, with older adults who are more physically active being less likely to experience functional limitation than their more-sedentary counterparts," the researchers wrote in the study.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, included 91,375 men and women in Australia, who are ages 65 and older. More than 8 percent of the study participants reported having a form of psychological distress.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, anywhere from 28 to 34 percent of people ages 65 to 74 don't regularly exercise. The number is even higher for those ages 75 and older: 44 percent of them do not exercise, according to the figures.

Meanwhile, just 31 percent of people between ages 65 and 74 said that they worked out at a moderate intensity for 20 minutes for at least three times a week.

"Physical activity is more powerful than any medication a senior can take," Dr. Cheryl Phillips, a San Francisco physician and president of the American Geriatrics Society, told the Los Angeles Times.

Previously, ABC News reported on a study published in the journalPsychosomatic Medicine showing that exercise could help to alleviate depression among elderly people -- and that it could even work better than medication, ABC News reported.

That study included 156 people ages 50 and older, who all had major depression. People who exercised thrice weekly for 16 weeks had improvements in their depressive symptoms, even more so than people who took only drugs, or people who took drugs and exercised, according to ABC News.

"If exercise could be put in a pill it would be the number one anti-aging medicine and the number one anti-depression medicine," Dr. Robert N. Butler, President of the International Longevity Center at Mount Sinai Medical School, who was not involved in the study, told ABC News. "It’s also cheap, and it avoids problems such as the side-effects of medication."







Article care of :http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/08/active-elderly-psychological-distress-mental-health-depression_n_1409005.html

Home Instead Senior Care Network Announces No. 1 Franchisee Satisfaction Ranking; 2012 Guide Lists Senior Care Among the Most Popular Franchise Models

For the second consecutive year, the Home Instead Senior Care® network was listed No. 1 overall in franchisee satisfaction among all categories, as announced by Franchise Business Review in mid-February. In a report released March 15, Franchise Business Review explains that senior care – a lower investment franchise – remains among the most popular trends and concepts in 2012. The needs of a growing population of older adults testify to the popularity of an industry that is garnering top reviews from franchisees as well, according to President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jeff Huber of Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network.


The Franchise Business Review announcement March 15, which lists senior care among the most popular franchising trends in 2012, comes on the heels of an earlier announcement that the Home Instead Senior Care network has again taken home the top honor among all categories for franchisee satisfaction.

Franchise Business Review bestows the Top Franchise awards annually to franchisors with the highest overall franchisee satisfaction, according to an annual survey of franchisees. The 2012 award is based on a survey of more than 22,000 franchisees representing more than 300 franchise brands.

The announcement of the 2012 Top Franchises was made recently by Franchise Business Review at the International Franchise Association conference in Orlando. This is the second time that the Home Instead Senior Care network, which has been ranked No. 1 in the senior care category for the past six years, has taken home the top honor overall among all categories. The network also was ranked number one in the large franchise systems category for the second time.

The Franchise Business Review survey includes 33 benchmark questions, relating to the franchisee’s experience and satisfaction as well as market area, business lifestyle and other demographic characteristics. Franchise Business Review contacts each franchisee individually with an average franchisee participation rate of 70 percent.

In commenting about the No. 1 ranking, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jeff Huber of Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network, said: “We are proud to serve older adults throughout the world, whose needs have helped drive growth in the senior care industry. The partnership that we have with our franchisees has made the Home Instead network a leader not only in the senior in-home care business, but the franchise industry as a whole,” he noted.

In the March 15 report, Franchise Business Review explains the history of its research, which began in 2005. “Franchise Business Review sets out to identify the top brands in all of franchising based on our annual survey of franchisees. Originally dubbed the ‘FBR50’ because it included only 50 companies, the list has grown to include more than 150 companies spread out across three categories (small, medium, and large franchise businesses). In addition to providing the basis for the awards program, the annual survey supplies a considerable amount of data, as well as a unique view of franchising from the inside.”

The 2012 report explores what concepts and franchise models are most popular in 2012, what’s involved from an investment and financing standpoint, what skills and attributes contribute to a franchisee’s success, and how franchisee satisfaction has fared in the past year.

“Senior care and lower investment concepts (those requiring an average initial investment of under $100K) continue to be popular in 2012 as they have in past years and therefore represent a significant portion of our list.”

Huber said that the growing aging demographic will continue to make senior care a popular and viable business alternative. “With baby boomers aging in record numbers, we realize that the need for senior care services will continue for many years. And we know that the best way to continue to meet those needs is through the development of a strong Home Instead franchise network.”

ABOUT HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE
Founded in 1994 in Omaha by Lori and Paul Hogan, the Home Instead Senior Care® network is the world's largest provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors, with more than 950 independently owned and operated franchises providing in excess of 45 million hours of care throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Austria, Italy, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands. Local Home Instead Senior Care offices employ more than 65,000 CAREGiversSM worldwide who provide basic support services – assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), personal care, medication reminders, meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands, incidental transportation and shopping – which enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. In addition, CAREGivers are trained in the network’s groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and EducationSM Program to work with seniors who suffer from these conditions. This world class curriculum also is available free to family caregivers online or through local Home Instead Senior Care offices. At Home Instead Senior Care, it’s relationship before task, while continuing to provide superior quality service that enhances the lives of seniors everywhere.





http://www.prweb.com/releases/Home_Instead/top_franchise/prweb9382980.htm

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CAREGIVER OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to Kristine for being our CAREGiver of the month. Kristine has been with Home Instead Senior Care since October 2011, in that short time she has proven to be a valuable CAREGiver. She has been with the same client since her arrival, always on time, always willing to help, easygoing and kind. She has volunteered her time to participate in the Be A Santa To A Senior Program. Her client has called the office to say "Thank you so much for sending me Kristine." We want to say thank you for joining our team and congratulations on being the CAREGiver of The Month

A PETITION FOR A STRONG NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S PLAN

A PETITION FOR A STRONG NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S PLAN

Families Facing Alzheimer's Disease Can't Wait

We, the undersigned, call on the President to issue a strong National Alzheimer's Plan to help the millions of Americans now affected by Alzheimer's disease, and the many millions more at risk.

Alzheimer's won't wait.

Today, more than 5 million Americans are facing the challenges of Alzheimer's. This number could rise to 16 million by 2050 if we do not act.

Right now, nearly 15 million Americans serve as caregivers, and this is projected to soar to 45 million in that same timeframe.

The cost of inaction is too high. Alzheimer's will cost the nation $200 billion this year. This will rise to $1 trillion by 2050, bankrupting families and our health care system.

Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only one among the top 10 without a way to cure, prevent or even slow its progression.

We urge the President to take the next bold step forward in the fight against Alzheimer's, fulfilling the promise of the National Alzheimer's Project Act passed unanimously by Congress more than a year ago. Now is the time to create a world without Alzheimer's.

Families won't forget.

To sign the petition please go to: http://www.alz.org/petition/