Living Well Blog

Costs for Adapting a Home for Senior Living, Disabilities or an Illness

Doris Bersing — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:08:00 +0000

Statistics show that most people would do almost anything reasonable to avoid moving from the comfort of their home yet in many cases their homes are not adapted to accommodate their current and changing needs. The question arises as to what is necessary and the associated costs to make the modifications to enable an individual to continue living safely and as independently as possible in their homes. Read more

Bringing Health Care Home

Doris Bersing — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:30:21 +0000

Jesse Lefkowitz, NY Times

An article on the New York Time state that “…patients who are treated at home by a doctor and nursing staff who know them intimately and can be available 24/7 are happier and healthier. This kind of care decreases the infections, mistakes and delirium, which, especially among the elderly, are the attendants of hospital care. And it is far more efficient. According to a 2002 study, for the patients treated by the Veterans Affairs’ Home Based Primary Care program, the number of days spent in hospitals and nursing homes was cut by 62 percent and 88 percent, respectively, and total health care costs dropped 24 percent… The fact that this care is possible at home means that the role of hospitals must change. Acutely ill patients who need operating rooms or intensive care will still be brought to hospitals. But they should be quickly discharged to the care of the doctors and nurses who know them best”
Read the article

Signs of Alzheimer’s may become evident during the holidays

Doris Bersing — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:33:14 +0000

Holidays such as Thanksgiving are a time when family and friends come together to spend time together and to share memories. However, the holiday season is also a time that can raise questions about whether aging family members are experiencing signs of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s important to know what is normal aging and what isn’t. The Alzheimer’s association emphasizes the difference between normal aging and early signs of Alzheimer’s. Read more.

A Shoe for Wanderers: technology for people with Dementia

Doris Bersing — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:10:37 +0000

The New York Times published an article Friday October 14th 2011 about “an ideal technology for people with dementia who wander.” The article was written by Paula Span, author of “When the Time Comes: Families With Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions.” This technology was developed by GTX Corp, Los Angeles, CA.

Please click on the following link to read the New York Times article: A Shoe for Wanderers

Dangers of Common Painkillers: There’s mounting evidence that regular use is risky for older people

Doris Bersing — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:11:41 +0000

A recent article on AARP states that “…Most of us don’t think twice about taking a nonprescription pain reliever to ease a headache or soreness that might follow a game of tennis, but there is growing evidence that commonly used painkillers such as Advil can trigger heart attacks or strokes in some people.” Read the article and read about some drug free alternatives to pain management.

Alzheimer’s Behavior Management: Tips for Managing Common Symptoms and Problems

Doris Bersing — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:03:45 +0000

Problem behavior is often a way the Alzheimer’s patient tries to communicate with others. As a caregiver for a loved one with dementia, it can be extremely worrying and upsetting to experience the behavior problems associated with mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Patients may exhibit a wide variety of behavioral problems that can threaten their own or other people’s safety, including wandering, aggressiveness, hallucinations, or sleeping and eating. Learn some tips.

Essential Checklist for Good Dementia Care

Doris Bersing — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:37:15 +0000

Marguerite Manteau-Rao, LCSW, ATR, Mindful living advocate, Memory care consultant, published on the Huffington Post The Essential Checklist for Good Dementia Care. She shares the work of Jane Verity’s about the 5 universal needs to be an essential framework for good care of people with Dementia. These unmet emotional needs are:

To be needed and useful
To have opportunity to care
To love and be loved
To have self-esteem boosted
To have the power to choose

Read the article

THE ACOVE PROJECT: Developing Quality of Care Indicators for the Vulnerable Elderly

Doris Bersing — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:26:45 +0000

The Rand Corporation (http://www.rand.org/about/history.html) published research findings stating that far more people are surviving to old age than at any time in our history. Medical interventions can now prevent or postpone many of the health problems traditionally associated with old age. Furthermore, the goal of medical care for the elderly has progressed beyond survival to maximizing quality of life, yet little attention has been paid to the overall quality of medical care that older people receive. In fact, existing measures of quality or health status are often inappropriate for the elderly. The key findings have been:

Little attention has been paid to the quality of health care that vulnerable elders and other older adults receive.
RAND has developed a set of indicators to measure the quality of care received for 22 conditions that affect older adults.
These indicators can be used to assess whether health plans are delivering care that meets minimum standards for quality.

Read the report

Adult Children Taking Care of their Parents: A Typical situation for the “Sandwich Generation”

Doris Bersing — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:48:55 +0000

John Jastremski from the Retirement Group discusses the juggling responsibilities adult children face when taking care of their parents. He gives some recommendations and states “… At a time when your career is reaching a peak and you are looking ahead to your own retirement, you may find yourself in the position of having to help your children with college expenses while at the same time looking after the needs of your aging parents. Squeezed in the middle, you’ve joined the ranks of the “sandwich generation”….”

Secrets our Loved Ones hide and How Gero-Technology can help….

Doris Bersing — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:41:46 +0000

When it comes to care for our loved ones, we worry about falls, their being alone and injured, time response to a crisis and most of the times, our alternative is moving them to an institution. Living Well Assisted Living at Home believes that there are options to give choices to the elders and peace of mind to the family members. Aging.com reported on 10 secrets that our aging parents keeps from us and some ways to deal with and approach them. I couldn’t help but think of all sorts of technology solutions (remote monitoring like GrandCare, Internet technology, etc.) that could assist in dealing with these 10 “secrets” shared in the story. Of course, technology is only one piece to the puzzle. Read More