A Note From Carol
Dear Friends,
July brings more news from Minding Our Elders.
Awhile back, I formed a bond with ElderCarelink.com,
as I found it a solid and useful tool to help people find
the kinds of care agencies they need to help their
families. Well, our bond has strengthened.
ElderCarelink has named me the Editor-in-Chief of
their Web site.
I will be writing a significant number of articles, but I'll
also be assigning articles to a number of very talented
freelancers who are eager to write for the site. I will be
doing some traveling as I present topics for the
continuing education of agency workers, and I'll be
doing some radio to further the cause of quality elder
care.
I already write, speak and do radio. So why join forces
with ElderCarelink? Simply because increased
collaboration with ElderCarelink will expand on my
ability to carry out the mission of Minding Our Elders,
which is to break the isolation that caregivers and their
elders often feel. People need to know they are not
alone with the issues they face. They need to know
that the feelings they have - yes, even those they
aren't proud of - are natural. It's exciting and gratifying
to know that I'll have the partnership of this wonderful
company to further this mission.
Remember caregivers, that getting help with your
caregiving isn't giving up. Yes, your mom or dad would
rather have family 24/7. But that is not always possible
or even the safest answer to the aging dilemma. A
rested caregiver is a better caregiver. A caregiver,
while working their "real" job, can be a better
employee if they know their loved one is cared for
while they are away. Whether it's in-home care, adult
day services, assisted living or a nursing home, the
agency staff are your helpers and you are part of their
team. I hope that I can help caregivers lose some of
the guilt they pile on themselves (or their elder piles
on them) about getting help from professionals.
Helping caregivers is helping their elders. Both bring
me joy.
Take care,
Carol
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Hello!
Welcome to Minding Our Elders! Our hope is to break
the isolation that caregivers often feel. We'd also like
to share ideas, comfort and information that will help
you along your caregiving journey. Thanks for reading.
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How to Communicate When Your Elderly Parent Can No Longer Speak
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A video I recently stumbled upon remains vivid in my
mind. An elderly couple who had spent a lifetime
devoted to one another was coping with the wife's
Alzheimer's disease. At this point, the wife was in a
nursing home. She was unhappy, aggressive and
even combative with the staff. No one knew what to do
with her.
On instinct, the husband decided he would do what
he'd always done. He climbed into her bed with her
and held her. He cuddled with her. He stroked her
face and told her he loved her. He spent hours just
snuggling and holding her.
Slowly, the wife responded. This once angry, difficult
woman became easy for the staff to handle. She was,
once again, friendly, cooperative and generally happy.
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Age Is A Good Thing When It Comes to H1N1 Flu
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Writer Susan Hindman posted an interesting srticle
about H1N1 Flu and older people. For once age is in
our favor. According to Hindman's article, titled Older
Adults Are Less Susceptible to H1N1 Flu: Past
exposure and immune system response are possible
reasons:
"American adults over age 65 account for only 1% of
cases of H1N1 flu (swine flu), according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The 5- to 24-year-old age group accounts for 64% of
all cases, with the remaining 35% falling in the 24-64
range (and not broken down further).
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10-10-10 Process Can Help Guide Important Health Care and Caregiving Decisions
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From colleague Dorian Martin comes this excellent
post on a very good book:
Around 2003, when Mom exhibited memory loss but
hadn't been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I wish that
my family would have had access to Suzy Welch's
book, "10-10-10: 10 Minutes, 10 Months, 10 Years - A
Life-Transforming Idea."
My gut instinct in 2003 was to jump in, take control and
solve the problem; instead, our family kept hitting
heads because we each took a short-term view that
varied by individual. And I personally went through a
lot of emotional, mental and physical turmoil in trying
to be a "good daughter" through providing help for my
mom that wasn't focused on what she needed while
trying to keep our family together (and also juggling a
high-pressure job and taking graduate courses).
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Preventing Falls Among Elderly Parents
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Marlo Sollitto, editor of AgingCare.com, wrote this
article on elders and falls:
Falls are the leading cause of death, injury and
hospital admissions among the elderly population. In
fact, last year alone, more than 1.6 million seniors
were treated in emergency rooms for fall-related
injuries.
Several factors contribute to the fact that seniors fall
so much more frequently than younger people:
Lack of physical activity. Failure to exercise regularly
results in poor muscle tone, decreased bone mass,
loss of balance, and reduced flexibility.
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Could Oxidative Stress Be a Cause of Alzheimer's Disease?
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A press release on pharmalive.com is intriguing.
Titled "Alzheimer's Drug Research: What if the Major
Drug Companies Are Betting on the Wrong Horse?"
this release focuses on alternative theories to the
generally accepted ideas about what causes
Alzheimer's disease. The company featured in this
release is a small biotech firm, Anavex, which is
working developing a product to fight oxidative stress
in the brain.
The release states: "Given the difficulties with the
amyloid-beta approach, leading-edge pharmaceutical
developers are turning to an alternative hypothesis
about Alzheimer's and driving novel approaches to
possible treatments. This alternate theory presumes
that the disease's cause is not amyloid-beta plaques
but rather oxidative stress."
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About Carol
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Caregiving expert Carol Bradley Bursack, Author,
speaker and columnist, presents a collection of
articles, stories, news and research for you to
browse. Please check the blog and Web site links for
more information and feel free to email Carol at
carol@mindingourelders.com to chat or ask
questions. Minding Our Elders is a registered
trademark.
If your group or organization would like to buy "Minding
Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories"
in bulk, please email carol@mindingourelders.com
for information. Bulk rates are available.
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