A Note From Carol
Dear Friends,
As I walk out to rescue my long-stemmed purple
irises struggling to stand against the near-
constant prairie wind, I hear a crowd cheering. No,
not for me, though my neighbors may be happy to see
me tidy up.
Only blocks away, 20,000 marathoners are gathered.
This event is only a few years old, but it's grown from
what we thought was an amazing start of a couple of
thousand locals to a world-class draw. My
contribution to this marathon day is to support my
flowers in their fight against nature, but I am delighted
that my community can host such an event. To each
their own.
Similarly, family elder care support started out on a
small scale. When my caregiving began with my
neighbor Joe, in the late 80s, there were few places to
turn to for help. Family caregiving was not "in style."
However, after one of Joe's falls, when he dislocated
his shoulder, I learned about personal alarms. I also
learned about in-home care service.
Since those years, legions of boomers have become
caregivers, and with these multitudes has come
tremendous change. Services of all kinds are
blossoming. However, as with most change there are
rough spots. Services are available, but they can be
expensive. Support groups are a great option, but
many wither on the vine because caregivers don't
have time to attend.
The good news is that the Internet has provided
amazing opportunities for caregivers to gather and
communicate. They support each other. Terrific Web
sites offer helpful information. Even government
agencies are learning that there are steps one can
take between total independence and a nursing
home. Sometimes elder care services and support
don't seem to be evolving fast enough. But change
is
happening. More care options are available. And
caregivers are starting to gain some respect.
Take care of yourselves, my friends. You are part of a
large and important group, but to your elder you are
one in a million. Make time to come in out of the wind
and rest, so you don't collapse.
Carol
Quick Links...
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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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When a Caregiver Wishes Their Elder Could Die
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Occasionally, someone on the AgingCare.com forum
will say that they secretly wish the parent for whom
they are caring would die. The parent is sick,
miserable and hard to care for. The caregiver wants
her or his life back. Of course, those who admit they
have had this thought wonder if that makes them a
terrible person.
Most of these people are decent folks who love their
parents. What has happened is they have taken on the
role of caregiver, as so most of us do, out of love. Our
elders need us, so we hop in without a thought. We
have no idea that this role could last for years, or even
decades.
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Study Shows Brain Plaques May Not Be Villain in Alzheimer's: Back to the Drawing Board?
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According to an article on Reuters titled "New theory of
Alzheimer's explains drug failures," the long-held
theory that has many drug companies scrambling to
be the first to come up with a drug to prevent or cure
Alzheimer's may be flawed.
Worse than flawed, actually. The new study reports
that, "Brain plaques, long considered the chief killer of
brain cells and the cause of Alzheimer's disease, may
actually play a protective role, under a new theory that
is changing the way researchers think about the
disease."
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Medicare D "Donut Hole" Calculator Can Help Eliminate Guessing
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Ah, Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. This
is one of the most confusing of the Medicare
alphabet "parts" to figure out, because as your
prescriptions change for health reasons, you may
have to change the insurance company that provides
Medicare Part D coverage. Not all companies cover all
drugs.
To make it even more fun, there is what is called a
donut hole in the coverage plan. This is the gap where
your insurance stops paying for prescriptions, and you
must pay the full price until your hit a target amount.
The donut hole isn't hard to reach with drug prices as
high as they are. Drugs such as Aricept, given for
Alzheimer's disease, can be very expensive. After the
gap is covered, the policy takes over and then all you
pay is a small co-pay.
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Stepping Stones in Care Needs: Adult Day Care Fills a Gap
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When we, as adult children, step into the role of
helping our parents get help outside of what the family
can contribute, we are often confused by the wide
array of services. What kind of care do our folks really
need? The answer to that is often that they may benefit
from more than one kind of service at a time.
If your elders live in their own home, maintenance
help and perhaps some in-home help for health
issues are already in place. But what if Dad is the one
who needs the assistance, and Mom is still fairly
healthy and active? In-home care comes in to help
Dad with bathing and some other tasks that are too
difficult for Mom, but still, she could use some time
alone in the house, and Dad, who has always been
Mr. Sociability, could use some excitement.
Enter Adult Day Care
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An Elder's Paranoia Affects the Caregiver
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One of the many heartbreaking effects of Alzheimer's
and other dementias is that the person with the
disease can become paranoid.
You see paranoid behavior in nursing homes on a
regular basis and it can be confusing to observers. Is
an elder complaining about being ignored and not fed
because he or she can't remember eating or is this
really happening? Does the person think her bracelet
was stolen simply because she put it somewhere
(maybe twenty years ago) and can't find it, or was it
actually stolen?
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CNN Reports on Caregivers' Risk of Illness
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Hundreds (thousands?) of studies, articles and
references to the toll constant caregiving can take on
the caregiver's physical and mental health have
popped up over the last years. When I first started
writing about this topic, I had to dig to find references.
Now they are every place. Still, the subject needs to be
kept in front of caregivers and those who love them.
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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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