[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXG7IjaBh4o&w=560&h=315]
For those living in the New Jersey area and worried about their elderly relatives, there is a way forward as can be seen from this video.
Geriatric Care
Predicting the Future for Eldercare
In 2013, skilled nursing facilities accounted for the largest share of elder care service revenue in America. The question now is though, what direction is set for the future? Who will be spending most on eldercare in America and where will that money be coming from? As our population continues to age,
But it seems that it is home healthcare that has the highest predicted growth rate in America. This is mainly due to the fact that elderly people generally prefer to remain in their own environments, rather than moving to a specialized eldercare home, away from their families. Given that home based services for the elderly are improving all the time – along with the advances in medical technology – it seems that this is a good option.
Remote monitoring, personal emergency response systems, and other such devices are being developed all the time for this demographic. And so they should be. Last year, VP of Technology and CIO, Clifford Cancelosi found that America’s over 50 group has the control of over 75 percent of the country’s total wealth. So clever start-ups are now increasingly focusing on what devices to make for them, such as Aging 2.0 whose mission it is “to inspire innovation for this unique population of users and to improve the lives of seniors around the world.”
Back to the growth projection of the different eldercare options, it is also anticipated that there will be an increase in the popularity of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) since seniors generally prefer these to standard senior homes that have a more rigid, less independent feel.
The eldercare market is definitely a good one for investment. Companies that are making the most of this include: CareSolver (technology to help organize and undertake daily tasks), Lively (sensors to keep track of your loved one’s actions and movements) and Tapestry (an app to help the elderly stay in touch with their friends and families).
It’s all happening on the senior front. Take care of your elders seems to be the message; they are vibrant and significant part of society.
Aging Gracefully Around the US
Hillsborough is setting up for its 2015 Green Living and Wellness Fair. Taking place on June 17, it focused on both environment and health, with screenings and information on green living and will take place at the Hillsborough Township Municipal Complex.
In addition in Brooklyn, there was the Seniors’ Legal Safety and Wellness conference on June which was held at the Centreville Baptist Church, organized by the Annapolis Valley Aging Well Together Coalition in an attempt to imbue the elderly with accurate and useful information to help them make the most appropriate decisions as they age.
Through another study – a series entitled ‘The Faces of 85 and Up,’ in which a group of six New Yorkers in that age bracket were followed on how they navigate life, one piece of advice seemed to be consistent: the importance of keeping a sense of humor as one ages. 91-year old John Sorensen from the study comically said: “the only thing about dying is that I won’t be alive long enough to enjoy the fact that I finally died.” Although the truth is, this is because he lost his long-term partner and no longer wants to live without him.
If we are privileged to reach old age, there are many ways to do so gracefully.
Highway to Good Health
The UK’s department of health, in conjunction with the Senior Center, recently sponsored a senior health fair at a local senior center. At the fair were 40+ vendors offering free health screenings, and displaying their wares. Seniors were able to get tested – for free – for balance, blood pressure, colon cancer, depression, glucose, hearing, memory, osteoporosis, pulse oximetry, PSA and more.
In addition, there were five minute massage demonstrations, sound healing and Tibetan bowl therapy. Nutritional education was given over by Shop Rite and October Kitchen and seniors were also given lessons on how to look out for fraud prevention, home care, immunizations and more.
All in all, it was a great event and very useful for the elderly people in the community – as well as their caretakers.
News: Southern California Geriatric Care Unit
Thanks to Prime Healthcare Services, Southern California will soon have a geriatric ER and impatient unit. This will be at Encino Hospital Medical Center and is being developed to offer specialized geriatric care.
Indeed, these new units will be run by experts who understand the more specific needs of the elderly such as thicker mattresses (due to thinner skin), non-slip floors, medications that must be monitored, comfortable rooms, etc.
Further, patients will be subject to geriatric doctors, nurses, physical therapists, case managers, etc., all whom have experience and expertise working with the elderly. Nutritionists and pharmacists will also be on the case.
Making Eldercare Environments Safer
Seniors encounter all sorts of issues that their younger counterparts are often spared from. For example, their eyes have a slower reflex time. So when a hospital is fitted with glaring lights, it can lead to problems with walking for the elderly as it takes them longer to register. According to Dr. Diana Anderson, an architect currently engaged in internal medicine residence at New York-Presbyterian Hospital:
“The hospital can be a hazardous place for anyone, but particularly for the elderly. Hospitalization is one of the major risk factors for older people. We can end up seeing irreversible decline in their functional status after they’re admitted. This decline cannot always be attributed to a progression of their presenting medical problem.”
Another issue the elderly tend to encounter at hospitals is the mattresses. Since older people have thinner skin, they need softer mattresses. They also feel the cold more and what might be perceived as white noise by other patients (monitors, gadgets etc.), can have a strong interfering effect on the elderly, making it harder for them to communicate with staff.
Thus Anderson is seeking to make it safer for the elderly in these such environments. She has also decided to practice “dochitect” medicine, a term she coined herself which is a combination of architecture and medical knowledge that will hopefully ultimately result in safer environments for the elderly at hospitals.
Thankfully today, Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE), has recognized over 500 senior-friendly hospitals and 100 skilled-nursing facilities for their senior-friendly programs and physical environments.
Aging and Chronic Illness
The elderly population that generally suffers from increased chronic conditions, often require more complicated personal and medical care. The best way of coordinating all of this is through geriatric care management services. It is the staff that work with these services that have a greater pool of information of the elderly, the issues they have, and the resources that are available in the community. With this, there is greater access for both the elderly and their carers to the services required.
Broadly speaking, a Geriatric Care Manager’s (GCM) role is to serve as an advocate for the senior. GCMs may have a degree in a field such as nursing, social work, gerontology or psychology. The GCM monitors the care the seniors receive, identifies what is needed and develops and implements a plan. And this system is good for those who have more complicated needs.
There is a lot of coordination involved with the role of the GCM too. In some ways these professionals are a mix of social worker, medical expert and counselor. They explain medications to patients, help with transportation, figure out placements, etc. As well they may intervene with family disputes regarding long-term care.
It seems that GCMs could be the right way forward for quality, efficient, elderly care.
Enhancing Quality of Life for Seniors
Research undertaken by the National Institute on Aging will focus on how to enhance: decision-making, mobility, cognition and overall independence. There will be two new centers that will focus on: interventions that help increase and maintain an active lifestyle to promote wellness, especially vis-à-vis populations at risk (such as the elderly) and focus on vulnerable adult populations and transition of healthcare services like nursing homes.
According to Richard J. Hodes, M.D, Director of NIA:
“Through a range of projects, the centers seek to find new and better ways to maintain mobility and physical function; support sound financial and medical decision making; aid cognitive function; manage pain; and enhance caregiving.”
The centers provide ways of practicing the research that has taken place, into programs to improve the health and wellness of older people.
Senior Wellbeing: Enhancing Independent Living
In general, as people age, their preferred option of lifestyle arrangements is to remain in their homes. Even if they need assistance, they would rather be in the comfort of their own surroundings, than in a senior citizens home. As such, today, there are many organizations, services and products, designed to enhance independent living. Elder Care Services, Inc. (ECS) is one of them.
Some of the services ECS has been providing to seniors over the years in Tallahassee include: meals on wheels, senior day care (at the Lake Ella Elder Day Stay facility), and eldercare home assistance ranging from companionship to respite care. ECS offers supplies, assistance, devices and more. In addition, it gives seniors the opportunity to engage in volunteer activities, further enhancing their sense of independence.
A couple of months ago Capital Medical Society Foundation gave ECS $3,450 to “help keep more seniors where they want to be – in their homes.” The money is being put toward helping 20 seniors and their caregivers on the waiting list for this kind of support, such as: bathing, taking to and from medical appointments, help with filing insurance claims, etc.
Many studies over the years have found that there are tremendous benefits for seniors living at home while they age rather than move into an institution. Apart from the financial advantages (with ECS estimating their program is around 50% less than an assisted living facility), according to eCaring, it is a great way for the family to “helping [the elderly in their care] age comfortably, and gracefully.” Some of the most notable benefits to seniors staying at home include: not needing to adapt to a new environment (which can sometimes slow down recovery time when a medical procedure has to be performed), dignity, more personalized care, keeps families together, is generally safer (less cases of infections more common in institutions) and more of the same people are around (not changing staff and unknown people).
As well, according to a study undertaken by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, “senior citizens fear moving into a nursing home and losing their independence more than they fear death.” With the variety of remote monitoring systems available on the market, it is also possible for many seniors to remain at home today.
Thus with the many options available to assist those caring for elderly to help them remain at home, the senior community is often faced with a greater choice than ever before, as to how to age.
Elderly Care in Summer
The hot summer weather can be hard for everyone. But one of the extra potential problems the elderly have is that they often have a harder time identifying when they are thirsty. It is thus very important for those caring for the elderly to keep tabs on how much they are drinking. Of course, this is even more the case with those who have dementia.
It is not so good for people to just drink a whole lot in one sitting. Sipping little bits throughout the day is best. But according to Dr. Jim Thomason of Maple Lawn retirement community, while it is beneficial to get older in that one doesn’t feel the heat as much, what’s worrying is that the elderly are thus at a greater risk for dehydration.
Another tip for elderly care during the summer month is to contact one’s local Area Agency on Aging to see if they can help those with limited resources get air-conditioners. Also be careful about vision in the elderly as too much sunlight can be problematic, especially with aging eyes. Use UV rays to protect eyes.
There are many things that can be done in the summer to protect our elders. Just keep on top of things and follow these simple ideas above.