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| Elder Care Information |
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Short Trips Can Stimulate Alzheimers Patients
Severe degradation of short-term memory means that my father, an Alzheimer's elder, is seldom interested in movies or books. And, although music used to be a source of enjoyment, he no longer listens with pleasure. Left to his own devices, he sits. . .and sits. . .and sits unless he's sleeping. What to do? We've found that visually stimulating events often perk our Alzheimer's elder right up. So we've added weekly, sometimes daily, trips, preferably four hours or less in duration, to his routine. These appear to add to his enjoyment of life and stimulate him to the extent that sometimes he'll add spontaneous comments to a conversation, a rare event nowadays. Here are some of the outings that have added a little oomph to his life (and provided a short break from the daily grind of caregiving): IMAX IMAX presentations offer stunning cinematography that grabs and holds attention. The presentations are usually fairly short, about an hour in length, without a complicated story line. He enjoys the 3D effects and has remembered these films for several hours after the fact. RIDE THE RAILS A ride on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail takes less than three hours when you board at one end of the line and ride round-trip. In between, there are interesting stopovers, such as the West End, where people congregate for restaurants and entertainment. We think he enjoys watching the people as much as the museums and restaurants. VISIT THE FARMER'S MARKET Talk about visual stimulation! You could not find a place with more going on or more interesting things to see. He loves the market, and, as a bonus, we're able to find really fresh fruits and vegetables and flowers for the garden. COMMUNITY THEATER From time to time, community theaters produce old favorites that he still remembers. And the Grandbury Opera produces farces that we can all enjoy together. Trips to small towns like Grandbury that have preserved their history can supply openings to reminisce. SHOP IN THE GROCERY STORE If you would never visited a supermarket, imagine how exciting your first trip would be! It's probably quite similar for our Alzheimer's elder and never fails to amuse him. VISIT A SHOPPING MALL Bookstores no longer hold much interest for my father, but walking the mall provides lots of opportunity for people-watching. He doesn't care much for exercise these days, so a trip to the mall provides a built-in excuse for walking. These particular jaunts might not work for your Alzheimer's elder, but they should fire up your imagination. About The Author Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. - Phyllis Staff is an experimental psychologist and the CEO of The Best Is Yet.Net, an internet company that helps seniors and caregivers find trustworthy residential care. She is the author of How to Find Great Senior Housing: A Roadmap for Elders and Those Who Love Them. She is also the daughter of a victim of Alzheimer's disease. Visit the author's web site at http://www.thebestisyet.net
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Alternative Medicine Arizona Senior Housing: Care Options for Seniors Who Can No Longer Live Alone The following are a few of the care options available for seniors who can no longer live on their own and require assistance with their Activities of Daily Living (ADL), or require skilled nursing care. Every state is a little different in terms of availability and cost, state regulations, and the specific names used for each care option: Alzheimers Care Giving While Maintaining Your Own Health Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to remember the way you felt as you were trying to make sense of things as you awoke. As you imagine or remember this sensation do you find yourself wondering if it is morning or night? Are you trying to remember where you are? Do you have a startle reaction and think for a moment that you are late for work or forgot to pick up your children at school? I have had that upsetting feeling if I wake up in the middle of the night or even after a nap. Now imagine that same fog every moment of your life....... Honey, Where Are The Car Keys? Q: My mother is always losing, hiding and hoarding things, I am losing my mind! What can I do to get her to stop? Long Term-Care; 70 Million Americans Will Be Over 65 by 2003 We will all grow old; this is a given. We will all have health issues as we grow older, this also is a given. Many people work their whole lives and if they are smart end up with a paid for house and a little nest egg for retirement. This is a good 15% of the population. Good for us as we have a strong middle-class. But whether you are rich or poor there will come a time when you need long-term care. As a matter of fact statistics show tat 10% of use will need long-term care for 3-5 years. The Golden Years 1) What does Adrian Mitchell say we do to people when their working lives are over? Whos Gonna Take Care of You When Youre Old? I finally went to the doctor this morning for my bad cold. My appointment was for 9:30 am and yet I did not get home until after 1:00 pm. Arizona Assisted Living Homes -- The Alternative to High Priced Senior Care The cost of skilled nursing care is slowly rising. Currently, the average cost of care in Arizona ranges from $3,500 to $4,500 per month. Skilled nursing facilities are great for seniors who require skilled nursing care by medical professionals such as registered nurses or physicians. However, is skilled nursing care appropriate for those who only require assistance with their activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing and going to the bathroom? Is it realistic for someone to pay $3,000 to $6,000 a month for skilled nursing care when their only requirement is assistance with their ADLs? Believe it or not, there are many seniors who do not require skilled nursing care and remain in nursing homes due to their lack of knowledge of the options available to them. There are affordable alternatives to nursing home care. When a senior requires long term care without 24 hour medical supervision, the preferred alternative is Assisted Living Homes. The Best Investment You Can Make Right Now: Long Term Care Insurance Don't think you need it? Consider this: a full 50% of Americans over the age of 50 will need long term care at some point in their lives. The average cost of nursing facility care (or home health care assistance) is $61,000 per year, and the average stay in a long term care facility is 2½ years. Can you think of a faster way to decimate your nest egg? Skilled Nursing Homes - What Are They? A skilled nursing home is a medical facility providing services similar to a hospital. The homes are staffed with licensed nurses, shared rooms, hospital beds, regular scheduled doctor rounds, meals and housekeeping. Skilled nursing homes often provide a more pleasant setting with optimal nurse to patient ratios and relaxed atmospheres. Hinged Rail Stair Lifts If a door at the top or the bottom of the stairs may be blocked by the rail of the stairlift, there are a number of models designed to overcome this problem. Some manufacturers are able to produce a rail with reduced overhang upstairs, so the lift will not protrude as far into the hallway. This may solve the problem at the top of your stairs and is a very cost effective solution. Introducing the Best Available Long Term Care Policy Guarantee If you are 60 to 70 years old ... or have a family member who is ... then what you are about to discover could help prevent the complete erosion of your estate. Prevent or Delay Alzheimers Disease Argh! Where are my glasses? I put them down . . . to do what? And when? Angels Are Reaching Out to the Elderly I am reminded time after time of the profound effect Angels have on people. Recently, I have been receiving many emails containing examples of how the Angels are reaching through the veils to assist the elderly. The elderly respond to Angel Paintings with a knowingness of love and illumination that comes from within them. Sometimes the reactions have been as though they are recognizing an old friend. The Dryer Ate Your Underwear! Q: My mom is in the early stages of dementia and she is also incontinent we have tried to get her to stop wearing her underpants and have her start wearing pull-up diapers, she throws the Depends out the door and puts her underpants on. Of coarse we have a lot of laundry! How should I handle this? The Right Wheelchair Accessories Will Ease Your Life and Your Journeys on Wheels Wheelchairs come in every shape and size with sufficient options that you can find the wheels you like to take you where you want to go with the assistance you need. To enhance the comfort and convenience of your journey, choose accessories tailored to provide the best support for your activities and your health concerns. What Most Long Term Care Professionals Don't Know Medicare recognizes this need and, therefore reimburses your residents to receive advanced behavioral health services? making them free to your facility! Assisted Living: Tips on How to Choose a Facility It is easy to be fooled by fancy drapery or expensive furniture that may decorate a care facility. Even though a facility looks high class doesn't always mean the care provided is first class. The following are just a few simple guidelines to follow when selecting either a nursing home or an assisted living facility: Mom Wont Participate! Q: Six months ago we placed my mother in an assisted living facility. She gets along fairly well, but we thought she would get involved with all of the activities. Instead she complains that she is very lonely, and won't participate. Do you have any suggestions? Nursing Home Staffing Levels: How Much Is Enough? During the week of February 17, 2002, headlines screamed the news - more than 92% of US nursing homes fail to have an adequate number of staff to provide quality care for elderly residents. Newspapers and radio programs based their stories on the new study the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recently provided to the Senate's Special Committee on Aging. Stair Lifts - Straight and Curved Rails There are two types of stairlift. Straight and curved. The first is designed for straight stairs. The footrest of the lift will normally stop level with the top stair. It may be possible to use a straight stairlift on some configurations of curved stairs.
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