May is National Geriatric Care Manager Month

Carol S. Heape of Elder Options, Inc. will participate in National Geriatric Care Manager Month by submitting educational articles to help inform the public about what Geriatric Care Managers do and how they help older adults and families.

Look for upcoming weekly articles submitted by Elder Options, Inc. throughout local newspapers for the month of May.

Heape, a resident of Placerville since 1988 has been a geriatric care manager for 24 years and focuses her practice on providing solutions for families, honoring (and making feasible) older adults’ wish to stay at home, as opposed to a nursing home, or becoming institutionalized. Heape has been a member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) for over 20 years as a member.

Professional Geriatric Care Managers throughout the country will celebrate National Geriatric Care Manager Month by providing seminars, webinars, special events related to geriatric care management, open houses and other educational activities for the public.

About NAPGCM

The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) was formed in 1985 to advance dignified care for older adults and their families. Geriatric Care Managers are professionals who have extensive training and experience working with older people, people with disabilities and families who need assistance with care-giving issues. They assist older adults who wish to remain in their homes, or can help families in the search for a suitable nursing home placement or extended care if the need occurs. The practice of geriatric care management and the role of care providers have captured a national spotlight, as generations of Baby Boomers age in the United States and abroad. For more information, please call (800) 336-1709, or visit www.elderoptionsca.com and/or www.caremanager.org (NAPGCM).

What is a Care Manager?

By Elizabeth Caldwell, AA

Care Manager Assistant, Elder Options Inc.

A son, living in Nebraska, called our office about his parents needing home care. Our geriatric care manager assessed the mom, 86, and discovered she has memory loss and a fractured shoulder due to a recent fall. Her husband, also in his late 80s, couldn’t safely bathe her and help her out of bed in the morning. Instead of the son flying out to California and trying to find a private caregiver on his own, our Care Manager coordinated care with our staff of screened provider employees to provide in home care for the mother. The father received respite and the son had peace of mind knowing a geriatric care manager would continue to monitor conditions with updates to the son on an ongoing basis.

I often hear the question, “What is a care manager?” With National Geriatric Care Manager Month in May, now is the perfect time to discuss the answer. A geriatric care manager is an educated professional in the field of social work, nursing, gerontology, or other human service professions. These professionals carry at least a Bachelor’s Degree and many hold advanced Master Degrees. Professional Geriatric Care Managers are also certified through the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers or NAPGCM. In order to become certified with this association, the care manager must meet educational and experience requirements, and pass the national exam.

The goal of the care manager is to support and be a resource for older adults, and individuals with disabilities and their families throughout the community and nationwide. Care managers can offer numerous services such as psychosocial assessments, communication with legal and medical staff, medical coordination as well as medication monitoring. These professionals conduct thorough assessments where needs are identified and assistance with resources such as Veterans benefits are provided. The Geriatric Care Manager can also conduct family meetings to assist and resolve care issues impacting the older adult and his or her family.

Care managers are also a wealth of knowledge. The care manager is able to assist with government entitlement programs, eligibility, costs and quality of services, community resources, and availability of services. This knowledge allows for community education regarding what resources may be available for Older Adults. Due to the number of services and programs available, it can be difficult to determine how to get started and what to complete on the many complex forms required. The care manager is a professional that can assist individuals and their families in finding solutions.

Spend the month of May with me and honor the care managers whose mission is to assist individuals within the community to ensure happy, safe, and independent lives.

*(Note: The above situation is typical but not related to any one individual.)For more information or to schedule a family meeting, call 1-800-336-1709

Engaging activities for persons with dementia

It is usually obvious what a person with dementia is no longer able to do. But finding things your loved one CAN do may feel like a challenge, especially if memory loss is severe. Here are some tips.

Activities are important. They answer core human needs for

• identity and personal expression;
• life purpose and meaning;
• connection with others.

Boredom or lack of engagement may lead your relative to unsafe activities, such as wandering. Or to activities that frustrate you, such as "reorganizing" the dresser or tearing bits of paper. Or to a change in mood that may bring on agitation or depression.

Activities can be
• task oriented: getting dressed, setting the table, sweeping the steps, dressing a doll;
• physical: taking a walk, washing the car, dancing, singing, clapping;
• creative: painting, telling stories, making cards, stringing beads;
• mental: reading, doing simple puzzles, watching a nature video, playing bingo;
• social: having a visitor, going to church, reviewing old photos.

Ideally, create a daily routine for your loved one. Provide a balance of activity and relaxation. Too much activity itself causes stress. Remember that tasks of personal care, such as bathing and dressing, are activities, too.

• Consider your relative's history and interests. If he or she worked in an office, provide a desk and papers to "organize." If a homemaker, ask for help folding towels, dusting, or winding yarn.
• Focus on creating pleasure. Not on completing the activity or doing it "right." The goal is for your relative to feel engaged.
• Start the activity. A person with dementia is more able to participate than to initiate. Begin as a "team."
• Follow their lead. Stay flexible; change activities as your relative changes. If going out to eat becomes too much, just go for a drive. If interest in dancing wanes, just sway or tap feet.

Myths versus realities of hospice care

Many families caring for a seriously ill loved one struggle alone unnecessarily. They miss out on vital support services because they don't understand what hospice can provide.

Here are some common misconceptions.

• Hospice is for someone in the last few days of life. Hospice is for the last six months of life, with more time available if it is needed. Ask the doctor if he or she would be surprised if your loved one were to die in the next year. If the doctor says no, then it's time to consider hospice. (No one can predict for sure one way or the other.)
• Hospice means you are giving up. Hospice focuses on patient comfort and quality of life. Although a "cure" is no longer the goal, research shows that people getting "comfort care" often live longer than they would without it!
• The doctor will call for hospice when it's time. Doctors don't like to "scare" patients. And, understandably, they don't like to give bad news. Unless your relative has asked his or her doctor for candid feedback, the doctor may avoid bringing up hospice until death is very near.
• Hospice means you can no longer see your doctor. Your relative's existing doctor is still involved, collaborating with hospice in a team approach to care.
• Hospice is a place someone goes. Some hospices have facilities where patients can move in. But the mainstay of hospice is service in the patient's own home. Medical professionals make "home visits" to the patient, wherever the patient lives.
• Hospice is only for people with cancer. Hospice is for people with any type of disease, as long as the condition is incurable and in the advanced stage. This includes people in late stages of chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, and COPD.

When you gotta go, you gotta go

Are you feeling housebound because of a family member’s incontinence? It may seem too risky to be out in public and not know where to find a toilet. "Cabin fever," however, is bad for both of you.

Here is good news that just may open some doors. It's a mobile app that locates nearby restrooms available to the public.

"Sit or Squat" is a free, somewhat humorous application you can download for your smartphone from sitorsquat.com.

Using the GPS in your phone, this app can zero in on your current location and then tell you about nearby facilities. (It lists the options from closest to farthest.) For planning outings ahead of time, you can enter an address, an intersection, a city, or a zip code.

Facilities listed can be public, in gas stations, in restaurants, in stores, etc. (The app is heavy on restrooms in Starbucks. Perhaps there is some advertising underwriting? The app itself was created by Charmin toilet paper.)

As of this writing, there are 117,955 toilets listed on the site. Facilities can be added by viewers and can even be rated. Any facility rated 2.5 stars or more is a "sit." Anything less than 2.5 is "squat."

You can view your search result by map. Or get a narrative description with phone number and hours of the facility (provided someone has entered that information). You can even view images if someone has uploaded a photo.

Like any app, it is only as accurate as the entries others have made. You may want to use it for initial research before an outing and call ahead to confirm the toilet is in fact available to the public. Or, if you are already out and about and find your loved one suddenly has the urge, well, if you gotta go, you gotta go... Give it a try.