Chances are that, to some degree, you been a family caregiver for your loved one for some time now. To one degree or another, you’ve been tending to their needs: taking frequent phone calls, grocery shopping with (or without) them, and performing chores around their home.

Whether you are the child, sibling, or the spouse of your loved one, you’ll be feeling the emotional and physical strain of the role you’re playing. There’s an uncomfortable shift in the dynamics between you.

If you’re the child, you’ve become a parent of sorts. If you’re the spouse, you’re forced into a new and often unwelcome level of intimacy. And, if you’re a sibling, it’s imperative that your decisions not be clouded by childhood memories or resentments.

Being aware of these shifts in roles and responsibilities is the first step in self- care for the caregiver (that’s you, remember). The second step could be to seek support and assistance. One great resources is National Caregiver Support Groups. These groups can put you in touch with their local chapters. In addition, you can get information regarding support groups in your area from local nursing homes or eldercare agencies.

The Effects of Caregiver Stress

Dealing with the health problems of someone you love naturally produces stress in your life. It can wear you down, both emotionally, and physically.

I mentioned in my opening story that at one point in my mother’s illness, I was driving hundreds of miles each week to visit her in the hospital or skilled nursing facility. My mother’s condition was the result of a sudden event – which is different from the lingering decline described as part of the assessment process. With such a dramatic event comes shock, guilt and acute sorrow.

The time spent on the road gave me hours to think about how things could have been different; the traveling to and from her bedside took time away from my work, and my relationships. The stress of my mother’s illness was dominating my life and had manifested itself in many ways.

Stress manifests itself in three ways: physically, cognitively and emotionally. Below is a list of stress symptoms. Looking back at that period in my life, I realize stress has manifested itself in many of those symptoms.

Physical Symptoms

• Headaches
• Sore back / stiff neck
• Teethgrinding
• Sexual dysfunction
• Heart palpitations
• Restlessness
• Shortness of breath
• Heartburn
• Diarrhea/constipation
• Jumpiness
• Chronicinsomnia

Cognitive Issues

• Difficulty in making decisions
• Decreased problem-solving ability
• Obsessive thinking
• Short-term memory loss
• Decreased concentration
• Drop in organization skills
• Limited attention span

Emotional Signs

• Loss of interest in hobbies or recreational activities
• Frequent crying or tearfulness
• Persistent sadness or depression
• Irritability
• Chronic anxiety

Are you currently suffering from one or more of these symptoms of caregiver stress? I’m not surprised! Even in the early stages in dealing with the chronic health issues of a loved one – whether parent, sibling or spouse – you’ll find that you’ve become (more or less) tolerant of many of these manifestations of stress.

What I’ve learned is simple: taking care of yourself is essential to the well-being of your loved one. Here’s a short list of some of the things you can do to support yourself during the coming weeks:

Seek support from others. Turn to your loved one’s neighbors and friends; or other family members. They may be able to spend a few hours caregiving while you run errands, or even just take a short nap. Don’t feel you have to do it all alone!

Find a way to release your emotions. If you’ve got a pastor, spiritual advisor, close friend, or a therapist – someone you can trust 100% – be sure to reach out to them. They will be able to listen to you lovingly, and keep what you tell them to themselves.

Take time for yourself. If you like to walk on the beach, go shopping, take your dog to the park, or simply go see a movie – do it! Do not procrastinate on this: taking time for simple pleasures every day is critical to your well-being.

Simplify your life. Ask yourself this question: What can I let go of right now? Maybe you shouldn’t tackle new projects at work; maybe you should let go of hunting for that new house – whatever you can put ‘on the back burner,’ now is the time to do just that.

Avoid excessive alcohol or drugs. Ah, the temptations of self-medication. Don’t give into them. It’s not the wise path; ultimately, the care you are trying to provide suffers, and you’re less able to take care of the other things in life. Your job, marriage or parenting duties will suffer. That’s why I highly recommend the next tip:

Continue or begin an exercise program. It’s been clearly proven: aerobic exercise causes the brain to produce endorphins, which are your body’s natural way to enhance your mood and relieve your stress. Find a way to build regular exercise into your week: walk, run, practice T’ai chi; go bowling or play a round of golf with friends. Note: Always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program!

Do yoga. Yoga can be a fantastic stress reliever which providing a great deal of exercise and better flexibility. I cannot recommend Yoga enough, as it alone helps me reduce my stress level and irritability. A note for the men reading this book: Yoga can be hard work, very challenging and a great way to relax and build muscle. Don’t think Yoga is effeminate or too easy!

In the wonderful book, When Someone You Love Needs Nursing Home Care, the authors, Robert Bornstein and Mary Languirand help their readers to build a long-term plan, based on six principles:

• Plan ahead. It may be a difficult subject to broach with your loved one, but planning ahead provides them with the opportunity to fully participate in the decision-making process.
• Get advice. Don’t discount the value of speaking with those people who have been down this same road. Join a support group (online or offline), and speak with doctors, nurses and health care professionals. When it’s financial or legal advice you need, turn to attorneys and accountants.
• Get others involved. Share the workload with family members, co- workers, and friends. Remember they care about you, and would love to help when they can – so don’t hesitate to ask!
• Keep colleagues informed. Those people in your workplace need to be taken into your confidence; they’ll want to know why you’re frequently absent from your desk, or unable to take on additional work.
• Take care of yourself. We’ve already touched upon ‘self-care’ as being critical not only to your well-being but to the well-being of your loved one as well.
• Put things in perspective – and keep them there! Short-term thinking (“Things are falling apart and will never get better”) is a trap. As I’ve learned so clearly, people grow through adversity, and you’ll never be able to know just how this growth will manifest itself. Remember that change is inevitable…“this too shall pass.”

Photo Credit: lululemon athletica.

With elder care, there are rarely black and white answers to your concerns. Do you believe that your loved one is exhibiting behaviors that indicate their inability to perform basic or complex tasks? If you find yourself answering “yes,” then you should consider a geriatric screening for your loved one. You can arrange for a geriatric screening through your local hospital or social service agency.

To have a productive conversation with the healthcare worker or elder care provider, be sure to gather enough information about your loved one’s medical condition, legal status and personal preferences.

What is Geriatric Screening?

A geriatric screening is a comprehensive assessment designed to optimize an older person’s ability to enjoy good health, improve their overall quality of life, reduce the need for hospitalization and/or institutionalization, and enable them to live independently for as long as possible. An assessment consists of the following steps:

1. An examination of the older person’s current status in terms of:

• Their physical, mental, and psycho-social health

• Their ability to function well and to independently perform the basic activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing meal preparation, medication management, etc.

• Their living arrangements, their social network, and their access to support services.

2. An identification of current problems or anticipated future problems in any of these areas.

3. The development of a comprehensive “Care Plan” which addresses all problems identified, suggests specific interventions or actions required, and makes specific recommendations regarding resources needed to provide the necessary support services.

4. The management of a successful linkage between these resources, the older person and that person’s family so that provision of the necessary services is assured.

5. An ongoing monitoring of the extent to which this linkage has or has not addressed the problems identified, and modification of the Care Plan as needed.

Who Performs a Geriatric Screening?

A geriatric screening can be done in many different settings such as:

• a hospital
• a nursing home
• an outpatient clinic
• a physician’s office
• the patient’s home

Because a geriatric screening is so comprehensive in scope, it can only be successfully conducted by a multi-disciplinary team of experts. This team might include:

• physicians
• ancillary personnel
• social workers
• physical and/or occupational therapists
• dieticians
• psychologists
• pharmacists
• geriatric nurse practitioners

You can request a referral for a geriatric screening from a primary care physician. Also, check with any large hospital or university to see whether they have a geriatric assessment unit.

For more information on geriatric screenings, I recommend you review The Geriatric Patient: A Systematic Approach to Maintaining Health. This article by the American Association of Family Physicians provides a detailed review of the standardized assessment tools typically used in an outpatient setting.

Photo Credit: simaje.

The desire for youthful energy never leaves and is capable of staying with you well until your later years. Boomers are, however, faced with the old adage, “use it or lose it.” It’s no wonder boomers are keen to put passion back into their lives and fight the effects of aging. True we are living in a society with an obesity epidemic and what a better motivator than living an independent life well into ones retirement with an increased zest and ability to perform activities of daily living with greater ease and function.

How do function and aging co-exist and blend with fitness? They are a twin-ship, even if we don’t see them that way. No one wants to feel and look old before their time. Much of what we blame on aging: weakness, decreased range of motion and obesity can be reversed in 30 days. How do we look and feel younger in 30 days? Through a blissful discipline called Functional Fitness.

Americans are getting older every minute and life expectancy is ever-increasing. People leading full productive lives after the age of retirement are no longer a “wow.” Most baby boomers want to live active lives and learn how to enjoy a fulfilling active life. You’re as fit as your body is functional. Contrary to popular opinion, not even all young people are limber, for keeping flexibility relies on regular stretching. However flexibility, one of the three primary components of physical fitness, is extremely important to attaining a healthy life. Without flexibility, simple activities, such as reaching and bending become painful. True, muscles shorten with age, but according to the National Foundation for anti-aging, “most aging is premature.” Here are 10 tips to help you stay younger, fitter and functional.

1- Drink six to eight glasses of water each day. Hydrate skin, nourish it, and prevent wrinkles.

2- Stretch and strengthen your legs. Doing calf raises and tiptoe walking every other day improves circulation and helps prevents spider veins.

3- Incorporate upper-body exercises. Lift mini dumbbells, and stretch back muscles. This protects against osteoporosis.

4- Strengthen your abs five days a week. Sit-ups enhance blood flow to vital organs, repairing tissue damage.

5- Add aerobic exercise. Keep your heart and lungs youthful and fit.

6 – Choose aerobics that enhance brain power. Jogging, bicycling, and speed walking sharpen memory and increase attention span.

7- Use diaphragmatic breathing. Inhale through your nose so debris and pollutants are filtered from the air. Make your belly rise, and then fall slowly, exhaling through pursed lips. Relaxed breathing decreases levels of stress hormones that accelerate aging.

8- Eat baked, broiled, or grilled salmon two times per week. Its omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins combat disease-causing free radicals.

9- Try colorful vegetables. Dr. Roy Vartabedian, author of “Nutripoints,” and Nutrition Expert for Functional Fitness starring Suzanne Andrews, ® recommends spinach, broccoli and romaine lettuce daily with lunch and dinner. Dark green vegetables have cancer-fighting properties and vitamin C to boost your immune system. Tomatoes are also on this “fighter veggies” list.

10- Enjoy fresh fruit for dessert. Dr. Vartabedian suggests cantaloupe, guava, and papaya. These also combat the cell damage that causes premature aging.

About the Author: Suzanne Andrews, founder of Functional Fitness, approved by the National Educational Telecommunications Association for syndication on PBS TV and licensed occupational therapy practitioner, specializes in therapeutically proven techniques to improve function through fitness. Offering real life fitness solutions for real life challenges, she instructs you how to decrease joint pain, improve balance, thicken bones, boost energy and once again live life to the fullest. Learn how to get Functional Fitness starring Suzanne Andrews® on your local PBS station and enter to win a FREE set of 8 Functional Fitness DVD’s. Details at http://www.healthwiseexercise.com/contact.php

Picture this: you’re one of millions of Americans who needs care at home either because of aging, dementia, recovery from surgery or other disabilities.  You’ve got a family—and often an unpaid caregiver who helps with your care.  They’re part of an elaborate team of caregivers, physicians, therapists and non-medical assistance.  I’ve lived this first-hand as I’ve cared for my mother, and I’ve spoken to literally hundreds of families in the same situation.

Insurance companies and other employee benefit programs often deliver these care recommendations.  They do the best they can considering maintaining these programs—and the underlying data—is not their primary business.  Unfortunately, they struggle to extend these programs across the whole company so that each member-facing group can leverage the same data to provide the best care referrals to their members. I’ve just assumed it was one of those “not-yet-solvable” situations, as healthcare technology is always a bit slower than other industries.  So we did the best we could and used what was not an ideal support system.

The Future of Care Referral Programs

I think I finally found a vision for the future.

I ran into a white paper from SNAPforSeniors that really caught my eye.  If SNAP can deliver on this vision—and if insurance companies, call centers and other providers have the vision and foresight to adopt it—it will dramatically change the outcomes of care coordination as part of the age in place movement.  More important, it will give families like mine the peace of mind that we are getting referred to the best matched providers for our care.

I know this vision may not concern some of you, but I highly recommend you check it out.  These types of ideas are the ones that are going to make the biggest impact. If you think your family would benefit from your insurer adopting programs like this, you should let them know.

Here’s the link to the paper – http://bit.ly/aPPsWU.

Note: This post is not intended to promote or discourage any type of religious believe.  We found the research interesting and felt readers would find it interesting regardless of the religions, or lack of, religious beliefs.

Previous research has shown religion to have a positive effect on older peoples’ lives.

Older people who practice religion tend to be more physically healthier than those who did not. The reason why is because older people who practice solitary spiritual pursuits are engaged in purposeful activities that give them inner satisfaction.

The idea that a personal relationship with a higher being through prayer promotes successful aging is an example of selective optimization with compensation. This theory says that successful aging is dependent on a person selecting a specific task important to them, and then completing that task by optimizing the skills they still have while compensating for the skills they no longer have.

The classic textbook example illustrates an older man who wants to keep his driver’s license but knows he can no longer see at night. What does he do? He only drives during the day and finds someone to drive him around at night. Now back to the prayer example; by SELECTING prayer as a means to maintain religious identity, older adults are OPTIMIZING their current abilities while COMPENSATING that they are no longer able to be as physically involved with their church as they use to be.

Studies have found that a prerequisite to these benefits is an existing belief in a higher being. Sometimes people dealing with the end stages of life seek out religion as a way to come to terms with death. This has been shows to have little impact, as individuals were not show to receive the emotional and physical benefits of prayer unless they has an existing belief in the who/what they are praying to.

The role of meditation

It should also be noted that meditation has many of the same benefits that prayer has. People who practice meditation are physically healthier than those who do not. It is probably because meditation helps people deal with a stress in a more healthy manner.

Both practices–prayer and meditation–help people deal with stress and anxiety. Prayer teaches people to give their worries to a higher being, meditation teaches people to let their worries just go. What’s the secret to successful aging? To age successfully you need engage in meaningful activities that bring your inner satisfaction that also reduce your stress.

Photo credit: Kris_B

About the Author: Ryan Malone is the founder of InsideElder Care and author of the ByFamilies, For Families Guide to Assisted Living. He regularly speaks and advises families about how to improve their aging loved one’s quality of life. Ryan is also the president of SmartBug Media, a content marketing agency that helps companies increase leads, customers and influence. You can read more from Ryan on the SmartBug Media blog or follow him on Twitter.

Dementia and type 2 diabetes are serious concerns for older adults. Both diseases are becoming epidemics in this country. The Alzheimer’s Association has become a household name, and many people know of someone who has participated in a Memory Walk. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that was once called adult onset diabetes, but that term is no longer used because younger and younger people are developing the disease. In fact, the current generation of children is the only cohort in the history of humankind at risk of not out living their parents because of obesity related diseases.

Being overweight is not good at any age, and it begins to affect the brain. “Being fat has a detrimental impact on the brain,” says Kaiser Permanente research scientist Rachel Whitmer. She is the co-author of a nine-year study of 10,276 people in Northern California that found people who are obese in middle age (body mass index of 30 or more) are 74% more likely to develop dementia than people of healthy weights.

Benefits of exercise

Physical and mental exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes and dementia.  Numerous studies have proven that exercise is beneficial when it comes to diabetes.  Now researchers are beginning to see the benefits of exercise when it comes to dementia.  A study from Seattle Washington found people who exercised at least 3 times per week were less likely to develop dementia than those who were less active. The American Academy of Neurology recently published the result of a study of more than 700 older people in Chicago that concluded, “a cognitive active person in old age was 2.6 times less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than a cognitively inactive person in old age.”

Diabetes and the brain

It’s known that there are cells in the brain that sense blood sugar levels (called glucose-sensing neurons). New research shows that in type II diabetics, at least some of the neurons that are supposed to sense rises in blood sugar aren’t doing their job. Many physicians think of type II diabetes as solely a disease of the body, but we may need to start thinking about it as a disease of the brain as well.

The point is maintaining a healthy body is just as important as maintaining a healthy brain. So when you are between crossword puzzles, start jogging!

Photo credit: jeffdiogenes

About the Author: Ryan Malone is the founder of InsideElder Care and author of the ByFamilies, For Families Guide to Assisted Living. He regularly speaks and advises families about how to improve their aging loved one’s quality of life. Ryan is also the president of SmartBug Media, a content marketing agency that helps companies increase leads, customers and influence. You can read more from Ryan on the SmartBug Media blog or follow him on Twitter.

Falling for the elderly is devastating and has many lasting consequences such as pain, injury, loss of independence, and costly medical bills. In fact, fifty percent of older adults who have fallen in the past year have a fear of falling. In 2005, 15,800 people 65 and older died from injuries related to unintentional falls.

A fear of falling, like most other fears is embarrassing. For this reason, many seniors do not share this fear with their families or doctors. Women are more likely to report a fear of falling, although men are more likely to die from falls.

The Impact of a Fear of Falling

A fear of falling can result in reduced activity.  People who are afraid of falling may completely stop or modify how they do things. These individuals naturally walk more slowly, however are able to walk significantly faster when asked to do so. A consequence of reduced activity is weak muscles, which could lead to or exacerbate a fall.

People of all ages value their independence, but seniors seem to be the only age group at risk of losing their independence because of a fall. In 2009, the CDC reported that people 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.

Muscles weakened due to inactivity compromise social interaction and increase the risk of isolation and depression.  A fear of falling also increases the risk of falling, and causes depression, while  depression and/or anxiety have disruptive affects on quality of life. There are also enormous financial costs associated with falling.

Financial Costs of Falling

Falls are expensive and make up a large component of health care costs. According to a 2009 report by the CDC, the total direct cost of all fall injuries for people 65 and older exceeded $19 billion in 2000. By 2020, the annual direct and indirect cost of fall injuries is expected to reach $54.9 billion (in 2007 dollars). The average cost of a fall for an older adult totaled $19,440, which included hospital, nursing home, emergency room, and home health care, but not doctors’ services. Furthermore, these costs did not include the long-term effects of falls such as dependence on others, lost time from work, household duties, and reduced quality of life.

Fall Prevention Programs

EnhanceFitness

EnhanceFitness is an evidence-based group exercise program for older adults at all levels of fitness to help them become more active, energized, and empowered to sustain independent lives. EnhanceFitness focuses on endurance training, flexibility, balance, and strength training. Six months after the program participants exhibited 10-30% better physical, emotional, and social health scores.

FallProof

FallProof is another fall prevention program that boosts balance and lowers the risk for falls. Older adults who complete the program demonstrate reduced fear-of-falling and higher physical activity levels. There are three different levels or classes to the program. Mobility I is for the older adult beginning to experience balance problems. The Mobility II program is for the senior who already has a history of falls and requires the use of walkers, wheelchairs and other aids. The third and newest addition to the FallProof program is a water based program. FallProof H2O uses the properties of water to work on balance and mobility. It is for the person who lacks the confidence in balance, or has chronic joint and limb pain.

Matter of Balance

The Matter of Balance program focuses on the fear of falling, and encourages consistent physical movement to reduce the likelihood of falling because of weak muscles.   Participants learn to view falls and fear of falling as controllable, and set realistic goals for increasing activity. Participants also realize ways they can change their environments to reduce fall the risk of falling, and learn simple exercises to increase strength and balance.

Photo credit: Pnikosis

About the Author: Ryan Malone is the founder of InsideElder Care and author of the ByFamilies, For Families Guide to Assisted Living. He regularly speaks and advises families about how to improve their aging loved one’s quality of life. Ryan is also the president of SmartBug Media, a content marketing agency that helps companies increase leads, customers and influence. You can read more from Ryan on the SmartBug Media blog or follow him on Twitter.

The benefits of Tai Chi for seniors are incredible. If you are looking for a low-impact, relaxing form of exercise that only requires about 20 minutes a day and rewards your efforts, Tai Chi is for you.  Tai Chi is an internal Chinese martial art in the sense that it focuses on mental and spiritual aspects integrated into movement.  This meditative form of exercise consists of a series of 19 movements and one pose. You may have seen groups of people demonstrating its slow-moving circular forms in public parks.

Many seniors and senior care facilities have been enjoying this style of workout and conditioning for more than 20 years.  Here are 12 benefits of Tai Chi for seniors:

1. Relieves physical affects of stress
2. Promotes deep breathing
3. Reduces bone loss in menopausal women
4. Improves lower body and leg strength
5. Helps with arthritis pain
6. Reduces blood pressure
7. Requires mind and body integration through mental imagery
8. Accumulates energy by releasing endorphins rather than depleting it
9. Enhances mental capacity and concentration
10. Improves balance and stability by strengthening ankles and knees
11. Promotes faster recovery from strokes and heart attacks
12. Improves conditions of Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s

Many senior care facilities and community centers are offering Tai Chi classes (some free of charge) not only because of the extensive health benefits but also because it does not require any equipment or furniture.  Many seniors find it an easy activity and a peaceful environment in which to meet other seniors with common interests.

To learn first hand the benefits of Tai Chi for seniors and find a Tai Chi class in your area, simply input Tai Chi and your city into any search engine.  If you add the word “free” to your search you are likely to find a community center or other informal group that meets in a nearby park.  Your local library may have demonstration DVDs you can use if you cannot find an instructor or class that is convenient for you.

Asthma, or reactive airway disease, is a chronic disorder that results in restricted breathing due to inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the main air passages in the lungs. Asthma affects 3 to 5 percent of adults and 7 to 10 percent of children in the United States. Severe asthma attacks cause approximately 5,000 deaths per year.

Three changes occur inside the airways of the lungs in people with asthma: the first change is inflammation, or swelling, whereby the airway becomes inflamed and produce a thick mucus. Inflammation then leads to constriction of the muscles around the airways, causing the airways to become narrow. This narrowing is also referred to as bronchospasm. The third change is increased sensitivity of the airways, causing the asthma patient to become overly sensitive to animal dander, pollen, cold air and tobacco smoke, to name a few.

Asthma patients need to work together with their doctors to develop a medication action plan to control symptoms and minimize attacks.

Learn more about sleep apnea

During normal respiration, air travels through the nose, down the trachea, and into smaller and smaller airways called bronchi. The bronchi divide into bronchioles and finally into tiny grape-like clusters of thin, fragile sacs called alveoli. In the alveoli, oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide in the blood.

Pneumonia is a serious infection or inflammation of your lungs. The alveoli fill with pus and other liquid blocking oxygen from reaching your blood. If there is too little oxygen in your blood, your body’s cells can’t work properly.

Pneumonia affects your lungs in two ways. Lobar pneumonia affects a section (a lobe) of a lung. Bronchial pneumonia (or bronchopneumonia) affects patches throughout both lungs.

Pneumonia is not a single disease. It can have over 30 different causes. There are five main causes of pneumonia: 1) Bacteria, 2) Viruses, 3) Mycoplasmas, 4) Other infectious agents, such as fungi – including pneumocystis, 5) Various chemicals.

If you have symptoms of pneumonia call your doctor immediately. Even with the many effective antibiotics, early diagnosis and treatment are important.

Learn more about pneumonia.