Important Information for the Elderly: Allergies or a Cold?

With spring just beginning, it’s important for caregivers to learn how to discern between spring allergies and a cold. Why? This is important for a couple of reasons. The first reason is to be able to provide the most appropriate treatment. Additionally, colds can have different and more serious side effects for the elderly. As your elderly loved one makes their way through that box of tissues, take a minute to make sure it’s not a cold.

Here are some ways to determine if they are suffering from allergies or a cold:

1. Does your loved one have a fever?
Yes – Cold
No – Allergies

2. Are they achy?
Yes – Cold
No – Allergies

3. How long have they felt sick?
3-15 Days – Cold
Weeks – Allergies

4. Do they have a bad cough?
No – Allergies
Yes – Cold

5. Are their eyes watery and/or itchy?
Yes – Allergies
No -- Cold

If you believe that your elderly loved one has a cold, some rest, over the counter medication as recommended by their doctor, and time are the best treatment options. If you believe your elderly loved one is suffering from spring time allergies, over the counter allergy medication can help alleviate some of these symptoms, but be sure to always consult with your loved one’s physician before giving them any medications.

Here are some more web resources to help you determine whether or not your loved one is suffering from a cold or seasonal allergies:

WebMD: Is It a Common Cold or Allergies? 

Mayo Clinic: Cold or Allergy: Which Is It? 

ABC: Cold or Allergies: How To Tell

Creating Your Elderly Loved One's Legacy

There is a new trend beginning in the elderly population, and it is focused on leaving a part of the elderly person’s life and wisdom behind after they pass. It’s a hard thing to face, but your elderly loved ones will not be around forever. However, it can be easy to get caught up in the minutia of daily life, and to forget the amount of wisdom and knowledge that your elderly loved ones have. Chances are they’ve lived through war, they’ve seen huge changes in societal values, vast leaps in technologies, and they’ve interacted with hundreds of individuals within their lifetimes. All of this experience translates into a vast amount of wisdom. It’s important to not let all of this wisdom go without attention; so many individuals are creating legacies with their elderly loved ones.

What is a legacy? It is a record of an individual’s memories, experiences, advice, personality, and life. It is their history, and it’s recorded in some form so that their families, friends and future relatives can learn from it.

How can you start a legacy with your elderly loved one? Here are some guidelines for starting the legacy:

First, develop your goals. What do you and your elderly loved one want to achieve by doing this? Is the goal to help guide and advise any future grandchildren? Is it simply to leave an impression about who your elderly loved one is, as an individual?

Secondly, create interview questions and a plan to guide and develop the legacy. One of the most basic things you can do is to write down some questions about their life. What was their first memory? What was it like growing up in that decade? What is their most vivid memory? Here is a list of questions from Answers4Families.org that is a great starting point for developing your own interview with your senior loved one.

Once you’ve developed the questions, you can begin to decide which medium you would like to record this on. For example, you can videotape your elderly loved one answering the questions or telling a story. You can have them handwrite a letter to their families. You can record them and pair it with the writing. There are so many different things you can do, so you can be creative in determining this.

Lastly, decide what they would like to do with the legacy. Would they like to show it to the family now? Would they like to wait until after they pass?

These are just some basic suggestions that are meant to be a starting point for you and your elderly loved one. Here are some web resources to use:

The Legacy Project

Here are a collection of essays and wisdom that the Cornell School of Human Ecology has collected. There is some great wisdom here and a lot of inspiration for your own legacy work!

ParentGiving

Here is some more information about what a legacy is, and how to begin one within your own family.

Answers4Families: Creating a Family Legacy

Here is some more information about what a legacy is.

Some Spring Ideas for the Elderly

With the first day of spring less than a week away, it’s a good time to start thinking about some fun outside activities. Being outdoors is great for your health. According to the Harvard Health Letter, being outside will increase your vitamin D levels, elevate your mood, increase concentration, and, most importantly for the elderly, speed up healing. The Health Letter indicated that in one study, individuals who were exposed to natural light felt less pain and stress following surgery.  Additionally, the benefits of being active are very important to elder health.

For the elderly, some of these activities may have to be modified. However, the health benefits of being outside and the health benefits of being active make these activities a ‘must do’ for seniors.

Here are some ideas:

Take a walk: Take a walk around the neighborhood. If you don’t have any safe sidewalks around your home, you could try walking around a high school track.

Garden: Gardening is a great way to enjoy the nice weather and fit some exercise into your day. It can be very tiring work, but it’s extremely rewarding!

Hike: Find some easy trails around your home, and go for a hike. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear to prevent injuries!

Have a picnic: Pack a light lunch and head to the park!

Yard games: You can pick some easy games with the elderly. Think of low impact games such as shuffle board, horse shoes, or badminton.

Have coffee outside: Find a local café or restaurant, get a cup of coffee or tea, and sit outside in the sun.

Explore your own town: Get outside and pretend to be a tourist in your own town.

Do you have any other ideas? Leave some in the comments section!

Finding Love in an A.L.F.

“I finally got up the nerve after a big meal. I walked over to Kathy… and I said ‘after all this good food, do you think it’s alright if I kiss the cook?” said Dave laughing.

Dave and Kathy met in 2008 in Canfield, an Assisted Living Facility in Beaverton, Oregon. Kathy had just moved from Massachusetts to Oregon to be closer to her daughter and her son-in-law. Dave, originally from California, lived in the apartment upstairs from her. The two quickly became friends. 

“We were just friends. I knew him, and I used to say ‘hi’ to him,” explained Kathy.

In September 2011, Dave made the decision to move to Sacramento, California. His son was dying of cancer, and he wanted to be with him during that time. Kathy never forgot about him. She would call every week to check in on Dave and his son. After his son died, Dave would still receive that weekly call, but this time Kathy would ask about him and how he was managing.

“This is the thing that really hooked me. She called me every week. The first thing she said every time was ‘how are you doing and how is your son?’ Then after a few weeks I got to thinking -- this woman really cares about me and my family,” said Dave.

It was this care that helped Dave decide to move back to the Assisted Living Facility after his son passed away on December 27, 2011. His daughter called the facility and was able to get him an apartment there. This time, he was across the hall from Kathy.

“Kathy made me decide I better get back there and see what’s going on,” he said laughing.

The two easily resumed their friendship, but Kathy had her suspicions about Dave’s motives.

“I said to my daughter, Karen, ‘what am I going to do if he asks me out?’” said Kathy. “She just said ‘so what, Ma? Go!’”
However, Dave took his time and didn’t ask her on a date right away. The two began having meals together because Kathy is an excellent cook.

“He wanted to ask me out to dinner one night, but he didn’t ask me because he was afraid I would say no!” explained Kathy.

One night, Kathy made an amazing scallop dish. This was technically their first date, and Dave built up the nerve to ask for a kiss. The rest is history.

“I didn’t want it to happen, but it happened. That’s the way it goes, right?” said Kathy, jokingly. 

The two recently moved in together, and they live with Cricket, Dave’s cat, who has taken a liking to Kathy. 
“I’m really happy and it couldn’t be better. The only problem is that I feel 30, but I look in the mirror and say ‘who’s that old guy?’” said Dave laughing.

The two spend all of their time together. They go out to eat a lot, and Kathy will make them both delicious meals. They go to the movies regularly, and they just enjoy each other’s company. The pair also travels extensively – traveling to California, Seattle, and Italy within the past year. 

“We have good times. We went to California for a week this summer, and we went to Italy for nine days in September. We’re doing everything together. It’s a lot of fun. I’m enjoying it,” said Kathy.  

Marriage is not in their future, but Dave did buy Kathy a diamond ring while on their vacation in Italy, and the two are hoping to get the two families together sometime. Some of the children have met each other, and they couldn’t be happier for their parents.

And, regarding that first kiss: “I turned my face -- I made him kiss me on my cheek,” said Kathy happily.  

How Does WeCare+ Help?

Mr. Bob is an 85-year-old male who is the primary caregiver for his spouse Mrs. Bob. She was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. However, the disease began much earlier and progressed very quickly. Within three years he was spending his entire day caring for her. Mr. Bob does this with little or no help, as their children are all out of state and can only offer assistance during the holidays. Also, as with many Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients, most of their friends stopped coming around.

Fortunately, Mr. Bob’s financial advisor was knowledgeable about elder care issues, and he recommended WeCare+. That is where Long Term Solutions stepped in. After an initial in home assessment, Long Term Solutions clinician Sue called Mr. Bob. First, they addressed the activities of daily living. Could she dress herself? Was she able to use the toilet independently? What about independent activities – could she use the phone? These are the types of question Bobby Sue and Mr. Bob worked through. Next, they determined what adaptive equipment would help Mr. Bob properly care for Mrs. Bob. Finally, they discussed safety issues, such as wandering. Mrs. Bob had just started wandering, and recently had been turning on the stove. Sue had many suggestions, from a new lock on the door, GPS transmitting sneakers, to removing the knobs on the stove. They developed a plan to ensure the safety of Mrs. Bob, and then Sue focused on the well fare of Mr. Bob.

With the duties of primary caregiver entirely on the spouse, there is always concern for caregiver burden. Caregiver stress is a multi-dimensional issue, with physical, emotional and intellectual components. Frequently, caregivers don’t realize that caregiver burden and stress is even an issue. Mr. Bob admitted he was having a tough time dealing with the guilt about some of the feelings of anger and frustration he was experiencing while caring for Mrs. Bob.

There is a lot of fear and confusion involved, as there is so little known about the disease. There’s also a lot of confusion. Mr. Bob and his wife were always focused on nutrition, health, and exercise, so why did this disease had affect them? There’s a lot of anger. Mr. Bob sees studies about Alzheimer’s Disease, possible causes, possible treatments, but he knows none of them will help his wife. There’s also resentment. What happened to his freedom? They used to be so involved in their community, but now they spend their days together alone in the house.

Sue suggested that with this level of dementia Mr. Bob should consider 24 hour care. He was hesitant, so she suggested he would benefit from having a home health for aide at least 4-5 hours, 7 days a week. That way, the aide can foster a relationship and develop trust with Mrs. Bob, and Mr. Bob can decide whether or not he is comfortable with it. Either way, it would free up some time for him during the day.

Sue let Mr. Bob know that he was welcome to call her anytime with any new concerns, and she provided him with community resources for caregivers, like himself.

Helping Your Elderly Neighbors After a Storm

This past weekend, the Northeast was hit with a huge blizzard. Some towns received over 40 inches of snow, and the majority of towns received at least 12 inches. With the clean-up just beginning, and many without power, it’s easy to forget about your neighbors. However, the elderly are at high risk during these storms. Many times, they are physically unable to prepare their homes for storms, and it is too taxing to clean up following a storm.

Here are some ways you can help out your elderly neighbors after a big storm.

• Offer to help clean up any debris on their property.

• Help them with shoveling and clearing off their walk ways to prevent any falls.

• Throw salt and sand over their walk ways to prevent slipping.

 • If you have any extra food, bring it over to them during the storm.

• Bring them over extra supplies, such as batteries, water, blankets and canned food. • Call them after the storm to see if they need any supplies.

• Provide them with your phone number to call in case of emergencies. This way, if anything comes up, they will have someone to reach.

• Make sure that they have refills of all of their prescriptions. If they are stuck in the house, they may run out and not have enough left in their prescription.

 • Offer to run errands for them. Sometimes the elderly are hesitant about running errands because of poor weather. This will allow them to stay off the roads if they don’t feel comfortable

• Call them regularly to check on them.

• Call your local senior center and see if there is anything that they need.

 Leave more suggestions in the comments section below!

The Full Emotional, Mental, and Physical Impact of Caregiving

When discussing caregiving, it’s easy to separate the different ways caregiving impacts caregivers. The reality is that it impacts all aspects of one’s life. Whether it’s a sudden leap or a gradual transition into caregiving, at some point, any caregiver will tell you that their caregiving duties have affected their life on every level. We’ve written separately about the different impacts of caregiving, so we thought it would be a good idea to combine all of these into one post because that is how a caregiver experiences it. Their caregiving duties don’t first affect their physical health, then their mental. It’s all at once and it’s all happening simultaneously. Here are some of the basic ways that caregiving impacts people.

How does caregiving affect individuals physically?

Caregivers are impacted on a physical level for a couple of reasons. First, they are responsible for providing care to their ailing or aging loved one. This can be physically taxing and exhausting. Whether they’re caring for someone who needs help with all activities of daily living or a few, there’s no discounting the amount of exhaustion that comes along with this continuous work. It takes physical strength to help dress someone or to help transport them from a bed to a wheelchair. This round the clock care is simply exhausting.

 Aside from physical exhaustion, caregiving can impact the physical health of the caregiver. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, caregivers have higher incidences of several physical illnesses. They have a higher incidence of heart disease, various physical illnesses such as aches and pain, and they have a higher rate of mortality. Furthermore, many caregivers will put their loved one’s care before their own. This can leave many illnesses untreated and also render a lot of preventative care useless.

How does caregiving affect individuals mentally?

Caregiving is mentally draining. It’s difficult to manage somebody else’s care. Caregivers are constantly managing the schedule of their ailing or aging loved ones, and they have to be cognizant of an incredible amount of information at once. They need to remember physician appointments, medication interactions, individual diagnoses, prescription refills, budgets, dietary restrictions and more.

Additionally, they also experience a higher rate of mental illness. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, caregivers are more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms, suffer from anxiety, and experience other mental illnesses. Furthermore, because the caregivers are so focused on their ailing or aging loved one, many of these symptoms remain untreated. This isn’t limited to the period that they provide care, and it can last after the caregiver has relinquished their caregiver duties.

What are the emotional impacts of caregiving?

Caregivers experience a wide range of emotions. Caregivers do the most amazing work and provide incredible unparalleled care for their ailing or aging loved ones, but it is incredibly difficult to watch the health of an ailing or aging loved one gradually fail. This can cause incredible amounts of sadness in individuals, as well as some feelings of helplessness, frustration and anger. The other major emotion involved in caregiving is guilt. Caregivers will blame themselves for wanting time off, and will beat themselves up for leaving the side of their ailing or aging loved one.

Caregivers need more support – from society and from their employers. It’s an incredibly difficult task to undertake, and these brave individuals are impacted in every possible way. If you know any caregivers, offer them a helping hand or a friend to talk to.