Life Happens

I take the time to go visit them. Usually, it's 20 to 30 minutes. I'll usually take a photograph. Some families have asked me to take a bouquet of flowers. Some people have asked me to coordinate a FaceTime visit with them because the seniors might have some difficulty with the technology. ~ Jack Angel   Title- Peace of Mind Visits-Because You Can’t Always Be There   Talking Points: 1.    ...

They go into the conversation all up here in their head and we teach clients to stay down here in the heart space. It's the emotion. Because we all have the emotion until our last breath, which is the silver lining. What we like to consider the silver lining of living with dementia. ~ Lee Mohler   Title: Transitioning to Assisted Living- What A Coach Has to Say   Here is what Kim and Lee will...

One of the things that have concerned us is there's been a lot of caregivers coming in and out of my parents' home. And that's with them just having someone once or twice a week. It's rarely been the same person. And for someone with dementia, we really feel like a little bit of consistency would be very key. And we've not achieved that yet. ~Kimberly Massey   Here is what Kim...

So, I have two brothers and two sisters. Which, you know, when you consider the caregiving circle, so to say, it's great to have that. But when it comes down to really making decisions it can be a hindrance. People have different ideas of what exactly Alzheimer's and dementia are and how you take care of someone. ~ Prisca Mendez Asaro   Here is what Kim and Prisca will be discussing today....

And we gave her a baby doll. And we very quickly realized that the only way she would really be compliant at times when she needed to take medication or needed to shower, or we even needed her to eat more, was if she had her baby. ~ Tonja Moon    Here is what Kim and Tonja will be discussing today.   1) Tell me about the use of therapy dolls and Dementia 2)  Tell me about your baby shower events.....

So many of them were literally mourning the loss of their house. And it just got me to thinking, you know, what a major transition that is, and a big loss for so many people because don't we love our houses? And often these moves are just so hasty and stressful, and tempers are flaring, people are at odds with each other, and nobody takes the time to acknowledge the magnitude of the change tha...

I think they are afraid of losing their independence. You know, seniors are afraid that if they ask for help, their loved ones or their care partners or people that they put in control of their life are just going to pack up their belongings and send them to a care facility. And so they're scared, they don't want to be a burden. ~ Candace Green   Here is what Kim and Candace will be discus...

And a lot of the time people haven't thought about it. They don't have long-term care insurance. Most of the time people in that age group have equity in their homes and that's the only place they have money where they can draw it out and pay for that long-term care. ~Priyanka Johri   Here is what Kim and Priyanka will be discussing today. 1.   Who needs Long Term Care Services? 2.   W...

The Alzheimer's Association is the primary place to start, honestly. And because they can give you all of the resources, a list of resources that you need to help you out. And then from there, that will help you move into lead sources of people that can connect you with facilities that can help you out. ~ Lee Howell Title: Top 3 Dementia Tips and Suggestions   Here is What Kim and Lee Will Be...

So anytime someone goes into a long-term placement facility, or nursing home assisted living memory care unit, it is never going to be one-on-one care. You're never going to have one-on-one care unless you're hiring a private caregiver to sit with that individual. And so with long-term care placement, that's very different than at home, where individuals will have usually one-on-one ca...

The dark side is when polypharmacy leads to patient harm. So people that tend to take more than almost seven meds or so are at a higher risk of falls, a higher risk of over-sedation, and a higher risk of medication side effects. And so, a lot of times seniors go to the ER or hospital because of this reason. And it's because they're taking so many meds, they're not sure what the drug in...

It's good to get to know each other, but I think you also have to keep that professional boundary role. So, you know, what is the information they need to know to provide the best care? And what, and how can you as the family provide that in a way that's respecting the person that he or she'll be caring for. Respecting their privacy and boundaries and dignity. But also giving them the...

“Now, I wish that the businesses that employ them, the people we elect in Washington, were doing more. But until they do right, we can control only ourselves. So I would say expect that you will be a caregiver if you're not already. And even if you're in the throes of it, whether you're in the middle of the creep or the crisis, there are still things you can do to be organized and to control.” Liz...

“We literally built a wall around the set of spiral stairs and made them disappear to her. She no longer knows that those spiral stairs are there. They bring her up to her upstairs kind of apartment through an elevator. And we've put locking gates on the two back sets of stairs to allow her to be able to be in her space. But that's her home is upstairs now, and she no longer knows those stairs are...

“Once it was tied to the money hospitals started paying attention. Because Medicare said, I'm going to pay you, but I'm not going to pay you the whole thing because something went wrong.” Anna Reyes-Dedicare Home Health Title: How to Prevent Hospital Readmissions Talking Points: 1. What is considered a "hospital readmission"? 2. Does Medicare cover readmissions? 3. What are the choices of someone...

“They'll be assigned a remote care coordinator. And this is a virtual 24-7 emergency dispatch, which is almost like a caregiver, actually a medical team. And then we set up also a fall alert device. It's non-intrusive.” ~Sojourner King- Home Care For The 21stCentury Title: Combining Hands-On Care with Technology Talking Points: Your company does something different. You offer Tele-Health Monitorin...

Dementia doesn't play by the rules. The rules I'm referring to are the three areas that I look for to tell me if a person has entered the dying process. I don't even have to know someone's diagnosis. I'm going to ask what's their eating habits. What are their sleeping habits, and what are their withdrawal habits? Like I said a little bit earlier with dementia, those three things don't apply becaus...

And what their research shows is study after study that in sexual health and sexuality and sexual expression exists in nearly every nursing home, nationwide or long-term care community, nationwide. And to the rates where sex acts are occurring. And sex talk is occurring in more than 85% of long-term care communities. - Dr. Regina Koepp Title: Dementia and Sex: Let’s talk about it Should people wit...

“Yeah. I mean, you can use the old-fashioned pill box, right? Set it up every Sunday. And that works for seniors who just take their pills. You know they're going to take them. You trust, they're taking them. What if you don't know if they actually take their pills or not? What if they need to be reminded and you don't want to have to call them every day, three times a day about what they're going...

I have a client who wanted to go see her sister in Florida. She could not go to Florida by herself because she couldn't do the airplane and the driving afterward and things like that. So we went to Florida, I went with her, and I took her to her sister, and they had a family reunion in Florida. Wendy Hoggatt Title: Leaving Your Way- End of Life Have you heard of an End-of-Life Doula? Kim Hegwood v...

Baylor College of Medicine a number of years ago said that I think it was like 85% of all, illnesses begin with the body overloaded with stress. And so sometimes we're stressed even when we don't know we are. Because we're breathing shallowly or holding our breath and the body interprets that as stress. And so in laughter yoga, the stress levels of cortisol, which is one of the main ones, go down...

“The elder never sees the app. The family has the app. The family posts, pictures, and messages all week long. And then on Monday, mom gets a magazine in the mail with all the pictures, all the messages. Here's what's going on in the family, a beautiful magazine that she can hold onto and read all week long and keep it forever.” Benjamin Surmi 1. How important do you feel it is for seniors to have...

Sometimes they get up, they just come in and they're like, No, I don't think it's for me. Like they hear the word dancing and it's like, No, this is not for me. But they didn't hear the music. The combination of music and movement and the styles. And they're like, oh wait a minute, this is fun! Paloma Ladejobi Title- Dancing with Seniors Paloma Ladejobi teaches dance for seniors with Parkinson’s a...

And making sure that perhaps you have social connections in your life. Because again, if you are mentally well and happy your heart and your brain tend to fare better. Lharissa Jacobs- The American Heart Association In celebration of Heart Month, Kim Hegwood has a conversation with Lharissa Jacobs with the American Heart Association about what it takes to keep your heart healthy. How to Get More I...

But sometimes I will have a spouse that will pass and the other one says, Well, I'm not going to bother probating because I'm going to stay in the house. And then they pass. So, then we have to track down will and airship affidavits and you know, death certificates and everything else. So, if they don't have a will, I usually end up having to do exactly what I said. I usually must involve an attor...