Category Archives: Senior Care Professionals

Aging in the Workplace, Hospital Professionals, Senior Care Professionals

“The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be” – Yogi Berra was Right!

Leave a comment

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball.  One of his famous quotes “The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be” couldn’t be more appropriate as we look at the paradigm shifts taking place in our aging world.

Let’s ponder these facts:

  • By 2050, the number of people over 65 will more than double. Cities, communities, companies–and our entire culture–have some adjusting to do.
  • According the World Health Organization, the world will be short of 12.9 million health-care workers by 2035; today, that figure stands at 7.2 million. A 2013 WHO report  warns that the findings – if not addressed now – will have serious implications for the health of billions of people across all regions of the world.
  • Increases in the number of older Americans will have a profound impact on the age structure of the U.S. population. Back in 1970, children made up about one-third of the U.S. population, and only one-tenth were ages 65 and older. Today, the proportion who are children has dropped to about one-fourth, while the share who are elderly has risen to 13 percent.
No doubt we have enormous challenges,  but at the same time I believe an equal or even great number of opportunities.  So what is our call to action as change agents?
Lawmakers are hearing and responding from the vast organizations across the US and world who are committed to bettering policies across the aging spectrum.  These voices are changing policies and actions.   We are witnessing age friendly/dementia friendly movements sweeping the US and certainly across the globe.
Our young people have the greatest opportunity in history to move into healthcare jobs.  We’re seeing more programs implemented in high schools that direct students to careers in allied health and professional disciplines.

Collaboration among and between private and public sectors who serve aging adults and their caregivers is taking off.  We are all realizing that creating partnerships benefits all stake holders.

I think the legacy of this time period is not just about the paradigm shift, but that we have before us the greatest opportunity to instill in people the need to care for our elders and each other as we face these enormous societal challenges.   We can humanize the way we care for others across generations.  This is exciting and perhaps the greatest gift we can give to future generations.

The future certainly ain’t what it used to be…it can be better than ever!

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute.  A passionate advocate for our elders and those that care for them, her company’s mission is grounded in creating transformative change by providing innovative training and education.

Family Caregiver, Hospital Professionals, Senior Care Professionals

How Five Minutes a Day Can Transform Care for Older Adults

Leave a comment

Time is precious.  Staff is in short supply.  Family caregivers are stretched to the limit.  Just taking care of the basic needs  is hard enough, so five minutes a day seems – IMPOSSIBLE!

Humanizing care is the core of the person-centered philosophy initiative sweeping this country.  Dignity, respect and understanding the needs of any aging person is a culture change that I believe with enough stakeholders will transform care from the medical model that has driven our health care system for far too long.

If holistic care is the core of this belief, then education and tools for those who care for our older adults is paramount.  Tools that are feasible, effective, and will be sustained within the organization.  So, how can five minutes a day change someone’s dignity or sense of respect?

Engaging and communication are absolutely  essential elements that must be integrated into our staff training and family education plans.    These tools are incredibly simple to use, yet often overlooked because we are concentrating on the box checking (aka meeting regulations and requirements).  While charting is certainly important, let’s not overlook the essential elements of engagement and communication.

Here are 10 examples that can transform a person’s dignity, self-respect and value in five minutes a day:

  1. Remove words of endearment (honey, sweetie) and refer to them as they would like to be: Mrs., Mr. Sarah, Fred.  This takes one minute to ask another staff member, family or even the patient!
  2. When speaking, look at the individual in the eyes, talk clearly and slow down!  You don’t have to shout (no one likes being yelled at!).  This small gesture tells another person you are engaging with them because you want to engage.
  3. Use gentle touch on the hands, shoulders, arms or face to develop trust and show the person you genuinely care.  Touch will induce chemical changes in the brain that induce relaxation, reduce stress and many other benefits.
  4. Ask a person something about them.  It may be about their family, or what they did in their career, or a hobby.  Learn one new thing about them every day.
  5. Compliment and smile!  “You have a lovely blouse on today, Mrs. Smith.  I love the spring colors”.  “Mr. Jones, I appreciate your smile – it really lights up my day!”
  6. Practice mindfulness – being centered and in the moment when you are with your care partner.  When one is distracted or stressed, it shows!  Deep breathing or meditation can and should become a part of every caregiver’s daily de-stress routine.
  7. Pay attention to your body language and expression.  Clenched teeth, rolling eyes, closed arms all tell another person you don’t want to be where you are.
  8. Learn what music your care partner enjoys and throughout the day, play this music to set the tone for whatever the circumstances.
  9. Take a 5 minute walk outside and enjoy nature – it calms the soul, reduces anxiety for both care partners, not to mention the healthy shot of Vitamin D!
  10. Accept the moment and that no matter what positive things you do as a caregiver may not always be helpful that day.  Tomorrow, however is a NEW day!

Pam Brandon is  President/Founder of AGE-u-cate Training® Institute and a passionate advocate for changing how we care for older adults.

www.AGEucate.com

Faith Community, Senior Care Professionals, The Family Caregiver

The “Helper’s High”… Why Volunteering is Good for Your Health

2 Comments

512073Research has shown that volunteering leads to better health and that older volunteers are the most likely to receive physical and mental health benefits from their volunteer activities.  Volunteering often leads to what is referred to as a “helper’s high”.

This high leads to increased trust in others as well as increased social participation. Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.

Aging changes social networks, so older volunteers especially benefit from the physical and social activity and gaining a sense of purpose.  Research demonstrates that volunteering leads to better health and that older volunteers are the most likely to receive physical and mental health bene ts from their volunteer activities.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ―Winston S. Churchill

Having just returned from the N4A conference (National Association of Area Agencies on Aging),  I learned that AAA’s rely on more than 90,000 volunteers to meet community needs.  Their “Doing Good is Good for You: Volunteer!” program helps recruit new volunteers and educate older adults about the health benefits of volunteering.

The AAA Stepping Up program offers webinars and assignments for volunteers to serve in their mission of helping older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity and choices in their homes and communities for as long as possible.

The boomers have many opportunities to volunteer, and this is one of many organizations that will benefit, especially as the needs for serving this population and their caregivers rises drastically in the future.  Numerous studies show that volunteering just two hours per week improves cognitive, emotional and physical health.

The future of aging services in this country will rely heavily on the knowledge, talent and care hearts that Boomers and future generations have to offer.  Beyond the health and wellness benefits, volunteering will benefit our communities at all levels from social services, faith based communities and non-profit providers across the spectrum who are partnering together to meet the challenges of our aging world.

For more information on volunteering with an Area Agency on Aging, visit www.areagencyonaging.org/…/volunteer-opportunities

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute, whose mission is to provide transformative change through innovative aging and dementia education  and training.

www.AGEucate.com

Compassionate Touch®, Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals

What’s all the Talk about Mindfulness for Caregivers?

Leave a comment

Call it awareness, attention, focus, presence, or vigilance. It’s proving to be a powerful and effective practice in coping with stress.  Caregiving can easily top the charts on stress, especially for caregivers of elders with chronic illness and dementia.  Mindfulness for caregivers means learning to live in the moment, accept the reality of a situation, and filter out distractions.

Mindfulness is not necessarily about a constant state of meditation, or practicing yoga, although these are both proven tools in helping one to better cope with life’s challenges.

We can practice mindfulness by sharpening our focus.  In our Compassionate Touch® training, we call this centering.  For a caregiver it might be deep breathing or focused meditation before entering the room when an older adult is agitated, confused or combative.  Learning to leave your other worries at the door will help to focus on how you can help the person you are caring for.  You have, for that moment, stepped into their world.  By being engrossed in that person and the present situation, there is a higher probability you will have a heightened sense of empathy and understanding, thus be able to tap into tools that will improve care.

By practicing mindfulness in caregiving, the benefits go far beyond improving care.  The stress reduction benefits the caregiver as much or more than the care receiver.  When this happens, everyone wins! Like anything else, mindfulness must be practiced.  Nothing becomes second nature until it is put into regular use.  If deep breathing exercises  works, then practice this throughout the day.  Journal the difference in how you are able to handle situations.  If brief moments of meditation work, try these… but do it every day and many times a day.

Centering ourselves through mindfulness allows us to accept that we are most often not in control, which is often a huge challenge for care partners.  We want so much to make our loved ones happy and healthy again, but this is sometimes not possible – certainly not all the time.  In a world that is always on full speed, with soaring expectations, sometimes the most valuable gift we can give our loved one is this:

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute.  Passionate about creating transformative change for older adults and those that care for them,  Pam is honored to work in the field of caregiver education and training and lead the AGE-u-cate team who are changing lives with innovative programs for family and professional caregivers. 

www.AGEucate.com