Category Archives: Senior Care Professionals

Memories or Oh, I Remember That!

memoriesMost of us don’t give much thought to items we use in our everyday lives. But the memories of these seemingly benign objects reconnect us with moments of meaning in our lives.

One woman found a moment of joy in… a sponge roller? Who thinks of a sponge roller anymore – or even knows what one is? But for this woman, it evoked sweet memories of her grandmother “putting up” her hair on a Saturday night to get ready for church the next day.  With tears in her eyes she told about swapping stories and memories about laughing and eating yummy snacks as her grandmother wound her hair around rows of pink rollers that she would later sleep in.  She relived those sweet times and reconnected to her grandmother- sparked by a sponge roller!

Everyday items have the power to ignite our senses and memories about people, places, experiences, and emotions of all kinds. Our days are filled with the “stuff of life”. A phrase usually meant philosophically is quite literal too.

I have an old, scratched up metal recipe box that lives among my cookbooks. It was THE recipe box in my mom’s kitchen.  It’s filled with recipes cut from newspapers- lots of things made from Jello and marshmallows. But it’s the hand-written recipe card for peanut butter cookies that gets to me. You see I made dozens and dozens of those cookies. The card is stained with butter and there are little bits of fossilized cookie dough stuck to it. Hold it, and I’m right back with the memories of making a mess in the kitchen baking with my friend Shelly. I even still use the same old aluminum measuring spoons. Someone else might wonder why I don’t get rid of those old things. But there’s history in those spoons- and it’s MY history.

What “stuff” causes you to say, “Oh wow, I remember that!” How might caregivers use this same reaction to help people living with dementia reconnect with meaningful moments.

Sustainability in Dementia Care – It’s Not Just a Buzz Term

sustainabilitySustainability in training programs that improve patient and resident outcomes is critically important. Upper and middle managment must embrace change initiatives in order to successfully compete in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

But what happens after these programs are implemented?  Far too often we hear that wonderful “culture change” programs faded in time, often because the champions were no longer with the company, or had moved to other positions.  Unfortuantely for the organization, this means an investment of time, money and resources had gone to waste. This may be a result of poor planning and program implementation or simply a matter of not enough staff to oversee the program to ensure its success. In addition, many such programs are limited by proper funding and acceptance by upper management to the extent that there is never a cohesiveness to keep the elements of the program working smoothly.

It IS possible to have program sustainability.  With proper planning, collaborative efforts with training partners and the placement of champion leaders throught the employee spectrum, sustainable programmming is very possible.  In fact, we know that it can work! Below are just some examples of how programs can be made sustainable.

  • Champion leaders are made of upper, middle management and staff.  All team members working together on change initiatives is vital.
  • Management should encourage problem-solving skills among all staff as new programs are implemented.   Without idea generators, how would new practices every get off the ground?
  • Provide incentives for staff who practice culture change initiatives and embrace these in their everyday care routines.  By including simple accountability systems using champion leaders, this will insure that new tools are being used effectively and efficiently.
  • Make certain that everyone understands the big picure of why new practices are being implemented.
  • And finally, sustainability is afterall, not just about how you run your business but how you treat your staff.

Hospitals – How Is Yours Caring for Elderly Patients?

hospitalWhen elderly people spend time in a hospital, they often leave more disabled than when they got there. That’s pretty stunning considering the condition they may be in when admitted.  Some of the most common reasons for hospitalization are injuries from a fall, pneumonia, infection, cardiovascular disease and dehydration. Treatment of the acute condition frequently doesn’t include special care needed to prevent rapid, and sometimes irreversible, physical and mental deterioration. Weakness from bedrest, weight loss, adverse drug reactions, delirium, and hospital-acquired infection are all too common. At a time with people 65 and older make up the fastest-growing segment of our population, our hospitals should take notice. Fortunately, some are. Special services such as the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) unit exist, but in only small number of our 5000+ hospitals in the U.S. What’s different about this specialized care? There’s a greater emphasis on maintaining mobility and preventing functional decline, cognitive assessment, a communal dining room to encourage better nutrition and social interaction, early discharge planning, and staff with training in geriatrics play key roles. I’m glad to see that hospitals are addressing this pressing issue, but wonder if it’s enough to prepare for the sheer number of us baby boomers beginning to need this kind of care.

Does your local hospital highlight special care for older patients?

Eldercare Professional to Family Caregiver

eldercare
What happens when an eldercare professional becomes a family caregiver?  This situation hit home when my husband had a cycling accident and fractured his hip. I was surprised by my reaction to suddenly becoming his care partner, juggling the role of home nurse, personal care attendant, meal provider, and problem solver of getting around in our two-story house. Somewhere in the mix I was also moral support and empathizer. The first week centered on creating a new routine, helping with pain management and personal care. Oh, and wound dressing changes. I quickly was reminded why I never became a nurse, calling a nurse-friend in a panic because the dressing from the hospital was stuck to the wound and I was sickened by pulling it off! If I’m perfectly honest, I felt angered at times by this turn of events that intruded our lives- I didn’t have time for this! It didn’t help seeing my active husband now using a walker- making him “old” to my eyes, bringing up fear about what’s to come as we age.

Now four weeks later I’m a bit more philosophical and I wonder about the interplay of personal and professional roles for those of us with years of experience in eldercare services. As an occupational therapist and dementia care educator I’d like to think I know something about managing home care. But I acknowledge that when it’s personal it’s a totally different dynamic. The boundaries become fuzzy and my emotions make it hard to be as objective as I would be in a professional role.

Luckily our situation is temporary. I know so many people for whom caregiving is endured for years, like my nurse friend who recently lost her husband to dementia and cancer. She cared for him at home for five years. We all will be eldercare partners at some point. I guess we have to suite up, show up, do the best we can, and allow others to help us out along the way.