Creative Case Manager logoCare Manager new territory

Sister in Chicago Serving Elders and Others

  • geriatric care management blog headerCreative Case Management Blog Serving the greater Chicago Metroplitan area and Central Illinois

Geriatric Care Management Blog

By Charlotte Bishop on 11/21/2010 5:14 PM
About 50% to 70% of Americans will die without a will.  So, you can imagine that the percentage without a “living will” or other type of “advance directive” is even larger.  I attended a program last month in which a local lawyer specializing in elder law, Eric Parker, shared a lot of useful information about the types of advance directives and answered some common questions people have about them. With the holidays coming and everyone getting together, I get a lot of questions as a geriatric care manager about how to help an older adult or someone else with special needs.  The holidays may be a good time to have some discussions about what an older loved one really wants.  In very plain terms, this conversation – while potentially awkward – will help assure that others do not make the critical health care decisions for an older adult.  And, of course, these are discussions we do not have to be “old” to begin to have. ...
By Charlotte Bishop on 11/17/2010 2:32 PM
Making decisions on behalf of a loved one is not always easy.  Yet the challenge can be eased with information.  The most common questions I get as a geriatric care manager revolve around: 1. What should a caregiver do to address their loved one’s need? 2. How does a caregiver make choices among alternatives to help their loved one?

To help with both of these decisions there are a good many free resources available to everyone.  Your older family member or someone else with special needs may be in Chicago and you may live in Nashville, but you can get good information from all your own nearby healthcare providers, legal advisers, financial consultants, or other experts.  These individuals should be able to direct you to their own national member organizations or associates they personally know in another city.  Local hospital discharge planners can be very helpful, because it is their job to get at least medical help for individuals who are preparing to return to their homes after a hospital stay.  Just remember that their job ends at the hospital door for discharged patients, so they do have limitations.  ...
By Charlotte Bishop on 11/10/2010 12:53 PM
Independence is as much about the caregiver as it is the older adult or special needs individual who receives the care.   The principal goal of a Geriatric Care Manager is to optimize independence for seniors or others with special needs as safely as possible, for as long as possible and with the maximum quality of life for the whole family.  In an earlier blog on making home a secure and safe place, I briefly discussed some ways to make home safer.  And there is a host of other services available to help keep the house in order, food on the table and mom or dad living well.  You can look to both light and heavy housekeeping, sidewalk and grounds services or meals delivered.  If more personal care is needed, home health or companion care are available.  Yet there is another important need to consider - your own needs as a caregiver.  Being a caregiver to an older adult or someone with special needs can be a significant...
By Charlotte Bishop on 11/7/2010 5:48 PM

I talked aobut Alzheimer's disease in my last posting.  Maria Shriver, the First Lady of California has experienced Alzheimer’s close up with her father, and she worked closely with the Alzheimer’s Foundation to produce an important report.  With the release of “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s,” there has been a lot of buzz about Alzheimer’s. 

By Charlotte Bishop on 10/31/2010 9:54 AM

Earlier this month I had a chance to talk about some of the questions I most often get asked as a geriatric care manager.  In Chicago, there is a radio talk show on Chicago senior care and other topics that are relevant to elders.  It is called – appropriately – AgingInfoRadio, and the program airs every Thursday.

Recent Comments

re:
love it! very interesting topics, I hope the incoming comments and suggestion are equally positive. Thanks for sharing information that is actually helpful.

allinfouneed
www.tulleeho.org
Re: A Radio Talk with Aging Info Radio
I have read this post. Really it is so nice.
Re: A Radio Talk with Aging Info Radio
I heard all the answers. I did not know those answers. Thanks for providing answers.
Re: Four Tips for the Accidental Caregiver
Great article Charlotte - I am always heartened at how neighbors and acquaintances will step forward to assist a senior in need. Sometimes it is because the senior has outlived their family members - sometimes there are other reasons. In any event, these situations are really unique, and they require some planning to handle thoughtfully. A geriatric care manager can be a really important piece of that puzzle. You have provided some really good suggestions in this article. Keep up the good work.
I would really love to guest post on your blog.`
This kind of post is very rare.. its so hard to seek a post like this. very informative and the contents are very Obvious and Concise .I will look more of your post
Re: Two More Ways to Make Elders' Homes Safer
Nice article Charlotte - really solid suggestions. I just can't figure out why I'm accumulating so much stuff already!
Re: Caregiving to Older Workers
Nice article Charlotte. This is really becoming an important issue.
Re: Four Steps for "The Talk" About Giving Up the Car Keys
This is the conversation I have been dreading for the longest time. My dream was to have a driver in place before this actually happened, but at this point I don't know. My mom has never been the best of drivers to begin with, but still manages to function well enough and as of this writing is still fully functional. Whether that lasts another week, a year or a few years is out of my control, but when it happens, I will have to deal with it just as you suggested. I expect it to be a huge fight and really would not have it any other way.

My biggest fear really isn't for my mom's safety as it it for everyone else's. My grandfather drove until he was in his 80's and one day drove his car through his next door neighbor's living room. Obviously, that was it. (I have every intention of getting the keys from her before it gets to that point.)

Here is another thing to consider: My mom's car is bought and paid for, so my thinking is that when the time comes, there should be enough sale value left on it to pay for a driver for a certain amount of time. I have no idea what that costs, but this article lit the fire and I intend to find out.

Keep these posts coming, I am sure I am not much different than a lot of your readers in that even though I know I shouldn't, when it comes to my mom, I would like to live in a state of denial as long as possible. It gets harder and harder as she slowly watches her friends die around her and starts to question her own mortality.

Re: Alzheimer's Related Medical Conditions
This is the information that I've been looking for. I'm really glad that you posted it. Thanks for sharing this one!
re:
I’m impressed. Very informative and trustworthy blog does exactly what it sets out to do. I’ll bookmark your weblog for future use.

Joseph
www.joeydavila.com
Your online Library