March 22, 2011, 11 am

The Gardner Auditorium

State House, Boston, Massachusetts

Save Adult Day Health Programs from proposed funding cuts.

Adult Day Health (ADH) proposed rate cuts to take effect March 15. Governor’s FY 12 proposed budget would cut $55M in ADH funding and would eliminate “Basic” ADH services . Prevent the loss of 2500 jobs and vital services to 11,000 Seniors.

Here at CCC, we can't say enough positive about good adult day programs.  They cost little money to provide a huge amount of benefit. They not only  provide great care and therapy for seniors, but they provide excellent respite for their families.  They keep seniors in the community and out of far more expensive facilities. They can be nothing short of life-saving -- and life-giving, too.

The new “Homestead Advantage Program” is being offered by Caring Resources of Norwood, MA. This program provides a cost-effective approach to dementia care and is aimed at helping dementia patients, their families and caregivers create the right environment and enable meaningful relationships.

Homestead Advantage encompasses individual caregiver education, support, guidance, care planning and appropriate referral sources to best meet the needs of the dementia client. This program includes a personalized, at-home assessment by a Certified Dementia Practitioner, a Geriatric Psychiatrist, and a Licensed Independent Social Worker to meet the clinical, social, and environmental needs of the dementia client.

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Recently, I was honored to be part of a four-person panel at the Wayland Public Library speaking on the topic "What's New in Aging?" We discussed navigating the new terrain of aging in the 21st century, followed by a question and answer session from the audience. Juergen H. Bludau, MD (photo at right), Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital geriatrician, and Carol Sneider Glick, Esq, elder law specialist with Squillace & Associates of Boston, were wonderful fellow panelists. (Part 2 of this talk is scheduled for April 6, 7pm at the same location - register here)

I want to note here high points of the evening, including the excellent questions the audience brought. I felt very much at home in the company of these speakers, all on the front lines of bringing best-quality care in a quickly changing landscape. My fellow panelists as well as the audience of about 45 from Wayland, Weston and beyond were enthusiastic and engaged with every presenter's points.

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This is a very difficult and emotional topic: what do you do if you suspect (or know) an elder is being abused or neglected? This would include emotional, physical, sexual and/or financial abuse or neglect; self-neglect is also included.  If you're not sure what might be considered elder abuse or neglect, here are some guidelines from the US Administration on Aging.

I always strongly encourage the person with the suspicions or knowledge to report them -- but often the next questions are: how and to whom? Here are four approaches, each based upon my working in Massachusetts. I will also include general info for those reading this concerned about elders living elsewhere in the US.

The most vulnerable members of our community need help from every one of us.  Overwhelmed and frustrated caregivers need help too, which is often what happens when elder abuse or neglect is report. Your report might just be what turns the situation around for everyone.

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Topics in this just-published snailmail newsletter:

• Better Care - Lower Cost - Improved Health! Elder Care Remote Activity Monitoring Technology Pilot
• Want to Participate in One of Our Pilots - Free!
• Caring Companion Awarded Home Care Agency Accreditation
• Optimism Connected to a Stronger Immune System

Download this newsletter here: CCCnewsletterv2.1 (if you would like to receive our next newsletter  by email or snailmail -- or to have it sent to a friend, client or family member -- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the name contact info).

(This post is a part of a series; the first one can be found here.)

Here again are the four important take-aways from Dr. Paul Raia's Q&A session with healthcare professionals dealing with dementia that I want to talk about here:

1. Four things that slow down Alzheimer's progress in the early stages (discussed here)
2. The dementia diagnostic process: is it important that patients go through it? What does it involve? (discussed here)
3. Depression and dementia (discussed here)
4. Two books he recommends most for families to read (discussed in this post)

Two books he recommends most for families to read

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease, Joanne Koenig Coste, 2004 -- Koenig Coste and Dr. Raia together developed Habilitation Therapy. This book introduces the methods behind this therapy, and gives lots of hands-on examples and suggestions about how caregivers -- from family to professionals -- can apply it. I agree that this is a vital read!

Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows: A Couple's Journey Through Alzheimer's, Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle, 2010 -- originally published under a different title, this has been recently re-released. Dr. Raia knew Mr. Hoblitzelle, and recounted to us Dr. Raia told him he was nuts to try to teach meditation to Alzheimer's patients. "I said, 'Attention is exactly their deficit! It'll never work!' I told him.  Well, that what he did for two years, went all around the world teaching. It worked great!"  I've not read this title, but look forward to doing so very soon.

(This post is a part of a series; the first one can be found here.)

Here again are the four important take-aways from Dr. Paul Raia's Q&A session with healthcare professionals dealing with dementia that I want to talk about here:

1. Four things that slow down Alzheimer's progress in the early stages (discussed here)
2. The dementia diagnostic process: is it important that patients go through it? What does it involve? (discussed in this post)
3. Depression and dementia (discussed in this post)
4. Two books he recommends most for families to read (discussed here)

I was very interested in question #2 , in fact, I would have asked it myself! His answer will allow us to also cover the third take-away about depression and dementia here, because the two are deeply interwoven.

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(This post is a continuation of a previous one, found here.)

Here are the four important take-aways from Dr. Paul Raia's Q&A session with healthcare professionals dealing with dementia that I want to talk about here:

1. Four things that slow down Alzheimer's progress in the early stages (discussed in this post)
2. The dementia diagnostic process: is it important that patients go through it? What does it involve? (discussed here)
3. Depression and dementia (discussed here)
4. Two books he recommends most for families to read (discussed here)

These are the four as Dr. Raia listed them:

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On February 1 --  despite the start of yet another snow storm! -- a lovely group of professionals gathered to hear Paul Raia, PhD of the Massachusetts Alzheimers Association speak to the Metro West Alzheimers Partnership, hosted at Traditions of Wayland, MA. This was primarily a Q&A session -- what types of questions did we need help answering for ourselves, patients and families?

It was a real treat to have an opportunity for such a free-ranging discussion with Dr. Raia, who is both a delight as a human being, and a master source for such information. Also, it was a chance for group brainstorming of common challenges, gathering the experience and wisdom of all the professionals in the room -- which added together among the 40 or so of us was probably most of the way to the 1,000-year mark!

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When it comes to fulfilling our greatest potential as human beings experiencing aging, do we really know what truly excellent aging looks like? Just what is possible for elders? How much resilience and adaptation to change are possible as we age? How many unfounded assumptions are we making about what is possible for us as we age, despite our imperfect health? And how do those assumptions keep us from helping elders from experiencing the best lives possible?

I am of the school that says, "we know a lot less than we think we know," and every day I work to provide home care and family support through CCC, I have to admit: even a really, really, REALLY open-minded and optimistic person like myself -- a person who absolutely thrills at having her mind expanded when it comes to the possibilities of human potential -- even I have limiting assumptions about aging that are much better discarded.

Which is why I just love the four links I'm about to pass along: they each remind me that we never know what is truly possible... that it's likely what we believe is the outer reaches of human aging today are going to be considered laughably limited in 10 years.

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With Thanksgiving coming up and the December holidays right afterward, this is a time when the family visits with our elder loved ones and finds -- often to our surprise and consternation -- that things have changed since they last time we were together.  Mom or dad might have deteriorated in ways the family hadn't understood until we were gathered in person.

When should you be alarmed? Jewish Family Service of Greater Boston makes this recommendation about things to look for when we visit our elders in their homes -- all of which are signs that their safety and well being may be at risk:

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Last month, I volunteered at the ARTZ "Alzheimer's at the Movies" event held at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA. This interactive film program is a one-of-a-kind experience designed  for people with memory loss and their care partners. During the presentation, short film clips from classic films were shown, followed by audience discusssion and reminiscence, guided by moderators. There were (I'm guessing here) about 300 dementia patients plus numerous caregivers. It was a fabulous experience for everyone, and I strongly encourage your checking out the repeat of this event on December 14, plus their other events.

ARTZ is Artists for Alzheimer’s™,  an initiative of the Hearthstone Alzheimer’s Foundation, that draws on the support and collaboration of artists and cultural institutions, as resource, to share, educate and inspire. Their underlying premise is that the emotional engagement available through the arts reach and enliven Alzheimer's patients in ways nothing else can.

I came away affirmed and with more experience in 5 crucial things I already believe about dementia. I want to share them here because we don't see them often enough in print, and because they each can make a real different for those living with dementia and their loved ones. These are:

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On Thursday October 21, at the Concord MA Council on Aging, we will again present our popular talk 21^st Century Caregiving: Essentials for Caring for a Disabled or Aging Loved One.  Our comments will be followed by a question and answer period.

We have given this presentation several times and it is always well-attended.  Come and learn how the new challenges and opportunities of aging in the 21^st century can come together to benefit elders and those with disabilities. “21^st Century Caregiving: Essentials for Caring for a Disabled or Aging Loved One” is a free lecture and community service. The presentation starts at 7PM at the Harvey Wheeler Center, 1276 Main St, Concord (map).

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The post below is adapted from an except of our white paper, Re-Imagining Home Care: New Needs, New Approaches. This is the 3rd in a series of of 11 posts.

Posted by: Guest Created on: Mon 04 October 2010 13:40 Last modified: Sat 30 October 2010 08:47