Possible New Blog – Your Thoughts
I am considering starting a sister blog to this one tentatively entitled Caregiver Confessions. Here is the idea. I push a lot of one way information to my audience around what I call educated aging – physical, emotional and financial.
And I know that caregiving is an important issue that repeatedly comes to the surface.
I would like to set up a blog where you, not I, are the contributor.
I want readers to share their caregiving journey, its rewards, frustrations, warts and all. And then what is more important I want to create a community of support for caregivers. So comments are going to be very important so that the community can learn from each other. And if we become really successful we can create a Facebook community around this.
What do you think? Leave a comment or if more comfortable, send me an email with your thoughts.
Son Tries to Evict 98-year-old Mom From House
 |
| Mary Kantorowski Courtesy NBC |
From the Associated Press
Peter Kantorowski wanted his 98-year-old mother Mary to move into a nursing home or live with him. She wouldn’t go; she didn’t want to leave her home of nearly 60åÊyears. Finally, Kantorowski went to court and served his mother with an eviction notice shortly before her 98th birthday inåÊDecember.
He became the owner of the Fairfield, CT home several years ago when his mother transferred ownership to him but retained the right to live there. He’s concerned about her well-being, that she’s seemed disoriented and has been living in pooråÊcondition.
Mary’s says she can take of herself, still does some of her own cooking and is seen regularly in her home by doctors and nurses.åÊ
The younger son, Jack says his mother is in relatively good health. He’s on his mother’s side of the familyåÊfeud.
Peter in the meantime, who lives about 20 minutes away, hasn’t seen his mother for eight months.
Peter filed a complaint against his mother in December after she refused to follow an eviction notice filed Nov. 30 to vacate the premises by Dec. 7.åÊ
Asked where she might live next, Mary Kantorowski’s says:
“I don’t feel very good about it,” she says. “I want to stay right here in my ownåÊhome.”
We’ll keep you posted on this one.
åÊ
What a scoundrel!
Tips for Older Travelers
 |
| Follow these tips for safe travels. @Willie Maldonado, Getty Images |
The New York Times travel section recently posted tips for older travelers. I’ll share here but then share the tips my wife hand wrote for her parents, 81 and 84, when traveling from Charlotte to Arizona.
Booking
- Make as many requests as possible when booking a flight, including requests for expedited boarding and seats with extra legroom.
åÊ - Ask for wheelchairs when booking.
åÊ - If you have trouble walking can ask about electric carts.
Transportation
- If you canÛªt drive the person, arrange it with a volunteer driving program or medical transportation company instead of a taxi. Check out the Independent Transportation Network of America.
Check In
- Delta employees can help an older person through check-in with 48 hoursÛª notice.
åÊ - Oay for a concierge.
åÊ - American Airlines has a Five Star Service program that shepherds fliers from curb to gate.
Security and Boarding
- Inform security officials about any medical conditions.
åÊ - Airlines allow elderly fliers to be escorted by one caretaker through security and to the gate as long as the escort provides his or her full name, birth date and government-issued ID.
åÊ - JetBlue has two programs that specifically target the security and boarding processes.
åÊ - Even More Speed, available in 24 cities, expedites security screening, and Even More Space, offered on all flights, offers early boarding and access to bin space. Availability of the service varies among airports and costs $10 to $65 for each leg of the trip.
ArrivalåÊ
- Wait for other passengers to debark so attendants can assist with carry-ons and escort you from the plane.
åÊ - A relative is allowed to meet an older passenger at the gate.åÊ
NOW THESE TIPS FROM MY WIFE TO HER PARENTS
- Pack most things and all liquids in checked bags.
- Make sure bag weighs under 50 pounds.
åÊ - Keep carry on bags to a minimum.
åÊ - Bring two decks of cards and books in the carry on.
åÊ - At security, before entering line, put all your pocket items – watch, phone, etc. – in a carry on bag.
åÊ - Show picture ID and boarding pass to security.
åÊ - Take two bins. Put shoes, belt, handbag into bin.
åÊ - Walk through.
åÊ - At end of security, ask guard for cart service to your gate.
åÊ - Buy a sandwich, bottle of water and snack for plane.
åÊ - As soon as you hear they are almost ready to board, go up to desk area.
åÊ - 1st announcement is for military, small children and those needing extra assistance. THIS IS YOU!
åÊ - You are in the aisle and middle seat so don’t buckle up until person in window seat is seated.
åÊ - ENJOY THE FLIGHT!
åÊ - When getting off, ask for cart to baggage claim.
Gotta love it!
Bingo Benefits You Never Realized (VIDEO)
[embed_youtube”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/4NKTykoNE1A”]
Bingo Benefits You Never Realized
 |
| @Greg Ceo |
Bingo! Who knew the benefits?
Researchers have found that high-contrast, large bingo cards boost thinking and playing skills for people with cognitive difficulties and visual perception problems produced by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Their findings published in the journal Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition show that as people age, they begin to lose sensitivity to perceive contrasts. It is exacerbated in people with dementia.
And while using bingo to socially engage is pretty well known in long term care settings, less is known about how visual perception problems affect the way people think and play.
Study participants played bingo on computer-generated cards that were manipulated for brightness, size and contrast so the researchers could compare the performance among the different age and health groups.
Those with mild dementia could perform at levels of their healthy peers. Little change was reported for people with more severe dementia.
Researchers have found that boosting contrast in the living environment and also at the table enables people with dementia — who have lost the ability to distinguish between similar-contrast objects — to move safely around their homes and improve their eating.
For example, putting a black sofa in a white room would improve the contrast of the room and make it easier for individuals to move about.åÊ
They also found that individuals with dementia actually eat more if they use a white plate and tableware on a dark tablecloth or are served food that contrasts the color of the plate.
Researchers say these interventions allow people with dementia and others with visual perception deficits to live independently longer, perform daily tasks and enjoy life and having such pleasures as reading a book.
And while there may be contrasting views on the benefits of bingo, there is no doubt that contrast for the visually impaired with dementia is a good thing.
