Pamela D. Wilson - The Care Navigator

Your parents are no longer able to care for themselves.  You’re spending evenings and weekends at their house.  You’re worn out, exhausted.  You bring up the subject of moving and they say they’re “not ready”.  Sometimes “not ready” isn’t an option.  As long as they have you to rely on everyday, of course they’re not ready.  Why should they move to a care community when they have free and available help?  Every situation is different but when the care of your parents exceeds what they can do for themselves, when one is wearing out caring for the other or when caring for them is exhausting you it’s time for a serious talk about moving to a care community where help is available twenty four hours a day.

Did you ever consider that diseases have an emotional cause?  That you can cure whatever ails you, be it a terminal illness, cancer or a chronic disease?  Consider the benefits of alternative medicine after traditional medicine fails to solve the problem.  I visited with Dr. Jaffe, www.http://www.drjaffemd.com this past weekend on The Caring Generation www.http://tinyurl.com/ylhffty to talk about emotional and spiritual healing.  He works with individuals who want to heal the true cause of their disease and who have tried traditional methods that haven’t worked.  If you’re interested in a new way of healing, where love solves disease, listen to the 3/28 program or contact Dr. Jaffe through is website.  You never know, this may be the solution to your health issue.  What have you got to lose?

I had a call today asking about the difference between assisted living and nursing homes.  Nursing homes are for short term rehabilitation, for example after an accident, hip fracture or heart surgery.  A person goes for 20 days or so and returns home.  However in some cases older adults cannot care for themselves and will remain in a nursing home the rest of their lives.  If private savings aren’t available then the person will apply for government aid - Medicaid.  Assisted living is for persons who are physically able to care for themselves — but with a little assistance.  As long as the person can bear weight and transfer with the help of one person, assisted living is suitable.  When care needs move to the stage of requiring 2 persons then nursing home care is often the next step.  For persons with advanced memory loss, a memory care community may be the next step.

To talk to Dr. Temple Grandin on the telephone you’d find a person constantly busy, flying here and there for meetings, work and educational projects.  Yet when you research or talk to Dr. Grandin you’ll find out she was diagnosed with autism at birth.  Her parents didn’t take the diagnosis lightly and soon thereafter engaged educators and others.  Today she has made significant accomplishments to animal welfare and is the Helen Keller of autism, educating and doing as much to spread the word that autisim isn’t the end of the world.  Many autistic individuals have made major contributions to society.

Retarded was a word used long ago for what we now call disabled persons.  As retarded has become politically incorrect, so hais disabled.  In disabled circles the preferred word is special needs.  Special needs individuals come in all shapes and sizes:  blind, deaf, physically disabled, mentally disabled, elderly.  What many don’t realize is that there are many programs available to help special needs individuals, especially when they’re young so that they can live lives as most of us who have no special needs.  Tune in Sunday 3/21 to The Caring Generation to hear from Temple Grandin the Helen Keller of Autism, and other special needs individuals talk about their lives.  You’ll also learn about special needs programs. www.thecaringgeneration.com

In the news this week a report stating that we worry more about our pets than loved ones when we’re away from home.  What does this say about society, about our relationships with other people?  Pets offer unconditional love which is why we have such an emotional bond.  They’re also highly sensitive to our moods and behaviors and comfort us when we’re feeling down.  Older adults living alone have a special bond with their pets.  Dogs give us a reason to get moving, get out of the house and can facilitate meeting other people.  How many times have you met someone while walking your dog because your dog took an interest in their dog?  Our emotional bond with pets is good for our health, minds and bodies. This Sunday hear Janet Marlowe, Music for Pets, on The Caring Generation www.thecaringgeneration.com

How many times do we hear this, “I don’t do funerals.”  How selfish, how full of fear this sounds.  But some people have a true fear of the dead.  It’s not like death isn’t going to happen to all of us.  Funerals and memorial services aren’t for the dead, they’re for the living.  To offer consolation to family and friends who are mourning the loss of their loved one.  If you’re a person who says “I don’t do funerals”.   Think about this — the funeral isn’t about YOU, it’s about your family and friends.  It’s about you putting aside your fears to show compassion and love to others. 

I recently interviewed a bartender and a beautician, both working with the public for years.  Both considered “therapists” for persons who sit at the bar or come to have their hair done.  Listen to Barb and Paul share their caregiving lessons and the one secret weapon they both possess - a unique skill of listening to what their clientele really says underneath the obvious.  Listen to The Caring Generation http://www.tinyurl.com/ylhffty program on 2/28/10 to learn more about these amazing individuals who have so much to offer.  You might learn something.

Chronic disease management is a program within the current healthcare bill.  Past studies funded by Medicare prove that these programs increase costs and do not decrease hospitalizations, needed care or the number of deaths that occur.  Do we want to pass healthcare reform so badly that we’re willing to pass a bill that includes measures that fail to reduce costs, not to mention pay for abortions?

A client of mine who has not taken her diabetes seriously recently began to feel dizzy.  She had one fall and then another that landed her in the emergency room.  After diagnosis, it was found that she had three blocked heart arteries and is not a candidate for stents.  At best, her condition can be managed medically.  She is inactive and eats a poor diet choosing to eat ice cream on a daily basis.  Her prognosis is poor.  She will likely have a heart attack at any point in the future that will end her life.  She’s in her early seventies and has never been motivated to take care of her health.  If you have diabetes or know someone who does - talk about the unforseen effects of not complying with treatment.  Life doesn’t have to end this way.