We all want to slow down. Or do we?

Serving Seniors Blog: October 15, 2010

Parkinson’s disease is a process which leads to impaired movement, affecting approximately one million Americans. Many patients who have Parkinson’s have symptoms such as lack of motivation and may be misdiagnosed with depression. It’s bad enough to have the symptoms, but to be misdiagnosed or thought to be lacking motivation seems to add insult to injury.

I have seen first hand the devastating effects of this disease on many patients. I currently have a new client who's in the later stage of this slow, progressive, physical disorder. Sadly, it reminds me of Alzheimer’s Disease. I’ve written about Alzheimer’s previously because it also has devastating effects for the whole family of the person who is suffering.

It’s quite common for Parkinson’s Disease to be slowly working, without notice
for months or years before the actual diagnosis is made. No one knows what actually causes Parkinson’s and to date it’s, unfortunately, incurable. However, there are treatments available to patients and their families. I’ve co-authored a book titled, “Parkinson’s Answer Book” and it’s available on our website. Just go to our website at www.servingseniors.net, sign up for free downloads and take it from there. It’s very informative and I’d highly recommend that people become familiar with Parkinson’s Disease. That will help inform families, so that they learn early signs of detection and know what to look for. Every person with Parkinson’s Disease will have a different experience, some more extreme than others. It’s so important for the patient, the person administering care, and the physician to work together. This will offer the best results and ensure the best treatments and continued functioning for the patient.

So while it’s important to stop and smell the roses or slow down from the frenzied pace of life, it’s important to count your blessing that your slowing down is voluntary. We’ll be covering Parkinson’s Disease in greater detail in our next newsletter, so stay tuned.

Serving Seniors professionals are trained in all areas of elder care to get people the proper care that they need. Serving Seniors has been recognized as one of only 20 Fellow Certified Geriatric Care Managers in the USA as recognized by the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.

I hope you find all of our posts helpful. Please feel free to share your own experiences and we welcome your comments below. We value your input and so do our readers.

I appreciate your interest in Serving Seniors and our professional geriatric care management services. Until next time.

Thanks,

Diane Hischke

An Alzheimer's Disease Bill of Rights

Virginia Bell and David Troxel, authors and public speakers on AD and caregiving, have established a Best Friends Bill of Rights for the Alzheimer's victim and caregiver. I personally struggled and learned about caregiving for my mother who had Alzheimer's. These "rights" are excellent guides for caring for your loved ones.
Click on the link below to view an article on Alzheimer's Disease Bill of Rights.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2010/07/01/Group-proposes-dementia-bill-of-ri%3Cbr%20/%3Eghts/UPI-59521277963541/

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Alzheimer’s and the Brain

Just like the rest of our bodies, our brains change as we age. Most of us notice some slowed thinking and occasional problems with remembering certain things.
For more information on entire article, click on this link:

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp#brain

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Alzheimer's Overview

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Scientists have learned a great deal about Alzheimer’s disease in the century since Dr. Alzheimer first drew attention to it. Click on the link below to view the entire article.

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp#Introduction

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Tough Decisions

Do you remember when your parents made the decisions in your life? They were in charge and your parent’s decisions on your behalf were to protect you from things and circumstances around you.

Now, fast forward and the same person who made life decisions for you is now dependent on you making big life decisions for them.

There are many barriers and emotional feelings that come to the front when an adult child or grandchild comes to the realization that they now need to make decisions for their elderly parents and loved ones. They see that their elderly parent or grandparent is no longer competent to make their own decisions.

One of the main obstacles in making those tough decisions is denial by the adult caregiver, usually the adult child or grandchild. There are very real emotional struggles to make the decision to have to do this. Questions like, “ Am I doing the right thing?” weigh heavily on adult children. Compound that with more thoughts on how to approach their parent, are they knowledgeable or capable of making that decision? Believe me, none of these things make it any easier to digest.

This is a subject that’s close to my heart which is why I’m speaking on this again. I call it, “To Move or Not to Move.” My presentation will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan. It’s this Thursday, September 30th and it starts at 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm. No advanced registration is needed.

I’ll be covering a broad range of informative topics and will include a checklist that can help families determine what resources might be appropriate now and help prepare for the future. Some of the areas I’ll be covering are things like;
What kind of help is needed?
Are they able to maintain their home and lawn?
How do they manage the housekeeping and laundry?
Are they able to recognize strangers and seek necessary help?
What is their ability to handle an emergency if one should arise?
Are they able to drive or do they use public transportation?

Other equally important areas that I also address are social activities, managing finances, getting groceries, preparing meals, eating, recognizing surroundings, ability to keep their appointments, following directions, wandering, their personal care and hygiene, dressing, bathing, medications and a few other important topics.

I’ll offer tips and advise for you and your family. I care about this important subject which is why I’ll be presentating on this and also writing about it.

Serving Seniors professionals are trained in all areas of elder care to get people the proper care that they need. Serving Seniors has been recognized as one of only 20 Fellow Certified Geriatric Care Managers in the USA as recognized by the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.

I hope you find all of our posts helpful. Please feel free to share your own experiences and we welcome your comments below. We value your input and so do our readers.

I appreciate your interest in Serving Seniors and our professional geriatric care management services. Talk to you soon.

Thanks,

Diane Hischke