Nice weather in the spring and summer means lots of chances to participate in an outdoor fund raising event. As a site dedicated to care giving, we support the numerous events that cover a wide variety of causes. You can pick a cause based on your own personal experiences or those of someone near to you. I would suggest doing a Google search for what you are looking for. As an example, if you have a loved one affected by Alzheimer’s and you live in Philadelphia, go to Google and type in “Alzheimer’s fund raising Philadelphia” and you will find information about the upcoming memory walk among other events.

The cancer society has several large bike rides, Alzheimer’s Association has the memory walk, Susan G. Komen has the Race For the Cure and the 3Day walk, and my favorite is the Livestrong Challenge which as both walking/jogging and bike riding. No matter which you choose, they promote great causes and get you to exercise. What could possibly be better.

The first thing you need to know is what the vial of life is. According to the Ameda County Fire Department “The Vial of Life is designed to speak for you when you can’t speak for yourself. The vial contains important medical information that can assist emergency personnel in administering the proper medical treatment.”

While it would be a good idea for everyone to have a vial of life, it is critical for seniors. You can keep one in your wallet, in your glove compartment, and especially on your refrigerator door, and one in your child’s pocket.

When someone is in an emergency situation, it is often difficult to think straight. Obviously if you are unconscious, you can not speak for yourself at all. At these times, all emergency personnel who are trying to help you need to know many things about you.

Information that is important for them to know about you include:
• Who you are
• What medications you are using
• Any allergies you have
• What illness’s you have.
• Emergency contacts
• Your normal blood pressure
• Are you wearing hearing or seeing devices
• Do you have any implanted devices such as a pacemaker or defibrillator
• What language you speak.
• If possible a record of your last EKG looked
• When you get to the hospital they will want to know what insurance you have.

Planning for emergencies has proven to save lives and the vial of life is just the sort of planning that all seniors need to do. Take the time to have this information at hand. Emergency personnel are trained to check your wallet or look on your refrigerator door for this type of information. The Vial of Life speaks for you when you can’t.

In the last blog I wrote about the need for people to reevaluate their physical condition when returning home from a winter stay. Another consideration is the commute. Because many people stay in their winter homes for several months, they often drive their vehicle so that they have it there for local transportation.

As changes occur, it may become more difficult to make that long drive. Several things should be considered
1. Instead of making the long drive in just a few trips, consider stopping more often and shortening the total miles driven each day.
2. Drive with a partner in your car so that you can have someone to help keep you alert and possibly share the driving.
3. Consider shipping your car and either flying or taking other public transportation. A helpful website where you can get bids on shipping your car is http://www.123movers.com/

As many seniors return from their winter migration to a warmer area of the country, they may need to reassess their needs. For some, there may have been a decline in their health since they were last in their home. Things to consider include:
• Any changes or adaptations to their house to help them with new limitations.
• Considering hiring home hare services. While they may not have been necessary in the past, some additional help around the house can make a huge difference in the quality of life for a senior.
• It may be time to consider downsizing to a smaller home or assisted living facility.

Not only should the senior themselves be aware of changes, but their children should also be aware. Ask your parent if there have been any changes since they were last in their home and make plans prior to them coming up.

If they are using home health care services in their winter home, have the agency they are currently getting service from communicate with the agency they will be using. If you do not have an agency already, they may be able to refer you to one.

CareGrade did an interview with Rene’ Cantwell, Founder and CEO of FOLO (Families of Loved Ones)

CG - What is FOLO all about?

RC - FOLO - Families of Loved Ones is a magazine available as a hardcopy or online. The mission of FOLO is to bring strategies and resources to caregivers and those concerned with loved ones needing assistance.

CG - Who would benefit by reading FOLO?

RC - The magazine is designed to engage those family members who would be most likely to advocate for loved ones. Many readers are advocating and planning for themselves, others for spouses or parents.

CG - How does someone get a copy of FOLO?

RC - Subscriptions are free. Registration is available on the website at www.familiesoflovedones.com, or by mail to FOLO Subscription Offer, 310 Grant Ave, Dumont, NJ 07628.

CG - When is the next issue and what are the major topics?

RC - The Spring 2008 Issue is going to press as we speak. Mailing should occur by February 27th. This issue is covering stress, with articles on Laughter Therapy (Mirth Aid), Meditation and also covering the Influence of Cultural Diversity on decision making, the legal aspect of falling, and hospice.

By Joce Callegari of Creative Group Consulting

How much more difficult caring for someone with dementia can be if not for family issues? So, what happened that has made it so hard to be a caregiver and deal with the family relationships?

To begin with, I think that you have to look at when you were young, what kind of caregiving did your parents do for their parents, sisters or friends? When I grew up, our family had the “elders” living with a daughter or son until they were physically too ill to have home care.

Every family seems to have one person that becomes the “one” designated caregiver. Hopefully, that person wants to be there. But in some cases today, when the family dysfunction is everywhere, when the parents were divorced and the families fractured, “when the music stopped” – whoever was closest ends up with the task of Caregiving.

I am a caregiver for my husband whose three adult children promised to help, if and when he needed it when we married 15 years ago. For 10 years, they came and stayed, eating our food, driving our cars and enjoying our hospitality when we lived in Scottsdale, AZ. But when the going got tough, the kids reverted to their old ways and the family issues that always existed reared their “ugly” heads.

I have to say I was surprised. I thought I had some “credits” in the bank for help later after many years of hosting free winter “holidays” but I never knew that they never helped care for their mother before she died. Because my husband emigrated from the UK to Canada, they never saw him doing caregiving up close and personal in their lifetime.

I had to “shut-off the bank” and put the “no vacancy sign” out as my husband needed more care and the dementia started to get serious, and I didn’t have enough capacity to be a “hostess”. Then, they slowly disappeared. One son came one week when we moved and three years later – he still tells us that is “how he helped.” A friend told me when her brother comes to watch her Mum when she goes grocery shopping for an hour or two a week, he feels he is doing “his part”.

The periods without contact got longer for us and now that we could really use help, my husband gets a call he doesn’t understand on Christmas, his birthday and maybe Father’s Day. Lately, they don’t want to hear the details of his dementia from me – it is easier. That way, they can pretend that it is my choice not to put him in a care home and my problem.

In some cases, other caregivers have told me the family issues are about greed; there is a little money coming in from pensions and social security and if “Mum lives with you, she doesn’t eat much. So, where is all the money going?”

Sometimes, it is about decisions on care; siblings want you to consult them but from personal experience, decisions become a “dance” between you and the doctors to guess what to do to slow down the dementia. With any caregiving, the learning curve causes you have to have one point of contact for dealing with decisions on care. Hopefully, you have or are a family caregiver that listens to everyone’s ideas and comes up with the best solution.

In some cases, there were family dynamics that you may not be aware of that have come into play and it has nothing to do with dementia – it is simply a lack of character or selfishness. Let’s face it, many caregivers (like me) are “baby-boomers”, hitting their own mid-life crisis and it is still “all about us.”

You can drive yourself crazy with trying to “make the family help” so my advice is to be the example to your children. If we are fortunate enough to live a long life, they will use our model to care for us.

I am satisfied with being free with from the toxic relationships they had with me and their dad. While I don’t understand how they can let the time pass without seeing and talking to their dad while he is here, I don’t have to understand. It is not my issue. I am still enjoying some quality time him.

For more information on dementia and caregiving look for Hippygirl52 at Eons www.eons.com/groups/group/Caregiver

Recent research has found that there are ways to have an individual with Alzheimer’s moved into a facility that helps maintain their cognitive abilities at their current level. Gradually transitioning the afflicted person by starting them in an adult day care center and then, once they are fully acclimated to that new surrounding, moving them into the facility seems to make the move much smoother. When a person is moved directly from their home into a facility there is a rapid cognitive decline compared to the gradual transition.

For a more detailed description, go to:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Transitioning-A-Person-With-Alzheimers—How-To-Prepare-Them-To-Move-Into-A-Facility&id=929549

Unlike their parents before them, boomers vote less along party lines and more based on the issues. Why does this happen and how can the candidates take advantage of this?

In the households of many boomers, their parents were typically democrats or republicans and usually voted strictly along party lines. Their children were obviously influenced by this; however, these same children have broken away from that type of behavior. A few reasons could be:

• Boomers have heard so many lies from politicians that they no longer believe or trust a politician just because he or she represents the party they support. Instead, boomers tend to find a candidate they can believe in who also represents what their interests are.

• Political parties tend to be dominated by the left or right, which does not necessarily represent the majority of boomers. Instead, boomers are again looking for a candidate that represents the way they look at things.

• Boomer vote with more self-interest in mind than their parents did. They tend to view entitlements and obligations on their terms. For example, they do not believe they owe the country certain obligations such as military service and paying more taxes. The candidates that address the issues that affect boomers directly are more likely to capture their vote.

Obviously, the war is a major issue. Other issues will be the economy, alternative fuel development, health care and immigration.

To read more about this subject, go to http://ezinearticles.com/?id=917340

Reversing the affects of Alzheimer’s is one of the greatest challenges modern medicine has been trying to overcome. A new article in Science Daily describes the use of anti-TNF therapeutics as a new potential treatment option. By injecting these drugs into a patient, remarkable improvements have been seen in just a few minutes. While it is not a complete reversal or cure, it may lead us down the path to creating new medicines that will provide even greater results. For more details, go to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109091102.htm

Boomers may need to think differently when it comes to planning for their retirment. Extending life expectancy seems like a good thing, however, one of the problems is that long lived seniors may outlive their savings. A recent study has found that family members caring for an aging parent or spouse spend approximately 10 percent of their household income on this care. According to the National Alliance on Caregiving, things such as groceries and household goods, drugs and medical co-payments, and transportation are the most commonly purchased.

This means that boomers now need to think about paying for their parents in addition to themselves when they retire. To see the article in full, go to http://ezinearticles.com/?New-Considerations-When-Planning-For-Retirement&id=863386