Have you ever wondered what licensing, certification, or qualification a person must hold in order to work as a professional geriatric care manager in San Diego County? Everyone is familiar with the many years of education required to become a doctor or a registered nurse, but standards for providers of specialized services related to in-home elderly care are less well known to the general public.

There are certain positions in the elderly care field that require special training and continuing education, and one of these is the professional geriatric care manager (“GCM”). A certified GCM is someone who has met all of the requirements established by the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM), including an approved college degree and two to three years of supervised elderly care management services. After the initial certification is completed, a professional geriatric care manager must adhere to the NAPGCM’s Standards of Practice, which are posted online. The standards are divided into three categories:

Client Relationships

In general, a professional geriatric care manager in San Diego emphasizes the client’s rights, needs, and desires. While the GCM’s training prepares him or her to suggest care possibilities, he also works very hard to give the client and any involved family members all the information they need to make the best decisions possible. The client-care manager relationship is always professional and respectful.

Care Practice

Transparency, honesty, and flexibility are priorities in the business operations of a geriatric care manager. In San Diego, seniors and their family members working with a GCM should receive clear information about the GCM’s role, expected duties, and care program. The manager is expected to work closely with the client and family in order to develop a plan for care that is ideal for the unique situation. This section of the NAPGCM’s Standards of Practice also encourages care managers to regularly participate in continuing education classes and stay acquainted with current research in the field of senior care.

Business Policies

Detailed guidelines for billing agreements aim to reduce any conflict over payment, services, or unfulfilled expectations between the client and the geriatric care manager. Professional GCMs promise to conduct all advertising and marketing with integrity and awareness of the vulnerability of the elderly. High-pressure sales pitches and inflated advertising are inappropriate when offering sensitive, gentle in-home care for seniors.

Someone who claims the title “professional geriatric care manager” is bound by these and other expectations, giving seniors and their family members peace of mind about their care provider’s qualifications and ethics.

Holiday gatherings are a time to catch up with far-flung relatives, sing carols by candlelight, and watch as the grandkids dive into a pile of gifts on Christmas morning. If you have elderly parents in North San Diego County who live alone, though, holiday get-togethers are a good time to evaluate the competency of your loved one.

When you live far from your parents, it can be hard to know what daily struggles they face, so when you are able to visit, be sure to look carefully for signs of trouble. Indications that it’s time to consider in-home care include missed doses of medications, evidence of falls such as bruises or abrasions, poor personal hygiene, and changes in housekeeping habits. In addition, keep an eye out for excessive amounts of spoiled food and pets that aren’t cared for. While none of these signs are cause for panic – though issues with medication do need immediate attention – when taken together they may indicate a need for outside assistance.

In-home care for elderly parents can take many forms, from a few hours per week of casual companion care to a full-time, live-in caregiver. A geriatric care manager can help you evaluate your loved one’s needs and make the right choice for everyone involved. While you’re spending the holidays with your older relatives, take note of any areas of concern, and address them promptly. Doing so will allow you to enjoy many more holiday celebrations together.

As people age, their minds naturally become less sharp. Seniors should take time every day to care for their mental health, because it will help them lead a more enjoyable life. Most likely, the elderly are already doing some things that improve their mental health without even knowing it. Here are some everyday things that elderly people in Fallbrook can make sure to incorporate into their lives to improve their mental health.

Physical Activity

Keeping physically active is a great way to stay mentally active as well. All physical activity requires at least some mental exercise as well, and some activities require a lot of brain power. People who care for the elderly in Fallbrook should encourage any activity that gets the mind and body moving. Whether your parent enjoys a morning game of golf or a walk around the neighborhood after dinner, these activities will benefit both the brain and the body.

Social Activity

Those who help to care for the elderly in Fallbrook should help them find social activities that they would enjoy. Getting a group together to socialize over a cup of tea or a game of cards is one of the best things that people can do to improve their mental health. The elderly should focus on spending time with friends and family and building solid relationships.

Hobbies

After retiring, elderly people in Fallbrook can easily find themselves with too much time on their hands. But instead of sitting around and watching TV all day, they should find a hobby or two that they will enjoy. Taking a painting class, joining a sports club, reading, flower arranging, doing crossword puzzles, and playing chess are all good hobbies that will help improve the mind. Anything that uses creativity will be beneficial for mental health.

Goals

Elderly people might find themselves depressed because they do not have any more goals in life. They may have already done everything that they wanted to do or they may now be unable to do the things that they love. Either way, sitting around without any goals is not beneficial. The elderly should set realistic, attainable goals for themselves so they have something to aim for. Moving towards a goal will give direction to their lives and bring contentment and satisfaction.

Don’t wait until there is a mental illness to start caring about mental health. The best mental health care for the elderly in Fallbrook is to prevent the problem by regular mental exercise. Using these tips, you can help your parents take steps to improve their mental health each and every day.

Elder Law attorney Jim Sarlis writes about issues affecting the elderly in his blog at THE LAW OFFICE OF JIM D. SARLIS.  Recently he wrote a helpful article with tips on how to start conversations with your parents that you may feel awkward about.  Two examples from the article:

• Do you have enough health insurance?
• Do you think your physician is well-informed about the issues common to older patients?

For the complete article, see: Conversation-starters for aging parents

Over at AgeWiseLiving, Barbara Friesner has written a great article on how we can make Seniors’ laundry rooms and routine more “elder friendly”!

Making the Laundry Room Elder-Friendly

“Friends have told me that the only way to make doing laundry any kind of friendly is to hire someone else to do it!  I suppose that’s true – although I happen to like to do the laundry.  (Yes. . . I know . . . weird!)  But the point is, as people get older, there are things they can do to make doing some of the every day stuff easy enough to continue doing – thus staying active and engaged.  (Also something to think about when you’re creating your retirement home.)  Here are some suggestions:”

Barbara’s article makes 14 suggestions, including these great examples:

The basement of the home may not be the best place to do laundry any more (especially if they’re lugging laundry).   It may be time to move the washer/dryer to either the main floor or the bedroom level (which would cut down even more schlepping up and down stairs).

I love the huge bottles of laundry products (although I have to plan ahead to carry them home from the grocery store!) but make sure you also have a small, refillable bottle so they’re easy to pour.

Professional Geriatric Care Managers can help assess the safety of Seniors’ laundry rooms and procedures as part of a comprehensive geriatric care assessment.

For the complete article, see:  Making the Laundry Room Elder-Friendly

In March 2011, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a startling report.  Their conclusion was:

Almost all nursing facilities employed one or more individuals with at least one criminal conviction. Our analysis of FBI-maintained criminal history records revealed that 92 percent of nursing facilities employed at least one individual with at least one criminal conviction. Nearly half of nursing facilities employed five or more individuals with at least one conviction.

That’s amazing and sobering.  The report goes on to say:

Forty-four percent of employees with convictions were convicted of crimes against property (e.g., burglary, shoplifting, writing bad checks), making it the most common type of crime committed. Overall, 5 percent of nursing facility employees had at least one conviction in FBI-maintained criminal history records. Most convictions occurred prior to employment. Eighty-four percent of employees with convictions had their most recent conviction prior to their beginning date of employment.

In California, this could also happen with in-home care companies because California does not currently regulate the in-home care industry.

However, in-home care companies that are certified by ABHC or CAHSAH are required to perform criminal background checks on prospective new employees.  In a future article we’ll talk more about this certification requirement and what protections it does, and does not, provide.

A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions is certified by ABHC and by CAHSAH.  We conduct background checks on all employees using the California Department of Justice “LiveScan” system and we never hire individuals who have had any prior criminal convictions.

To read the entire OIG report, see: NURSING FACILITIES’ EMPLOYMENT OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

Elder abuse victims who suffer severe traumatic injuries are more likely to be female, suffer from a neurological or mental disorder, and to abuse drugs or alcohol, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

“Past studies have shown that alcohol abuse by the perpetrator plays a substantial role and is strongly associated with physical abuse,” says Lee Friedman, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and lead author of the study. “Our findings indicate that alcohol abuse among the victims may be an important contributing factor as well.”

The abuse victims in the study tested positive for alcohol at a rate that was more than twice that of victims in a control group.

The elderly victims of physical abuse in this study suffered more severe injuries than their non-abused counterparts. They also suffered disproportionately from pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness and alcohol abuse.

Eighty-five percent of the perpetrators were family members or intimate partners. In most cases, the abuse was not identified until after the admission process or several days into hospitalization.   The failure of medical staff to properly identify abuse victims and contact adult protective services in the majority of cases shows that clinicians need to better understand elder abuse, Friedman said.

The research was funded by a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation. Co-authors are Susan Avila and Dr. Kimberly Joseph of the John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County and Kathy Tanouye of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ill. Friedman’s work on the project predated his joining the full-time faculty at UIC.

From the Associated Press:   Millions of retired and disabled people in the United States had better brace for another year with no increase in Social Security payments.

The government is projecting a slight cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits next year, the first increase since 2009. But for most beneficiaries, rising Medicare premiums threaten to wipe out any increase in payments, leaving them without a raise for a third straight year.  About 45 million people — one in seven in the country — receive both Medicare and Social Security. By law, beneficiaries have their Medicare Part B premiums, which cover doctor visits, deducted from their Social Security payments each month.

When Medicare premiums rise more than Social Security payments, millions of people living on fixed incomes don’t get raises. On the other hand, most don’t get pay cuts, either, because a hold-harmless provision prevents higher Part B premiums from reducing Social Security payments for most people.

For the complete story, go here:  Medicare rise could mean no Social Security COLA

As people age, it’s not uncommon for them to suffer from depression. Friends and loved ones pass on, illnesses take their toll, and even some medications can have profound effects on mood. For those who care for elderly relatives, knowing the signs to watch for is a critical first step to finding help.

We have written about depression previously, and also about distinguishing between depression and dementia.  There is also excellent information available in the Resources section of our web site under the topic Depression and Dementia Resources.

Symptoms of depression in the elderly are similar to those seen in younger folks, but are often thought of as just a part of aging. They include feelings of prolonged sadness, fatigue, and a loss of interest in activities and hobbies. Many older people are reluctant to share their feelings with others, though, so companion care workers are trained to watch for other clues as well, such as excessive weight loss or gain, changes in sleeping habits, poor personal hygiene, and general moodiness.

While everyone experiences periods of sadness from time to time, those episodes tend to be short lived. Real clinical depression is different. In cases of clinical depression, the symptoms of depression occur daily or nearly every day, and last for several weeks. If you or a companion care worker feel your loved one is suffering from depression, talk to your loved one’s primary care physician first. The doctor will rule out physical causes and medication interactions, and if none are found will refer your loved one to a mental health professional for treatment.

Depression in the elderly doesn’t have to be accepted as a normal part of aging, and the most effective treatment begins with early detection.  Companion care workers are a key part of the detection team.