Somebody is getting a free CD…you?

Just stumbled over these stats someone sent me…

p.s. Finally launched the free CD website program, and I am holding off offering it to the public for 48 more hours. I promised my list that they would get first crack (because supplies are limited). But if you sign up right now, you are considered on the list…go to www.easycaregiving.com

Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964

77 million baby boomers represent 28% of the U.S. population and account for 77% of all financial assets

Every 7 seconds someone is turning 50

By 2010, 108 million people will be over 45

Households headed by someone 40 or older hold 91% of America’s net worth

Boomers constitute 35% to 38% of Internet users

The caregiving marketplace is $800 billion

Anti-Aging is not a Myth II

Last post we talked about free radicals and anti-oxidants. But there is something even more important to a longer healthy life and its not something you take, its something you do – exercise.

I know, I know, who has time for exercise? If you are someone that has never exercised regularly welcome to the club. Just like most things that are good for us, we seem to be alway be meaning to get to it.

Lets say that we are turning over a new leaf. Are you ready to start making exercise a regular part of your week? Exercise has always been suspected of being really good for you. But then they started experimenting with it and confirmed that they were right. In fact, it was even better than they thought. It was found that weight-bearing exercise even in later life was tremendously effective, at any age and even in ANY condition.

Basically, no matter how old you are, no matter what condition, you can benefit from exercise.
There are four types: Strength, Balance, Stretching and Endurance. Depending on your age and condition (or if you are encouraging someone else) determines what you should focus on.

Older adults, or someone with osteoporosis should focus on exercises that prevent falling; leg exercises are the best for Balance.
Stretching exercises, like yoga are great for flexibility and freedom of movement. Any yoga instructor will tell you that keeping your spine supple is the fountain of youth.
Endurance exercises are important for anyone with a weak heart, family history of heart disease, former smokers, or anyone with a potential for being overweight.
Finally, if you want a good overall workout, you should do weight bearing exercises for Strength training. This can be as simple as little 5 lb. weights.
For the money, I like lifting weights for good overall work out. But you can pick the one that you like the best for you or your loved one.

Good luck, Donahue

p.s. I need 3 more people to sign up for my free newsletter and I will have enought to launch membership program: Go To WWW.EASYCAREGIVING.COM and look in upper left corner.

Anti Aging is not a Myth

I got off on a tangent last week, sorry. I WAS talking about the only proven anti-aging theories. Remember, we said that anti-oxidants, naturally found in fruits and vegetables were critical to neutralizing free radicals. For a detailed review, just scroll down…
As we talked about, people take ’supplements’ to cancel out even more free radicals. In fact for the past 20 years, there have been one product after another coming out that purports to be the best anti-oxidant ever. Most consumers have gotten wise to the constant pitch for their money. The latest was Acai berries. Found in the Amazon forest, they were being touted as the most amazing “natural” product to preserve health. But research has failed support these claims, and Acai, is fading into the list with vitamin E, and all these other anti-oxidants of the month.
However over 2 years ago, scientists had discovered an ingredient in grape skins called Resveratrol that looked like it had all the making of the new anti-oxidant of the month club. You may recall it was hyped for a few months and then marketers moved on to the next “flashy” product. BUT, scientist have continued their research, and impressively, Resveratrol is holding up to the scrutiny! Click in this next link, and watch the “60 minute” piece that was done on it, followed by an opportunity to get a free sample…it can be a powerful tool in your anti-aging arsenal…
“60 Minutes” segment on Red Wine Benefits”

Who makes this stuff up?

I have been quoting a disturbing statistic for so long, I started to wonder if I was remembering it correctly.  I had recalled from my internship during graduate school at the Alzheimer’s Association that 50% of caregivers die before the person they are caring for.  But over the years enough people had questioned that number, so I looked it up tonight:

Support for Dementia Caregivers

by admin

Dementia caregivers need all of the support they can get.

Here is why:
“Caregivers are themselves subject to increased incidence of depression, anxiety, and, in some cases, physical health issues. The Alzheimer’s Association quotes the disturbing statistic that 50% of caregivers die before the person they are caring for. The supposition is that percentage is so high because of the stress that caregivers are under. Therefore, it is recommended that caregivers find and utilize as many resources as possible, to reduce their stress. “
Source: Wikipedia – Caregiving and dementia

There you have it!  And while this a disturbing statistic because it could be interpreted as a potential death sentence for some people, but for me it is a vindication that I am on the right track with my caregiver stress management programs.  The cornerstone of which is the Guided Imagery CD that I created for the University of Southern California’s Caregiver Resource Center.  (By the way, if you sign up for my newsletter you will almost instantly get the first track from that CD emailed to you. Just go to EasyCaregiving.com instructions are included.)

This CD has been reported to immediately reduce blood pressure, and not only that,  it helps people to subconsciously  reframe their reactions so that they remain calm and relaxed in situations that used to drive them batty.

You can buy the CD for $20 t0 $30 at sites like www.healthjourney.com, but I will be giving them away when I launch my membership program www.AlzheimerSecrets.com (in pre-launch right now until February 28).

If you are a caregiver, I can help you.  Whether its advice dealing with difficult behaviors or finding ways to get hard to find new drugs or how to save a lot of money of products and services.  I can only do it consistantly if you are on my contact list. The fast way right now to get on that list is to go to www.easycaregiving.com.

Real Anti-Aging

Last post I talked about the effects of anti-oxidants on longevity. Longevity is another way of saying anti-aging. So how does it work?

Aging is caused by a variety of factors. But at the cellular level it has to do with the gradual and inevitable failure of cells to replicate themselves properly. For example, I am sure you heard that every 7 years all of the cells in our bodies are replaced. Not all at once of course, but over the course of the 7 years one at a time, little by little. And different organs, different body parts, replicate at different rates: skin cells, liver cells, brain cells, all replace themselves (some times slowly, sometimes rapidly).
The problems is that over our life times the copies start to mess up, and when enough of them mess up, the organs start failing. A great example is a xerox machine. Have you ever worked with a form that looked terrible because it was a copy of a copy of copy? Our bodies do the same thing.

A big contributor to that is free radical damage, and free radical damage occurs with every breath we take. We breath in and our body takes in oxygen: O2. O2 is an oxygen molecule with 2 electrons. But our cells, in utilizing oxygen take in oxygen 1 nucleolus and 1 electron and the other electron is thrown off.

That electron is like a subatomic bullet shooting through our body and because its an electron, it is positively charged and magnetically it is looking to ground or neutralize itself. So it literally slams into other molecules until it can attach itself to a another molecule, usually disrupting the other cell. This repeated thousands and millions of times, eventually disrupting the cells ability to copy itself perfectly or even at all.

Anti-oxidants, found naturally in fruits and vegetables, neutralize free-radicals. Never enough to stop aging altogether, but enough to help you live significantly longer and healthier.  Taking supplements can help by adding more anti-oxidants to your system, neutralizing even more free-radicals.

OK, that’s it for tonight. more tomorrow.  Because I have to tell you which are the best supplements, and if you will trust me, I will tell you why and where too.

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter list in the upper left hand corner of my blog at www.easycaregiving.com

goodnight, Donahue

Live Longer, Live Better…

There are two proven ways to live longer and healthier. When I say proven, I mean modern, western science research proven. I don’t mean to discredit or malign more contemporary and theoretical researchers.  But I want to emphasize that these aging theories are not new.  They were new in 1998 when I was in graduate school, but 12 years later, there is no refuting these theories.  They are ‘caloric restriction’ and ‘anti-oxidants’.   Caloric restriction is not a very popular anti-aging methodology, because it involves severely limiting your daily food intake, and it’s hard enough to diet, let alone reduce your food intake even further.  But the anti-oxidant theory is rather easy to follow, and it was easily embraced by vitamin and supplement businesses.  You only need to take stroll down the vitamin aisle in your local pharmacy and notice how many bottles are promoting their “anti-oxidant” benefits.

My wife is bugging me to put up the computer for the night, but tomorrow I want to ‘briefly’ make my case that not all anti-oxidants created equal, and not all manufacturers that are selling you supplements are using quality products. You can wait, or read more about it right now at www.easycaregiving.com and of course sign up for my newsletter.

Donahue

Enjoy

EVERYBODY NEEDS A LITTLE PICK ME UP – CLICK HERE! WATCH VIDEO (watch the audience)

This is sure to recharge your batteries. If this made you feel better, please sign up for my stress management newsletter at www.easycaregiving.com just look for the sign up form on the upper left corner.

yours in faith and love, Donahue

Problem Behaviors with Alzheimers

FREE eBook!  It took me a while to figure out how to do it, but I made you your very own eBook about dealing with Wandering and Sundowning. It’s a 19 page pdf file that you can download, print or just save on your computer. Please check it out and tell me what you think of my first attempt at a professional looking eBook!

thanks, Donahue

Problems with Alzheimer’s: Wandering (Sundowning)

Below is  the introduction to my free eBook on the subject of wandering.  I want to warn you its going to be a couple of days before it is available, but you will be able to sign up for my FREE newsletter and when it is ready, it will be emailed to each and everyone of you.  (What you will get immediately is a stress management recording, but the ebook needs about 48 hours before I can put it up). Sorry for the inconvenience.

My name is Donahue Vanderhider. I am a Gerontologist, trained and educated at the University of Southern California, and my focus for the past 20 years has been Alzheimer’s Disease.  However in the past decade my attention and effort has narrowed even further to helping caregivers, particularly family caregivers. When I started doing this, caregivers were a forgotten side note on the growing Alzheimer’s problem. Back then all attention focused on the person with Alzheimer’s and research and funding was directed at slowing or curing the disease. Very little was being done to ‘manage’ the progression of the disease. And even less attention was given to helping caregiver. But I had a unique perspective. I was sitting behind my desk managing large scale assisted living communities. And noticed that family after family would come to me at the end of their rope. They tended to be an individuals, like a daughter or spouse, verging on burn-out, often with their own medical problems, desperate to find help with their caregiving issues. A description of the typical scenarios would take several pages, but I am not going to bore you with that. If you are reading this you have a similar story to share. You know what I mean.

My heart went out to them, it still does. The poor soul who had developed Alzheimer’s was well cared for, and as their memory slipped away, so did any self-consciousness about their condition.  Effectively, they were ok.  But the caregiver was another story. They often carried this burden without help from other siblings, they were going through life savings like water, and they were exhausted.  Then one day I read an interesting statistic in some recent literature that said: “half of all caregivers will pass away, before the person they taking care of”.  Thinking it was a mistake, I started digging. I soon found out that Stress was the culprit.  Research on stress had repeatedly shown that people under long-term stress were at much higher risk to deadly illnesses: they were 4 times more likely to have a stroke, they were at an even greater risk for a heart attack, and due to a suppressed immune system, they were at significant risk for diabetes, lupus, pneumonia, flu’s and colds, and many other major health problems, research was even starting to draw a correlation between long-term stress and cancer.

It was a short leap in logic to see that of the three major killers of adults in the United States, burnt-out caregivers were at abnormally high risk for all of them. No wonder studies had found that half of all caregivers passed away before their loved ones!  But that conclusion also gave me a direction to work, to change this fact for as many caregivers as I could.

Today I am very successful at eliminating stress for caregivers. I have a very simple two-pronged approach. One, I use my post-graduate training in hypnosis, Neuro-linguistic programming, and guided imagery to dissolve stress at a subconscious level. In fact, I had such great success that the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center at U.S.C., with funds from the Los Angeles County Area on Aging, gave me a Grant to write and produce a stress management CD using Guided Imagery, and distributed it to caregivers all over the County.  Afterwards, I made a retail version that is being sold all over the internet. You can find it at www.healthjourneys.com for under $30. But I am giving copies of that same CD to people that join my 10 month Caregiver Relief program at www.alzheimersecrets.com (sorry this site is not quite ready, I will contact everyone that is signed up for my free newsletter at www.easycaregiving.com when it is), where I combine the CD with the second prong of my stress management program.

The second prong is quite simply: Information! Almost every caregiver I meet in the course of my job seems to be looking for roughly the same information.  I know from my own experience if I am in a tough situation, it is very stress provoking if I don’t know quite how to solve it.  And it gets further complicated by “partial” information. If I find one solution, but am new to this problem, how do I know that this first solution is the best, or the cheapest, or what other ways can I handle the same problem?  So for caregivers I pour every little detail of information I have accumulated in the past 20 years into my newsletters, into my coaching programs, and especially when I am hired to do a geriatric care assessment: I not only tell families what their options are, but I give the pros and cons, I tell them how to avoid the scammers, I tell them where they can find their particular solution, and usually how to save a lot of money doing it.

The eBook that you are reading right now, is part of a series of articles addressing difficult behaviors in Alzheimer’s care.  Most of them have been posted already on my blogs:  www.caregiverrelief.wordpress.com and www.easycaregiving.com. They include: problems with bathing, problems with dressing, problems with incontinence, but wandering is by far the riskiest, and therefore requires more attention to detail in solving it.

I am, as a matter of courtesy starting this book out with an overview of Alzheimer’s disease, because there always seems to be a piece of the puzzle that people are missing.  Feel free to skip right over it if you just want to get to the causes and solutions to Wandering.  And please consider signing up for my newsletter at  http://forms.aweber.com/form/79/1684826079.htm or www.easycaregiving.com

Alzheimer’s problems with Bathing

If you have been here before and have not signed up for my FREE (but infrequent) newsletter, before you continue, please jump over to WWW.EASYCAREGIVING.COM and sign up, it will take you less than a minute.

Part three of our series is about problems with bathing. Bathing is almost universally a dreaded caregiver chore. I have never seen the slightest bit of research to prove this next statement, but I believe hydrophobia is a real symptom of Alzheimer’s. I say that because I cannot recall a single Alzheimer’s patient that did not fight taking a bath or a shower, tooth and nail. Starting even in the early stages they make excuses like; “I just took a bath”, “I don’t need it”, “I don’t need help”. In the later stages they don’t even bother to make excuses, they just refuse. Even if you are able to get them into the shower, it’s not unusual for them to physically resist by yelling, scratching, punching and even biting.

Nevertheless, it is possible to get your loved one peacefully into the shower. It’s just a matter of taking your time and figuring out what about getting in the bath or shower is affecting them and then developing some unique tricks that will make the process manageable. However, the key to this whole problem is realizing that it you need set aside a lot more time than you would expect.

You are about to read one of the most comprehensive reports I have ever seen on the topic. I got this from a booklet in my library called “Understanding Difficult Behaviors: Some Practical Suggestions for Coping with Alzheimer’s disease and Related Illnesses”. However, before we get started, did you sign up yet to be included in my FREE mail list? Please go to www.EasyCaregiving.com and you will find a sign up in the upper left corner. Additionally, you will get a FREE stress management download as soon as you sign up!

Problems with Bathing
I have a theory that Alzheimer’s sufferers are hydrophobic; afraid of water. I’ve never seen any literature talking about this, or any research to prove it. However, in all my years working with Alzheimer’s I have never seen a person that didn’t kick, scream and bite to avoid taking a shower. They will tell you that they just had one, or that they don’t need it. But never ever have I seen somebody look forward to taking one.

POSSIBLE CAUSES

Physiological or medical causes:

• Depression, causing a loss of interest in personal hygiene.
• Physical illness, causing a loss of interest in personal hygiene (e.g. flu, infections, etc.).
• Changed sense of perception of hot and cold water temperature. This may be caused by damage to the hypothalamus region of brain which regulates “internal thermostat.”
• Different sensation of water due to brain damage.

Environmental causes

• Poor lighting – unable to see the bathtub or shower.
• Can’t find the bathroom.
• Lack of privacy (especially in facilities)
• Room temperature too cold.
• Water too deep.
• Water too hot or cold.

Other Causes

• Fear of falling
• Fear of water or of being hurt by it.
• Disruption in daily routine or schedule.
• Unfamiliar caregivers.
• Mechanics of taking a bath too overwhelming.
• Purpose of bathing forgotten.
• Humiliation of being reminded to take a bath.
• Agitated from an upsetting situation, such as an argument with caregiver.
• Reeling of being rushed by caregiver.
• Feeling embarrassed and vulnerable about being naked or having another person in the bathroom.
• Fatigue.
• Fear of hair washing, which is no longer understood.
• Person kept waiting too long while caregiver prepares bath.
• Fear of soap, washcloth, sound of running water, etc.

COPING STRATEGIES

• Evaluate the best time of day for bathing. Try to be consistent with the person’s old bathing routine before the onset of the illness. For example, consider time of day when person is most relaxed, type of bathing (tub, shower, sponge bath, etc.).
• Make sure the bathroom is warm enough and inviting. Pull down blinds, or close curtains and doors to create a feeling of privacy.
• Provide adequate lighting in bathroom, especially during evening hours.
• Try bathing instructions written by a doctor on a prescription pad. For example “Bathe 2 or 3 times weekly.”
• Prepare bath ahead of time. Check the water level. Some people can only tolerate 1 inch of water in the tub; others 3-4 inches.
• Lay out soap, washcloth, towel and clean clothes in sequence so that the person with dementia won’t have to wait.
• Use quiet, calm, matter-of-fact approach. For example, “Mother, your bathwater is ready.”
• Avoid getting into length discussions about whether a bath is needed. Instead tell the person one step at a time what to do to get ready for the bath.
• Simplify task of bathing as much as possible. Do one step at a time, gently talking the person through each step. Combine visual and verbal cures when giving instructions. Use simple, respectful language.
• Try offering the person one or two choices. For example: “Would you like to have a bath or shower?” or “Would you like to take your bath now or before going to bed?”
• Try not to get nervous or excited or threaten the person who objects to taking a bath. This only causes additional agitation and frustration. It may be helpful to wait and try again later when the person’s mood is more favorable.
• Encourage a bath instead of a shower if person can get in and out of tub. Baths are generally safer, less frightening and easier for the caregiver to manage.
• Try showering with the person. Sometimes this is the simplest solution, although not all caregivers are in a position to do this.
• Let the person feel the water before getting into the tub. Sometimes gently pouring water over hands reassures the person that the water isn’t too hot. Saying something like “The water feels nice,” or “This feels good,” may help calm the person.
• Don’t bathe the person every day, if bathing continues to be difficult. A partial sponge bath daily and a full bath every three to four days may suffice.
• Try using a bath chart or calendar to indicate when bathes were given. For example, a caregiver might pint to a note or a sticker on a calendar to show the person that it has been three or four days since the last bath.
• Offer a “reward,” such as a favorite food or an activity like going for a drive in the car. This may be an effective way of cajoling the person into taking a bath. Having something to look forward to sometimes takes the focus off of the task.
• Try separating hair washing from bathing. Some people with dementia associate bathing with having their hair washed and become terribly upset, because water being poured over their head frightens them. Sometimes hair washing can be done separately in a beauty shop. Try a shower cap when bathing or it may be easier to wash hair in kitchen sink if there isn’t a spray attachment in the bathtub.
• Also try dry shampoo.

MAKING THE BATHROOM/PERSON SAFE

• As a safety precaution, adjust temperature setting on the hot water heater so that the water is not scalding (between 120 – 130 degrees F.).
• Since the person may have an altered sense of hot and cold, adjust the water temperature to his/her comfort.
• Avoid leaving an impaired person alone in the tub or shower.
• Remove locks from bathroom doors.
• Use plastic instead of glass containers in the bathtub.
• Make sure hairdryers, electric razors, etc., are out of reach.
• Use a non-slip bathmat on the floor outside the tub. Be sure there are no puddles of water on the floor.
• If Lubriderm or other oil is used, be careful of slippery residue on the tub.
• Put a rubber mat or non-skid decals on the bottom of the tub or shower.
• Install grab bars so that the person can get in and out of the tub easily. These bars can be mounted to the wall or they can clamp onto the side of the tub.
• A hand-held spray attachment on a flexible hose can convert a tub into a shower. The attachment can be helpful for rinsing the person thoroughly and makes washing hair much easier.
• Adjustable safety benches or bath chairs (which have holes in the seat so the water can drain) can be used in both tub or shower. These help make people feel more secure because they are sitting above the water. If safety benches aren’t available, try a kitchen chair. These assistive devices are available through medical supply houses, large drug store and department stores, and home health care catalogs. Medicare, Medicaid, or major medical insurance may pay all or part of the cost of equipment if ordered by a physician.
• Be sure that all parts of the body, especially the genital area, are thoroughly washed to avoid rashes and infections.
• Try giving the person with dementia a washcloth to hold or something to fiddle with for distraction while bathing.
• Play soft music in the background to create a calming and relaxing atmosphere.
• Wrap a towel around the shoulders of the person sitting in the tub and fasten with clothespin, if he/she is embarrassed about being undressed. It is important to respect the person’s privacy and dignity.
• Try tomato juice added to bathwater, if persistent body odor is a problem.
• Be sure the person is thoroughly dry. Use a refreshing after-bath scent and dry skin lotion to keep the skin moisturized. Baby powder can also be used.
• Remember, powder on the floor can be slippery. Cornstarch is an inexpensive odorless, non-allergic substitute for talcum powder.
• While the person is undressed, check the skin for rash or sores. If any red areas or sores appear, notify the doctor immediately. Pressure sores or decubitus ulcers can develop quickly on people who sit or lie down much or the time.
• Check the person’s toenails and trim them as necessary. Proper foot care is essential to prevent problems such as ingrown toenails. If trimming nails is difficult, have the person seen by a podiatrist.

IN LONG TERM CARE SETTINGS:

• Be sensitive to the approaches used when talking to residents about bathing.
• Try making the bath schedule flexible to accommodate the person’s mood.
• Allow plenty of time for individuals to relax and enjoy a quiet, peaceful bath.
• Train staff or family members who assist with bathing to allow people to do as much of the bathing themselves, whenever possible.
• Consider making the environment in the bathroom warm, familiar and private.
• Be aware that some people with dementia become quite upset when required to take a whirlpool bath. Institutional equipment such as whirlpool baths can be impersonal and terrifying.
• Avoid using commode chairs when giving showers. This practice encourages people to be incontinent when bathing.
• Avoid forcing or arguing with a person to take a bath when he/she is resistant. This only causes further agitation.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• If a person is absolutely refusing a bath or a sponge bath and if his/her lack of hygiene is intolerable, consult a doctor. For some people medications may ease the anxiety. Use only with very careful supervision and as A LAST RESORT. (Sometimes these medications have side effects and occasionally they increase the agitation.)
• In the later stages of dementia when total assistance with personal care may be needed, meticulous and careful attention to hygiene is important in preventing skin breakdown. This becomes a major challenge for caregivers coping with urinary and bowel incontinence.
• Bathing is a very personal and private activity. Many people have never completely undressed in front of anyone else and this can be uncomfortable and vulnerable experience. Also, when a caregiver offers to help someone who is confused, it is a strong statement that the person is no longer able to do for him/herself. This loss of independence can be terribly difficult for people with dementing illnesses. It is important to recognize that these feelings may be contributing to some of the resistance to bathing.

Finally, don’t let your personal habits dictate what is normal. A generation ago, most people did not bathe and change their clothes as often as we do today. Taking a bath once a week may have been the way the person did things in his/her home.

Now, since you didn’t do it the previous two time asked – here’s one final request: if you are a caregiver, if you nothing lose, a lot to gain from signing up at www.EasyCaregiving.com and go find some great information on www.CaregiverRelief.com
see you soon, Donahue