James Vlahos/The Daily
In an article in The Daily by James Vlahos, we learn that the elder-friendly robots are here to engage and to help burnout caregivers. Vlahos says: “…Robots may be our best option to pick up the slack — or so say the pioneers of eldercare robotics, which is being pursued by corporations from Toyota to NEC as well as university robotic labs worldwide…”
James Estrin/The New York Times
Now, a growing number of experts are calling for integrating mental health professionals into all levels of communities for the rising population of aging Americans, from nursing homes to assisted-living centers.
Gary Kennedy, the director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, says psychological care is “equally if not more important than” medical care for this group. “Health policy continues to lag behind the reality that these are now mental health facilities,” Dr. Kennedy said of communities for the elderly.
While Alzheimer’s receives the lion’s share of public attention, garden-variety depression, anxiety and sleep disorders also accompany old age. Particularly for late-life depression, Dr. Agronin points to data assembled by the psychiatry department at the supporting behavioral and group therapy, treatment rarely tried with patients from generations typically considered averse to discussing such issues.
Battling an illness, lack of sleep and strange surroundings can make any hospital patient feel out of sorts. Medical advocacy is key when having a senior in this condition. Hospitalization not only jeopardizes the general wellness of a senior but his/her dignity and self-confidence. Besides getting sicker at some point, seniors are usually placed on diapers to avoid labor-intensive trips to the bathroom and usually when confused, they are misunderstood on their needs. This article about how confused they can be and how memory loss occurs is the icing on the cake.
As we said, for seniors, hospitalizations actually may cause temporary memory loss and difficulty in understanding discharge instructions, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
The cited study found that seniors go back to normal one month after the hospital stay. But immediately following a hospitalization, it is a critical time in which seniors may need extra support from professionals and family, according to Lee Lindquist, the lead author of the study, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, March 2011.
Living Well is at the “Aging in America” – the 2011 Annual Conference of the American Society on Aging. The Aging in America conference is the largest gathering of a diverse, multidisciplinary community of professionals from the fields of aging, healthcare and education. Join us to find the answers, the experts, the research, the best practices, and the most comprehensive educational offerings available to professionals.
The 2011 Bay Area Senior Games/California State Championships will be held from March 26 – April 3 at venues at Stanford University, in the City of Palo Alto, and other locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Games are open to all athletes over the age of 50. There is still time to register, visit www.bayareaseniorgames.org.
Admission to watch all sports is free and open to the public.
Liivng Well
New York Times Knowledge Network – This course will simplify the maze of procedures and paperwork confronting children and friends who care for aging loved ones. Taught by a journalist who is a leading expert in this field, and who created the popular blog “The New Old Age” on nytimes.com, this course compresses vital information into two weeks, because time constraints are urgent for most people in this situation.
March 30 – April 13, 2011 Instructor: Jane Gross
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 10, 2011/ Troy Media/ –
Studies have shown nursing home residents with dementia spend 70 to 80 per cent of their time with nothing to do. “I’m dying of boredom” was the statement made by a gentleman living in an Alzheimer’s care unit to Wendy Wood of Colorado State University Head of Department of Occupational Therapy.
According to research conducted by Wood and published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy in May 2009, the remaining cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities of persons with dementia living in Alzheimer’s units were rarely tapped into, promoting “excess disability” or disability beyond what is directly attributable to the disease itself. This could lead to a more rapid decline.
Because concerns about the use of certain medications to manage behaviours in persons with dementia are being raised, new approaches – such as music, dancing, art, and storytelling – are being tested and have been found to be effective in the care for persons with dementia.
The common element in all of them is engagement – or doing. Even routine tasks are beneficial for persons with dementia. Having the person help with dressing, setting the table, getting the mail, or answering the door are all tasks that can be assigned, as long as directions are also given. Targeted care incorporating daily engagement is key and has many benefits.
Living Well offers specialized care for adults with chronic and debilitating conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS, which compromise their ability to live safely in their homes, where...
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