Questions! Where can I find answers?

Questions! Learning how to provide care to a family member means you have questions! Sometimes, answers are only a click away.  The following websites are a good place to investigate. First, gather as much information as possible about your elder loved one's health, disability, income, wealth (include property owned), Veteran status and education level. Then start clicking.
 
www.Govbenefits.gov –Go to this site and answer every question that you can. Once submitted, the site will respond with a list, details and access information for many, even scores, of beneficial government programs, supplements and/or services. Below are some of those resources. 

Medicare It’s not just Part A Hospital and Part B medical insurance.  If your parent is considered low income, receiving only social security, Medicare may subsidize all but about $10/mo in premiums.  Ask and you may find a great cost saving for your parent.  www.medicare.gov

Social Security  SSI (supplemental security income) may be available to your parent if their social security income was earned on lower paying jobs and is their only source of income. www.ssa.gov/ssi/

Administration on Aging (AOA) - Administers many national programs and services for elders including health insurance counseling, legal assistance, protection from elder abuse and long term care.  Check out their website at www.aoa.gov

Department of Veteran Affairs There are several types and levels of compensation programs available for veterans with service related disabilities.  Contact the VA for more information www.va.gov

HIPAA  Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act of 1996 protects the privacy of everyone’s medical records.  Unless your parent has signed a form designating you as approved to discuss their medical issues with their physician, their physician CANNOT discuss your parent’s medical condition even if you are a family member.  If your loved one has agreed to share her medical info with you, designation forms are available at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/

U.S. Department of Justice If your parent has a disability, especially limiting mobility, learn about the Americans with Disability Act administered by the US Department of Justice.  The ADA website provides access to a lot of useful information.  Go to www.ada.gov.

North Carolina Division on Aging in Raleigh, NC http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/ Professionals well versed in elder programs and services available in our area, including funding sources, staff the agency.  919-733-3983

 Food and Drug Administration If your parents are taking multiple medications, they may experience multiple side effects.  In order to avoid poly pharmacy (dangerous drug interactions) go to the Food and Drug Administration www.fda.gov/ website to access their database with important information on every drug approved by the agency. WebMed also provides good information on drug contradictions.

Four Ways to Fight Isolation

Loneliness and isolation are kissing cousins. We can feel lonely in the midst of a crowd because we don’t sense any connection. But living isolated engenders loneliness and feeds depression because you have lost your connections to the people and activities you once enjoyed. If you have struggled with long term illness or disability you have probably experienced both.

Humans are supremely social creatures who need physical, social and emotional connections to stay healthy. So how does one replace isolation with engagement and purpose?  While it takes serious intention to make necessary adaptations, it is possible to live with purpose and pleasure despite limitations. The following are ways I have seen people remain engaged in community. Let me know your ideas!

Plan to go out: Think about how to go out even for just an hour. Make a date with a friend or family member to accompany you. People are willing to assist, but don’t know what you need unless you tell them. Call ahead to see if there is a wheelchair ramp and then go to a farmer’s market, a festival or outdoor concert. Choose to go to your favorite donut shop, coffeehouse or church service. Yes, it’s more work and takes more planning to do these outings but they are worth it.

Open your home: If it is too difficult for you to go out, invite people over. Some resist this idea. You may not want to invite people in when you are not feeling your best, but if don’t you are inviting isolation and it’s resulting loneliness. Offer your home for meetings and gatherings. Host a lunch and ask everyone to bring a dish. Invite neighbors and friends over for coffee, a glass of wine or a card game. Sometimes people stay away because they are uncertain when or whether they are welcome. Create welcome.

Volunteer: Call any organization you wish to support or those that interest you to see how you can help. Volunteers greet people at a special event or pack socks for soldiers. Volunteers are needed to schedule people to give blood or follow up on fundraising commitments. Some of these activities can be done from home. When you give back, you don’t feel alone and you will meet like-minded people.

Use technology wisely: FaceBook and Email will not replace personal interaction but they can help you stay in touch with long-distance loved ones. Also there are many on-line support groups that can help you feel less alone with a chronic illness. Use them wisely; finger to keyboard will not replace a smile, a hug, a chat.

Outside, Go Outside, Be Outside.

Yes, it is pollen season in the Triangle of North Carolina, so if you are an allergy sufferer you might choose to wait a few days before you go outside and inhale deeply. But the temperatures are moderating cool to comfortable now. Time to make the effort to get outdoors every day, even if it is just for a short time. Here are three reasons why.

Ward off Vitamin D deficiencies.

Vitamin D is one of the few vitamins that you cannot get adequately from the foods that you eat. Vitamin supplements can help but the best way to get vitamin D is to expose your bare skin to sunlight. Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to a whole host of physical ailments, from chronic fatigue to worsening Alzheimer's disease. You are particularly susceptible to this deficiency if you stay indoors. Getting enough exposure to sunlight can happen very quickly, particularly in the summer. You don’t need to tan or burn your skin to get vitamin D. Sit or walk outside for 15 minutes (or less if you have very fair skin) with some bare skin showing to give your body it's needed vitamin boost.

Wake up the senses.

Walking or sitting outside has proven to reduce stress, mitigate depression, and lower blood pressure in study after study. One reason of course is that it requires some exercise and movement to get outside, which is beneficial. Another reason is that the experience of being outside encourages full sensory involvement. Let your skin feel the breeze or the heat of the sun. Take in the changing color of your yard or street; watch people pass by. When your nose smells the dirt or the magnolia blossom and you hear traffic hums or bird songs; your brain is registering a fully alive moment. Drink a glass of sweet tea or eat some fruit in season and you recharge with all five senses.

Wonder at the mystery.
Daily interaction with the great outdoors invites one to be amazed or in awe. Exclaim at how tall the neighbors' child has grown, watch the heavy bumblebee hover over the dogwood blossom, observe the clouds darken and mass before the droplets fall. These common occurrences can still bring a sense a wonder and gratitude when you experience them. They may spur happy memories or cultivate new ones. Each day offers moments of mystery, especially when you get outside.

When Dawn isn't working for Always Best Care clients she is most likely outside.

Pros & Cons of Technology for Seniors

Sharing "pros & cons of technology for seniors" at the Resources for Seniors' Susan Maguire designed Going It Solo program series. It was fun to present technologies broken out by various aspects of our lives: physical, mental, emotional, relationship, career, financial, spiritual/contribution.

Committed to care-giving

Peris Dama is committed to care-giving. She has cared for others since she was a very young woman. Her father recognized her gift for wanting to help others. “My Father told me, “you have it in your heart to help.” 

Always Best Care in Raleigh understands this essential component of care-giving. We recognize that while many skills can be taught, this gift of having-it-in-your-heart to help must be present first.

We are pleased to honor Peris Dama as a woman who embodies this quality.

Peris originally worked with special needs children as a teacher in her native Kenya. It was there that she acquired the professional attitude that she brings to Always Best Care. “If I can bring about a positive change, even if it is just a little, I feel like I’ve succeeded.”

Her clients regularly benefit from her exceptional service. “When I have finished all my duties, and I have some extra time I ask; "Can I help you with something else?” She also makes sure she understands her clients' preferences. "Whether I am ironing a shirt or making a sandwich, I ask "How would you like this done?" "I know how I would iron a shirt, or fix a meal, but I want to know how my clients would like it performed."

In addition to her work, Peris pursues her studies in nursing. 

When she is not working or studying she enjoys wearing her colorful Kenyan dresses to church.