How to Help a Parent That is Refusing Elder Care

One of the most heartbreaking things that adult children deal with is an aging parent that refuses in-home care. Not only is it heartbreaking, but it can also be the most frustrating. You’ve heard these stories before. Mom claims she doesn’t need help bathing and dressing, even though she struggles to do it herself. Dad doesn’t want anyone driving him to his appointments even though the doctor recommended it.

You know your parent needs help, but how do you help a resistant loved one get the personalized elder care that they need? On one hand, you don’t want to force the issue until they completely shut down, and on the other, you’re worried that something might happen if they don’t.

Freedom Home Care, Highland Park’s in home care agency, knows that this is a difficult situation. Fortunately, there are a few things our home care experts suggest that could be helpful in starting the conversation with your senior about outside care in a way that feels right to them:

Help Can Be Empowering

Many times older loved ones feel like accepting care diminishes their own power. But if you’re able to help them see that a little help around the house actually frees them up to do more of the things they love, then there’s a good chance they won’t feel like there’s a decrease in personal power.

Figure Out Their Motivation

Boston-based Geriatric care manager, Suzanne Modigliani says to try to determine what’s motivating your mom or dad’s behavior. Is this just a habit they’re displaying? Perhaps there’s a larger underlying issue.  Could it just be a fear they’re expressing?

Try To Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Another thing experts recommend is thinking about how it might feel if you thought you were going to lose your independence. Would you also be inclined to push back and resist change? Seeking to understand where they’re coming from allows you to approach the situation with a little more empathy toward your parent.

Listen to Their Concerns

Set aside a day to join your loved one in doing something they like to do. While you’re enjoying the moment and everyone’s defenses are down, ask your mom or dad what concerns them most about aging. This not only helps break the ice, but it also gives you more insight into how your loved one feels about care giving.

Utilize Your Resources

Research different agencies that offer help for adult children with aging parents. An organization like the Area Agency on Aging has trained elder advisers that can help you locate the resources in order to best serve your loved one. These agencies are also there to remind you that you’re not in this alone.

Is This a Battle Worth Fighting?

Donna Cohen, Ph.D. a clinical psychologist and author of “The Loss of Self: A Family Resource for the Care of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders” says to pick your battles. If your parent is not at risk of endangering themselves or anyone else, allow them to make certain decisions about their life. They may in some ways still be capable of taking care of themselves. Make time to sit down with them and decide what those things are.

 SOURCE: Freedomhomecare

Some really helpful points to consider in this.It can be really difficult to put yourself in someone elses shoes especially when emotion is involved.

Dementia care improved by just one hour of social interaction each week

Increasing the amount of social interaction for people with dementia living in care homes to just one hour a week improves quality of life when combined with personalised care.

A large-scale trial led by the University of Exeter, King's College London and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust found that the approach also saves money.

Previous research has found that in many care homes, residents have as little as two minutes of social interaction per day.

The new research, funded by the National Institute of Health Research and published today in the journal PLOS Medicine, upskilled key care home staff to deliver person-centred care. That involves simple measures such as talking to residents about their interests and involving them in decisions around their own care.

When combined with just one hour a week of social interaction, the programme improved quality of life and reduced agitation and aggression in people with dementia.

Professor Clive Ballard, of the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the research, said: "While many care homes are excellent, standards still vary hugely. We have previously found that the average amount of social interaction for people with dementia was just two minutes a day. It's hardly surprising when that has a knock-on effect on quality of life and agitation.

"Our approach improves care and saves money. We must roll out approaches that work to do justice to some of the most vulnerable people in society. Incredibly, of 170 carer training manuals available on the market, only four are based on evidence that they really work. That is simply not good enough - it has to change."

The trial involved more than 800 people with dementia across 69 care homes in South London, North London and Buckinghamshire. Two 'care staff champions' at each home were trained over four day-long sessions, to take simple measures that such as involve talking to residents about their interests and decisions around their own care. Importantly, the approach also saved money compared to standard care. Researchers say the next key challenge is to roll the programme to the 28,000 care homes in the UK to benefit the lives of the 300,000 people with dementia living in these facilities.

Dr Jane Fossey from the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Taking a person-centred approach is about getting to know each resident as an individual - their interests and preferences - and reflecting these in all aspects of care. It can improve the lives of the person themselves and it can be rewarding for carers too. We've shown that this approach significantly reduces agitation and saves money. Rolling out the training nationwide could benefit many other people."

The results are the findings of the Improving Wellbeing and Health for People with Dementia (WHELD) trial, the largest non-pharmacological randomised control trial in people with dementia living in care homes to date.

Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Society, said: "70% of people living in care homes have dementia, so it is vital that staff have the right training to provide good quality dementia care.

"A person-centred approach takes into account each individual's unique qualities, abilities, interests, preferences and needs. This study shows that training to provide this type of individualised care, activities and social interactions can have a significant impact of the well-being of people living with dementia in care homes. It also shows that this kind of effective care can reduce costs, which the stretched social care system desperately needs.

"Alzheimer's Society is committed to improving dementia care through research. That means getting interventions like this put into practice, and funding further research to improve the quality of life for people with dementia in their own homes, care homes and hospitals."

Source: MedicalXpress, University of Exeter.

Clarksville home care worker accused of using client’s credit card

NASHVILLE, Tenn. A Clarksville woman who was employed as a home care worker has been charged with exploiting and defrauding one of her clients.

After receiving a referral from Adult Protective Services in May 2016, TN Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Agents began investigating a complaint of financial exploitation by a home services worker. At that time, Lamelia Bellamy provided home care to a client in Nashville.

Agents developed information that Bellamy fraudulently used the victim’s credit card to make purchases in Sumner County without the woman’s consent.

On March 7, 2017, the Sumner County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Lamelia Bellamy (DOB 08/04/1979) with one count of Fraudulent Use of a Credit/ Debit Card, one count of Knowingly Exploiting an Adult, and one count of Obtain, Possess, Buy or Use Personal ID of Another.

Bellamy, who has been held in Montgomery County on unrelated charges, was transported to Sumner County on February 2. She was booked into the Sumner County Jail and released after posting a $10,000 bond.

Source: ClarksvilleNow.com

Calls for football authorities to provide care for ex-players with dementia

Calls are being made for the authorities in football to provide care for former players who are living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease as a result of their career.

Former Liverpool striker Ian St John is the latest to raise the issue of dementia as a possible result of heading heavy footballs in the 1950s and 1960s.

The 78-year-old told BBC Radio 5: “People of our era, the balls we played with were big, heavy things,

“To lift them up to take a throw-in you’d have to do special training, and the conditions we played in - snow, rain and mud - and we trained with these things as well, every day, heading practice as well.

“Whether this problem of dementia hastens the end of your life or not I don’t know, I’m not a medical person - but what I am saying is these were my pals, these were the guys I played with and they have got these problems.

“If someone needs special care as a result of their career and their career was football, then football should pay for that.”

The call comes after two former Canaries players - Duncan Forbes and Martin Peters - both became victims of Alzheimer’s disease.

Last year the Football Association announced it was planning to explore whether heading footballs can create a greater risk of developing brain illness in later life.

Mr Forbes made more than 300 appearances for the Canaries, and first showed signs of Alzheimer’s around 2005.

His wife, Janette Forbes said: “As Duncan was a centre back he used to head the ball all the time. In training he even used to head a medicine ball – the theory was he would be able to head a football further. There is no doubt in my mind that this has caused his problems nowadays.”

The connection was brought to
the public eye in 2002, when 
former England striker Jeff Astle died of a degenerative brain disease at 59.

A coroner concluded that Mr Astle’s death was an “industrial disease” due to heading the ball.

SOURCE: Eastern Daily Press, Dominic Gilbert

‘Our nan faded away': Furious family slam care home after 98-year-old gran died weighing same as small child.

Winifred Burns died of chronic constipation at a nursing home in Cornwall where residents 'were treated like numbers without dignity and respect’ 

A family has slammed a "chaotic" care home where their 98-year-old gran "wasted away' and died weighing the same as a small child. Winifred Burns died of chronic constipation at a nursing home where residents "were treated like numbers without dignity and respect", an inquest heard. At the time of her death Mrs Burns weighed just 31kg which is about the same as a nine-year-old girl. Her weight had dropped from 38kg within a matter of weeks.

She was left to die alone in her room and in pain in February 2015 at a home where she had been transferred three months before, a coroner heard.

Winifred's care home had been failed by inspectors and was under investigation by care officials. The coroner acknowledged that Ponsandane nursing home in Penzance, Cornwall, had been "chaotic" at the time. But in her ruling at the hearing in Truro she said there was no "intentional" neglect.

Speaking after the inquest daughter Debbie Jackson and Winifred's granddaughter

Hayley Brown, said she had simply "faded away" after being moved to the home. Mrs Jackson said she found it difficult to understand that her mother received the full adequate care she was entitled to when she had wasted away within weeks.

She said: "Mum had such a twinkle in her eyes. She was terrified of being alone, which is why she absolutely loved being with people.

"She should have been looked after much better.”

"She was 98 and was not going to live forever. But she should not have died alone and probably in pain like she did."

The inquest heard Mrs Burns suffered chronic constipation, which may have built up over weeks leading to her death, but remained undetected and acted upon. Recording a natural causes conclusion, coroner Emma Carlyon said she was satisfied that neglect was not a contributing factor in Mrs Burns' death. But it was revealed that the nursing home had been under investigation over safeguarding issues for at least twelve months prior to Mrs Burns' death. This was reinforced when the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the home and failed it, recommending several urgent improvements to be made. Julie Barton, the manager of the nursing home, who took over the role weeks after Mrs Burns' death in 2015, told the inquest that a "negative culture" existed among staff at the time. 

She said: "There was a negative culture where staff treated residents like numbers and not like people with the dignity and respect they deserved.

"The staff who didn't meet our new work ethics were dismissed and those who stayed and were not part of that culture flourished.

"It has taken a lot of hard work but the home is now a happy place."

The coroner was told that the laxatives and special food supplements she was prescribed at St Mary's Haven stopped after her transfer to Ponsandane. A pathologist said her constipation was so acute that it might have built up over days and weeks, leading to a large bowel infraction. In turn it led to a twisting of her bowel, which then compromised her blood supply. The inquest heard how her chronic constipation might not have been easy to identify because there was still some bowel movement. The finding led to Dr Carlyon accepting that there was no intentional neglect involved in her death. 

She said: "I didn't find that neglect was a contributing factor to her death and it is more probable than not that Mrs Burns died of natural causes.

"I was saddened to hear how chaotic things were at the nursing home at the time of her death.

"I am re-assured at how things have changed and how the culture has changed and it is now a happy place.

"I am re-assured to hear that improvements have been made and continue to be made."

Jon Edgecumbe, the chief operating officer at Swallow Court group, which runs the care home, said: "Concerns raised after Mrs Burns' death were reviewed and acted upon. We worked with the CQC and Cornwall Council to make the required improvements.

"Since the safeguarding issues of 2015 we have worked to minimise the risks to residents. It was a chaotic time, the staff were good people struggling against the circumstances. Ponsandane is now a happy and warm home."

Source: Daily Mirror, written by Olivier Vergnault and Oliver Milne.

Alzheimer’s breakthrough: New drug hope as experts warn of surge in cases

A MAJOR breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s could lead to a raft of new treatments within years, scientists revealed today.

A major breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s could lead to new treatments

In a world first, British researchers have decoded the molecular structure of a toxic substance that is a hallmark of the disease – which is a type of dementia And understanding how it creates tangles in the brains of sufferers could see new drugs that prevent the deadly process happening. 

The finding was announced on the same day experts warned of a timebomb facing Britain in all forms of dementia. 

But that figure is set to rise dramatically to 872,000 in 2020, then 1,092,000 in 2030 and 1,205,000 in 2040. 

As a result, there will be a 57 per cent rise in cases by 2040 compared with last year, researchers from University College London and the University of Liverpool told the British Medical Journal. 

The cost of dementia to the UK economy is estimated to be £26.3billion, equivalent to £32,250 for every person in Britain. 

And the number of people living with the condition is continuing to increase, largely due to longer life expectancy. 

Dr James Pickett, head of research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “With an ageing population and no way to cure, prevent or slow down the condition, dementia is set to be the 21st century’s biggest killer. 

“These latest estimates are yet another wake-up call that the current social care system, already on its knees from decades of under-funding, needs urgent attention from the Government if it’s to cope with the inevitable massive increase in demand. 

UK researchers have decoded the structure of a toxin that is a hallmark of the disease

“Researchers must unite to achieve breakthroughs in prevention, treatment and care before dementia becomes an even larger health and social care crisis.” 

However, the new medical breakthrough hands hope to sufferers of Alzheimer’s. Researchers extracted tissue samples from a patient who died of the disease and deciphered its molecular structure. 

Until now research has depended on artificial samples. But experts have been able to see the make-up of a destructive protein called tau, which forms tangles in the brains of sufferers, in microscopic detail. 

Drugs are currently dispensed to treat the symptoms of dementia not the causes. 

England and Wales will have over a million dementia suffers by 2030, claims research

But the research has given hope that prevention treatments could be developed. 

Senior author Dr Michel Goedert, of the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “Until now the high-resolution structures of tau or any other disease-causing filaments from human brain tissue have remained unknown. 

“This new work will help to develop better compounds for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s.”

Tau protein normally helps brain cells function but in Alzheimer’s it clumps together. 

These tangles then spread through the brain as the symptoms of the harrowing disease progress. 

But scientists in Cambridge were able to deduce the atomic arrangement inside tau. 

And now it is possible for computer models to measure millions of potential drug molecules against the protein, giving immediate clues to suggest which should be tested further, significantly speeding up the drug discovery process. 

Researcher Sjors Scheres said: “Many pharmaceutical companies are currently using different parts of tau in tests to measure the effect of different drugs on fi lament formation; this new knowledge should significantly increase the accuracy of such tests.” 

Dr Pickett, at the Alzheimer’s Society, added: “Tau protein has never been seen in this level of detail before. Many drugs work like a key in a lock, and this discovery shows us the inner workings of the tau protein ‘lock’. 

“The ability to picture what the lock looks like could help scientists design more precise drugs that act on the tau protein and stop damage to the brain. This study could take us into a new era of drug design.”

SOURCE: Express, Mark Reynolds and Giles Sheldrick

Taking part in academic research empowers residents with dementia and 'gives them a sense of purpose'

The role of dementia research and how it is borne out in reality can be a contentious issue, with some experts believing that it does little to benefit people currently living with dementia. But participating in projects can actually enhance the wellbeing of care home residents.

Professor Mary Marshall, a senior consultant with HammondCare, writes and lectures in dementia care and is dubious of exactly how effective dementia research is at present.

Expressing the issues she has around the topic at the UK Dementia Congress in November, she told congress attendees that she is “a bit depressed about it,” adding: “I’ve become really unhappy about the rhetoric of evidence-based and the reality of expediency.

“There’s got to be more than research, there’s got to be a campaign or something as well.”

Yet there are ongoing partnerships between care homes and academic institutions where those affected by dementia are directly involved in research and contribute by providing first-hand evidence and experiences.

These partnerships provide a wealth of benefits for residents and care teams alike. Getting involved in research can provide additional stimulation for residents as they take part in new activities and talk to new people.

It also gives residents a sense of purpose and self-worth, helping them to feel like they are contributing to their future as well as the next generation, while staff gain additional training and an increase in job satisfaction, thereby creating an encouraging atmosphere of excellence and improvement.

‘Their experiences are what really matters’

The University of Worcester’s Association of Dementia Studies (ADS) carries out research to improve the lives of those with dementia by involving people with dementia, care workers and families directly in their projects.

Isabelle Latham, a PhD student and senior lecturer at ADS, explained: “Their experiences are what really matters when we wish to discover what affects people’s experiences, quality of life and care in care settings.”

Despite complex and in-depth ethical processes, ADS makes every effort to involve people living with advanced dementia, particularly if they are unable to be involved in more conventional research projects.

Ms Latham added: “We do this because it is important that their perspective is also considered in any findings.

“[Previous projects] have used observations of people’s daily lives and care experience to try and capture their point of view even though a person may have limited verbal communication.”

‘Outsiders’ help care home staff reflect better

While contributing to research, care home staff reap the benefits of participating in often ground-breaking projects, allowing them to provide better care for residents living with dementia.

Ms Latham said: “In our experience, care homes, staff, families and people living in care homes are very positive about the impact of taking part in research, reflecting that it can feel empowering to be able to share experiences and opinions with others and know it may make a difference in the future.

“They often report that it increases their reflective abilities about the care they provide and that having ‘outside’ researchers coming into the home or discussing an aspect of care can help them think about changes they can make.”

Care homes, researchers and families can find information about ongoing and upcoming projects via Enabling Research In Care Homes (ENRICH), a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) toolkit which provides information and networks for those involved or who wish to be involved in research.

The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) has been part of the ENRICH Research Ready Care Homes Network for three years. The network brings together care home staff, residents and researchers to facilitate the design and delivery of research, with the hope of improving the quality of life for residents.

Victoria Elliot, principal care consultant for OSJCT, said the group became part of the network because they are passionate about research and helping their residents and thought it would be a “positive experience” for them.

While the research they are involved in doesn’t always directly impact residents’ lives, it certainly enhances their general well-being.

‘For the greater good’

Ms Elliot explained: “They feel like they’re helping someone else, future generations, and it gives them a sense of purpose.

“They know that they’re doing some good that will benefit people in the future. They’re doing it for the greater good.”

She also noted that participating in research projects helps to counteract negative press that the social care sector often receives by improving staff morale.

She added: “They’re proud of the work they do and being involved in the research helps to reinforce this pride.”

Anna Hicks, a roaming home manager for OSJCT, took part in a five-year programme, WHELD (Improving Wellbeing for Health for People with Dementia), which assessed the most effective therapies to reduce the prescription of antipsychotic drugs and improve mental health and quality of life for people with dementia.

Taking part in this research not only benefitted staff and residents, but also inspired her to initiate new projects and innovations in the home to help those living with dementia.

She told ENRICH: “It was so successful that I started a dementia café, a knock-on benefit from the project. I also developed a ‘getting to know you’ process where every single member of staff now spends 10 to 15 minutes, once a week with a different resident – that includes the cooks, domestics and me.

“I felt my staff got a lot out of it – because now they understand much more about dementia and look at residents’ reactions in a different light.”

‘As academics, keep shouting’

Despite the positive outcomes for care homes collaborating with academic institutions, there remains the issue of disseminating findings and spreading awareness of the results to other care homes which have not participated in research.

This is an important issue at the Association for Dementia Studies because they “aim to make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.”

Ms Latham explained: “We ensure that our research reports are available to the public via our website, we run free events to share the findings from our different projects and we integrate our latest evidence from research into the teaching and education programmes we offer.

“However, care homes, their staff and visitors are very busy and as such, I think we always need to work hard to make sure research findings are easy and simple to find out about and apply to practice.”

Dave Bell, an Admiral Nurse who works for Admiral Nursing Direct, the national dementia helpline, highlighted the importance of spreading awareness of dementia research.

He said: “People do want to be involved in research. We get questions: ‘How can I get into a drugs trial?’ or something like that.

“Evidence-based for us as nurses is really important but it often gets presented at conferences and we say ‘oh that’s interesting’ and then we carry on doing what we’re doing.

“So keep shouting, as academics, keep shouting because it’s really important to get through to us as nurses and other practitioners.”

SOURCE: carehome.co.uk, Charley Walker