Caring Today magazine’s third annual “Give a Caregiver a Break” contest launched May 1.  Home Instead Senior Care co-sponsors the contest and will award $16,000 in free caregiving services to the winning essay writers.  More info from the press release follows:

Caring Today Magazine and Home Instead Senior Care Announce Third Annual Caregiver Essay Contest

The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Birmingham, Michigan has announced Caring Today magazine’s third annual “Give a Caregiver a Break” essay contest to honor family caregivers for their tireless service and dedication. The contest is sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care and will award $16,000 in free caregiving services to the winning essay writers.

In 500 words or less, non-professional family caregivers can relate their caregiving experiences, including the challenges they’ve faced, how they’ve embraced their role as a caregiver for a senior loved one and inspired others, all demonstrating how a Home Instead CAREGiver^SM could make a difference.  Entries can be submitted starting May 1, 2008.  Entry deadline is July 16, 2008.

Grand Prize is $5,000 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care, the world’s largest provider of non-medical companionship and home care for seniors.  Two First Prize winners will each receive $2,500 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care.  In addition, 12 Extraordinary Caregivers will each receive $500 in service as part of a new category established this year.  The top three winning essays will be published in the November/December issue of Caring Today and all 15 winning essays will appear on www.caringtoday.com.

Last year’s Grand Prize winner was Teresa Hooper, a devoted daughter and sister from Sylva, N.C., who put her career on hold and gave up most of her free time to help care for her 83-year-old mother, Sara.  Hooper said she was just venting her feelings when she wrote about her caregiving role, which she shares with two sisters.

“We have learned that we are all vulnerable, and that old age and sickness is not an easy issue to be dealt with under any circumstances,” says Hooper. “We have learned to admire and respect our mother for all that she gave us in her ‘good’ years and for trying to be so strong for us in her fragile years.  We are still learning – one day at a time.”

According to her Grand Prize essay, Hooper and her sisters have been caring full time for their mother, who has multiple health problems, is on oxygen and needs round-the-clock care.  Hooper’s family is trying to meet all their mother’s needs on a rotating basis, so Sara can stay at home.  The demands are both physically and emotionally daunting, Hooper said.  

 “The hardest impact of this situation is seeing our mother in this condition, unable to see, hear, bathe, eat or even walk without assistance,” Hooper wrote in her essay.  “We see her often confused, forgetful and frightened.  We have cried and felt guilty and helpless.  We’ve prayed and talked.  Despite the challenges, the rewards of caregiving have been worthwhile,” Hooper added.  “It’s been rewarding to see her return to her home after being on the verge of death.  We’re giving her back some quality in her last days.”   

To enter the “Give a Caregiver a Break” essay contest, you must be 18 years old or over, be providing non-professional care for a person 65 years of age or older, and be a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.  Only one entry per person is allowed.  Entrants must be located in a Home Instead Senior Care franchise service territory to receive free services.  (Franchise service areas are available by logging on to www.homeinstead.com.)  Entrant must be a non-paid caregiver of a person 65 years of age or older and not a third party.  Typed entries may be submitted online at www.caringtoday.com/hicontest or by mail to Caring Today, 34 Sherman Court, Fairfield, CT 06824.  Complete rules can be found in the May/June issue of Caring Today or online at www.caringtoday.com or www.homeinstead.com. 

Caring Today is the premier national magazine offering practical advice for the family caregiver.  It provides expert, up-to-date information on medical, social, financial, legal, lifestyle and support issues – and, in each issue, reinforces the importance of caregiver well-being and self-care.  With a circulation of 750,000, Caring Today is published six times a year and distributed primarily through doctor’s offices, hospitals, CVS/pharmacies and professional home-care services.  The magazine’s offices are located at 34 Sherman Court, Fairfield, CT 06824, and it’s newly designed, interactive website is at www.caringtoday.com. 

Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s largest provider of comprehensive companionship and home care services for seniors.  These services are provided through a network of franchise offices located throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Taiwan, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany.  The company’s services are designed for practically any living arrangement where an older adult simply needs human interaction and help with day-to-day activities.  For more information, visit www.homeinstead.com.

Getting in and out of a vehicle can be a dangerous source of falls for older adults, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.  So CAREGivers who transport clients should be aware of this risk and take precautions to help prevent such injuries, such as helping clients enter and exit vehicles.

Researchers looked at 2001-2003 data from the “National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program” that gathers injury data from 66 emergency rooms across the country. They found an estimated 37,000 injuries requiring medical care in emergency rooms among seniors entering and exiting vehicles.  Of this number, 41 percent were due to falls.

The sample included 14,774 persons of all ages who were injured getting in or out of a vehicle. People ages 65 and older were 10 times more likely to be hospitalized for their injuries than younger persons, and women were more likely to be hospitalized than men. Interestingly, injuries were more than twice as likely to occur when a person was exiting a vehicle than when entering.

These results illustrate the importance of fall prevention activities addressing the underlying transportation-related risks that are inherent in an older population.  For information on the National Council on Aging’s fall prevention initiatives, go to http://www.healthyagingprograms.com/content.asp?sectionid=107

Home Instead Senior Care CAREGivers can help provide 24-hour care for seniors without even having to be there.  By teaming up with our LifeLine partner, you can rest at ease knowing that someone is always there when your mom or dad needs help most.  Think of it - a CAREGiver can be thee for a few hours during the day to be sure that medications are being taken, and that meals are being prepared and eaten - and the security of LifeLine can be there the rest of the day, so if mom falls in the shower, or if dad tumbles in the basement or on the steps, help is only a button-push away.

To learn more about how Home Instead Senior Care and LifeLine can team up to help your loved one, call 248-203-2273.

Older adults who take antipsychotic drugs have an increased risk of developing pneumonia, particularly during the first week after starting treatment, Dutch researchers at the University Medical Center-Utrecht report. With pneumonia an important cause of death in seniors, CAREGivers should be aware of the potential problems clients taking antipsychotic drugs might face.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and recapped on the university’s Web site (http://www.umcutrecht.nl/research/news/2008/04/some-drugs-for-elderly-lead-to-pneumonia.htm), found that the chance of getting pneumonia was 4.5 times greater the week after patients started treatment than for those in the control group.

Clinical geriatrician Dr. Rob van Marum analyzed studied information on nearly 23,000 older patients who had been prescribed antipsychotic drugs at least once. The researchers concluded that the likelihood of being hospitalized for pneumonia was 60 percent greater for subjects who were currently on antipsychotic drugs than for those who weren’t.

Doctors often prescribe these drugs for seniors who have behavior problems associated with delirium or dementia. Van Marum noted that antipsychotic drugs do not help in many cases, and he sees this as a chemical solution to a problem that should be dealt with through social interventions.

“We prescribe medicines that are not only relatively ineffective; they lead to an increase in deaths,” he said in a summary. “For every 10 to 20 patients who benefit from antipsychotics, the treatment results in one death. I would like doctors to take this more into consideration when they prescribe antipsychotic drugs.”

By Tina Rowley, R.N., C.S.A., from the Home Instead Senior Care office in Birmingham, Michigan.

1. As the daughter of parents in their late 80s, I’d like to know the latest about what’s being done to keep aging issues in the forefront.  

With so many coming of age, the well-being of older adults is increasingly in the forefront of organizations that focus on making life healthy and fulfilling for this generation of seniors.  And it’s just in time.  According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, the United States is approaching the start of a tremendous demographic shift.

Beginning in 2011, the first of 78 million Baby Boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) will start transitioning into retirement, kicking off an expansion in the number of elderly people that will continue for decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one of every nine Baby Boomers will live to be at least age 90.

This nation’s growing number of seniors also brings attention to both the future contributions and needs that older adults will bring to their communities.  For instance, seniors fill a variety of volunteer roles by sharing their time and expertise.  They also will challenge health and long-term care systems.

That’s why the Older Americans Month Theme in May is “Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive Communities.”  In this campaign, the Administration on Aging discusses various ways that communities can help older adults make changes in their lifestyles that can reduce the risk of disease, disability and injury.

Another goal of the community campaign is to help provide seniors with more options to avoid placement in nursing homes and remain at home as long as possible.  Resources in communities are striving to keep seniors more independent and at home as they age. 

Among them is Home Instead Senior Care, an international caregiving company with a local presence in this community.  The company, which has more than 700 offices nationwide, hires CAREGivers to go into the homes and care communities of seniors to help them with their non-medical needs such as companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands, transportation and shopping. 

Home Instead CAREGivers are often seniors themselves who commit to developing meaningful relationships with their clients that help enhance the lives of older adults. 

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, contact Bert Copple at 248-904-8455 or visit www.homeinstead.com /283.   For more information about Older Americans Month, log on to www.aoa.gov/press/oam/oam.asp

By Tina Rowley, R.N., C.S.A.,  from the Home Instead Senior Care office in Birmingham, Michigan.

Q. As a healthy 75-year-old, I’ve managed without much medication all of my life.  My children are always trying to get me to ask my doctors about the newest medications on the market.  I think less is more.  Am I being unreasonable?

It’s important to check with your doctor first about any medications you should be on.  Never stop taking a medication or reduce your dosage without first consulting your physician.

Here’s a story that you might find interesting from the April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter.  The newsletter points out that with a disciplined lifestyle, seven of the most common senior conditions can be managed without medications.  If you’re interested in learning how to continue to keep your meds to a minimum, here’s how.  If you’re thinking of incorporating any of these, please discuss first with your doctor:

Arthritis: There’s a good chance that losing weight will make arthritis less painful. Combine weight loss with exercise and you may have less pain and more mobility.

Cholesterol: Your LDL level may drop by 5 percent or so if you keep foods high in saturated fat off the menu. Additional soluble fiber may reduce LDL levels as well. So can margarines fortified with sterols.

Cognitive decline: Memory training and other “brain exercises” seem to help healthy older people stay sharp.

Depression: Studies have shown that regular physical activity can have a potent antidepressant effect.

Diabetes: Regular physical activity is a powerful brake on blood sugar levels as well, because exercised muscle becomes more receptive to the insulin that helps it pull sugar in from the bloodstream.

High blood pressure: Losing weight, getting more exercise, and eating less sodium all lower blood pressure.

Osteoporosis: Weight-bearing exercise puts stress on bones, and bone tissue reacts by getting stronger and denser, fending off osteoporotic processes. Extra vitamin D and calcium top the list of dietary recommendations.

Also, don’t discount the importance of companionship to staying healthy.  Make sure that you get out often and socialize with friends.  You can make a new friend by hiring a CAREGiver from Home Instead Senior Care.  The company’s CAREGivers are often seniors like you who could share many of your hobbies and interests.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, contact Bert Copple at 248-203-2273 or visit www.homeinstead.com.  For more information about the Harvard newsletter, log on to

www.health.harvard.edu/health.

With next year’s transition to digital television, some seniors may need to take steps to continue watching their favorite programs. To ease the transition, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has launched a “Convert Your Mom” public awareness campaign that encourages baby boomers to help their elderly parents. CAREGivers working with clients who have analog television may also want to share this information with them.

TV stations will switch to 100 percent digital broadcasting on February 17, 2009.

The CEA has enlisted actress Florence Henderson, best known for her role as Carol Brady on “The Brady Bunch,” to help with the campaign. Henderson will host a satellite media tour in early May, and the campaign also will feature a special downloadable guide and tips for getting ready for the digital transition (for more information, visit the online site at www.digitaltips.com.)

“CEA’s member companies have filled retail stores with a wide assortment of affordable digital TV products, from low-cost digital televisions to converter boxes and antennas that are easy to hook up to existing analog TV sets,” said Gary Shapiro, CEA’s president and CEO.

The campaign will remind viewers who rely on an antenna or an analog TV set for reception of their alternatives:

·         Buy a new TV with a built-in digital tuner;

·         Subscribe to a pay-TV service like cable or satellite TV; or,

·         Purchase an affordable digital TV converter box to receive over-the-air digital TV signals and convert them for analog viewing.

The U.S. Department of Commerce is distributing $40 discount coupons for use toward digital converter boxes. Information on how to apply for a coupon is available at https://www.dtv2009.gov/.

The prevalence of type-2 diabetes is rising in the U.S. elderly population, and nearly half of affected individuals fail to adequately control their blood sugar, new research out of Rutgers University shows. With these statistics in mind, Franchise Owners and CAREGivers should be on the lookout for potential problems in clients with this disease.

“The current study’s findings, in context of the projected increase in the elderly population, have critical public health and healthcare cost implications,” Dr. Dong-Churl Suh of Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ, and colleagues warn in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (story online at http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL85167920080418?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews; this report received attention from media outlets around the world.)

Researchers assessed changes over time in treatment and control of diabetes using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2004, and compared findings with data from 1988 to 1994. They found the prevalence of diabetes increased significantly, from 12 percent to 14.1 percent; in addition, during this same time frame, only 55 percent of diabetic patients achieved adequate blood sugar control.

The researchers’ analyses also showed that blood sugar control was better in patients without other co-morbid illnesses, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The prevalence of type-2 diabetes is rising in the U.S. elderly population, and nearly half of affected individuals fail to adequately control their blood sugar, new research out of Rutgers University shows. With these statistics in mind, Franchise Owners and CAREGivers should be on the lookout for potential problems in clients with this disease.

“The current study’s findings, in context of the projected increase in the elderly population, have critical public health and healthcare cost implications,” Dr. Dong-Churl Suh of Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ, and colleagues warn in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (story online at http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL85167920080418?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews; this report received attention from media outlets around the world.)

Researchers assessed changes over time in treatment and control of diabetes using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2004, and compared findings with data from 1988 to 1994. They found the prevalence of diabetes increased significantly, from 12 percent to 14.1 percent; in addition, during this same time frame, only 55 percent of diabetic patients achieved adequate blood sugar control.

The researchers’ analyses also showed that blood sugar control was better in patients without other co-morbid illnesses, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

May is Older Americans Month, and this year’s theme is “Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive Communities.” President George W. Bush said in a proclamation that the theme highlights the importance of building partnerships to ensure that older Americans are able to live with dignity and independence.

“Our country remains strong because of the foundation our elders have helped lay,” he said. (Read the full proclamation at http://www.pr-inside.com/proclamation-by-the-president-older-americans-r553728.htm.)

Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, urges people of all ages to celebrate Older Americans Month.

“We celebrate older Americans and their families by praising their contributions to our country. We also celebrate and express our gratitude to the countless number of dedicated health and human service professionals, scientists and volunteers that work with or on behalf of elders in communities across the country every day,” she said.

Carbonell believes that as the first Baby Boomers begin to turn 65, the country has a unique opportunity to address these changing demographics. “We need to listen to what older consumers and their families are telling us,” she said. “We know that the overwhelming preference of the American people is to remain at home for as long as possible and to have the ability to choose where they live as they age.”

For ideas on how to observe Older Americans Month, or to read more of Carbonell’s comments, visit the U.S. Administration on Aging Web site at http://www.aoa.gov/index.asp.

Here is a quote from the President’s announcement earlier today:

During Older Americans Month, we recognize the many ways older citizens have enriched our Nation through their character, wisdom, and love.

Our country remains strong because of the foundation our elders have helped lay. This year’s Older Americans Month theme, “Working Together for Strong, Healthy, and Supportive Communities,” highlights the importance of building partnerships to ensure that older Americans are able to live with dignity and independence.

Every week thousands of older Americans give back to their communities by volunteering through groups like Senior Corps. From teaching young children how to read, to helping provide relief to those affected by natural disasters, seniors play an important and compassionate role in our Nation.

My Administration is dedicated to ensuring that our seniors are treated with the respect they have earned. They deserve to have choices and access to the best possible health care, so we have added new preventive care measures and prescription drug benefits as part of our effort to modernize Medicare and make medication more affordable. In this way and many others, our country honors our elders’ legacy and recognizes their countless contributions to our Nation.

America’s seniors provide an example for younger generations, and during Older Americans Month, we reflect on their efforts toward building a stronger and brighter future for all. Our country remains forever in their debt, as they have provided a guiding light for the rest of the Nation to follow.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2008 as Older Americans Month. I commend older Americans for the many contributions they have made and continue to make to our Nation. I also commend the Federal, State, local, and tribal organizations, service and health care providers, caregivers, and volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to our seniors. I encourage all citizens to honor their elders, care for those in need, and reaffirm our country’s commitment to older Americans this month and throughout the year.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

You can access the President’s announcment by visiting www.whitehouse.gov.

Commonly used incontinence drugs may cause memory problems in some older people, according to a recent study. “Our message is to be careful when using these medicines,” said U.S. Navy neurologist Dr. Jack Tsao, who led the study.

The study results, released at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, came from an analysis of the medication use and cognitive test scores of 870 older Catholic priests, nuns and brothers who participated in the Religious Orders Study at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center. The average age of the participants was 75 (For more information on the study, see the article on the Physorg.com Web site at http://www.physorg.com/news127669768.html.)

Researchers tracked them for nearly eight years, testing yearly for cognitive decline. Nearly 80 percent of the study participants took one or more of a class of drugs called anticholinergics, including drugs for high blood pressure, asthma, Parkinson’s disease and several incontinence drugs.

Those who took the drugs had a 50 percent faster rate of cognitive decline compared to those who didn’t take any. The incontinence drugs were among the most potent and were the most frequently taken, which is why researchers believe they are driving the problem.  Tsao said more research is needed.

Here is a sample from the website linked above:

The people who took the drugs had a 50 percent faster rate of cognitive decline compared to those who didn’t take any. The researchers considered other risk factors for memory loss, such as age, and still found the link. The researchers found no increased risk for the memory-robbing disorder Alzheimer’s in people taking the drugs.

The incontinence drugs were among the most potent and were the most frequently taken of all the anticholinergics in the study. That’s why the researchers believe they are driving the memory problems, Tsao said.

Some experts said the research supports previous observations and is helpful because it measures the size of the effect.

“This paper adds important new data to the picture,” said Dr. Elaine Perry of Newcastle University in England, who has done similar research but was not involved in the new study.

More research is needed on the effects of anticholinergic drugs on memory, Tsao said. Doctors should do baseline cognitive testing on patients before prescribing the drugs, he recommended.

A representative of Pfizer Inc., maker of the top-selling Detrol, said patients should always talk to their doctors about problems while taking medication.

“Detrol has been on the market since 1998. It has been prescribed more than 100 million times worldwide,” said Ponni Subbiah, Pfizer’s vice president of medical affairs, in an e-mail response to questions.

Confusion and memory impairment were added to prescribing information for Detrol in 2006, Subbiah said, after some patients reported the problems. Since the reports weren’t part of a medical study, “the frequency of events and the role of Detrol in their causation cannot be reliably determined,” he said.