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Geriatric Healthcare

Donna Nichols • January 4, 2024

What is Geriatric healthcare and how do you know if you need one?


Navigating the healthcare system has become difficult for everyone – it is especially difficult for our seniors and their families. As people age, they tend to have more and more healthcare issues. As a result, most elderly people see numerous doctors, have a calendar full of medical appointments and take numerous prescriptions. It is another difficult task of a caregiver, but whether it is you or if you hire someone, it is critical that your beloved elder has a healthcare advocate. You should keep an ongoing record of their medical history, symptoms, treatments, and instructions.


Just as some families hire legal or financial advisors, they can now hire (geriatric) healthcare advisors.


David Bellotti, Geriatric Care Manager and Professional Guardian of American Geriatric Care Group, provides the following description of what services they provide:


A Geriatric Care Manager is a health and human services specialist who acts as a guide and advocate for families who are caring for older relatives or disabled adults. The Geriatric Care Manager is educated and experienced in any of several fields related to Geriatric Care Management including, but not limited to nursing, gerontology, social work, or psychology, with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care.


The Geriatric Care Manager assists clients in attaining their maximum functional potential. The individual’s independence is encouraged, while safety and security concerns are also addressed. Geriatric Care Managers are able to address a broad range of issues related to the well-being of their clients. They also have extensive knowledge about the costs, quality, and availability of resources in their communities.


Geriatric Care Managers become the "coach" and families or clients the "team captain." The best Geriatric Care Management Professionals are members of the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA) and differ from Patient Advocates, Senior Advisors, Senior Navigators, and Elder Advocates. ALCA members must meet stringent education, experience, and certification requirements of the organization, and all members are required to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.


How do you know that you need a Geriatric Care Manager? If you fall into any of the categories below, it may be time to find a Geriatric Care Manager.


When caregiving for an aging family member becomes overwhelming, it may be time to contact a Geriatric Care Manager.


You may need a Geriatric Care Manager if:


The person you are caring for has limited or no family support.


Your family has just become involved with helping the individual and needs direction about available services.


The person you are caring for has multiple medical or psychological issues.


The person you are caring for is unable to live safely in his/her current environment.


Your family has limited time and/or expertise in dealing with your loved ones’ chronic care needs.


Your family is at odds regarding care decisions.


The person you are caring for is not pleased with current care providers and requires advocacy.


The person you are caring for is confused about his/her own financial and/or legal situation.     

 

Your family needs education and/or direction in dealing with behaviors associated with dementia.


Geriatric Care Management services are offered in a variety of settings—are personalized compassionate and can serve the needs of their clients by providing:


Accessibility – care is typically available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


Continuity of care – communications are coordinated between family members, doctors and other professionals, and service providers.


Cost containment – inappropriate placements, duplication of services, and unnecessary hospitalizations are avoided.


Quality control – Geriatric Care Management services follow ALCA’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.


If you think you need a Geriatric Health Care Manager, please give us a call at 386-847-2322, we are here to help you navigate the stages of aging.


Make Valentine’s Day Special for Seniors

By Donna Nichols • February 5, 2025
Valentine’s Day tends to zero in on romantic love, but what about our seniors? They too often get forgotten. We have some ways to make Valentine’s Day special for them too. Spend the day with your loved one. Spending quality time with a loved one is more important to a senior than anything else. There is no greater gift than time and please make sure you have enough, so you are not rushed. Do your elderly loved one have a favorite meal? Perhaps you can prepare it for them, or if they are able, you can prepare it together. How fun would that be for you both? Be sure to discuss the enjoyment it brought you while you are sharing the meal together. How about a game of name that love song? You could prepare a playlist of love songs from the generation and play them to see how many they get correct. Or, if you can sing, you can sing some for them and see if they can recollect them. Take some time for reminiscing, go through old photo albums, or ask about old times. Ask them about when you were young and what trouble you caused; this will give you all something to laugh (or cry) about. Has your loved one been cooped up all winter? Take them out for a nice lunch, or weather permitting, a picnic in the park. Go for coffee and a donut, then head out to see a movie. Make a “date” of it. Maybe your senior is into crafts. You can design special Valentine’s Day cards for other family members. This way your senior can express their love for them and send it to them in their own unique way. You can create other greeting cards as well. Bake some special treats together. Does your senior have some favorite cookies or cake? You could bake it together, or you can bake it for them. Then you can enjoy it after you have the meal you prepared together. Yummy, delicious!! You can watch some romantic movies together if they prefer to stay in the house or the weather isn’t so good. If they like to color, you can buy them some of those large coloring books and you can color together. Don’t forget the decorations and the flowers! Make the house or apartment as festive as possible. Even if they live in as assisted living community, you can still decorate their room to the nines! Make it as festive as possible! If you live in another state or can’t be close to your senior for Valentine’s Day, how about sending them a specially crafted care package. You can hand make some gifts, add some photos of family and friends, and send a personally recorded message. You can bake some homemade treats and incorporate some things that are of personal interest to them. This will show how much you care for them and make their Valentine’s Day extra special even if you can’t be with them.  There are so many ways to make Valentine’s Day special for seniors. Let’s not forget about them; make sure to show them they are so loved too!

February is National Heart Month

By Donna Nichols • February 4, 2025
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Hydration Tips for the Winter

By Donna Nichols • January 8, 2025
I’ve written many blogs about the importance of staying hydrated in the summer, but did you know it’s just as important to stay hydrated in the winter months? I’ve shared some important tips on how to stay hydrated in the winter and why. Cold, dry air can dehydrate you easily and quickly. Even if you don’t feel thirsty. Proper hydration can help regulate your body temperature, maintain healthy organ function, and prevent fatigue, dry skin, and headaches. In the colder months, you do not feel thirsty, that’s why it’s so important to make sure you drink plenty of water. Why is winter hydration so important? Colder air tends to be drier causing moisture to evaporate through your breathing which can cause dehydration. In colder weather, you may not feel as thirsty, causing you to become dehydrated quickly. Also, wearing more clothing traps sweat inside your clothing causing more fluid loss. What are some of the benefits of staying hydrated in the winter? • Drinking enough water helps keep your skin hydrated and prevents dryness. This will help with that dry, itchy skin feeling we all get in the winter. • Water helps your body maintain a regular core temperature. Which is so important to maintain in the winter. • Drinking plenty of water supports your immune system, which helps fight off winter colds and the flu. We all want to fight those germs off! • When you are dehydrated, you become tired easily, so drinking plenty of water helps keep your energy levels up. How do you stay hydrated in the winter? • Make sure you drink plenty of water. Set reminders if you must; you probably won’t feel as thirsty in the winter, but you need to keep drinking that water! • You don’t have to drink cold water; room temperature water works. You can also drink tea or water with lemon, as long as you’re getting your water. • If you’re going out, carry a water bottle with you to ensure you have water to drink. • Eat fruits and vegetables that contain water. Tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, watermelon, cauliflower, mushrooms, cucumber, apples, and pineapple are just a few that contain high water contents. • If you think you’re dehydrated, check your urine; if it’s a darker color, that can suggest dehydration. Urine should be a pale, yellow color. As you can see, staying hydrated in the winter is just as important as staying hydrated in the summer, if not more. In the winter you don’t realize you are thirsty therefore you tend not to drink as much water as you should. This has the potential of wreaking havoc on your body. Please make sure you drink plenty of water in the wintertime as you do in the summertime. We have rebranded our company, we are now Assisted Senior Services! Call us for ANYTHING SENIOR!! 386-847-2322!
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