“Aging in place” is the mantra of elder care

“Aging in place” is the mantra of elder care, ideally at home or in one facility that will serve your needs forever. It rarely happens. Things change. In the trade, moves are known to cause “relocation trauma,” physically and emotionally, for the frail elderly person, already sick and scared, and for the adult children, who must orchestrate everything. -From The New York Times blog, “The New Old Age”

As part of the community “TimesPeople” I regularly comment on the The New Old Age Blog. Here is what I have to say about their recent article, The Last Place She Expected to Be

These are very significant life-style changes, as they signal a loss of independence. It represents a time when our loved ones lose control over their environment and their health. Restrictive environments like assisted living and nursing homes are increasingly pushing adult children and seniors' specialists to redefine how we look at aging. It can be argued they serve a purpose, but the sentiment of a strong majority of seniors and their adult children (over 85%) is these restrictive envirionments are a destination of last resort on the "way out."

Ten thousand Boomers a day are turning 65. Boomers must not only contend with lifestyle and wellness issues of their own but additionally must focus on the well-being of their aging parents, whose age group at 86 is the fastest growing segment of the senior population. Add to the mix angst over money and you could end up with a recipe for disaster. Showing empathy toward your fellow Boomer by way of your comments carries cathartic and therapeutic benefits. But that's not enough. Life should be about fulfillment, and that happens when you're better prepared. So stay engaged and healthy for a lifetime of independence.

Andy Berger

Andy Berger is the president of Senior Wellness Specialists, a lifestyle and healthcare services company offering Universal Design and Senior Concierge services for all stages of life. 

More Time Spent Talking with Your Doctor Keeps You Healthy and Out of the Hospital

Does your physician give you more than the customary 8-10 minutes to figure out what’s wrong with you?  And in that time-frame can the doctor make an accurate diagnosis and prognosis? Most successful practices have around 7,000 patients and for reasons of efficiency can’t devote any more time than that to a patient. And sometimes this adherence to “time is money” mentality can lead to trouble.

A daughter brings in her 93 year-old frail Mom to see her primary care physician for a persistent cough and congestion in her chest. Doctor listens to her chest, takes her temperature, blood pressure, orders an X-ray and draws some blood. Lab results won’t be back for a few days. Meantime, the X-ray shows the lungs are clear, no presence of pneumonia.  Doctor figures it’s just a bad cold, at worst a slight infection, prescribes a Z-Pac for Mom and instructs both mother and daughter to return for a follow-up in a week or so.

Two days pass and Mom’s condition worsens, she becomes comatose and is ambulanced to the local hospital. Turns out had the doctor spent more time reviewing her medical history and talking with daughter and Mom, he would have discovered Mom had been treated by another physician five years back for an infectious disease called Mercer. He would have also learned that the symptoms Mom displayed at her recent office visit were strikingly similar to those associated with Mercer. If not properly diagnosed, Mercer can be deadly.

That delay, that improper diagnosis lands Mom in the hospital for 10 days. There she receives treatment and is subsequently transported to a rehabilitation center, where she appears confused and is hostile towards employees. The on-staff doctor there sedates the mother. After about 18 hours the daughter gets a call to come and pick up the mother, as the rehab center doesn’t work with aggressive patients. Again, had someone taken the time to check on Mom’s history they would have found she suffers from a form of dementia, which would explain the mood swings.

Nowhere to turn, Mom is once again hospitalized.  And so begins anew the vicious cycle of frustration and anger over a medical system that doesn’t appear to be working optimally.  But there are solutions.

Universal Wellness Insurance, a form of long-term healthcare insurance, provides a boutique-style, concierge oriented approach to wellness. It is an outgrowth of Universal Design that puts more control over your environment and your health, all without time constraints.  So talk to the doc as much as you want. All of our wellness services and programs are personalized and address your ever-changing and discerning lifestyle and wellness needs, which defines who we are and provides a strong foundation for building trusting relationships.

Andy Berger

Andy Berger is the president of Senior Wellness Specialists, a lifestyle and healthcare services company offering Universal Design and Senior Concierge services for all stages of life. 

Senior Citizen Alert: Product Recalls

This week we have recalls on SUVs, cucumbers, disinfecting wipes, snow blowers, lawnmowers and smoked salmon.

Toyota Recalls 308,000 RAV4 and Highlanders for Faulty Air-Bag Sensors
The recall covers about 214,000 RAV4s from the 2007-8 model years and 94,000 Highlander and Highlander hybrids from 2008, the automaker.

Nature's Delight Cucumbers
A North Carolina vegetable and fruit distributor has recalled cucumbers distributed to nine states, including Illinois and Indiana, after some of the vegetables distributed to Florida were found contaminated with salmonella, according to the company.

The bulk cartons are marked Nature's Delight and have lot number PL-RID-002990.

Anyone with questions about the recall can call L&M at 919-981-8003, although the hotline is only staffed Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time. Messages left over the weekend will be returned, according to the company.

Disenfecting Wipes
Since December, Triad Group and its sister company, H&P Industries Inc., recalled a score of alcohol prep pads that it made for companies including Walgreens and CVS. The products were recalled because of potential contamination from bacillus cereus, a bacterium that could cause a potentially serious infection. Consumers who have to take medical injections -- like diabetics -- use prep pads to clean and disinfect their skin before the injections.

Iodine prep pads are also beinf recalled. These wipes are in many first aid kits
http://www.walletpop.com/2011/04/25/medical-disinfecting-wipes-fda-adds-to-the-recall/

Toro Recalls Nearly 30,000 Snowblowers, Lawnmowers (TTC)
Toro power clear snowblowers and the Toro 20" recycler mowers manufactured by The Toro Company, of Bloomington, Minn., and sold at Toro Dealers in the United States and Canada from September 2009 through March 2011.

The Fresh Market Signature Collection: Atlantic Smoked Salmon
Woodsmoke Provisions Voluntarily Recalls 160 packages of 4 oz. The Fresh Market Signature Collection Atlantic Smoked Salmon Due to Possible Health Risk

he 160 packages of product subject to recall were distributed and sold only in a limited number of The Fresh Market, Inc. stores located in AR, FL, GA, IL, KY, MD, NC, OH and TN.

The product being recalled was packaged in 4 oz. plastic packages with the specific lot code 1459/2 which was manufactured January 15, 2010. The item UPC code is 737094000370.

Consumers who have purchased this product from one of the above-mentioned stores with lot code 1459/2 should not consume it, and are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 404-355-5125, Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm (EST).

Subscribe to the Senior Wellness Specialists Blog to get up-to-date information on product recalls and other information of value, especially to people 55 and older.

Aging in Place

A recent article in The Observer News talks about Aging In Place and how the baby boomers don't even see retirement in the same way as their parents did. Here are my comments on this article.

Clearly money is the driving force behind decisions (both good and bad) being made by both Boomers and their parents, when it comes to aging, their health and wellness. This should be a wake up call for all of us. Making healthy lifestyle decisions and planning for aging has never been more difficult. One generation grew up in or after the Great Depression, and became comfortable saving and making due. One of the negatives to come out of this very disciplined upbringing is its potential for sacrificing the quality of their lives. We see it often with parents of Boomers who place a premium on leaving an inheritance over making their own lives safer. We advise that better planning could save them much heartache and frustration and yes even thousands of dollars.

Boomers on the other hand--until our recent experience with a mini Great Depression-- gained significant wealth and grew very comfortable spending on things that made and still make them feel young and vital. Don't even think about mentioning wheelchairs, canes, scooters, walkers or hospital stays in their company. Boomers don't plan to retire any time soon and don't want to think about the problems associated with aging; many will work from home well past traditionally acceptable retirement age, often giving little or no thought to the hazards present in their home. For Boomers, it's more about satisfying an insatiable appetite for fun and working on their terms. Sidestepping the realities of aging seems to be the answer du jour. It's usually not until an emergency or dire situation arises that they are compelled to take action, and quite often in a panicked state of mind. It doesn't have to play out like that, however. Intelligent solutions to aging are available. For both generations, a healthy lifestyle can mean having FUN and saving money. That's a winning formula.

I Am My Parents’ Keeper

Parents and their adult children are increasingly switching roles. Who’s the child and who’s the grownup? Health and safety are a top priority. But often the parent is in denial that any problems exist, even though their families are aware they exist and bring it to their parents’ attention. As you might imagine, there are consequences to inaction.

Convincing mom and dad you know what’s best for them is no easy task and that waiting until after a terrible illness strikes (a stroke, a heart attack, or Alzheimer’s, etc) to take action is not the way to ensure a long and healthy life. It seems money issues are often at the center of critical decisions that have to be made.

This generation has come to depend on Medicare and other entitlement programs to pay for most of their health needs. Getting them to reach into their pockets to pay for any additional expenses not covered can be frustrating. This reliance on government to take care of all of us will be short lived, as budget cuts force us to consider alternative healthcare programs.

Parents are often less concerned about their own well-being and more interested in not being a bother to their kids and in leaving their family an inheritance. Nevertheless, it somehow falls to Boomer to make sure mom and dad live the second half of their lives with dignity and as independently as possible. So whatever you do to help, try to keep the lid on discussing assisted living and nursing homes. Over 85 percent of seniors prefer staying in their homes. But sometimes seniors who live on their own suddenly find it more difficult to get around the home. Their once easy-to-get-around surroundings and familiar routines can all of a sudden become problematic. Solutions are available.

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Ask your wellness questions on aging. Our panel of experts will answer all questions, from the government's role in taking care of seniors to family and sources to help make the transition. Please send your question to info@seniorwellnessspecialists.com

Product Recalls of interest to Senior Citizens

Every Thursday we bring you the latest recalls posted. Subscribe to our blog to get these weekly notifications and other useful information.

Jonathans Sprouts Recalls Alfalfa Sprouts because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Consumers who have purchased Jonathans Sprouts products containing alfalfa sprouts with sell-by date 4/23 are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 508-763-2577. Get more info here.

Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Voluntarily Recalls Two Lots of TOPAMAX®
Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced it is voluntarily recalling two lots of TOPAMAX® (topiramate) 100mg Tablets. These two lots were shipped between 10/19/2010 and 12/28/2010 and distributed in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. While the recall encompasses approximately 57,000 bottles of TOPAMAX®, the company believes there are fewer than 6,000 bottles remaining in the marketplace. The recall stems from four consumer reports of an uncharacteristic odor thought to be caused by trace amounts of TBA (2,4,6 tribromoanisole).
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm251515.htm

ADP Recalls to Repair Unit Heaters Due to Fire Hazard
Sold at: ADP dealers and distributors nationwide from September 2003 through April 2011 for between $2,700 and $4,200.  Consumers should stop using these recalled heaters immediately. Consumers should contact ADP to schedule an inspection and, if necessary, repair of the heater. For additional information, contact ADP toll-free at (866) 303-8634 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.adpnow.com.

Ground turmeric sold under Target's Archer Farms brand name has been recalled nationwide because of elevated levels of lead. The lot numbers and best-by dates involved in the recall are 1740901A, 6/23/11; 2180902A, 8/6/11; 2780906A, 10/5/11; 2920903A, 10/19/11; 3060903A, 11/2/11; and 0071003A, 1/7/12.

Consumers in possession of this voluntarily recalled product may return it to the store at which you purchased it. Consumers or media with questions should contact B&M, Inc. at 1-877-321-5852 (Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm CST) or contact Target Guest Relations toll-free at (800) 316-6151. 

Long-Term Care Plan for Aging Americans

A recent article in the US News titled, 5 Reasons You Need A Long-Term Care Plan, talks about aging older Americans' need for long-term care assistance. Here are my thoughts on this matter.

Past marketing efforts by insurers to get people to think about, let alone purchase, long-term insurance have failed miserably; hence, the low number of those who have coverage today. Probably lacking the research to intelligently market to a rapidly growing segment of the population (Boomers who would have been in their 30s, 40s even 50s), they instead focused too much energy on seniors nearing retirement where the payoff for agents was more immediate. But soon insurers found their payouts too often resulting in low profit margins. There are probably fewer than five long-term care companies left. Odds are more will leave the game for reasons of low returns.

Better medicine, more healthful foods and more exercise just make it all that much more urgent to come up with innovative programs and services that will help ease the pain for the next 20 years or so. As a company that deals with issues of wellness and health affecting Boomers and their parents, we at Senior Wellness Specialists have tried to reach out to a rapidly dwindling number of long-term care insurers such as Genworth to get them to consider suggestions that could save the country and individuals millions of dollars and at the same time let them profit reasonably. One such provision would have a much greater percentage of citizens carrying a policy that would allow them to maintain a healthy and engaged lifestyle in the comfort of their home. Universal Design changes are one such option.