Your Aging Parents BlogWelcome back. Find news and tips about the important talks you will need to have with aging parents. How to start? When to start? What to talk about? Who else do you need to talk to? All these questions and more will all be covered. Heat stroke symptoms and signs of heat exhaustion in the elderlyThese heat stroke symptoms and signs of heat exhaustion could spell trouble for aging parents. In the summer, heat stroke and heat exertion can prove deadly for the elderly. Advance Care Planning Legislation Supported by American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care
Advance Care Planning is a vital part of health care and end of life planning for every person. U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR,3) is attempting to make the process more accessible by introducing the Personalize Your Care Act of 2010 (H.R. 5795). The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is supporting this bill and is advising the Congressman on the content. This bill encourages doctors to make the time for their patients who want to about their plans for the future. It offers reimbursement to doctors under Medicare and Medicaid for assisting people who want to start to talk about their own plans for the future, and standardizes a method to implement advance directives when needed.
Other features of the bill will:
Get Involved Email your Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives to help them understand the importance of being able to talk to your doctor about advance care planning. Ask them to co-sponsor the bill. It's easy to use AAHPM's Legislative Action Center to email your Representative. Book for special needs families to plan for the futureSpecial needs families have even more reason to get a head start on planning for the future. This book on Planning for the Future is the best that I've seen. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Book for special needs families to plan for the future " Tips for Summer Travel with Aging Parents - Part 2After you arrive at your vacation destination with Aging Parents, make sure you take time for those special conversations that may not take place in another setting. Try this -- with everyone sitting around after a meal, start asking the questions that may lead to wonderful stories about your family legacy. I was at a family reunion in Kentucky last week, and heard wonderful impromptu recollections from my mother and her sisters about my great-grandparents and how they used to dry fruit from their peach, apple and pear trees up on the tin roof of the house. The older grandchildren were responsible to climb up the two story ladder to check and make sure that the fruit had dried adequately. I'd not heard those stories in my 53 years, and I might have missed them if I was not open to those moments of quiet relaxation with no other pressing agenda. Don't get so caught up this summer with all the sight-seeing "plans" that you forget the true family riches that could be shared. For more tips on how to capture the family legacy, click below and scroll down the page... Permalink -- click for full blog post "Tips for Summer Travel with Aging Parents - Part 2" Tips for Summer Travel with Aging Parents - Part 1It's vacation season and a lot of us are heading out with aging parents. Remember to think ahead in setting up travel plans to make the trip more enjoyable for everyone. Packing - Plan for the difference in the body's ability to regulate temperature as you age. You'll want a light jacket or sweater handy for when your father or grandfather is cold when everyone else is just right. Remember the "Extras" - Extra hearing aid batteries, extra flashlights, extra reading glasses, extra personal items. You'll be glad when you don't have to dash out looking for these things. Medications - In addition to all the pills, double check that you have a list of all the medications that your parent takes. You'll want to make sure that pills are in original bottles for easy identification through security checks at the airport. Have a list of all medications and a source of filling emergency prescriptions if meds are lost or forgotten. Carry on enough meds for 3 days if checking baggage -- you never know what may happen! Special Interests - Get your parent's input on some stops along the way. Their ideas of fun may have changed over the years. For additional travel tips for the airport click below: Permalink -- click for full blog post "Tips for Summer Travel with Aging Parents - Part 1" The End of My Life: A Documentary and Discussion about Death with DignityThe end of my life is not a topic of everyday discussion. Yet thesefilmakers show that death with dignity would be dramatically changed if we would talk about our end of life decisions now. Ask Dale: Durable Medical Power of Attorney for Healthcare if Parent RemarriesDurable Medical Power of Attorney -- Who has health care power of attorney if your aging parent remarries? Here's a simple answer... Neurogenesis, fueled by senior exercise, improves memory and aging.Neurogenesis reveals the lie that with an aging brain, memory is destined to fade. Good news for aging parents? Physical exercise can turn on the brain's ability to grow, heal and rewire itself. How? Brain Foods Impact Brain Aging: How to Improve Memory and AgingBrain foods are key. What you eat affects aging and the brain. Aging parents' brains can get added protection from Alzheimer's or other decline. Learn to improve brain fitness by what they eat. Brain plasticity or neuroplasticity secrets for memory and agingBrain plasticity is good news for aging and the brain. Your parent's brain fitness can improve by continued learning. Watch these experts share some clues. Brain aging reversed through deliberate brain fitness programs.Brain aging is a trick. Nature sets your parents up for decline, but they have a choice. Brain fitness will allow them to strengthen new brain cells through developing cognitive reserve. Here's how. Geriatric assessment for your aging parentsLearn how a Geriatric Assessment can help you and your aging parents decide the best senior housing options. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Geriatric assessment for your aging parents" Senior Driving Helpful HintsShare your stories about senior driving and how you helped aging parents give up the keys and maintain their dignity and freedom Permalink -- click for full blog post "Senior Driving Helpful Hints" Helping senior drivers, your aging parents, decide when to stop drivingHow to help senior drivers in your life choose when it's time to stop driving...and preserve the peace! Senior citizen home safety: talk with your parents about fake contractorsSenior citizen home safety can be compromised by "fake" contractors. Your aging parents are vulnerable to these door-to-door thieves. Research Florida senior services for your aging parentsFind Florida senior services to help your aging parents plan for future elderly help Permalink -- click for full blog post "Research Florida senior services for your aging parents" Quality seniors housing choices require advance planning with your aging parentToday, seniors housing choices are abundant - senior citizen apartments, senior care housing, aging-in-place? How to talk to aging parents. Activities of daily living index relates to senior independenceActivities of daily living index should be used in helping to make future housing decisions for your aging parents. Senior exercise gives unexpected benefits: get senior fitness routinesWhy senior exercise may be the key for your parents to regain aging fitness of body, brain, and spirit. Water Aerobics Exercises and Water Exercise Programs for Senior Citizens.Watch these water aerobics exercises that can provide many benefits to aging parents. Water and exercise improve flexibility and strength for arthritis and other damaged joints. Water aerobic exercise or any exercise in water is great for your aging parents.Learn water aerobic exercise and other water exercises to help improve balance, strength, endurance and brain fitness for your aging parents. The best water exercises for seniors.The best water exercises are good water exercises for seniors and can be used as water therapy exercises post -surgery. Water senior exercises help your aging parents with balance and strength. Permalink -- click for full blog post "The best water exercises for seniors." National Healthcare Decisions DayToday is National Healthcare Decisions Day and all Americans are encouraged to ensure that their future healthcare choices are known and protected. The process does not take long and it is free. This is something I have done for myself and hope you will, too. An advance directive is a legal document that tells healthcare providers who it is that you wish to make medical decisions for you and what treatments you would want or not want, if you are ever not able to tell us what you want for yourself. National Healthcare Decisions Day exists to remind all people, regardless of age or current health of the importance of making these decisions known. Please be sure to complete your advance directive today and also encourage your aging parents and all your loved ones to do the same. Permalink -- click for full blog post "National Healthcare Decisions Day" What if Your Aging Parent Cannot Speak for Themselves at the Hospital?HERE’S A QUIZ… When is the right time to name someone to speak for your aging parent in case of serious illness?
A: WHEN THEY’RE IN GOOD HEALTH The answer of course, is “A.” The problem? We are reluctant to talk about our medical wishes in case of serious illness or end of life. Too often, the result is confusion and family conflict at a time when your family is most vulnerable -- when your loved one cannot speak for themselves. APRIL 16TH IS NATIONAL HEALTHCARE DECISIONS DAY … the day to name someone to speak for our parents if they cannot speak for themselves. Talk to them about the importance of planning for the unexpected. Help them select someone who they trust to make medical decisions if they are unable to speak for themselves - even temporarily. Get more information on Advance Care Planning and the documents you need to name a Power of Attorney for Healthcare for your peace of mind and your family's. Think about what is important and help your parents talk about their life and what they value if they become ill. Share that with other family members and with the family doctor. AND -- don't forget to complete Advance Directives for yourself! Avoid common snow shoveling hazards for senior citizensTips for snow shoveling safely and avoiding snow shoveling hazards for your aging parents Permalink -- click for full blog post "Avoid common snow shoveling hazards for senior citizens" Books about nursing homesBooks about nursing homes often emphasize the negative aspects. This book will help you understand ways that nursing homes can be beneficial for your aging parent and your family. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Books about nursing homes" Celebrate National Grandparents Day with all senior citizensUse National Grandparents Day to honor your aging parents by creating Grandparents Day memories Permalink -- click for full blog post "Celebrate National Grandparents Day with all senior citizens" Talk about flu protection with aging parents during peak flu seasonDiscuss essential flu protection with your aging parents during peak flu seasons. What to do during an outbreak. Meet Dale Susan Edmonds, Family Communication Coach with Aging ParentsAbout Dale - Meet Rev. Dale Susan Edmonds, Family Communication Coach. Dialogue with the Dale'sDale Susan Edmonds will be interviewed by Dale Carter on BlogTalkRadio, Tuesday, Aug 11 2009 at 11:00 AM Eastern. 10:00 Central. How to "Talk Early, Talk Often with Your Aging Parents" Listen to the live feed here and ask your questions directly. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Dialogue with the Dale's"
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