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In recognition of caregiver's month, the National Family Caregiver
Association (NFCA) is initiating the National Family Caregiver Story
Project. Family caregivers will be given the opportunity to tell
their caregiving stories. Sharing stories can bring about awareness
of the caregiver's experience, needs, and feelings.
To learn more about this project, or to submit your story, visit
NFCA at www.nfcacares.org
The National Center on Caregiving at the Family Caregiver Alliance
examines critical caregiving issues and trends. "Paid Family and
Medical Leave: Why We Need It, How We Can Get It" talks about how
the Paid Family Caregivers and Medical Leave influences working
caregivers and their employers. This publication reviews the status
of paid family leave legislation throughout the U.S.
To view and print the full publication visit: www.caregiver.org./caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1012
The National Organization for Empowering Caregivers (NOFEC) has
developed and launched an online searchable database of caregiving
articles. NOFEC is a charitable non-profit organization deeply committed
to helping family caregivers from all walks of life.
Visit, www.care-givers.com,
to search for a caregiving article by category.
NYU's Silberstein Institute for Aging and Dementia is recruiting
caregivers for a new project designed for adult children taking
care of parents in the second stage of Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
at home. The goal is to decrease negative effects of caregiving
(stress, anxiety, and depression) while increasing the positive
aspects (improving the quality of the caregiver/parent interaction),
as well as to develop a more favorable balance among life's competing
responsibilities. There will be three sessions over a three-month
period that can be scheduled during lunch and/or evening hours.
A light meal will be served. There is no cost for participation.
To find out more information about the study, or to see if you are
eligible, please contact Cynthia Epstein, ACSW, at (212) 263-1056,
or Alicia Pierzchala, CSW, at (212) 263-7619.
A recent survey by AARP reports that almost one-half of baby boomers
provide care both for children and elderly parents. Nearly one-quarter
of these baby boomers are caring for elders. This article helps
caregivers understand the major concerns of providing caregiving
and how to manage their own needs and those of their parents and
children.
To read the full report visit, www.msnbc.com/news/981804.asp
The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and New York City-based
Friends and Relatives of Institutionalized Aged (FRIA) have jointly
created a booklet to help family caregivers advocate for palliative
care on behalf of relatives in long-term-care settings. A review
of scientific literature on the topic conducted by NAC and FRIA
revealed that families caring for a loved one suffering from a chronic,
progressive condition may lack the information they need to advocate
effectively for optimal care. In addition, professional caregivers
themselves may lack the necessary information about palliative,
supportive, and comfort care.
To request a copy of this free booklet, send an e-mail to info@caregiving.org.
The booklet also is available as a free download on NAC’s Website
at www.caregiving.org/care.pdf,
and FRIA’s Web site at www.fria.org
Support groups can help family members and friends of those who
face serious medical illness. These free support groups address
the many concerns related to living with a loved one's illness.
The group usually numbers between 6 and 10 people who come together
to share similar experiences, provide emotional support and learn
helpful skills, such as communication, relaxation, education, and
stress management. The group will be conducted via telephone at
no cost to callers. The next group will be conducted in Spanish
and begins December 3, 2003, every Wednesday from 6:00 PM - 7:00
PM. To register please call (212) 844-1713.
Karpas Health Information Center has been a major provider of community
health education for the past 20 years. Established in 1981 due
to an outcry by community members for accurate, up-to-date health
information, the Center continues to provide cutting edge consumer
health information and education services. Due to the pioneering
spirit of generosity, leadership, and innovation of Suzanne T. Karpas,
the KHIC has flourished. The KHIC works in partnership with schools,
businesses, and community organizations throughout Manhattan and
Brooklyn. KHIC is located on 311 First Avenue at East 18th Street,
New York, NY 10003. Hours of operations are Monday - Friday, 9:30
AM - 4:30 PM.
For more information call (212) 420-4247 or visit www.wehealny.org
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP). Intravenous doses of a synthetic component
of "good" cholesterol reduced artery disease in just six weeks in
a small study with implications for treating the nation's number
one killer. "The concept is sort of liquid Drano for the coronary
arteries," said Dr. Steven Nissen, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist
who led the study.
Visit cnn.com to read the full article,
www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/11/04/
cholesterol.breakthrough.ap/index.html
According to a report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, breast
cancer is undertreated in many elderly women, resulting in significant
decreases in breast cancer survival. This report suggests that more
attention needs to be given to the early diagnosis of breast cancer
in elderly women. According to the October 2003 Journal of Clinical
Oncology, treatment needs to be adapted to the patient's general
health status and other conditions, but should offer the best chance
of cure, regardless of age.
For a review of this report, visit
www.jco.org/cgi/search?tocsectionid=Breast+Cancer
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved memantine
(NAMENDA), for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s
Disease (AD). This is the first drug approved for the treatment
of patients with advanced AD. The FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan,
M.D., Ph.D., said, "The approval of memantine is good news
for Alzheimer’s Disease patients.” The side effects
are low, and memantine is the first drug shown to have an effect
on the symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s Disease.
Visit the consumer affairs website to read the full details
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news03/alzheimer_drug.html
Most people find it difficult to talk about death and dying. Everyone
should have the right to decide what kind and how much medical care
he or she wants or does not want. There are those who leave these
decisions to family members or close friends. The American Association
of Retired Persons (AARP) has an excellent section on caregiving.
Visit AARP at www.aarp.org/indexes/life.html
Below are the top five advantages of planning for medical care:
- Helps to express future wishes about medical treatment
- Ensures that patients will not be given medical
treatments they do not want
- Takes pressure off family members if decisions must
be made
about medical care, and the patient is unable
to communicate
- Allows patients to choose persons they feel will
best represent their wishes
- Empowers patients to change living wills or health-care
agents at any time
New York Presbyterian Hospital's Health Outreach, 420 East 76 Street,
between First and York Avenues, New York City, presents the Advanced
Care Planning Workshop, Thursday, November 20, 2003, from 2 PM - 3PM.
For more information, please call (212) 746-4351.
My mother
is in the hospital and may have to go into a nursing home for rehabilitation.
She will return home in a few weeks. She never had home care services.
How can we arrange home services for my mom?
Speak with the social worker/discharge
planner at the hospital. He or she has a variety of home care options.
If your mom needs long-term-care services at home, you should ask
the facility social worker about getting a long-term-care assessment.
This assessment, usually made by a nurse, determines whether your
mother is eligible for home care services that can be paid by Medicare,
Medicaid, or other insurance.
I've been told my
elderly father should get a flu vaccine, especially since he has
chronic lung disease, but I'm scared that the vaccine will make
him sick. What should I do?
Many people are nervous that
the flu vaccine will make them sick. While a small number of people
suffer some side effects the day after their vaccination, choosing
not to be vaccinated poses an even greater health risk, particularly
for elderly people with chronic illnesses. Each year about 114,000
people in the U.S. are hospitalized and about 36,000 people die
because of the flu. That is why it is important for everyone, including
family members and health care providers, to get vaccinated, preferably
in October or November.
For more information on the flu vaccine, visit the CDC flu homepage at
www.cdc.gov/nip/Flu/default.htm
My grandfather
has pain all the time, are there different ways to treat pain in
older adults?
Yes. The elderly are more likely
to experience pain than the general population and are often undertreated
for pain due to myths about their pain sensitivity, pain tolerance,
and their ability to benefit from opioid drugs. If your grandfather
is experiencing pain, you should consider the following factors:
- There may be more than one source of pain.
- He may have several medical problems and be
taking a number of medications at once, and this
may increase the risk of taking analgesic drugs.
- He runs a higher-than-average risk of side effects from
all drugs, including analgesics like nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs [such as ibuprofen]. It
is important to report the over-the-counter pain
medication you take to you health care provider.
- Having chronic medical problems and an increased risk
of side effects does not mean that his pain cannot, or
should not, be aggressively treated. He may be a
candidate for any of the many pain-relieving
relieving therapies that exist.
Have a question? Have caregiver news? Please contact
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