Dialysis Decisions & Continued Care for Elders
April 3, 2011 by admin
Filed under Nursing Homes
I just read this article from the New york Times blog about elderly patients who are experiencing kidney failure. For the past several decades, these patients would be led directly to dialysis treatment, which has been completely covered by the federal government.
But today, as kidney failure seems to have skyrocketed since those days, the medical industry now has to make choices as to who will get treatment and who will not. The first problem is that we are broke as a nation. The second problem is that the medical community cannot properly handle all the people who need treatment.
The article goes on to talk about how oftentimes, doctors are hesitant to recommend dialysis for patients who are experiencing a ton of health problems already. If you have a person whose kidneys are failing, and who is also in the late stages of cancer or heart disease, or perhaps Alzheimer’s, etc, then dialysis might be of no use whatsoever. Some doctors say that this treatment could end up causing a world of pain and problems for those seniors. And because there is a shortage of available treatment anyway….
Okay, you can see where this is going. It’s a real problem, but there is something about it that makes me uneasy. Are we talking about health care rationing at this point? Are we going to dictate who is allowed to get what kind of treatment?
Honestly, I don’t know the answers here, but the issue is troubling. The article talks about how almost no senior wants to forgo dialysis. Why? Because they know it can keep them alive. Their quality of life might not be helped at all. But they will at least be alive. And they want that option. But the doctors would counter and say that kidney treatment won’t help them if they are just going to die of something else that they are suffering from.
My question is this: will cardiologists suggest that they should not treat heart patients who are already suffering greatly of kidney issues? Or will they turn down surgery candidates because they think the patient might die anyway as a result of the patient’s cancer? And then will the oncologist refuse to offer chemotherapy to a cancer patient because that patient has heart trouble? Or because the patient is on dialysis?
Do you see the problem? Where does it start, and where does it end? I assume that we are only having the discussion about dialysis because we are talking about the direct appropriation of federal tax dollars?
Look, I am not getting political here. This is obviously a complicated issue, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. I am not a doctor or a politician. I’m a pastor. I happen to think that senior citizens are people who are every bit as valuable as any member of society, no matter what abilities, or disabilities they have. I believe they are made in the image of God, and they ought to be respected. That’s what we do at iCare for Elders. So this whole discussion is really disconcerting. I don’t want to give anyone an excuse to let sick seniors die.
I can only hope and pray that the ones who have to make these awful decisions make them carefully. And that they will put the needs and the desires of patients at the highest priority at all times.
Budget Battles & The Future of Elder Care
February 24, 2011 by admin
Filed under Home Care, Nursing Homes
Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past two weeks, you should know that there is a major debate raging in Madison, WI, and around the United States. And no matter what side of the labor protests you side with, there is no doubt that the underlying issues will affect the future of senior care.
The protests that are raging in Madison are being done by public sector unions who oppose the new governor’s plan to balance the state budget. Both sides know the budget crisis is big and something must be done. He wants to cut back on the meaty benefits package that many state employees are getting, which are in many cases far higher than private employees. And he wants to make sure this does not happen again by limiting their ability to collectively bargain. That really set off many of his constituents, especially the public school teachers, and the protests began. Thousands came to the Madison capitol steps, and sparked a nation wide debate on how best to get our finances under control
The purpose of this article is not to splice the labor issues, but to consider the larger issue of what a budget crunch is going to mean for senior care across the country. Here is the reality: we are broke. As a nation, and as individual states. Legislators, governors and presidents have been authorizing new spending bills left and right, but there is not enough money coming in to cover them.
Here’s one article from the Orlando Chronicle that explains the dilemma. As you can see, this is not a Republican / Democrat issue, but a mathematical one. Nobody knows how to predict where the cuts will come exactly, or how deep, but they are going to come. And baby-boomers who are going to be seniors soon would be wise to consider how to best find affordable health care when they need to retire.
Here is why: it costs a state around $6,000 per month in Medicare funds to care for a patient in a nursing home. Naturally, this figure adds up very quickly. As states are looking for places to cut spending, they will not overlook this. And I expect they will turn to cheaper options, like Home Health Care.
Senior Home Care: Is it the Future?
Home Health Care agencies are popping up all over the country, both because many seniors would prefer to stay home then move into a senior care facility, and because home care is generally cheaper than assisted living, which patients usually pay for themselves. This trend is likely to continue as states buckle down on their budgets. If they can affordably take care of Assisted Living patients who need help with activities for daily living, could they also conceivably care for nursing home patients in their own home and save lots of money doing it?
They will certainly look into it, and if you are in this position, you really should consider it, too. Whether you are fitting the bill yourself, or Uncle Sam is helping out, home health care companies are figuring out ways to be more efficient than other forms of care for elders.
Do you need to find care for your senior loved one in your area? Check out the Care.com banner at the top of the sidebar. Enter your zip code to find senior care providers in your area.
Robotic Help for Assisted Living
December 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Assisted Living, Long-Term Care, Nursing Homes
I always enjoyed watching Star Trek back in the day, and there was one part of the show that was always particularly fascinating: Data. The Android-robot. Would it ever be possible to develop such an intelligent artificial intelligence? The show ratcheted it up a notch on the Voyager series, where the ship’s doctor was a holographic computer projection with a brain the size of the ship’s computer. Thus, a robot was in charge of caring for the medical needs of human patients.
Could this ever happen in the world of assisted living and elderly care? Well, consider the efforts of some scientists in Japan. They are developing the RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance) to be a special kind of helper in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. RIBA’s job description is pretty narrow so far: it helps seniors transfer from a bed to a chair, and vice versa. But the developers have high hopes that some day, this bear-robot-caregiver will be able to do much more.
Since “transferring” is one of the most common types of Activities for Daily Living that are dealt with in Assisted Living facilities, RIBA could become a real help in senior homes in the future. Lifting patients can be a full-time gig in larger facilities, and it can be exhausting, especially for smaller caregivers. If there was a way to utilize technology in caring for seniors, would it be worth it?
There are other ambitious scientists that are also researching into using robotics in elder care services, as outlined and discussed at this Elderly Care blog. Do you agree with their conclusions?
Oregon Elder Care Services
December 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Assisted Living, Eugene Area, Long-Term Care, Memory Care, Nursing Homes, Portland, Salem
Seniors and their families can face a difficult, up hill battle in getting the exact right kind of care they need in the exact, right location. Fortunately for Oregon residents, there is an abundance of both.
Oregon Elder Care Services are broad. Portland, in particular, offers just about any type of elder care housing that you could possibly ask for. Whether you need nursing home care, assisted living, retirement care, continuing care, alzheimer’s care… the list goes on and on… they have it.
Here are some listings for Portland
- Portland Nursing Homes
- Portland Elder Care (General)
- Portland Memory Care
The same is true for the smaller cities of Eugene and Salem. Each of these cities have around one hundred fifty thousand residents, and yet both have a good selection of senior housing. This includes a new form of senior care: residential home care. This is a type of assisted living that lets seniors live in a family setting. It also includes continuing care, which is a “continuum of care” that begins with retirement living, and lets the patient get more care as the need arises. Residents can move into an assisted living facility or a nursing home facility without signing a contract with a new company. It is an all encompassing type of elder care.
Here are some directory listings for Eugene
And Finally, somem links for Salem
To find assisted living where you are, use the box at the top right corner of this page. For more advice on elderly care, visit that link.
When You Can’t Be There This Christmas
December 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Advice, Assisted Living, Nursing Homes
We can all imagine just how difficult it would be to be left alone in an Assisted Living facility over Christmas time. So what do you do as a family member who lives hundreds of miles away? How can you help grandma to avoid becoming one of the millions of Americans who get depressed over the holidays?
This is not an easy answer. There is no simple fix. People want to be together on the holidays, and there is simply no substitute for a human touch. However, there are a couple of things you can do to help your aging loved one know that she is loved and remembered.
First, call her, and then call her again! Seriously. Give her a phone call the night before Christmas. Let the children tell her how much they love her. Take time to tell her you wish she could be with you. And then call her again the next morning to say how much the kids enjoyed opening their presents. Her present to them:)
Secondly, get her visuals as soon as possible. If she has video chat capabilities (we have talked a lot about that on this site!), then get her on Skype or Face Time and let her be a part of the festivities. Let her see your faces. If not, send her pictures right away. Chances are, she at least has email, right? Send her some photos of the kids, the food, the tree. Make her a part of the celebration even though she is away.
Finally, make her gift personal! Don’t just order something for her online and have it shipped to her elder care services home. That is all well and good, but just make sure you do something else as well. Something that has a person ring to it. Have the kids make her a gift. Send a personal card with personal photos. Put some real thought into it. Write her a note. Make her a calendar with faces of the kids. Just do something to let her know that you cared enough to take some time for her.
There is no way to completely fend off the feelings of sadness and loneliness over the holidays for grandma. But you can at least let her know that no matter where she is, you and the family still love her very much. For more ideas, check out Elderly Care Services.