Here’s what I’m referring to. The new chairwoman of theDemocratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said that Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal would “literally be a death trap for seniors.”

This remdins me of a routine by comedian Brian Regan. He was talking about how politicians make the most outrageous claims against eachother. For example, Regan saw a local political ad where one candidate accused his opponent of wanting to taser seven year olds. Ridiculous. The accused candidate scoffed that he had signed a bill talking about disarming a person with a weapon by tasing them. That included a teenager or even a child who was about to do serious damage with a weapon. The commercial was completely insane.

And this is insane, too. Are we really to believe that Paul Ryan and his republican colleagues hate senior citizens and want to kill them? Ridiculous. But the scare tactics always seem to come up when the budget is being discussed. Fifteen years ago, it was widely reported that one party wanted to “starve children” at school. And Ed Asner came on strong shortly after that with the then current tactics to frighten senior citizens into voting for his man.

I know, I know. Both sides do it. Neither one should. Let’s face it: whether you agree with his plan or disagree, it is clear Rep. Ryan is attempting to do something that, at least in his mind and the minds of his colleagues, will save the financial future of this nation. Entitlement programs cost this nation trillions of dollars, and they need to be restructured. That includes Medicare and Medicaid. His proposal would allow states to accept block funds for the programs and use them at their own local discretion, essentially.

Now, the chairwoman apparently disagrees. Fine. You don’t like his budget proposal. But don’t call it a “literal death trap” for seniors. I’m sure Rep. Paul Ryan has parents and grandparents. I’m sure he likes elderly folks just fine. And I’m sure he would like to be one in twenty years. So, just to play it safe, I’m guessing he does not want to kill seniors any more than he wants to tase seven year olds.

I think we all need to grow up a little. Seriously. Ryan could easily counter that if the nation does not cut back on its spending, then Medicare and Medicaid will collapse in a few short years, and there will not be any money available for seniors in nursing homes. And that would be an even bigger “death trap.” Yes, everyone can play this game…

Anyway, I am just tired of it. I am tired of the political roller coaster. I’m tired of people pandering so much to groups. I’m tired of fear tactics. Medicare, Medicaid, and other elder care services have to be reformed somehow if they are going to stay afloat. Maybe Ryan’s budget goes about it all wrong. Maybe he’s cutting too much too fast. If that’s what you think, that’s what you should say.

But don’t try to scare seniors into action. It’s insulting to your opponent, and condescending to seniors who rely on those funds and want them to be there for their grandchildren.

So fast forward to the present. Last week, a congressional report was released. It revealed that the AARP stands to gain more than $1 billion from the health care reform bill. This, of course, looks strikingly suspicious to many observers.

This video makes the case in stark terms:

Now, some members of congress are asking for an IRS inquiry into the AARP. But the AARP has shot back, defending themselves and the fact that they take such royalties. In an open letter, Lee Hammond, AARP President said this:

“Until that day comes, the royalties we receive from lending our name to products and services make it possible for us to advocate for the entire 50-plus population…”

This controversy is only beginning. With the massive budget battles that are already taking place around the country, and with the population aging so much already, senior services such as Medicare and Medicaid will be discussed all over the place. And you can be sure that the recent controversies with other subsidized non-profits such as NPR and Planned Parenthood, there will be a magnifying glass on the AARP to see whether or not there is any shady accounting going on, and to discover their motivations for supporting the legislation they do.

We will keep looking at this issue, and continue to talk about elder care services that affect the lives of seniors all around the country.

I believe my dad was possibly showing early signs of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) as early as 10 years before he was finally diagnosed. In hindsight, I remembered he experienced sleep disturbances, lack of muscle control and balance, fatigue that lasted weeks at a time, and one hand would start to shake while at rest. My dad hated going to the doctor any time for any reason, but when PD symptoms started affecting every day activities like dressing, sleeping, talking, driving, and cognitive processing, even he couldn’t deny something was definitely wrong.

I lived almost 1,000 miles away, so I wasn’t there to see his early serious decline, but I during one phone call I was convinced. He was having trouble speaking clearly, and putting thoughts together. I was alarmed and immediately implored him to go get checked out by a doctor. He gave the same “I’m just getting old” line, but I knew it was no time to back down. As soon as we could make the trip, I called a face-to-face intervention with my brothers and mom to have a sit down and really convince him that now was time to face the facts: he needed a doctor’s help.

When I saw him after being gone for over a year, I was shocked at how quickly his symptoms had worsened. In 12 months, he had gone from being the outdoorsy, fisherman, hunter, gardner dad I remembered to…an old man. He shuffled when he walked, his hands shook, his facial expressions froze, his voice had weakened considerably, and he just looked utterly exhausted. But, he was of course, still my dad.

My dad did the tough thing. He faced the thing he feared, and the thing he feared became his reality, but he and my mother found a lot of support along the way. The doctor quickly put him on PD management medications, adjusting the dose and schedule until the found the levels and timing that gave my dad optimal functioning when he most needed it. He began physical therapy and occupational therapy soon after. The therapists came into my parents home and showed my mom and dad strengthening exercises which really helped. A nutritionist also was on hand to offer dietary advice, and my parents made many changes with positive results. The specialists who came and went were very positive and encouraging while gently making my parents aware of the progressiveness of Parkinson’s. This awareness of what was to come was excruciatingly hard for my dad to bear, but really underscored the importance of being consistent in all of the things the specialists were teaching them to do. This awareness of impending struggles also drove my mother to seek a Parkinson’s support group.

It took a while before my dad was willing to attend the Parkinson’s support group with my mother, because as he admitted to her later, he didn’t want to be faced with the dismal picture of his future when meeting more advanced Parkinson’s participants. But he finally did cave, and found the group to be a comfort at some level, just knowing others were going through some of the same things. Being a counsellor by nature and occupation, I think it also helped him to get his focus off his own suffering, and offer comfort and hope to others.

The last time I saw my dad, we had just brought him home after a 6-week hospital stay. We about to move far away again, but we were able to visit with him almost every day while he was in the hospital. We thought he would never make it home. He was weak, having trouble swallowing and breathing on his own, and was put on a ventilator and feeding tube. We brought our three little ones in to sit on grandpa’s bed, sing him songs, and give him kisses and crayon-drawn pictures. I sat in his hospital room day after day and read to him, talked to him, or just held his hand. At one point it hit me: This is my chance to say goodbye. We were able to bring him home, wave goodbye to him as he stood on the front step, and we drove off to find our new home in California. A few months later we got the middle of the night call: my dad had passed away. It’s never easy even when you know it’s coming. I was just thankful we had had som many sweet moments together those few months earlier.

Parkinson’s Disease is a devastating disease, but there are so many more resources out there now than in my grandmother’s day. The medical community has certainly not given up on finding a cure, but in the mean time, it’s not sitting back on it’s laurels. The focus has expanded to include better management and treatment of symptoms, more effective therapies, and improved attention to overall quality of life and physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. That’s a good thing. Parkinson’s Disease is such a hard thing to face, but you no longer have to face it alone.

Stay tuned for more articles this month on Parkinson’s disease, and info on how to find the elder care services you need right here at iCare For Elders.

It was one of the beginning ripples of the Age Discrimination battle that rolled through the first decade of the twenty-first century. It continued all the way through early 2010, when Hollywood writers over forty won a $70 Million class action lawsuit against the studios for age discrimination. This was ironic, especially considering Hollywood’s self-righteous attitude that it is too grown up for such problems. In reality, the film and television industry has perpetuated this problem for decades.

Age discrimination is not a new issue, and it is not over by any means. And it certainly is not confined to Hollywood. When a person becomes a senior citizen especially, they can often have a very hard time holding on to or finding a job. You might remember that airline flight attendants were accused of this years ago, and just about every field as well.

Thankfully, the storm against Hollywood over the past decade might have done its job. Today, people are aware of the issue, and there is a lot of sympathy that comes toward the aging workforce who is so often “easily” replaced by executives looking for a younger image.

One really bright example is Betty White, who, it has just been learned, will host her own prank show on NBC.

Betty White: Youthful Celebrity!

Since then, Betty has become a hero not only for senior citizens, but for young people who think she is “super cool.” Who would have guessed?

So it’s no surprise that NBC just announced the plans for its new show. White will host it, and it will be a sort of hidden camera practical joke kind of show, but it will feature and star senior citizens. Think of “Punk’d” with older folks. They might be doing all kinds of things, like acting senile to embarrass the younger crowd, etc. This concept has worked well in TV shows in Europe, and NBC is betting that with White’s star power, it can be a hit here as well. I guess we will have to wait and see…

So. Is Betty White’s latest rise a signal that we are beyond the age discrimination problem? Probably not. Just as with racism, sexism, and every other negative trend in our society, there will always be those who will look at a person’s age and attach all sorts of negative characteristics to them on that basis alone. But that is an issue for individual character. Perhaps the issue has been talked about so much that it is officially stigmatized. Or maybe it’s just that America’s population is aging rapidly now, and everybody wants to be sure that they can be included in society well into their later years.

Who knows.

But one thing is for sure: Doris Roberts must be proud.

We realized right away that this was a scam. And it got me thinking about how much more susceptible senior citizens are to scams that involve new technology. We knew what to look for, so we were protected.

There were a couple of dead giveaways that this was a scam. First of all, banks aren’t in the business of text messaging their customers, especially at such odd hours. Secondly, the text came from an out of state phone number. Third, and most significantly by far, my friend did not even have an account with the bank!

How the Scam Worked

It was really simple. The thief had probably gotten ahold of a huge phone list of residents in that area. Most of the recipients would probably not be from that bank, but it didn’t matter. Some of them would. And those customers would notice that the digits listed in the text did not match their account. So they would panic (their account was going to be closed!!!) and call the number given (a number that was probably from out of the country), and tell the person what their real account number was. They would feel better, and the thief would feel good too, since he has a new credit card number!

Simple, isn’t it? And probably obvious to most people. But if even one person in a hundred obeyed the instructions, the thief will have made out with big bucks.

Scams that Prey on Seniors with Technology

There are many scams that simply play on a senior’s lack of understanding. This one involved technology, but it wasn’t about how the technology worked. It was about societal norms involving technology. Lots seniors know how to text message nowadays. But do they understand how texts are used in the business world? That is an altogether different question.

When it comes to scams involving technology, seniors need to understand how things are generally done in the business world. For instance:

• Banks will usually call a customer if they need to verify accounts
• When a bank or company needs confirmation on an account number, they will read it to YOU.
• If there is any kind of requests regarding financial transactions from a bank or credit card company, those requests will come in an official manner: a personal phone call, a letter on bank letterhead. If they send an email, it will come directly from the bank’s address (with the company’s URL given, and an invitation for you to Log In.)
• Text Messages are still, for the most part, a very informal method of communication. They are not a medium for sensitive information.

The best rule of thumb is this: if a senior is nervous about when it is safe to give information over the phone or some other modern communication method, then they just shouldn’t. Period. They should get someone else’s opinion first. That way they won’t get burned. And it really is okay to call the police and ask them questions about scams. They understand how they work better than anyone else.

Education really is the best way to protect yourself. Not just in working devices, but in understanding how people communicate on those devices. Let’s help care for elders in our lives so they stay financially safe.

Senior Hoarders

Seniors are hoarders at much higher rates than other adults. We can only guess why this might be so. Some seniors experienced some of the great depression as children, and can vividly remember not having any possessions at all. They can’t seem to bring themselves to throw things away, even this many decades later. For others, the loss of a spouse triggers it. Suddenly, everything in the house is meaningful, because it reminds them of their loved one. Yes, even paper cups, small cardboard boxes, and credit card applications. In the case of our family, both of these factors were partially responsible, but there are many other triggers.

What can a Family Do?

Our situation got so bad that the grown kids wouldn’t bring their little one’s over to grandma’s anymore. It was unsafe and unhealthy to stay in that environment. So we had an intervention with our loved one. A couple of them, actually. The results? Mixed at best. She understood the problem and said she planned to “get to” the clutter. We are still hoping that happens soon.

Some baffled families often turn to professional help, but even the medical community can’t offer much help a lot of the time. Psychologists have a difficult time dealing with this disorder. For whatever reason, some seniors seem to have no ability to pull themselves away from it.

So what can a family do? Definitely start with an intervention. You might have far better success than we did. Just be sure to do it with lots of respect. You can gently and gracefully tell your loved ones how their behavior is affecting the rest of the family, and urge them to let you help

Whether that works or not, I recommend you check out this website: Children of Hoarders. They have some great ideas on how to address the subject.

1) Assess Your Needs & Document Them

Whatever it is, record it. Some caregivers are going to want to take care of some activities, but not others. And sometimes a senior caregiver who is not necessarily a nurse will be able to take care of some of those things, and that would certainly help your budget.

The point is, the senior and the caregiver need to have the same expectations. The key to getting expectations aligned is good communication. So before you conduct a search, put out an ad for help, conduct an interview, etc, figure out what your own expectations are. This will take care of a ton of problems on the outset.

For more info on this subject, visit this elder care law site or Inside Elder Care. And stay tuned for more tips on hiring a caregiver. And if you need to find Oregon assisted living or senior housing anywhere in the United States, click on the banner below.

Here’s the story. In this case, the caregiver was a woman who pretended to cozy up to the wealthy man and start a romance. She was 58 years old. As he grew to trust her, he asked her to go buy a new car for him, which she could drive him around in. So he gave her the money. Thirty grand.

She bought the car, all right! She bought it, and put it in her name…

Thankfully, this time, the woman did not get away with it. She was arrested, tried and convicted for her fraud, and she even has to pay the money back in restitution. Justice has happened!

But the issue raises a larger issue in my mind: How do you choose a caregiver that you can trust? After all, this story took place in an Oregon assisted living home, but seniors who get home health care from an agency or an individual are far more vulnerable, even. When a person begins to get to know them, to understand how they operate, they could be very easy prey for a scam artist. It could happen through a false romance, but more likely, it could happen in far more subtle ways. A credit card disappearing. Old jewelry, lying around, is suddenly gone. Or it could happen in the most drastic ways of all: the caregiver winds up in the will of the senior, receiving lavish gifts. And the family can do nothing.

So stay tuned for our series, “Finding the right Caregiver.”

That is why this idea makes me so happy. Recently, the Marquis Home Health company began something called the “New Chapters Program.” It seems to be rooted in this value system. Seniors should not simply be taken care of, they should be listened to. They still have hopes and dreams. They have things they are passionate about. And far too often, they believe that all of these are out of reach. The New Chapter Program sets this notion straight.

This program is initiated by the employees of Marquis Home Health. Employees listen to their patients, trying to understand what makes them tick. And when they are able, they try to step in and help them “turn a page” in their life. To start a new chapter in their life.

For instance, there was one man who used to love skiing. It was a major part of of his growing up. But today, he lives in an Oregon assisted living community, and he has multiple sclerosis. So obvkously, skiing is out of the question, right?

Wrong.

The good folks at Marquis Home Health helped him take to the slopes again, even in his condition. Here is a picture:

This particular story can be found here at an Oregon news site.

Another woman wanted to turn a page in her life by getting into the digital age. Marquis bought her a laptop. She was overjoyed!

Don’t mistake this program for a version of the “Make a Wish” program. These residents aren’t dying. They simply want to begin a new phase of life. And the program validates their wishes. And by doing this, they show how much they value these seniors.

We think that’s awesome.

Here is the deal. Laughter Yoga is almost a misnomer. There is no stretching, and there are no funny poses. You don’t have to be flexible, and you are not aloud to be serene. The only Yoga-esque characteristic here is some deep breathing here and there. Everything else is just, well, silliness.

Case in point: there is a Laughter Yoga studio in Portland, Oregon. A class of about twenty people (almost all women) come together and do “laughter exercises.” They practice laughing in all different imaginary situations. They get in a big circle, and pretend they are opening up a mailbox and finding their credit card bill. The bill is so high, all you can do is laugh! So they laugh outrageously. They do many variations of these little scenarios, and even if people are pushing it in the beginning, they all end up legitimately cracking up after a bit.

The instructor at this studio took her unique strategy to an Oregon Assisted Living facility recently, and the residents seem to really enjoy it. So even though I find the whole thing to be a bit odd, I have to hand it to them: this could really help some senior citizens. After all, it’s fun to be silly, and people have a good time. But that isn’t the main point. The point, as doctors have said many, many times, is that laughter is excellent medicine, and pretty good exercise, too.

The Mayo Clinic website even touts the benefits of laughter. Among other things, they say it:

• Stimulates organs like the heart and lungs by increasing your oxygen intake when you breath, and increases the release of endorphins that the brain releases.
• Relieves tension by stimulating better blood circulation
• Fosters relaxation
• Boosts your immune system
• Can help relieve pain
• Increases your personal sense of wellness

For seniors, who are already very often battling a lot of health problems and emotional difficulties, laughter can go a long way. For some, laughter yoga might help that process.

Laughter yoga is making its rounds not only in Oregon, but around the world. Just google it on Youtube and see all the examples. it’s… interesting. Is it silly? Yes. Would I be caught dead in a laughter yoga class? In a word, no. But could it help our aging loved ones in senior care facilities? Yes, without doubt, it could help. Because even though it seems incredibly silly, laughter is good for you. And if it is good for seniors, then it is good for all of us!