January 24, 2012 |
Posted By Blog Admin | Comments (0)
(See our 4-part report on a previous event with Dr. Raia, which starts here)
March 31, 2012 – Sponsored by the Metrowest Alzheimer’s Partnership
 Where do families turn when they realize that a parent’s memory is fading? Dealing with the emotions surrounding the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most feared illness in the U.S. after cancer, is difficult. The MetroWest Alzheimer Partnership, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association, is hosting an educational program that is free and open to the public on Saturday, March 31st at Whitney Place in Natick.
Concrete help for families can be elusive as they struggle to provide daily caregiving, research local resources such as residential and day programs, and find local support networks. Especially difficult for families is when their loved one starts to exhibit some of the troubling behavior commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The event features nationally recognized Alzheimer expert, Paul Raia, Ph.D (above right). Dr. Raia has worked in the fields of gerontology and psychology for 30 years and appears regularly on Boston-based media outlets and on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and PBS national news programs. He serves as Vice President of Clinical Services for the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter. He has a special interest in the management of problem behaviors and is a founder of an approach to dementia care called “Habilitation Therapy,” a technique that focuses on the patient’s emotions and remaining abilities. Dr. Raia will discuss habilitation therapy, among other topics, at the event. Senior support experts will also be on hand to discuss local resources for families.
Though attendance is free, reservations are recommended. Contact Kelly Payne of Whitney Place at 508-596-5000 X3999 by March 26 or e-mail kpayne@salmonhealthandretirement.com. For more information on Alzheimer’s disease, visit www.alz.org/MANH.
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January 20, 2012 |
Posted By Dr. Deborah Bier | Comments (0)
Note: The following was published in our monthly column “Living and Loving: Elder Care in the 21st Century” in Gate House News’ Concord Journal. We will continue this theme of dementia in this blog with periodic articles on the subject.
 Deborah Bier, PhD, is Director of CCHC's Concord office The popular cultural view of Alzheimers Disease and other dementias is that they are all about pain, tragedy and heartbreak. But this is only part of the story — stop there, and we are robbed of real sweetness.
The wisdom that care partners (family, friends and professionals) can glean from people with memory problems can be profound. If viewed through an all-too-often missing lens, and by utilizing known best practices, time with such folks can also be enlightening, love-filled and satisfying.
Here are five life-affirming lessons I’ve received from “Habilitation Therapy,” the best standard of care for those with dementia, their families and professional caregivers. I believe that what helps dementia patients feel happy, calm, secure and fulfilled actually represents vital life lessons reduced to their essence, revealing wisdom of the ages. (more…)
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December 27, 2011 |
Posted By Jim Reynolds | Comments (0)
 Note: The following was published in our monthly column “Living and Loving: Elder Care in the 21st Century” in Gate House News’ Concord Journal. We will continue this theme of elders and emergency preparedness in this blog with periodic articles on the subject.We are now in the middle of the Holiday Trifecta — Thanksgiving is past, and the year-end holidays are around the corner. Holidays can be especially stressful for those of us whose parents may be declining. This covers a wide range — in some cases, it can be as simple as realizing that you will need to begin to devote regular efforts to help a loved manage through daily life; in others, we might face the grief of knowing, or fearing, that this is probably the last holiday season together.
Because remote family members visit so often during the holidays, we often receive requests at this time of year to help assess whether someone is still safe, and to identify the kinds of help available and what might be needed. We also notice enormous stress in uncertain adult children hoping to do the right thing with their parents while navigating uncharted waters. In this column, we will provide holiday visit guidelines, from how to manage a short trip to considering whether a member can continue to live alone, safely and unaided.
(more…)
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November 28, 2011 |
Posted By Dr. Deborah Bier | Comments (0)
Note: The following was published in our monthly column “Living and Loving: Elder Care in the 21st Century” in Gate House News’ Concord Journal. We will continue this theme of elders and emergency preparedness in this blog with periodic articles on the subject.
On Day 4 w ithout power following our recent late-October snowstorm, a woman in her 90s slowly rolled into a municipally-run emergency shelter at a nearby metro-west Boston town. Leaning heavily on her walker, she looked at the shelter manager wearily and said, “I’m cold. I want to sleep here tonight.” Her caregiver interjected quickly, “I have to get back home,” eyeing the exit.
The shelter manager quizzed them about the elder’s ability to function independently. How much care was needed, and what type? It turns out that the caregiver came 3-4 days a week; the senior was a bit confused, not fully independent in several of the activities of daily living, nor could she manage her own medications safely. Just not handling her medications independently was enough of a deal breaker, according to the manager. “I’m sorry, but this shelter cannot accommodate you,” said the manager. “You’ll have to find somewhere else to stay.” (more…)
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November 8, 2011 |
Posted By Jim Reynolds | Comments (0)
Note: The following was published in our monthly column “Living and Loving: Elder Care in the 21st Century” in Gate House News’ Concord Journal
Aging has changed during the past generation. From an elderly woman choosing to live alone in Belmont, MA rather than enter assisted living, to a Concord wife with mild dementia struggling to provide senior care for her ailing husband, to a Bedford couple in their 90s and still home with outside help, we see many more families with elders who have moderate to significant needs. Those terms of care can stretch into years.
This requires a change in attitudes and expectations for families to reduce their stress. It’s necessary to reset our expectations and assumptions that result from such widespread changes. Let me illustrate with a story.
(more…)
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November 2, 2011 |
Posted By Dr. Deborah Bier | Comments (0)
 Stressed out caregivers… stressed out clients… stressed out families! We all have to deal with stress in our world, but caring for (and being!) an elder loved one can add new tensions in our day. But there is a lot we can do about addressing our stress levels, including using powerful minds to create greater easy and relaxation. And it can be done in just a moment!
Though a long weekend at a retreat sounds like it would be required to bring our stress down a notch or three, actually our minds are so powerful that we can make a real difference in our lives by practicing brief moments of very simple meditation. Studies have shown that momentary relaxation techniques practiced regularly can impact not just our sense of stress, but our physiologic functioning as well. Now, that’s powerful stuff!
(more…)
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October 19, 2011 |
Posted By Blog Admin | Comments (0)
 Hi Deborah,
I read your article online about normal forgetfulness and wanted to ask where you would turn if you were 44 and worried about this. I do live with quite bit of stress (divorce, own business, a somewhat mentally abusive boyfriend, etc), and have always been a multi-tasker who doesn’t like to focus on details. Since high school, I’ve been awful with names and memories of long term events.
So it didn’t concern me when my boyfriend became concerned I didn’t remember seeing a movie (I slept through it), or that we discussed something. We had a rocky relationship and I thought he was excusing his behavior. Recently, though, I had an intern work 3 months for me, and when a month later I tried recalling his name, I could not for the life of me remember until I looked it up. If you think I should worry? I’ve mentioned this to my primary and they excuse it to juggling.
(more…)
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October 8, 2011 |
Posted By Dr. Deborah Bier | Comments (1)
 I remind caregivers when they feel overwhelmed that their presence with the client is a powerful tool, and suggest they focus on that. The ones who “get it” — their eyes open wider, they breathe deeper and sigh, “Yeeeessss….” This article is about the enormous power of presence (thanks Pam Ressler of Stress Resources for the pointer to this blog post!)
Hope at the End of Life by Judith Leipzig on The Being Blog (more…)
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September 26, 2011 |
Posted By Dr. Deborah Bier | Comments (2)
Note: The following was published in our monthly column “Living and Loving: Elder Care in the 21st Century” in Gate House News’ Concord Journal
 Deborah Bier, PhD, is Director of CCHC's Concord office
I’m middle-aged, and I go through this all the time: where are my house keys… purse… car in the parking lot? How did I forget those printouts for the meeting… to defrost tonight’s dinner… to move the wet wash to the dryer before it gets moldy? Sometimes, I’m suddenly concerned I’ve forgotten an important meeting, but can’t recall quickly what day of the week it is today — much less when that appointment was to take place — which sends me scrambling for my calendar.
Now, I was about to make an important point here, but I’ve forgotten what it was… darn! Looking above for reminders… oh, right!
We middle-aged people caring for parents, children, spouses, paid work, projects, community work, and somehow ourselves often become forgetful and distracted. Many of us worry that we are acting uncomfortably like our parents and other elders who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. Do we have it, too?
(more…)
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September 15, 2011 |
Posted By Jim Reynolds | Comments (0)
Pre-season practices for my kids are underway. College selection is kicking into high gear for our daughter, a CCHS junior. My wife adds a design course to existing commitments. Work is gearing back up. And Mom, nearing 80 in Florida, has begun to need quite a bit of attention. The irony is that I own a home care agency, Caring Companion Home Care in Concord so I talk to busy families in this situation every day.
The Concord Journal has asked me to write a monthly column about elder care for our generation, and what better time to introduce it than during the hectic Back-To-School season? I’ll share the column with our Concord district director, Dr. Deborah Bier (no stranger to readers of these pages), a PhD with 20 years’ experience counseling multi-generational families. We’ll try to provide practical advice combined with a philosophical approach that we have found maximizes the experience of both our elder clients and the adult children who love and care for them.
So in this season of To-Do Lists, here is one that can help keep Mom and Dad safe and keep you sane – and that will hopefully allow you time to enjoy each other and your lives. (more…)
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