In the Week of a Geriatric Care Manager
February 26, 2009 at 10:35 am | Posted in Megan Milchman, GCM | Leave a CommentTags: GCM, Personal, Weekly
Monday: A visit to M, she has had some bleeding. Phone calls to her urologist are in order. I manage to get an appointment for her to see her doctor on Tuesday. In the mean, time I fill her medi-minders and try to get her to relax – her blood pressure is rising from her anxiety. She feels much better when I tell her I got the appointment for her tomorrow.
I send an email to her niece to let her know what is going on and that everything has been handled, and we will be seeing the doctor.
Later in the day I meet up with my boss to meet a new client of ours, A. She is very pleasant and is happy to be working with us. I sit at the table and we go over her medication, filling medi-minders. Everything is written and handed to her Aide.
Tuesday: A trip to an Assisted Living facility where G lives. We moved him there a few weeks ago and he is doing much better, and is much happier than he was. I bring him some clothes that he left at his previous place and a shower chair. He tells me how grateful he is to have a Geriatric Care Manager like me, and that no one has ever cared for him like this before. Everyone at the facility tells me what a wonderful person he is.
I take M to the doctor, where she becomes very anxious and her blood pressure begins to rise again – it takes a lot to calm her down, but she feels much better after she sees her doctor and he tells her not to worry. He prescribes antibiotics for her UTI and tells me to call on Friday so that he knows how she is doing. We leave the doctor, I fill her medication and take her home and fill the medi-minders letting the Aide know how long she will be taking them and when.
Emails and phone calls to the family members to let them know everything has gone well.
Wednesday: A visit to MA to go over her meds and meet with her and her Aide to see how their first week together has gone. She tells me that she is happy to be home and that everything is going great with her new live-in. That this morning they both went to Mass for Ash Wednesday and she is grateful that she had someone who would take her.
A visit to P, she lives a long term care facility. I review her chart, to see if any changes have been noted in her diagnoses, medication, or to see if the doctor has run any tests. Everything seems to be going well, no changes have been noted.
Visit with GI, who has recently been moved to the same facility. She is doing much better than she was and has gained 4 lbs in the 2 weeks she has been there. The Family is very happy to hear this.
A visit to R and a trip to his doctor. We wanted to check his weight, we’re not sure that he is eating. He lives alone right now and the family is worried about him. The doctor doesn’t find anything unusual, but you can tell that R is depressed, he misses his honey he says. I take him home and adjust his medication changes which the doctor made. We are planning a trip for an Assisted Living on Friday, hoping to find somewhere he can be social and take his beloved cat. The family is concerned and wants me to visit twice a week for now.
Thursday: Spent the day with Follow ups on my clients that I have visited throughout the week, making sure that they are doing well.
RFID Networks to Fight Alzheimer’s
February 6, 2009 at 8:15 pm | Posted in Mark Heftler, Admin | 2 CommentsTags: Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, News, Personal, Prevention, Study, Technology
Interestingly enough, the blog article I wrote regarding the Elder Gadgets at CES has garnered a fair amount of interest, and led to increased blog traffic – clearly, there are some elder-oriented individuals out there who are interested in technology, like myself! So, for today, another article about technological advances being used in the geriatric field.
The University of South Florida is testing a system of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips on bracelets in conjunction with strategically placed receivers to track elderly resident in facilities. By monitoring their patterns, the researchers hope to be able to diagnose the onset Alzheimer’s in their patients. Sudden veers, long pauses, and a tendency to wander are all indicators of dementia. By spotting these early on, the researchers hope to be able to implement preventative measures for their patients and residents, stopping the disease before it has time to take hold.
In other news, for those who have been following our blog and perhaps have actually met me, I just wanted to say I was accepted to Seton Hall Law School today, and should be starting there in the fall of this year. Yay!
I’m Back
January 28, 2009 at 10:43 pm | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | 2 CommentsTags: Family, Life, Personal
Hi Everyone -
It’s been some time since I have last written. My life has been quite turned around lately. As you know I am the primary caregiver for my father who has early stage dementia. Last week I found out that my mother (and my best friend) has terminal lung and pancreatic cancer. She is gravely ill and there is nothing that can be done for her. It has been such a surreal experience as I have been working as her care manager for the past week, arranging to bring her home, for hospice care and all her medications. My sister who is retired came up from Florida and I would have to say that she is Mom’s primary caregiver, staying in the house and providing care for her. I go to see her everyday and am involved with the hospice folks, yet I don’t really feel like I am a part of this. I feel like I am a care manager. I am in a very strange place right now.
It’s funny but I have never thought of my parents as elderly because they are so active and involved in their local senior citizens club, but when we were in the hospital and the emergency room doctor was giving report on my Mom he referred to her as a frail, elderly 81 year old woman. It was only then that I realized that they are elderly and I will shortly be faced with my Mother’s death. It’s pretty scary being on this end of the equation.
As a geriatric care manager I work with families in my situation every day and work very hard to provide them with the best care imaginable. I am available to them 24 hours a day 7 days a week and handle any crisis that comes their way. I love being a geriatric care manager and assisting my families. I am toying with the idea of having one of the wonderful nurses I have working with me take over as Mom’s care manager so I can just be her daughter, yet I find myself unwilling to give up control. This has certainly opened my eyes to what my Client family members must feel when they make the initial call to me. This is an awful situation to be in but I feel like it will be an incredible learning experience for me and that I will be able to share what I learn with those who work for Distinctive Care. I am going to tell my Mother that this experience is going to make me a better person, a better care manager and a better boss.
I encourage you to comment on this entry. It’s very personal and I would love to know what you think about how I am handling this situation and also to provide me with any advice you may have to offer me. Or you can contact me directly at sophia@distinctivecare.net or through our website www.distinctivecare.net.
Sophia
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