Research « The Professional Geriatric Care Manager’s Blog

New Healthy Information Found Within Apples

February 2, 2012 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Health, Life, Research, Safety, Tips

My husband is in the food industry and gets many interesting articles sent to him via email. He also knows that, as a Geriatric Care Manager and a Registered Nurse, I am always looking for interesting topics to blog about; he’s well-informed that I usually blog about good, healthy and helpful food facts for elder adults. So, for this week he sent me a worthy article on the positive compound found within apples.

I once wrote a blog about white fruit, like apples, and the wonderful benefits that they attribute to helping with retaining memory. Now I have just learned and would like to share information that apples could reduce the risk of E.coli 0157:H7 infection and intestinal inflammation. In a study conducted by Dr. Jintae Lee of Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Korea and just recently published in The Journal of Infection and Immunology (Dec.2011), he and many researchers were able to show that the anti-oxidant compound from apples had anti-inflammatory properties and a reduced biofilm formation on the top of many cells in the colon that make the dangerous strain of E coli 0157:H7 unreceptive to antibiotics.

The compound is called Phloretin; it suppresses the effects of the bacteria Escherechia Coli(E.coli) 0157:H7 that comes from contaminated food. E coli 0157:H7 can cause hemorrhage in the intestines or the bacteria is so harmful it could even lead to kidney failure if medical treatment is not seeked early enough. There is no treatment for this food-borne bacteria which is resistant to antibiotic therapy. Elderly people and infants are especially susceptible for becoming critically ill from E coli. Jintae Lee also said the study results confirmed that Phloretin in apples has anti-imflammatory properties that the researchers found in the lab and in live colitis models. They stated that Phloretin was even stronger than a drug that is would be used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. I also researched that tomatoes are also linked to having this flavonoid Phloretin, but does not do the same job as the apple.

I now make sure I eat an apple a day to help keep the E.coli away!

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ramsey or Ridgewood Office to schedule a consultation. 201-587-5283.

145 N. Franklin Turnpike, Suite 311, Ramsey, NJ 07446

45 N. Broad St., Suite 503, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Maximizing Your Memory – From Community Presentation to CEU

December 19, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Pat Linard, PR | Leave a comment
Tags: CEU, Education, Health, Memory, Research, Seminar

Sophia Heftler, RN, MSN, CALA, CMC, CDP® has given our free community presentation, Maximizing Your Memory, numerous times in the past year. Why is that? What I have been told is that it is an upbeat topic that is pro-active and offers ways to improve quality of life. The program covers what memory is and how memory works, as well as what is normal memory loss and what is not. It offers tips on avoiding memory loss. It touches on when memory loss should be investigated further, and covers current medications used for memory loss, Alzheimer’s and the various other forms of dementia.

When I present the list of topics for someone to choose, the topic of Maximizing Your Memory has been chosen most often. And each time it is presented, it gets improved upon. So much so, that there is now enough information gathered on memory that is has been submitted for approval as a 2.0 credit continuing education unit (CEU) course for nurses and soon will be submitted for social worker approval.

When approved, we hope to offer this course to nurses and social workers who are working in hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and wherever nurses and social workers may work with older adults in Bergen and Passaic Counties in New Jersey and Rockland County in New York. At Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management, we think it is an important topic and the information should be available to everyone, both seniors and those working with them.

Fish is the New Brain Food!

December 8, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Education, Health, Life, Memory, Personal, Research, Study

I just finished reading an interesting article that was sent to me a few days ago from Emaxhealth. The title of the article was “Baked Fish, Not Fried May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk.” We have known for many years that fish contains omega-3 fatty acid which has been very helpful for lowering cholesterol levels. According to a new study presented by the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, at least one serving of baked or broiled fish per week helps preserve gray matter of the brain, strengthening the area of the brain deemed critical to memory and cognition. This is particularly important for people with dementia or leading to Alzheimer’s disease.

A study took place at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mercy Hospital. They found study participants that ate baked and broiled fish (not fried) had larger brains. They had larger brain cells in areas of the brain most responsible for memory and learning. This area is known as the gray matter. It was noted that these brain areas are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. After five years of following the effects seen with eating fish one to four times a week, the study showed mild cognitive impairment went down significantly in these participants. It is easy as including broiled or baked fish at least once a week into your diet that may help reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

I had my weekly dose of fish tonight. Baked Salmon, delicious!

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

Freedom to Choose

November 9, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Joanne Jordan, Office Manager | Leave a comment
Tags: Advocacy, Caregiver, Facility, Research, Tips

Recently, we received a call from a concerned daughter whose mother is recuperating in a skilled nursing facility following a recent hospitalization. She called Distinctive Care for advice on managing her mother’s plan of care, including possible options for her care upon discharge from the facility.

When we heard which nursing home her mother is in, we were concerned, because it is not a facility we would ever recommend for our clients. Its reputation has suffered for years due to various ongoing deficiencies, and there are better options in the same market area. We asked why the family selected the facility and learned that they went along with the suggestion of the hospital discharge planner, not really understanding that they could choose from many facilities. Of course, bed space and appropriate levels of care must be available, but clients and their families should always be able to make their preferences known.

As geriatric care managers, we pride ourselves on serving as advocates for our elderly clients. We always tailor our referrals to the facilities and professionals who can best care for the individual client’s needs. We encourage family members to take an active role in evaluating facilities and offer guidance on what to look for in a quality skilled nursing or assisted living community. We continually re-assess facilities in our service area to stay abreast of any changes, and our proposed care plans always include several choices of facilities that we believe are best-suited to meet that individual’s needs.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

Eldercare Educators

November 7, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Pat Linard, PR | 1 Comment
Tags: Education, Help, Research, Seminar, Tips

There is a lot of information available on the web offering help to older adults and their families. Quite often, though, it is difficult to find exactly what is needed or difficult to bring all the pieces together. Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management has now banded together with a panel of eldercare experts to offer free lectures to help older adults and their families to navigate through the maze of services available to seniors.

Sophia Heftler, RN, BSN, CDP® (Certified Dementia Practitioner), CALA , CMC (Care Manger – Certified) has joined with Debbie Corwin, CALA, Director of Community Relations at The Esplanade of Chestnut Ridge, an assisted living community, Joann Manole, CALA, Director of Business Development for BergenCare, a home care agency, and Barbara Steinberg, CFP, CFG® Certified Financial Planner/Gerontologist, of BLS Eldercare Solutions, who specializes in Veterans benefits and Medicaid.

They will be offering seminars to community and religious organizations in Bergen County, NJ and Rockland County, NY at no charge. Their mission is to utilize their expertise regarding aging and available services so that older adults and their families can understand their choices and make informed decisions. Their focus will be on assistance and appropriate services and settings for an older loved one, as well as assisting with the caregiving role. Whether someone is looking for a new living environment or is in a nursing and rehabilitation center or hospital, this seminar can offer invaluable help.

The seminar lasts approximately 45 minutes and allows plenty of time for questions and answers. For further information or if you would like to set up a seminar in your community, contact Pat at Distinctive Care at 551-580-5639 or pat@distinctivecare.net.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

The Facts of White Fruits for Stroke Prevention

October 13, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Health, Life, Prevention, Research, Study, Tips

Last month a new study was released by a Dutch researcher by the name of Linda M. Oude Greip, with evidence that fruits and vegetables that are mostly white in color may lower your risk of stroke more than any other fruits and vegetables. It stated that for every 25 grams per day of white fruits and vegetables consumed there was a 9 percent decrease in the risk of stroke. Apples and pears were the most commonly consumed “white fruit” according to the study, published in this month’s issue of Stroke (American Heart Association/American Stroke Association).

Oude Greip said that they are not exactly sure what components in white fruit might be protective means for stroke, but she suspects that the dietary fiber and the flavonoids are the main reason for their findings. Apples and pears are high in flavonoids called quercetin. Flavonoids are antioxidants and they are biologically the trigger to produce a natural enzyme that fights disease. It is important to eat all kinds of fruits and vegetables, of all colors. Many others may protect you against other chronic diseases. She stressed to continue to have a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet, and that you should be eating at least 3-4 of them throughout each day. Fruits and vegetables that are listed in the white category were apples, pears, bananas, cauliflower, chicory, cucumber and mushrooms. If you would like to read more about this new study, you can read about it in November’s issue of Stroke.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

Seniors Staying in the Workforce

October 6, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Aging, Life, News, Research

This past Sunday night was Andy Rooney’s final broadcast on 60 Minutes. At the age of 92 and still working as a writer, a profession that he has loved since starting out in the Army during WWII. He stated that he will not be seen on the television anymore, but he will never stop being a writer and will continue to write. I have always liked his ending commentaries at the end of 60 Minutes and looked forward to them each week. I could not believe how old he really was when I watched his last episode on Sunday.

I was visiting a client last week at a nursing home. The facility was celebratring the Assistant Director of Activities 85th birthday. She told me she loves her job and does not know anything different, but to get up each morning and go to work helping others. I see it in my own family. My father is 79 and my father in law is 81. They both go to work in their longtime careers everyday. Except when they go to Florida for a month or two.

I read from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistic on a current population survey, shows the number of workers age 75 years and older has steadily risen since 1985. Last year more than 1.2 million people age 75 and up were still in the workforce. It was said that seniors that are closer to age 65 are working because the cannot survive on their pensions or their retirement savings. Some researchers now say it is a different reason for the older senior, most of whom now work for social interaction and for the sense of fulfillment and keeping their mind and body functioning. They want to maintain their quality of life and feel that working is the ticket to keeping mentally and physically well.

After reading an article from Mind Power News about 70 Ways to Increase Your Brain Power, Number 13- is writing is good for your mind by telling your memory what is important and so you can recall things more easily. Number 33 is learning. So when an older person is still working, they are always learning or educating themselves and others. The best way to end this blog, is by stating; my kids love Betty White…

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

Resistant Germs

August 12, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Deborah Varisco, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Education, Health, Life, Medication, News, Prevention, Research, Tips

Imagine a world where bacteria no longer responds to antibiotics. The widespread use of antibiotics in humans, animals and agriculture is creating an increase in resistant bacteria. Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics has played a significant role in the emergence of resistant bacteria. Patients insist on antibiotics and physicians prescribe them. One third of people believe that antibiotics will cure the common cold. In addition, many individuals do not complete the course of antibiotics prescribed, stopping them once they feel better. Antibiotics are often used in animal feed and this use can lead to the creation of resistant strains of bacteria. Poor hand hygiene by hospital staff has also been associated with resistant organisms.

How does this happen? Everytime an individual takes an antibiotic to fight an infection, the antibiotic destroys most of the bacteria. However, a few tough germs may survive either by mutating or by obtaining resistant genes from other bacteria. These survivors can reproduce quickly, creating new drug resistant bacteria. The presence of these resistant bacteria strains usually means that the next infection will not be cured by the first choice antibiotic. As a result, more infectious diseases are harder to treat than they were a few decades ago.

Some of the bacteria that have resistance to antibiotics are:

Staphylococcus bacteria, which causes the majority of infections in patients in hospitals in this country;
Streptococcus pneumonia, which causes pneumonia, meningitis and ear infections;
Enterococcus, the bacterium which can cause everything from urinary tract infections to heart valve infections.

To help prevent drug resistance, a patient and healthcare provider need to discuss the appropriate medication for an illness and avoid overusing or misusing antibiotics. Diagnostic tests are needed to determine which antibiotic would best treat an infection. These tests sometime take days to give results. In the meantime, many physicians prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics when a more specific treatment would be better. The common practice of prescribing unknown infections with broad-spectrum antibiotics is another reason for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Follow prescription medication directions and never share or take medications prescribed for someone else. Do not save your antibiotics for the next time you get sick, take all the medication as prescribed. To further control drug resistance among disease-causing microorganisms, we need ongoing programs to decrease the use of antibiotics, both in the medical setting and agriculture; increase use of vaccines to prevent infection; and the development of new classes of antibiotics to fight emerging resistant bacteria.

Antimicrobial resistance is the result of overuse and misuse of antibiotics in people and animals, lack of diagnostic tests to rapidly identify infectious agents, and poor hygiene and infection control in the healthcare and community setting. All together these factors have contributed to the growing problem of resistant infections that are increasingly difficult and costly to treat.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

Unique Services for Older Adults

August 1, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Pat Linard, PR | Leave a comment
Tags: Advocacy, Eldercare, Help, Life, Research, Tips

When someone wants to know more about we do at Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management, I am the person that gets the first call. I am happy to review what we do and how we do it, and am so glad when our services match a family’s needs. As the Director of Community Relations, I am also the person who is out and about in the community in Bergen, Passaic or Rockland County learning about available services, both old and new.

Although some of the services for older adults are obvious, such as home care, it is always nice to learn the differences between each of them. Some employ people who drive as home health aides, or will provide a bed and bath service of minimum hours while others give their caregivers cooking lessons. It is up to me to make the initial determination as to whether the home health aides that they employ are properly screened, trained and monitored and are possibilities for our referral. It seems as it every agency is trying to set themselves apart from the others in some way that will appeal to the families that need help taking care of their elderly loved ones.

In addition to the obvious, I become familiar with unique services, too. Services which caregivers might not be aware of are agencies that specialize in sponsoring trips for older adults who require dialysis, wheelchairs, or oxygen, and the company that provides dialysis services in the home while people sleep. Distinctive Care is in the forefront of knowledge regarding available services. Whether it is a quality of life issue such as clutter clean-up, money management or transportation or a medical need such as a rehab facility that specializes in cardiac care or one that offers a Transition to Home program, I am always happy to learn about what’s new and exciting in the field of elder care. I hope to share more about these services in future blog entries.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

What a Good Read!

July 25, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Pat Linard, PR | Leave a comment
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiver, Eldercare, Life, Memory, News, Research

I read a good book recently, Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer’s by Lauren Kessler. The author is a journalist who feels that she failed in the role of caregiver for her mother who had Alzheimer’s. So when her mother passed away, she decided to give it another try, but in a different way. She went undercover as an aide in a dementia care facility.

What Lauren found was that aides in dementia care facilities are underpaid and usually living from hand to mouth. Their workload is heavy and their day is challenging both physically and emotionally. In many cases, the job of aide is not the only one that they hold. Their day is repetitive in the tasks they do but not in the challenges that interrupt those tasks. Quite often they are the caregiver that is there when a resident falls or has an accident or has an aggressive episode.

What Lauren also found was that she became attached to these elderly men and women with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Yes, they experienced behaviors typical to the disease, such as repeatedly asking the same question or experiencing episodes of paranoia, but they also had personality. And each one was an individual in many of the same ways that they had always been an individual before they were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. They were able to experience emotions like you or I, and although they didn’t have a memory of things that just passed, they were able to enjoy life in the moment.

The statistics for Alzheimer’s are staggering and worth us paying attention to as a nation, and as a world. Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, as many as 16 million Americans will have the disease. Of Americans aged 65 and over, 1 in 8 has Alzheimer’s and nearly half of people aged 85 and older will have the disease. For more information on this devastating disease, go to Alz.org. Geriatric care managers and other healthcare professionals can help families in caring for a loved one in caring for those with dementia. To find a geriatric care manger in your area, visit CareManager.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.