Care in a nursing home..........

If you have to put one of your parents in
a nursing home, you really have to check
them out.
Go to the nursing home and look around,
ask questions about the place with the
staff and some of the residents, (in case you
don't know...the patience are called residents
instead of patience for a couple reasons.
(1st) is to make them feel more at ease by
being there, they figure if the people are referred
to as residents it would be more like home. (2nd)
is because it would seem more like a hospital or
hospital setting to be referred to as a patience all
of the time, and if the nursing home can be more
like home than it will not be so bad on the ones
that are having to live there.
Now that is what I was told, so who really knows!?

Now getting back to checking the place out, be sure
and look every where you can (and even if you aren't
allowed to-look anyway). Use your nose and smell
to see how bad it smells and how often it smells, in
what areas does it smell the worse and why. You
should really go to a facility several times before you
make up your mind.

Do not settle for one right off the bat if you can help it,
be sure and check several nursing facilities out, ASK
QUESTIONS.THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT....TO
ASK QUESTIONS! You will not learn anything if you
do not ask questions, and if you have never been to a
nursing home before then ask the people you know,
people around you like from church, or work, or if
you belong to any clubs, friends, anyone that might
help you, that will talk to you about this and that could/
would give you some insight on what to look for and
what type of questions to ask. Ask your pastor if you
have one or even go to the hospital in your area and
as if they could help you, give you an idea of who to
talk to.

The first nursing home I had to put my mother in was
straight from the hospital into one because she had to
have 24/7 care and the hospital had a list of them in
my area. The only one that would take mother right
then was so bad, but we didn't know that till we had
gotten her in and after 3 weeks I had to say enough
is more than enough! I will not go into everything that
happened at this time, but it was so bad that the last
time she ended up in the hospital from there the hospital
contacted the sate, I didn't have to! My mother was
covered in bruises from her head to her toes!
Literally covered in bruises and the nursing home
said that mother had put all of the bruises on herself!
Even the hospital said "NO WAY SHE COULD
HAVE DONE THIS TO HER SELF!"

They even did what is call SNOWED HER!
That is when the nursing home thinks that one of the
residents might be to much trouble and they decide to
give the poor person so much medicine or keep them
so medicated with meds that will keep them from know-
ing who they are, or where they are. These poor little
elder people can't talk, walk, eat or anything by their
self because of the meds that has been given to them.
"THEY TRULY DO NOT KNOW ANY THAT IS
GOING ON AROUND THEM OR TO THEM!"

I moved my mother after seeing and her going through
all of this, thank the good Lord she does not remember
any thing that happened to her. (I would not want my
worst enemy going through anything like this).

There are good nursing home facilities out there, it just
might take some work to find them, check the BBB
(Better Business Bureau) also, you would be surprised
what you could find out there.

I will be writing more about this subject in the future and
will have more detail information also on things, hopefully
with my experience it might help someone out there before
they have to go through what we did.

Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease:

A Guide for the Home Caregiver NEW from Dr. Peter V. Rabins, acclaimed
author and geriatric psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins
-- and one of the nation's leading experts on the
care and management of patients with Alzheimer's
disease and other forms of dementia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you know where most of the millions of people
who have Alzheimer's disease live? At home --
where family and friends provide almost 75%
of their care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's why caregiving has been called the fastest
growing unpaid profession in the United States.
According to the National Alliance for Caregiving,
during the past year more than 67 million Americans
provided care to a family member, friend, or loved one,
many of whom are suffering from different stages of
Alzheimer's disease or some other type of dementia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're a caregiver, you know first-hand what it's like:
Getting swept up in a flurry of tasks -- bathing, shopping,
cooking, feeding, making arrangements for medical care,
managing behavioral problems, making decisions for the ill
person that you have never had to consider before -- while
simultaneously trying to cope with your own anxieties and
fears.
Or perhaps you're facing a situation where you're likely to
become a caregiver -- and you're wondering how you can
make the many difficult decisions that anyone who steps
into this demanding role has to confront.
It's an extremely hard job -- and often it feels like you're
in it alone. But you're not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Johns Hopkins we understand the emotional and physical
challenges that come with dementia because we work with
patients and caregivers JUST LIKE YOU every day.
With YOU in mind, we asked two world-renowned Alzheimer's
specialists -- Dr. Peter Rabins and Dr. Ann Morrison -- to write
this practical, no-nonsense guide, Caring for a Loved One with
Alzheimer's Disease: A Guide for the Home Caregiver. This
comprehensive special report provides detailed, authoritative
advice on how to successfully manage your day-to-day
responsibilities -- to your patient and to yourself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This information is so crucial that Caring for a Loved One
with Alzheimer's Disease is available instantly as a digital PDF
download. Just click the order button below and in a few
moments your guide will be delivered to your email address.
It's that simple!
Advice That's Practical, Compassionate... and Authoritative
Reading Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease is
like sitting down with a wise and trusted friend and talking
about the many issues you face: how to organize your home
so it's safe... proper methods for managing your patient's
personal care, like bathing... strategies to handle aggression
and other behavioral problems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You will also find guidance on some of the larger decisions
you may face as a caregiver -- from confronting the need to
curtail a loved one's driving to the many considerations that
surface in deciding whether to move someone to a nursing
home or other residential care facility.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You'll quickly discover that what sets Caring for a Loved One
with Alzheimer's Disease apart from other books is its warmth
and deeply personal tone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This 134-page report provides in-depth discussions on every
essential topic where you can benefit from expert advice,
including:
•When It's Time to Take Away the Car Keys
•Modifying the Home for People With Dementia
•Personal Care for the Dementia Patient
•Dealing with Alzheimer's Troubling Behavior Problems
•Caregiving From Afar
•When Caring Takes Its Toll on the Dementia Caregiver
•Deciding to Move a Loved One into Residential Care
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aggression, Agitation, Shouting, Hallucinations...
How to Handle Aberrant Behaviors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many people think of Alzheimer's as strictly a memory-stealing
ailment. But as a caregiver, you know that it may also unleash
difficult-to manage behaviors. In our guide, Dr. Rabins addresses
frequently asked questions on troubling Alzheimer's behaviors.
For example:
•What happens when an Alzheimer's patient becomes overwhelmed?
•What environmental changes can trigger a negative reaction?
•As a caregiver, what can you do to minimize catastrophic incidents?
•How can you safely manage a patient who becomes physically aggressive?
•Should you ever use physical force to deal with a behavior problem?
•What causes vocalizations, such as yelling or constantly calling out?
•What are the best tactics for handling delusions or hallucinations?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caregiver Burnout Takes a Toll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's Help From Dr. Rabins...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Feeling overwhelmed? Caregivers have been described as
"hidden patients" because many of their own emotional and
physical needs go unattended while they provide care to others.
Perhaps you've wondered:
•Will my bottled up feelings of frustration and anger lead to
"stress-related illness"?
•Is it wrong for me to feel angry while providing care for a loved
one with dementia?
•What should I do when my patient acts out in an embarrassing
way in public?
•Should friends and neighbors be told that a loved one has
Alzheimer's?
•How can I get over my feelings of guilt for wishing I didn't have
this big responsibility?
•I sometimes feel sad and discouraged and even begin to cry.
What can I do?
•I feel like I'm facing this all alone. Where can I find support?
•I have trouble concentrating and don't sleep well. Could I be
depressed?
•Should my patient be included in the decision to move to a long
term care facility?
•How do I get over my feelings of grief now that I've placed my
loved one in a nursing home?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease discusses these
and other caregiver concerns. And that's just the start.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When is it time to take away the car keys? Dr. Rabins explains
why Alzheimer's patients lose the ability to drive and how you
should address the driving issue. He explores:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What the car represents to an older person... signs you should
watch for when determining a loved one's driving competence...
how to find a driving rehabilitation specialist in your area... how
to initiate the conversation about driving competence with the
Alzheimer's patient.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Modifying the home for patients with dementia. In this important
chapter, Dr. Morrison discusses caregiver concerns, such as:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it safe to leave a person with dementia home alone... why do
so many people fall at home... and how you can minimize chances
of falling... safety precautions in the bathroom and kitchen, two of
the most dangerous rooms in the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personal Care and the Dementia Patient. Bathing and dressing are
two of the most demanding daily chores for the caregiver. Dr.
Morrison provides practical, straight-talking advice, including:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to prepare the patient... what's better: bath or shower...
how to bathe the resistant patient... washing "private parts"...
getting over the embarrassment factor... when is the best time to
wash hair... techniques to trim toenails and fingernails... how
often should you brush the teeth... managing incontinence...
and much more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deciding to Move a Loved One into Residential Care. This is
surely one of the hardest decisions a caregiver will face, and Dr.
Rabins steers you through it with empathy and wisdom.
•How can you deal with the guilt you may feel when it comes time
to place your loved one in a facility?
•How do you know when the time is right?
•What are your options?
•Internet resources
•What happens if your loved one refuses to go into a facility?
•What options exist to cover the cost of nursing home care?
•Will Medicare or Medicaid cover the cost of a nursing home?
•What are the key questions you should ask when choosing a
nursing home?
•How often should you visit?

You can find all the info from this
post in this book.









There is more information on  Dementia and Alzheimer
I have posted back in the March posting...my mother
has dementia and being a care giver is very hard and
trying so any and all info I can get on this I think is
very important. I also am starting to think that my dad
might have Alzheimer to. Being caretaker for someone
with any health problems is hard enough but there is
certain health conditions that are so extremely hard
to deal with and I believe these are two of those.

Will a Change in Diet Help My Glaucoma?

(just another note that goes with the glauoma
info I did a few weeks ago)

A reader with glaucoma asks: Will changing my diet or
taking supplements or vitamins help my glaucoma?
Here's what was advised.


Most forms of glaucoma are chronic conditions that
cannot be cured. Open-angle glaucoma -- the most
common form of glaucoma -- can often be treated
safely and effectively with medication or surgery, but
 lifelong use of medication is almost always necessary.


Unfortunately, there is no evidence that eating certain
foods or taking supplements can help with glaucoma
or reduce the risk of developing it.


One study from the University of California, Los
Angeles, which followed 1,115 women, did find that
the risk of glaucoma was significantly lower in women
who ate greens like kale or collards at least once a
month than in those who ate less. They also found a
link between less glaucoma and eating more carrots
and peaches.


But this was an observational study, meaning that the
differences in glaucoma risk could have been caused
by other factors that just happened to coincide with
eating more vegetables. What's more, data on more
than 40,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study
found no link between eating a diet high in antioxidants
and a reduced risk of developing glaucoma.


Despite these disappointing findings, making good lifestyle
choices is important for your overall health. Heart disease
and high blood pressure have been linked to an increased
risk of glaucoma, so there's a theoretical possibility that
following a heart-healthy diet could help your glaucoma.
It will certainly help your heart.

**you can read more o n the glaucoma by going back
to the august posting**

How To Halt or Reverse Vision Loss

Dear Concerned Health Alerts Reader:
Most of us take our vision for granted until we
develop a disorder like cataracts, glaucoma,
age-related macular degeneration, or diabetic
retinopathy.
While people may fear losing their vision entirely,
it's important to realize that vision loss can often be
halted, or even reversed, with early treatment.
Fortunately, if you have one of these eye disorders
and are treated early enough, the progression of
disease can often be slowed or even halted, helping
you return to daily activities such as driving, grocery
shopping, reading, and performing household tasks.

Get the facts you need NOW to prevent vision loss,
and learn about the most current and effective treatments
for common eye disorders. Read on...


Introducing...


**The 2010 Johns Hopkins Vision White Paper**

this books has a lot of important info in it on all
types of health issues, it is worth checking out!

Thank you!

Thank you for you comment Gabriel from
Brazil, I am so glad I was able to help in
some small way. Hugs back to you and 
I hope you received an 'A ' !

Just no time!!!!

Hi, I am sorry I have had no time in a bit to
refresh info or even just to write about some
thing in a while.
My mother has been having problems again
and so has my dad so that has kept me very
busy. Keeping fingers crossed though things
will get better soon, also from my lips to GOD's
EARS!!!!!
My dad BLESS HIS HEART... decided he was
going to make a little house for this cat that some
one had dropped off and dad started feeding it.
Well, that was ok till he plugged in the circle saw
and then things started to go WRONG....next thing
I know he is standing at my back door with blood
all over him and he couldn't get the door open. I
heard this soft knock at the door, (I was in the kitchen
getting ready to start supper) and I turned to look and
see this picture of dad standing there about ready to fall
down with this look on his face and blood everywhere!
"NEED I SAY IT SCARED ME TO DEATH!"
Luckily after I got him cleaned up it wasn't quiet as bad
as we had first thought, THANK YOU LORD!
I won't go into it but it was bad enough, yet it could have
been so very much worse. When he got to the doctor the
next day the nurse almost had a fit and ask him what he
thought he was doing...he told her and she said you need
to be more careful and you had better be glad your
daughter was there.
You see my dad is on blood thinner, I have to give him a
shot every day because he has a pace maker. So he has to
be very careful with what ever he does because he could
bleed to death in a very short period of time! This is very
hard for any one to get use to!
I will be putting some info up blood thinners, I haven't
done that yet and also a bit more about Alzheimer and
Dementia, I have had a few comments/questions on that.
I do hope that what little info I do give from time to time helps
someone.