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Alzheimer’s & Dementia

How Seniors Can Look and Feel Great in the New Year

Leave a Comment / ageing, Alzheimer's & Dementia, Self-Care / By

Image via Pexels How Seniors Can Look and Feel Great in the New Year Regardless of your age, the new year signals a fresh start and can have an impact on all sorts of things — including how you look and feel. Whether you want to lose weight, tone up, practice more self-care, or achieve another goal, it’s never too late to start doing something new to help yourself feel your best. The following tips brought to you by the Vancouver Home Health Care Agency can help you begin the new year on the right foot in terms of your physical appearance and your health and well-being. Exercise Regular exercise is a great way to feel good. Find an activity you enjoy, whether it’s walking, jogging, or exercising at home — whatever works best for you and your comfort level. If you’re having trouble starting an exercise routine on your own, join a gym or attend a yoga class at your local community center in Vancouver. Support from others can give you added motivation and accountability as you work toward your goal. Self-Care Everyone needs a little extra pampering now and then, whether it’s a long soak in a warm bath or an evening out with friends. These activities are often seen as time-consuming luxuries — but self-care isn’t frivolous. It can improve your well-being because it allows you to practice mindfulness. Eat Well Eating well is a great way to look and feel your best. Eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, and protein can help you gain or maintain a healthy weight. Eating healthier doesn’t mean giving up tasty food. There are plenty of healthy recipes that are delicious and nutritious. Start a Hobby You’re never too old to start a new hobby! Hobbies are a great way to relax, but they also provide opportunities to try new things. This year, set aside some time each week (or month) to learn a new skill or pursue an old passion. Participating in activities can help keep you motivated while enhancing your life. Take a Trip So you’ve made your resolutions and set some new year’s goals, but how do you follow through? Try planning a trip that allows you to achieve several of those goals in one adventure. For example, if you want to lose weight and eat better, take a food-based trip where you can sample new restaurants every day. If your resolution is about taking more risks or exploring more of your city, book an adventure vacation. Treat Yourself There’s no shame in treating yourself, whether it’s with a new piece of clothing or some fun accessories. Buy yourself something you like, and feel good about the way you look — which is likely to make you feel better about yourself overall. Consider buying a gemstone necklace, such as a tiger’s eye necklace. The alternating bands of color in a tiger’s eye appear to reverse as the stone or light source is moved, creating a fascinating image. Bringing your best friend on a shopping spree or hitting the spa can be both relaxing and enjoyable. You can even do an afternoon of window-shopping, or see a movie by yourself. Look and Feel Great Feeling great is possible if you put in some effort. Self-care, eating well, and exercising are a few ways to get started. At Vancouver Home Health Care Agency, Caring and Compassion is our Business.

Alzheimer and dementia asset management

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Alzheimer and dementia asset management A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia can be devastating, but if either disease is in its early stage, it’s important to start making plans now. Sadly, many patients with memory loss have not handled asset management before the disease accelerates, therefore, completing this process early is in everyone’s best interest. However, if the diagnosis comes before the planning, it’s important to begin planning right away, because the disease progresses at different rates for everyone. Legal Planning Planning for a financial future during the early stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia diseases ensures that all wishes are met as the diseases progress. Establishing this plan early will help everyone be more prepared, allowing the patient to focus on more important issues, such as personal care as the disease progresses. The Basics At its core, legal planning must include the following steps: Review existing legal documents to make sure they are updated and express all wishes Make plans for all property or finances Create a plan for long-term care and future health care wishes or needs Name someone as a beneficiary to make decisions on your behalf, both medically and financially What is Legal Capacity? This term will appear during the planning process, as it relates to your capability of executing legal documents. Executing a legal document is simply signing the document to make it an official representation of the patient’s wishes. A legal capacity is the basic ability to fully understand the consequences of signing documents and the ability to generate rational decisions. This term will appear in later stages of memory diseases, as legal officials, doctors, and family members decide if the patient has the capacity to sign a document with the full knowledge of what is being signed. Documents Necessary The documents set in place make sure that all wishes are followed as memory diseases progress. The documents will make it possible for loved ones to act on the patient’s behalf when the patient can no longer make decisions. They include: The Power of Attorney This document allows the principal (the patient) to name someone else (referred to as the agent or attorney-in-fact) to handle financial and medical decisions when the patient can no longer do so. Successor agents should be named in the rare case that original agents become unwilling or unable to serve. The power of attorney will not give the agent the right to override the principal’s decision. As long as the principal maintains legal capacity, the principal maintains the right to make all decisions. The power of attorney for health care covers specific decisions, including: Type of treatment Doctors and other providers Care facilities DNR, or do not resuscitate, orders End-of-life decisions Durable Power of Attorney This document, specific to finances and property, allows a patient to designate someone to make decisions regarding all financial assets. Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) This document is a standardized medical form. It will indicate very specific instructions for life-sustaining treatment, and will include patient wishes. The POLST is ordered by a physician, which means it must be signed and completed by a physician. As a doctor’s order, it is kept in the patient’s medical records. The POLST is meant to be a compliment to an advanced directive, not a replacement. It is not available in all states, but it is endorsed in the state of Washington. Living Will The living will is a type of advanced directive which expresses the wishes of the patient near the end of the patient’s life. Some doctors will require specific forms for the living will; other situations require an attorney to create the will. The document must be signed by the patient, so creating this document before diseases progress or happen is important. An advance directive is a legal document which allows a person to accurately document preferences in care and treatment. Standard Will The standard will is common, and it is the one which is most familiar to most people. It is the document stating what will happen to a patient’s assets after death. Living Trust The living trust is another document to provide direction regarding assets and property. It will allow the patient to pull together all financial resources into a trust, then provide specific directions regarding the allotment of those resources. A trustee is appointed by the patient to handle this allotment. A backup trustee is a good idea in case the original trustee can’t or won’t handle financial matters. Guardianship or Conservatorship This type of document assigns a court appointed guardian to the matters of the patient. It is not a common practice, and is most often used when a patient’s family is in disagreement over who should handle decisions. Getting the courts involved can be taxing; preparing for care before disease happens can ease the emotional strain on a patient’s family. Medical Release of Information Having a medical release of information signed and on file is a good idea for everyone. This document allows doctors and other professionals to share information with the person specified on the form. Those helping to coordinate care will find this document helpful. Hospital Visitation Form Some domestic partnerships require this form. Some states, or even hospitals, will inflict strict visitation regulations, and a domestic partner may not be allowed to visit. This form will allow a non-family member to visit, and most hospitals will consider a domestic partner a non-family member. Get the Advance Directives Ready Most of the documents listed above do not need an attorney to be legal documents. Once the document is filled out and signed, it is binding. Search the following resources when looking for specific forms: State Health Department Estate and Legal Planning Forms Office Supply Stores State-Specific Advance Directive Forms Libraries The Vancouver Home Healthcare Agency can assist in many ways with documents for asset management. At Vancouver Home Health Care Agency, Caring and Compassion is our business.

Planning Ahead for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

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Planning Ahead for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Planning ahead, especially when the initial diagnosis is delivered or in the early stages of these memory diseases, is important to keep the patient’s wishes clear. Early planning will help the patient be involved in the process while allowing time to work through the numerous papers and legalities of end-of-care wishes. Additionally, those who will make decisions for the patient will be appointed, and all family members will have a clear image of what is to happen when the patient can no longer make independent decisions. Begin with Legal Capacity Legal capacity is simply the ability to legally understand and appreciate any consequences of personal actions and to make decisions rationally. A person must have legal capacity to sign documents. If a person without legal capacity signs a document, the document is not binding, or legal. The legal capacity of a person can be determined by a physician; patients in mid to late stage dementia or Alzheimer’s do not have legal capacity. Any patient with memory loss or damage should be checked for legal capacity. Begin by talking to the person to see if he or she understands the document. Ask the primary physician if the person is mentally capable, and review the existing legal documents to make sure the document in question is not already in existence. Meet with a Lawyer Some legal documents can be completed without a lawyer, however, getting advice in filling out and ensuring the documents are followed might require legal advice. Lawyers specific to the aging practice elder law, and they are the experts in documenting end-of-life care. When meeting with a lawyer to prepare, discuss a few key issues: Health care options Personal property and care options Coverage of long-term care, including insurance options and coverage or veteran benefits. Be sure to bring every document relating to any assets of the patient. Checklist for the Elder Lawyer’s Visit List of itemized assets Estate planning documents, such as any existing wills or trusts Copies of real estate deeds, income tax returns, life insurance and health insurance policies, and admission documents to health care facilities or agreements with in-home health care facilities, such as Vancouver Home Healthcare Agency List including the names, addresses and phone numbers of any person involved in patient care Quick Tips for Planning Ahead Anyone named in the power of attorney must have copies as well as access to original documents Name the dementia patient as a successor, or backup, agent for power of attorney A neutral third party should be considered for power of attorney Physicians and other health care professionals must have copies of all power of attorney health care and living will documents Attorneys or banks should be considered as a neutral third party or in the event that a trusted person can not be found to be power of attorney The Vancouver Home Health care Agency can assist in finding an elder care lawyer and in planning the right documents for estates in Washington state. At Vancouver Home Health care Agency, Caring and Compassion is our business.

Alzheimer and dementia Overview

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Alzheimer and dementia Overview Dementia is a generalized term for the decline in a patient’s mental ability, which is severe enough to interrupt daily life. Dementia is progressive, which means it begins slowly and gets worse over time. Many people do not realize a patient has dementia until it is too late; some people don’t want to admit the loved one has brain issues, others don’t recognize early symptoms. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia, and it is the most common type. Dementia is non-specific. This means that it’s a term used to cover a very wide range of the symptoms associated with the decline of memory and other thinking skills. This decline is severe and will reduce the patient’s ability to carry out daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease covers nearly 80 percent of dementia cases. It’s important to remember that dementia is not a normal part of aging. Symptoms vary, but some consistent symptoms are: Memory Ability to focus Communication failure Visual perception Reasoning failure Cause Dementia is primarily caused by damage to brain cells. This will interfere with the brain’s ability to communicate with itself. This is why changes happen – reasoning is reduced, feelings and behavior change, and memories are lost. This is due to regions in the brain losing cells and becoming damaged. Different types of dementia are caused by damage to different types of cells; the types of cells damaged characterizes the diagnosis. Diagnosis Unfortunately, more research is necessary in this field, so there is no specific test to create a diagnosis. Doctors deliver a diagnosis based on history, examinations, tests, and characteristic changes in behavior or daily function. While doctors can determine dementia, it’s harder to determine the exact type. Often, symptoms between different dementias overlap. Often, a physician’s dementia diagnosis will be followed by a visit to a neurologist or gero-psychologist. Treatment and Care Sadly, there is no cure for the progression of the disease. However, there are medications to help alleviate some of the symptoms. As mentioned above, further research is necessary to help professionals determine if a cure is possible. The Basics Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of the aging process, though a known risk factor is age. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time. It is progressive, while other types of dementia take years to develop, categorizing them as less progressive. Dementia and Alzheimer’s has no current cure. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of known dementia. The Vancouver Home Health care Agency can help families deal with the symptoms of dementia. At Vancouver Home Health care Agency, Caring and Compassion is our business.

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