My Healthcare Concierge

Loneliness Impacts Health

2017-02-21T18:16:43Z

Humans are social creatures. While introverts may need solitude to recharge their batteries on a given day, everyone needs regular social interaction from family and friends. Seniors are at risk for loneliness when they lose friends / spouses to aging, or if they become isolated due to lack of mobility. Not only does a lack of social contact put people at higher risk of depression and substance abuse, but it also negatively impacts physical health.

The CBC article below references studies that equate prolonged loneliness to the negative impact of smoking a pack of cigarettes per day.

When My Healthcare Concierge works with seniors and their families, we not only help resolve the homecare or healthcare challenge that generated the referral, but we work to understand our clients interests and history and suggest a daily routine that creates engagement and addresses loneliness.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/how-to-reach-the-person-inside-the-dementia-1.3786034/loneliness-equals-a-pack-a-day-1.3789069

Managing Financial Affairs: It’s Their Money

2017-02-21T17:57:12Z

Whether due to a degenerative disease like Alzheimer’s, or simply due to frailty with aging, there may come a time when seniors want or need help in dealing with their finances. It can be a tricky area, and unfortunately some seniors are victim of financial abuse from their own families.

See below a good article from the Globe and Mail that talks about one families experience. The key lesson is that it is important for seniors to put mechanisms and plans together when they are still able to.

The article references a 2016 survey by Fidelity Investments which found that just 9 per cent of Americans, aged 50 through 80, thought they would lose their ability to manage daily finances. Meanwhile, 60 per cent said they’d witnessed it happen to a friend or family member. And 40 per cent helped to manage their own parents’ finances. Clearly there is a disconnect between what people prepare themselves for versus what they witness happening to others.

Given the rapid increase in home values, there is a real problem with some families making decisions to preserve the value of their inheritance instead of using the funds to create the best quality of life for the aging parent, and to respect their wishes.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/retirement/retire-family/frail-seniors-and-their-money-its-still-their-money/article33856352/

Wandering is Complicated

2017-02-21T16:47:04Z

Many of the families that work with MHC have a loved one diagnosed with dementia, whether Alzheimer’s or other. One of the challenges and fears when a loved one is still living at home is wandering. Families worry about their parent getting lost after leaving the home.

The Toronto Star article below is written by an Occupational Therapist who works at Baycrest. It outlines that “exit seeking” can be triggered by a whole range of factors from lack of activities in the home, to an emotional response, to discomfort and of course simply forgetting the purpose of leaving the home and not being able to navigate.

The article shows many of the practical strategies that can be deployed to reduce wandering as well as reduce associated risks. My Healthcare Concierge can implement these strategies for our clients.

Toronto Star Article on Wandering Associated with Dementia

Costs More To Help Frail Parent than Raising a Child to 17

2017-02-21T16:31:12Z

Forbes recently had an interesting article showing that is costs more to care for aging parents than to raise kids. While the article focuses on the United States, there is likely a similar result in Canada. It makes the point that governments do more to help families raise kids than to care for an aging parent.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2017/01/18/families-spend-more-to-care-for-their-aging-parents-than-to-raise-their-kids/#10caf2ac6b92

Occupational Therapists at the Forefront of Healthcare

2017-02-21T16:19:03Z

At MHC, we use Occupational Therapists as case managers for our clients, because we believe they are the right health professional to help frail seniors continue to live at home, and maximize their quality of life despite physical or cognitive limitations.

See below a great article from the United Kingdom showing how their public health system is recognizing the importance of the OT role in helping seniors. The results are better hospital discharges, lower re-admissions and shorter hospital length of stay.

One of the initiatives has an OT riding along with an ambulance that is responding to falls in the home by seniors. This is what an OT describes doing on one such call in the UK.

“Our first call is to an 85 year old lady found on her bedroom floor by her carer. Gail checks her for injuries. I assess her getting on and off the bed, the toilet, and sitting up and down. I check her cognition. She is a bit confused as a result of a urinary tract infection. We get her GP to prescribe antibiotics, and I look at getting a commode and some rails which can be delivered the same day. I make referrals, arranging wraparound support, ring physiotherapy to make a further assessment, and social services to get her a crisis carer.”

Many Canadians don’t realize the value or role of an Occupational Therapist, but globally there are many examples of innovative ways to deploy their knowledge and skills to improve seniors care.

Guardian Article On Impact of OT’s

88 Year Old Man Has Purpose: Socks for Shelters

2017-01-13T00:38:09Z

At My Healthcare Concierge, we strongly believe that seniors should remain active and engaged, and have a sense of purpose to keep them going. One of the best ways to do that is to help others. Bob Rutherford used his background in building machines (and knitting) to make super knitting machines that can knit at 90 stitches per second. He’s already made over 10,000 socks for homeless shelters. When his wife passed away 7 years ago, he didn’t know what to do with himself. His son had great advice “to help yourself, help someone else”.

See below Bob’s photo the CBC article about his story. Way to go Bob!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/88-year-old-saskatoon-man-socks-1.3922778

Canada’s Health System Fails for End of Life

2017-01-12T21:05:53Z

Many families struggle to support their loved ones with dignity and comfort in their final months. While in Ontario there are some good palliative care programs, and additional publicly funded home care for people deemed palliative, the system still leaves many behind.

What frustrates palliative doctors is that while we have now provided medical assistance in dying (Bill C-14), we don’t give everyone the option of a comfortable, pain free way to live out their final months with appropriate hospice or home care with nursing. As a society we have done good job supporting the beginning of life (pregnancy, delivery, pediatric care etc), but we have gaps related to end of life. The reality is that there are now more seniors than kids in Canada.

See below a good article from 2016 written by the President of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians. Its a difficult topic but an important question regarding priorities for the Canadian healthcare system.

Globe Article: Canada’s Health System Favors Cradle and Ignores Grave

Hospital Sets Example for Caring for Elderly Patients

2017-01-11T03:33:44Z

Progressive hospitals are realizing that they can provide better care to seniors that also lowers length of stay which reduces costs. Dr Samir Sinha is a leading geriatrician, and head of geriatrics for Sinai Health System and the University Health Network.

They have implemented strategies to enable seniors in the hospital to be more engaged and active in the day allowing for better sleep at night.

See the article below from the Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/torontos-mount-sinai-hospital-sets-example-for-caring-for-elderly-patients/article33419239/

Caring for Aging Parents Impacts Career

2017-01-11T03:01:40Z

When a parent has a terminal illness, or has a homecare crisis, or simply needs your help, it can mean for some daughters and sons flying to another city and away from career and immediate life commitments. In todays high pressure work environments there can be guilt about feeling inadequate in both helping parents and meeting career expectations. For every understanding boss or flexible work environment, there are other environments where helping aging parents impacts career advancement, opportunities and reputation. There are no standard answers, or easy solutions.

See below an article written by Rosanna Fay for The Atlantic that chronicles her struggles balancing a demanding executive career as a co-founder with helping her terminally ill parents.

how-caring-for-aging-parents-affects-a-career

Be Careful Seniors: It is Flu Season

2016-12-01T18:43:08Z

Every winter we like to remind everyone, but particularly seniors, to get a flu shot and to take precautions. Globally, 5 to 10% of adults each year get the flu. People over 65 are at the highest risk of serious complications from the flu, even death. The best defence is a combination of the flu shot, regular proper cleaning of hands, sneezing into your sleeve, eating well and getting sufficient sleep. With the flu shot being available at over 2,600 pharmacies as well as doctor offices, its very easy to get the flu shot for you and your family.

Our medical director Dr Kim Panovka and her family get the flu shot each year.

Visit ontario.ca/flu to find a flu shot clinic near you.

Below, we include an article from Dr David Williams, the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario.

Article from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer