Kindness Reminders Idea from Hayes Rowan - Sewing Bee to Make Pillows for Seniors

I have been sending out Kindness Reminders to many people who want to make sure that they reach out to show their love to a person who lives far away, a senior in a care community, or someone who just needs a little tender, loving care. If you would like to sign up for these reminders, sign up at the top right of my blog at www.KindEthics.com .

I was pleased that Hayes Rowan wrote to me with a wonderful idea for how we can show love and comfort to those who might need a little support. Here is what he wrote:

Here is one way to build bridges between our neighborhoods & nursing homes, & improve the quality of lives in both. More than pillows, the hope is: with more neighbors interacting with residents - the more conditions in the homes will improve.

Here goes: Enlist folks (scout troops, church groups, librarians adept with needlepoint hoops) to have sewing bees with residents, and make pillows. Old fashioned sewing bees - a time to listen, a time to care, someday, somewhere.

Pillows have that way of easing the aches & pains of immobility - lumbar pillows, neck pillows, u-shaped seat-cushion pillows. These days I always use a special one, globe-shaped and loosely filled, to cradle a book or support a sewing project – eases strain all around. (Bought it second-hand for a dollar – that works too.) (I use, to count ‘em, seven pillows* for the better night’s rest, as the hips & back & mood can attest. They sure beat sleepin’ pills, that leave one all groggy & soggy the next day, (Calms Forte the most notable exception.)

So: sewing bees in the nursing home dining rooms, fortnightly - what say?
(*best fabrics for cases are satiny-silky-poly to touch. The more frictive type (flannel, corduroy ..) resist adjustment under blankets’ weight.)

Do let us know if some of you miraculously bring this from Idea to Actuality and write to hayesrowan@gmail.com

Have a kind and respectful day.

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION OFFERS GUIDELINES AND TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION OFFERS GUIDELINES AND TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Helping people care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease

LOS ANGELES, CA – The holidays are a time full of celebration, joy and special occasions with family and friends. But for people living with Alzheimer’s disease the season can present special challenges. The Alzheimer’s Association, California Southland Chapter has prepared “Home For The Holidays,” a handy guide with tips and advice for families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.

The guide shows how, with careful planning, family celebrations can be a meaningful part of the holidays while ensuring safety, comfort and enjoyment for everyone. Its purpose is to help alleviate some of the stress associated with the additional activities and changes in routine at this time of year.

“Home for the Holidays” is available for download through the chapter Web site, www.alz.org/socal or by calling the Chapter’s 24-hour helpline at (800) 272-3900.

Anyone with questions about Alzheimer’s disease is encouraged to call. Experts are available to speak with people who are concerned with their own cognitive health, and can assist family members and friends seeking information or resources for loved ones.

Highlights from the Alzheimer’s Association “Home for the Holiday” Guide:

Caregiving responsibilities layered on top of keeping up with holiday traditions can take their toll on Alzheimer families, especially on the caregivers. With some preparation, your celebrations can be filled with joy and magical moments to cherish.

Adjust your expectations
No one, including yourself, should expect you to maintain every holiday tradition or event.

Give yourself permission to do only what you can reasonably manage
Choose holiday activities and traditions that are most important to you
Host a small family dinner instead of a throwing a big holiday party
Consider serving a catered or takeout holiday meal. Many grocery stores and restaurants offer meals to go.
Start a new tradition. Host a potluck dinner where family or friends each bring a dish

Involve the affected individual in holiday festivities
People with memory loss can often share in activities. Here are a few ideas:

Wrap gifts
Bake favorite holiday recipes together. The person can stir batter or decorate cookies.
Set the table. Avoid centerpieces with candles and artificial fruits and berries that could be mistaken for edible
snacks.
Talk about events to include in a holiday letter
Prepare simple foods such as appetizers
Read holiday cards you receive together
Look through photo albums or scrapbooks. Reminisce about people in the pictures and past events.
Watch a favorite holiday movie together
Sing seasonal carols or read passages from favorite books

When the individual lives in a care facility
A holiday is still a holiday whether it is celebrated at home or at a care facility. Here are some ways to celebrate together:

Join your loved one at the facility-planned holiday activities
Bring a favorite holiday food to share
Sing holiday songs. Ask if other residents can join in.
Read a favorite holiday story or poem out loud

For more tips and information, visit the Alzheimer’s Association Web site (www.alz.org/socal) or call (800) 272-3900.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization committed to research, care and support for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. For 30 years, the California Southland chapter has provided critical services and programs to thousands of families in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. These services and programs include care consultation, support groups, the Medic Alert® + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return® Identification Registry, and a 24-hour Helpline for information and referral at (800) 272-3900. The Alzheimer’s Association also provides education for health care professionals, caregivers and the general public; advocacy for improved public policy and legislation; and financial support to increase research to find the cause and cure for this devastating disease. For more information, visit www.alz.org/socal.

Documents and/or Photos available for this release:

PDF of News Release, “Home for the Holidays”
PDF of “Home for the Holidays” booklet

To view supporting documents and/or photos, go to www.enr-corp.com/pressroom and enter Release ID: 314642

Mary Ellen Mannix - Protecting Newborns from the Most Common Birth Defects on Dec. 1st

Join me as I interview Mary Ellen Mannix, author, teacher, restorative practices educator & facilitator, and nationally recognized patient safety advocate. December 1st at 11AM PST/2PM EST http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kindethics/2011/12/01/mary-ellen-mannix–the-james-project–protecting-newborns

Communication between adults involved in any child’s life must be of high quality to benefit the child. Think parent-teacher relationships, divorced parents, intact family communication etc. When a child is in the middle of a healthcare crisis that communication can be lifesaving…or life threatening.

Today Mary Ellen is working with her state senator to ensure that all Pennsylvania newborns receive appropriate screening for the most common birth defect – SB 1202 The James Mannix Bill. www.jamessproject.com

James’s Project is a community based organization focused on improving communication in healthcare with the goal of saving children’s lives and clinician’s livelihoods. Communication strategies has an impact on our infant mortality rate. We want to improve it.

James’s Project works on three levels to save other children and families from the losses James and his clinicians and families endured.
–Proactive – on sight, online, and phone education and awareness programs to help parents and caregivers prepare and learn the best practices to safely navigate their child through the healthcare system. There is information that parents can get that will help them most successfully advocate for their child - as well as themselves, so treatment decisions are truly family centered.
–Active - healthcare coaching & bedside advocacy (which can be bedside or simply by phone) to assist & empower parents who have a hospitalized or child in crisis and feel communication with care providers is not as good as it should be.
–Reactive - medication and conciliatory services if and when there is an outcome that the patient and family have questions about.

Any parent, caregiver, friend or clinician can reach out to JP by email or phone to discuss their needs and create a plan to help their specific need.

JP is fortunate to have professionals in the fields of medicine, law, social work, mediation and patient safety who share their knowledge, expertise and connections to help find answers.
JP is just beginning but growing rapidly. For those in the Greater Philadelphia are there are several Parent Education presentations I will be giving this Fall.

For others anywhere else in the United States (and even the world) we are about to announce several webinar presentations thanks to a grant from the Cautious Patient Foundation.

Every pregnant mom and dad knows what LaMaze is - a wonderful form of childbirth that changed the landscape of labor and delivery in the late 20th century. James’s Project is taking it a step further and providing the education parents need to be fully engaged partners in their child’s healthcare for the 21st century.

Her book, Split the Baby is available at http://www.amazon.com/Split-Baby-Mary-Ellen-Mannix/dp/0557132665

Mary Ellen Mannix is available for: Keynotes, Webinars, Highly engaging workshops and education for professionals and parents, Mediation via Restorative Practice methodologies, Family Group Conferencing, Family Group Decision Making, Healing & Growth Conferences in Healthcare, Speakers Bureau, Support

Mary Ellen Mannix is a mother of 5 children (ranging in age from 7 years to 21 years old), author, teacher, restorative practices educator & facilitator, and nationally recognized patient safety advocate. After the tragic death of her fourth child she began learning why things go wrong in healthcare and how we can all make it safer. She has served as a substitute on a Patient Safety Advisory Committee for The Joint Commission, advisory board member for The Newborn Coalition, served on hospital patient safety committees, led clinical education such as for Clinical Pharmacology with HRSA, graduate nursing students at the University of Pennsylvania, and served as the consumer panelist and co-author of The American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery’s Tonsillectomy in Children Guideline. Mary Ellen has also presented at The Quality Colloquium at Harvard, The International Restorative Practices Conference and The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority Advisory Board Meeting. Mary Ellen was also selected as one of 50 Patient Activists for The Institute for Healthcare Improvement. She also received a grant from The Cautious Patient Foundation to engage more parents & patients to become educated and empowered advocates for their children in healthcare.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Families invited to Free Webinar and Live Event - November 8 - Free CEU for CCMC, NURSE AND SOCIAL WORK

Free CEU Seminar & Networking Reception
Empowering Caregivers of Dementia Patients on Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Viki Kind - Author of The Caregiver’s Path to Compassionate Decision Making - Making Choices for Those Who Can’t
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST

or Join via Webinar
RSVP Today at SeniorBridge.com/Seminar - Program Starts at 6:00 p.m. EST

Join Us In-Person at SeniorBridge
845 Third Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Wine & Appetizer Reception Starts at 5:30 p.m.

Adults age 85+ are the fastest growing segment of our population - and half of them have Alzheimer’s. This seminar
will help professionals and families struggling to make decisions for those without capacity develop a pathway,
framework and tools for making thoughtful, ethical decisions. These tools are designed to be tailored to individual levels of incapacity and situations and to give voice to those who can’t speak for themselves. Respect and compassion will be the core values of this decision making process.

CCMC, NURSE AND SOCIAL WORK CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS PROVIDED BY SENIORBRIDGE*
Nurse contact hours pending by State of Florida Nursing Board for RN, ARNP, CNS, LPN. Social Work credits
pending by State of Florida Social Work Board for LCSW, LMFT, LMHC.
CCMC credits pending by the Commission for Case Manager Certification.
*Professionals should confirm acceptance of CCMC & Florida State approved CEUs with their licensing board.
For more information, email webinars@SeniorBridge.com or call 212-994-6153

Have a kind and respectful day.

Join me at the California Women Business Owners meeting in Woodland Hills, CA on Oct. 10 at 6PM

Join me at the California Women Business Owners meeting in Woodland Hills, CA on Oct. 10 at 6PM.
Maggiano’s Little Italy
6100 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, #1330
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Phone: 818.887.3777

California Women Business Owners is a non profit organization that serves women business owners and professionals in the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area. California Women Business Owners was founded by four women in 1981 to help find answers to the following:

How to be successful as an entrepreneur.
Where to go for help.
How to establish beneficial contacts with a variety of professional business people.
How to find helpful information and supportive business colleagues.

CWBO Objectives

To encourage business ownership by women.
To be supportive of women business owners.
To promote economic stability in businesses owned and operated by women.
To share information of interest to women business owners.
To support legislation at the local, state and federal levels which will benefit women business owners.

CWBO meets the second Monday of the month to enjoy dinner, networking, and a speaker on topics of interest to women entrepreneurs. We share referrals, leads and the benefits of business ownership and support each other in our professional endeavors. We are women business owners in a women’s group dedicated to supporting our business colleagues in meeting our personal and professional objectives.

California Women Business Owners. cwbo.org
Los Angeles
P.O. Box 570514
Tarzana, CA 91357
818-773-1976
info@cwbo.org

Serving Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Westlake Village, Calabasas, Studio City and Toluca Lake, Burbank Glendale, Encino and all the surrounding communities in the greater Los Angeles area.

Join me at the Texas NASW - National Association Of Social Workers on Oct. 8

Join me at the Texas NASW - National Association Of Social Workers on Oct. 8. I will be speaking at 2:15. http://www.naswtx.org

Founded in 1957 the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest organization of professional social workers in the world, with over 155,000 members in 55 chapters. The Texas Chapter, with about 5,700 members, is the major professional social work organization in the state. NASW is committed to advancing professional social work practice and the profession; and to promoting human rights, social and economic justice, and unimpeded access to services for everyone. Its members work in a broad range of settings including hospitals and other health care settings, community agencies, government, academia, business, nursing homes, schools, and private practice.

The Chapter office is located at 810 W. 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-2010. The staff is available to respond to member inquiries regarding social work practice, legislative and social policy issues, continuing education, licensing issues, and other informational requests.

The Chapter has numerous branches, committees and other leadership opportunities that involve members throughout the state, and better serve the social work community. These entities work on professional, social policy, and legislative issues, sponsor conferences, and provide a source of networking for members.

NASW’s goals include improving the quality of life and ensuring that the same rights and opportunities
are enjoyed by all. In addition, NASW strives to:
• Advance the quality of social work practice, improve the knowledge base required for
practice, and promote professional development.
• Promote the strength, unity, and recognition of the social work profession and the use of
standards to protect the consumer.
• Propose and promote sound public policies and programs aimed at meeting human needs
and improving quality of life.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Viki will be speaking at the Dallas Area Agency on Aging, Event SOLD OUT

Viki will be speaking at the Dallas Area Agency on Aging on October 7.
EVENT SOLD OUT

The Area Agency on Aging of Tarrant County (AAATC) is part of United Way of Tarrant County and receives funding from the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services. For more information, call 817-258-8081 or 817-258-8082. http://unitedwaytarrant.org/

Our Mission
To be the visible leader and advocate in the creation and delivery of services that promote empowerment, independence and dignity for older citizens, persons with disabilities and caregivers.

Medicare Enrollment Counseling
Medicare beneficiaries have the opportunity to choose their prescription drug and health plans during the Medicare open enrollment period October 15 to December 7, 2011. Whether you are new to Medicare or changing plans, you can receive free one-on-one counseling from a State-certified benefits counselor by calling United Way’s Area Agency on Aging of Tarrant County at 817-258-8125. If you have limited income and resources, you may be eligible to receive extra help with your Medicare prescription drug expenses. Counseling is available to both Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Join me in Dallas at the Lewisville Estates Retirement and Assisted Living on Oct. 6, 11:30

Join me in Dallas at the Lewisville Estates Retirement and Assisted Living on Oct. 6, 11:30. I will be speaking at this networking event. http://www.seniorlifestyle.com/senior_living/Lewisville_TX/zip_75077/the_senior_lifestyle_corporation/5033

Guests arrive at 11:30 and are invited to get a great meal at $7.
800 College Parkway
Lewisville, TX 75077

The networking luncheon starts at 1130. Lori Williams, A Place for Mom Eldercare Advisor, co-hosts the event with Jerald Black from Lewisville Estates Retirement and Assisted Living. It’s a great opportunity to meet local professionals.

About the Lewisville Estates:
Find peace of mind, as well as comfort and convenience at a Senior Lifestyle community. As a resident in our hospitality-centered community, you will find socially engaging and comforting lifestyle options that experts say are so important to healthy aging.

Our community offers you a whole new world of friendship, gracious living, assisted living options, comfort and convenience in an ultimate location. Put them together and you have the perfect combination for an independent, rewarding and fulfilling retirement. We invite you to call and schedule a personal visit…stay for lunch, we’re proud of our dining service team. Experience for yourself the warm hospitality and high quality that is a way of life for our residents. Your lifestyle is waiting.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Advocating for and making Quality Long Term Care Decisions - R

Join me on Sept. 27th, 9AM PST, 12PM EST as I interview Robyn Grant, the director of Advocacy and Outreach at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (the “Consumer Voice”). http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kindethics/2011/09/27/robyn-grant–advocati
ng-for-quality-long-term-care-1

The Consumer Voice is a national organization that advocates on behalf of long-term care consumers in all settings - from their home to a nursing home. To carry out our mission, we:

* Advocate for public policies that support quality care and quality of life responsive to consumers’ needs in all long-term care settings
* Empower and educate consumers and families with the knowledge and tools they need to advocate for themselves
* Train and support individuals and groups that empower and advocate for consumers of long-term care
* Promote the critical role of direct-care workers and best practices in quality-care delivery

The Consumer Voice is the leading national voice representing consumers in issues related to long-term care, helping to ensure that consumers are empowered to advocate for themselves. We are a primary source of information and tools for consumers, families, caregivers, advocates and
ombudsmen to help ensure quality care for the individual.

In her capacity as Director of Advocacy & Outreach, Robyn is responsible for growing the Consumer Voice’s grassroots network and developing and implementing grassroots advocacy strategies that advance the Consumer Voice’s public policy agenda. She has a master’s in social work with a specialization in aging and has advocated for quality long-term care for over 20 years. Prior to joining the Consumer Voice, she served as the Indiana State Long-Term Care Ombudsman and as Long
Term Care Policy Director at United Senior Action, an Indiana senior advocacy organization.

Robyn will talk about three critical decisions that impact the quality of long-term care an individual receives. These include deciding 1) what provider to choose, 2) whether you are or a loved one is getting good care, and 3) whether and how to speak up if good care is not being provided. The discussion will include tips from the Consumer Voice’s new resource, Piecing Together Quality Long-Term Care: A Consumer’s Guide to Choices and Advocacy. The guide is intended to educate people with disabilities and older adults about their options for long-term services and supports and empower them to be self-advocates for quality long-term care. It features suggestions from consumers receiving services in nursing homes, assisted living/group homes and in their homes. The guide also provides information and resources to assist people currently living in nursing homes to move back into the community.

www.TheConsumerVoice.org

Join me as I interview Bennett Blum, MD, “Undue Influence - How Seniors are Being Manipulated and Abused by their Families,” on Sept. 12th at 11AM PST

Join me as I interview Bennett Blum, MD, “Undue Influence - How Seniors are Being Manipulated and Abused by their Families,” on Sept. 12th at 11AM PST. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kindethics/2011/09/12/bennett-blum-md-undue-influence–a-danger-for-seniors

Bennett Blum, M.D., is an internationally acclaimed physician specializing in both forensic psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry. An expert on the evaluation of undue influence and associated manipulation tactics, Dr. Blum has consulted on hundreds of legal cases throughout the United States and internationally - including the precedent-setting United Nations trial of General Pavle Strugar. This was the first full competency hearing at an International War Crimes Tribunal since Nuremberg.

Dr. Blum has worked with major US Government agencies, law enforcement, and research institutes on the prevention, investigation, and litigation of issues related to undue influence and coercion. In 1999, he was the only mental health expert asked to testify at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s hearing on Fraud: Targeting America’s Seniors. From 2002-2004, Dr. Blum was a technical advisor to the Research Triangle Institute for its national study on elder financial exploitation. This study was the basis for the Administration on Aging’s “Financial Exploitation of Older Persons Report.”

In 2005, Dr. Blum participated in an invitation-only policy development conference for the White House Conference on Aging. In 2009, the U.S. State Department sponsored a lecture by Dr. Blum at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the forensic psychiatry analysis of undue influence claims in war crimes trials.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of Arizona, Dr. Blum received his medical education from the University of Arizona and psychiatric training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is a forensic psychiatric consultant to the litigation-consulting firm of Park Dietz & Associates, Inc. (http://www.parkdietzassociates.com/). His work has been published by the National College of Probate Judges, State Bar Associations, and in major medical textbooks -including sections on elder abuse and undue influence in the seventh, eighth, and ninth editions of Kaplan and Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. Dr. Blum’s work on undue influence assessment is also available in Assessment of Older Adults with Diminished Capacity: A Handbook for Psychologists - published jointly by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging and the American Psychological Association.

http://www.bennettblummd.com

Have a kind and respectful day.

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