Healthy Aging Radio Show will be featuring Viki Kind on June 28, 2010 at 5pm EST

This Monday, Dr. Michael Perskin will be featuring Viki Kind on his show “Healthy Aging” on Monday, June 28, 2010 from 5-6pm EST.

Every Monday from 4 – 6 pm ET, Dr. Michael Perskin joins the Doctor Radio lineup on SIRIUS Satellite Radio to answer listener questions about aging and the care of the elderly. Dr Perskin is a specialist in geriatric medicine and works with individuals as well as family members caring for their loved ones. Sometimes the questions we have can be as simple as “why do my knees hurt?”, and sometimes they are as difficult as “my mother can’t remember who I am.” Knowing where to turn when medicine and age intersect is a prescription for less stress, better care and a healthier life.

Michael H. Perskin, MD, is the Director of the Faculty Group Practice for the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, as well as Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine.

Dr. Perskin’s clinical practice is devoted to individualized patient-centered care. His focus is on prevention, comprehensive geriatric care management, and diagnosis.

Have a kind and respectful day.

A Caregivers Journey interviews Viki Kind on 6/28/10 at 11am PST

A Caregivers Journey is a free radio show run by Susan Baida and John Mills, co-Founders of eCare Diary.com. This show will focus on issues of care providers, long-term care, advanced aging — and it will feature expert speakers on aging, long-term care, dementia and other illnesses and issues typically associated with aging in America.

eCareDiary.com is a one-stop source for all things aging. They support both the aging community AND care providers. They are sought after speakers on advanced aging and care providing, and their website is a huge source of tools and information.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Caregiver Yoga – Right in your home while you raise money for your school

Interview with Laura Colvin-Brown about Caregiver Yoga and raising money for your school. June 10 at 10AM pacific. www.blogtalkradio.com/kindethics

Take care of your self AND your school! Finally… a way for busy parents and educators to get in a little TLC for themselves, while helping out their favorite school…aaaahhh!

If you are like all the other parents and educators that I know, you don’t have time to visit your local yoga studio: who would watch the kids?! …..but you WISH there were a way. Well, now there is!

How about THIS…. we will send you eight new yoga classes every month… that you can watch and do right from your home computer or laptop ANYTIME… and you can do them as many times as you like! 8 all new gentle flow yoga classes will be sent right to your inbox every month when you subscribe to our service. This is like having a private yoga studio right from your screen… for only $15/ month! ….and the best part? Half of that goes directly to the school or group who sent you here.

Compare this to a yoga studio near you: some charge $15 PER CLASS! This is the easiest, most reasonable way to get your yoga in and help your school out at the same time.

Sign up today to receive 8 full video classes every single month!
www.OnlineYogaFundraiser.com
www.FlagstaffYogaFestival.com

Have a kind and respectful day.

deLeon Dialogue interviews Viki on 6/18/10 at 6pm Pacific

Viki will be interviewed on deLeon Dialogue about her new book, The Caregiver’s Path to Compassionate Decision Making – Making Choices for Those Who Can’t on June 18th, 6PM pacific, on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/deleondialogue You can call in to ask questions at 347-945-5853.

deLeon, a breast cancer survivor, envisions a world where everyone is privy to, and gets life saving facts and figures, so each person is empowered with the knowledge to make the necessary choices in regard to health and wellness.

This health and wellness show informs, educates and motivates listeners to stand up, stand tall, stand firm and fight back against chronic diseases. It’s your life; you must decide how you handle the trauma that enters it. Are you going to rise above your situation, or are you going to let the situation rise above you? You must decide.

Proper health education and preventive health measures are key.

Website: http://www.deleondialogue.webs.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Choonks

Have a kind and respectful day.

Caregiver Heroes

The other day, my 7-year-old nephew said to my husband, “I wish I had a super power, even if it was a pathetic one like folding towels.” Of course we had a good laugh about it when he shared it with me later that day. This kid has always had a magic way of expressing himself.

Later that day, my husband said to me, “Everyday things can be super powers. Like being able to have a caring heart or feeling empathy for someone’s suffering.” I realized that this is the daily journey of caregivers. So many caregivers wish they had super powers to get through their days. When in reality, you don’t have to be a superhero; you are already an everyday hero.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Improving the Medical Experience of the Person struggling with Alzheimer’s or other memory loss

When a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia is going to have a medical test or procedure, how can we help the person to feel less frightened and to minimize any suffering? If the patient is struggling to understand what will be happening to them, do a practice run-through and show the person the room where the test will happen. Or find a book with pictures that will help him understand what you are talking about. If the person with diminished capacity is afraid of being alone, you may want to introduce him to the nurses who will be working that day. For my dad, we tape-recorded the doctor’s explanations so he could listen to the information over and over again until he felt more comfortable.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the patient may be experiencing symptoms that affect his or her participation. These symptoms could be pain, side effects of medications, loss of hearing or sight, lack of sleep, an undiagnosed illness and grief, to name a few. Find out what can be done to relieve these symptoms to make it easier for the individual to participate in the process. Ultimately, our goal is to think about the quality-of-life questions from the person’s perspective as he or she will experience the consequences of our decisions.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Are you treating your loved one like a “Third Party Patient”?

When you take your loved one to the doctor’s office, are you making sure that you are keeping the person with diminished capacity involved in the office visit? Too often, the doctor starts talking to the patient’s family or caregiver and forgets that the patient is in the room. Or sometimes we forget that our loved one is still here and begin to make all of their decisions for them. This is what is called, “Making the person a third party patient.” It is seems like the patient has become invisible.

I know this has happened in my family. Many times, my dad’s doctor would ask me in front of my dad, “How is your dad feeling today?” Then I would say, “I don’t know, ask him.” Or when I would take my aunt, who was in a wheelchair, out for lunch, people would say to me, “What would your aunt like to eat?” And once again I would say, “I don’t know, ask her.” We have to remind people that our loved one is still here. Even if the person has lost some of their ability to think and communicate, that doesn’t mean that he or she shouldn’t be included. Yes, the person with diminished capacity will not be making the final decisions about medical treatment choices, but the individual can still voice his or her opinion.

I know that it may not be easy and it may take more time, but we need to keep the person included. The person deserves our attention and our effort. Face the patient, ask the person questions and be patient when waiting for the answer. Explain to the person what will be happening to him or her in language that can be understood. It is important to include the person for as long as possible and when it is safe to have them have a voice in the decisions.

Have a kind and respectful day.

The Pajama Story

The Pajama Story

My friend, Gail, told me the most touching story the other day. A lovely lady was a devoted and loving wife to her dying husband. She did everything for him at home but as the end neared, she had to admit her husband to an inpatient hospice facility so he could get more help managing his symptoms. This ended up being the best thing for both of them. She told my friend, that because there were other people to take over the care of her husband, she was finally free to put on her pajamas, crawl into bed beside her husband and spend his last three days with him as his wife, not his caregiver. It was the first time in months that she could stop and reconnect with the love of her life.

I cried when I heard this. So often we get caught up in the caregiving that we forget that we are an important person in this individual’s life and that they are important to us. Our loved one is not a body to be turned or fed or cleaned, but the person we love.

No matter what stage you are in during the caregiving process, take a moment to remember the love when you are caregiving. You may not have forever, so do it today. Put on your pajama’s and remember why you have devoted yourself to this person. These are precious moments not to be wasted.

Have a kind and respectful day.

A Life Lesson from Aunt Berda – Coping with a Chronic Illness

My Aunt Berda was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when she was 31. She was amazing as she didn’t even use a wheelchair until her late 70’s. I asked her about her symptoms one day and she explained to me that she had constant numbness and tingling. I was shocked. If you met my aunt, you would think that she didn’t have any physical suffering with her MS. But she did. I asked her about how she handled the symptoms while keeping her good nature. Here is what she told me.

She said that when she was first diagnosed as a young woman, she spent 30 days in the hospital paralyzed. She made a decision at that time that if she had to be a patient, then she would be a good-natured patient. She didn’t need to make life miserable for those who were caring for her. She said that every day she wakes up and “Chooses to be happy.” That it is an active choice. Maybe two days a year, the symptoms got the best of her but most of the time she kept to this decision. Did the MS affect her? Of course, but she kept her good nature and chose to give to others everyday. She was a wonderful listener and provided a supportive ear to all that interacted with her. I knew she was special but I was still surprised when a nursing assistant said to me, “Look at this.” I looked at the cell phone she held out to me and a picture of my aunt and this caregiver was the main picture on the phone. This caregiver said that my aunt was her best friend. And I didn’t even know about it. It was a powerful lesson in knowing that no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in, we have a choice. We can choose to make a difference. We can choose to be happy. My aunt died last year but her lesson lives on.

Choose to have a kind and respectful day.

Viki Kind interviews Dale Carter, “When you get that emergency call about your loved one being ill.” Tuesday, May 5th at 11AM, PST. www.blogtalkradio.com/kindethics

Viki Kind interviews Dale Carter, “When you get that emergency call about your loved one being ill.”  Tuesday,  May 5th at 11AM, PST.  www.blogtalkradio.com/kindethics

Dale Carter has had personal experience getting the call that her mom was ill in another state.  And the panic and helplessness it caused.  Now she is another year wiser and more experienced and would like to share what she has learned.
About Dale Carter
* long-distance caregiver to her elderly mother
* founder of the blog, Transition Aging Parents
* author of the Ecourse, “Five Essential Strategies to Help your Aging Parent Face Change”
* mentor on the new social networking site, TheCircle.org (launching May 1st)
* nursing home volunteer

Dale created Transition Aging Parents blog as a way to share my experience and reach out to other adult children of aging parents.  Dale provides insight and shares information and resources to help adult daughters and sons ensure their aging parents “thrive and find joy in every stage of life”.
Dale believes one of the most important gifts we can give our parents is to educate ourselves and be our parent’s advocate and ally.

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