CONTEST!! Tell me about your favorite doctor’s office and how the staff have made a difference. I will send the person who submits the winning story and the winning doctor’s office a cake from BakeAWish.com. Ends Nov. 8, 2009

I have worked in a medical office and I know how difficult it can be to keep the doctor on schedule, deal with the patients that are suffering and to make sure the bills get sent to the insurance company on time. I would like to honor this month the great doctor office’s staff that go the extra mile to make sure that the patients get the care they need. I also know that this group of workers don’t always get the recognition they deserve. So here is what I would like to do this month.

Tell me about your favorite doctor’s office and why they have made a difference in your life. I will pick one story to feature on my blog and the person who submitted the winning story and the winning doctor’s office will each receive a cake from BakeAWish. (Of course, I can change your name if you don’t want to be mentioned on my site.) The last date to send in your story is Nov. 8, 2009. I will announce the winner on my blog on Nov. 12th.

Send your story to me at Viki@KindEthics.com

Bake Me A Wish: http://tinyurl.com/rylvyz

Have a kind and respectful day.

Celebrate the holidays today – Take a treat to your doctor’s office or the nursing home today

You may be thinking of doing something nice for your loved one’s doctor’s office, hospital staff, or long term facility where your loved one lives. But don’t do something in December. Everyone brings the staff food and treats in December and a lot of it goes to waste (waist). The staff would love to have your bring something in October or some other month when they can truly appreciate it. And, your efforts will be noticed because it is not just one more person bringing in a treat, but you thinking of them at a different time of the year.

Here are a couple of yummy places where you can order something to be delivered.

Chocolates Gifts: http://tinyurl.com/p8abol
Cakes: http://tinyurl.com/rylvyz
Tea: http://tinyurl.com/nt5gqc
Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/l6x2d5

Have a kind and respectful day.

Interview with Debra Joy from BCelebrated.com, Nov. 4th 10AM pacific, on BlogTalkRadio.com/kindethics

Interview with Debra Joy from BCelebrated.com, Nov. 4th 10AM pacific, on BlogTalkRadio.com/kindethics. Call in to listen live at (347) 945-5152 or listen online.

Debra Joy is founder of Bcelebrated.com. She and her husband developed the service after experiencing the loss of several loved ones over a short period of time.

We created this service so everyone would have a chance to determine how their life will be celebrated. To share their story, say their goodbyes, and comfort and support their loved ones.

Bcelebrated.com enables members to document their life as they are living it. They can write their story in their own words, adding pictures, videos, music and links to other sites. The site will become their permanent online memorial, including funeral and obituary information, at the time of their death. Members can create secure password-protected private pages to offer words to comfort, information about access codes or where important documents are kept. The site has an automatic notification system so the burden of tracking down contacts in a timely manner no longer rests on the shoulders of the grieving family. The notification will alert the community of the member’s death and invite them to the site where they can share their own stories, read about the member’s death in their own words, send a gift to the grieving family and access their private page if one has been created for them.

“Some of our friends knew they were going to die and had a chance to organize matters, tell people how much they love them, say their goodbyes. Those who died unexpectedly they never got that chance. Families were left scrambling to contact people, and make decisions and arrangements on behalf of their loved one, while they are going through their own grief.”

To read more about Bcelebrated go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-dunn/bcelebrated—-a-revoluti_b_291536.html

Have a kind and respectful day.

Swine Flu Season – What to know when visiting a hospital or long term care facility

The restrictions on who can visit during swine flu season will include rules about what age visitors are allowed and how many people can visit patients this fall. Some hospitals are not allowing anyone under the age of 16 to visit a loved one unless the person is imminently dying. Or the hospital is limiting the total number of visitors to two. Before you go to visit someone in the hospital or in a long term care facility, call ahead to see what the rules are.

If you do visit, make sure that you wash your hands before you come into the building, before you touch the patient and as you leave so you don’t take any germs out with you. Many hospitals have the antibacterial gel at the entrance and in each person’s room. Use it often to protect yourself and your loved one. You may also want to bring a bottle of the antibacterial gel to leave at the bedside of your loved one. That way they can protect themselves.

The hospital doesn’t want you to get sick and they don’t want you to bring in any germs. Patients are very vulnerable to any infection and even if you didn’t mean to, you might be bringing a deadly infection to someone in the hospital. An infection that only makes you a little sick may be life-threatening to someone else. If you are sick, stay home.

I know that it would be difficult for me to stay home when my loved one was in the hospital. But I also know that I would be risking someone’s life by taking the chance of coming to the hospital when I am sick. I could not bear the thought that I brought something into the hospital that killed someone. So, I will do the right thing and stay home if I am in that situation. I hope you will too.

Have a kind and respectful day. KindEthics.com

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.

Stopping the “Third Party Patient” problem.

When a person with diminished capacity comes in for an office visit, do you remember to include the person in the conversation or do you take the easy way and just talk to the patient’s family or caregiver? Unfortunately, sometimes we forget that patient is still there and allow the caregiver to speak for them. This is what is called, “Making the person a third party patient.” The patient losses his or her own voice and becomes invisible to the healthcare professional and the caregiver.

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.

This week is National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week – September 14-20

I think about my niece and how nobody can tell she is suffering. She has Still’s Disease and some days, she looks just fine. But that isn’t what her body is saying. Her body is screaming in terrible pain, with raging fevers and a weakness that stops her from even lifting her arms. But you might not be able to tell unless the day you see her is one of her wheelchair days. I didn’t realize how bad it could get until I traveled with her. At the beginning of the day, she will be doing okay. Then as the day wears on, the symptoms ravage her body.

She is an example of what the Invisible Chronic Illness Week is about. We can’t tell from the outside what is going on inside for people. People with chronic illnesses still go about their day and still have to live their life. They have gotten used to coping. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t suffering. They are just doing what they have to do to take care of their kids, provide for their families and keep the household going.

We need to be tender with people. You can’t assume anything about people because you aren’t inside their body or their life. People put on a brave face because they have to, not because they want to. The next time you see someone who is being grumpy or who is slow to get out of your way, remember that they may be doing the best they can. This may be the best day they have had all year. Or maybe today is their worst. We need to choose to be compassionate, polite and understanding. There may come a day when we will need someone to be gentle with us.

Rescheduled: Date TBD, Interview with Peter Lichtenburg Ph.D. on blogtalkradio.com/kindethic

Peter A. Lichtenberg, Ph.D., is the Director of the IOG and Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience & Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Wayne State University. Dr. Lichtenberg received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Purdue University, where he also minored in aging. Dr. Lichtenberg will be discussing dementia, Alzheimer’s and the work of the Institute of Gerentology at Wayne State University, including the work of the Healthier Black Elders Center.

www.iog.wayne.edu — blog
www.dementiacoalition.org
http://www.mcuaaar.wayne.edu/events.php — Healthier Black Elders Center

Director of the IOG since 1999, Lichtenberg has led this research and education unit to record levels of funding (annual totals for the past 8 years are a 300-400% increase from previous highs), to an expansion of research focus by recruiting faculty in the area of cognitive neuroscience, and the leadership of several highly successful training and mentoring grants (See below for details on the Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Training and on the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research). Dr. Lichtenberg also created the first IOG-funded development Board of Visitors which in its first 4 ½ years raised over $2.25 Million dollars.

Dr. Lichtenberg is the author of five books, including the highly acclaimed Handbook of Dementia (2003, Handbook of Assessment in Clinical Gerontology (Wiley press, 1999) and A Guide to Psychological Practice in Geriatric Long Term Care (Haworth Press 1994). In addition, Dr. Lichtenberg has edited a four volume series for the organization Medical Psychotherapy, and has published over 125 peer reviewed scientific articles. His particular areas of research include mental health in long term care, geriatric depression, geriatric psychology and
medical rehabilitation and the early detection and management of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dr. Lichtenberg has been awarded many distinctions including the 1996 Early Career Award in Rehabilitation Psychology, Fellowship in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Psychological Association, the Outstanding Contribution Award for Psychologists in Long Term Care, and both the 2001 Distinguished Faculty Award and Outstanding Mentor Award at Wayne State University. In 2002, he was the first educator to be given the Alzheimer’s Advocate Award. In 2004, on behalf of the IOG, he accepted community honors from the Area Agency on Aging 1C and Wayne County. In 2006 he was awarded the Harry Kelly Award for outstanding leadership in Gerontology

Dr. Lichtenberg is a leader in many national and community organizations in Detroit and the State of Michigan including chair of the http://www.dementiacoalition.org/>Michigan Dementia Coalition, past-chair of the Central City Aging Services Consortium, and Board member for the Area Agency on Aging 1-B Advisory Board. Nationally, Dr. Lichtenberg was the Chair of the
Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of the Gerontological Society of America (2007), Chair of the APA Committee on Aging (2008) and a member of the APA Presidential Task Force on Integrated Care for an Aging Population.

The Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University brings together science and service to advance the cause of aging research. Its multidisciplinary faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and pre-doctoral trainees focus on the social and behavioral aspects of lifespan health and cognitive development. Dedicated to promoting successful aging, the Institute of Gerontology is where research and outreach combine to make life better in Detroit and beyond.

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