Grey Matters on KKZZ in Ventura, CA will be interviewing Viki Kind on Feb. 25th at 4:30PST

Grey Matters is a weekly radio show on AM 1400 KKZZ, airing each Friday from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Dedicated to empowering the Sandwich Generation and their parents through the aging process. You don’t have to figure this out alone. Aging is not black and white – grey matters!

This innovative and entertaining show is hosted by Cheri Kurman and Jim Duran. Cheri is an attorney, certified by the California State Bar as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Jim is the Executive Director of Cypress Place Senior Living Facilities in Ventura and this year’s recipient of the California Assisted Living Association’s Outstanding Executive Director Award.

Learn more about Cheri and her firm at www.NormanDowler.com, and Cypress Senior Living Centers at http://www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com

Have a kind and respectful day.

Viki will be on the Hearts and Homes radio show on 12/2/10 at 7am PST

Viki will be interviewed by Christine Miller on the Hearts and Homes radio show on 12/2/10 at 7am PST.

Hearts and Homes for Seniors was born from a love of Seniors and a desire to help them have the best quality of life available. As a Director of Healthcare Services for a large home care company and again as a discharge planner in the hospital, Christine watched as Seniors and their families struggled to make critical life changing decisions with minimal help.

Christine’s Radio Show is a lively discussion exploring issues that impact seniors and their families.

She will discuss timely topics. Expert guests will discuss everything from senior living options, home care options, family caregivers, long distance care giving, veterans benefits to hospice and end of life issues.

Christine chose to use her nursing experience and follow her love and compassion for Seniors. She started Hearts and Homes for Seniors. Her mission is to help Seniors live the fullest, happiest life possible while helping families feel comfortable about the decisions and the choices they are making.

Whether a client chooses to stay in the community or wants to move into a Senior apartment, Christine can guide them in making the decision. Hearts and Homes for Seniors only refers high quality companies and facilities.

Have a kind and respectful day.

September 23rd is Fall Prevention Day – But Fall Prevention Should Be Everyday When Working With Seniors

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries for Americans 65 and older. More than 18,000 older Americans die every year because of a fall, and the rate has risen dramatically over the last 10 years.

“When older adults fall, it often leads to a loss of independence, reduced mobility, and earlier admission to a nursing home,” said Lynn Beattie, Vice President of Injury Prevention with the National Council on Aging, and national director of the Falls Free™ Coalition. “But the good news is, through appropriate risk management – falls are preventable.”

Studies show that a combination of interventions can significantly reduce falls in the older adult population. Experts recommend a physical activity regimen with balance, strength training, and flexibility components; consulting with a health professional about getting a fall risk assessment; having medications reviewed periodically, getting eyes checked annually; and making sure the home environment is safe and supportive.

At senior centers across the United States, programs like A Matter of Balance, Tai Chi, and Stepping On help older adults gain the strength, improved balance, and confidence to help them live healthier lives and preserve their independence.

For more information:

http://www.ncoa.org/resources.html?resinterest=falls-prevention&x=115&y=11

http://www.stopfalls.org/FPweek/coalitions.shtml

Have a kind and respectful day.

Listen to blogtalkradio’s Healing through Hurt radio show with Maria Wall

Viki will be a special guest on blogtalkradio’s Healing through Hurt radio show with Maria Wall on July 24, 2010 at 8pm PST.

Healing through Hurt Talk Radio with Maria Wall is a subsidiary of The Wall Foundation Inc. a Non Profit community based 501 (c)(3) organization! Serving at risk, vulnerable youth and their families including seniors! Offering a host of programs for families. This year their focus is on women and the challenges they face in their daily lives from abuse and esteem issues to the many health issues they face. Their mission is to empower and uplift real women & men with real stories. Reaching out through Radio to a broader audience of females & males of all ages and ethnic origin. They promise to continue to bring you the absolute best in show guests and topics.

In 2003 Maria Wall, President of the CM Wall Company Inc, saw a need to give our young people a voice and purpose outside of the vicious cycles they were accustomed to in addition to the lack of adult guidance for a host of reasons. Mrs. Wall developed a youth media / professional program that won international awards.

Although Mrs. Wall operated her program under the umbrella of other established non profit programs, she felt a need to do more. Therefore in 2008 she formed The Wall Foundation Inc. An organization that realized these are tough and hard times for our youth and their families. Mrs.
Wall is the little girl with big dreams who grew up to make them reality!

Have a kind and respectful day.

Lecture at Young at Heart Adult Day Care in St. Louis, MO on July 21, 2010 from 5-7pm

Viki will be speaking at Young at Heart Adult Day Care in St. Louis, MO on July 21, 2010 from 5-7pm.

Research shows that there are thousands of seniors living in our community who do not need a nursing home, but do need help, especially during the day to continue living safely at home.

Young at Heart Adult Day Care provides high quality care for an aging senior, or a family member with a cognitive or physical disability that limits their safety at home. Young at Heart is a good alternative to a nursing home for many people who are not ready to leave their home; and a great option for family members getting worn down with worry and the round the clock commitments of time to provide in-home support.

Owned and operated by Peter Nicolazzi and Laura Bone, Young at Heart Adult Day Care is licensed by the State of Missouri and is a Medicaid Provider. They are also members of the Missouri Adult Day Services Association. Pete has a history of over 20 years in a variety of social work settings. Most recent experience in the past 8 years has been working as a geriatric medical social worker in long term care. Voted Best Customer Service Award of 2003 from Barnes-Jewish Extended Care for superior performance and service to Patients, Families, Visitors and Staff. Laura brings 20 years of nursing experience with a specialty in Rehabilitation Nursing. Voted Nurse Manager of the Year of 2001 from Rehab Care Group. Clinical experience include medical/surgical, acute rehabilitation and Emergency Medicine. Laura is a member of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. Laura is currently serving as Vice President on the Missouri Adult Day Services Board.

Have a kind and respectful day.

PROSPECT PARK RESIDENCE TO HOST “Four Tools for Making the Difficult Life and Health Decisions” 6/30/10 6pm EST

Families, Caregivers and Healthcare Professionals Invited to Free Informative Session

Prospect Park Residence, a full-service senior living community in Brooklyn, NY, will host an informational session for families, caregivers and healthcare professionals titled, “Four Tools for Making the Difficult Life and Health Decisions”.

The event will take place on Wednesday, June 30, 6-7:30 pm.

The session will provide attendees with information and guidance on
how to make the right medical decisions for loved ones with care and
compassion while respecting what is or was important to that person.

Prospect Park Residence is located at One Prospect Park West at Grand Army Plaza, directly across the street from Prospect Park. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.prospectparkresidence.com or call (718) 622-8400.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Moira Fordyce’s recommends the resources on the American Geriatric’s Society website

I was speaking with Moira Fordyce from the California Coalition for Caregivers and she told me about the wonderful resources available at the American Geriatrics Society website. http://www.healthinaging.org/public_education/index.php The great thing about this website is that you know you can trust this information because it is coming from physicians who specialize in helping the aging patient and their loved ones.

You may also want to take a look at the California Coalition for Caregivers as they are an advocacy organization and are fighting to make sure that resources and protections are in place for our aging population. http://www.californiacrc.org If you live in California, they will send you alerts when it is time to contact your local representatives about an upcoming bill or iss

Lastly, you might want to download some of the legal handbooks for senior care from Bet Tzedek Legal Services at  http://www.bettzedek.org/publications.html#guides.

Below I have listed the topics from the American Geriatrics Society’s site. They have Tip Sheets, What to Ask Your Doctor, and General Aging Topics. It is like having a trusted friend to turn to for help. Have a kind and respectful day and enjoy the resources.

Latest Foundation Tip Sheets

Caregivers

Guide to Advance Directives

Tips For Avoiding Caregiver Burnout

Healthy Aging

Advice for Improving Your Memory

Cognitive Vitality

“Geriatric Syndromes”

Good Health in Later Life for Older Men

Good Health in Later Life for Older Women

Improving Communication with Your Healthcare Provider

Overcoming Challenges to Healthy Aging

Persistent Pain Tips

Holidays

Tips for Beating the Holiday Blues New!

Top 10 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Older Adults New!

Safety

2009 H1N1 Flu (“Swine Flu”) Tips

Emergency Preparedness Tips

Falls Prevention Tips

Home Safety Tips

Hot Weather Safety Tips

Safe Travel Tips

Safe Sex Tips

Safety Tips for Seniors Considering Visits to Retail Medical Clinics

Walking Tips

Winter Safety Tips

Spanish

Spanish Language Health Tip Sheet: “Manejo del “Dolor Persistente” en la Tercera Edad”/“Managing Persistent Pain In The Elderly”

Surgery

Hip and Knee Joint Replacement Tips

Vaccinations and Medications

Avoiding Overmedication and Harmful Drug Reactions

Vaccination Tips

What to Ask?

Questions for Your Healthcare Provider

How We Age
• Physical Activity
• Prevention
Health Care Decisions and Issues
• Health Assessment
• Health Care Settings
o Community-Based Care
o Hospitalization
o Nursing Home Care
• Complementary and Alternative Medicines
• Drug Treatment
• Elder Mistreatment
• Ethical and Legal Issues
• Pain Management
• Palliative Care and Hospice
• Rehabilitation
Elder Health at Your Fingertips
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• The Digestive System
o Disorders of the Digestive System
o Disorders of the Mouth
• The Heart, Lungs, and Blood and Circulation
o Anemia and Other Blood Disorders
o Breathing Problems
o Fainting (Syncope)
o Disorders of the Heart and Circulatory System
o High Blood Pressure
• Hormone Disorders
• Joints, Muscles, and Bones
o Back Pain
o Falls
o Foot Problems
o Osteoporosis
o Walking Problems
• Mental, Neurological, and Psychological Conditions
o Anxiety
o Delirium (Sudden Confusion)
o Dementia
o Depression
o Diseases of the Nervous System
o Dizziness
o Mental Retardation
o Personality Disorders
o Psychological and Social Issues
o Psychoses (Delusions and Hallucinations)
o Sleep Problems
o Substance Abuse
• Nutrition
• Sexuality and Sexual Concerns
o Gynecological (Female) Disorders
o Prostate Disease
o Sexual Problems
• The Senses
o Hearing Loss
o Vision Loss and Other Eye Diseases
• The Skin
o Pressure Ulcers (Bed Sores)
o Skin Diseases
• The Urinary System
o Kidney Problems
o Urinary Incontinence

Topics at a Glance

How We Age
• The Aging Process
• Trends in the Elderly Population
• Physical Activity
• Prevention
Health Care Decisions and Issues
• Talking to Your Healthcare Providers
• Health Assessment
• Health Care Settings
o Community-Based Care
o Hospitalization
o Nursing Home Care
• Complementary and Alternative Medicines
• Drug Treatment
• Elder Mistreatment
• Ethical and Legal Issues
• Insurance, Financing, and Costs of Health Care
• Pain Management
• Palliative Care and Hospice
• Rehabilitation
Elder Health at Your Fingertips
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• The Digestive System
o Disorders of the Digestive System
o Disorders of the Mouth
• The Heart, Lungs, and Blood and Circulation
o Anemia and Other Blood Disorders
o Breathing Problems
o Fainting (Syncope)
o Disorders of the Heart and Circulatory System
o High Blood Pressure
• Hormone Disorders
• Infectious Diseases
• Joints, Muscles, and Bones
o Back Pain
o Falls
o Foot Problems
o Osteoporosis
o Problems with Joints, Muscles and Bones
o Walking Problems
• Mental, Neurological, and Psychological Conditions
o Anxiety
o Delirium (Sudden Confusion)
o Dementia
o Depression
o Diseases of the Nervous System
o Dizziness
o Mental Retardation
o Personality Disorders
o Psychological and Social Issues
o Psychoses (Delusions and Hallucinations)
o Sleep Problems
o Substance Abuse
• Nutrition
• Sexuality and Sexual Concerns
o Gynecological (Female) Disorders
o Prostate Disease
o Sexual Problems
• The Senses
o Hearing Loss
o Vision Loss and Other Eye Diseases
• The Skin
o Pressure Ulcers (Bed Sores)
o Skin Diseases
• The Urinary System
o Kidney Problems
o Urinary Incontinence

Having patience with your senior patients

I understand that it isn’t easy to have patience with a patient that is aging or has a physical or mental limitation. I know that I have tried to hurry patients along with little success. But it is important to understand that our senior patients aren’t doing this to annoy us. They are just at a different stage of life. As a people age, the need to be in a rush and to get a lot done changes. Older seniors have more important things to focus on, the work of aging. There are two main tasks that need to be accomplished: Keeping control over as much of their life as possible and legacy work. The need to keep a sense of control and power over one’s life is necessary as the seniors begin to experience significant losses. Seniors are losing their health, their abilities and those around them begin to die. As people come to terms with what they are losing, the need to hold on to what power they can becomes even more important.

This is why when you come in and tell the senior that they should do what you are telling them, you are not being seen as a trusted healer but as someone who is trying to boss them around. Yes you are in a hurry and yes the senior patient takes longer, but that is not the senior’s fault. The need to rush and get things scheduled is our agenda, not theirs. It is important to remember that the senior is not in a rush. He or she is trying to enjoy and appreciate the time remaining. If you can, allow the senior patient the time to think about the options. Ask your senior patients to tell you what is important to them and what they think of the options you have presented. Perhaps it would be best if you let them go home to consider what is best for their lives, then have them come back in or call you with their answers. Just because you think this is the right treatment plan for them, doesn’t mean that they agree.

One other thing to be aware of is that the senior is also doing legacy work. This is when the aging are trying to make sense of and to make peace with how their lives have gone. They want to be remembered. They want to be able to tell their story and to know that someone is listening. When seniors repeat a story, it serves many purposes. They need to make sure our families will remember our history so they can share it with future generations and the need to re-tell the story themselves so they can make sense of what has gone before. If you can, take the time to hear your senior patients and connect with the person they are, not the disease they represent.

For more information about how to communicate in a way that respects the journey of the senior, read David L. Solie’s book, How To Say It To Seniors.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Sign up for free, “Kindness Reminders” – Remember to connect with your loved ones.

The “Kindness Reminder” is a brief weekly email to remind you to connect with your aging parent or other loved ones. The reminder is full of touching and fun ways to reach out and connect.

A colleague said to me, “I love my grandmother but I keep forgetting to call her.  Can you send me an email once a week to remind me to call her and can you include some ideas of things I can do for her?”  When he asked me to create these reminders for him, I realized I have been doing this type of thing all my life. I used to call my brothers and remind them to call our dad. It wasn’t that they didn’t care; it was just that like all of us, we get caught up in our own lives.

People think I am amazing because I remember to call on birthdays or to call in once a week to check on my elders. I am not amazing, I am organized. I pre-book recurring appointments in my calendar so I it sends me reminders to call, write or show I care. Otherwise, it would slip my mind and weeks would go by before I would make the effort.

These email reminders will give you a number of ways to show that you care. I will also give you ideas on how to thank those who are taking care of your loved one when you are either far away or unable to be there. The more you show appreciation for those who take care of your loved one, the better care they will get.

Just sign up in the box in the upper right section of my blog at KindEthics.com. Thanks for helping me make the world a kinder place. Please let others know about this free service.

Have a kind and respectful day.

The Unbefriended Senior

What is an “Unbefriended Senior? The “unbefriended” is a word used to describe someone who doesn’t have any friends or loved ones in their lives that the doctor can talk to when the patient is sick or injured. This term could also apply to someone younger without any family or friends.

Let me tell you about what just happened. An 80 year old woman collapsed at the market and was brought to the emergency room. She has had a massive stroke and may not live. The social worker looks through the patient’s wallet to find her insurance card and any information about who to contact in case of an emergency. Only the insurance card and an address are found. The social worker begins to make calls, goes to the patient’s house and tries to find anyone who might know this person. But nobody is found.

So what can the doctors do? If the patient gets better, then the patient will be able to speak for herself but if she doesn’t wake back up then the doctors will have to apply the “Best Interest Standard.” What is this? The Best Interest Standard is used when the healthcare team doesn’t know what the person would want and when nobody is available to talk to.

The healthcare team and possibly the bioethics committee will meet to evaluate what medical options are available for this patient. This way it is not just one person making the decision but a moral community. Next, there will be a discussion about the benefits and burdens of each of the options. Then they will do the best they can to decide what should be done. They may have to make the difficult decisions about dying and death for this person.

The other option for the healthcare team is to have the court assign a public or private conservator or guardian for them. This court appointed person will make their medical and/or financial decisions for the patient. But of course, they don’t know anything about this person either so the choice they will make might be wrong.

My question for you is, “Would you want a stranger to be making life and death decisions for you?”

If the answer is no, then please tell your doctor who they should talk to if you are injured, write it down in your wallet and fill out your Advance Directive. I don’t want you to ever be the unbefriended patient.

Got a question? Ask Viki.