The other day my grandpa took everything out of the cabinet he isn't supposed to eat. A bunch of bread, crackers, and peanut butter. Then he saw some soup that caught his attention. He grabbed a plate and poured the soup on the plate.
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Is there a connection between obesity and Alzheimer's? There's been a lot of research lately on lifestyle choices and our risk of Alzheimer's. Seems like there may be a link
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A fall is one of the top avoidable medical situations seniors may have. Falls that don't kill you can change your life forever. They are the leading cause of deaths related to injury for people age 65 and older. With these numbers, senior fall prevention should be a priority for both seniors and for those with seniors in their lives.
In this episode I have a conversation with Sara of Alert Sentry. We discuss what their products can do to help senior stay active and how they can improve their independence. She also has had a family member with Alzheimer's so our conversation touched on that as well. The founder of Alert Sentry, Glenn Maxwell, based the idea for their products upon an actual real life experience. In 1991 his grandmother suffered a fall in her driveway — she lay there for 6 hours, until the mail carrier arrived and provided aid.
We don't want something like this happening to us or our loved ones so it seemed necessary to have a conversation about how security devices.
Falling isn’t normal, so we should take every precaution to avoid them.
Senior Fall Prevention
Seniors can take a number of precautions to prevent falls.
Exercise regularly. Do exercises that will increase leg strength, improve balance and increase flexibility. Consider Tai Chi, yoga, and bicycling.
Review your medications with your doctor or pharmacist. You’ll want to reduce or eliminate those that cause dizziness or drowsiness.
Get your eyes checked by an optometrist at least once a year.
Lower your hip fracture risk by getting daily-recommended levels of calcium and vitamin D. and get screened and treated for osteoporosis.
Floors: move furniture that’s in your way. Use double-sided tape so throw rugs won’t slip. Pick up items that are on the floor. Coil telephone and electrical wires next to the wall. Keep items off the stairs. Fix loose or uneven steps. Make sure your stairway is lighted and have switches at the top and bottom of the stairs. Ensure stair carpeting is secure. Install secure stair handrails and that have them on both sides the entire length of the stairs.
Kitchen: Keep often used items in lower, easy-to-reach shelves or cabinets. If you have a stepstool, make sure it’s solid.
Bathroom: Put a non-slip mat or self-stick strips on your shower or tub floor. If you need it, install grab bars near the toilet and in the shower. Consider a walk in tub to ensure easy entrance and exit.
Bedroom: Make sure the path to your bed is clutter free. Install a night-light in your room.
When using a ladder, make sure both feet and at least one hand are on the ladder.
Wear shoes inside for better support and grip. Avoid slippers.
Get up slowly after lying or sitting down.
Consider buying an alarm you can activate in the event of a fall.
Summary
Senior fall prevention should be a serious topic for seniors and those with seniors in their lives. The statistics show that the problem is real and it can be serious. Fortunately, you can mitigate the risks with some preventative measures at home and exercise to strengthen your balance.
Related Articles
How to Choose a Medical Alert System
Alert Sentry Systems Website
Safety Tips for Loved Ones With Alzheimer's
Related Episode
The Family Home – Safety & Decluttering
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Becoming health care literate requires more than reading ability. People with limited health literacy often lack knowledge or have misinformation about their bodies and the causes of disease.
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Managing your healthcare & treatment, and navigating a broken healthcare system is overwhelming. No matter how savvy and smart you are, it is easy to mishandle important aspects of care. Mismanagement can lead to disaster.
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This is a special episode of Fading Memories. It's actually the first one I ever recorded. There is a lot of audio of various interactions I had with Mom. I started Fading Memories because I was desperate to find ways to make my visits with her more meaningful. Hours of visits where she asks me the same question over and over and over are not how I want to remember the last few years of her life.
The other motivating factor in starting Fading Memories was the realization that finding the information I needed was hard, time consuming and many times frustrating. I like to listen to podcasts while I work editing photographs, or while doing chores so I searched for a supportive podcast that would change my life.
What I found were technical, preachy, cathartic for the producer but impossible to listen to options. I didn't need to hear uplifting music for 3 minutes or a 2 minute recitation on all the recognition a podcaster has gotten. That's for your advertising not your audience. Then one day while I wasn't even thinking about Alzheimer's or how to connect with my Mom it hit me. (Figuratively thank goodness since I was at the gym using weights!) Why not start the type of podcast I needed. Surely there were others out there looking for the same help that I was looking for.
That's when Fading Memories Podcast was born.
It's been 4 months so far and it's been a crazy ride already. I've helped, informed and learned from every interview, conversation and deep internet research dive I've taken. I hope to help and inform many, many others over the course of this journey.
I hope you enjoy this episode. It was a HUGE labor of love to edit into what I hope is a useful episode for you to listen to. It's different, that's why I released it now.
Interesting Article on Podcast Listening
My Journey with Alzheimer's (and why I started Fading Memories)
Fading Memories on Twitter
Alzheimer's Podcast on Instagram
Our Facebook Page
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Do you care for your children and worry about your aging parents? Congratulations, you are a member of the “Sandwich Generation”. Not such a great place to be and probably not what you had planned. Caring for children and seniors is mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. It can be a financial strain as well. Dealing with the financial end is the purpose of this episode.
You probably have many questions about estate planning. You know you should be making a will and probably need some other estate planning documents, but which ones? What should you do to protect your children? How can you help your parents as they age? Where do you start?
In this episode I talk to Catherine Hooder, Esq.an estate planning attorney turned author. She enjoys working with families who would rather be doing anything else than estate planning. Her Florida law practice made “house calls” to help families with their estate planning needs. She now resides in California, writing helpful articles for members of the “Sandwich Generation”.
Helpful Links + Link to Catherine's Book
Catherine's Book HERE!
Have the Talk With Your Parents Already!
More Useful Advice on Aging In Place
Facebook Instagram Twitter
Also, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. There you can see me in “action” and watch the bonus videos I share.
Jennifer is also available for speaking engagements.
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Art has been used for centuries to help people express what they cannot put into words. Increasingly art is used to help people with Alzheimer’s disease. By encouraging participation in the creation process we may be able to unlock inner thoughts and feelings. Expressing what they're feeling may be easier on paper than verbally. Freeing these emotions will help both those living with Alzheimer's and those caring for them.
My Life and Art
Art is part of my everyday life. As a professional photographer I spend my days creating beautiful images for my clients. Appreciating photography from around the world via Instagram is another way to keep my creative spirit alive. One evening I stumbled upon an account called Alzheimer's Art, and had to lean more. As a result I discovered this account belongs to a young man with a Mother with younger onset Alzheimer's and a Grandmother with Alzheimer's. This knowledge made me even more interested. We chatted a bit via private message which led to asking him to tell his story on my podcast.
Using creativity, Adam helps his Mom and Grandma express what they're feeling. These interactions give all three of them a relaxing way to connect to each other. These connections are priceless and Adam decided to share the artistic results with the world.
In the very short time with his Instagram account Adam has talked to people on every continent. These communications has made Adam realize there was more to what he was doing than just helping his family members. Needless to say, this has caused quite a shock. His is a touching story you won't want to miss!
Listen to this episode, you'll find Adam's story interesting and compelling. You can find his Instagram account here.
Some Great Related Links
Creating Art as Therapy for Alzheimer's
Another Mind Stimulating Activity for People with Alzheimer's
Buy Two-Lap Books Here!
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Two Lap Books – A Great Way To Connect!
Two-Lap Books are Read-Aloud Books for Memory-Challenged Adults, People with Alzheimer's disease (and other forms of memory impairment) gradually lose their ability to initiate communication with others. Because of this Lydia designed these uniquely adapted books to “give voice” to them. By using the book's large, simple text and colorful illustrations we can initiate conversation. Most noteworthy, reading books together can make meaningful connections with our loved ones and help stimulate their minds. Because of this, caregivers will enjoy sharing these books and creating purposeful, interactive activities for engaging people with memory deficits.
For that reason, in this episode, I have a conversation with the author Lydia Burdick. We discussed these wonderful books and the inspiration behind their creation. I purchased two of her books and took them on a visit with Mom.
Reading the book together gave us the opportunity to laugh, talk about likes and dislikes, and even sing a little. As a result, our visit was one of the better ones in a long time.
By sharing the books with two other residents made them as happy as it did Mom. All three ladies enjoyed the beautiful illustrations and relatable scenarios. Because each resident has their own level of reading ability they were able to read on their own. Regardless, reading together gave all three got a tremendous amount of pleasure from the books. I highly recommend these books for anyone dealing with a loved one with memory loss.
I have included a direct link to Lydia's Amazon page for your convenience.
The Benefit of Reading to Seniors
What's Going on in Their Minds Ep. 13
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One of the biggest challenges to caring for someone living with Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia is trying to figure out what's going on in their mind. They don't understand what's happening so they can't help us understand what they need. Not being able to communicate their needs causes fear or anxiety. Hopefully, today's conversation with Laurie will help us understand a bit better. Laurie Gunter Mantz is the founder and CEO of Dementia Training for Life. She is also an Occupational Therapist, Educator and Certified Dementia Care Practitioner, Trainer, and Care Manager. Dealing with both grandmothers in their challenges with dementia gives Laurie a personal insight into what we're all dealing with.
Our conversation went to many places and despite some technical challenges, I feel this conversation is an important one for my listeners to hear. Interviewing Laurie before I launched Fading Memories would have been fantastic for all of us. That's how important our conversation was.
Some of the things we discussed include identifying behaviors and determining why they are happening. Laurie strongly encourages anyone who is showing signs of cognitive impairment to get a full diagnosis. In our conversation, she tells the story of a man who was misdiagnosed and how that impacted his life. We discussed what to do as our loved ones progress with their disease and much more.
Sometimes my podcast conversations get a personal but I feel like that's okay. Learning through my struggles, or anyone else's struggles can help us all. Here's hoping you get as much from this conversation as I did. I'm pretty sure you will.
Laurie's website
Effective Care Transitions for those living with dementia
Related Episode
Visiting With Mom
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