The author, Jennifer L. FitzPatrick, MSW, writes from both professional and personal experience. Ms. FitzPatrick chose the field of gerontology after having had a high school job in a nursing home and assisting with her paternal grandparents. Her grandparents’ outlook in their senior years inspired her to devote herself to aging seniors. Ms. FitzPatrick even has formed her own company to deal with aging issues called Jenerations. The book is full of wonderful tips like, think you don’t have a talent for caregiving? She responds, “Caregiving is like a muscle that can be developed and strengthened. This book helps you strengthen that caregiving muscle.”
Perhaps the most helpful chapters are five and six—5) Think Really Hard Before Moving In and 6) Think Really Hard Before You Quit Your Job. From my vantage point as a certified elder law attorney and a certified financial planner who sees many families struggling with all the concerns described in this book, I found the recommendations extremely helpful.
In summary, this is a wonderful reference for those involved with or contemplating a caregiving role for a senior. As anyone involved in such an endeavor knows, the caregiver’s attitude will be crucial in how the senior adapts to the aging process.
Ask Kit Kat – Corn Cob Danger
Hook Law Center: Kit Kat, what can you tell is about the dog who ate 7 corn cobs?
Kit Kat: Well, this is a true story. Fortunately, the story has a good ending, but not without some drama along the way. What happened is this—a boxer from the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach, VA named Roxie got a little greedy, and she ate 7 corn cob halves which she foraged from the family trash. Shortly thereafter, she started throwing up the cobs over a 2-day period. She threw up all but one. The last would just not seem to come up. So the next day, her owner, Dakota Hudson, took her to the vet. X-rays revealed the last corn cob stuck deep in her stomach which would require surgery costing $5000 to remove it. Ms. Hudson was in a quandary—she didn’t want her to suffer, but there was no way she could afford the surgery. She was just about to give her permission for Roxie to be euthanized, when the vet, Dr. Beth Tynan of Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners on Independence Blvd. said that she had contacted Frankie’s Friends, a national pet charity. Frankie’s Friends would cover the surgery costs.
Roxie is one lucky girl! She was able to return home to her human family and her canine sibling, Quigley. Her previous escapades have included ingesting a pack of cigarettes and a tussle with a water snake in which she received several bites. Lesson to owners—keep close watch on your pets, if they have a tendency to eat things. Vets report finding hair ties, plastic figurines, and even bathing suits in the stomachs of dogs. While dogs have fairly strong constitutions, there is a limit to what they can safely eat. Don’t let your dog end up like Roxie!
(Jane Harper, “ A corn cob nearly took this dog’s life—until a charity stepped in,” The Virginian-Pilot, September 22, 2016, p.1&7)
Distribution of This Newsletter
Hook Law Center encourages you to share this newsletter with anyone who is interested in issues pertaining to the elderly, the disabled and their advocates. The information in this newsletter may be copied and distributed, without charge and without permission, but with appropriate citation to Hook Law Center, P.C. If you are interested in a free subscription to the Hook Law Center News, then please telephone us at 757-399-7506, e-mail us at mail@hooklawcenter.com or fax us at 757-397-1267.The post Cruising through Caregiving – Book Review first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>
Dementia training, open dining halls put bullying at bay in senior living
By Robin Hocevar
| Zero tolerance policies for bullying may be starting as early as kindergarten, but the problem appears to be just as rampant at the other side of the life spectrum: senior living facilities.
According to a pilot study presented by Robin P. Bonifas, PhD, MSW, at the 6th Annual Spring Geriatric Mental Health & Aging Conference, 27 out of 29 residents were able to describe an incident of bullying or negative social interaction since moving into senior living facilities and others had witnessed such events. Late-life bullying was uncovered in senior centers, adult day health centers, senior housing, retirement apartments, and nursing homes in the study. “Whenever you have a group of people together, it’s going to be a human failing,” rationalized Sarah Greene Burger, MPH, RN, FAAN. “It’s especially true if you talk about children because they’re vulnerable and it occurs with all adults out in the world too. It doesn’t seem as concentrated because we’re out and about so these things get dissipated. If bullying is going on at work, you go home at the end of the day. You have to always assume it’ll happen and be prepared to look out for those who are most vulnerable.” Greene Burger continued that today’s senior citizens are the first generation living in a whole new institutional level, as previous generations have been cared for my family members. Far from just writing off the problem as old-age crankiness, she warned that the consequences of bullying in senior care can be deadly. Assessing for Self-Care Deficits “Nurses can show concern for what’s causing a resident to sink to the bottom of the social pecking order and help make the person’s life easier,” she advised. “For example, many older people go through a self-care deficit phase where hygiene may be neglected and body odor is the results. Even though they’ll be resisted, nurses should ask these residents how they can help them with their bathing.” For complete article go to: http://healthcare-executive-insight.advanceweb.com/Long-Term-Care/Features/Articles/Mean-Old-Girls.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_content=email&utm_campaign=E-Newsletter%3A%20Reducing%20Dementia%20Risk&utm_term=More%20…&cm_mmc=Act-On%20Software-_-email-_-E-Newsletter%3A%20Reducing%20Dementia%20Risk-_-More%20… |