Thanks to The Concord Journal for publishing a story about us in in today's edition.  It's about how our Dr. Deborah Bier has become certified to teach the Alzheimer's Association's home care giver training course, and how vital it is to have trained caregivers for such patients.  Read it here online.

You want your loved one with Alzheimer's Disease or related dementias (ADRD) to be cared for at home by someone experienced in meeting their needs, right?  Someone trained specifically to care for those with dementia.  Of course!

But does experience really mean that home caregivers are offering the care that's truly right for people with such diseases?  All too often, the answer is: NO.  Caring for dementia patients is specialized and requires training for a set of skills all-too-often missing in the homecare setting.

Did you know that dementia-specific training is not included in home health aide or nursing assistant certifications? "While many home care aides have experience with dementia patients, few are actually adequately equipped to do so," said Deborah Bier, PhD, the director of Caring Companion Home Care's metrowest Boston, MA office located in Concord, MA. "As a result, many don't know or use the best, most proven approaches -- the very ones that dementia patients and their families most benefit from."  The result can be challenging behaviors difficult or even impossible to manage in the home setting. But proper training for homecare workers can help make the difference between patients being able to stay comfortably (and less expensively) at home or being institutionalized.

Read more ...

Joanne Koenig Coste, author of Learning to Speak Alzheimers, a nationally-recognized expert on the living with the disease, will speak at Newbury Court in Concord on Wednesday, August 10 in a presentation free and open to the public.

Coste has been an outspoken advocate for patient and family care for Alzheimers patients since 1973. She is the ground-breaking co-inventor of the compassionate, easy-to-learn and common sense approach to Alzheimer's care known as habilitation.   Using this method, patients and those who care for them devote themselves to making life as comfortable and pleasant as possible for both the patient and family.

She is constantly in demand for lectures and consultations nationwide. "We are so fortunate that she is coming here", said Jim Reynolds, CEO of Caring Companion Home Care headquartered in Concord, MA. "Many of our client families have a loved one suffering from dementia and we recommend her book over all others. I found the training I took based on her work to be the most valuable I have had about dealing with Alzheimer's sufferers."

Habilitation has won praise from health care professionals. The founding director of the National Institute of Aging, Dr. Robert N. Butler, wrote the introduction to Coste's book, and she estimates that at least 100 nursing homes and assisted-living centers have adopted her methods.

"When I first began my work in dementia care over 20 years ago, the philosophy of care and approach centered on Reality Orientation," says Claire Henry, Dementia Specialist and principle of Caring Resourcesin Norwood, MA.  "The philosophy of Habilitation Therapy has done tremendous service for the dementia client, particularly in regard to their need to preserve 'personhood'. "Coste is currently in private practice as an Alzheimer's family therapist. She also serves as President of Alzheimer Consulting Associates, implementing state-of-the-art Alzheimer care throughout the United States.

This lecture will be held at 4 pm in the North Community Room at Newbury Court, 80 Deaconess Road.  Reserve your seat by calling Deb Boyden at 978 402-8223.

NOTE: Elders, babies and those with certain illnesses are at greater risk for heat stress than others. Please take this information to heart! For people not located in Concord, MA, please contact your municipal fire/police departments to find out what types of services are avaiaable to you for cooling.

By Mark R. Cotreau, Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director, Town of Concord Fire Department

As you are most likely aware, we are in for a few days of extremely hot weather conditions. Please see the below advisory issued by MEMA.  Additionally residents can access a cooling shelter as noted below:

In response to the extreme temperatures forecast for the next few days, the Harvey Wheeler Community Center will be open as a cooling center Thursday and Friday, 12 noon until 9pm. There are no age restrictions. Please feel free to stop by if you would like to escape the extreme temperatures forecast. If transportation is an issue, during business hours please call 978-318-3020 (the COA Office), or after hours please call 978-318-3400 (Public Safety Dispatch).

Please remember that the Concord Public Library -  Main Library and Fowler Branch - are also air conditioned and welcome the public. The Main Library and Fowler Branch summer hours vary somewhat, and are posted on the Library web site at http://www.concordlibrary.org/pages/general.info.html#hours

Remember last winter when we all wished for warmer weather?

With the extremely hot weather the Commonwealth is experiencing, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is advising people to be cautious and is offering some tips to help keep cool and safe.

“A few common sense measures can reduce heat-related problems, especially for the elderly, the very young and people with respiratory ailments, who are more susceptible to the effects of high temperatures,” said MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz. “Here are some tips to follow to stay safe during this hot, humid weather.”

·    Slow down, avoid strenuous activity.  Do not try to do too much on a hot day.
·    Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.  Light colors will reflect heat and sunlight and help maintain normal body temperature. Protect your face with a wide-brimmed hat.
·    Drink plenty of water regularly and often, even if you do not feel thirsty. Attempt to stay hydrated.
·    Limit intake of alcoholic beverages.  They can actually dehydrate your body.
·    Eat well-balanced, light, regular meals.  Avoid high protein foods that increase metabolic heat.
·    Stay indoors as much as possible.
·    If you do not have air conditioning, stay on your lowest floor, out of the sun.  Electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help evaporate perspiration, which cools your body.
·    Go to a place where you can get relief from the heat, such as air conditioned schools, libraries, theaters and other community facilities that may offer refuge during the warmest times of the day.
·    Check with your community for information about possible local ‘cooling centers’. You may also want to call 2-1-1 for ‘cooling center’ information or go to <http://www.mass211.org/>www.mass211.org.
·    Cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, awnings or louvers.  Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80%.
·    Avoid too much sunshine.  Sunburn slows the skin’s ability to cool itself.  If you are outside, use sunscreen lotion with a high SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating.
·    Never leave children or pets alone in a closed vehicle.
·    Check on family, friends and neighbors.

In normal weather, the body’s internal thermostat produces perspiration that evaporates and cools the body.  However, in extreme heat and high humidity, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra hard to maintain normal temperature, which may lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.  If you believe you, or anyone you are with, is experiencing a heat-related medical emergency, promptly call 911, and if possible, move to a cooler place.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, voluntary and private resources during emergencies and disasters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  MEMA provides leadership to: develop plans for effective response to all hazards, disasters or threats; train emergency personnel to protect the public; provide information to the citizenry; and assist individuals, families, businesses and communities to mitigate against, prepare for, and respond to and recover from emergencies, both natural and man made. For additional information about MEMA and Preparedness, go to www.mass.gov/mema. Follow MEMA updates on Facebook and Twitter.

March 22, 2011, 11 am

The Gardner Auditorium

State House, Boston, Massachusetts

Save Adult Day Health Programs from proposed funding cuts.

Adult Day Health (ADH) proposed rate cuts to take effect March 15. Governor’s FY 12 proposed budget would cut $55M in ADH funding and would eliminate “Basic” ADH services . Prevent the loss of 2500 jobs and vital services to 11,000 Seniors.

Here at CCC, we can't say enough positive about good adult day programs.  They cost little money to provide a huge amount of benefit. They not only  provide great care and therapy for seniors, but they provide excellent respite for their families.  They keep seniors in the community and out of far more expensive facilities. They can be nothing short of life-saving -- and life-giving, too.

Recently, I was honored to be part of a four-person panel at the Wayland Public Library speaking on the topic "What's New in Aging?" We discussed navigating the new terrain of aging in the 21st century, followed by a question and answer session from the audience. Juergen H. Bludau, MD (photo at right), Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital geriatrician, and Carol Sneider Glick, Esq, elder law specialist with Squillace & Associates of Boston, were wonderful fellow panelists. (Part 2 of this talk is scheduled for April 6, 7pm at the same location - register here)

I want to note here high points of the evening, including the excellent questions the audience brought. I felt very much at home in the company of these speakers, all on the front lines of bringing best-quality care in a quickly changing landscape. My fellow panelists as well as the audience of about 45 from Wayland, Weston and beyond were enthusiastic and engaged with every presenter's points.

Read more ...

This is a very difficult and emotional topic: what do you do if you suspect (or know) an elder is being abused or neglected? This would include emotional, physical, sexual and/or financial abuse or neglect; self-neglect is also included.  If you're not sure what might be considered elder abuse or neglect, here are some guidelines from the US Administration on Aging.

I always strongly encourage the person with the suspicions or knowledge to report them -- but often the next questions are: how and to whom? Here are four approaches, each based upon my working in Massachusetts. I will also include general info for those reading this concerned about elders living elsewhere in the US.

The most vulnerable members of our community need help from every one of us.  Overwhelmed and frustrated caregivers need help too, which is often what happens when elder abuse or neglect is report. Your report might just be what turns the situation around for everyone.

Read more ...

Being able to stay in the home we've lived in as we've aged is a real blessing, and almost always preferred by elders.  But some homes are just not set up for aging in place -- too many stairs, bathrooms and bedrooms in the wrong part of the house to fit the elder's needs and mobility.  Home modification is an option, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts makes low- and no-interest loans to modify the homes of elders and individuals with disabilities where there is income qualification.

Monday, January 31 at 7PM at the Gleason Library in Carlisle, MA, there is a meeting about this program. I just noticed it in the Boston Globe, following a Facebook pointer from our State Representative, Cory Atkins (isn't life in 2011 strange??!) -- you can fit in this meeting before the next snow storm starts. Download a program brochure here.