GenerationsGeorgia

Also in This Issue: Monica and Mom News & NotesGeriatric Case Management . . . and more

Resources forCaregivers

Published quarterly by Georgias Area Agencies on Aging

Also in This Issue: Monica and Mom News & NotesGeriatric Case Management . . . and more

Resources forCaregivers

TMWinter 2002

2 Georgia Generations

Northwest GeorgiaLegacy LinkAtlanta Regional

CommissionSouthern CrescentNortheast GeorgiaWest Central GeorgiaMiddle GeorgiaCentral Savannah RiverHeart of Georgia

AltamahaSouthwest GeorgiaSoutheast GeorgiaCoastal Georgia

AAAs Gateways toCommunity Resources

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54

78

6

9

12

1011

1

10

Georgia is divided into12 AAAs, each serving a

different part of thestate. They are:

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35

4

7

8

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WINTER 2002 Published quarterlythrough a cooperative effort of GeorgiasArea Agencies on Aging.

For information contact:Atlanta Regional CommissionAging Services Division40 Courtland St., NE, Atlanta, GA 30303404-463-3239jkauffman@atlantaregional.com

Editorial Project Development:JAM Communications, Atlanta, GA

Design and Production:Wells-Smith Partners, Lilburn, GA

On the Cover:A special mother/daughter moment isshared by Monica Kaufman, WSB-TVnews anchor, and her mother, HattieEdmondson, both of Atlanta. The twowomen enjoy a close relationship basedon companionship, friendship andrespect. See story, page 4.

Photo by Caroline Joe.

GenerationsGeorgia

Winter 2002, Volume 1, #2 2002 bythe Atlanta Regional Commission. Theinformation contained herein has beenobtained from sources believed to bereliable. However, the Atlanta RegionalCommission and JAM Communicationsmake no warranty to the accuracy or reli-ability of this information. No part of thispublication may be reproduced or trans-mitted in any form or by any means with-out written permission. All rightsreserved.

&NEWS NOTESCAREGIVING

In light of the recentevents in our country,this advice is timely:People with dementiamight not understandwhat is going onaround them during anemergency. However,they do pick up emo-tions and might have apartial understanding,which could lead togreater confusion.Take these steps toreduce agitation: Shield the person from media coverage of the event,including TV, radio andnewspaper.

Find ways to verbally reassure the person. Try to maintaindaily routines as muchas possible. Seek ways to takecare of yourself. It canfeel particularly lonelywhen your loved onecant respond to yourneeds during a diffi-cult time. Look for themeans to feel nurturedand connected withothers as much aspossible.

Source: www.caregiver.org

Medicare benefits andservices are expandingthrough the BenefitsImprovement and Pro-tection Act of 2000(BIPA). Some portionsof the Act are alreadyin effect, with others onthe way.

Make a note ofthese new andexpanded benefits: Pap tests, pelvicexams and clinicalbreast exams, previ-ously covered onlyevery three years arenow covered once everytwo years. New coverage forglaucoma screening willbe offered to high-riskindividuals annually,beginning January 2002. Colonoscopy screen-ing, previously onlycovered for high-riskindividuals, is nowoffered once every 10years to all Medicarebeneficiaries.

Medical nutritiontherapy, previously notcovered, will be offeredto people with diabetesor renal disease begin-ning January 2002. The normal 24-month waiting periodfor disability coveragefor Amyotrophic LateralSclerosis Disease (Lou Gehrigs Disease)is now waived. The definition ofhomebound will, at anundetermined date, berelaxed to include adultday care as a treatmentplan, and allowMedicare recipients toattend religious serv-ices outside the home.

Interested in moredetails? In metroAtlanta, call HICARE(Health InsuranceCounseling and Referral for the Elderly)at 404-463-3350; elsewhere, call 1-800-669-8387.

Caregivingin an

Emergency

Medicare Changes

Winter 2002 3

To Soak or Not?

Surfing the NetHelp is at your fingertips. Here are justa few of the many Web sites devotedto caregiving information and resources:

www.caregiving.org, site of theNational Alliance for Caregiving, provides an extensive searchable databaseof resources.

www.benefitscheckup.org is run by The National Council on the Aging. Visitors fill out a short questionnaire; then the site identifies federal andstate benefit programs for which the care recipient might be eligible.

www.careguide.com is run by a professional care management company. It offers tips, online support groups and a search tool to find providers and services. You can also get a professional consultation at $125 an hour.

Look for more helpful Web sites in the next issue of Georgia Generations.

Cold winter nights may bring thoughts of soaking in a hot tub.Should you encourage your elderly loved one to take a hot bath?

Doctors point to the advantages of ahot soak: The heat helps to tem-

porarily relax stiff arthriticjoints, relieves back pain

and might aid in sleeping.However, here are words ofcaution: Limit the persons

soak to no more than 15minutes and avoid very hottemperatures, so they wontbecome overheated.

Use EXTRA CAUTION whenthey are getting out of the tub (and for

several minutes afterwards), to make sure they dont slip. Also,watch for any signs of dizziness or faintness. Anyone taking beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors (both of which lower blood pressure), aswell as anyone with low blood pressure, should be extra careful.

4 Georgia Generations

BY MARTHA NOLAN MCKENZIE

ast July, Robin Hodges-Caraballo of Stockbridge, GA, moved her 71-

year-old father, James Hodges, into her home. The elder Hodges suffers

from Alzheimers and could no longer live alone. She was happy to take

her father in, but she works full-time as a legal assistant in an Atlanta

law firm, so she couldnt provide care during the day.

Happily, she found Benton House, an adult day care facility in Stockbridge. Its

an excellent facility, said Hodges-Caraballo. Its clean and the staff really treats

him like family. My father actually looks forward to going.

Hodges-Caraballo has also used Benton House for respite care, leaving her father

overnight so she and her husband can escape to the North Georgia mountains for a

much-needed break.

Its been such a relief to have Benton House, said Hodges-Caraballo. Im at

peace, and my dad loves it.

4 Georgia Generations

ResourcesCaregivers

FOR

As Hodges-Caraballo has found,there are more resources available forcaregivers than ever before fromrespite care to transportation services,from legal aid to support groups andfrom home health services to utility dis-count programs. The challenge for care-givers is to locate and evaluate theseresources.

One of the biggest problems is thateverything is so fractured, saidSuzanne Mitz, president and co-founderof the National Family Caregivers Asso-ciation in Kensington, MD. Even if thereare a lot of resources available in yourarea, its difficult to pull together exactlywhat you need. And youre generally try-ing to do this when youre under stress,which makes it that much harder.

Caregiving experts point out that ifyou know where to look, however, theprocess can be a lot easier. Here areeight general areas in which to beginyour search.

Your local Area Agency on Aging

AAAs are located in communitiesacross the country and serve as gate-ways to local resources for caregivers.Your first stop should be your AreaAgency on Aging, said Pat Freeman,executive director of Legacy Link Inc, aAAA in Gainesville. We all have largedatabases of resources and services inour areas. We cant give you everything,but we can get you started.

For example, if you wanted to findrespite care for your elderly fatherso you could take a much-neededbreak, a counselor at the AAA couldgive you a list of options in your areaor in the area in which your fatherresides. She could tell you whichplaces offer daytime services andwhich will allow you to leave himovernight. She would know whichones take people with dementia andwhich ones take people with inconti-nence. She could give you theirhours, prices and eligibility require-ments, if any. And she would providethis information free of charge.

Carl Conine, a participant in the day care program atBenton House, Stockbridge, GA, enjoys a helping handfrom Carolyn Griffin, CNA.

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Cynthia Haley, caregiver specialistwith CSRA Agency on Aging in Augusta,emphasized the wide range of informa-tion available. We can help people findlow-cost transportation, homemakerservices, help with bathing and groom-ing, adult day care and home modifica-tion programs. We can tell people whereto find assistive devices everythingfrom bathtub rails to panty hose grab-bers. Many people just dont realize howmuch they can benefit by reaching outto organizations such as ours.

To find the AAA nearest you, turn to A Look at AAAs Around Georgia,beginning on page 9. For AAAs in otherstates, call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.

Your employer or the carerecipients employer

When Glen Fuses mother wasadmitted into the hospital in June for about of amnesia, they both had to facethe fact that she could nolonger live in her ownhome. But where shouldshe go? With Fuse livingin Atlanta, his sister inNashville and his 84-year-old mother in St.Louis, finding a placewasnt going to be easy.My sister and I weretrying to coordinatethings long-distance, andwe were on a very shortdeadline, since shecouldnt stay in the hos