Carol Moskowitz  

In 2009, Stay At Home Senior Care was blessed with the addition of Carol Moskowitz, our Caregiver of the Season, and a vital part of our Stay At Home family.  Carol and her husband, Sandy, moved to Wake Forest in 2007. She is the mother of five, and the grandmother of 13! Carol has owned and operated restaurants in New York and New Jersey, and is a wonderful cook. She loves trying new recipes, and her clients enjoy being the lucky recipients of her efforts. “I get such satisfaction in being a help to others. I have spent two years with most of my clients, and I feel they are part of my extended family.”  

In addition to caregiving, Carol performs as Stay At Home’s culinary diva, and has her own very popular “Crockpot Cooking with Carol” series. Carol does a fantastic job, taking great care in selecting recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and easy to prepare. The residents at The Crossings at Heritage and The Gardens at Wakefield Plantation are always excited to try out her latest creation.  Carol loves reading, exercising, and taking vacations with Sandy. And of course, “Most of all, I love to cook!” We’re thrilled she chose to be a part of our team – thank you, Carol!  

CAREGIVER OF THE SEASON

2014-610 S. Main Street, Wake Forest, NC 27587 556-3706

FALL 2011 FALL 2011

Silver Connections

Welcome to the Fall 2011 Issue of Silver Connections

Our fall issue features Carol Moskowitz as our Caregiver of the Season. Since May, she has been sharing her cooking expertise with residents of our Shared Care communities. Please be sure to read her front‐page story.   I could not be more excited to share the news that Stay at Home recently received a Best of the Best First Place Award in the Home Health Service category from the Wake Weekly and its family of newspapers! Thousands of nominations were submitted for readers’ favorite area businesses in more than 100 categories. We are grateful for each of your votes!      We have been very busy with community events, and are looking forward to the upcoming holiday celebrations, such as our Holiday Open House Dec. 19‐21. Please stop by our office for hot toddy and cheer!  On September 15th, Stay at Home provided blood pressure checks for attendees at the Wake Forest Senior Center Health Fair. I am honored to be a member of the Center’s Advisory Board, and appreciate all that the Resources for Seniors staff does to better the lives of our community’s older adults.    For Family Day at the Gardens of Wakefield on September 24th, we had the opportunity to participate as one of their preferred providers. It was a fun‐filled day with children’s games, nostalgic music, great food, yard/bake sales, and information booths.   

We began our “Vial of Life” presentations on September 29th at The Crossings at Heritage. Along with the Wake Forest Fire Department, we assisted more than 25 seniors in completing their personalized emergency information packages. Please see page 4 for more details.   Also, be sure to check out our Calendar of Events on Page 4. If any of these events sound interesting, we would love to have you participate! We are exhibiting at the Wake Forest Chamber’s Business Expo again this year. Please come out to visit us on Monday, October 24th from 3‐7 pm at The Factory!   Finally, as an added benefit to our clients, we have made the bill paying process easier with the option of automatic electronic funds transfers (EFT) from a checking account. If you are interested in participating in this program, we will send you a simple authorization form to start the process.    As always, we remain committed to exceptional client service and compassionate care. Please do not hesitate to contact us about a care issue for yourself or a family member.  And remember, we treat every contact as a friend, every client as family, and complete every task with honor.  Best wishes, Deborah Bordeaux President, Certified Senior Advisor   

www.SAHseniors.com

IN THIS ISSUE: 

  President’s Welcome              1   Caregiver of the Season              1   Health & Lifestyles: The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep      2   Spotlight On Caregivers: Five Reasons It’s Not Time for a Nursing Home          2‐3   Finance/Consumer Resources: Avoiding Elder Financial Abuse    3   The Best of the Best Award, Caregiver Recognition, Calendar of Events,                4        Vial of Life 

Many seniors deal with a number of health problems related to aging—one in particular is not getting enough healthy sleep. Older adults who don’t sleep well are more likely to suffer from depression, attention and memory problems, and excessive daytime sleepiness. They’re also likely to suffer more nighttime falls, have increased sensitivity to pain, and use more prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids.

Some changes in your sleep are natural as you age. Your body produces lower levels of growth hormone, so you’ll likelyexperience a decrease in deep sleep, and less melatonin often means more rapid sleep cycles and more awakenings between cycles. As your circadian rhythm changes, you may also find yourself wanting to go to sleep earlier in the evening and waking up earlier in the morning. If you don't adjust your bedtimes to these changes, you may find that you have difficulty falling and staying asleep.

What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Many seniors have problems sleeping because of health conditions. Some common issues that can prevent you from getting healthy sleep include: • Side effects of prescription medications • Chronic pain, often from health conditions like arthritis • Depression or other psychological stress • Alcohol or Caffeine consumption • Lack of exercise • Sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome and Sleep Apnea (Snoring) • Frequent urination during the night

Tips to Help You Fall Asleep Here are some suggestions to get a full night of restful, healthy sleep: • Get treatment for any medical problems. If you're experiencing depression, painful arthritis, or bladder problems that force you to go to the bathroom frequently, seek medical attention to address these conditions. • Go to bed earlier. Adjust your bedtime to match when you feel like going to bed, even if that’s earlier than it used to be.

• Develop bedtime rituals. A soothing ritual, like taking a bath or playing music will help you wind down. Relaxation and stress management techniques, such as deep breathing andprogressive muscle relaxation, can be of great benefit. • Limit your use of sleeping aids. Many sleep aids have side effects and are not meant for long-term use. In fact, sleeping pills can often make insomnia worse in the long run. • Make lifestyle changes. Adjustments may include eliminating caffeine and not eating a huge meal or a big snack before bedtime. It's also important for you to exercise each day—make it early in the day rather than in the late afternoon or evening, not before bedtime. • Expose yourself to sunlight during the day. Bright sunlight helps regulate melatonin and your sleep-wake cycles. Try to get at least two hours of sunlighta day. Keep curtains and shades open during the day, or move your favorite chair to a sunny spot. • Avoid light at night. Artificial lights at night can suppress your body’s production of melatonin. Use low-wattage bulbs where safe to do so, and turn off the TV and computer at least one hour before bed. • Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool, and your bed is comfortable. Noise, light, and heat can interfere with sleep. • Use your bedroom only for sleep or intimacy. By not working, watching TV, or using your computer in bed, you’ll come to associate the bedroom with sleep alone, so when you get into bed your brain and body get a strong signal that it’s time to nod off. Don't accept fatigue and poor sleep as part of getting older. For more sleep related tips, check out the National Institute of Health resources such as the following site: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ sleepdisorders.html.

By Caren Parnes for The Senior’s Choice

The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep

PAGE 2 FALL 2011 NEWSLETTER

To Move or Not to Move… To be clear, this article is not addressing a short-term stay in a nursing home for rehabilitation, but of becoming a permanent nursing home resident. The latter is a decision that changes many things irrevocably, so if you’re grappling with this possibility right now, the following five considerations may help your decision-making.

Reason #1 Your aging parent can walk well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of your mom or dad falling in a nursing home is twice that of falling in the community. Are you surprised by that? Let’s be honest—this is not exactly a selling point for nursing homes. Think you can guess how the fall risk is reduced inside these facilities? If you’ve ever been to a nursing home and seen residents in wheelchairs rather than on their feet, then you know the answer. So what happens when your 89-year-old mother enters a nursing home able to walk, but is encouraged to roll? Over time her leg strength diminishes, and along with it her mobility and sense of autonomy.

Reason #2 Good health is on your aging parent’s side. Nursing homes were created for people who require some sort of treatment, management, observation and/or evaluation by skilled staff. Skilled staff (as defined by Medicare) include nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, audiologists, and speech pathologists. Examples of care that only a skilled staff member can provide would include wound care, physical therapy and/or intravenous injections. Needs that fall outside of those described above (think bathing and grocery shopping) would be considered unskilled. If your aging parent has unskilled needs

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Five Reasons It’s Not Time for a Nursing Home

power of attorney, which only applies upon a certain event. Another is a revocable trust to hold assets with a corporate entity as a trustee. Corporate trustees often have detailed knowledge about issues affecting the elderly and are bonded.

• Get advice you can trust. CPA financial planners have extensive experience helping the elderly plan and protect their estates, and are available nationwide to offer advice on avoiding financial abuse. To talk with a CPA personal financial specialist about elder planning in your market, visit www.findapfs.com

By Ted Sarenski http://www.parentgiving.com/elder-care/avoid-elder-financial-abuse/

FALL 2011 NEWSLETTER PAGE 3

elderly often are concerned about taking care of people who are less fortunate andare vulnerable to requests from charities that are not legitimate. • Keep aware of the will. Victims of elderly abuse often want to change their will to take care of someone who has been kind to them in their later years. • Visit. One of the best prevention techniques is to visit with your parents often. This advice holds for avoiding financial, physical, and verbal abuse. Abuse can come from a caregiver, nursing home personnel, and even a sibling. Regular and unscheduled visits can be a powerful tool for fighting abuse.• Be careful with a POA. The elderly should give power of attorney only to someone they trust without question. There are alternatives. One is a springing

Avoiding Elder Financial Abuse Actor Mickey Rooney recently testified in Washington that he has been a victim of elder abuse, putting him among some 2.1 million aging Americans who each year suffer some form of financial, physical, psychological or other abuse, according to the American Psychological Association. Mickey Rooney’s experience highlights a rising problem in a graying nation—and it shows that elder abuse is not limited by location, status or wealth. The elderly should take these precautionary steps: • Subscribe to national and state DO NOT CALL lists. • Keep social security cards in a safe place. • Avoid giving personal information over the phone. • Delete unsolicited emails that request personal information or money. • Do not open doors to strangers. • Remove mail promptly from the mailbox. • Review bills and bank statements promptly for accuracy. • Shred all confidential and financial information prior to discarding. • Make a copy of all items in their wallets and keep it in a safe place.

Families of the elderly should take these precautionary steps: • Beware of a new trusted friend. Do Mom and Dad have a neighbor, caregiver, sibling, or other outsider who is suddenly their best friend, running errands, going to the bank, or generally being around when they were not in your parents' past at all? This can be a warning sign that someone is taking advantage. • Watch for unusual account activity. Review your parents' bank and investment statements for excess activity at the ATM, excessive trading in the brokerage account, many cash withdrawals, or other suspicious activity. To prevent elder financial abuse, also watch out for someone becoming a joint account holder for your parents’ “convenience.” • Look through mail and email. Correspondence with people you don't know or solicitations from questionable charities should be investigated. The

Continued from Page 2

alone, moving him or her into a nursing home is likely to be overkill.

Reason #3 Your parent is safest at home and prefers to live there. One of the toughest things for an adult daughter or son to do is to recognize what’s working “well enough” and then leave it alone. So your aging parent lives happily at home but your top concern is safety? Join the club! Then quit the talk about a nursing home. Now is the time to prevent a fall by: • Making sure all rooms in your parent’s house are well lit and free of clutter, etc. • Broaching the topic of some adaptive equipment for the bathroom and maybe even a personal emergency response system.

Reason #4 You can hire enough help at home to meet your aging parent’s needs. Now we’ve arrived at the tricky place. If you can’t (or your parent can’t) afford to hire help at home, then ask yourself this: Can one of you afford the cost of a nursing home? That’s right, Medicare does not pay for nursing homes after the first 20 days, and even then your aging parent must have

a skilled need. So if you were thinking that a nursing home would be the most cost-effective long term care option for your parent, think again.

Nursing homes cost $10,000–$13,000 per month depending upon where your aging parent lives. Yes, you read that right— $10,000–$13,000 per MONTH if he/she doesn’t have Medicaid. Even at a cost of $20 per hour, home care would still cost less.

Reason #5 Your aging parent is connected to a physician whom they trust. It’s hard to overstate the value of your aging parent being known to a physician in the community who will take his/her calls and, even more importantly, take interest in helping your parent to manage his/her health over time. It’s an important relationship, and a move to a nursing home could sever it.

Finally, your parent wants to live at home as long as possible. Make sure that if you make the decision for a nursing home, it was the choice of last resort.

http://www.geriatriccaremanagement.com/2011/01/five-reasons-its-not-time-for-a-nursing-home/

Stay at Home has Gone Social!

PAGE 4 FALL 2011 NEWSLETTER

Calendar of Events:  

Vial of Life Presentation ‐ The Gardens at Wakefield Plantation    Wednesday, October 19 at 3:00 pm Crockpot Cooking with Carol ‐ The Crossings at Heritage 

Thursday, October 20 at 2:30 pm Wake Forest Chamber Business Expo ‐ The Factory in Wake Forest 

Monday, October 24 from 3:00–7:00 pm  

Blood Pressure Checks ‐ The Crossings at Heritage First & Third Fridays from 1:00‐2:00 pm 

Blood Pressure Checks ‐ The Gardens at Wakefield Plantation Every Wednesday from 9:00‐10:00 am 

Blood Pressure Checks ‐ The Lodge at Wake Forest Every Wednesday from 10:30‐11:30 am 

Caregiver/Staff Monthly Meetings ‐ The Gardens at Wakefield Plantation First Wednesday of Every Month from 2:30‐3:30pm 

  In the case of an emergency, immediate access to personal information is crucial—examples include family contacts, hospital preference, allergies and medica‐tions. As a service to our clients and Shared Care community residents, Stay at Home has developed a pre‐printed form for important facts that is contained in a magnetic refrigerator pocket.  

In partnership with the Wake Forest Fire Department, we introduced the Vial of Life package to residents at The Crossings at Heritage. During the September 29th presentation, seniors were able to fill in their personal information and learn more about emergency situations from Lieutenant Michael Swiman.   We are looking forward to sharing this resource with residents at The Gardens at Wakefield Plantation on October 19th. Please contact our office if you would be interested in having us present to your Church group or organization.    

 

The Wake Weekly and  its family of newspapers  recently held a contest for the area’s “Best of the Best” businesses. The contest was a six‐week long effort of readers weighing‐in with thousands of  nominations for their favorite area business in more than 100 categories.  

  

At a wonderful dinner held on  September 22nd at The Sutherland,  Stay at Home Senior Care was  recognized with a First Place  Award in the Home Health  Service category. A big thank you  to everyone who voted for us –  what an incredible honor!

Congratulations to our caregivers and staff who have completed the Alzheimer’s Training Program, “Accepting The Challenge”! Doretta Adams    Bridget Day    Kim Dingus Beverly Jepson    Jayne Piet    Shari Regan 

Wendy Veasey  

Also join us in recognizing our Caregivers of the Month!!! August  ‐   Bridget Day September  ‐  Patricia Alston October  ‐  June Zollo   

Visit www.SAHseniors.com, then click on the Facebook icon and “Like us” to receive our latest news & publications!

FALL 2011 NEWSLETTER SPECIAL INSERT

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Vestibular Rehabilitation - Retraining the Inner Ear

FALL 2011 NEWSLETTER SPECIAL INSERT

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? CALL 556-3706.

For patients over 75 years of age, dizziness is the number one reason for visiting a physician.  Dizziness is considered a key risk factor for falls in the elderly population because it can cause general unsteadiness and problems walking.  Falls can lead to serious injury, and an estimated 10% of all falls result in hospitalization.  Many adults and children alike are referred to physical therapy to treat balance problems and dizziness‐related disorders.  For many years, physical therapists have been treating a wide variety of conditions, from common sprains and strains, to post‐surgical rehab, to strokes and brain injuries.  Physical therapists can also treat conditions related to balance and dizziness.  Treatment techniques rely on the ability of the brain to adapt, accom‐modate, and retrain itself so that symptoms of dizziness are no longer felt.  Depending on the patientʹs condition, a physical therapist will likely attempt to engage one or more of the three components of balance: visual system, vestibular system, and peripheral nervous system.  Visual inputs to the brain orient us to where we are in space, while the vestibular system (organs in our inner ear) orient our heads to gravity, head motion, and head position.  The peripheral nervous system transmits sensations from our feet and ankles to our brains so that we recognize what surface we are standing on.  Diagnostic tests during a physical therapy evaluation can determine which component of a patientʹs 

balance system is working cor‐rectly and which components are not.   A trained physical therapist can then determine the best treatment plan for each individual patient based on these diagnostic tests.  Patients experiencing balance problems, dizziness, vertigo, and general unsteadiness 

could potentially benefit greatly from physical therapy, and in many cases the results of treatment can be immediate.  If you are interested in an evalua‐tion, vestibular rehabilitation is offered at Orthopedic Physical Therapy Associates in Wake Forest by physical therapist Grant Nelson.  Call 919.556.4678 to make an  appointment with Grant. 

FALL 2011 NEWSLETTER SPECIAL INSERT

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? CALL 556-3706.

FALL 2011 NEWSLETTER SPECIAL INSERT

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? CALL 556-3706.