Category Archives: Awareness & Activism

August 1, 2016 · 7:25 pm

Top slip and fall risks for seniors

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Laurens Meurs/Freeimages

This past week, I stumbled on a stair and fell in my own home, where I’ve been living for over 10 years. I wasn’t rushing, nothing has changed recently as regards to the stairs or my health, and I am an active 40-something woman. Fortunately, I injured nothing but my pride.

To follow up on last week’s post, Bruce Millar of Millar & Mixon law firm put together this list of top slip and fall risks. A lot of it is common sense, but check your home (and the homes of your aging loved ones) to see if any modifications need to be made. –Joy

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year millions of older people (those who are 65 and older) fall. Sight and balance problems, along with weakened limbs can make walking a challenge for some elderly people. Fortunately, after identifying the risks, simple measures can be implemented to ensure that their health is protected.

The slip and falls risks that the elderly face are many, according to AtlantaAdvocate.com. However, some are caused by the negligence of the government or business owners, who are expected to keep premises in a reasonably safe condition. If you or a loved one suffers a fall due to negligence, don’t be afraid to speak out, obtain legal advice and if appropriate, seek compensation. Seniors are more likely to be seriously hurt or even killed due to falling accidents. Let us examine the most common risk factors that may cause these slips and falls.

Slip and Fall Risks

  1. Inadequate Lighting

Inadequate lighting may occur in areas such as alleys footpaths or house corridors. Elderly people are likely to slip and fall in areas with inadequate lighting as they have problems with their sight. Lighting in public zones should be adequate to ensure that the they can see well whether they are in public or private areas. Report non-functioning streetlights to the appropriate city officials and make sure your own yard and home have adequate lighting.

  1. Cluttered Walkways

Some sidewalks, especially in big cities, may be cluttered with rubbish and other debris and and this poses a fall risk. Creating a narrow, tricky path for someone who may have sight and mobility problems may result in a fall with serious injuries.

  1. Slippery Floors

Wet floors are one of the leading causes of falls and slips among the elderly. Areas such as malls and supermarkets often have slick floors. Recently mopped and waxed floors are a major cause of falls and slips. Older adults are often the most affected because their balance may be impaired, thus increasing their risk of a fall in these situations.

  1. Appliance Cords in Walking Paths

These hazards mainly occur in homes or some stores where device cords pass through walking paths. A poorly-placed cord can trip up the elderly which can result in a potentially fatal fall. In a business, such cases should be reported because the appliance cords are not meant to be in areas where people are walking in the first place.

  1. Cracks On Sidewalks or Driveways

Cracks and uneven sidewalks and driveways are a major reason for falls, not just for the elderly but other individuals as well. Major cracks should be repaired promptly, or reported to authorities if on city property. A trip on cement can lead to serious injuries, especially for those who have osteoporosis or other conditions which weaken bone strength.

  1. Slick Bathroom Floors

Many fall accidents that occur in a home have reportedly happened in the bathroom. These injuries are often caused by wet floors, a slippery tub and lack of grab bars to hold onto and avoid falls. When renovating a bathroom with aging-in-place in mind, especially in nursing homes for the elderly or in-home care, measures should be taken to reduce the risk of bathroom falls. Safety measures can include non-slip rugs, non-slip bathtub treads and handrails.

  1. Changes in Surface Types or Levels

Changes in surface types or levels that are not well defined may cause falls and pose a significant risk to the elderly. Contractors should try to identify changes in such instances to ensure the safety of the elderly. Areas with such changes should have grab bars or a railing. That way, if an older person trips, they can support themselves and avoid falling.

Injuries Due To Falls

The following are injuries that can occur following a fall:

  • Brain injury
  • Broken bones
  • Hip fractures
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Cuts and bruises
  • Pain
  • Psychological trauma
  • Medical expenses
  • In some cases death

 

Author Bio:

Bruce Millar of Millar & Mixon law firm serves the victims of personal injury accidents all over the state of Georgia. Millar and the other attorneys at Millar & Mixon have over 20 years of experience of helping clients get their life back on track after a serious accident has occurred.

Photo credit: Laurens Meurs/Freeimages

 

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July 26, 2016 · 8:00 am

Don’t underestimate the power of a fall

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Admittedly, I used to laugh at those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” LifeAlert commercials. What can I say, I was young and the commercials were done in an over-the-top manner. But as my parents aged, I discovered that falling is no laughing matter.

My father’s love of walking made him a dangerous dementia patient. When he was at the memory care center, we got several calls over the course of a year that my father had fallen. The care center’s policy required them to inform us each time Dad took a spill, even if he was not injured or was not taken to the hospital. Sometimes he was taken to the hospital, and I can only imagine how an ambulance ride and an ER visit must seem to someone with dementia.

Even though Dad took multiple spills, he never ended up with more than bruises. My mother, on the other hand, took one bad fall and broke her shoulder. She lived with pain from the injury for the rest of her life. When she first became ill with cancer, her mental status changed and the home health staff suggested I get a monitoring system for her. I signed up for the one they offered, which was Philips Lifeline. Overall, I was satisfied with the service. There was a billing issue upon returning the equipment after her death, but the service while she was alive was good.

ReviewsBee rates the Top 10 Medical Alert Systems, placing Philips Lifeline at #5. I mainly agree with the review. My mother was skeptical of technology, but because Philips is such a well-known and trusted brand, she was more comfortable using the product. The fall-sensor technology was sometimes oversensitive, thinking my mother had fallen when she just turned over in bed, but it was still reassuring to know that a live person would check on my mom immediately via intercom if a fall was detected.

All systems have their pros and cons, and I only had experience with the one brand, so make sure to read reviews from different sources and think about the features that are most important to your family. Keep in mind that some monitoring systems require landlines and make sure to read your contract so that you don’t get stuck with fees when returning the equipment when it is no longer needed.

If you have tips on preventing falls, I would love to hear about them.

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July 21, 2016 · 7:00 am

What’s the best support a caregiver could receive?

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I am participating in the OpenIDEO’s end-of-life challenge and my idea made the top 50 cut.

The challenge is to reimagine the end-of-life experience for ourselves and for our loved ones. I focused on the end-of-life experience as a caregiver, and the importance of respite care. When caregivers become burned out, everyone suffers. Everyone needs a break, and the end of life can be a longer road than expected. That’s why I submitted the idea of Respite Care Share, which would offer free or discounted vouchers that caregivers could use at hotels and on vacation rental services like Airbnb. Caregiving assistance while the caregiver is away would also be part of the package.

While Medicare covers an allotment of respite care days, and will place a patient in a facility during the respite care period, I found that respite care can be restricted depending upon if there are available beds in a participating facility. Even if you can place your loved one in a facility or find appropriate home care, a nearby weekend getaway can help clear the mind and renew the spirit.

Now I need your help in propelling the idea forward.

The idea as it stands now is that the caregiver respite vouchers would be presented as the centerpiece of a caregiver care package. These packages would include vouchers for respite care and other services, such as massage and other spa services, yoga classes and other personal enrichment services that focus on relaxation.

If you would be so kind as to respond to this 3-question survey, I would greatly appreciate it:

Caregiver Appreciation Survey

Feel free to leave comments on this post as well and share the survey link with other caregivers.

Bottom line, whether you are a current, former or future caregiver, how likely would you be to use respite care vouchers? Is there another form of caregiver support you would rather receive? What else would you want to know about the program?

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July 10, 2016 · 9:56 pm

Taking a stand in your own way

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What is there to say about the violent, deadly events over the last week and the last month? We are allowing hate and fear to triumph over love and respect, and we must find a way to reach common ground, or our existence, as individuals and as a nation, will remain in jeopardy.

I think about the way my mom was raised, imperfect yet with a strong, unwavering core of human decency. My mother was raised on a farm in rural Tennessee during the 1940s and 1950s. Racism, Jim Crow laws and the KKK were all thriving. My mother’s family referred to Brazil nuts that they received in their Christmas stockings as “n-word toes.” It was not said with hatred, it was the standard nickname used in those parts, but it illustrates just how comfortable the locals were with using racist slurs.

Yet my mother’s hometown of Newport also had a black doctor, Dr. Dennis Branch. He became well-known enough that he was on “This is Your Life” and had his obituary published in the New York Times. According to the local newspaper, a documentary is in the works. My mother’s family loved and respected Dr. Branch. He made house calls and was kind to the children when they were ill, unlike some of the older, crotchety white doctors. He even accepted produce in lieu of cash for some families.

When my mother was grown and working in Memphis, she encountered her first direct act of racism. My mother was at a diner having a meal when a black woman came in and set at the counter a few seats down from my mother. The waitress saw her, but blatantly ignored her. She served the white patrons who came in after the black woman. My mother watched this unfold and overheard the waitress tell a customer, “We don’t serve those kind here.”

My mother paid for her food and abruptly left, never to return. When she recounted the story, she often wondered how long that black woman set at the counter, waiting to be served. It bothered my mother, that the woman had not been treated with common decency.

Over the years, I have thought a lot about that woman as well.

So my mother may not have walked in civil rights marches, she may not have been the most vocal person when it came to civil rights, but her small action made a big impression on me.

If we all did our small part, make the choice of human decency when it matters in our daily lives, our world would be a better place.

 

 

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June 28, 2016 · 7:47 am

Legendary coach Pat Summitt gone too soon

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Even if you are not a women’s college basketball fan, you probably would have recognized the former Tennessee Vols coach and her intense sideline expressions. Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in collegiate sport history, has died from Alzheimer’s complications at the age of 64.

Though early-onset dementia is usually more aggressive, I am still surprised at how quickly the disease claimed Summitt.

Word of her declining health spread on social media over the weekend. After being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2011, Summitt retired from coaching in 2012 but was an active and passionate  Alzheimer’s activist. Over the last year or so, she had made less public appearances, but I had no idea her health had declined so significantly.

Again, even if you don’t care about sports statistics, Summitt’s record was absolutely amazing. Summitt amassed the most successful coaching career in collegiate history with her head coaching record of 1,098 wins and 208 losses, earning her an impressive .841 win percentage. That’s best college coaching record, male or female.

Known for her fierce competitive streak and steely-eyed intensity, players remembered Summitt as a tough but gifted coach who encouraged them to give their all in each game.

In response to her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Summitt said, “There’s not going to be any pity party and I’ll make sure of that.” After the end of her coaching career, Summitt worked tirelessly to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s by establishing The Pat Summitt Foundation.The Pat Summitt Alzheimer’s Clinic at the University of Tennessee Medical Center is scheduled to open in December.

Summitt’s passion and dedication will be missed on and off the court. I hope her death at such a young age will at least make people take note that Alzheimer’s is not just an “old person’s” disease, and that it can claim the lives of even the toughest fighters among us. (Though one could argue that death is victory over Alzheimer’s.)

May she rest in peace, and my thoughts are with her son Tyler and the family.

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June 25, 2016 · 8:17 pm

The most important conversation of all

Many of us have struggled with having end-of-life discussions with our loved ones. But “the talk” is one of the most important conversations we can have with those we care about the most. Christopher MacLellan tackles the talk and offers some practical advice.

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Having “The Talk” does not have to be hard or difficult, yet the talk does have to happen at some point in our lives. I’m not referring to the birds and the bees talk our parents have with us when […]

via Having The Talk: How To Make End Of Life Wishes Easier — The Purple Jacket

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June 13, 2016 · 9:08 pm

Supporting caregivers of wounded warriors

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I’m always eager to support caregiver causes, and this upcoming documentary caught my attention.

“The Weight of Honor” is a documentary about family caregivers tending to their loved ones who were wounded while serving in the military. These caregivers, often young and caring for young children, find themselves suddenly tending to spouses who have suffered catastrophic injuries and who are dealing with PTSD.

You can watch the trailer here:

I recently watched a very moving PBS documentary, “Of Men and War,” that focused on a PTSD treatment center, the first of its kind. To hear what these men went through, and what they are battling to overcome, was gut-wrenching, but something that deserves more recognition and support.

Like many documentary filmmakers, funds are tough to come by, even for such a noble cause. Director and producer Stephanie Howard has started a crowdsourcing campaign for finishing funds for the film. If you would like to support the project, please consider a donation and share information about the film on your blog and social media.

I look forward to seeing this documentary and learning more about what military family caregivers experience.

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June 2, 2016 · 8:01 pm

Thanking Jim Garner and family

I have been following Jim Garner’s inspiring, heartbreaking, well-documented journey with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

He died in April, five years after his initial diagnosis. His mother and brother also died from the disease.

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Garner was only 53 years old, and leaves behind a wife and two children. The family showed remarkable strength, grace and selflessness in allowing the Daily Press to document how Alzheimer’s impacted them over the last several years.

In a struggle for aid, Garner, a veteran, was denied access to government programs, including Medicaid, Medicare and social services. Despite 23 years in the Air Force, he Veterans Administration only offered Garner  a 30-day respite stay in a one-star facility.

A friend of Jim’s wife set up a GoFundMe campaign with her reluctant approval. Karen, Jim’s wife, was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and donations. The money raised allowed Jim to be placed in a secure memory-care unit for the remainder of his life.

Don’t underestimate the power of a caring community.

Karen wants to dedicate the rest of her life to raising awareness for Alzheimer’s, but knows that she will have to get a job to support her two children. Just by allowing her family’s struggles and triumphs to be documented, she has done so much to personalize the toll that this disease takes on the entire family.

One quote from the interview with Karen really struck me. She was talking about how Jim always was about not sweating the small stuff and taught her to appreciate the seemingly mundane things in life. “We don’t realize how lucky we are that we can empty the dishwasher until we can no longer do it, “she said.

So true.

Wishing the Garners love, peace and healing as they mourn their loss.

 

 

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April 16, 2016 · 6:01 pm

A call to support a fellow artist and caregiver

Many of you dear people who follow The Memories Project dabble in writing or other art forms, and are either caring for or lost loved ones to dementia.

Emily Page is an artist and blogger who recently lost her father, who had FTD. She has started a crowdfunding campaign for a book she is writing about the experience, which will include some of her fabulous art.

If you are so inclined and in the position to do so, please consider donating to her campaign. You can find out more about the project on her blog and via her Publishizer page.

I’ve never met Emily personally, but I have a feeling we would get along, because we both love cats and bourbon!

In less than 72 hours, I have had over 250 pre-orders for my book, Fractured Memories, about my family’s sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrible journey through my dad’s dementia. Seriously. Are you people kidding me? Did you know you were that awesome? Did you? I kind of vaguely suspected you might be pretty cool, but damn, I […]

via You People Are The Best People — The Perks of Being an Artist

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March 28, 2016 · 10:33 pm

‘Driving Miss Norma’ inspires many

I have been following the journey of Norma, the 90-year-old woman who lost her husband and learned that she had cancer in the same 2-week time span. While that would drive many of us straight to our beds, Norma surprised everyone by saying she wanted to hit the road.

Her family is taking her on a trip around the country, and Norma is having the time of her life. She chose to skip a risky surgery, and cancer treatment that would have left her sick and exhausted, and instead live out her final days on a grand adventure.

Miss Norma

Miss Norma, via Driving Miss Norma/Facebook.

 

When Norma told her doctor of her plans, he responded, “Right on!”

The world agrees, and the Driving Miss Norma Facebook page has gone viral, with thousands of people around the world following her journey.

I love her attitude. And for those who think skipping treatment is “giving up” the only thing Miss Norma has given up is the misery of uncertainty. Yes, the cancer she has will likely kill her. But instead of sitting around and worrying about it, or obsessing over treatments that may offer false hope, Norma is doing exactly what someone with a limited time span should do: experiencing every last drop of life she can, while she can.

We don’t have to wait until we are 90 and have a terminal illness to live like Norma. Sure, we can’t all necessarily hop into an RV and tour the country, but we can start carving out time to focus on what is important to us, instead of what others think is important.

 

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