Alzheimer's disease is an illness of the brain. It causes large numbers of nerve cells in the brain to die. This affects a person's ability to remember things and think clearly. People with AD become forgetful and easily confused. They may have a hard time concentrating and behave in odd ways. These problems get worse as the illness gets worse, making it more difficult for caregivers. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease is a challenge that calls upon the patience, creativity, knowledge, and skills of each caregiver. This book is for those who provide in-home care for people with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. The goal is to improve home safety by identifying potential problems in the home and offering possible solutions to help prevent accidents.

How do you choose a care home for a relative or friend? The care home may look perfect in the brochure, but is that a true reflection of what it's like to live there? Can the manager's claims be trusted? Written by an insider who's worked in care for sixteen years, this book will show you how to tell if all is really as it seems. Are the home's residents looked upon as people, or just as money generators? Will your mum be allowed something to drink in the evening, or will she be left thirsty just so that she won't need the lavatory in the night? This is a book for anyone with a relative or friend in residential care. It's also a book for current and future residents and the carers who look after them. 'Behind those care home doors' will show you what to really look for in a care home and how to check the standards of care provided and what to do if things go wrong. The author describes her front line experiences of abusive behaviours and harrowing standards of care, often from senior staff. She questions why carers who have the most contact with patients are frequently ignored when they raise concerns. Typical care home fees are equal to a staying in a good hotel with a private nurse and yet many homes are cutting staff to inappropriate levels. The author describes working in a care home with fees in excess of GBP900 per week and a menu promising smoked mackerel pate, homemade crusty bread and salad while the staff were obliged to serve muffin and chips, fish fingers and spaghetti hoops, out of date food, and mean portions. If you're contemplating working in a care home 'Behind those care home doors' will give you an insight and help you to decide whether care is the right career for you physically and emotionally. This book would also make valuable reading for care home managers and owners who may be finding the day to day pressures within their organisation are leading to decisions they know to be wrong.

The topic of communication in elderly care is becoming ever more pressing, with an aging world population and burgeoning numbers of people needing care. This book looks at this critical but underanalyzed area. It examines the way people talk to each other in eldercare settings from an interdisciplinary and globally cross-cultural perspective. The small body of available research points to eldercare communication taking place with its own specific conditions and contexts. Often, there is the presence of various mental/physical ailments on the part of the care receivers, scarcity of time, resources and/or flexibility on the part of the care givers, and a mutual necessity of providing/receiving assistance with intimate personal activities. The book combines theory and practice, with linguistically informed analysis of real-life interaction in eldercare settings across the world. Each chapter closes with a "Practical Recommendations" section that contains suggestions on how communication in eldercare can be improved. This book is an important and timely publication that will appeal to researchers and carers alike.

Sandra Gaffney entered her first nursing home for long-term care at the unusually young age of fifty. Fourteen years earlier she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over the next sixteen years, Gaffney lived in nursing homes in Florida, Virginia, and Minnesota, as the ways she could be close to family changed.

She describes her situation in these words: "As a nursing home resident, I require total or maximum care. I have limited use of my hands and arms. With special splints, I am able to turn the pages of my books, use the telephone and TV/VCR/FM radio remote control. When my cup is positioned properly, I can drink independently. I am able to walk with a platform walker and the help of two nursing assistants. My walking is not functional; it is only for exercise. After I moved into my third nursing home, I learned to operate a power wheelchair by using an adaptive switch between my knees. ... All other areas of physical care have to be done for me. My speech is impaired. If people listen carefully, they can understand what I am saying. ... I am able to eat regular food and breathe on my own."

Gaffney became an acute observer and strategist about how to live in a nursing home. Her first-person account, dictated to family members and assistants, covers making the decision to enter a nursing home, choosing the right one, and understanding its culture. She talks about how to furnish your room and about all the issues that arise in a resident's typical day. She has much to say about communication with staff and family about "how to help others help me." Gaffney's daughters, Amy and Bridget, and her friend Ellen Potter provide additional perspectives on the caregiving experience.

Sandra Gaffney entered her first nursing home for long-term care at the unusually young age of fifty. Fourteen years earlier she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over the next sixteen years, Gaffney lived in nursing homes in Florida, Virginia, and Minnesota, as the ways she could be close to family changed.

She describes her situation in these words: "As a nursing home resident, I require total or maximum care. I have limited use of my hands and arms. With special splints, I am able to turn the pages of my books, use the telephone and TV/VCR/FM radio remote control. When my cup is positioned properly, I can drink independently. I am able to walk with a platform walker and the help of two nursing assistants. My walking is not functional; it is only for exercise. After I moved into my third nursing home, I learned to operate a power wheelchair by using an adaptive switch between my knees. ... All other areas of physical care have to be done for me. My speech is impaired. If people listen carefully, they can understand what I am saying. ... I am able to eat regular food and breathe on my own."

Gaffney became an acute observer and strategist about how to live in a nursing home. Her first-person account, dictated to family members and assistants, covers making the decision to enter a nursing home, choosing the right one, and understanding its culture. She talks about how to furnish your room and about all the issues that arise in a resident's typical day. She has much to say about communication with staff and family about "how to help others help me." Gaffney's daughters, Amy and Bridget, and her friend Ellen Potter provide additional perspectives on the caregiving experience.

America is quickly going grey. There are more Americans alive today over the age of 80 than ever before in our history; by 2030, that number is expected to almost triple. But when we discuss how long people live, we must also consider how well they live. Aging Our Way follows the everyday lives of 30 elders (ages 85-102) living at home and mostly alone to understand how they create and maintain meaningful lives for themselves. Through extensive interviews, Meika Loe explores how elders navigate the practical challenges of living as independently as possible while staying healthy, connected, and comfortable. Aging Our Way celebrates these men and women as they really are: lively, complicated, engaging people finding creative ways to make their aging as meaningful and manageable as possible. Written with remarkable warmth and depth of understanding, Aging Our Way offers a vivid look at a group of people who too often remain invisible-those who have lived the longest - and all they have to teach us.

This book examines the risks and benefits of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC). CCRCs can benefit older Americans by allowing them to move among and through independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care in one community. They offer a range of contract types and fees that are designed to provide long-term care and transfer different degrees of the risk of future cost increases from the resident to the CCRC. Developing CCRCs can be a lengthy, complex process that requires significant long-term financing and accurate revenue and cost projections. Once operational, risks to long-term viability include declining occupancy and unexpected cost increases. While few CCRCs have failed, challenging economic and real estate market conditions have negatively affected some CCRCs occupancy and financial conditions.

As communication skills decline in people with dementia, a supportive environment becomes crucial to a resident's ability to express needs and desires. But how do you recognise what physical and social changes will help improve functioning, communication, and quality of life? The Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit (ECAT) for Dementia Care is your answer. This evidence-based toolkit includes the tools you need to assess, intervene, and modify on an individualised basis to ensure the quality of life for people with dementia. Use the validated Assessment Forms, and in three easy-to-follow steps you will be able to assess activity performance with quick yes/no questions; evaluate the environment to identify barriers and problems; and pinpoint individualised recommendations for intervention. ECAT's developers are researchers and experienced clinicians who have made sure that ECAT integrates effortlessly into evaluation and treatment sessions; helps keep up case load demands with creative solutions; satisfies regulatory requirements; leads to straightforward functional therapeutic interventions; and identifies low-cost, person-centred environmental modifications. ECAT for Dementia Care has more than 300 specific recommendations for interventions and modifications that will reduce typical problems encountered during routine activities of daily living for people with dementia. With the ECAT's functionally based assessment and intervention system, you will be fully equipped with solutions. Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit for Dementia Care Toolkit (ECAT) Card Pack contains 25 cards (24 full-colour Sequencing Cue Cards and 1 double-sided single colour card (Gray Scale Contrast Tool and Type Size Reading Test).

Being old is different in many ways: different from what we anticipated in younger years, different from other chapters in our lives, and, nowadays, different from what it has been in the past. Above all, is a totally new individual experience and different for each person. To look at the complexity of these differences is the aim of this book. In "Being Old is Different" some basic person-centred principles and their implementation in everyday care are described; the themes that become relevant in the last chapters of life, and their impact on care for old people, are highlighted.The book aims to demonstrate why the Person-Centred Approach is particularly useful in this field; how it can be transferred into practice; how it helps to improve the life quality of old people and, at the same time, make work more satisfying for carers. Marlis Portner's book is not about specific nursing or therapy methods but about fundamental principles, which are valuable in different areas of care. The term 'carer', therefore, is used here for all those who, professionally or voluntarily, work with old people, and the term 'care' embraces nursing as well as therapeutic and supportive activities.

A candid, humane, and improbably humorous look at the world of eldercare
In nursing homes across the country, members of the Greatest Generation are living out their last days. Life is a succession of pokes and prods, medications, TV, bingo, and, possibly, talking to Ira Rosofsky. With a compassionate eye but mordant wit, Rosofsky, a psychologist charged with gauging the mental health of his elders, reveals a culture based not in the empathy of caretaking, but rather in the coolly detached bureaucracy of Medicare and Medicaid.
A portrayal of what is increasingly becoming the last slice of life for many, "Nasty, Brutish, and Long" is also a baby boomer's poignant meditation on mortality, a reflection on his caregiving for his parents' final days, and an examination of the choices that we, as a society, have made about health care for the elderly who are no longer of sound mind and body.

Population aging is occurring worldwide. Reports of abuse and neglect of older men and women are also evident on a global basis. While much of the work on identification, treatment and prevention of abuse of older persons has been within the family setting, it cannot be separated from the broader experience of growing old in contemporary society. Time and time again, issues around legislation, policy and practice collide with human rights, societal attitudes and stereotypes.

Raising awareness of the linkamong aging, ageism and abuse, is one goal of this book and a necessary first step in the battle to eliminate abuse and neglect of older persons. But awareness is not enough, action needs to be taken to develop, case finding procedures and remedial and preventive policies and programs that are elder-friendly both in intent and in the way that they are implemented. This book offers a thought-provoking examination of selected current policies and programs that have been developed within the health, social services and criminal justice systems. It highlights the special issues and vulnerabilities of older women, older men and persons from the LGTB community. It also features a unique approach to reaching young people through an educational program that shapes attitudes and behavior via graphic art.
* Clear, straightforward writing style - reader does not have to contend with murky theories and obscure references

* Practical approach - readers can relate to the examples that are provided of situations in which abuse and neglect has or can occur"

"Social Work with Older People" provides an authoritative and practical guide to working with older people in a range of settings. It addresses the complexities of individual work with older people, as well as work with families, groups and the wider community, and is not afraid to tackle the challenges as well as opportunities of practice in this area.

The book begins by explaining the demographic changes that have led to a 'greying' of the general population. It goes on to discuss the diversity in experiences of ageing across society, and the range of issues which confront older people and those who wish to work proactively with them. Clear attention is paid to the processes of assessment, care planning and review, with readers encouraged to reflect on developing good practice through case studies and exercises. Although it has a strong practical emphasis, the book also stresses the value of theoretical perspectives, with insights from fields such as sociology and psychology woven throughout the book. Clear links are also made to policy guidelines and organizational standards, without losing sight of the deeper, often more complex, issues that arise when working with older people.

"Social Work with Older People" will be essential reading for social work students and practitioners, but also for others who are interested in the development of practice with older people as citizens and service users.

The restraint of older people is a pressing issue for health and social care practice. This book provides health and social care professionals with an authoritative reading resource on the ethics and use of restraint. The book provides an overview of the different forms of restraint, the conditions under which they are used, and their implications for the health and wellbeing of older people. Practical approaches to minimising are then explored, underlining the importance of person-centred care. Innovative programmes and approaches to reducing the use of restraint from around the world are described and assessed, and case studies are drawn upon to highlight practice challenges and their effective resolutions. The perspectives of older people and their carers and families, as well as of professionals, commissioners and regulators of health and social care, are also taken into account. The contributors are drawn from an international range of health and social care settings, as well as from the academic world. This in-depth volume will help health and social care professionals better understand the complex issues that surround the use of restraint, support practice that puts older people at the centre of decision-making about their care, and enable services to provide safer and more appropriate care.

As the baby-boomer generation ages, nursing home care is likely to become a major social problem. New residents will put huge strains on already short staffing at a time when funding to government-assisted homes (75 percent of all nursing homes) is lower than ever.
Based on her ten years of experience working as a Licensed Practical Nurse in many care facilities, attorney Donna M. Reed shares her insider knowledge to help ensure that nursing home residents receive the best care possible. Reed focuses on the following key points:
- The legal requirements of nursing homes regarding delivery of care
- The ways in which many nursing homes regularly break these laws
- Detailed descriptions of how the typical nursing home operates
- The responsibilities of each nursing home employee
- Nursing home inspections
- Residents' rights
- How to avoid substandard care
- What actions to take to improve nursing home life
Reed's firsthand knowledge of nursing home care and her in-depth understanding of the legal requirements that protect residents offer invaluable information to readers concerned about nursing home care for a loved one.

Thirty million people today care for ailing family members in their own homes--a number that will increase dramatically over the next decade as baby boomers enter old age, as soldiers return home from war mentally and physically wounded, as medical advances extend lives and health insurance fails to cover them.

Offering both companionship and guidance to the people who find themselves caring for their intimates, "An Uncertain Inheritance" is a collection of essays from some of the country's most accomplished writers. Poignant, honest, sometimes heartbreaking, often wry, and funny, here is a book that examines caregiving from every angle, revealing the pain, intimacy, and grace inherent in this meaningful relationship.

This book is the British Medical Association's statement on the ethics related to care of the elderly, written and reviewed by a panel of renowned medical ethicists. As such it is an authoritative and considered reference, written in an accessible, non jargon so as to be useful for anyone charged with looking after the elderly.

The book includes useful case examples so that it can be used by a range of health professionals and carers who need to know the law and ethics of looking after older people. The authors focus on practical issues such as helping older people stick to their treatment regimes, the sort of information they should be given to give valid consent, and their rights to confidentiality, as well as discussion about where they want to end their lives when it comes to that point.

""Taking Care of Barbara" is an inspirational resource book for anyone living in the world of Alzheimer's. There are clear and concise caregiver tips and references in dealing with the everyday struggles that come with the progression of the disease. What a gift to know and be able to anticipate the needs of our loved one when they may not be able to communicate them. Most importantly, this book is a celebration of family and the relationship between the caregiver and the patient. It lifts the caregiver above the everyday struggles and reminds us of where to find the strength and joy in the frequent frustrations of the day. It inspires us to love beyond the external happenings and shows us there lies a deeper and greater gain that will enrich our spirit. The world of Alzheimer's may feel overwhelming, but this book encourages caregivers to get out of bed, put their feet on the floor and face the day with renewed strength and purpose."
-Kelly Cason Hunter, Hospice Volunteer, Pediatric Nurse

This handbook is aimed at clinicians and others who are engaged in caring for ageing adults with developmental disabilities. It is intended to inform understanding, promote assessment, assist in care planning, and especially to improve everyday living for this needy but sadly often neglected group of vulnerable individuals. The authors base their guidance on evidence, focusing on important insights that are likely to be valuable to the clinician interested in the care of the individuals on whose behalf the book has been prepared.

A brief general overview of the area is followed by a detailed consideration of dementia in the context of developmental disability, including cause, diagnosis, assessment and natural history, with case examples. The next chapters concentrate on two of the most high-profile of all the major groups of developmental disabilities, with their own unique patterns of ageing: Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Other less common causal syndromes, and their characteristics with ageing, are then reviewed. This is followed by a detailed guide to drug treatment issues in this group. The final chapter considers wider issues of psychosocial intervention and life planning for the ageing individual with developmental disability.

Care Managers: Working With The Aging Family Addresses The Unmet Needs Of Care Managers Working With Aging Clients As Well As The Client's Entire Family. With Its In-Depth Focus On The " Aging Family System, This Book Fills A Gap For Medical Case Managers And Geriatric Care Managers Giving Them Tools To Better Meet The Treatment Goals Of Aging Clients And Their Families, As The Older Clients Move Through The Continuum Of Care In Institutional Based Settings Or Community Based Settings. Care Managers: Working With The Aging Family Uniquely Focuses On Helping The Entire Family Unit Through The Process Of Death And Dying, Helping Midlife Siblings To Work Together To Render Care To Aging Parents. It Adds Proven Techniques To The Care Manager Repertoire Such As Family Meetings, Forgiveness, Technology, And Care Giver Assessment. It Offers Multiple Tools To Do An Effective Care Plan So That Both The Needs Of The Family And The Older Client Are Met.

On investigative visits to nursing homes across the nation, Beth Baker has witnessed profound changes. Culture change leaders are tearing up everything -- the floor plans, the flow charts, the schedules, the lousy menus, the attitudes, the rules -- and starting from scratch. They are creating extraordinary places where people live in dignity and greet the day with contentment, assisted by employees who feel valued and appreciated. Perhaps most surprising, these homes prove that a high quality of life does not have to cost more. Some of the best homes in the nation serve primarily low-income people who are on Medicaid. In this new book, Baker tell the story of a better way to live in old age. Although each home is different, they share common values: respecting individual choices; empowering staff; fostering a strong community of elders, staff, family members, and volunteers; redesigning buildings from a hospital model to a home (where pets and children are part of everyday life); and honoring people when they die. Her visits to more than two dozen facilities include those associatd with the Eden Alternative, Green House, Kendal, and the Pioneer Network. Whether these transformational homes become the norm or the domain of a lucky few is the question that faces the next generation of elders, the baby boomers.

On investigative visits to nursing homes across the nation, Beth Baker has witnessed profound changes. Culture change leaders are tearing up everything -- the floor plans, the flow charts, the schedules, the lousy menus, the attitudes, the rules -- and starting from scratch. They are creating extraordinary places where people live in dignity and greet the day with contentment, assisted by employees who feel valued and appreciated. Perhaps most surprising, these homes prove that a high quality of life does not have to cost more. Some of the best homes in the nation serve primarily low-income people who are on Medicaid. In this new book, Baker tell the story of a better way to live in old age. Although each home is different, they share common values: respecting individual choices; empowering staff; fostering a strong community of elders, staff, family members, and volunteers; redesigning buildings from a hospital model to a home (where pets and children are part of everyday life); and honoring people when they die. Her visits to more than two dozen facilities include those associatd with the Eden Alternative, Green House, Kendal, and the Pioneer Network. Whether these transformational homes become the norm or the domain of a lucky few is the question that faces the next generation of elders, the baby boomers.

Families often wrestle with the decision to move a person with dementia into a care home. The decision can be highly charged and emotional, involving feelings of loss, sadness and guilt. Moreover, developing a good relationship between the family and the care home is not an easy matter. In this accessible guide the authors take person-centred dementia care a step forward by outlining ways in which care homes can help families to become partners in the caring process. Using case examples, quotations and research-based evidence, the authors offer practical advice and good practice guidelines for supporting relatives who choose to be involved in the care of people with dementia living in a care home, as well as highlighting the value of this involvement. The book is written in an easy-to-read style and incorporates useful features such as checklists for reviewing current practices and summaries of key points for each chapter. An invaluable resource for care home managers and staff, this book will also be helpful for families of people with dementia, as well as for students and researchers interested in dementia care practice.

Population aging often provokes fears of impending social security deficits, uncontrollable medical expenditures, and transformations in living arrangements, but public policy could also stimulate social innovations. These issues are typically studied at the national level; yet they must be resolved where most people live--in diverse neighborhoods in cities.

New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo are the four largest cities among the wealthiest, most developed nations of the world. The essays commissioned for this volume compare what it is like to grow older in these cities with respect to health care, quality of life, housing, and long-term care. The contributors look beyond aggregate national data to highlight the importance of how local authorities implement policies.