Increasingly, research shows that older adults can benefit in myriad ways from the companionship of an animal.

Physical health benefits

Pets seem to help us stay calm in the midst of stress:

- Reduced blood pressure and heart rate. Some research shows improvement even when the “pet” is fish swimming in an aquarium!
- Strengthened immune system. One study found an increase in an infection-fighting blood factor.
- Fewer pain medications. Adults who had pet therapy while recovering from joint replacement used 50% less pain drugs than those who did not.

Mood and activity benefits

For elders living alone, pets may provide a kind of companionship essential to well-being. Older pet owners are believed to be more active than their peers. One study even showed that older adults with pets go to the doctor less often than those without.

Read the entire article…

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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If you worry about your charitable giving traditions disappearing after you’re gone, check out these tips on bringing your loved ones into the loop. With some open communication, you may be surprised to find that your favorite causes will be the recipient of your family’s support for generations to come.

Start the Conversation
To begin, set aside some time to talk at a family gathering, at a family meeting or, if necessary, through a conference call. (Try a website service such as www.freeconferencecall.com.) During this discussion, you should:

• Share your vision, goals and philanthropic ideas.
• Ask your children for their thoughts.
• Request that your children consider their role in your charitable giving plans.

Involve Your Children
After your initial conversation, follow up with each family member to discuss:

• The specific charities you support or would like to support.
• Volunteer opportunities with these organizations.
• Traditions that can be started with your family and, if your children are grown, with their own families.

Plan to Give
Once you establish your children’s interest in taking on philanthropic responsibilities, you can develop the appropriate strategies. This could include connecting them with the organizations you support or setting up trusts to carry out your wishes.

We Can Help
We are happy to tell you more about our mission and the many ways you can support Hospice & Palliative CareCenter. Just contact Ellen Coble at 336-331-1312 or ellen.coble@hospicecarecenter.org.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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It is wise to be cautious about crime. But extreme fear traps some elders at home unnecessarily, undermining their quality of life.

If you are concerned about the person you care for, these tips can help you support your relative’s safety and address his or her anxiety.

The facts about seniors and crime show that

- fear is out of proportion. Older adults are the victims of crime far less often than are people in other age groups.

- violent crimes are uncommon. Seniors most fear assault and rape. But older adults are rarely the victims of such crimes.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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In some communities, nearly 60% of all patients and families facing the challenges of end-of-life receive loving support and compassionate care from a hospice organization. In our community, approximately 40% of patients and families are receiving our care.

Our goal is to help as many patients and families as possible. We know we can do more. With your voice, we can spread the word. By addressing commonly asked questions, we can raise awareness. Advocating together, we can reach more people.

There are many ways you can help Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, but simply spreading the word is one of the most valuable. You could help someone have a life-enriching experience because of the knowledge you share.

In whatever way you help, whether it’s volunteering, participating in a hospice event, or making a gift, simply telling a friend could be the most valuable way you can support us and, more importantly, make a life-changing difference for a friend in need.

No one should face end of life alone. Together we can do more. When people understand the benefits of our Programs and Services, we will reach 60% in our community.

With Hope and Appreciation,

Your Friends at Hospice & Palliative CareCenter

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Camp Carousel promotes healthy mourning through creativity and fun!

Camp Carousel 2011 will be held Monday, July 25 – Friday, July 29.

Learn how to cope with a death-related loss. Camp Carousel is designed to meet the unique needs of grieving children (ages 6-12), teens, and adults. For more information or for a registration form please see the Grief Counseling section of our web site or call 336-768-3972!

click here for registration brochure

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org

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Source: SeriousIllness.org

Technologies abound to help us stay connected with loved ones. There are also many options to support your relative in living independently. Here are some options in the areas of safety and health.

Personal safety and home security

• Personal medical alert: Wearable devices that call for help. Most require the push of a button. Some can detect a fall automatically. Others can be used even when away from home.
• Fall detection: Video systems that scan the bottom 12 inches of a residence. This protects privacy but reveals if a person has fallen to the floor.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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There’s a reason rivalries resurface when siblings share in elder care. According to Francine Russo, author of They’re Your Parents, Too!, the trigger is an awareness that time is running out. It often hinges on the desire to resolve unconscious needs for parental attention. Perhaps it’s a need to feel as important as another sibling. Or to feel forgiven. Or to feel capable.

When old issues operate beneath the surface, the result can be lots of emotion and little constructive progress.

What to do:

- Check in with yourself. Are you overly engaged in caregiving out of the hope for approval? Or underinvolved because you were “the baby”? Recognize how your perspective may affect your role in your parent’s care and your response to your siblings.

- Don’t blame your sibs. If you feel that Dad overlooks you, you may be right. Your parent may be unfair. This is not the fault of your siblings, however. Similarly, if you are the “favorite child,” try not to abuse that privilege. Instead, look for common ground with your siblings. Acknowledge your parent’s foibles.

- Treat your siblings as adults. If you don’t operate according to old family patterns, your siblings are less likely to do so too. Meet them as they are today. At a minimum, agree to put aside sibling issues to focus on the care of your parent. Use the forum of a “family meeting” for discussion. Hire a facilitator if problems persist.

- Get support. You may not ever receive the love you want from your parent. Your siblings may repeat old patterns. Accept these realities if they occur, and find connection in other places. Try a support group for family caregivers. Or consider individual counseling for help in letting go of old hopes.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 336-768-3972, or see Hospice’s website at http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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The changes to Medicare for 2011 provide your loved one with several free prevention services. The idea is to catch major health problems early by lowering the cost for screenings.

The changes apply to everyone with Parts A and B. If your family member has a Medicare Advantage Plan, check with the plan itself about benefits for 2011.

Following is a sample of the services to be covered. Most are offered at no cost. Some require payment of 20% of the approved Medicare fee. Important: To get these savings, your family member must use a doctor who has signed on with Medicare.

• Yearly wellness exam. An annual visit to look at current health issues. This is also a time to discuss personal risk factors and steps for preventing disease. Patients new to Medicare are entitled to a more extensive “welcome” exam within their first year of signing up.
• Bone density screening. Bone mass evaluation every 24 months for persons at risk for brittle bones.
• Cancer screening. Four types of tests are covered for colon or rectal cancer. For women, there are yearly mammograms. Plus, there is coverage for Pap smears, pelvic exams, and a physical breast exam every 24 months. For men, PSA tests and physical exams for prostate cancer are provided yearly (with a 20% fee).
• Diabetes screening. Provided twice a year for at-risk individuals (with a 20% fee).
• Flu/pneumonia prevention. Flu shots are covered annually. Anti-pneumonia shots are also covered and typically last a lifetime.

Prescription costs may also go down for your family member in 2011. If he or she reaches the “donut hole” coverage gap, the cost of brand-name drugs will drop 50%.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 336-768-3972, or see Hospice’s website at http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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Dying at home, surrounded by family
Source: CNN.com
By Madison Park, CNN

Elizabeth Edwards died Tuesday, after doctors had told her further cancer treatment would be “unproductive.” She was at home, surrounded by people who loved her.

Next to picking a life partner or becoming a parent, there isn’t a more personal decision than how to die for those who get the opportunity to choose.

When the limits of modern medicine are reached, it’s a heavy consideration for terminally ill patients. For some, making the conscious decision to end treatment is tantamount to giving up or giving in. They worry about disappointing the people who care about them.

But one end-of-life expert sees it differently, noting that a growing number of patients are choosing hospice, so they can be made comfortable in familiar surroundings with family and friends close by.

“People in hospice don’t want to die. They want to live, and they want to live well,” said Dr. David Casarett, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “They want to use whatever time they have to live the best way they can. I don’t think it’s giving up. It’s making a careful choice.”

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For more, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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Death and dying are not topics we talk about easily in our culture. As a general rule, in fact, we avoid them, almost as if to talk about them would bring on a premature demise. As a result, many families are unaware of their loved one’s wishes at the end of life and are faced with making difficult decisions. This can lead to family discord and can make a trying situation even harder than it already is.

Norene’s father, Richard, showed caring and foresight in planning ahead. He thought about what “quality of life” meant to him. Reflecting on what made life worth living helped him to make decisions about life support issues. (It also helped Richard and his family maximize the things that gave him pleasure!) After clarifying his own values, Richard was able to write an advance directive, a document that stated his wishes concerning health care decisions in case he was unable to speak for himself. He talked with his family about his wishes and asked his eldest son to be his health care representative if a situation came up that was not covered in the advance directive. By planning ahead, Richard was able to lay the groundwork for things to unfold the way he would have wanted them to.

In addition to health care planning, Richard took steps to plan his finances. When he began to have difficulty getting to the bank, he gave his daughter Norene “durable power of attorney.” He was able to continue making financial decisions on his own, but this simple document legally allowed Norene to step in and handle his affairs during those times when he was too ill to do so himself. Richard prepared documents stating his wishes for how his belongings were to be distributed. He was also mindful of the fact that medical expenses could eat up the resources he did have and leave very little for his wife to live on afterward. With some planning, Richard was able to protect his assets and safeguard his wife’s security.

Not all patients are able to make these kinds of decisions ahead of time. Many need help from family members who can assure the patient that it’s okay to talk about these things and, in fact, would be helpful for the family if they were discussed. Ideally, all of us adults would have documents stating our desires for the distribution of our belongings and the handling of our medical care at the end of life. After all, any one of us could get in an accident tomorrow! These decisions especially need to be made when a serious illness has been diagnosed, and the sooner the better while the patient still has the ability to think and communicate clearly. To help you, we have tips to start the conversation about planning. Although it can be awkward at first, families who do have these discussions fare a lot better emotionally at the end, not having to guess and knowing they are doing what their loved one wanted them to do.

For more, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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