Archive for June, 2010

How Long Do YOU Plan to Work?

June 30th, 2010 No Comments

Veteran journalist and interviewer Larry King just announced his retirement from “Larry King Live” at age 76. Earlier this year, 90-year-old Justice John Paul Stevens announced he would retire from the Supreme Court. Only days ago, 92-year-old Senator Robert Byrd—the longest-serving senator in US history—passed away while still serving his term.

These men all obviously made the choice not to retire at today’s current average retirement age of 65 (for those born before 1937). They didn’t, but what about the average American? When do you plan to retire?

According to Gallup, “Americans’ projected retirement age has gradually increased over the past 15 years, with more than a third of nonretirees today saying they will retire after age 65, compared with 12% in 1995. This marks the first time Gallup has recorded more nonretirees saying they will retire after age 65 than before that age.”

What are the benefits of working longer? According to an AARP study, almost 55% of older adults work to stay mentally active, and 40% work for the enjoyment and social benefits. However, many seniors need the extra money and insurance their job provides—especially in today’s economy.

An article by BBC News has reported that research has suggested that working later may even ward off Alzheimer’s Disease. Researcher Professor Simon Lovestone said, “The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer.”

You may not want to delay retirement until you’re 90 like Justice Stevens, but keep your mind and body active, nonetheless! Your “golden years” will be much more enjoyable as a result.

We’re Having A Heatwave!

June 23rd, 2010 1 Comment

Protecting Seniors from Summer’s Heat

Summer’s definitely arrived here in the Central New Jersey area. As a matter of fact, the weather service has posted an “Excessive Heat Warning.”

In the July/August 2008 article for Burlington County Woman, Managing Director/Co-Owner Nora de Cárdenas wrote about this timely hot topic. Her article titled, “Protecting Older Adults During the Dog Days of Summer“.

To read this article, please click this link to download the pdf version.

What a Beautiful Day to Adopt-A-Senior!

June 15th, 2010 No Comments

Today is such a beautiful day here in New Jersey…the sun is shining, the skies are blue, the humidity is low, and spirits are high. What a perfect day to get outside and enjoy the day! Here in the office, we were talking about how nice weather makes us want to be outside and how most people’s moods seem positively affected. Then we started thinking how great it wold be if today were “Adopt-A-Senior Day”—a day in which we would all pair up with a Senior and go for a simple, old-fashioned walk. The kind in which we communicated our thoughts, ideas, and feelings at a personal level—not the “instant” technical way in which we all seem to gravitate toward these days via texts, instant messages, and emails. While strolling with our adoptive Senior (at their pace, not ours), wouldn’t it be great to hear about his/her life experiences? Everyone has a story to tell and everyone’s story is important.

There’s a few more hours of sunshine today…so go ahead and Adopt-A-Senior! Enjoy!

Burlington County NJ Visiting Angels’ Great New Testimonial!

June 10th, 2010 No Comments

We recently received a terrific testimonial from a client recuperating from an injury. With help from our Angels, he’s all better now! Read about his experience in his own words:

“Everyone was great. I wouldn’t be walking again [after my injury] if it weren’t for my Angels—William, Bunny, Joseph, Nora, and Bridgid. You made it possible for me to walk again. I love you all; you were always there for me.”
—Sam P., Cherry Hill, NJ

We love hearing from our clients how our services are helping them—about how our people (our very own Angels) are helping them!

Dementia Care Conference: “Connections That Count”

June 8th, 2010 No Comments

Nora de Cárdenas, Managing Director and Co-owner of Visiting Angels, was so happy to have attended the Annual Dementia Care Conference last Friday in Mt. Laurel, NJ (the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association sponsored the conference), and thought the keynote speaker, Jolene Brackey, was outstanding! She’s the founder of Enhanced Moments (www.enhancedmoments.com) and specializes in helping guide people through the journey of Alzheimer’s.

One of Jolene’s main points was to encourage those of us caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is to “live their truth.” In her words, “Since a person with Alzheimer’s has lost the last 20 to 60 years they are living in another time in their mind. No matter how hard we try we cannot bring back their short term memory. We can, however, take hold of their long term memory and use it to create moments of joy This means to live their truth.” People with Alzheimer’s are living in a different “time zone” than the rest of us. You never know “when” they are in their minds. It’s not that they don’t remember you, it’s just that in their current time zone, you either didn’t exist yet, or you were much younger. The key is to go to THEIR time zone, not ask them to come to yours.

One of the ways to help trigger their memories is to create a Memory Box filled with photos of relatives and friends. This idea really stood out, because it’s so simple to do, but yet so powerful. On the back of each photo, write a paragraph about what was happening at the time, and who was there. The idea is that anyone who is caring for the Alzheimer’s individual can pick up the photo, read the back, and then engage them in conversation…all the while trying to determine what stage of life their mind is having them live at the moment (are they age 40 when their daughter is only 10 years old? Or are they 20 and unmarried?).

Other great pointers:

Let them help you—clean a closet, fold laundry, make a bed, etc.
Touch them—give them a back massage, hug, gently squeeze their hand
Give compliments—“That dress looks beautiful on you!”
Talk—talk about what makes them feel valued; what they know a lot about
Share your life—Talk about positive things happening in your life as you would a friend
Walk—walking will relieve stress and help them have a better night’s rest
Drink—say things like “wow, it sure is hot today” to help them want to drink. A hydrated person will be less confused.
Don’t say “I have to go home”—they might want to go home, too. Instead tell them “I have to go to work” or “I have enjoyed our visit and will be back soon.” Your goal is to make them feel everything is OK for the moment you walk out the door.

Many thanks to the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter for presenting this conference, especially Meredith Gordon, Atlantic County Branch Office Coordinator, and Kristina Zumbo, SJ Program Coordinator! We plan on incorporating this valuable information into our in-service programs for our aides and nurses in the weeks and months to come.