However a good night’s sleep is not an easy thing to achieve. With only as little as three or four days lack of sleep the physical repercussions are terrible. Sleep deprivation has been actually listed as a form of torture!

So what can we do to help ourselves get a better night’s sleep?

There are things you should avoid and there are things you can do. Let us look at a few points.

A cup of tea or coffee before bedtime is a bad idea. These drinks both contain varying degrees of caffeine, which is a mental stimulant that can keep you awake.

Avoid intense concentration. Sat in bed with a laptop computer shining its bright white screen in your eyes whilst you work away will not help you fall asleep.

How long has it been since you last changed your mattress? Mattresses form shapes where we lie over prolonged periods. It is into these ‘shapes’ our bodies fall and that then restricts natural movement throughout the night.

Make sure any medication you use does not induce insomnia.

There are many herbal remedies on the market that can help calm you before going to bed. Always check with your medical professional if you are on other medication to see if there is a problem taking both.

Make your bedroom as light free and as quiet as possible. Heavy curtains will help keep out unwanted light from the streets outside and even help deaden some of the noise from outside. If noise is still an issue then there are windows that are better at sound reduction than others.

As a final option it is possible to be prescribed medication to help you sleep. These have to be taken with caution though because they are habit forming and can cause drowsiness the next day.

The list of these mental health problems is a long one – bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, etc. Each of these illnesses has its own debilitating signs and symptoms but they all have one thing in common for the family and loved ones of those suffering – they need understanding!

When a person breaks their leg it is obvious that this individual can not walk and will be immobile for some time ahead. That is called ‘understanding’, you the observer understand the ailment.

The same is so for the many mental health issues that could effect your loved one.

Just because a mental health problem isn’t as obvious as a broken leg means that it is easy to miss and you end up simply putting down the ‘strange’ behaviour as a personality flaw or that the person is having a a bad day.

As a loved one or friend when you find out that someone you care about has a mental health problem make sure you ‘understand’ it. There is a mountain of information on each individual problem and this information will help you to understand what it is that your loved one is going through and what it is you can do to help.

Helping can be anything from making sure medication is taken on time, watching for changes in moods and helping to keep a diary of these changes or notifying medical professionals of any drastic changes in personality. You could help with daily chores that the every day person finds so easy. Sometimes just by being there for a chat or to listen to their problems will help.

The elderly are at extreme risk of hypothermia due to their lack of mobility (the ability to burn off calories to maintain a higher body temperature), existing illnesses and the fact that most of the time they are feeling cold and just don’t want to bother anyone.

Hypothermia is a killer. It can set in slowly, making the casualty unaware that they are becoming ill. Or, it can strike someone down in less than ten minutes. No matter how it affects the casualty, if not treated properly, the end result is death!

Two things that speed up the onset of hypothermia are the wind and by being wet. The wind whisks away body heat extremely quickly and a daily temperature is greatly reduced by there being a strong wind (it is know as the wind chill factor). Water also sucks the body’s heat away from itself rapidly. The combination of being wet on a cold windy day is a recipe for disaster.

Ways to help a loved one on a day out avoid the risks of succumbing to a cold weather injury are obvious.

• Before you go out check the weather where you will be heading. If it is going to be a mixture of cold, wet and windy then you might want to make different plans.
• If you are going out then make sure the elder has adequate clothing on. A warm, wind-proof jacket is a must. But just as importantly are gloves, a woolly scarf and hat. A tremendous amount of heat is lost through the head and neck area.
• Watch your loved one for signs of hypothermia. The earliest one, and most obvious, is shivering. This is the body trying to warm itself up. One of the later signs is acting out of character, like they are drunk!

Alcohol is bad for the elderly for many reasons.

Mobility and balance – most seniors suffer from some sort of mobility issue, be it a physical injury they have sustained at some point, it could be the side effects of some medication or it could be an actual part of growing older. As we all know, one of the first ways we can see if someone is drunk, or has had a drink or two, is by their loss of balance and co-ordination. For an elderly citizen to have that loss of balance is extremely dangerous. The main reason is the ‘fall factor’, it is similar to walking on ice! Many many obvious problems could arise if an elder fell, be it inside or outside the house.

Medication and side effects – virtually all senior citizens are on some form of medication. It could be for health and fitness, such as daily vitamin supplements, or it could be for more serious reasons, medication for on going illnesses or ailments. Alcohol can affect how medication is absorbed into the body. By having a drink you could be altering the doseage of your medication. Not to mention that the mixture of alcohol and your prescribed medication could profoundly alter the effect it could be having on your body. Some medication and alcohol can cause unconsciousness, memory loss and it is possible you will have symptoms (not a hangover) of alcohol poisoning for many days after.

If there is a festivity coming up and there will be the presence of alcoholic beverages then to be safe make sure you ask a medical professional regarding the mixture of your medication and the drink of your choice.

Alternative medicine generally refers to practices not typically used in conventional medicine. What’s considered alternative medicine

changes constantly as more and more treatments undergo rigorous study and are proved to be effective or not.

• Complementary medicine is thought of as treatments used in addition to the conventional therapies your doctor may prescribe, such as using tai chi or massage in addition to prescription medicine for anxiety.
• Alternative medicine is generally thought of as being used instead of conventional methods. For example, this might mean seeing a homeopath or naturopath instead of your regular doctor.

What are the principles of complementary and alternative medicine?

Many alternative medicine practitioners base their work around a few common principles. Some of these are similar to what your conventional doctor might do, while others are quite different. Basic philosophies of complementary and alternative medicine include:

• Prevention is key to good health. Taking steps to better your health before you get sick is the best way to keep yourself healthy.
• Your body has the ability to heal itself. Alternative medicine practitioners see themselves as facilitators. To them, your body does the healing work, and treatment encourages your natural healing processes.
• Learning and healing go hand in hand. Alternative medicine practitioners see themselves as teachers and mentors who offer guidance. To the practitioner, you’re the one who does the healing.
• Holistic care. The focus is on treating you as a whole person-recognizing that physical health, mental well-being, relationships and spiritual needs are interconnected and play a part in your overall health.

What are examples of complementary and alternative medicine?

To make sense of the many therapies available, it might help to look at them in the broad categories that the National Institutes of Health uses for classification.

Healing systems

Healing systems are complete sets of theories and practices. A system incorporates many practices that all center on a philosophy or lifestyle, such as the power of nature or the presence of energy in your body. Examples of complementary and alternative medicine healing systems:

• Ayurveda. This form of medicine, which originated in India more than 5,000 years ago, incorporates treatments including yoga, meditation, massage, diet and herbs.
• Homeopathy. This treatment uses minute doses of a substance that causes symptoms to stimulate the body’s self-healing response.
• Naturopathy. Naturopaths draw on many forms of complementary and alternative medicine, including massage, acupuncture, herbal remedies, exercise and lifestyle counseling.

Mind-body connections

Mind-body techniques strengthen the communication between your mind and your body. Practitioners say these two systems must be in harmony for you to stay healthy. Examples include: Meditation,, Yoga, Biofeedback, Hypnosis and Art therapies like poetry, music and dance.

Manipulation and touch

These methods use human touch to move or manipulate a specific part of your body. They include Chiropractic, Massage, Craniosacral therapy and Acupressure.

Energy therapies

Some practitioners believe an energy force flows through your body, and when this energy flow is blocked or unbalanced you can become sick. Unblocking or re-balancing your energy force is the goal of these therapies, and each claims to accomplish that goal differently. Energy therapies include Acupuncture, Reiki, Magnet therapy, Light therapy.

Excerpted from www.mayoclinic.com/health/alternative-medicine/PN00001

Here is a look at some of the tax cuts and credits and what they will mean to you.

Make Work Pay

This provision delivers Obama’s

promised tax cut to 95 percent of Americans. Everyone earning $75,000 or less would receive a tax cut of $400, with a limit of $800 per household.

What it means to you:

If you earn $75,000 or less, you would receive a $400 tax refund on payroll taxes paid for 2009-2010. The IRS will likely alter withholding tax schedules so you would benefit from the tax cut immediately. The cut is gradually reduced for individuals making more than $75,000 and is eliminated for those making more than $100,000.

Senior Payment

This is a one-time $250 payment to Social Security recipients, including disabled and older veterans and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries.

What it means to you:

If you’re receiving Social Security benefits because you’re over 67, or receiving SSI benefits, or are a disabled veteran, you will qualify for a $250 one-time payment. This will be distributed as an additional payment.

Alternative Minimum Tax Relief

This $70 billion reduces the impact of a 40-year-old law aimed at fewer than 100 millionaires who avoided paying income taxes in the 1960s. Without this fix, it would force millions of middle-income taxpayers to pay a penalty.

What it means to you:

You might be spared the higher alternative minimum tax if your tax bill is otherwise reduced by a number of tax credits, exemptions and a deduction for especially high property taxes.

Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit

The earned income tax credit (EITC) has been expanded since 1975; today, 21 million poor, working American families receive these benefits.

What it means to you:

This is a targeted benefit for the working poor. It raises the EITC from 40 to 45 percent of qualifying income. If you earn between $7,470 and $13,440, you would receive an extra $457

American Opportunity Tax Credit

This expands an existing tax credit for educational expenses by increasing the size of the benefit and extending coverage to include more expenses.

What it means to you:

This education tax credit would be available to anyone with income under $80,000. The credit-which covers a portion of tuition, fees and supplies-would range from $1,800 to $2,500 for expenses in 2009-2010.

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit

This program alters the existing credit for first-time homebuyers. Under current law, the credit must be repaid over 15 years. The change will waive the payback requirement.

What it means to you:

If you are a first-time homebuyer with income between $75,000 and $95,000 ($150,000 to $170,000 if married and filing jointly), you would receive a tax credit of $7,500. The qualifying house must be your primary residence and must be purchased between January and June 2009.

Excerpted from AARP Bulletin Today article at http://bulletin.aarp.org

Driving is a major bone of contention between the elderly and their family members. The elders still want to be able to drive themselves places and are certain that they can handle the task, but family members feel the need to keep them from potentially harming themselves or someone else while driving when they should not have been doing so. Taking away an elderly person’s driving privilege can deal crippling blow to their self-esteem. That’s why family members should proceed with caution when considering doing do. Here are some factors to consider when deciding whether an elderly loved one should still be allowed to drive themselves.

Vision

Family members should take into consideration the health of their elderly loved one’s vision. Vision problems or limited vision for any reason can be a serious driving hazard. If the elderly person wears glasses or contact lenses for vision problems, do they make much difference in how well the elder is able to see?

Pre-existing medical conditions

Medical conditions that make an elderly person prone to seizures or passing out are grave concerns when allowing the senior to continue driving. In the event of a seizure, the elderly driver could kill himself or someone else if the car veers out of control. Further, is the senior taking any medications that may impair his or her ability to control the vehicle in a safe manner? Do the medications cause drowsiness or other side effects?

Mental state

Does the senior still have good mental capacity? Do they get confused or lost easily? How much of what they see or read are they able to remember? Do they get scared or upset easily? An elderly person with a compromised mental capacity could easily get lost or crash the vehicle while driving if they become confused or upset. Being able to completely read and comprehend road signage is also a crucial part of driving safely. Any reduction in mental capacity could make this impossible for an elderly driver.

Destination

Is the family planning to take their elderly loved ones with them or will they have to rely on local and state level evacuation plans implemented by government officials? If the family is planning to take the elder with them, have they secured a place for them? If the elder is going to have to be evacuated by an agency, have they pre-registered the senior with that agency to assure a spot on the roster?  Care providers can be utilized for liaising with the relevant authorities or agencies.

Care requirements

If the senior has special medical conditions or health concerns that require medical treatment on a regular basis, how will those needs be met during an evacuation? Does the family have the means to do so? Are medical services included in the governmental agencies’ evacuation plans? Does the senior have or have access to an additional week’s supply of any prescribed medication in the event of an evacuation?  Due to the closeness and familiarity with the senior, care providers can help provide ‘checklists’ for the family to use when making their plans.

Emergencies

Will the senior be in close proximity to a hospital during the evacuation to ensure they receive medical treatment in the event of a life-threatening emergency?

Important documents

Have the senior’s important documents been secured in a waterproof container and clearly labeled? Does the container include all important paperwork such as deeds to homes and vehicles, insurance policies, banking information, medical charts and information, and personal identification such as social security cards?

Personal belongings

Does the senior have a bag packed with at least a week’s worth of clothing and personal care items such as toiletries? What about extra batteries for hearing aids? An extra pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses for those with impaired vision? Have arrangements been made to secure the senior’s home while they are away or to provide care for any pets that they may have?  Again, due to the familiarity with the home and the elders needs, care providers can help in putting together luggage and belongings for the journey that lies ahead and the period during which they wont be able to return home.

The home care provider is an essential part of this visiting process. Communication between the doctor and the patient, as well as possibly liaising with family members is an important role as is providing support and companionship during the visit. There are some instances when the caregiver will assist the patient through the process of the physician’s appointment and can take notes about the aspects mentioned through the visit.

In the case that the senior is visiting the doctor independently, the care provider can ask for notes which can be delivered to the family and support group. This way, the notes can be an accurate depiction of the visit in the chart or the case of the patient.

There are times when the caregiver will be solely responsible for getting the patient to the office of the health care practitioner. It is important that any care provider be sure to arrive at least fifteen minutes early and plan for any scheduling issues that may occur between the office of the physician and the patient.

The care provider should take measures to ensure the comfort of the client while waiting. Bring a book, magazine or knitting to do through the visit to occupy the patient and reduce the anxiety which is associated with waiting. Provide companionship for patients that are anxious about their appointment or about test results that may be displayed and listen to any concerns that the patient may have.

A caregiver that is willing to act as part of this team will see more success when it comes to their career and more importantly the well being of the senior under their care. Here is a summary of the techniques caregivers can use to ensure the most success with the client:

• Be attentive and listen to the concerns of the client, ask the client if he or she would like these concerns relayed to the doctor.
• Take notes if you are included in the doctor’s visit and have these notes or progress reports ready to give to family members and other members of the support team.
• Draw the client’s attention away from any anxious thoughts before an appointment through distraction, conversation and other activities. 

Why Should Caregivers Avoid Giving Medication to Clients?

Caregivers should avoid giving clients medication, as it not within the boundaries of the care that is provided by the traditional caregiver services. Although the caregiver may be aware of the medications that the client is taking, the caregiver may be unable to determine if there will be an interaction between the medications which are being administered and the medications which are taken on a daily basis.

Aside from any obvious legal ramifications of a caregiver in an elderly care situation administering drugs there will always be the chance that there could be a fatal errors made due to lack of professional training.

What Should a Caregiver do if the Senior Requests Medication?

In the case that the client requests medication from the caregiver, it can take a simple phone call to the doctor’s office, or nurses that are offering home care. The nurse can then give advice that can be dispensed to family members that can administer the medication to the client.

As an alternative, the caregiver may contact the family members or support system directly and allow the family members or friends to consent to the request, contact the physician or nurse that is responsible for the medication.

In the case that the client has taken it upon themselves to take medication that has not been prescribed, the caregiver can note this on the chart of the client which is prepared for the home care company. This information can be relayed to friends and family members and if this medication is seen as dangerous, it can be removed from the environment of the client to prevent further unauthorized usage. 

How Can Caregivers Assist with Medication?

When dealing with the elderly, care must be taken regarding the reminding for medication to be taken. The use of medication holders which can determine which and how many pills should be taken each day can be used, as well as charts and reminder notes or alarms which are set to coincide with the schedule that the medication will be taken. Using these tips, the caregiver can take an active role in the care of the client, including the health without putting the caregiver, or the company that the caregiver works for in direct danger of acting unlawfully.

Still Unsure?

If you have any thoughts or questions after reading this please don’t hesitate to call our office to clear up any doubts you may have.