Families Are Not Visitors But Advocates for Care

A Wall Street Journal article explores the notion that families are in the best position to be advocates for their loved ones health but can not be looked upon as mere visitors in the hospital but as Beverly Johnson, president of the nonprofit Institute for Family-Centered Care, puts it "allies and partners for safety and quality." Hospitals that have embraced this report increased satisfaction levels and decreased turnover. And ultimately the reduction of unnecessary medical errors makes the patient the ultimate victor in this scenario. Is your hospital (nursing home, assisted living facility, adult day center, CCRC) inviting your input into care or snubbing their nose? Are you participating in the plan of care? You decide. We need to be advocates for each other.

Long-Term Care an Important Election Factor

A new study released today from Genworth Financial shows that eighty-four percent of baby boomers say the presidential candidates' positions on long term care issues and funding will be an important factor in determining how they cast their vote in November.

Of course finding their stand on this issue takes some digging. I found no clear answers at the Obama site when searching the issues of families, healthcare and seniors.

Ditto on the McCain site though I give him credit for having a search function.

And that should tell you something right there.

Senior Citizen Scams - is that your grandchild?

The Better Business Bureau is investigating a nationwide scam that preys on the emotions of senior citizens for money. It works like this. You receive a call from a person claiming to be your grandson or granddaughter. They claim they are in trouble and need money immediately. Helen Broskea of Allen Park, Michigan ,82, received just such a call. She asked lots of questions and the man had a legitimate answer to all of them. "I was a wreck. I was thinking -- It sounded like him, 'Grandma I love you,'" said Broskea.. The worried grandmother was ready to get the money when she called her son, Brandon's father, to see if he had heard from him. Turns out he was right where he was supposed to be – in school. Police are not sure how the scammers get the names and numbers of the seniors, but once they get them on the phone they begin fishing for information. The caller usually begins the conversation by saying, "Hi, Grandma, It's me, your favorite grandchild." With enough information, the caller makes the pitch of being in trouble and in need of money. The BBB encourages family members to explain the scam to elderly people, hang up if they receive a call like this and verify with the supposedly distressed family members before wiring money. To report an incident, call your local Better Business Bureau or visit bbb.org .

Perceptions of Aging Have Health Consequences

I have been citing a Yale study in my Meaning of Life keynote that states that people with positive perceptions of aging on average live 7.5 years longer. In the New York Times today, some of that study has been cited in anticipation of a follow up study being done.

Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University studies the health effects of such negative messages on elderly people such as when people call them "sweetie" or "dear".

“Those little insults can lead to more negative images of aging,” Dr. Levy said. “And those who have more negative images of aging have worse functional health over time, including lower rates of survival.”

In her forthcoming study, Dr. Levy found that older people exposed to negative images of aging, including words like “forgetful,” “feeble” and “shaky,” performed significantly worse on memory and balance tests; in previous experiments, they also showed higher levels of stress.

The worst offenders are often health care workers, said Kristine Williams, a nurse gerontologist and associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing.

I talk a lot about examining the total health care experience, before, during and after hospialization; the experience of living in an assisted living or nursing facility, etc. One of the pieces of the experience that needs to be examined are the conversations among caregivers to patients or residents. Their words can boost someone up or bring someone down. And that has real, proven health consequences.