The Caregiver Connection is a free publication of the Baltimore County Department of Aging. If you would like to subscribe, update, or cancel your e-subscription, you may do so online at http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/subscribe/caregiver. To read past editions of Caregiver Connection, view the online archives. ___________________________
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To minimize the negative impact of stress in your life: Strive for excellence, not perfection. Know your limits. Make time for fun and laugh often. Get moving and become active. Check off your tasks one at a time. Have a bit of quiet time each day. Avoid self-medication. Learn the fine art of relaxation. Attitude, attitude, attitude. Positive in is positive out. Learn to say no and mean it. Set goals, prioritize and manage your time. Just breathe deeply.
Compiled by Donna Reihl, Ph.D./Dean, CCBC Community Education and Service. Back to top ____________________________
We all have many roles, and many functions within each role, and are constantly juggling to manage all that occurs in our daily lives. With all these balls in the air, they can become fragile as glass. If one falls, the world we know and have so carefully constructed comes crashing to the ground, leaving shattered glass at our feet. The resulting unmanaged stress can affect our work performance, disrupt our home lives, and even compromise our health and well-being. We can feel the effects of physical stress when we can’t sleep, sleep too much, are grouchy, achy, or become ill. Doctors say that about 80 percent of all illness is a result of stress. Emotional stress such as worry, or a life event such as the death of a family member, can also affect us physically and emotionally leading to burnout, high blood pressure and other ailments. How can we best manage stress? Start with the basics: adequate rest, proper nutrition and diet, decreasing caffeine and stimulants, and getting regular exercise. Using tools such as progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, meditation and yoga are all effective ways to increase your ability to cope with stress. Explore opportunities to enjoy some time for yourself. Yoga, art, music and sports are wonderful ways to de-stress your body and mind. Contributed by Donna Reihl, Ph.D./Dean, CCBC Community Education and Service. Back to top ____________________________
Here are 10 ways that seniors, their families and caregivers can prepare for a natural disaster, according to Home Instead Senior Care and the American Red Cross. Complete a personal assessment. A senior should determine what he or she can or can’t do before, during and after a disaster. Make a list and determine needed resources. Make a plan. Schedule a family meeting to assess the needs in an emergency and develop a plan of action. Include key people in your life, such as neighbors, friends, relatives and professional caregivers, who could help. Know where to get information during an emergency. Familiarize yourself with local television, radio or NOAA weather radio stations. Have available a battery-operated radio. Different alarms are available to notify people with medical conditions of impending disaster, such as a strobe alarm for the hearing-impaired. Discuss multiple escape routes. Seniors should develop at least two escape routes, one out of their home when they need to get out quickly, and one out of the area in case they need to evacuate their community. Designate a place to meet other relatives or key support network people outside the house, as well as a second location outside the neighborhood, such as a school or church. Practice the plan at least twice a year. Know when to go or to stay and how to make the decision to stay or leave. When deciding to evacuate, older adults should go sooner rather than later. By waiting too long, they may be unable to leave if they require assistance from others. Assemble a disaster supplies kit. Have an easy-to-carry kit with three days non-perishable food and water, with an additional four days of food and water readily accessible at home. Have at least one gallon of water per person per day. Refresh and replace your supplies at least twice a year. Remember medications and other essentials. Copies of prescriptions, extra eye glasses and hearing-aid batteries, paper products such as toilet paper, should be part of your disaster supplies kit. Label every piece of important equipment or personal item in case they are lost. Don’t forget pets. Make a plan for seniors’ pets. Include pet supplies on a list of needed items. Make a list of contact telephone numbers. The list should include people on a senior’s support network as well as doctors and other important health-care professionals. Consider calling a professional caregiver. If friends, family, and neighbors can’t be there in times of emergency, call on a professional caregiver to assist.
Information from: Home Instead Senior Care at www.homeinstead.com, and American Red Cross at www.redcross.org. Back to top
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Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking four simple questions:
S Smile: Ask the individual to smile. T Talk: Ask the person to talk and speak a simple sentence coherently (i.e. It is sunny out today). R Raise arms: Ask him or her to raise both arms. - S Stick out tongue: Ask the person to stick out their tongue, checking if the tongue goes to one side or the other.
If he or she has trouble with any one of these tasks, call for 911 emergency services immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Information passed on to the Editor via e-mail by Arnold Eppel, past Director of Baltimore County Department of Aging.
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What: Resources and assistance programs for seniors losing their vision When: Thursday, October 1 Where: National Federation of the Blind of Maryland Cost: $20 includes lunch Information: 410-235-3073 and www.nfbmd.org. Back to top
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Today’s world offers many opportunities to improve your health and well being through medical advances and access to information through the internet. Throughout 2009, Baltimore County Department of Aging is offering 12 topics in all 19 senior centers to show how to optimize your quality of life and thus extend life’s warranty. Upcoming topics include: July is “Arthritis: Don’t let it cramp your style” by the Arthritis Foundation. August is “Eat Better, Live Longer!” by BCDA Nutrition Department. September is “Integrative Therapies for Pain Management” by Jacqueline Friedman Kreinik, M.S.
All presentations are open to the public and free of charge. For more information and a schedule, call Senior Information and Assistance at 410-887-2594. Back to top __________________________
Symptoms of depression in older adults are common yet often go undetected. Symptoms could include: feelings of sadness or hopelessness loss of energy inability to enjoy pleasurable activities changes in appetite or sleeping patterns poor concentration/memory
If you are feeling depressed, not taking antidepressant medication, and are in good physical health, you may be eligible to participate in a research study involving treatment through Johns Hopkins Medicine. Qualified people will participate at no cost to them and will be compensated for their time and transportation. For more information about the research study, please call: 410-550-9052. IRB Protocol No: NA_00021615 Principal Investigator: Gwenn Smith, PhD with Johns Hopkins Medicine Back to top _________________________ Revised September 24, 2009 | 
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