AMBER offers these solutions

1.  Medication, Health Test, and/or Appointment Reminders with Live Confirmation

2.  Fall Prevention is enhanced by meds being taken on schedule

3.  Inactivity Alerting

4.  Advanced Immediate Fall Alerting (without pendant button being pushed)

5.  Button activated Emergency Alerting

6.  Call Center personnel remain on phone line during any emergency

7.  Up to FOUR other contacts notified by Call Center

8.  Answer phone with pendant and converse “hands free”

9.  Smoke and CO2 Detectors optional

10. Three speed dial buttons available (example: Family Member, Doctor, Home Health Co)

11.  Powerful speaker can be heard all over most residences”

12.  High sensitivity microphone on control panel

Amber is so remarkable because if you cannot call for help...the Visonic Amber System will call for you!

The best way to be an effective and loving caregiver is to take care of yourself.

Eleven Tips for Family Caregivers

1. Actively choose to take charge of your life by not allowing your loved one’s

2. illness or disability to always be of paramount concern.

3. Just be good to yourself—love, honor, and value your total being. Stepping into

 the role of family caregiver is incomparably noble and kind, remind yourself of this.

4. Always watch for signs of depression and never ignore any physical or emotional

symptoms, no matter how trivial they may appear to be.

5. When help is offered, take it seriously. Suggest something specific for that

person to do.

6. Know all you can about your loved one’s condition. Remember, more information

leads to empowerment.

7. Caring and doing are two different things. Be receptive to new technologies and

concepts that promote your loved one’s independence.

8. Never underestimate your instincts—most of the time they will lead you to where

you want to go.

9. Every ending is also a new beginning. Grieve for your losses but look for the new

 doors that are open to you.

10. Stand up for your rights as a caregiver and a citizen. If you believe your toes are

 being stepped on, speak up.

11. Seek support! Knowing you are not alone can be a very comforting fact.

Continuing our post from August 28 - Keeping our elders safe at home.

Books, magazines and newspapers all deserved a special well-inventoried box from which I made her a neat little binder. Any time she wanted something she could look up the item and find it stored away neatly. Most of this stuff was valuable fiscally. All of it was valuable to the history of our family. And I know she’d want easy access to it at all times. But her fireplace is brick and hard and her floors are all wooden. I just couldn’t have her tripping over an old issue of Esquire because it was more important to preserve the aesthetic quality of her home than actually preserve her body herself.

Just packing away all the little trophies and memories I was able to clear out the entryway, hallways and the staircase (which had seen little use the last few years). I packed it all away in the guest bedroom (which was now storing an old pool table). Seeing the improvement on her life we had already made, she offered me her famous fried shrimp for a few minor installs in her bathroom. I put non-slip mats on all the tile floors and the tub, as well as grab bars in the shower and by the commode.

If you are a family caregiver and you're elder lives in Austin, you may have a few questions about proper care for an aging relative. Please send your question to Catherine Kohl, our elder care expert at Home Instead Senior Care Austin - HISC.Kohl@Yahoo.com. Or call us at 512-347-9207.

Caregiving Facts and Statistics

• Seniors’ adult children often act as their caregivers
• The ‘sandwich generation’ – adult children caring for their parents as well as their own young families
• 72% of family caregivers have no help
• By 2030, 70 million Americans (20% of the population) will be over 65
• Spouses make up almost half of family caregivers in the United States
• 31% of family caregivers would like more help
• 25% of family caregivers resent family members who aren’t heavily involved

Keeping Seniors Safe at Home

• Keep the environment clean and uncluttered to avoid tripping and falling
• Consider what objects may pose a hazard and remove them, such as burning matches, cigarettes, candles, electrical cords, throw rugs etc.
• Keep dangerous items locked up or out of reach including chemicals and cleaning supplies, medications, poisonous houseplants and anything that can be swallowed
• Ensure there is adequate lighting for when a senior gets up during the night (install nightlights in hallways and ensure light switches are conveniently located)
• Use guardrails on bed and install grab bars and non-slip tape in bathroom tubs and showers

Living longer, even past 100, doesn’t necessarily mean that a person’s last years will be spent in sickness or disability, Danish researchers report. The very old typically enjoy healthy, independent lives despite their advanced age, HealthDay reports. If you are caring for a very elderly relative and have a question on how best to care for him/her, please call us at 830-624-8380.

The findings are based on assessments of the physical and mental health of Danish citizens in their 90s who were tested periodically on their ability to take care of themselves as they approached their 100th year.

Researchers tracked an initial group of almost 2,300 Danish men and women, all born in 1905. Four surveys tracked the participants as they aged from 92 to 100. By the time of the last survey in 2005, just 166 of the participants were still alive. The number of participants deemed to be mentally and physically independent declined only slightly from 39 percent at age 92 to 33 percent at age 100, researchers found.

According to researchers, those who made it to 100 were, by definition, healthy enough to do so, whereas those who weren’t as healthy passed away at an earlier age. Their findings indicate that any boom in the numbers of super-elderly would not necessarily translate to a steep rise in health care expenditures.

But this situation made Lori and Paul wonder about those other families – locally, and later, nationally – that had similar senior care requirements, but didn’t have enough members actually to provide this care.  Or, what about those families in which the adult children lived hundreds or even thousands of miles away from their parents or other older relatives?

Thus, Home Instead Senior Care was born from the Hogans’ unique idea: to assist seniors on a non-medical basis with their activities of daily living, thus allowing them to stay at home longer – where they want to be – and to do so comfortably, safely and affordably. 

Now, at this point, you might be asking, “What exactly is non-medical care, and how are these services delivered?”  That’s a good question, because admittedly, it’s a bit unusual to define a product or service by what it isn’t.

Consider this, though.  When many of us think of home care for seniors, we typically think of a home-health nurse giving a patient an insulin shot, or perhaps a pharmacist or similar licensed medical professional assembling a senior’s pillbox for the week.

Visit us in a day when we give more information on our non-medical home care in New Braunfels. Call us at 830-624-8380.

The University of Chicago researchers said the chief forms were verbal abuse (9 percent), being taken advantage of financially (3.5 percent), and physical abuse (0.2 percent). The team also found that seniors with physical impairments were most likely to suffer verbal abuse.

"Older people with any physical vulnerability are about 13 percent more likely than those without one to report verbal mistreatment, but are not more likely to report financial mistreatment," study co-author Linda Waite, a professor of sociology, said in a university news release.

The analysis of national survey data from 3,005 community-dwelling adults, ages 57 to 85, also found that adults in their late 50s and 60s are more likely to report verbal or financial mistreatment than those who are older.

"Perhaps the respondents are including fairly routine arguments, perhaps about money, with their spouse, sibling or child in their reports, or perhaps older adults are more reticent to report negative behavior," lead author Edward Laumann, a professor of sociology, said in the news release.

Women were twice as likely as men to report verbal abuse; Hispanics were about half as likely as whites to report verbal abuse and 78 percent less likely to report financial mistreatment; and blacks were 77 percent more likely than whites to report financial mistreatment.

Of those who reported verbal abuse, 26 percent said their spouse or romantic partner was responsible, 15 percent said it was their children, and the remainder of respondents said friends, neighbors, co-workers or bosses were responsible. Of the respondents who reported financial abuse, 57 percent said a relative other than a spouse, parent or child was taking advantage of them.

The study was published in the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences.

"The population of this country is aging, and people now live with chronic diseases longer. So, it's important to understand, from a health perspective, how people are being treated as they age," Laumann said.

More information

The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging has more about elder abuse.

—Robert Preidt

SOURCE: University of Chicago, news release, Aug. 19, 2008

Last Updated: Aug. 28, 2008

Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Matthew 24:37, 38 But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe (Noah) entered into the ark,

Luke 17:26, 27 And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Spurgeon’s Commentary:

Though the King did not reveal the time of "the coming of the Son of man", he declared plainly that history would repeat itself, and that "that day" would be "as the days of Noe were." When he comes, he will find many unprepared, even as the antediluvians were when "the flood came, and took them all away." Yet in both cases, sinners will have had ample warning Noah was "a preacher of righteousness" to the men of his day; "and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come " (Matthew 24:14). Christ's coming, like the flood, will be sudden, unexpected, universal in its effects, and terrible to the ungodly, although they will be utterly unconcerned: "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day." That which is lawful and right, under other circumstances, becomes a positive evil when it takes the place of preparation for the coming of the Son of man. Woe unto those whose eating and drinking do not include the bread and the water of life; and who marry or are given in marriage, but not to the heavenly Bridegroom! That . . . will be a dreadful day for sinners.

"Day of judgment, day of wonders!

Hark, the trumpet's awful sound,

Louder than a thousand thunders,

Shakes the vast creation round!

How the summons

Will the sinner's heart confound!"

"I have a washer. These are clotheslines."

"Hoosier trashbag. Get a dryer."

"You're damn right. When my clothes smell like they were dried in the sunshine, it's because they were."

"You're a mess."

My sister, on the other hand, said, "You're reducing your carbon footprint." Yeah. I'm also doing laundry for as much money as this guy pays for waffle fries.

2. As if Helping Someone Move Isn't Bad Enough: We parked the borrowed GMC Jimmy in the alley in a place that was a little cumbersome for cars to pass by. Luckily none came. That is until Uncle Douche rolled up in his Civic with two kids in the back. "Move your truck!"

"Give us 30 seconds so we can finish tying the mattress and we'll be gone." There was myself, Johnny, Seamus, and Mike, aka our camping pals.

"Move your truck NOW!" <insert kids screaming here>

"Dude, hold on. Give us a minute," said Johnny, calmly. For those of us that know Johnny, this is the last warning.

"Just move it. Now."

Mike, who is also a boxer (no kidding), inched towards his car. "Listen, just shut the fuck up and we can finish this much quicker and then you can head on your way."

Johnny adds, "Or go back to Naperville (for those outside of the Chicago area, this is a suburb. Why Naperville was chosen over any of the others remains a mystery) where shit like this doesn't happen."

"Maybe you're moving to Naperville."

Laughter from us all. "Nice one, ass."

"Just move your truck or I'm calling the cops."

"Yeah, call the cops. Look...there's four of us and one of you," explained Mike with the elegance of a Jewish boxer.

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh, lord," sighed myself.

The banter went on and on. The cops were called. The mattress was tied. Words were exchanged. "Listen, pal, if this is the worst thing that happens to you all year, you've had a good year," exclaimed Johnny with arms outstretched, inviting a fight.

Eventually Seamus and I left to unload everything at the new domicile while Johnny and Mike stayed behind to wait for the cops so as to not give Uncle Douche the power to make up anything incriminating. Uncle Douche finally called off the cops and put his hand on Mike, not without a little shove. Aunt Douche came out (they lived right there) to which Johnny said, "I bet it's embarrassing for you to be married to such an ass. You know, he put his hands on my friend Mike. I hope he doesn't do that to you." She didn't respond. The fire was quelled and they returned with shaking heads.

Later, Nora, the wonderful woman that Johnny moved in with, thought it a good idea for my dog, Emma, to meet and become friends with her dog, Thisbee. I retrieved the bitch and we cautiously watched as they circled and sniffed, reminding me of sharks and a surfer, the surfer being peace and quiet. (Emma, if you recall, is a bull boxer [part boxer, part pit bull] and Thisbee is a pit bull.) They didn't really get along, per se, but they didn't fight. Yet. After a few beers I retired to the back porch for a smoke. The ladies stood next to each other and didn't move. It seemed tense but after moving furniture and dealing with Uncle Douche I didn't really heed too much concern, as I was a sleepy father.

And then everything exploded.

It took a minute for the commotion to register. "Oh my god, that's intense! WAIT...THIS ISN'T YOU TUBE!" (note - this is the closest thing I could find to a re-enactment. No blood. This is way more precious than the actual confrontation.) I managed to rip them off of each other. Each dog had blood on them but we found no abrasions on the bitches. (I thought that the blood was mine, my hands being beaten up from the moving of furniture, but still remains a mystery.)

After the dust settled, we resumed the hanging out/unpacking portion (where the friends that helped sit around and drink beer and make fun of the movees' belongings and the movees simply unpack and say, "Shut up."). We ran across a few things that were either mine or I wanted to be mine:

• An unused, silver cake knife from Nora's wedding. Unused being the keyword here.
• A VHS tape of mine that included the only copy of an edited documentary I did on Bloomington, Indiana, mostly taking place at the Vid.
• Extra rope so I could hang my clotheslines for my aforementioned washer.

Upon leaving, I looked at my treasures. Now reread the bullets. Yes...a large knife, rope, and a VHS tape. Couple that with the fact that I had a large dog and was wearing a camouflage T-shirt and what do you have? A sadistic rapist, that's what. I'm thankful that Johnny gave me a ride home and that I didn't have to walk with these things. (We later coined my belongings as a "rape kit.")

3. Fucking Old People: As I was mounting the bus, an elderly woman in front of me was struggling with her cart full of trash bags filled with god knows what. I bent down to lift it up for her to which she replied, "GET YOUR GRUBBY HANDS OFF MY SHIT!" I threw up my hands and complied. She was right, I was grubby, it was shit, and I didn't really want to help her.

4. Wonderful Music: My friend and former bandmate, Patrick, released his solo record, Beach Closed, on iTunes. Search for it and buy it. Find it and download it. Or wait for Sept. 27th, when it will be released on vinyl. Or don't do either and be an Uncle Douche.

5. The Ever-Entertaining Homeless: Walking downtown, I peered over to a man bedding down below the Library stop on the Brown Line. His face was covered with a jacket and his hand was inside of his trousers masturbating furiously. I, obviously, took a second take and cracked up laughing. I stopped about a block away and smoked and watched passers-by go on without notice (which is probably why he feels safe doing it in the first place). An elderly tourist couple approached the corner and looked in my direction, pointing at buildings and looking at a map. The Mad Masturbator kept it up a mere two feet behind their heels. They remained for about a minute and then headed towards whatever they were pointing at, never looking behind them. This made me laugh more than I have in the last six months. Just picture it and join me.

6. The Circle of Life: The man that I knocked out in the middle of the street asked me for change last night. I replied, "Obama is officially the Democratic Candidate! There you go!" He turned his head.

Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

1. The obstinacy of many wicked people in a wicked way is to be greatly lamented. They are often reproved by parents and friends, by magistrates and ministers, by the providence of God and by their own consciences, have had their sins set in order before them and fair warning given them of the consequences of them, but all in vain; they harden their necks. Perhaps they fling away, and will not so much as give the reproof a patient hearing; or, if they do, yet they go on in the sins for which they are reproved; they will not bow their necks to the yoke, but are children of Belial; they refuse reproof (Proverbs 10:17), despise it (Proverbs 5:12), hate it, (Proverbs 12:1).

Proverbs 10:17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

Proverbs 5:12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

Proverbs 12:1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

2. The issue of this obstinacy is to be greatly dreaded: Those that go on in sin, in spite of admonition, shall be destroyed; those that will not be reformed must expect to be ruined; if the rods answer not the end, expect the axes. They shall be suddenly destroyed, in the midst of their security, and without remedy; they have sinned against the preventing remedy, and therefore let them not expect any recovering remedy. Hell is remediless destruction. They shall be destroyed, and no healing, so the word is. If God wounds, who can heal?

I think about it constantly. Every time I see an old man or woman alone riding the bus, or buying groceries, I am reminded that this could someday be my fate and that it is the reality of so many people. It tugs at my heart and leaves me feeling worried. I ponder their bleak options. 1) Stay alone in their home which they can't manage anymore. 2) Move in with one of their children where they constantly feel like a burden and disruption. 3) Move into a retirement home/assisted living facility where they are placated like a child and herded like a cow. None of these options sounds good.

I'm scared of being old and taken advantage of. Of feeling lost and confused. Of being lonely. And of losing my ability to care for myself. How do the elderly cope with this? I think it's more than I could handle.

Sometimes I think about volunteering at a retirement or nursing home - but I always talk myself out of it. I'm afraid I'll confirm my worst fear - that life plateaus and eventually starts going downhill.

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Read article here:

MORMONS - CAN THEY BE CONSIDERED CHRISTIANS?

As admirable as the policy is, the advert on the telly with the chuckling old man losing his soap in the bath and asking the carer to find it for him gives me the boak.

The Olympics reminded us of the wonders of China. This enormous country also represents an enormous mature market opportunity.

China's population includes 88 million elderly individuals, making it the world's "oldest" country.

Source: AAHSA, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging