Alzheimer’s Awareness

Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that robs many older adults of their memories, their self-awareness, and their independence. The progressive loss of cognitive function Alzheimer’s patients experience requires an escalating level of care. This can cause a real hardship for family caregivers.

Home health and hospice agencies help families care for their loved ones in the comfort and safety of their home. Home care enables Alzheimer’s patients to avoid the anxiety and confusion that comes with an office visit. Home health provides a multitude of services for the patient and their overwhelmed family caregivers:

• Education about disease progress

• Individual and family counseling

• Management and evaluation of patient care

• Observation and assessment

• Medication and home safety education

• Assistance with ADLs

• Restorative therapy

• Medical social services

Once a patient’s condition deteriorates to a six-month life expectancy, hospice can step in and take over. Alzheimer’s patients are often unable to report their symptoms, leaving them vulnerable to pain and various other conditions. Hospice nurses are trained to care for people who have lost some or all cognitive function and are excellent providers of palliative care for those nearing the end of life.

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Here are some ways your agency can plan now to get involved:

• Partner up with local Alzheimer’s support groups. Provide refreshments and information on your company’s respite services and in-home support for those caring for Alzheimer’s family members at home.

• Sponsor local awareness events like the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s .These walks raise awareness and money for Alzheimer’s research.

Forgetfulness vs Alzheimer’s: Tweets that you can copy and paste, courtesy of the National Institute on Aging:

1. How can you tell the difference between mild forgetfulness & serious memory problems? Find out in this infographic: http://bit.ly/2nvUbLZ

2. What’s normal aging and what may be a sign of Alzheimer’s? Check out this infographic to see what’s typical: http://bit.ly/2mQj4Fp

3. Read and share this infographic about normal memory problems vs Alzheimer’s disease. http://bit.ly/2nhqeh1

Visit tagwebstore.com for Home Health and Hospice Educational and Marketing Materials.

Related: Find the Alzheimer’s Association in your community: https://www.alz.org/local_resources/find_your_local_chapter

Family Caregivers

As adults we tend to think of our parents always as the invincible people they seemed to be in our youth. So, when they can no longer care for themselves or their bodies succumb to illness, the reality of becoming their caregiver can be overwhelming.

For those who choose to care for their aging parents at home, the actuality of daily caregiving for an adult with limited mobility, a chronic illness, or diminished mental capacity can be quite daunting. It can put a tremendous strain on the entire family. Home health, home care, and hospice can provide assistance for these struggling families. 

Home health and home care offer multiple services ranging from home nursing, to personal care and both offer respite care for family caregivers. Many people may not be aware that Home care and Home health services can be eligible for Medicare or private insurance coverage with physician referral.

Hospice also offers support for family caregivers. Hospice provides personal hygiene assistance, volunteers who can sit with patients while caregivers run errands, and week-long inpatient care to give family caregivers a respite break.

Always include your respite and family support services in all of your community marketing materials. You should never hesitate to overstate the obvious, because what is obvious to you may not be to someone else.

Here are some ideas to help you promote your services:

• Call on Human Resource agencies in your area about promoting your care services on their employee portals. Explain how your agency can help caregivers achieve better work-home balance. Suggest that they link to your website for detailed information and a one-on-one assessment. 

• Sponsor a family caregiver event in your community. Discuss long-term planning, care options, and home care services. Invite financial planners, lawyers, social workers, and the full spectrum of home health and private duty providers to speak briefly about their services.

• Family caregivers usually accompany their loved ones to doctor visits so be sure to provide your referring physicians with information about your respite care services.

• Add a link to the Caregiver Action Network’s Family Caregiver Story Project on your website to show your commitment to helping caregivers find the resources they need. Visitors can read about the experiences of other family caregivers and find condition- specific information to help them in their caregiving role.

Visit the TAG Web Store for all your Home Health, Private Duty, and Hospice marketing materials.

Caring for a Brain Injury Patient

The brain is the puppet master of the mind and body. When it is touched by illness or injury our functionality, comprehension, and communication can be greatly impaired. Brain disorders, injuries, and encephalopathies interfere with a person’s ability to understand and manage their condition, which can make caring for them quite a challenge. Home health and hospice care teams offer relief for caregivers while providing quality care for people who are struggling with brain impairment.

• Brain disorders such as stroke can be recovered from through rehabilitation with varying rates of success depending on size, location, and extent of the damage. Other disorders such as brain cancer can be treated with limited success, while neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s disease, ALS, Parkinson’s, and dementia cause progressive brain and nerve deterioration resulting in total disability.

• Traumatic brain injures (TBI) are usually caused by blunt force trauma that causes cerebral edema, strokes, hematomas and concussions. These injuries interfere with the brain’s ability to communicate with the rest of the body and often cause personality changes, memory loss, comprehension deficiency, and some loss of motor skills, all of which can usually be partially recovered through rehabilitation.

• Encephalopathy is a broad term for several brain conditions, most of which are thought to be the result of another primary problem such as cirrhosis, kidney failure, anoxia, or repeated brain trauma, *CTE. Prognosis can range from complete recovery to permanent brain damage or death.

Home health offers specialized care for patients with brain illnesses. Patients can become confused and easily agitated or quick to anger. They often don’t fully understand what’s being asked of them or why they can no longer perform a certain task. This leads to frustration that can add stress to an already stressful situation. Home health care can provide the therapy patients need in the peaceful familiarity of their home.

As a patient’s condition deteriorates, hospice provides pain and symptom management, as well as counseling for families dealing with the heartbreaking neurodegenerative illness of someone they love.

• Brain Awareness week may not be until March, but it’s always a good time to ping social media about the importance of neurological research and of helping those with brain illnesses lead happier lives.

• Look for networking opportunities in your community to educate your neighbors about recognizing symptoms of brain illness and the rehabilitation and disease management services your agency can provide.

• Be sure to Include neurologists in your sphere of referring physicians. Provide them with condition specific print media highlighting your agency’s proficiency in treating neurological conditions.

Visit our online webstore to view our complete line of home health, private duty, and hospice marketing tools.

*Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a dementia-like condition that appears years after receiving multiple concussions.