Priorities For End-Of-Life Care Revealed By Europe-Wide Survey

Main Category: Palliative Care / Hospice Care
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 24 Mar 2011 - 3:00 PDT
A survey of over 9,000 people in seven different countries across Europe has shown that the majority would want to improve the quality of life in the time they had left, rather than extend it. The survey reveals attitudes across Europe for dealing with serious illnesses such ascancer, and issues raised when caring for a close friend of relative in the last few months of life. The research was carried out as part of an EU-funded project led by researchers from King's College London.

The telephone survey of 9,339 people was carried out to explore attitudes to end of life care in seven European countries: Germany, England, the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), Portugal, Spain and Italy. The survey showed that 71% of people said they would want to improve quality of life for the time they had left; 4% would like to extend life; and 25% said both quality and extending life was equally important. Across all countries in the survey, 'being in pain' was the symptom or problem that was of most concern, followed by 'being a burden to others'

The results of the survey will be discussed by policy makers, research funders and experts in palliative care on Thursday in Brussels at a symposium held by PRISMA - a consortium of experts from nine European and African countries, led by King's College London. The PRISMA group says greater attention must be paid to quality of life alongside potentially life-prolonging treatments, as the survey shows quality of life is important to people, often more so than extending it.

A group of leading researchers and clinicians, led by Professor Irene Higginson OBE at King's College London, will call for delivery of end-of-life care across Europe to be reviewed in the light of the results, and investment in research increased, in order to meet people's needs more effectively at the end of their lives.

Professor Irene Higginson OBE, scientific lead of PRISMA and Professor of Palliative Care and Policy at King's College London, said: 'There needs to be a fundamental shift in the approach to delivering end-of-life care across Europe. Although individuals' priorities and needs will differ, it is absolutely clear that people value highly the quality of the time they have left.

'What we need to see is a step-change in the way policy-makers and clinicians across Europe look at end-of-life care, and ensure that people's priorities and needs inform planning and delivery of these services. Together with an increased investment in scientific research into end-of-life care, this will really make a difference to the quality of people's lives as they face their last weeks and days.'

The PRISMA group is calling for a change in the way all health care professionals working with patients with advanced diseases measure things which are important to patients and their families. Currently, the focus is on physical tests such as x-rays, scans and monitoring bloods. But PRISMA warns that, although important, these routine tests may miss the effects of the illness on the person and their family. A move towards assessment of symptoms, psychological, social and spiritual needs is urgently required in order to ensure an adequate response to patient and family priorities.

PRISMA compared the survey results with the views of nearly 800 clinicians working in end-of-life care and recommended a five-pronged approach to tackle: symptom control; emotional well-being; family support; choice for where to be cared for; and information needs.

Professor Stein Kaasa, a member of PRISMA, Professor of Palliative Medicine and an oncologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology said: 'It is now the responsibility of all clinicians working with patients with life-threatening diseases such as advanced cancer, to measure and lead others to measure the outcomes of their work against what matters to patients, so they know they are on the right track to providing quality care.'

Source:
Katherine Barnes
King's College London

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/220052.php

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Simple Rules for Better Sleep

This sounds way too good to be true: a quick, effective solution to the insomnia that plagues an estimated 15 to 30 percent of older adults — without drugs, without even needing to consult a physician.

The idea is to stick to a schedule that maximizes your “sleep efficiency” — the amount of time in bed you spend sleeping, instead of tossing and hoping that sleep will descend. That involves four rules: Reduce the time spent in bed. Get up at the same time every day. Don’t go to bed until you feel sleepy. Don’t stay in bed if you’re not sleeping.

Read the whole article.

2010 Tax Tips for Family Caregivers

If you are supporting an elderly parent, you may qualify for some tax benefits from the government that rewards you for your caregiving efforts. These tax benefits may include claiming your parent as a dependent on your tax return or deducting the contributions you made towards their medical expenses and medical care. In order to qualify for these tax breaks, you must first be aware of the tax benefits available and then determine whether or not you qualify.

10 Quick Pickups for Your Personal Finances

Article from The Atlantic.You don't have to be an expert to manage your money and prepare for life's unexpected twists and turns.

Shopping for better deals is easy. Don't forget to use this Blog's Amazon link on the side bar. We are an Amazon Affiliate and all proceeds go to support Austin Groups for the Elderly!

Speaking of Amazon. It's the Friday Sale!

How independent is my senior parent?

This 8-question quiz can help you find out.

Developed by senior care expert Dr. John Bowling, the quiz will help determine whether your parent can live independently in his or her own home. 

The questions address a variety of factors that are critical to your parent's safety and well-being, including family support, mobility, memory, social interactions, and personal hygiene. 

Each question can be answered on a sliding scale from "ALWAYS" to "NEVER." Simply move the slider to indicate your response. 

Upon completion of the quiz, you will receive a quantifiable score that will indicate your parent's level of at-home independence and self-sufficiency.

 Take The Quiz Now.

Are Heirs Responsible for Credit Card Debt?

Sage advice from the NY Times: Experts say that unlike a mortgage or a car loan, credit card debt is unsecured, meaning that it isn’t tethered to an asset. When someone dies, credit card companies have to wait near the back of the line to receive payment. If what’s left over after settling the estate isn’t enough to pay the bill, credit card debt is written off.

Read the whole article for some advice on how to set up account holders properly.

Sales At Amazon

Roadside emergency kits

Why It Takes So Long to Decide

One of the surest ways to frustrate my mother was for her to accompany Grandma Ethel, then in her mid-90s, to her favorite delicatessen near the assisted-living facility she called home in Chicago. It had a menu as big as a billboard, and Ethel relished the chance to consider almost every dish before she settled on an old favorite, no matter how long the process took.

This familiar dynamic — an elderly parent who acts as though she has all the time in the world, and an adult caregiver with an eye on the clock — has a basis, as it turns out, in science. According to Gregory Samanez-Larkin, a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University and co-director of the Scientific Research Network on Decision Neuroscience and Aging, the way we make decisions changes on a fundamental, physiological level as we age. The brain begins to approach its tasks differently, and once we understand the changes, we can learn to work with them.

To research his doctoral dissertation at Stanford University, Dr. Samanez-Larkin focused on brain systems involved in computing value when making financial decisions. “These systems are at the core of making decisions,” he said. In one study, he studied brain activity among research subjects aged 20 to 85 as they considered a set of investment options.

Senior Helpers Joins the Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance

Senior Helpers, the nation’s fastest growing provider of in-home care for seniors, recently announced their participation in the Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance (AEDA). Senior Helpers has become a “Champion” with the AEDA and will work to spread the word about the warning signs of Alzheimer’s both locally in and around DuPage county and across the nation.


The AEDA is an Alzheimer’s Association national outreach campaign focusing on the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The goal is to raise awareness of the disease’s warning signs and for organizations to turn to the Alzheimer’s Association as the center for help and hope. The AEDA has developed an online toolkit containing educational information for participating organizations’ use in their promotional efforts that includes posters, brochures, television and radio advertisements, logos, widgets and more.


By becoming an AEDA “Champion,” Senior Helpers has agreed to disseminate educational information to their franchise owners and clients through various on-line activation opportunities provided by the Alzheimer’s Association. This includes placing the AEDA logo on their website, distributing the information on the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s and more.


“Joining the AEDA was an easy decision for us at Senior Helpers because of our commitment to educating and helping the senior community,” said Michael Feldman of Senior Helpers in Wheaton. “We are glad to be in a position to aid the AEDA in its efforts to spread the word on the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s. This is important to the senior community and their loved ones in order to combat this devastating disease. We look forward to working with our clients and their families to help them get the key information they need.”


Alzheimer’s Association 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s disease:
1. Memory changes that disrupt daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Decreased or poor judgment
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood and personality
To learn more about the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s disease, contact the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org/10signs or 877-IS-IT-ALZ.


To learn more about Senior Helpers, or their involvement with the Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance, please visit www.seniorhelpers.com.


About Senior Helpers:
Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who need extra assistance in the place they call home. The company has 283 franchises in 39 states and one in Canada offering a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care. For more information, please visit: http://www.seniorhelpers.com/.

About the Alzheimer’s Association:


The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. For more information, visit www.alz.org .

The Friday Sale

New Devices Help Seniors Stay Longer in Their Own Homes

Sensors, GPS and more are being used to track aging parents' movements

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who want to remain in their homes despite illness and infirmity can get a high-tech assist these days.
So can their children who might worry about an elderly parent living alone, often far from family members.
The 1980s-era medical alert pendants made famous by their television advertising ("I've fallen, and I can't get up!") are now among a wide array of devices that can help keep an eye on aging parents and get them help when they need it.
Available technologies include:

• Sensors in the home to track an older person's movement, from the front door to the medicine cabinet to the refrigerator to the stove. The sensors are linked with computers that can issue alerts when people deviate from their routine.
• Global positioning system devices, using the GPS technology that's become so common in cars, that can help locate someone with dementia who's wandered from home.
• Computerized pillboxes that track whether medication is being taken on time.

"The notion behind these technologies is that people stay in their homes with some peace of mind on both their and their families' part," said Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities. "In many cases, sensors are actually placed in various places throughout the older person's home. They are continuously tracking data. More or less all of them are looking for changes in that typical pattern and can note that change and alert responsible parties."
Ginzler gave the example of a "sensor checking to see if the front door is opened to pick up the newspaper every day by a certain time, because that's what Dad does." If he usually gets the paper by 7:30 a.m. and it's now 8:30 a.m., an alert might be sent to his son or daughter letting them know about the deviation in his schedule. They then have the option of calling to check in on him.
It might seem that older parents would reject the loss of privacy that can come with so much electronic eavesdropping, but that's an incorrect assumption, Ginzler said.
Nearly nine in 10 seniors in an AARP survey said they would be willing to give up some privacy if it allowed them to remain in their own homes longer. When asked about specific home safety technologies, seniors often said they would be willing to use them even if they weren't previously aware of the devices.
"Resoundingly, people said, 'Yeah, I'll learn new things,'" Ginzler said. "There's a resounding motivation for learning new things when your independence is on the line."
Though such devices aren't in wide use yet, a significant number of people seem to be taking advantage of them.
Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research for Parks Associates, a Dallas-based market research firm that tracks digital technology trends, said that with "the senior safety tracking and monitoring that helps seniors remain in the home longer, we've seen a little bit better traction over the last several years."
About one in 10 caregivers of senior citizens use tracking sensors that can remotely detect a potential safety hazard in the home, according to an AARP survey of caregivers. About 16 percent of caregivers said they had used some type of emergency response system.
Parks Associates has projected that by 2012 more than 3.4 million senior citizens in the United States will be using networked sensor applications to monitor their movements and improve their health.
"There are more and more products out there, more and more technologies available," Wang said. "It's an emerging field. I don't think we're done with all those brilliant ideas yet."
However, Wang and Ginzler cited three things that must happen for such technologies to succeed:

• The design must be simple, elegant and enticing so that seniors can easily learn how to use the device -- and perhaps even enjoy it. "You have to make sure the solutions are well-designed, in the sense that it's exciting," Wang said. "It's not reminding seniors that they are old and fragile in the home, but reminding them that they are still young and able to enjoy life and remain in the home."
• The devices must come down in price. "The No. 1 barrier is the cost of the system," Wang said. "They must be affordable to seniors."
• Companies and families must market the devices properly. "A lot of this has to do with the way the technology is presented, and the family conversation about this," Ginzler said. "The message needs to be, 'We want to make sure you can stay in your house and be independent the way you want to be, and we can respond if you get in trouble.' When that family conversation goes well, it results in peace of mind both for that person and their family members."

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=643459

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Austin, Texas Senior Helpers Provides Many services in the Austin, Texas area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in this beautiful area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Austin, Bartlett, Bertram, Briggs, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Holland, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Killeen, Leander, Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, Round Mountain, Round Rock, Salado, Spicewood, Taylor and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Austin Home Health Care Company. "

A Better Bank Account

A better alternative may be the little known multiple-party account without right of survivorship, which banks sometimes call a “convenience account.”

A One Day Sale on an iPod/iPhone speaker dock with remote

Senior Helpers Shares Ideas for Staying in Touch Through Technology

Staying in touch through technology may be easier than you think

The Internet enables users to engage in online shopping and communication with other family members and social groups and reduces isolation and loneli­ness. Web cams and video technology offer instant virtual communication environments within different areas of a house or in different cities.

Several free or low-cost technological tools, beyond cell phones and medical alert devices, can be especially helpful for seniors trying to stay in touch with family, friends, and caretakers. Loved ones can find some comfort in knowing that their elderly family members have tech­nology available to them. After checking out a few of these technological tools, you will soon become a “Silver Surfer!”

• Skype™ ( www.skype.com) is a software platform that enables free video and voice calls with other Skype users.
• Presto™ (www.presto.com) is an affordable “printing mailbox” ser­vice that allows someone who does not have a computer to get set up with a Presto email address to receive emails and photos that get transformed into printable electronic letters.
• www.genkvetch.com is described as “social networking for those who recall rotary phones and 45-rpm records.”
• For baby boomer women’s health news and information visit www.thirdage.com (also described as being “For the Woman Who Wasn’t Born Yesterday, and Makes the Most of Today!”).
• To “build your personal profile, share photos, publish a blog, join groups, subscribe to e-newsletters, connect with others, and more-all for free” go to www.aarp.org/onlinecommunity.
• “For seasoned travelers of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s”go to www.my­boomerplace.com.
• Facebook (www.facebook.com) is a popular social media site that enables you to stay in touch with friends, check out family members’ pictures, and play word games.
• FamiliLink (www.Famililink.com) is a website that enables seniors to stay in touch with their online family and friends.