Driving Miss Daisy

2011-12-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

Gift Giving to Seniors

It’s that time of year again. What do we get for Grandpa or Great Auntie who are in a nursing home? They are in their own small home but it’s full of stuff! What can we get them that they can use and will enjoy? Another tie or scarf? They have drawers full of those already and don’t go out and have the opportunity to wear them very often. So what to get…When thinking about gifts for seniors, take a moment to look at their lifestyle and how they spend their time. Think about things that will make their life more comfortable and enjoyable. Most are past accumulations of “stuff” and are more concerned with down sizing and getting everything organized.

Your time is the greatest gift you can offer but when we are all so busy, sometimes this isn’t possible. Consider gift certificates for care giving, transportation, hair dressers, food and other delivery services. Pedicures and home visits from a trained foot nurse are very good for both sexes as feet can be troublesome for older folks. Massage therapists will also travel to their homes and treat them to a massage. Think about the challenges your seniors have and what may help them. If buying books, be sure to check the print size and the weight of the book so that it will be comfortable for them to enjoy. If purchasing music, be sure that they have the equipment to play it and are confident in using it.

If your senior is struggling with a home computer, consider a gift certificate for in home lessons. Many seniors would enjoy the new technology available but are nervous to get it home and have to install it. Offer your help in doing so or hire a professional for them. Telephones are important tools for seniors and the ability to have handsets in every room (including the bathroom) would be a wonderful gift for not only their peace of mind but for yours as well. Just be sure that help is offered to install and program any equipment given.

Almost every business offers gift certificates so think about something they may want or a service they can use and inquire about a gift card or certificate. Many seniors don’t want to indulge themselves as they are concerned about how long their money will last – so if you can help them enjoy those indulgences, they will be very grateful. Although many don’t think of it – cash discreetly tucked into a card gives the senior the opportunity to choose something for themselves or help with costs for medication or daily living.

As with giving a gift to anyone, just acknowledging them and their importance in your life is the greatest gift that you can share. Slow down and appreciate the moment with them, the lessons you will learn will be their greatest legacy and gift to everyone. Happy Holidays, everyone.

Article by, Laila Pera, CPCA,

Safe & Senior friendly transportation

2011-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Alternate Transportation

For Seniors

Executive Summary

Bonnie M. Dobbs, PhD

Param Bhardwaj, MSc

Tara Pidborochynski, BA

The 5 A’s of Senior Friendly Transportation

Availability

Transportation services are provided to seniors and those services are available when needed (e.g., days, evenings; weekdays, weekends).

Acceptability

Service quality is acceptable in terms of advance scheduling; vehicles are clean and well-maintained; service providers provide driver ‘sensitivity to seniors’ training.

Accessibility

Service providers provide ‘door-to-door’ and ‘door-through-door’ transportation; service providers provide transportation to essential and non-essential activities.

Adaptability

Transportation can accommodate riders wanting to make multiple stops (trip chaining); allows for different types of routes (fixed vs. client response) and passenger service (single vs. group); can accommodate wheelchairs and walkers; escorts can be provided.

Affordability

Cost of transportation is affordable (e.g., uses volunteer drivers to reduce costs; vouchers or coupons available, etc.).

Work Longer....live a longer, healthier life!

2011-08-15T19:06:00.001-07:00

Another argument to keep Boomers in the workforce longer

Ray Williams Aug 15, 2011 – 12:41 PM ET | Last Updated: Aug 15, 2011 4:32 PM ET

Since the Great Depression, a commonly held perspective on the good life is that we can all look forward to retiring from the workforce. We would be relaxed and healthier away from the stresses of work. But there are a few flaws in that argument.

For one thing, retirement, like pensions, was an invention of the Great Depression, intended to deal with the problem of unemployment. Before the 1930s, the concept of retirement didn’t exist. For the most part, people now view retirement in a different light all together. The American Association for Retired People reported on a 2008 survey that 70% of workers plan to continue working past retirement age. Since the recession, that number likely has increased.

Recent research questions the assumption that stopping work will improve your health. Researchers, led by Mo Wang, an associate professor at the University of Maryland, studied the health of 12,000 men and women between the ages of 51 and 61, using data from the U.S. National Health and Retirement Study. The research study was published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

Among the conclusions were: Compared to those who quit working altogether, those people who described themselves as officially retired but who continued to work part-time or in temporary positions were less likely to be diagnosed with diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, stroke, psychiatric problems and arthritis. Those who worked at least part-time were also less likely to show signs of functional decline, or inability to perform the activities of daily living. The findings were true for all categories of age, sex, financial status, education and physical and mental health before retirement.

This study supported much earlier ones, including a study at a major hospital that showed people who worked after retirement lived longer and a Yale University study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, that reported being laid off or fired close to retirement or old age had a devastating effect on an individual’s health, with particular reference to stroke. The American Geriatrics Society reported that people over age 65 who worked as volunteers had half the death risk of those who did not.

The benefits of continuing to work, other than financial resources, are social interaction, and opportunities to use your brain, the University of Maryland researchers reported. And perhaps most important of all, people who continue to work past retirement age have a sense of purpose, which has a positive impact on their health. A final argument for continuing to work is the cost of health services for aging Baby Boomers, the bulk of the population.

I am Concerned About my Dad's Driving. What Can I do to Help?

2011-08-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

Q. I followed my dad, 78, enroute to a family party, and was quite concerned by his driving – erratic speed, unsafe lane changes and dangerous hesitation at on-ramps. He’d be devastated to give up his license – what can I do?

A. Research confirms that older drivers are involved in more accidents – per kilometer driven – than their middle-aged counterparts. Of course you want your dad to be independent as long as possible – and drive safely and confidently.

* Identify dad’s driving challenges – vision, reaction time, physical limitations
* Schedule a family doctor visit - to check vision, hearing, cognition, medication dosages and /or combinations.
* Get an evaluation - by a driver rehabilitation specialist who can make specific recommendations for improvement.
* The doctor - may write to the provincial Ministry of Transport recommending that the licence be revoked. With luck, this step may convince your dad to surrender his licence and keys voluntarily.
* Send a copy of the doctor’s letter to the Ministry and also to his auto insurer, who will cancel his policy.
No one wants to treat a family member in this way, but you must keep in mind the liability and potential for harm to your parent and to others. It’s an unhappy role-reversal for you to do this to your father, so make sure you have the understanding and support of all family members, and give yourself credit for having the courage to love your dad so much.

This information was provided by Pat M. Irwin, BA, AICB, CPCA, is founder and president of ElderCareCanada, a single-source consulting firm for adult children and their families, addressing all aspects of elder care - www.eldercarecanada.

2011-06-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

Doctors are prescribing deadly drug combinations for the elderly
June 24, 2011

Lesley Ciarula Taylor
STAFF REPORTER The Toronto Star

Doctors are prescribing common drugs for elderly patients that are killing them, the first study of its kind reported on Friday.

“It goes against the Hipocratic Oath,” study lead author Dr. Chris Fox told the Star. “They are doing harm.”

A staggering 20 per cent of the 13,000 men and women involved in the study who were taking four or more anticholinergic drugs had died by the end of the two-year study, compared with only 7 per cent taking no anticholinergic drugs.

“This is a world first,” said Fox, clinical senior lecturer at Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia.

Doctors whose patients take handfuls of these drugs “are creating an illness,” he said.

The drugs also damaged brain activity, reducing cognitive function by more than 4 per cent, the study found.

That cognitive chaos could, for example, contribute to a car crash in an otherwise healthy senior with no signs of dementia of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Anticholinergic drugs span anti-depressants, allergy medicine, bladder medicine, tranquilizers, pain killers, antihistamines, Parkinson’s treatment and even eyedrops used for glaucoma.

Previous studies have revealed the drugs left the elderly confused or showing signs of memory loss. This is the first to connect them with death.

“We were surprised,” said Fox. “We were expecting to find delerium and confusion. We found mortality.”

As news of the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, trickled out, Fox’s computer crashes under the weight of panicked elderly people sending emails listing all the drugs they took.

Why would doctors pile on powerful drugs for their patients over 65?

“More is better. There is a pill for everything. In the U.S., for example, doctors will prescribe two anti-depressants for a depressed patient for some bizarre reason.”

Fox warned people taking several drugs not to just stop taking the pills, which could cause serious problems.

The complex study gave each drug a ranking based on the strength of its anticholinegic activity then examined each of the thousands of patients against that. Several medical institutes, linked here and here, have produced charts to give patients some of that information.

The study’s analysis found a clear pattern: For every extra point on the rankings scale, “the odds of dying increased by 26 per cent.”

Another problem for doctors and patients, he said, is that some of those drugs such as Warfarin have no alternatives and need to be taken.

While elderly in the U.K. might take four or five of these drugs, some North American seniors are swallowing up to a dozen different drugs a day, he said.

Fox admitted doctors “are going to need a bit more evidence about whether it makes a difference” to use alternative drugs or mix and match differently. “There is not one way to solve the problem.”

Nevertheless, he said, “people should review the drugs they are taking at least every six months with their doctors.

“Some of these drugs are only meant to be taken for six months and people are still taking them two years later.”

The study, performed with researchers at the University of Cambridge, University College London and Indiana University, “is one of the largest so far,” said Fox.

Drug giant Glaxo Smith Kline, in a statement on the heels of the study, urged elderly patients to keep taking their prescribed medicine until advised otherwise by a doctor

GSK promised to “study the results.”

As well as a review, Fox urged governments to make combination tests a criterion for licensing, instead of the “one-disease, perfect patient” tests the drug companies do now.

Editor's Picks

2011-06-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

Prevent Falls : Keep Balance Controls Healthy

According to the famous Wilkins retrospective study in 1999, falls are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in older Canadians: the sixth leading cause of death. One in three people over 65 years old and one in two aged 85 or over fall each year, and about half of these falls involve fractures.

Non-fatal falls cause physical trauma, fear of walking and physical degeneration from immobility, loss of independence and having to leave one’s home. This impacts the victim, the family, the health-care system and society. Falls cost Canadians $3 billion annually. Fall prevention would be a major step toward enhancing mobility, letting people stay in their homes while saving health-care costs. Avoiding falls and accidents are a key part of remaining active.

Conventional medicine mainly offers damage control in the form of drugs (with their side-effects), surgery (often with serious consequences) and physical therapies. None of these measures addresses the source of falling. A revolutionary approach, however, stops the cause of falling; the fundamental factors that underlie it relates to the health of the sensory-motor (input-output) areas of the brain.
This approach intervenes only at the level of the brain and works as long as there is no actual brain tissue damage, but only neural pathway dysfunction.

Both fall proneness and falling reflect the same condition dominated by a loss of postural balance always combined with many other physical, cognitive, emotional, intellectual and behavioural symptoms. These include pain, stiffness, vertigo, balance and dizziness disorders, transient blurry vision, anxiety, mental concentration and short-term memory issues, co-ordination issues, sleep disorders and fatigue, depression/irritability, and reduced tolerance for other sensory data (for example, hypersensitivities), leading to a loss of balance control. Loss of equilibrium can occur either instantly, as when tripping, having a stroke, or gradually over a long period. Emotional or physical trauma can cause acute or lasting, deteriorating changes in the brain’s ability to process incoming stimuli and adapt appropriately by maintaining upright orientation. This slow decline in the brain’s functional ability to adapt and effectively sustain vertical posture and gait appears in the form of fall proneness.

The usefulness of posture, gait, and balance testing is typically overlooked or at best, generalized in mainstream care, at least in Canada for the general population other than professional athletes or other specialized occupations such as pilots and astronauts.

However, detailed assessments identify difficulties, which allow safe standing and fall prevention. The causes of difficulty in walking, decreased range of motion, weakness, slower reaction time in co-ordination and body adjustments, increased stiffness and muscles spasms/tension, postural pain, a decrease in brain processing ability are all assessed and then can be addressed with specific treatments.

The important message here, which bears repeating, is that fall proneness does not begin with the feet; it begins within the central nervous system, that is, the brain and spinal cord. Conventional medicine treats the peripheral symptoms and may not address the cause, which is brain dysfunction. The good news is that there is a way of stopping fall proneness by restoring the function of the brain controls in the relevant areas.

Other than the traditional external factors (e.g. improved lighting, grab bars, non-slip floors, removing obstacles, added personal assistance, etc.) that are typically incorporated by occupational therapists, home care workers and/or family members, having an active lifestyle significantly decreases the risk of falls (assuming a healthy brain). Underlying this is training in sensory motor skills with a qualified health-care provider and incorporating basic balance enhancing activities such as:

1. Walking as briskly as possible while breathing deeply,alternating with slow pace walks in the same session. The ideal is to walk at least one hour every day. Thetime can be broken up throughout the day and still be effective. Studies show that walking regularly decreases falls by 50 per cent.

2. Stretching increases both flexibility and strength; ideally 20 minutes, two times per day. Head, neck, and back (bending), hips, ankles, shoulders, arms - rotation, flexion, extension.

3. Attention to posture - for example, avoid lying in bed with head bent against pillow watching TV. Be aware to stand up straight.

4. Enhance space perception - activities such as walking, dancing, breathing, stretching and tai chi are all effective.

5. Exercise visual perception - move eyes open, and then closed, in all directions of vision. This can be done sitting, standing, or lying down. Eye direction affects balance lean.

6. Promote efficient breathing - deep breathing exercises while walking or other activity. Increases heart-lung performance and improves oxygen in the blood, which also assists with brain function.

7. Drink plenty of water or other non-diuretic fluids. The brain contains a higher percentage of water than the rest of the body.

8. Exercise the mind with precision. Puzzles, building models, activities requiring fine-tune dexterity, sequencing and playing or even listening to music are examples.

This is a multi-system approach as the balance control system is complex. Balance control requires a combination of both physical and mental function. The important point is to select the level of activities that are compatible with one’s abilities. Remember the old adage of “Use it or lose it.” If these lifestyle tips do not improve balance health, then there may be an underlying health condition that needs to be addressed.

Article by Philippe A. Souvestre, MD & Mick Matheusik, M.Sc, Reprinted with permission by Senior Living Magazine

Fairy Godmothers....for real?

2011-05-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

According to an online Thesaurus, a Fairy Godmother is “a female character in some fairy stories who has magical powers and can bring unexpected good fortune to the hero or heroine”.

Reading that, I think we could all agree that we have met one or two of those in our days…

…right?

Think back.

How many times in your life has your own mother, or someone else’s mother blessed you with a delicious home-cooked meal? Or extended their welcoming arms when you were in pain or needed advice?

I would bet you took that mothers offering and gratefully accepted it (loving every minute of it!)

Mothers Day is right around the corner and I wanted to extend to you this article.

Take a moment and think back over all the great women whom have blessed your life. Think about what makes them great. Their personal little quirks. The things about them that make you laugh. The things they did to make you laugh.

Then do them a favour…

…no matter if they are still with us or not.

Write them a thank you letter.

A simple one. Nothing fancy.

Just share with them that you are thinking of them and that you really do appreciate everything they have ever done for you.

It’ll take you 20 minutes tops.

Best 20 minute investment you can make this month.

If the mother or mothers you are writing to are still with us on this earth, send them the letter.

Don’t email it.

Write it out in hand. Get a real envelope, and a stamp.

Then mail it.

It will make you feel sooooo good.

Them… even better.

If they have passed on, write the letter and keep it in a safe place. Read it once a month when you are feeling down or just need a picker upper.

Nothing beats some simple appreciation for the fantastic women who have blessed our lives.

It is very therapeutic – just try it and see.

New Alzheimer’s diagnostic guidelines recognize disease’s earliest stages

2011-04-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Reuters Apr 19, 2011 – 9:32 AM ET | Last Updated: Apr 19, 2011 11:10 AM ET

by Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO — The first new U.S. diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease released in 27 years paint the disorder as a disease that occurs gradually over many years, starting with changes in the brain, then mild memory problems and finally progressing to full-blown dementia.

Released on Tuesday by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association, the guidelines officially recognize mild cognitive impairment or MCI — first described more than a decade ago — as a precursor to the disease.

And they add a new research category known as preclinical Alzheimer’s, the earliest stage of the disease when clumps of a protein called amyloid are just beginning to form in the brains of people who are otherwise healthy.

This preclinical stage about 10 years before dementia sets in is seen as the best place to intervene in the disease. It is why new imaging agents for PET scans, spinal fluid tests and other so-called biomarkers that predict Alzheimer’s are becoming so important to researchers and drug companies.

The notion of different stages of the disease marks a stark contrast from the last set of guidelines published by government researchers in 1984, which only recognized the dementia phase of Alzheimer’s — in which people lose their memories and the ability to care for themselves.

“The biggest difference between then and now is we now think of this process as a continuum that started many years before we make the diagnosis of dementia,” Dr. Guy McKhann of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who worked on the new guidelines, told a media briefing.

Including earlier phases of the disease is important in advancing Alzheimer’s research, said Dr. Reisa Sperling of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who led the group that wrote the guidelines for preclinical Alzheimer’s.

“If we are ever really going to move towards prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, we have to include people who don’t yet have symptoms,” Dr. Sperling said in a telephone interview.

“I think the real piece of that is not being afraid to say the ‘A’ word (Alzheimer’s),” said Dr. Sperling, who acknowledged that the diagnosis is frightening.

“I believe what changed in cancer 10 or 20 years ago is when people became less afraid of using the ‘C’ word (cancer). I think we have to move to the same thing in Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.

Dr. Sperling said being able to diagnose someone with preclinical Alzheimer’s will allow for much earlier treatment and prevention efforts, in much the same way as people with high cholesterol take statin drugs to prevent heart disease.

Both Dr. Sperling and Marilyn Albert of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, who worked on the guidelines for mild cognitive impairment, said biomarker tests, while promising, are not ready for prime time.

“The reason we think they should not be used in the doctor’s office now is there is not a lot of standardization. We don’t have a very good sense of what we call a cutoff point — of what is normal and what is not,” Dr. Albert said.

In January, advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected an Eli Lilly imaging agent, saying more data is needed before it can be approved for helping doctors rule out the presence of plaque linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. John Ringman, an Alzheimer’s researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in drafting the guidelines, said defining the earlier phases of the disease gives researchers a common vocabulary.

“It’s really a language researchers can use to talk to each other,” he said.

Dr. Ringman said this will help companies select patients in earlier stages of the disease for clinical trials.

Many researchers believe most Alzheimer’s drugs have failed because they were tried in people whose disease was too advanced to do any good.

© Thomson Reuters 2011

Grandparents Scam

2011-04-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

How the 'grandparents scam' nearly caught my mother

April 14, 2011 By Sheryl Smolkin The Toronto Star

Last week my 83-year old mother almost became a victim of the “grandparent scam.”

She picked up the phone and the caller said he was her grandson. When she asked if it was Charles, my son, the caller said yes. Mom sometimes has trouble hearing on the telephone, but she said it sounded just like him.

As we later found out, he gave her the classic story. He said he had an accident with a rental car in Montreal and was in jail. He said needed $4,000 wired via Western Union to his court-appointed lawyer to be released and provided a name. The caller asked my mother not to call either my husband or I as we would be too upset.

My son lives in Vancouver, and it is unlikely that he would have been in Montreal without our knowledge. But as a devoted grandmother and without a second thought Mom, who lives in Thornhill, got into a cab, went to the bank to withdraw cash and went directly to Western Union as directed. The clerk questioned her, but finally agreed to her request to send the funds.

When she arrived home, there was another unexpected call from the person impersonating my son asking if the money was on its way. By that time she was getting suspicious and asked the caller for my daughter's name. When he didn’t respond immediately, she realized something was wrong. Luckily, after numerous calls to Western Union she was able to get her money back. After the second call the fraudster must have realized she was on to him, and the money had not yet been claimed.

My mother was lucky and this is not a new story. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, jointly managed by the RCMP, OPP and the Competition Bureau Canada, recently called the grandparent's scam fraud of the week. In late February, Halton Region police charged seven people for scamming grandparents out of over $3 million dollars.

There have been dozens of similar stories across the country and in the U.S. going back several years. Even seniors in retirement homes are not immune. A 2009 CBC story reports residents of assisted-living facilities in Chilliwack and Surrey B.C. were bilked out of significant amounts of money.

If you or anyone you know is involved in a similar incident, file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by email, toll-free fax, toll-free telephone or online.We were told by the CAFC there was no point contacting the police as Mom got her money back and based on the information we provided, there was no way to trace the caller. But where there is is a loss, the police should also be notified.

Mom is sharp as a tack and very frugal. If she could be conned it could happen to anyone. We are grateful that she got her money back the same day, but it will take her a lot longer to get back her piece of mind.

Seniors Driving Safely

2011-04-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Seniors Driving Safely

In British Columbia, at the age of 80, all seniors who have a driver’s licence will receive the driver’s medical exam form in the mail from the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles. The instructions explain the reason for the exam and that if they want to continue to drive they must have a physical by their doctor. The senior needs to take the form to their doctor to have it filled out and sent in by the doctor. If concerns are noted on the form, the senior will receive a letter if any further testing, such as a road test or specialist exam is needed, or if there is any change to their driver’s licence for example, if a restriction is added such as ‘corrective lenses are needed’ or if the driver’s licence is cancelled. If no further concerns are reported in the interim, there is no further testing until two years later when a medical exam form will be sent by mail.

If a road test is required, the letter will explain the process to book the test. It also includes information about the test and how to prepare for it. It explains that most people have three opportunities to pass the test. Contact ICBC to proceed with either taking the road test or surrendering the driver’s licence. It is the senior’s decision as to whether or not to continue to drive.

Seniors may ask why they have to take a road test when they have been driving for decades without an accident. Seniors have more experience with driving than younger drivers. Age does not make drivers unsafe. Many senior drivers are safe drivers, however, as we age, medical conditions that can affect driving, including chronic conditions are more common.

The reality is that as the body ages the vision, hearing, mobility and cognitive ability does decrease. Being asked to take the road test is a precaution and is to keep the senior safe. There are new rules of the road and sign changes such as HOV lanes, double left hand turning lanes, and one way streets.

Seniors may not be able to detect when they are having a problem driving. This is when a family member, caregiver or doctor can assist by making them aware so that they do not put themselves or others at risk. The likelihood of a senior taking medication is increased and could lead to a driving impairment. Night driving becomes more difficult with age as does driving in poor weather conditions.

Seniors who voluntary surrender their driver’s licence will be given a free British Columbia Identification Card with the senior’s picture on it. Seniors who have a Disabled Parking Permit can use it in any vehicle in which they are a passenger.

Some of the benefits of surrendering a driver’s licence include saving money on a vehicle. The cost of maintaining, insuring and keeping a vehicle fueled is increasing. Often the value of the vehicle if sold will pay for many trips by other modes of transportation.

For further information contact your local ICBC office or their website (www.icbc.com).

Article by, Sharen Marteny, CPCA,

2011-03-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

Reducing Your Feelings of Guilt

A common emotion among family caregivers is guilt:

• Not doing enough for the person they are caring for or not doing it well enough.
• Feeling angry, resentful or frustrated about their situation.
• Taking time off for themselves.
• Not spending enough time with the person to whom they are providing care.
• Not having enough time for other family members (children, spouse).
• Living in another town and not being there when they are needed.
• Bringing in outside help to assist them with caregiving.
• Their family member moving into a care facility because they can no longer be safely cared for at home.

Even the most effective caregiver can find something to feel guilty about. Feelings of guilt, however, drain time, energy and emotion - all three of which are already at a premium for family caregivers.

Guilt arises when there is a gap between the way family caregivers are and the way they perceive they should be. They spend time berating themselves for what they see as failure instead of focusing on the caring and compassion they bring to a family member’s situation. When energy is focused on how things “should” be, it’s more difficult to find solutions for the actual situation.

Sometimes, guilt allows people to feel “good” while doing something that they judge as wrong or inappropriate. Or perhaps guilt comes from helplessness because they can’t do anything about their family member’s illness or disability.

Look beyond the guilt. Caregivers should ask themselves, “Where are my guilty feelings coming from?” and “What are these feeling telling me?”

Once those underlying feelings are recognized, we can see our situation from another perspective and address it directly as needed. Guilt is fostered by unrealistic expectations of what we are capable of doing, as well as what we imagine we should be doing. It is important to remind ourselves that we are doing the best we can at the time with what we know. Given the tools we had to work with, we used our best judgment and made caregiving decisions we truly felt were in the best interest of all concerned.

Sometimes guilt is the result of another person’s comments or actions. However, someone else cannot make us feel guilty if we are not already feeling that way internally. Their comment pushes a button we installed ourselves - so it highlights what we are already feeling. If we change our internal perceptions and expectations, and accept that we are doing our best, then they cannot trigger our guilt.

Moving beyond guilt to acceptance and self-forgiveness will make us more relaxed and confident caregivers. Guilt seldom achieves any positive outcomes.

Article by, Barbara Small
Reprinted with Permission by Seniors Living Magazine

2011-02-16T08:04:00.000-08:00

Alzheimer’s ‘can and will be eliminated,’ researcher says
At the age of 83, Dr. Patrick McGeer is fighting Alzheimer’s.
But not in the way you may think. He doesn’t have the disease. McGeer is fit and healthy, in mind and body.
The former British Columbia cabinet minister works as a medical researcher every day from 7:30 to 5:30, plays tennis and skis, travels widely for work and for pleasure, and maintains the same weight he had as an Olympic basketball player 63 years ago.
McGeer is fighting Alzheimer’s on behalf of the rest of us, as outspoken president and research team leader of the Canadian Dementia Action Network (CDAN).
With his talk of “eradicating the disease” and “bringing effective treatment to the bedside within five years,” he and his colleagues are clearly fighting to win. “This is a malevolent disease that can and will be eliminated,” he insists.
“We know what the target is,” McGeer explains, referring to the amyloid plaques in the brain that characterize Alzheimer’s. “We don’t know which biochemicals are going to hit the target well enough to get rid of the disease, but we know it’s going to happen. It’s not difficult from a biochemical point of view, and we should pursue it vigorously.”
If CDAN can accomplish this, he says, “there isn’t a greater contribution that Canada can make to the world — all for the cost of one F18 fighter jet.”
There are 35.6 million people living with dementia around the world — 500,000 in Canada alone, including one in eight Canadians over age 65 and one in two or three over 85. It costs Canada an estimated $50 million per day to care for dementia patients. Worldwide, the annual cost is an estimated $604 billion.
“We wouldn’t even attempt to evaluate the social tragedy,” says McGeer. “Everybody knows it’s harder on the caregiver than on the patient.”
Until one of the 90 or so drugs now being investigated — or another yet to be developed — is proven to prevent or clear the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s, is there anything we can do to prevent getting the disease as we age?
Not much. “There is no strong evidence showing that any modifiable factor is associated with a reduced risk of developing the disease,” reported the U.S. National Institutes of Health in April.
That’s probably because at least one out of four Alzheimer’s cases is caused by a dominant genetic mutation. It’s also possible that many more instances have some genetic link, not yet identified.
McGeer agrees there’s no hard evidence that the disease can be prevented. But, he says, there are ways you can keep your brain healthy longer. In fact, some people who were found to have the amyloid plaques of Alzheimer’s during an autopsy never showed signs of cognitive decline while alive.
“Of all the organs, the brain ages the best, but you have to look after it. There are obvious things that can and should be done.”
For example, protecting the head from injury. There’s definitive evidence that head injuries can increase the risk of dementia. Even heading soccer balls may increase the risk. A Norwegian study showed that soccer players were twice as likely to suffer from dementia as people in the general population.
And it’s certain that the risk of vascular dementia, caused by impaired circulation to the brain and, ultimately, small strokes can be significantly reduced.
How can brain health be supported, to delay or prevent neurodegenerative disease? Maintaining general good health is a start. This includes:
• A Mediterranean diet, with a variety of fruits and vegetables
• Adequate exercise
• Adequate sleep
• Managing stress
• Maintaining a normal weight
Also, because high blood pressure and diabetes can significantly increase the risk of vascular dementia, it’s important to be diagnosed, treated and monitored when these health problems arise.
In fact, all the advice about reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke also applies to reducing the risk of dementia, especially vascular dementia. But just as heart attacks can’t always be prevented, neither can dementia.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot we can do to reduce our risk of both, advises geriatric psychiatrist Stephen Kiraly. His book, Your Healthy Brain, is recommended by McGeer as the best book ever published about brain health.
“We can’t modify our genes but there’s lots of evidence that modifying risk factors can slow down Alzheimer’s,” says Kiraly. “Having a fit heart and good circulation through the body and the brain is a huge protective factor against brain disease.”
Coffee and dementia
“People who drink three cups of coffee a day are at lower risk of dementia,” says Dr. Patrick McGeer, president of the Canadian Dementia Action Network.
In 2009, a Scandinavian study found that middle-aged people who drank between three and five cups of coffee a day lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia by 60 to 65 per cent later in life. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
McGeer says he enjoys three cups of Joe every day, maintaining that coffee is so good for the brain that he once jokingly told a group of scientists, “Starbucks has done more for Parkinson’s disease than any pharmaceutical company.”
Many studies have also shown that coffee lowers the risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke, all bad for the brain.
This is good news for people with normal blood pressure. But coffee does contribute to hypertension, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
However, some studies have shown that coffee’s effect on blood pressure is short-lived, reports Dr. Stephen Kiraly, in his book, Your Healthy Brain.
Kiraly also suggests that drinking pure cocoa is beneficial, with its high concentration of antioxidative flavonoids and far less saturated fat than is found in dark chocolate.
He quotes research showing that cocoa’s high flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity, on a per-serving basis, is four to five times stronger than black tea, two to three times stronger than green tea and almost twice as strong as red wine.
Brain training and dementia
There are conflicting studies about the value of specific brain exercises, such as puzzles, but Kiraly writes “there is overwhelming scientific evidence that mental activity protects the brain, (and that) lack of intellectual stimulation is bad for the brain.”
He says that if someone continues to be “mentally active — reading books, talking to interesting people and so forth — brain connections will continue to grow in numbers and complexity . . . vocabulary, knowledge and intellectual skills and performance will increase, not decrease, with age.”
It’s now generally believed that working at crosswords or Sudoku puzzles makes you more skilled at doing them but doesn’t necessarily prevent cognitive decline. However, a lack of the normal intellectual stimulation of everyday engagement with the world, reading and socializing, can contribute to the risk of cognitive decline.
More important than specifically exercising the brain, experts suggest, is exercising the body. Studies show people who exercise regularly in middle age are one-third as likely to get Alzheimer’s disease in their 70s as those who did not exercise. Even people who begin exercising in their 60s can reduce their risk by half.

2011-01-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

Correcting a Person with Alzheimer's Disease - Right or Wrong?

Q. My grandmother has Alzheimer’s Disease, and will often say things that are just not true. Why do the care attendants not correct her when she is wrong? Wouldn’t this help her get better?

A. At a ‘common sense’ level, the suggested approach behind this question seems logical. However, it is not so simple. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive, organic brain disorder. Over time (2 – 20 years), serious changes take place in brain structure and function. Neurons (brain cells) die and synapses (connectors between cells) are also destroyed. Functionally, these processes result in loss of memory, ability to understand, do abstract thinking, make decisions and general confusion.

Confusion in AD is confusion as to TIME, PERSON and PLACE. AD patients and their families find themselves in a ‘new reality’. Nothing is as it was before. There’s no going back. The changes are progressive and irreversible. And so, caregivers are rightly trained to “go to the PATIENT’ REALITY”, and acknowledge THEIR world, as THEY are experiencing it. There is NO “right and wrong” in that world, and so, there is no point in ’correcting’ what AD patients may say, no matter how bizarre it may seem. In fact, attempting to do so can add to their confusion, make them more stressed and irritable and produce agitation.

Of course, all and any care for AD patients must always be tempered by the paramount considerations of their safety and security and must do everything possible to maintain their dignity, respecting all human and personal rights.

This section of our newsletter gives you an opportunity to send in questions and receive answers from one of Canada's leading and founding gerontologists! Following his retirement as a professor of gerontology at Simon Fraser University, Dr. John Crawford continues to share his expertise and wisdom by serving as the VP of Education for Age-Friendly Business. Take advantage of your access to this remarkable resource by e-mailing your questions to: drjohn@AgeFriendlyBusiness.com

Seniors and Gambling

The Losses & Costs of ‘Gaming’
Gambling has increasingly become a form of recreation for older adults. Some 68% of Canadian seniors gamble, and around 2.1% have moderate to severe gambling-related problems (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse).

The legalization of gaming establishments, increased access, greater social acceptance and increases in disposable time and money have all rendered seniors more susceptible to the "roll of the dice." Seniors are targeted because of the tremendous market they represent for the gaming industry, and because they’re more likely to be tempted by incentive campaigns, such as cheap day-time transportation, free hotel stays, special promotions and free lunches.

Seniors gamble for a variety of reasons -- for fun, to make money, out of curiosity, or to escape from loneliness, depression, financial difficulties, declining health and emotional loss. The most common gambling activities among older adults include the purchase of lottery and scratch tickets, and playing video lottery terminals, slot machines and bingo.

Seniors are often more vulnerable to gambling addiction because of a number of life factors. For example, they may seek to mask the pain associated with losing a spouse, they may be lonely or depressed or they may be facing financial or health problems. These factors can predispose a senior to the hypnotic, anaesthetizing effect of gambling.

Gambling is also much more acceptable and accessible now than it was a few decades ago. No longer a shady, illegal activity conducted in back rooms, ‘gaming’ (as the government euphemistically calls it) is now a legitimate form of recreation and entertainment. Governments tout the benefits of gambling, but they too are addicted: lotteries pump dollars into government coffers for education, sports, health care. Casinos pay taxes that improve roads, support schools and promote tourism. No one ever has to go far to find another opportunity to gamble, whether it is a lottery, a casino or a horse-racing track. Internet gambling via poker sites is readily available; and as this trend becomes more widespread with the inclusion of other ‘gaming sports’, seniors can now gamble without leaving their lazy-boy.

While most people can enjoy gambling without consequences, the lure of quick money can have devastating financial effects on seniors because they have little or no opportunity to recuperate from their losses. In Alberta it was reported that VLTs and casino gambling are partly to blame for the huge 15% bankruptcy rate among seniors. Similar to substance addictions, gambling may start out innocently as a social engagement, but for some people can progress into a solitary activity, then into a habit, a secret, a loss of control and finally, an addiction crisis.

Among older gamblers who file for personal bankruptcy, most view their problem as a financial issue rather than one of addiction and therefore do not seek the help they need. Compulsive or pathological gambling extends beyond losing money -- the disorder interferes with normal life activities and responsibilities, threatens physical health, sabotages reputations, and leads to psychological distress, and often suicide. Though the reported percentage of seniors with gambling and substance abuse issues is low, many hide their problem due to shame of straying so far from their deep-seeded cultural values of hard work, frugality and moderation.

If you know of a senior who may have a gambling problem, I urge you to help them get help by calling the Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-888-347-8888. To learn more about the dangers of gambling, visit www.GameOverVLTs.com/help.htm

Thanks to Age-Friendly Business for assistance with this article. Article by Alex Handyside, CPCA homecare@scotiacare.com, www.ScotiaCare.com

Lest We Forget

2010-11-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

Joe O'Connor, National Post · Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

Slowly the hands went up, first one, then another and then a third. They asked him about the dogfights, and how many he had been in, and how many “tours of duty” he had done and if he had ever fought in Afghanistan.

“Well,” said the old man with the black pants, polished black shoes, big glasses and two rows of medals pinned across his chest. “We are talking about something that happened a long time ago. We are talking about the Second World War.

“I am much too old to fly in Afghanistan.”

John Feeley was not always old, and he did not always head out to Toronto-area schools each November in his gold-coloured Pontiac, with its trunk full of black and white photographs, to speak to a cafeteria full of Grade 7 students about what his war was like, and to remind them to never forget.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do this,” the 89-year-old says. “Of course, I say that every year — and I am still here.”

He worries about that, about still being here and about what might happen to all the old stories after he is gone.

A gunner on a big lumbering bird of an Allied bomber, he survived countless missions over Europe. He bailed out of two planes that crashed and burned and beat the odds to come back alive. But he knows he won’t beat the odds now, knows he can’t live forever.

None of our Second World War veterans will.

More than a million Canadians served in the armed forces between 1939 and 1945. Some refer to them as our greatest generation, a band of brothers and sisters who beat back Hitler’s armies, liberated Europe, helped chase the Japanese from the South Pacific and, in the process, saved the world.

Now they are a vanishing generation, and there is nothing they can do to save themselves. Old age is a most relentless enemy. Canada’s Second World War veterans are dying off at an astonishing clip: 1,700 a week. Only 143,700 remain among the living. Their average age is 87.

Thirty-five years ago they were ubiquitous. They were familiar as parents, grandparents, teachers, neighbours and friends. And they were always there on Nov. 11, standing ramrod straight by a memorial to the fallen to remind us of the names — Dieppe, the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic, Juno Beach, Caen and Falaise and the liberation of the Netherlands — and the sacrifices that were made.

Now, they are among the fallen, while many of the survivors that remain are lost in a haze of dementia or Alzheimer’s, and largely hidden from public view in long-term care facilities.

Sunnybrook Veterans Hospital opened in 1948. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King attended the grand unveiling, and in a speech heard from Vancouver to Halifax dedicated the new 1,600-bed facility in Toronto’s north end to the “sacrifices made by those members of the armed forces whom this hospital aims to serve, and seeks to honour.”

Twenty years later the hospital was opened to the general public. Forty years after that it remains a bustling place. Set back from the day-to-day hum is the 500-bed veterans’ residence. Every room is occupied, only not at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday morning.

Don Stewart and Jack Hooper have been awake for hours. Don takes his coffee black. Jack prefers his with double cream and double sugar. Jack is strapped into his wheelchair. Jack is 88, and his tears flow easily, especially around Remembrance Day.

“Sometimes I feel as though my bladder is connected to my eyes,” he says, eyes glistening. Jack enlisted in the navy when he was 17, a decision he describes as “crazy … it broke my mother’s heart.” Don is 85. He joined up when he was 16. He had to lie to get in.

The two friends never talk about the war. It is something they would both rather forget. Who wants to spend their days reminiscing about being stuck in a Burmese prisoner camp, like Don was for seven months, or steaming across the North Atlantic in a mine sweeper with enemy U-boats lurking all around, like Jack did when he was barely old enough to shave?

“I don’t want to hear about the war,” says Don. “I saw enough. Some of the guys in here, they are still fighting the war. They fight it every day, but not us.”

No. Not them. They mostly talk about horse racing, hockey games, gambling at the casino, grandchildren and getting down to the Blythewood Social Club, a pub in the basement of the facility, in time to grab a seat and not so late as to miss last call at 4 p.m.

This is life, then, for two old men, long after their brutal war ended, and it is decorated with walkers and canes and wheelchairs and signs warning visitors to the ward to stay away if they have a sore throat, a cough or a runny nose. The average age of a patient here is 88 (one year older than the average for a Second World War veteran), a reality pressed home by a display case near the cafeteria. It lists the names of the 20 residents who passed away in October.

It is a roll call that keeps rolling inexorably on, pushing toward its ultimate conclusion. Nov. 11, though, brings a momentary pause, when the past comes rushing back in a sea of faces belonging to people they knew in a war that happened an eternity ago.

“You never forget a single experience, you remember everything about the war,” Don says. “All the fellows I was in the service with are passed on. I am the last one left. Remembrance Day brings back the memories for me, especially at the 11th hour. It brings tears to my eyes every year. It is a very emotional time.”

Jack and Don are not afraid of being forgotten. They feel the new generation of young people is so smart, with all their new-fangled gadgets, their computers, cell phones and “Google”, that there is no way they can forget.

School groups who visit the hospital ask lots of questions. Classes write the veterans letters decorated with rainbows and poppies and sentiments, such as “thank you for protecting our freedom.”

Many of the students the men meet already seem to have some answers about the war thanks to The Memory Project, The Historica-Dominion Institute’s ongoing effort to gather testimonials and dispatches from Second World War veterans before it is too late.

“In five years’ time there won’t be any of us left,” Don says, and the way he says it, with a firm sense of knowing, helps you to understand that it’s just the way life is. His time is passing, and while he is in no great rush to see it go by, he appears to be at peace.

Peace? There is no such thing for John Feeley. He is a restless soul. He is not ready to slow down and he is damn well not moving into a care facility, not anytime soon. Says the homes help turn a man’s brain to mush. Besides, he is up each morning drinking his hot chocolate, reading his paper and getting ready to get down to work by nine.

His business card reads: “John Feeley Insurance, established 1946.” He owns some commercial real estate, some properties north of the city, and is working tirelessly on a bid to have a monument erected in Toronto dedicated to the 4,200 local boys who never made it back from the war.

And he is in the schools, telling the story. A memory project, a poppy on a lapel, two minutes of silence and a reading from John McCrae on Nov. 11 can never be the equal of a living, breathing, witness to the past.

On a cool and sunny November morning, at a middle school in Toronto’s east end, the old gunner is surrounded by his memories, by photographs of the men he used to know.

John Feeley tells the Grade 7 students the story of Bill McMullen, a kid from Toronto’s east end, a kid maybe not so different from the kids in the room.

Pilot Officer William Stuart McMullen was John’s pilot, his third of the war. The men were on a training flight over England when an engine on their Lancaster bomber caught fire. The order came to bail out, and so out they went, except for Pilot Officer McMullen.

He wrestled with the great, stricken beast, and crash-landed in a farmer’s field to avoid crashing down in the streets of Darlington.

“He sacrificed himself to save a lot of people,” his old gunner says.

John has a photograph of the pilot. He is smiling in the picture. He is young, full of life, full of potential unlived. Passing it to the children, it travels from row to row, moving through a cafeteria that is a cross-section of Canada in the 21st century.

White, brown, black and yellow-skinned children sit knee to knee. They have pigtails and hair ribbons and headscarves — and Iron Maiden T-shirts and jackets made by Adidas, the German sports apparel giant.

It is a different world now, a different Canada from the one John Feeley knew, once upon a time. He likes what he sees. He also knows people are forgetting about the past, and can feel a sense of ingratitude, or perhaps ignorance, around the sacrifices his generation made. It is the same for Jack and Don, unless they walk into a Royal Canadian Legion branch where they get treated “with respect.”

The men are not angry about it. It is what it is. People have busy lives. They have families. They forget. But the ones who lived through the war never will.

After bailing out from his second bomber in the span of six months, John Feeley had a sinking feeling. He had been lucky twice, and was convinced the third time would be lethal. So he sought the counsel of the Catholic priest stationed at his base.

“I told him, ‘Father, if it is OK with you and OK with the air force, I’d just as soon be done with this flying thing,’ ” he says.

“All he said to me was: ‘You’ll have to live with yourself for the rest of your life.’ I had no idea what he meant at first, but when I translated it into something I could understand I knew he was saying don’t be a quitter — you don’t want to have to live with that.

“And that’s why I talk to the kids. I don’t want to be a quitter. I am a survivor.”

Each time he tells his story to a group, he gives new life to the old memories. Maybe only 20 kids in the entire crowd will be truly listening. Maybe only a few of the lines sink in.

But saying the words out loud matters.

On this day, the old air force gunner speaks to the students for a little over an hour. He takes their questions, and accepts their thanks — a book about flying in the Second World War — and leaves them with a simple message, passing a torch from his failing, frail hands, to theirs.

“I am not anticipating that I will be doing this much longer,” John says. “But I hope I have given you some idea of the price that was paid.

“You are young people. You have freedom of speech. You have freedom of action. You would never have wanted to live in a country that had our enemy as its leader.

“And you can take my word for that.”

joconnor@nationalpost.com

Are you ready to live a long time?

2010-03-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Age is just a stage in her long life
March 20, 2010

Susan Pigg

LIVING REPORTER

Toronto sociologist Lyndsay Green comes from a long line of long-lived ancestors, so it was fear that drove her to research how to age gracefully.

She asked the advice of 40 "elders" across Canada – vibrant men and women over the age of 75. It seems that retirement is about far more than just money.

A baby boomer friend insisted that Green, 61, had to share with others in her new book You Could Live a Long Time: Are You Ready?

Q: What advice surprised you most?

A: I was told by a young psychiatrist that there's not a single good thing about old age, and she's completely wrong. Life is more stress-free, you have more control over your time, you no longer have to please others and you have the power to speak the truth.

Q: How did growing old get such a bad rap?

A: We, the boomers, did it. Remember, "Don't trust anybody over 30"? I think we are reaping what we sowed.

Q: You did an online test that showed you could live to be 104. Is that good or bad?

A: As a result of this research, I've decided it's a fabulous thing. One of my inspirations is a Japanese photographer named Miwa Yanagi. She has done a series of photographs called My Grandmothers, where young women imagine themselves as they hope to look in 50 years. One of them has bright red hair and is riding the sidecar of a motorcycle going over the Golden Gate Bridge. I hope to be doing that one weekend and, on the next, I'll be playing a kokyu (a Japanese string instrument) in a seedy bar or running an amusement park.

Q: You talk a lot about your Aunt Jean who lived to be 90 and spent her final days in a nursing home. What did you learn from her?

A: That you can pay people to care for you as you age but you cannot pay people to care about you. That you have to create, sustain and support an "emotional circle" of friends and family and make sure the partner you have is the partner you want for life.

Q: Why are baby boomers expected to have more regrets than previous generations?

A: If you see your life as being restricted and restrained, you're less likely to blame yourself. We boomers have had so many opportunities that we're more likely to regret the paths not taken.

Q: The elders don't really dish on their sex lives but Malcolm says he hopes to be shot at the age of 103 by a jealous lover. What's your wish?

A: To approach the end surrounded by friends and loved ones singing, dancing and drinking lots of good red wine.

Q: What was you biggest misconceptions about aging?

A: I think our challenge as a generation is to get over that very effective retirement slogan Freedom 55. I think instead of being inspiring, it has been very limiting: If we can get to the "promised land" at 55, we're more inclined to stay in jobs, situations or relationships that are less than ideal because we imagine we have only got a few more years until everything is magically attained.

Q: The elders talk about "geriactivity" – the need to work, volunteer and keep your brain active. Is it time to retire the notion of "retirement"?

A: This isn't the beginning or end of anything – it's just a continuation of life.

Q: You talk a lot about the importance of choosing where we live as we age.

A: When we think about retirement, we often think of being surrounded by an ocean or a lake. We think about tranquility and, often, isolation. This turns out to be the opposite of what we need. We need vitality and energy around us. We need a sense of community – community is people, it's commitment, it's caring.

Q: The book is surprisingly upbeat and hopeful, except when the elders talk about ageism. Is that likely to change?

A: Boomers will reframe aging in a way that everybody will be grateful for because it won't benefit just us, it will benefit society.

Q: Have you changed the way you live your life?

A: Completely. I'm doing more yoga, not just for the physical exercise but also for the psychological and spiritual benefits. I've become a better downhill skier. I've found a new sport, sculling – Silken Laumann won her gold in one. I'm also spending time with two non-profits that focus on young people and art because those are my passions.

I'm being nicer to my husband. He's surprised to hear this but I say, "You have no idea how bad it could be."

And I no longer say it's too late for anything – to go back to school, learn a new language, make new friends. Every decision I make now is through that lens – if I possibly have a third of a life ahead of me, how could it possibly be too late?

Susan Pigg focuses on issues around baby boomers and aging. spigg@thestar.ca.

Toronto Star

2010-01-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

Jan 21, 2010

Elderly drivers: Toronto Star article

Should there be stricter rules for yanking the car keys from elderly drivers?

We seem to have no problem penalizing young male drivers – regardless of their driving record – with huge insurance fees. The industry uses statistics, and statistics indicate that this group of drivers is most likely to be involved in accidents resulting in claims.

But as our population rapidly ages, the numbers are changing.

According to Canadian Institutes of Health Research, drivers 16 to 20 have more than 1 1/2 times the average number of claims, both at-fault as not-at-fault, while those 30 to 65 have lower-than-average at-fault claims. The rate of at-fault claims starts rising at about age 70, hitting 2 1/2 the average for those 81-plus.

But as in any discussion with so many variables, answers are elusive. While lack of driving experience and risk-taking are the bugaboos for the younger drivers, health issues come into play with older drivers. And many of those issues stem from a decreased ability to gauge one's own actions.

A family physician I know sighs heavily when I ask her about a doctor's role in this.

"We are mandated to report when we feel cognitive skills have slipped, or there is physical impairment such as arthritis or visual problems that will inhibit a driver's ability to drive. We also have to closely watch for drug interactions, and recommend licence suspension when we know they just can't drive safely."

This makes perfect sense. Right?

She continues: "But I've had patients melt down in my office. Threatening me and arguing I'm destroying their life. And you can't always get the family onside, because nobody wants to be the bad guy. I've had patients report me to the College (of Physicians and Surgeons), leave my practice and I've had patients stop coming in for ailments they fear will result in losing their licence. There has to be a better way, for them, for the safety of the public, and for me."

Many older drivers have a lifetime of road experience that serves them well. Many opt to stop driving at night, or on the busier highways. But what if those most at risk of collision quite simply can't understand they shouldn't be on the road because their cognitive ability is impaired by something like Alzheimer's or drug interactions?

I heard from a police officer last year who asked for suggestions on getting his 83-year-old father to hang up the keys. He and his brother, a doctor, were met with total resistance when they tried. If these two in their respective professions felt helpless, what are other citizens to do to protect those they love?

My mother handed over her keys to us voluntarily. Though her illness took her through hills and valleys of well-being, she no longer felt confident that her skills were up to the total concentration and responsiveness required to drive safely. She announced she was a passenger. My father, on the other hand, argued and cursed at us. We still took the keys; as a family we had a relay in place to support my parents' loss of mobility.

Not a single one of us has a right to drive. It is a privilege, and daily we put our trust in each other to recognize that.

Lorraine Sommerfeld's column appears Saturdays in Wheels and Mondays in the Star's Living section.

www.lorraineonline.ca thestar.com

2009-12-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

It's Dec 16, and Kelowna has been blanketed with a few centimeters of lovely white
snow...I believe hibernation has set in for my clients...I know, I feel it too!
I have a cool picture of my "Christmas" tree, out on my patio!

Seasonal Changes Affect Seniors

2009-11-17T00:09:00.000-08:00

Most seniors enjoy their independence and engage in various social activities. However, as Fall rolls into Winter, snow, slush, cold and limited transportation options can impede seniors from enjoying their usual social life.

More than 4,000 seniors alone fracture their hip every year in BC and bad weather conditions don’t help. Snowy weather contributes to slick conditions, visibility problems and can aggravate conditions like arthritis or osteoporosis. This can cause problems for unsteady seniors getting to and from their destinations when needing to use transportation like the bus or taxi. Door to door service is the best alternative to keep seniors healthy and safe.

Senior accompaniment services like Driving Miss Daisy can help. Besides providing safe, alternative transportation and accompaniment, they also provide a level of service that cannot be compared. With caring individuals to help guide seniors over slick surfaces, helping them to and from the doors, and taking on the responsibility of safe driving in well-equipped, new vehicles….seniors are sure to continue to enjoy their independence and social life.

Winter also brings around other problems. A known condition called “Seasonal Affective Disorder” can cause a form of blues or depression. Seniors who feel confined to their homes and unable to participate in usual activities, can often fall into this slump. That’s where an accompaniment service like Driving Miss Daisy can be so valuable. By offering so much more than mere transportation, staff can help seniors to feel cared for, listened to, and valuable. No regular transportation service can offer that. Call Elyse at Driving Miss Daisy Kelowna, 778-478-7576.

Do you have problems getting around in the wintertime? Share your experience on this Blog!