An article titled "When Elder Care Problems Escalate, You Can Hire an Expert" appeared in Saturday's New York Times Health Section (9/26/09). It provides some excellent, concrete examples of situations in which the interventions of a professional geriatric care manager can make a positive impact on the lives of elderly parents and their adult children who are caring for them. The author provides some guidelines for identifying a good match, and a list of questions to ask when interviewing a professional geriatric care manager.
We encourage families to call Elder Care Guides with their list of concerns, and the particular criteria they seek in a care manager for their aging parent. We welcome the opportunity to meet face-to-face at our office or in a parent's home at no charge, to discuss the needs and how the services of a care manager may be of assistance, and to determine whether there is a good personal "fit" between the family and the care manager.
Showing posts with label media: care management in the news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media: care management in the news. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Restraint Use Declining in Nursing Homes
There was an article in USA Today recently that described a decline in the use of restraints in nursing homes in the United States. This is good news for nursing home residents across the country, and for those of us who advocate for seniors.
Restraints were once commonly used in nursing facilities to control the behaviors of residents with dementia or other psychiatric conditions and to prevent falls. The use of restraints in facilities has declined over time, but education is still needed to help families and health care professionals seek alternatives. In fact, California is one of the U.S. states with the most room for improvement. The most recent data from Medicare in 2007 indicated that 10% of nursing home residents in CA were restrained, while the national average was 5.5%
What is a restraint? The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (NCCNHR) defines a physical restraint as an object or device that an individual cannot remove easily and which restricts freedom of movement or normal access to one's body. Common restraints include: seat belts on wheelchairs, vest restraints, geri-chairs, hand mitts, side rails and lap trays.
Many families and health care providers believe that restraints help nursing home patients to be "safer," though research shows that often times the opposite is true: individuals who are agitated frequently become more agitated when they are restrained. Behavioral approaches such as validation and redirection, as well as activity engagement, can often help agitated people to become less agitated.
As a Geriatric Care Manager monitoring the well-being of clients in nursing homes and in the home setting, it is my responsibility to advocate for no restraint use, or minimal restraint use that is re-evaluated frequently and discontinued as soon as possible.
Restraints were once commonly used in nursing facilities to control the behaviors of residents with dementia or other psychiatric conditions and to prevent falls. The use of restraints in facilities has declined over time, but education is still needed to help families and health care professionals seek alternatives. In fact, California is one of the U.S. states with the most room for improvement. The most recent data from Medicare in 2007 indicated that 10% of nursing home residents in CA were restrained, while the national average was 5.5%
What is a restraint? The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (NCCNHR) defines a physical restraint as an object or device that an individual cannot remove easily and which restricts freedom of movement or normal access to one's body. Common restraints include: seat belts on wheelchairs, vest restraints, geri-chairs, hand mitts, side rails and lap trays.
Many families and health care providers believe that restraints help nursing home patients to be "safer," though research shows that often times the opposite is true: individuals who are agitated frequently become more agitated when they are restrained. Behavioral approaches such as validation and redirection, as well as activity engagement, can often help agitated people to become less agitated.
As a Geriatric Care Manager monitoring the well-being of clients in nursing homes and in the home setting, it is my responsibility to advocate for no restraint use, or minimal restraint use that is re-evaluated frequently and discontinued as soon as possible.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Finding the Right Nursing Home
This morning's Today Show (NBC) featured an interview with Sarah Baldauf, who wrote a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to finding the right nursing home for U.S. News & World Report. Click here to read the article and watch the video.
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