Twelve years after his diagnosis, my dad experienced some new and major Parkinson’s Disease symptoms. One of the more noticeable things he experienced was a dramatic change with his voice, going from a fairly normal volume down to almost a whisper. It turned out that was a fairly common problem for Parkinson’s Disease patients.

Now researchers are working on various ideas to help with that and Jessica Huber has found an interesting technique that is helping many. As Redorbit’s article explains, [Parkinson's Disease patients] are being retrained to speak louder using an interesting recording called “multitalker babble noise.”  Well worth reading the article! That’s something I would have asked our doctor about immediately.

Uh Oh! I must admit I’m not happy about this story from CNN. “Heart Group Urges Daily Limit on Added Sugar.” Apparently, not carefully limiting our sugar intake not only hurts our weight, which in turn can lead us straight into being diagnosed with Diabetes which then requires a Type 2 Diabetes diet which has even less sugar! Added sugar is also

“’associated with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and high levels of C-reactive protein, which has been linked to oxidative stress and inflammation,’ says Linda Van Horn, a registered dietitian and chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee.”

Of additional importance for those of us in the Sandwich Generation is the example we are setting for our grandkids. I have to confess I am bad about my sodas. I have started using more diet sodas, though there are concerns about those as well. I will have to think about this. How about you? Are you ready to give up on sugar?

Last but definitely not least is the news that the latest Boomers & Seniors: News You Can Use blog carnival is out. With articles on such topics as what the Baby Boomer Generation is doing to accommodate aging parents who want to stay in their own home along with the other side of the coin: info about geriatric care managers as well as non-profit nursing homes vs. for-profit nursing homes, you’ll find plenty of useful news! There’s even an interesting post about AARP members who are upset with AARP’s stance on the health care proposal and have left AARP and turned to a brand new option, meaning we have choices. I’m definitely going to be looking closely at that! And be sure to keep your eyes open for a couple of articles from SandwichINK.   See you there!

Swine Flu Updates for Caregivers:

It’s going to be very important for caregivers to monitor the Swine Flu situation. WHO (World Health Organization) raised the pandemic flu alert level to 4 .

Grandkids and Grandparents:

For all those who are helping with homeschooled grandkids, you’ll find this quite interesting – 10 Homeschooled Celebrities .

Here’s a great list of car contests . Wouldn’t it be fun to enter them together with an older grandkid ? Bet they’d think you were the best grandparent in the world!

If your grandkids are more into dollhouses, there’s a fun project for them as well at Grandma Wren’s .

Eldercare:

Five Tips for Preparing a Traditional Eulogy . Good advice from @cemeteryspot. In addition to his great ideas, I like to share their favorite Bible verses, hymns, etc.

What it means When Someone With Dementia Says “I Want to Go Home ” Thank you to @caring4seniors.

Caregiving.com has several podcasts of interest to caregivers including “Cooking with Mom “–tips on how to make cooking a caregiving activity to enjoy.

Pesticide exposure Found To Increase Risk Of Parkinson’s Disease .

Are you interested in HBO’s, “The Alzheimer’s Project ” but don’t get HBO? Alzheimer’s Reading Room has a great solution for you – a free copy of “The Alzheimer’s Project. ”

Alzheimer’s Disease – This article, with facts and figures about this disease, includes the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease . Thanks to @ alzheimers98 .

Encouragement:

The Lord God is my strength.

General Interest:

How many of you enjoyed the movie, The Sound of Music ? Here’s an interesting interview with one of the real Von Trapp kids, Maria von Trapp, talking about her new book, My Favorite Songs . Thanks to @ ActiveGeezering :

Bible Money Matters has an excellent article on what types of insurance we should have.

If you or an aging parent need help buying a new toilet, Terry Love’s Consumer Toilet Reports is the BEST site I’ve ever seen on that subject. I’ve used his site as a resource several times. He has reviews, recommendations, and a great forum with even more information and help

AARP – As a member of the Sandwich Generation and a Baby Boomer I qualified for AARP a couple of years or so ago. I wasn’t thrilled to know I was old enough for it, until I discovered that my optometrist gives a generous discount for AARP members AND Borders gives a great discount off all books to AARP members. Now I’m thrilled I qualify! 

Finally, as a special gift to all my fellow Sandwich Generation caregivers , I am ending this post with a big smile. Take a look at these photos. They were taken for a special event,  Extreme Grooming of Poodles – The dogs have been groomed into camels, Clydesdales, and more! That’s what you call a different kind of caregiving!

Not only does this week contain the last day of the year. It also contains the last day to file for a change in prescription coverage for Medicare, if you so choose. This post is to remind any of you who qualify for Medicare, or who have elderly relatives who qualify for Medicare, that if you need to change your prescription coverage and haven’t done so, the deadline is in two days – December 31, 2008. You might even want to remind anyone you know who is over the age of 65, that the deadline is looming. It doesn’t get as much attention as filing income taxes and with all the fun of Christmas and hoopla of New Year’s it would be easy to forget it. It isn’t mandatory for everyone. Action is only required if changes are needed.

If you or they have been putting off doing this, now is the time! AARP has an interesting article on some points of concern you might want to look at before doing the paperwork. For that matter, anyone who has decided not to make any changes might also want to look over this article. Medicare Part D: Penalties for Brand Drugs Hidden From Beneficiaries – http://budurl.com/MedcrDrugPlansAARP

You can also find basic information from Medicare’s site - http://www.medicare.gov/pdphome.asp .

I would encourage you not to wait until December 31. Do it now, if it needs doing, and enjoy a peaceful rest of the week.

I’m very pleased to introduce my first guest blogger for SandwichINK. Carol Marak is the founder of Carebuzz – www.Carebuzz.com – which is serving the providers of Senior Services with New Media Marketing:

A recent study by the Pew Internet American Life Project shows that 22% of Americans 65 and older used the Internet in 2004. The number increased again in 2006 to 34%. Seniors are researching topics like health or medical information – 66%; product research – 66%, Government websites -60%; online shopping – 47 %; travel reservations – 41%; and banking – 20% – using the web.

Many seniors (50+) are on social media sites like Eons, ThirdAge and AARP. That number grows each day. ThirdAge claims they have 1 million boomers in their database and 2 million boomers registered for their Newsletter. Online users, family members and seniors, are connecting via the social media sites like the ones mentioned and LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and many others. They form relationships. They ask questions, get answers, and yes, even get referrals! Sounds space aged, right?

Today it’s the “boomers” that is the leading group who are caring for an elder loved one. In my experience of helping my aging parents, I found most “care information” like health, home care, and family caregiving topics on the Internet. Since I lived at a distance from my parents, I did not have easy access to their local phone book so I went online to look for help.  For many family members, they are doing the same since they too live at a distance from aging relatives.

That was two years ago when I helped mom and dad. The landscape of the web has changed. More senior services like health websites, support groups, geriatric care, home care, home health, elder law, and long term care insurance are all popping up in cyber space. It’s like we’ve arrived. Family caregivers and aging seniors can find us on the Internet! That’s great news!

How do seniors filter through this abundant information? We’re on information overload, aren’t we?

But the good news is that blogging and social media helps people find the answers they are looking for. They are building relationships online. And getting help, answers and referrals.

Online connections is all about building trusted relationships – that’s why social media will expand and always be credible.

Carol Marak

http://carebuzz.com

Thank you, Carol, for an interesting article.  It’s nice to know we are in the forefront of positive change for our society!

Check out Carol’s website. She’s got a great blog with interesting interviews featuring various elder care providers and other people and sites of interest for caregivers. While you’re there, be sure to take a peek at her blog post for today, December 11, 2008. She is not only my very first guest blogger, she conducted my very first interview! Quite exciting, I must admit. You’ll find her article with the interview at http://carebuzz.com/help-for-the-sandwiched-caregivers/ .