Saturday is THE BIG DAY of the month – Valentine’s Day. What are you doing for your special senior citizens who don’t live close to you?

In case caregiving duties have kept you busy and you haven’t had a chance to pick out something special, here are a few ideas you can do from home.

1. Smilebox greeting card – www.Smilebox.com – has some fun new designs that are perfect for Valentine’s Day. I made this one just for you, to say HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY to you! You could use this particular card or select one of their other cute Valentines. Add photos of the kids and grandkids, and sent it on its way with your love to a variety of elderly relatives.

Make a Smilebox postcard

2. If you want to add a gift card to your greeting, Amazon has a cute little e-card that can carry your gift of any amount along with your Valentine love. It will arrive in their email box the minute you send it or you can choose a time and date for it to arrive.

3. If music is more your “thing,” Amazon can handle that, as can iTunes. You can send them a song for .99, an album for $5-15, or even a TV show or movie. All from your computer to theirs.

Now the caveat to these is that they require a tech-savvy senior citizen or one who has someone who can help them with these gifts. If your beloved elder doesn’t have that, you’d be better off taking a more old-fashioned route. Pop out to a good book store, pick up a music cd they would enjoy, then hustle over to the post office. There you will find free Express Mail envelopes (which helps make up for the price the package will cost to mail it quickly) and hopefully your gift can get there by Saturday. Most of them are one day, but some require two days.

Another less-tech idea is to call a florist in their town, and order flowers. It won’t be cheap but if you get a cute vase such as a spring teacup, they’ll be able to enjoy it all year long.

Once you’re done, take a deep breath. And know that even if it gets there late, they’ll love it. Especially if you call them on Valentine’s Day to say Hi, and let them know a special surprise is on its way to them.

 A dear friend of mine lived a very independent life in her own home at the young age of 75. She still walked several miles each week, did all her own lawn care, and ate the healthiest of diets. Up til the last couple of years, she had traveled alone back east, as she was caring for elderly parents who didn't live near and wanted to check on them in person on a regular basis until they passed away. When she collapsed in her bathroom from a stroke, it came out of the blue, and no one expected it, least of all her. Sadly, she lay in that bathroom for three days before someone finally came to check on her. She passed away about six months later, without ever fully recovering from that experience.

Because of that, I am a strong proponent of any elderly person who lives on their own having one of the cell phones for senior citizens like the Jitterbug cell phone or wearing one of the medical alert devices – either pendants or watches – with a button that, when pushed, is continuously monitored. This is not the same as the MedicAlert bracelet I wrote about yesterday. This is similar to a monitoring company for your home burglar alarm.

These emergency medical alert pendants or watches make it easy for our beloved seniors to notify the monitoring site (which usually operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), if the wearer has fallen. Some plans monitor smoke alarms, carbon monoxide gas alarms, and even notify the client when they need a battery change. If the elderly client pushes the button, the monitoring site is notified that a client is down on the floor. They will try to contact them directly, and then they will send emergency personnel to their house. 

I encouraged another friend to get LifeAlert’s emergency pendant several years ago and she loves it. She has fallen twice and they have gotten her help in an extremely speedy manner! LifeAlert.com has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, as of 1/31/09. For some elderly parents, that might be easier than using a cell phone, which many of them are not comfortable with. I noticed they also have a 50+ option for those in my age range who live alone. I almost always have a mom, grandkid, and/or cell phone with me so I’m ok for now, but for someone who is alone a lot, that could be very useful!

ConnectAmerica is a Better Business Bureau accredited business and they have an excellent Medical Alert System. Good Housekeeping listed their medical alert device in their recommendations in 2005.

LifeStation.com is another BBB accredited business, as of 1/31/09. It was recommended by one of my readers, Igor. You can find the article, “11 Crucial Tips You Need to Know When Choosing a Medical Alert System,” at their site. I love their slogan, “You’re Never Home Alone.” That sums it up quite nicely.

If you are a member of the never-aging Baby Boomers generation caring for elderly parents from a distance, or if they are home alone throughout the day, one of these emergency medical alert monitoring systems would be an excellent way to give them an extra measure of security and might even allow them to live in the comfort of their own home much longer.

Kaye

On my last plane trip, I had the pleasure of reading the book, Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease, by Ron Kauffman. Mr. Kauffman’s experience in caring for his mother, who had Alzheimer’s Disease, led to his writing this book.

It isn’t a long book, only 62 pages, which is nice for those who need the information but don’t have much time. It is full of useful information and easy to read, both big pluses.

The first chapter includes the Alzheimer’s Disease Association’s 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. Very useful and handy to have at your fingertips if you have an elderly parent you are concerned about.

Chapter two provides a great explanation and comparison of dementia in general and Alzheimer’s Disease specifically. It also gives various statistics for Alzheimer’s. The one I found most staggering was that individuals 85 and older have a 50% chance of developing this disease. With people living longer, we can expect more and more Baby Boomers to become caregivers and if a cure is not found, the number of Baby Boomers with Alzheimer’s Disease in just a few decades could be huge – as many as 16 million by 2050!

Chapter three goes into suggestions for getting a true diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and discusses the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease and other possible causes of symptoms you may be seeing, such as depression.

The different types of Alzheimer’s Disease, including inheritance patterns and early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, is discussed in Chapter 4

Chapter 5 goes into the seven major forms of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s Disease is responsible for 66%. These forms include Parkinson’s Disease, which has impacted my family, vascular and brain attack dementia, Huntington’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Pick Disease, Alcohol-related dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, head trauma, HIV/AIDS, and normal pressure Hydrocephalus.

Activities of daily living (ADLs), both basic and instrumental, are listed in chapter 6. I found this especially interesting as many insurance programs are based on these.

Chapter 7 has a very useful list of the symptoms of each of the seven stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

What Alzheimer’s Caregivers Need to Know, chapter 8, is full of excellent hints and helps. It covers communications, behavior management, wandering, long term care insurance, preparation and caregiver health.

A list of resources completes this book in chapter 9. It provides several links which were new to me, something I am always on the lookout for.

Overall, I believe this book would be a useful addition to a caregiver’s library if they are dealing with or expect to deal with a loved one with any form of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease. It retails for $12.95 plus shipping and handling and you can purchase it at his website, http://www.seniorlifestyles.net/ . You can also read his blog there as well as get information about his podcasts.