I was quite interested in the news headline “ER Visits for Senior Citizens Rise at Thanksgiving.” Their premise is that this occurs because the aging relative’s family members haven’t seen them in quite a while and/or they underestimate the effects of normal aging.

Their overall thought process does make sense. If you only see an aging relative once a year, it can be quite a shock to see how their health may have deteriorated considerably since the last visit. And, while Thanksgiving has passed, the same points would be true for the whole holiday season through Christmas or even the New Year, as many of us don’t get all of our visits finished until then.

Then again, several members of my family have dealt with various legitimate trips to the ER in the last 20 years. We actually had one trip to ER the day before Thanksgiving but it was NOT a false alarm. My senior dad developed pneumonia and, shortly after that hospital trip, he was put on hospice. Other relatives have been admitted to the hospital during the holiday season, ending plans for holiday travel. In some cases, the planning process itself could have been a small part of the problem. In other cases, the fact that it was cold and flu season was a definite factor due to complications from bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. Often, our immune systems are weakened due to stress, travel, not sleeping well, not eating healthily, and other reasons.  I know many families who have dealt with similar circumstances.

While I don’t necessarily agree that unfamiliarity is the only reason for the increase in emergency, the article does make some excellent points and contains good advice of what TO do throughout the year as well as what NOT to do in these circumstances. I totally agree with them that, while it could be a false alarm, if you have any concerns about the health of your beloved senior, it is vital to take them to the doctor’s office, urgent care or, if serious, the Emergency room to have them checked out. With the holiday season now in full swing, I would encourage you to pop on over and read the article. And have a healthy and peaceful holiday season.

Moving is a tough job! Moving also tends to cause us to get behind on important details and such is the case this week as I JUST realized an interesting new Boomers & Seniors: News You Can Use came out last week! Not only that, EldercareABC had two informative blog carnivals on October 7 AND 14! The fact that I was caravanning cross country during most of this time period, with limited web use, could have something to do with this lapse on my part.

Well, now that I’ve discovered all this interesting info, here’s a brief review of each to whet your appetite, along with the encouragement to join me in exploring them fully to help us on our joint journey of Sandwich Generation senior home care giving and grandparenting!

Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use

I especially enjoyed the article by Patty Grace on hospice and palliative care. As I commented there, we were very blessed by both of these during my dad’s last few weeks on earth. They were wonderful, and walked us through everything step by step, but her article is an excellent overview of both systems.

Another article that caught my eye was Memory Triggers, a book to help us communicate better with our aging parents who have dementia.

You’ll find interesting articles dealing with fun ways to exercise which can help lower your cholesterol, ways to communicate with aging parents who have dementia, tips on coaching, social security and retirement, and more at Ageless-Sages, who wonderfully hosted this particular Boomers and Seniors!

EldercareABC Blog Carnival – October 7

The October 7 issue has a fascinating pair of articles by Derrick Grant explaining what SLUMs is and how it can help us with parents who may have started struggling with dementia, along with versions of this test in several different languages.

You’ll also find articles on the lack of a cost of living raise for Social Security, how to deal with senior assistance resistance, and more!

EldercareABC Blog Carnival – October 14

I found several interesting articles about caregiver stress and coping strategies in this post. I was also especially encouraged by the personal essay, The Two Millies. It was so sweet to read about this sweet friendship that developed in a care facility between two aging mothers and their families.

All in all, three interesting blog carnivals with plenty of useful information! Which was your favorite article?

I have to confess. I am rather exhausted, frazzled and achy. My senior mom is feeling the same. The joys of moving! I know that two weeks from now we’ll both be fine and fairly well unpacked and feeling much cheerier.

In the meantime, we each have our own ways of achieving pain relief. I prefer Motrin. Having grown up with parents who used Ben Gay, my mom’s favorite method is using Thermacare HeatWraps and SalonPas. These provide warm heat directly to a bothersome area. She loves these and keeps a close watch on the sale ads at places like Walgreen’s and Rite Aid to stock up when they go on sale.

She had one particularly bothersome area last week so she applied a SalonPas to it for a few days in a row. We’re not sure if she used it for too many days or left it on too long or what. Whatever the cause, she ended up with a painful red burn – about 2 inches by 2 inches square. Not majorly painful but it did hurt.

She still loves her Thermacare HeatWrap and SalonPas, but she’ll definitely watch the time she leaves it on and uses it more carefully in the future.

How about you? What’s your favorite been-moving, achy-body solution? We’d love to hear

Are you in the throes of dealing with Swine Flu? Are you wondering if it is still around? Do you think you or one of your aging parents or grandkids has it? First and foremost for the first and last questions is to make sure you call your doctor and get their recommendations.WebMD has a fascinating article on where the latest Swine Flu outbreaks are After you talk to them, if you want more info (or while you are sitting on hold ), and the fact that college campuses are showing up as a signal for the hot spots.

A friend who has been dealing with it commented that he just wanted to know what Swine Flu complications to be concerned about. Turns out WebMD has an article with excellent tips to cover that as well, along with who is most at risk.

For the latest news on what medications are or are not being recommended, you can head over to the Wall Street Journal to read Swine Flu Update: Most People Don’t Need Antiviral Meds. There you’ll find an easy to read and understand summary of the CDC’s newest guidelines about the use of antiviral medication like Tamiflu.  The article also lists warning signs to watch for in children, so if you have a grandchild with the Swine Flu and you want more information after already talking to your doctor, this would be a good resource!

If you don’t have the Swine Flu and the grandkids are coming to visit, Flu.gov has created four short videos with tips for kids on how to prevent Swine Flu and other germs – starring everyone’s favorite Muppet – Elmo!  I bet your grandkids would have fun watching these a few times, and as they do so, some important lessons will wrap themselves around their adorable little brains.   Here’s one:

Be sure to check out the other three at the Flu.gov site.

While there, I discovered they also had a fun contest for the best videos to help educate young and old alike and we get to pick the winner. Educational videos were submitted, the best were weeded out, and now we get to pick our choices for best (or worst). My favorite video was Flu Sounds with Chainsaw as a close runner up. I was looking for ones that will hold a person’s attention while teaching them. These two kept my interest and made me laugh. I’ll stop my TIVO for commercials that make me laugh! That’s why I LOVE The Mac vs. IBM commercials!

Flu Sounds did all that AND got their point across very well. Chainsaw also accomplished all that, but most of the educational meat was at the beginning so I gave Flu Sounds the #1 spot in my voting. My least favorites, being a grandma, included Bagman – Kids might not understand it’s not serious and put plastic bags over their own heads, putting themselves at much worse risk from suffocation than from the flu! I also did not care for Hazmat – as I would rate it (on my conservative grandma scale) PG-13 for a bathroom scene and drinking scene.

You can vote for the Swine Flu prevention videos every day between now and September 16^th.  I just voted for ones listed above. Per their directions, “the order of the videos is randomly generated each time you visit the page. Voting is a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down for each video (at the bottom left of the currently playing video), and you are allowed one vote (up or down) per video per calendar day.” This would be a fun activity to do with our grandkids one or more times during the next few days. They’ll have fun voting AND be learning important health facts while they are at it. As I said above, I would personally avoid Bagman and Hazmat.

Let us know what you voted on and why. We’d love to hear your completely G-rated opinions as well.

And now, I’ll leave you with my two favorite videos from the contest:

Wouldn’t “Tim the Toolman” love that one!

SandwichINK has a couple of interesting current events just for you! First, as members of the Baby Boomer Generation of caregivers, we need to stay as healthy as possible. When we get sick, who helps our aging parents and/or grandkids? For the most part, we still do, no matter how miserable we are. In worst case scenarios, we get so sick, we have the added headache of helping our beloveds get help. Neither option is fun.

If you’re like me, you do everything you can to stay healthy, and when you do get sick you work hard to get well. Some of you may have done this by using various Zicam nasal cold remedy products. I know I’ve seen them and considered them, though I haven’t yet tried them. Turns out my procrastination was a good thing! And if you didn’t procrastinate and have some in your cupboard, please check this list as soon as possible. If any of them are on it, you need to know that “the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers to stop using three products marketed over-the-counter as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia). Anosmia may be long-lasting or permanent!” NOT GOOD!

Per the FDA,  the three products that have received over 130 reports of smell loss include:

• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel;
• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs;
• Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, kids

That means we also need to let our kids and our grandkids know about this possible problem. WOW! The last medicine I used that had major problems was Entex. I had used it and loved it for years for congestion and sinus infection. Then they discovered it caused people to die! Losing your sense of smell is better than dying, but still. I’m glad I never gave it a try. This is definitely a good reminder to all of us to research the over the counter AND prescription medications we take, as well as those our aging parents have. And even then, there are no guarantees.

Another more personal piece of news is that SandwichINK is once again participating in the EldercareABC Blog Carnival. You can find a link to my article, Flying Practice for Baby Boomer Generation and Senior Citizens, in excellent company. They have some useful and interesting articles including:

• I Won a WalkerWonder – Yup, that’s by Mary, who won SandwichINK’s WalkerWonder contest 
• How to pick the best car for yourself and your aging parents
• Fixed annuities
• Easing caregiver stress
• And more…

I think you’ll find it to be an excellent resource for caregivers. I know I did. 

As families continue to scatter across the US and further, more women and men in the Baby Boomer Generation and older are flying all over, often alone. Not only that, for many of them it’s the first time they’ve flown alone. It may even be the first time they’ve ever flown at all.

I had a few trips under my belt before I started having to travel so much, thanks to my parents. My dad and mom gave me a great gift when I was 30. I had never flown before. Southwest and America West had both just started and were offering fantastic deals. For about $7 per ticket, my dad took my mom, my three kids, and myself from Southern California to the Phoenix Zoo. We flew there and back the same day. Back then, smoking was allowed and I was in misery in the back smoking row, but it was still thrilling. They even had seats that faced backwards, which made me rather queasy. I’m so glad they all face forwards now!

I was able to fly with my whole family a couple of times after that. The first time I had to fly alone (well, not alone, but as the only adult with three kids under 9!), it was a tough day, made harder by several prolonged delays due to mechanical difficulties. I was nervous and on edge, but I did great, because of the past experience. Being in my 30s helped a lot too.

A dear friend of mine needed to go on her very first plane trip ever. As a member of the Baby Boomer Generation, and two years away from being an official Senior Citizen, she was very nervous about the whole process. I could certainly understand. If my first trip had been in my 50s instead of my 30s, with my eyesight not as great and my arthritis slowing me down just a bit, it would have been a much more difficult trip.

She was able to combine plans with another friend who had traveled alone several times. They traveled together, which made it much easier for her first time. Her next couple of trips were by herself but her husband could drop her off, her son could pick her up and she had no layovers. She was scared at first but thrilled at her accomplishment when the trip was completed. Then the big day came when, due to a family crisis, she had to make reservations quickly, fly by herself with two plane changes, and return home in time for a vital appointment. She did GREAT! Can you imagine how that trip might have gone if she hadn’t had the earlier ones? Just like anything in life, practice makes perfect, or at least closer to perfect than when you started.

If you, or a special senior in your life, have never taken a plane trip anywhere, or if you have flown but never by yourself, I would encourage you to watch the sales, and take a plane trip or two somewhere close, just for fun. It would make a nice little getaway, which always helps ease caregiver stress , and it would give you a chance to practice doing something you’ve never done before.

You may wind up with just some great memories and never need to use the experience you’ve gathered. Then again, senior health care or grandkids’ needs may spring an emergency on you out of the blue. As you sit in that plane, praying hard for the beloved you are headed to visit, you will be so grateful for the experience that is helping to make this trip just a little bit easier.

Welcome to SandwichINK and Microblog Monday. This is the weekly recap of all the interesting and informative new links concerning the Sandwich Generation , including caregiving, grandparenting, grandkids, etc. that I’ve discovered on Twitter. Since the first item is the Swine Flu and I have several links for that, I’ll actually be doing this post in two parts, with part two posting tomorrow.

First up today is a bit of a warning. You’ve probably already heard, but if not, the US has declared a public health emergency because Swine flu has been discovered in Mexico and the U.S. According to MSNBC, as of Sunday at 5:30 p.m. EST, “Napolitano said the emergency declaration is a warning, not a notice of imminent danger, similar to preparing for a hurricane…Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, said that compared to cases in Mexico, ‘what we’re seeing in this country is mild disease,’ noting that the U.S. cases would not have been detected without increased surveillance.” The thing that concerns us, as caregivers, most, is that its impact is hardest on elderly adults and children such as our precious grandkids. There doesn’t appear to be any immunity but there are some medications that can help. Here are some good links to read, including some to save as resources:

MSNBC – Global race is on to contain swine flu outbreak

CDC – Swine Flu – “Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. What should I do to keep from getting the flu? First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.” There is medication available that may be able to help. It would appear it needs to be started within the first two days of illness.

How to Track Swine Flu – Several Methods from Mashable

How to Track Swine Flu – HealthMap – The Mashable article suggests clicking in the left column in the DISEASES, last 30 days category box – select NONE first to clear all the checks, then only select INFLUENZA. This, of course, will show all forms of influenza including Swine Flu, so be prepared to see a lot of flags. [NOTE: This link worked fine when I first started working on this post at 7 p.m. At midnight, it’s trying to load but unsuccessfully. My guess is that it’s being overloaded with users. I’m going to leave the link here in the hopes they’ll be able to fix the problem in the next day or so and I think it is a useful tool. If it doesn’t work the first time you try it, you might come back to it later in the day.)

Swine Flu News Alerts on Twitter – (And yes, I’m definitely going to be following them)

MOST IMPORTANT, this information is provided for research and resource information only. If you have any cause for concern of any kind about the health of an aging parent, a grandkid, yourself, or anyone else you care for, please contact your doctor immediately. They are the best resource of all.

A merry heart does good, like medicine , so here’s a bit of medicine for us all.- A very easy way to return from a casino with a small fortune is to go there with a large fortune. Thank you for that chuckle to @ timbury and @ needmoneycom .

Good News! Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Ps34:19 "With deliverance comes blessing." @ heartofwisdom

That’s all for part 1. Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 2, with links of interest for grandkids and grandparents, caregivers, and more

Providing wise care for your aging parents when using a Power of Attorney was discussed in yesterday’s post . Today, I want to follow that up with some additional information that is especially relevant in today’s economy.

With all the changes in the marketplace, including banks buying out other banks, merging, and sometimes even closing, it’s important to stay on top of the elderly care we provide our parents by monitoring their financial situation in regards to what is happening with those banks.

A good friend inadvertently discovered this when he had to call a bank on behalf of his grandfather. They had done all the paperwork required by the bank a few years ago, including filing and notarizing the bank’s required forms on top of providing the Power of Attorney their own attorney had prepared. Now the bank has merged with another bank and has a new name. You can imagine his shock when he called the new bank’s primary call center regarding a letter he received, only to be told they couldn’t talk to him as he didn’t have Power of Attorney.

He called the branch where they had originally opened the account and discovered the manger was no longer there. Fortunately the new manager was very helpful. He discovered that the new bank had implemented a plan to have all the paperwork scanned into computers. For some reason, his grandfather’s paperwork had never been scanned in. It took them over an hour on the phone while she tracked down the original paperwork, and another hour on her part to completely solve the problem. She finally called him later that night with the good news that all was fixed. Wisely, he waited a week, then called the primary call center back where he was able to confirm that they did, indeed, show that he had Power of Attorney.

Can you imagine if that had happened in the middle of a crisis? I learned to:

1. Call any bank that has recently made a change to verify all of our information is still showing accurately. It might be wise to wait about three months after the bank changes hands, to give them time to complete their paperwork processing.

2. Keep a copy of all documents in a file at home.

3. Keep a copy of the Power of Attorney (reduced in size) easily accessible at all times in case of an emergency.

4. It might even be wise to call each bank your senior parent uses every year or two to verify that all is in order.

Even when banks don’t change hands, mistakes do happen. It’s always easier to sort these issues out when there isn’t a problem, rather than discovering a mess in the middle of an emergency situation.

Power of Attorney. Doesn’t that sound powerful? You watch TV, someone produces one of those, and they have total power with no problems. Now try that in the real world. You’ll probably find it’s not quite that easy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s vital to have one. I highly recommend asking an attorney for the state your aging parent lives in to prepare a Durable Power of Attorney. Different states have different rules, so that can be very important. If you are not sure what a Durable Power of Attorney is, you can read an excellent article about it at ElderGuru.

Once you have the power of attorney (poa) and it is signed and notarized, it’s then VERY important to contact each and every company your elderly parent does business with, especially the banks and financial companies such as Charles Schwab. You will discover that many, if not all, of them require their own Power of Attorney form in addition to or instead of your senior parent’s own Power of Attorney. Plan on spending a day or two (or more) working on this. Each one often requires an hour or more as you fill out the forms, provide any necessary documents, etc. If it’s a bank, they should be able to provide the notarizing for you. If you are doing any of it by mail, then you will have to find your own notary public. I even ran across one company that required something different than a notarization, which my own bank had to provide. Fortunately, they knew how to do it as I had never heard of it before.

Preparing a Power of Attorney isn’t difficult, but it is time consuming to begin with. It is a vital part of eldercare, though, so be sure you look into this well before you think you will need it. Once you do need it, it may be too late.