April 2011
 
In This Issue

- FRHC Offers Virtual Dementia Tour® to Sensitize Caregivers 
- Hearing Loss in the Elderly
 
- Caregiver Profile:  Alice Kagundah 
 
 
 
Related Links
  
 
 
 
Follow us on Facebook
and Twitter
 
       
 
 
Contact us:
1 (866) 545-1092
Send us an email
"Family Resource Home Care provides peace of mind, relief, respite, respect, dignity, and joy in friendship to our senior clients, their families, and their caregivers."
  Sheila McKannay
VP - Client Care

 
FRHC Offers Virtual Dementia Tour® To Sensitize Caregivers

We know that Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. But how many of us can really describe what it feels like to have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia?

Sometimes we need to walk in another person’s shoes to fully know how they experience life.  To that end, Family Resource Home Care is offering the Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT) to help caregivers better identify with their client’s day-to-day struggles.

Created by P.K. Beville, a specialist in Geriatrics, the VDT was developed to simulate the dementia experience with the intent of sensitizing and elevating the understanding of caregivers.  This is accomplished through a simultaneous combination of sensory distractions that impact the individual’s visual, auditory and tactile senses. 

The VDT utilizes gloves and shoe inserts that simulate the loss of sensory nerves and fine motor skills and the onset of arthritis and neuropathy, goggles that simulate the effect of glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration with the accompanying loss of central or peripheral vision. VDT also includes headphones that play a cacophony of noise and voices that simulate the noise that typically fills the head of the dementia patient. 

Read the Entire Article

Hearing Loss in the Elderly

According to studies conducted by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Health, about one-third of Americans between the ages of 65–74 have hearing problems. Over the age of 75, half of us experience hearing loss. And by the age of 85, the number grows to every 4 out of 5.  While hearing problems in the elderly population is a widespread public health problem, most seniors don't get tested or treated for it.

 Hearing loss can have a profound impact on an individual's emotional, physical and social well-being. People with hearing loss are more likely to suffer from depression, dissatisfaction with life, poor health, and withdrawal from social activities. Further, the ability to hear a fire alarm or an approaching vehicle may seriously impact personal safety.

Caregivers may be among the first to notice signs of a hearing problem.  If a client exhibits 3 or more of the following symptoms, he/she may have a hearing problem:

  • Often asks people to repeat themselves
  • Turns the TV volume up too high
  • Can’t manage a conversation on the telephone
  • Can’t hear the telephone ring or the sound of running water
  • Complains that others mumble or speak unclearly
  • Can’t participate in a conversation with more than one person
  • Often seems to not be paying attention
  • Can’t hear you speak when there is noise in the background

 There are some helpful ways to speak to a person who has a hearing problem:

  • Face the person and talk clearly
  • Speak at a reasonable speed
  • Do not hide your mouth, eat, or chew gum while speaking
  • Stand in good lighting and reduce background noises
  • Use facial expressions or gestures to give useful clues
  • Repeat yourself if necessary, using different words
  • Include the hearing-impaired person when talking

Talk with the person, not about the person, when you are with others. This keeps the person from feeling excluded. Remeber to stay patient and be positive.

 
Caregiver Profile: Alice Kagundah 
Like so many of our caregivers, Alice’s first experience caring for seniors happened when one of her own family members needed help.  In this case it was her father, who had Alzheimer’s disease.  Alice cared for him at home in Kenya. In 2004, after he passed away, she came to the United States. She learned about Family Resource from a friend and when she applied for a job, it was clear that this would be a good fit.

Alice treats her clients like she would her own parents. “I get to know them,” she says. “I learn their likes and dislikes and show them that I am a hard worker.  I respect them and give them honor. When I do this, then they see they can trust me. They have so much knowledge. I learn from them.  They help me feel good about what I do for them. They are kind and appreciative and this makes me feel fulfilled. I know that I am helping.” 

Alice recognizes that her clients will have periods of sadness.  She believes that by listening and letting them know that she is there for them, she helps them feel that they still have some power over their lives.  “I am in their home,” said Alice, “I ask them what they want me to do. I stay very professional and that shows that I have respect for them.” 

Alice enjoys involving her clients in activities in the home. One of her clients likes to sit in the kitchen while Alice cooks, and another likes to help fold warm clothes just out of the dryer. Whatever it is that her clients want to do, Alice supports and helps them. 

Alice feel very appreciated by her clients and supervisors and in turn, wants FRHC staff to know how much she appreciates them. “They are very hardworking and professional, and the office is very organized. I just want to say thank-you.”

© 2011 Family Resource Home Care, all rights reserved.