Trump’s Mixed Messages About COVID Increasing Deaths and leaving No straight Path for AGING Families

August 3, 2020

Mixed Messaging Lethal in a Pandemic

The Chief of the world Health Organization had warned that mixed messages coming from national leaders give their people no clear path to follow to keep themselves safe from COVID. This is especially true of aging family members who are trying to protect the most vulnerable to coronavirus- older people.

In US Federal Government and US Scientist Point to two Different to Safety

In the US Federal officials, like the TRUMP administration offers one path to stay safe -while scientists like the CDC and Dr. Fauci offer another. It is like a signpost is a tsunami zone with two different directions to higher ground. State governors who have been left in charge of protecting American citizens, rather than the federal governments and all have different messages. Some states are closed down, while others do not allow masks in spite of the massive spread of the virus. People do not know what to do, as the Feds, the states, the counties, and cities all have different guidelines and laws about how to stay protected from the worst pandemic since 1918.

President Woodrow Wilson Pointed Wrong Direction is 1918 Pandemic

It is not new. President Wilson lied to the American public about the 1918 pandemic as he had declared war with Germany and wanted the US war machine to go full throttle. So soldiers in camps in the US died by the thousands and sailed to Europe spreading the 1918 plague, while Wilson never uttered a word about except to say it was like the common cold.

Science is being Maligned and Sidelined in COVID-19

What happens these when confusing messages are given by so many leaders who are not scientists but politicians with their own agenda? Scientists like Dr. Fauci are both maligned and sidelined. .The CDC once the most prestigious health agency in the world is muzzled by the Trump administration.

The result is 4,73M cases and 157K Deaths of COVID in the US

One terrifying result is COVID numbers soar in the US. As of Aug 1, we had 4.73 M cases and 157 K deaths. Younger people and even older residents are celebrating summer with no masks no social distancing as if there was no COVID.

Aging families, who want to keep their loved ones safe need aging professionals to offer clear paths to safety. Can you be that navigator to safety?

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Create 5 Telehealth Products for COVID 19

WHEN. THURSDAY AUGUST 6

TIME- 2 PM Pacific Standard Time

Care Management businesses are struggling with pandemic close downs.

Support your business bottom line, clients, and their families.

Create 5 COVID-19 products.

Products from sheltering in place through the hospital, recovery at home, discharge from an SNF, or hospital for local and long-distance elders. Increase your bottom

line as COVID spreads throughout the US and more shutdowns loom

Learn Step by Step How to Consult with and Navigate for Aging Families and Seniors to:

Choose the best Hipaa Compliant Telehealth Products to Remotely Consult with Client

Help a Local Family Assist a Loved One Safely Shelter in Place

Help a Long-Distance Family assist an Elder Shelter in Place

Help an Aging Family With Care of Elder Discharged From a Hospital

Help an Aging Family Help a Loved one Recover when Discharged from a

Nursing Home

Help an Aging Family Help a Loved one Recover at Home

WHEN. THURSDAY AUGUST 6

TIME- 2 PM Pacific Standard Time

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How Do You Detect COVID–19 Symptoms in Seniors While Living Long Distance?

July 1, 2020

COVID–19 Detecting Symptoms in your loved one from a Distance

We can not always be with our loved ones. Long-Distance Families make approximately 43.5 million caregivers who have provided unpaid care to an adult or child in the last 12 months. How can you keep a watchful eye on long-distance older family members for symptoms of COVID-19? First, you will need to know what symptoms to watch and listen to.

Did you know that COVID -19 is known to develop into a severe acute respiratory syndrome and may result in death? The elderly are more susceptible to this contagion simply due to their age. Your job is to become their health detective by paying acute attention to physical symptoms and asking questions when conversing with your loved one.

Symptoms to Listen & Signs to Look for

Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2-14 days after exposure, commonly referred to as the incubation period. Common signs and symptoms can include:

Fever, cough or tiredness – If your loved one is suddenly not making sense or acting confused when you are talking with them, this could be an indication of having a fever and an infection. Listen for coughing during your conversation and don’t be afraid to ask if they are napping more often or sleeping longer than usual or if they are weaker than usual.

Other symptoms can/may include:

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Muscle Aches
Chills Sore Throat
Loss of taste or smell Headache
Chest pain

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF MEDICAL HISTORY

If your loved one has existing medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, severe obesity, chronic kidney or liver disease, or compromised immune systems they may be at greater risk for contracting COVID-19.

CALL YOUR LOVED ONE’S PCP OR ARRANGE FOR THEM TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY IF MORE THAN ONE OF THESE SYMPTOMS APPEAR.

As your loved one’s health detective – Vigilantly Monitor their Physical Appearance

Call often. Listen for symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, inability to complete sentences without having to take a breath. Are they suddenly confused or confused more than usual?

Use your technology. Face time with your loved one. Look at them. Are they having a hard time breathing? Watch and count how many times their chest raises per minute. Normal breathes per minute in the elderly is 10-30. With COVID-19 the rate will be lower. Look for the appearance of lost sudden weight loss. The virus can decrease their appetite as it affects their sense of smell, making food less appetizing. Look at your loved one’s lips. Are they discolored or have a light blue tint? This is a sign of oxygen deprivation and could potentially be very serious.

If you see any of these signs call your loved one’s PCP immediately and take/arrange for them to be taken to the hospital immediately.

JOIN ME FOR MY NEW FREE WEBINAR

Create 5 Telehealth Products for COVID 19

WHEN. THURSDAY AUGUST 6

TIME- 2 PM Pacific Standard Time

Care Management businesses are struggling with pandemic close-downs.

Support your business bottom line, clients, and their families.

Create 5 COVID-19 products.

Products from sheltering in place through the hospital, recovery at home, discharge from an SNF, or hospital for local and long-distance elders. Increase your bottom

line as COVID spreads throughout the US and more shutdowns loom

Learn Step by Step How to Consult with Aging Families and Seniors to Choose the best Hipaa Compliant Telehealth Products to Remotely Consult with Client

Help a Local Family Assist a Loved One Safely Shelter in Place

Help a Long-Distance Family Guide a Local Loved One Shelter in Place

Help an Aging Family Help a Loved on Hospitalized for Covid-19

Help an Aging Family Care for a Loved one Recover when Discharged from a

Nursing Home

Help an Aging Family Care for a loved one Recover when Discharged from a

Hospital

WHEN. THURSDAY AUGUST 6

TIME- 2 PM Pacific Standard Time

REGISTER NOW

The 2 Deadliest US Sites of COVID-19 Nursing Homes & Prisons

May 2, 2020

PRISON INMATES AND NURSING HOME PATIENTS NOT 6FT APART – 6 FEET UNDER

70% of inmates in federal prisons have COVID-19. In Kansas, the Lansing Correctional Facility had a riot of inmates over COVID-19 lack of care or protection It took the rebellion to get the coronavirus testing PPE and care. The Bureau of Prisons in Kansas confirmed finally that 79 staff have coronavirus and 88 prisons and prisoners dead.

Older residents in nursing homes cannot rebel like prisoners. Many can’t even walk. The Atlantic Magazine just published an article, We are Killing Elders Now. The writer states “In at least six states, these fatalities account for half of all COVID-19 deaths, and according to the World Health Organization, half of all coronavirus fatalities in Europe have been traced to nursing homes too. Some of this mortality is linked to long-term-care facilities that are shoddily run or that violate health standards. But most of them are doing the best they can with what they have. And they don’t have much”.

KAISER FOUNDATION NURSING HOME STAFFING AND USE OF PPE NOT REQUIRED IN MOST STATES

Kaiser reports -Staff Screening. It is more common for states to recommend rather than require daily screening of staff for illness in NFs (24 states recommend, 16 states + DC require)

Use of PPE. More states recommend (23 states) than require (7 states + DC) staff to use PPE

Two States that require testing for coronavirus of ALL residents of nursing homes are Maryland where 556 have died as of the Washington Post article. and Tennessee

THE FEDS HAVE NO CMS FEDERAL GUIDELINES OR REPORTING

We have no federal guidelines for safety testing according to an article by the Kaiser Foundation

It is now estimated that 16,000 deaths have occurred in nursing homes and that is without the federal government revealing any numbers and not making available any testing. But the numbers are probably huge- if we could just do testing.

CMS announced it would have a meeting of a “panel” of experts “ sometime at the end of May”. After probably 20,000 older people died and the feds did nothing this shows their sense of urgency about this pandemic’s national “elder cleansing”.

WHAT CONNECTS PRISONS AND NURSING HOMES – CONCENTRATION CAMPS

So, what is the connection between the viral spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes and prisons- 6 feet ? Prisoners and residents, in nursing homes, and prisons cannot social distance. Jails and prisons have human beings crammed together with no choice. Nursing homes have 2 beds or if you are on Medicaid three to a room. Neither group has a choice to social distance. They are ” concentrated” as in concentration camps or death camps.

Do SOMETHING – HELP NURSING HOMES PREVENT MORE CARNAGE

So, as someone who has spent her career in aging, I am calling out to everyone, especially professional in aging – do something. Since the feds appear to be doing little- call your congressman, write a letter to the editor.

BE KIND LIKE RACHEL MADDOW REPORTS LA JEWISH HOME LA WAS

Rachel Maddow suggests calling your local nursing homes and see what they need. Be kind like the LA Jewish Home was to a smaller nursing home LA Brier Oaks. They wanted to test their residents and had no tests and the larger LA Jewish Home had tests and shared them with the smaller as a good neighbor. What they found was ravaging but it also showed caring and generosity. Care and be generous and show the helpless elders in nursing homes in your town you are opposed to -nursing home being prisons or concentration camps.

Caregiver Assessment- Here’s What It Takes Professionally

September 15, 2019

Doing TWO Assessments

To meet the needs of the whole family, principally the care receiver and the caregivers, GCMs need to begin assessing the caregiver as well as the care receiver. A caregiver assessment is defined by the National Center on Caregiving at the Family Caregiver Alliance as a systematic process of gathering the information that describes the caregiving situation and identifies particular problems, needs, resources, and strengths of a family caregiver. This new measure means that the care manager must see issues from a caregiver’s perspective and culture focuses on what assistance the caregiver may need, examine outcomes the family member wants for support and seeks to maintain the caregiver’s own health and well-being.

Create a Circle of Care

One resource that a GCM can bring to a caregiving family is what Gail Sheehy calls a circle of care. To create this supportive connection, the GCM needs to take her or his coaching skills and put together a support system around the formerly isolated, solitary family caregiver. The GCM can coach the family caregiver to ask for help so the GCM can assist in reorganizing the family so adult siblings can share in the care of the older client with the identified family caregiver. The GCM is what Sheehy calls a compassionate coach who can help the beleaguered caregiver attract and assemble a platform to keep on giving the care she or he wants to give the aging person.

Caregiver Resources

A circle of care includes emotional resources for the direct family caregiver. These emotional resources could and should include adult siblings. Reconnecting midlife brothers and sisters, through the circle of care, is an important GCM task, as siblings are the longest and deepest relationships in any person’s life. The GCM may have to depend on his or her clinical skills in helping siblings with forgiveness or reconnecting siblings who live long distances apart to add them to a circle of care. Midlife siblings have often spent the last 30 years tending to their own families, so the point of reconnection of midlife brothers and sisters often happens when they are in middle age in the midst of a crisis in parent care. This is where the GCM needs to employ clinical skills in midlife sibling work or to find the resources for the family to help with this healing sibling reconnection.

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