Cathy Cress

Expert in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management

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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.

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Filed Under: Aging Community & Covid-19, Aging Family, aging family crisis, Aging Life Care Assocaition, aging life care manager, ALCA COVID-19 Crisis, ALCA Products for COVID_19, Blog, coronavirus, coronavirus marketing, Coronavirus safety elders, coronavirus shut down, CORONAVIRUS Stay at Home Plan, Covid-19, COVID-19 & Care Management, Covid-19 Nursing Home, Covis-19 Services, FREE WEBINAR, GCM COACHING SKILLS, GCM COVID 19 Crisis, GCM products in COVID-19, GCM technology, GCM Webinar, geriatric care management emergency proceduress, geriatric care manager, geriatric social worker, Home From the Hospital, inquiry COVID-19, Long Distance Care, Long distance caregiver, Pandemic, Symptoms of covid -19 Tagged With: aging family, aging life care manager, aging parent care, aging parent crisis, care manager, Care Managers Working with the Aging Family, caregiver burden, COVID-19 -inquiry, COVID-19 & INFECTION CONTROL, Covid-19 Symptoms, COVID-19 Telehealth product, GCM Telehealth Product, long distance care provider, long-distance, nurse advocate, nurse care manager, social distancing covid-19

Dear Governor Newsome – Don’t Sentence Frail Elders To Ca. Nursing Homes Wrenching Them from Free Loving Family Caregivers!

June 18, 2020

Dear Governor Newsome :

I am on the board of the Health Project Center in Santa Cruz, County that operates the MULTI-PURPOSE SENIOR SERVICES PROGRAM (MSSP program ). and CAREGIVER RESOURCES PROGRAM (CRC)  in both Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.

KEEP THESE NURSING HOMES CERTIFIED SENIORS IN THE CHEAPER COMMUNITY

I am writing to support these programs and implore the governor not to cut their funding. These senior programs were created to keep people out of expensive nursing homes in the 1970s and keep them in the cheaper and nurturing community. By cutting MSSP and CRC the state will only accrue more debt by spending more money to fund now COVID -19 disease-ridden nursing homes. These nursing home certified beneficiaries who are the frailest and poorest of our elderly population. They are kept in the community by MSSP where they receive food services, socialization, and therapy. Their family caregivers receive respite.

Giving these caregivers respite can be the difference between caregiver burnout due to unpaid relentless 24-hour care of a loved one. Burnout ends in placement in nursing homes. But with COVID -19 still rampaging many cannot even get in.

 CAREGIVER RESOURCE CENTER  KEEPS FRAIL SENIORS IN FREE FAMILY CARE VS NURSING HOME PLACEMENT $80,000 a year 

Respite to caregivers to stop inappropriate placement in nursing homes is one of the main functions of the Caregiver Resources Centers in California,  which needs its funding kept intact by the governor. The Center provides support to families caring for loved ones with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s Disease, making referrals to caregiver counseling, support groups, local caregiver service, and giving small respite grants. Without the caregiver falling apart, which the Caregiver Resource Center stops, once again, the older nursing home certified client will just end up being forced to trying to get into a nursing home at $80,000 a year, when the family caregiver was FREE.

 IF these programs are demolished by the governor and MSSP and CRC are axed out in a blood-spattered cut and these frail seniors will be dumped into California nursing homes where the state will spend needless money it does not have.

 

STATE WILL PAY $80,000 A YEAR PER PERSON FOR NURSING HOME PLACEMENT VS. $5000 FOR MSSP

These programs save the state money. Each of the MSSP clients is disabled enough to be eligible for nursing homes and poor enough to be eligible for MediCal. So instead of the

state paying $80,000 or $90,000 per person per year in a nursing home, the State pays only on average a little over $5,000 for the person to be in MSSP and nothing for the family caregiver. .This makes the cuts both fiscally wrong and mystifying.

 

 MSSP CUTS MAKE RECIPIENTS GO  TO NURSING HOMES WITH 0 TESTING, JUNK PPE THAT LOOKS LIKE  GARBAGE BAGS WITH HOLES

Seniors have borne the greatest share of death already from COVID-19, as over 50% of the dead in the US are now elders from coronavirus who lived in a nursing home rife with the virus. These MSSP participants, without the support of MSSP, will have to turn to nursing homes.  According to the House Select Committee on Nursing Homes a few days ago, these facilities do not have enough testing and personal protective equipment to stop the virus from spreading. They do not even have PPE and at CMS direction, FEMA has been sending out junk for PPE that looks like garbage bags with holes. This is what you would be sentencing these frail elders to with the scrawl of the governor’s seal.

 

 CRC CUTS SEND Frail ELDERS FROM FREE FAMILY CARE TO $80,000 YR NURSING HOMES

 You are sending these seniors from the loving care of their family to nursing homes with few beds, COVID-19 raging from one bed to the next bed, beds not 6 feet apart, and no

testing or PPE. All this while the state pays $80,000 or $90,000 per person per year in a nursing home when the State pays only on average a little over $5,000 for the person to be in MSSP.

CUTS TRAVESTY IN JUDGEMENT AND MORAL FISCAL BANKRUPT CHOICE 

 

I am a graduate of Berkeley with a master’s in SW in aging planning and community development and this is just planning for more state debt and more seniors dying in expensive, CMS FEMA and Federally caused, death traps called nursing homes.

Sincerely

Cathy Cress MSW

 

 Cathy  Cress
cressgcm@got.net
CressGCM Consult
https://cathycress.com/

Santa Cruz, Ca 95062

Filed Under: Adult children, Aging Family, aging family crisis, Aging Life Care Assocaition, aging life care manager, Aging therapist, Blog, caregiver, Caregiver Burn Out, caregiver burnout, CAREGIVER RESOUCES, CMS & Nursing Home Policy, Coronavirus safety elders, Covid-19 Death Nursing Homes, CUTS to California Caregiver Resource Centers, Cuts To California MSSP, Free Family Caregiver, Geriatric Care Management Business, Geriatric Care Manager, Infection Control Nursing Homes, MSSP cuts in California, nurse care manager, Nursing Home Deaths, Poor Nursing home staffing, PPE, PPE Nursing Homes, Skilled Nursing Facility, SNF death COVID-19 Tagged With: Aging advocate, aging life care manager, aging life or geriatric care manager, aging parent, California Senior Program Cuts, care manager, caregiver burden, caregiver burnout, case manager, CRC cuts IN CALIFORNIA, geriatric care manager, geriatric social worker, Governor Newsome-Ca, MSSP cuts in California, nurse advocate, nurse care manager, Stop Cuts to Frail Elder in California

California Cuts Pushing Frail Elders into the Cesspools of COViD-19

May 22, 2020

Here in California, the frailest, poorest and oldest in the state are being potentially knifed in the back by slashing budget cuts to the very services that keep them out of nursing homes.

 The Multipurpose Senior Services Program , one of the first geriatric care management programs in the nation, designed to keep fail elders out of nursing homes, is set to axed from the California State budget.

The Governor has also proposed elimination of $2.9 million of state funding and $3.9 million in federal matching funds for the 11 statewide Caregiver Resource Centers, 

providing critical respite care and counseling to caregivers of adults with chronic and disabling health conditions.images_20130906-154817_1.jpg

Both programs were designed 4 decades ago to keep elders at home and out of more expensive nursing homes and staunch family caregiver burnout. They offer huge safety nets, designed to keep frail seniors in the community.

MSSP is of a daycare program providing rich social and health services to frail elders and their families. The Care Resources Program caregiver respite and support to overwhelmed family caregivers.

These programs save the state a bundle of money. Each of the MSSP clients is disabled enough to be eligible for nursing homes and poor enough to be eligible for MediCal. So instead of the state paying $80,000 or $90,000 per person per year in a nursing home, the State pays only on average a little over $5,000 for the person to be in GunnDadJacket.jpgMSSP.This makes the cuts both fiscally stupid and mystifying.

What California government is doing is ripping giant holes in this web plummeting 45,000 seniors into the cesspool of COVID-19 skilled nursing facilities, where almost  half of California COVID-19 deaths occured.

 Without the services and supports available through MSSP, and the Caregiver Resource Center, many older Californians will have no other choice but to be admitted to nursing homes, where nearly half of all deaths related to COVID-19 have occurred. 

But the doors may be barred. Given the high risk of COVID-19 in nursing homes, owners are reluctant to take new patients. So, the elimination of the Caregiver Resources Center and  MSSP is really a death sentence to frail elders. It leaves no fire extinguisher for caregiver burnout of the family caregivers who care for elders with the toughest disease: brain impairment- Alzheimer’s, stroke, dementia, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s other conditions that may cause memory loss or confusion.

This may cause a cascade effect- placement of these horribly demented elders, into the plague-infested nursing home or also to death’s doorKali--Bill-Connies-book-.JPG

Governor Newsome has been a national hero as the first governor to issue a stay at home order to close counties down in California. He slowed the spread of coronavirus and kept California in a safe zone compared to most other states. But this was at the cost of taxpayer dollars as 4.7 Californians were put out of work. 

 He finds himself in a double bind now with a chasm of a budget hole, that he is trying up to fill with cuts like the ones proposed to the senior program. But the cuts will lead seniors to nursing homes  costing $80,000 a year instead of the $5000 for MSSP  into those caldrons of coronavirus

California is always the canary in the coal mine- the innovator that most states follow. So, these cuts can be expected across the nationwide. Who is the real villain in these cuts, the Trump Presidency. 875 billion was approved in the House of representatives in the HEROES Act. Cutting both programs saves $119 million. But these cuts would be eliminated if Congress OKs this aid for state and local governments — a prospect many state lawmakers believe is unlikely as President Trump is threatening to veto the money to the states . This has spurred a cacophony of outrage from local legislators and senior advocates. angered state lawmakers from both 

major political parties who say it’s irresponsible in light of the coronavirus pandemic that has spread through nursing homes across the state. It’s one of many conflicts emerging this week as lawmakers hold public hearings examining Newsom’s proposal before they must vote on a spending plan by June 15.

Want to help save these programs

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS – WRITTEN: Submit written public comments by email to: sbud.committee@sen.ca.gov

Filed Under: Adult children, Aging, Aging Family, aging family crisis, Aging Life Care Assocaition, Blog, Caregiver Burn Out, caregiver burnout, caregiver mental health, CAREGIVER RESOUCES, case manager, Coronavirus emergency plan, coronavirus shut down, Covid 19, Covid-19 Nursing Home, Dementia Activities, elder care manager, Families, geriatric care manager, MSSP cuts in California, nurse advocate, nurse care manager, quality of life in senior centers, SNF death COVID-19 Tagged With: aging family, aging life care manager, aging parent crisis, barrier to caregiver assessment, California Budget cuts for seniors, california caregiver resource center, caregiver burden, caregiver depression, case manager, Cuts to programs for frail elders, Family Caregiver Alliance, geriatric care manager, MSSP cuts in California, nurse advocate, nurse care manager, Trump veto

What are the 3 Steps to Do a Caregiver Assessment?

October 12, 2019

 

Where Do You Do A Caregiver Assessment? 

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Caregiver assessment is best done in the care receiver’s home so you can actually observe the care. It is best completed out of earshot of the older person who is cared for so the caregiver can feel free to talk openly. As caregivers suffer high levels of stress, giving them a separate space to share their feelings is an important part of the caregiver assessment. However, the caregiver assessment should be done in a place that is convenient to the caregiver, which could be a donut shop, the home, or any comfortable venue. If to do the caregiver assessment the GCM must arrange respite, like bringing in another family member or paid caregiver, then that is another way to make this assessment go forward.

 

How Will A Genogram Help A Caregiver Assessment? ChiCheng_hmpgHdr.jpg

A genogram also helps the GCM assess whether any extended family and friends will make suitable and emotionally appropriate caregivers or not. For example, if a son has a historically strained relationship with his father, is he a good choice as a caregiver? The genogram helps to assess this old family tension and helps the GCM decide with the family as to who can really be good caregivers.

How Does a Psychosocial Assessment Bolster a Caregiver Assessment?

In addition, a psychosocial assessment, done at intake or updated as more care is needed, assesses key abilities and availability of the extended network of family caregivers. The psychosocial assessment illuminates the client’s financial status, including income, assets, benefits currently being received, health and long-term care insurance coverage, and eligibility or potential eligibility for entitlement programs. This information helps the GCM assess whether outside paid care providers can be afforded if needed to replace a family caregiver. The psychosocial assessment also tells about the family, formal and informal support networks, present and potential caregivers, and cultural variables.

Find out more in the YouTube from My Geriatric Care 1 Channel.

 

Filed Under: Adult children, Aging, Aging Family, aging family crisis, Aging Life Care, Aging Life Care Assocaition, aging life care manager, Blog, care manager, caregiver, caregiver assessment, Caregiver Burn Out, caregiver burnout, caregiver mental health, CAREGIVER RESOUCES, case manager, CIRCLE OF CARE, elder care manager, Geriatric Care Manager, geriatric care manager, geriatric social worker, nurse advocate, nurse care manager Tagged With: aging family, aging life care manager, care manager, caregiver assessment, caregiver burden, caregiver burnout, caregiver overload, caregiver overwhelm, caregiver stress, case manager, geriatric care manager, nurse advocate, nurse care manager

Innappropriate Threat of Placement =Caregiver Assessment

September 30, 2019

GunnDadJacket.jpg

 

When a Caregiver is so Overwhelmed that A SNF is a Choice but a Very Bad Choice

If the family is so overwhelmed by the care that they are considering placement, this threat should trigger the GCM to do a caregiver assessment immediately, found in the Handbook of Geriatric Care Management If the GCM is called to relocate an older person and the underlying cause seems to be caregiver burnout, this can be another trigger for a caregiver assessment. If caregiver abuse is suspected, a caregiver assessment is a critical immediate tool. This is a situation where the GCM must contact Adult Protective Services, following their own state’s laws. Elder abuse can be triggered by caregiver stress in some situations. Depression that reaches a clinical level in a caregiver can be predictive of elder abuse of an elderly client can prompt a GCM to do a caregiver assessment.  You should also do a geriatric depression scale at the same time. Use the GDS and the caregiver assessment to help both the caregiver and the care receiver at the same time.

Mrs. Handy has Two Dads in Her Head

Mrs. Handy our caregiver in many other blogs is about to place her Dad because she is besieged by so many other stressors. Her own health is deteriorating because she cannot get any sleep, due to her Dad going to bed so late and her inability to rise above her old self when her Dad was 40 and she was 19 and what he said she did. Now he is 70, very impaired with vascular dementia, incontinent and she needs to be who she is in the here and now a woman of 40, caring for an impaired Dad in her 70’s. She needs to set the boundary of him going to be early. She needs help in getting rid of the old parent in her head and putting the 70-year-old demented incontinent parent before her. This is what a geriatric care manager can do for her to help avoid unnecessary placement.

S

Filed Under: Aging, aging family crisis, aging life business, Aging Life Care, Aging Life Care Assocaition, aging life care manager Tagged With: aging life care manager, aging life geriatric care, aging life or geriatric care manager, aging parent care, aging parent crisis, care manager, caregiver assessment, caregiver burden, caregiver burn out, caregiver burnout, caregiver overwhelm, case manager, elderabuse, geriatric care manager, innappropriate placement, nurse advocate, nurse care manager, secondary stressors, unnecessary placement

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