Older Adults Care Management, a pioneer in elder care services, has been working with older adults in the Los Altos, Palo Alto and other peninsula communities for 15 years.
The program incorporates home care, disease and case management services, along with contributions to research and ongoing education for the benefit of the older adult.
Rose Kleiner of Los Altos Hills founded OACM in 1982 to assist older adults and their families. As CEO of OACM, I manage and supervise the diverse clinical programs. I entered the field of gerontology when I had to provide long distance care giving for my own ill parents in India.
One out of every three of OACM’s patients has some degree of dementia.
One of them, Mrs. K, is a longtime resident of Los Altos. She has been living alone with some help from her daughter and a trained caregiver. Mrs. K is in the early phases of Alzheimer’s dementia.
Her daughter feels that her mother’s condition has changed her own life significantly. She has to miss work and is constantly worried about leaving her mother unsupervised. She does not want her mother to go into a care facility.
The daughter, like others, faces the many challenges of this disease. Along with child care and elder care concerns, the daughter mourns the loss of a parent: a mother she recalls as intelligent, loving and always helpful.
The chronic stress of caring for a dementia victim has significant consequences for the caregiver’s physical and mental health and is substantially damaging to family relationships.
Relief attempts for AD patients and caregivers is ongoing. Just recently a drug called Aricept has been approved by the FDA. The drug has demonstrated improved performance in memory and learning among AD patients.
However, more critical in the management of AD, is long-term care planning and family involvement in developing intervention programs. Physicians do not always have the time to explain detailed intervention programs and coping mechanisms. Support groups, health resource libraries, respite programs and drug studies provide excellent additional resources for the caregiver.
In my work I run a program of consultations and training for caregivers and AD patients. This program typically involves simple principles, such as understanding the organic and irreversible nature of the disease, becoming aware of the changes in the patient and learning coping mechanisms.
A study has shown a positive effect on the frustration, depression and helplessness among the caregivers and has also led to positive outcomes among the patients themselves. The caregivers reported reduction in episodes of disturbing behavior and better orientation to the environment among their patients.
As an outcome of the study, here are some of the effective tips for families working with AD patients:
Develop a family centered approach.
Remember that most patients are not deliberately suspicious or mean.
Most patients are extremely variable.
Most patients are functionally disabled and not being deliberately difficult.
Plan activity programs for wanderers.
Music therapy and adult day care programs can be beneficial.
Never be harsh, never say no. Agree and redirect or distract.
Keep instructions simple and the environment consistent.
Consult the physician and home care personnel for medication and an organized care plan.
Take time off and connect with support groups.
For more information call the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 660-1993 or (415) 962-8111.
Rita Ghatak, Ph.D., is the CEO of Older Adults Care Management (www.oacm.com)
She is a psychologist with a specialty in gerontology.
