Recognizing the Challenges of Multiple-Duty Caregivers November is National Caregiving Month. We respectfully take time to honor our professional caregivers. We also recognize our equally important unpaid caregivers. Especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we pay tribute to these frontline workers. But what about those people who are double—or even triple—duty caregivers? Read more
What the RAISE Family Caregivers Act Means for Caregivers Too often while providing care to our loved ones, we may find ourselves lacking things like services, respite options, financial security, workplace security and education to address the challenges we face every day. To try to address this shortcoming, the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, & Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act was signed into law in January of 2018 to come up with a national family caregiving plan. Read more
Participating in Dementia Clinical Trials and Research Studies as a Caregiver As a dementia caregiver, you’ve most likely seen references to research studies, surveys and clinical trials when researching your loved one’s condition. Whether it’s the World Health Organization’s statistic that 55 million people around the world have dementia or the suggestion that exercise and a healthy diet can lower the risk of developing dementia, most of what we know about the disease comes from rigorous research. Read more
Tips for Communicating with Health Care Professionals as a Caregiver Caregivers for older adults often find themselves needing to play a key role as a communicator and decision-maker during their loved one’s health appointments. However, this role can often be challenging, especially when we are unfamiliar with medical terms, or feel like we shouldn’t burden health care professionals with questions they’ve probably answered a hundred times before. Read more
Planning Ahead for the Approaching Holiday Season as a Caregiver Holidays often have a special meaning for older adults and their family members. They are occasions set aside to acknowledge the passage of time, celebrate significant events in our lives and bring families and friends to come together. By making the most of these special moments, we can truly value our time together with the ones we love. Read more
Sundowning and Dementia: What to do About Late-Day Behaviors For those with dementia and their caregivers, the late day hours can often be a disorienting, stressful time. When the sun goes down, individuals with dementia may become agitated, restless, confused, irritable and at times even delirious—seeing and hearing things that are not there—to a greater extent than they do early in the day. This symptom of dementia is known as “sundowning” or “Sundowners Syndrome.” For individuals with dementia and their caregivers, it can be a scary, upsetting nightly occurrence. Read more
Honor Your Mental Health on World Mental Health Day Sunday, October 10, is World Mental Health Day. Those of us who serve on the staff of the Behavioral Health Services (BHS) department of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging demonstrate our dedication and commitment to helping older adults with mental health issues not only on this special day, but every day. Our organization has a long history of service to those older adults who struggle with their mental health. We believe that recognizing the importance of breaking the stigma attached to mental health issues and encouraging all people to take care of themselves, especially their emotional and mental wellbeing, is key to a life well lived. Read more
15th Annual Katz Policy Lecture: National Family Caregiving Strategies and Policy Recommendations from the RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council This year, the 15th annual Katz Policy Lecture, sponsored by AARP Ohio, will examine the RAISE Family Caregivers Act, which directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop and maintain a national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. The Act identifies actions that communities, providers, the government and others are taking to help family and friend caregivers, and aims to improve information sharing, collaboration, government support and assessment of caregiver programming across these efforts. Our keynote speaker, Alan B. Stevens, PhD, will discuss family caregiving strategies and policy recommendations from the RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council, and the impact these will have on our communities. Following our keynote speaker, a reactor panel of industry experts will give their responses to the presentation, and discuss how the Act impacts different types of individuals and communities, as well as state level policy. Read more
Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body: Tips from the Latest Research For centuries, we’ve known that the health of the brain and the body are connected. But now, science is able to provide insights into how to make lifestyle choices that may help you keep your brain and body healthy as you age. Join us to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity, social engagement, pharmacological treatments, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging. Lastly, you will learn from Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging about an evidence-based care-coaching program, BRI Care Consultation™, that is available for free in Cuyahoga, Athens and Washington Counties to support individuals with, or at risk of, dementia, including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their caregivers. Read more
Leading by Example: The Impact of Volunteering for Home-Delivered Meals Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging Board Member Cyndy Dunn discusses her experiences volunteering for the Rose Centers for Aging Well's medically-tailored meal delivery program, Nutrition Solution. Read more
