Welcome to Aunt Ann's Home Care newsletter. We strive to keep in touch with our colleagues and clients in a meaningful way each month.
This month we celebrate Doctor's Day. Aunt Ann's Home Care works with many doctor's offices in the Bay Area, providing care for their patients who may need assistance with meal preparation, laundry, cleaning and personal care after an illness or medical procedure. We are able to help patients on a short-term or long-term basis. We thank the Doctors who refer their patients to us for their confidence in our services.
It is also St. Patty's Day this month. Please take a moment and look over our recipe for the month. It is for Corned Beef. Our Director and Nurse, Vicki Paul, makes this for our office every year. It has been a tradition for the past 10 years.
We include recipes each month because our philosophy is "Our Family Taking Care of Your Family". What better way to take care of someone than cook for them? We love to cook around here, and are happy to share some of our favorite recipes. In fact, if you stop by our offices on one of our staff member's birthday, it is likely, you will see a potluck.
Happy Spring,
Marla Zelko
Community Relations Manager
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The Stimulating Effect of Music on Alzheimer's Patients
 In a research paper written in 2003 by Janet Mills of Active Maturity,
Mills found that although researchers of Alzheimer's disease approached
their studies using different methods, they all seem to have reached
the same basic conclusion: "Used either as a tool of therapy or as a
sensory stimulus within the everyday living environment, music can
provide beneficial results in regards to the functioning level
experienced by many late stage Alzheimer's and dementia patients."
Studies
showed that using music as a stimulus reduced the amount of pacing and
crying behaviors. These two behaviors are identified as highly
stressful for caregiving staff due to their potential for self-injury
and injury towards others, so the reduction of pacing and crying
consequently reduced the amount of stress and helplessness experienced
by the caregivers.
Mills writes, "Certain factors, such as an
individual's prior knowledge of music, or their familiarity with the
music being played may play some role in their reactions, but it does
seem to repeatedly show that disruptive behaviors appear to decrease,
while appropriate social interactions seem to increase during and
immediately following music therapy sessions."
Her conclusion is
that "it seems apparent that music therapy can enhance the quality of
life for dementia patients by enabling them to be a part of a large
variety of activity programs, while improving the job satisfaction of
those whose job it is to care for them."
Read this entire research paper presented with permission from the author by downloading it here. |
Home Simulation Lab Tests Seniors to Measure ADLs and Offer Advice
 Greenville
North Carolina Hospital System's Center for Success in Aging houses a
home simulation lab that is outfitted like a small apartment where
participants are tested in 10 tasks of everyday living. The lab is held
in collaboration with Clemson University's Institute for Engaged Aging
and is geared to measure upper and lower extremity strength, range of
motion, flexibility and manual dexterity in a way that provides
information to a doctor that also translates into something patients
can understand and use to improve quality of life. Examples of the test
require participants to move a heavy pot from the counter to the stove,
get a can out of the cupboard or make a bed. The goal is to be
able to "better advise patients what they need to do to stay in their
homes, whether it's obtaining assistive technology or changing their
habits or having a home aide," reports Greeneville Hospital System's
geriatrician Dr. William C. Logan Jr. "There are lots of
interesting adaptive strategies and assistive devices they can use at
home, including devices that allow them to button shirts, put on
clothing, walk safely, get in and out of bed safely and handle things
in the kitchen safely to make their lives better," he said. Clemson's
Institute for Engaged Aging's goal is to improve independence and
quality of life for older adults. The researchers hope one day to
incorporate the simulation lab as part of routine clinical assessments
of older adults providing very objective measures of daily living
skills. To read more information on the Clemson Institute for Engaged Aging, click here. http://www.clemson.edu/aging/ |
Want to Reach Seniors and their Families? Use the Internet
The State of 50+ America 2007 is AARP's 4th annual study, and among other findings, the study reports that Internet use among seniors has risen dramatically. Among the senior population more than half of all those over age 50 are using the Internet as compared with about one in five in 1998. Since the age of those seeking care for parents falls in the 45-55 age group, this is proof positive that the Internet is an ever more powerful tool to reach those who seek care for elderly parents.
This growth in using the Internet among older Americans was significant, and as the AARP study reports, "Americans over the age of 50 rely increasingly on the Internet to communicate with friends and family, keep abreast of the news, search for health and medical information, pay bills, make online purchases, track investments, engage in work-related activities, and more. For this age group, the Internet is rapidly becoming an essential tool of modern life."
To access the complete report, click here.
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The Robotic Caregiver
With the predicted shortage in
companion/caregivers expected in the next decade, businesses are
creating high-tech tools designed to assist in caring for those who
choose to remain at home.
Read about some of the new devices in the links below:
Canada.com
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Tradition of Caring - St. Patrick's Day One Pot Meal
Aunt Ann's has had a tradition of caring since 1958. We would like to share one of our favorite recipes - from our family to yours.
Corned Beef
Apple Juice
Cabbage
Potatoes
Yellow mustard
Dark brown sugar
Select a corned beef big enough to meet your needs. Rinse it and place in a crock pot with the spices that accompany it. Add enough apple juice to cover the meat. Set the crock pot to low, cover and cook overnight.
Prepare a sauce of equal parts yellow mustard and dark brown sugar (about a half cup each). Place the cooked corned beef in an oven proof pan and cover with the mustard/brown sugar sauce. Place in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes or enough time to heat throughout.
If you choose to cook the cabbage and potatoes in the broth from the corned beef, dilute it with water. Otherwise they will be very sweet. Cook them to your desired doneness. | |
