8 The QUEE NS Courier • health • APRIL 7, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ▶health CAREGIVING AND AGING: Part I BY DR. SHELDON ORNSTEIN According to recent statistics concerning the disease identified AWARD WINNING SHORT-TERM REHABILITATION! Wrap Yourself in Loving Comfort of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Little Neck Care Center OUR SERVICES: • Newly Renovated Facility • State-of-the-Art Rehabilitation • 24-Hour Nursing Care • Onsite Wound Care and IV Therapy • Post-Surgical and Joint Replacement • Pain Management • 24-Hour On-Call Physicians • We Speak a Variety of Languages AMENITIES: • Spacious, Bright and Modern Rooms • Flat Screen TVs And WiFi • Recreational Activities • Beauty/Barber Services • Daily Laundry and Housekeeping • Newspaper and Mail Services • 24/7 Security • Concierge Services Don’t Delay Order Today New Orthopedic Rehabilitation Program Led By Our Orthopedic Surgeon www.LittleNeckCareCenter.com 260-19 Nassau Blvd., Little Neck, NY 11362 Tel. 718-423-6400 • Fax 718-428-0737 ACCEPTING MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND MOST HMOs QC10 for 10% Off Abdomend.com BellyLuv.com CSectionRecoveryKit.com Wrap Yourself in Abdomend.com CLoomvifnogr t Wrap Yourself in Loving Comfort Wrap Yourself in Loving Comfort Don’t Delay Order Today Abdomend.com BellyLuv.com CSectionRecoveryKit.com Don’t Delay Order Today Abdomend.com BellyLuv.com BellyLuv.com CSectionRecoveryKit.com CSectionRecoveryKit.com as Alzheimer’s, one in ten individuals over the age of 65 and nearly half of those age 85 have shown evidence of this condition. It is also estimated that half of all nursing home residents suffer from this problem which will remain with us for the foreseeable future. Progressive cognitive impairment is expected to afflict 15 million Americans by the year 2050 or sooner unless a cure or significant breakthrough can be found. How we care for individuals with this disease is dependent on a hands on approach and the use of technical skills that we are able to instill in the caregiver who either works in the patient’s home or in our nation’s nursing facilities. With formal training the caregiver becomes empowered via mandated State health laws. With this training, the caregiver has an enhanced opportunity to create a more habitable comfort zone for the individual living with this condition. As a Registered Professional Nurse who has been involved for numerous years with care of the aged, I have come to appreciate working with administrative and Nursing staff who have the power to set a positive tone, atmosphere and spirit related to the case of the impaired individual. Much of a child’s world is about overcoming the fears of being alone, of being hungry and satisfying basic needs. Also the nuances of social conversation are difficult to learn and decipher as a child. For the Alzheimer patient, the difficulties become more pronounced when they are unable to share their feelings or comments with others. Caring for this individual may at times exhibit behavioral issues, which can be difficult and stressful. Issues such as aimless motor activity, inappropriate language and spontaneous physical aggression are but a few. Having worked with the confused geriatric patient for many years, I have had numerous opportunities to employ a clinically based technique which the caregiver can also carry out by utilizing specific cognitive and functional activities. These activities are self-rewarding whereby the patient is able to initiate several relevant activities. Here are just three examples: • performing activities of daily living such as dressing, feeding, toileting, grooming, bathing, etc.; • deciding to independently choose the clothes he/she may wish to wear that day; • offering family and friends constructive insights about the patient’s daily progress as a means of encouraging greater family participation. All of these, however require an overhaul of unacceptable facility policies and practices. The providers of care must be willing and able to offer relevant patient care outcomes, and reject authoritarian governing and outmoded medical models of care that are not part of the culture we seek. In next month’s article entitled Caregiving and Aging, Part II, I plan to focus on caregiving either as a form of paid employment or as a choice of the loved one. Sheldon Ornstein Ed.D, RN Dr. Sheldon Ornstein is a registered professional nurse with a doctoral degree in nursing organization. He has specialized in the care of older adults and has published many articles on the subject. He has done post-graduate work in gerontology and has taught at several universities. In 2013, he was inducted into the Nursing Hall of Fame at Teachers College, Columbia University.
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