Join Family Alliance, Centegra Health System and Autumn Leaves Memory Care for FREE health screenings and education! Featuring Centegra’s ”Wellness on the Move” mobile unit, Dr Nzeribe and his team!

Screenings:
Diabetes
Blood Pressure
Depression
Memory

Education:
Dr. Rex Nzeribe, Geriatrician and Dr. Yasmeen Hasan, MD will be at Family Alliance  9 – 11 am (First Come First Serve)
Cheryl Glombicki, CNP
Kate Johnson, LSW
Kristina Polley, LCSW
Terri Young, Health Care Coordinator

And:
Benefits Consultation, Wellness Checks, Prizes, Star 105.5, Comfort Keepers, Monach Senior Care, Home Instead Senior Care, Heritage Woods, and a chance to WIN A FLAT SCREEN TV!!!! Donated by Autumn Leaves Memory Care.

Where: Family Alliance, Inc. 2028 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098

When: Thursday, June 17th 9AM-1PM

For more information call Family Alliance at 815-338-3590

Content Courtesy of CharlieRose.com

(June 2nd, 2010)

The Charlie Rose Brain Series explores one of sciences final frontiers, the study of the human brain.

Over the next year Charlie will interview the most knowledgeable scientists and researchers in hopes of illuminating a new topic of study. Each monthly episode will examine different subjects of the brain, including perception, social interaction, aging and creativity.

We will also look at scientific discovery and advances in technology, in the hope that someday terrible illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s will be history.

Our special colleague on this journey is Dr. Eric Kandel.
He is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist and professor at Columbia University. He’s also affiliated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

He received the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2000 for his research into the biological mechanisms of learning and memory.

Upcoming Shows 

May 26: The Anxious Brain  (To view this past episode online, visit the Charlie Rose website)

June 22: The Mentally Ill Brain

July 20: The Disordered Brain

September 28: The Deciding Brain

October: The Artistic Brain

November: The New Science of the Mind

Family Alliance is an Active Adult Wellness Center located in Woodstock, IL
 ”assisting mature adults to remain in their own homes and achieve resiliency in their communities…promoting independence through best-of-practice day programming, mental health services, and caregiver support….

(Tribune photo by Lane Christiansen/October 9, 2009)

(Oct. 14, 2009 – Chicago Tribune, by: Lisa Black)- Ravaged by Alzheimer’s disease, Chris Klabunde, 73, speaks very little and sometimes forgets when he has eaten his last meal. But recently he returned home, chatting up a storm about a gentle old draft horse named Woody that he had brushed and stroked at the Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Program in Richmond.

“He told everybody about it — his kids, his grandkids,” said his wife, Peggie, of Woodstock, who was amazed.

He’s one of 18 senior citizens with memory loss or dementia in McHenry County whose lives have been transformed by an equine program traditionally used to help youngsters with disabilities.

Family Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit agency in Woodstock that promotes independence for adults 55 and older, teamed up with the Main Stay stables to provide the six-week sessions. In December, the Illinois Association of Adult Day Care will honor the partners during the Governor’s Conference on Aging in Chicago.

But the future of the program is in doubt since funding provided by the McHenry County Community Foundation has run out.

“I am sure we will be resubmitting grants … to link up with McHenry County agencies,” said stable owner Sara Foszcz. “I have high hopes we will find funding.”

Client fees cover only 15 percent of the stable’s costs, with outside donations making up most of the $400,000 annual budget, she said.

Pairing horses and seniors exceeded expectations, officials said, after trained therapists allayed any concerns about mixing frail elderly with the animals.

Family Alliance regular Ron Schmoller, 73, has asked about the horses every day since his first visit, said agency caregiver Deanna Kafka. Schmoller arrived recently with a loaf of French bread that he fed Woody.

Nearby, Franziska “Fran” Clemons, 64, laughed heartily as she recalled how a horse greeted her for the first time.

“I said, ‘Hi, how are you?’ And he sneezed right in my face,” she said.

Carol Louise, executive director for Family Alliance, said that at first she wasn’t sure if many people would be interested in visiting the stable. The staff selected five clients with dementia who they thought would benefit.

“When they came back, all the other clients were up in arms and said, ‘We want to go, we want to go,’ ” she said. “We had to do a lottery.”

The results sometimes left staff members in tears, from the first day when a 92-year-old woman happily announced from atop a horse that she could do anything.  Another woman with dementia never smiled, Kafka said, until she went to the stables.

“She came out here with no fear, and just started brushing and brushing the horse,” Kafka said. “I have pictures of it — she has a full grin.”

The same day, the woman wrote on a paper plate the name of the horse, Blackjack, and several other words. Now she keeps a journal.

“I got goose bumps; it was just amazing,” said Kafka, adding that it’s the most effective program she has seen during seven years at the agency, especially considering the short time it took to achieve results.

Peggie Klabunde is another believer. Her husband worked 37 years as a purchase manager before he began showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Family Alliance’s day program “has been a godsend,” offering her respite and giving her husband time to socialize, she said.

She was surprised that he took to the horses so quickly.

“He said, ‘If we had a farm, I would bring a horse home,’ ” Klabunde said. “I said, ‘We’ll work on that at a later date.’ “

Take Action

Would you facilitate 10 letters from your state to your member of Congress if it increased the chance that adult day services could become covered by Medicare? Thirteen cosponsors have now been secured in the House. Legislators have told us that receiving only 10 positive letters requesting their support would move them to sponsor a Bill. Can we count on you, your family members, volunteers and participants to contact your legislators to make it happen?

The Medicare Adult Day Services Act of 2009, HR 3043 that was introduced by Representative Linda Sanchez (CA-39) now needs to be introduced in the Senate.

This legislation allows Medicare beneficiaries to use adult day service programs that are certified, licensed or accredited under an approved accreditation agency to provide post-acute services under Medicare. Medicare adult day services agencies would be required to follow the same strict regulations under the prospective agencies would be required to follow the same strict regulations under the prospective payment system and conditions of participation as Medicare-certified home health agencies.

Please urge your members of Congress and Senators to introduce and/or co-sponsor this legislation so quality adult day services could be a post-acute care option for older adults and persons with a disability.  Check out action on HB 3043 at www.house.gov. Listed below are links to the Bill, sample communication to legislators, as well as an Issue Brief. Please adapt the sample communication linked below that you can e-mail to your representatives in Congress.

Contact Senate for Medicare Adult Day Services Act
Contact Congress for Medicare Adult Day Services
Medicare Adult Day Services Bill
Medicare Adult Day Services Issue Brief

Please copy NADSA on your correspondence so we can follow up with your Representative’s office.

For more information about the Medicare Adult Day Services Bill, Contact Peter Notarstefano, NADSA Public Policy Chair, at (202) 508-9406 or email him at pnotarstefano@aahsa.org

Fore more information on the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA), log on to www.nadsa.org or contact us at info@nadsa.org, 1-877-745-1440.

Coming Soon:

Speaking Our Minds: What It’s Like to Have Alzheimer’s, Revised Edition

By: Lisa Snyder, LCSW

Gain exceptional insight into the world of the person with Alzheimer’s through this enlightening collection of first-hand accounts.  Speaking our Minds provides an unparalleled view into the day-to-day experience of Alzheimer’s through the reflections of seven diverse individuals with the disease.

$21.95 – July 2009, ISBN 978-932529-50-0

Developing Support Groups for Individuals with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation

By: Robert Yale, LCSW

This pioneering book spawned the movement to help people with Alzheimer’s disease understand, discuss, and cope with their condition.  The model has been widely replicated nationally and internationally, in such settings as Alzheimer’s Association chapters, diagnostic clinics, day programs, and assisted living communities.  Packed with clinical and administrative guidelines in a clear and comprehensive format, this book is a vital resource for all professionals starting early-stage Alzheimer’s programs.

$34.95 – 1995, ISBN – 978-1-878812-26-1

Click here to visit the Health Professional Press website for more information on these books and more like them.

**Family Alliance hosts many caregiver support groups and seminars to help caregivers learn how to find the best resources for the types of care they are providing.  We also have a caregiver resource library on-site with information and books on a variety of caregiving issues and area resources.

click here to download  (ABC News Video on Adult ‘Day Care’/Health centers)

More families are turning to this option for aging parents…

Adult day health/programming/care centers allow seniors to remain at home and in their communities, and save families and government agencies thousands of dollars each month. The Metlite October 2008 Survey estimates annual costs for long-term care in 2007 were $14,560 for Adult Day Care, $32,573 for Assisted Living, and $74,806 for Nursing Home Care.   

There are many advantages to adult day health centers beyond saving money and keeping seniors in their homes. At Family Alliance, daily activities are planned to promote socialization and interaction with other clients and staff, which unlike hiring a home health aide, keep seniors in touch with their peers and community.

FAMILY ALLIANCE ADULT DAY HEALTH SERVICES

OFFERS COST-EFFECTIVE OPTIONS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

WHO HAVE TO WORK

Our country is rapidly becoming a nation of caregivers.   According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, 44 million Americans are providing unpaid care to another adult who need some type of support because of chronic health care conditions, cognitive impairments, functional limitations, or disabilities.[i] 

A recent article from The Wall Street Journal by Kelly Green, titled “Solving the Caregiving Puzzle,” examined increasing demands placed on families and household budgets due to the growing number of senior baby boomers, as well as the influence of science and medicine helping people to live longer.[ii]  The article also identified families coping and responding with innovative options and strategies to help dependent parents or spouses stay in their homes, as well as methods to ease the burden on family caregivers.  However, according to a study by Health Management Associates, adult day care is a lesser known solution not widely understood.[iii]

Here in McHenry County, Family Alliance has offered this option for the last 27 years, and has established itself as an attractive and feasible opportunity for caregivers who need to work, thus enabling needful clients to live with their families and avoid institutional placement.  In fact, the majority of Family Alliance clients have daughters, sons or spouses who are able to maintain steady employment due to this viable option.

Tim, whose father attends five days a week, stated, “I thank God every day for Family Alliance,” and added that he wouldn’t be able to keep his job because his father has reached a point where cannot be left alone. 

Jean, whose mother has been attending Family Alliance’s Adult Day Health program for five years and works out of her home, commented that she would not be able to be as efficient in getting her work done with her mother there every day.  More importantly, she feels that her mother’s quality of life is so much better.  “Mom thrives on the stimulation and interaction with staff and other clients, which I could not provide if she was at home all day,” she explained. 

Jane, another daughter of a client who works as an RN, stated, “If mom didn’t go to your program, I couldn’t go to work, which is very necessary to our household income right now.”

With the recent downturn in the economy, the loss of retirement funds, and the need for caregivers to return to work, Family Alliance is uniquely positioned to offer the alternatives that many families may not know about.  Specifically, state money is available to subsidize qualified low and moderate income seniors over 60 to attend Adult Day Health programs.  The criterion to obtain the subsidy is based on the client’s individual income, not the families. Case managers from local case coordination units are available to do in-home assessments free of charge.  In addition, a new Family Alliance service, which was introduced this last summer, is the day room’s new hourly program, wherein caregivers can drop off a client for a number of hours with only a short advance notice.

Family Alliance is pleased to be able to provide and improvise its programs and services in response to the growing needs and demands of seniors and their caregivers, and will continue to work with families and other professionals in identifying creative and practical options that support McHenry County.   

We started this blog in hopes to raise awareness and start some dialogue on the many issues surrounding aging. We are a not-for-profit agency located in Woodstock, Illinois and we’ve been open for 27 years. We provide caregivers respite by hosting day programs for physically and mentally frail seniors, with an ultimate goal of keeping seniors in their homes longer to avoid premature placement into costly nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals.

In starting this blog, we hope to share some helpful information and make some new friends.  Check back periodically as we get this blog started, and share some of your own experiences as they pertain. You never know how your story may touch another caregiver in need of some helpful advice.