It is the season when our hearts are drawn together to experience Christmas, and many of us across this nation gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Christ among us. Some traditions start celebrating this eve by attending church and then having a special home cooked meal prepared for them as they await Santa Claus’s arrival for the children and young at heart. Others celebrate the Festival of Lights or the Winter Solaces. As we each celebrate, something stirs deep within us that I call an awakening of the Spirit that often creates a new season of hope in our lives.

Our traditions have been passed down from our family or religions. We can find solace in knowing, that there in lies a deep mystical truth for each of us to rediscover from one generation to another.

This Christmas, like many other people around the world, I will be celebrating the holiday season without someone I love. Many of our loved ones have passed into the Glorious Light of Heaven. It can be a very raw and painful experience. Personally, I am helped through this process by warm memories of Christmas past, a time of pure love and joy in my life. Sometimes I would trade anything for one more embrace, one special word, a glance or kiss. When the holiday songs begin to play I can’t help but recall childhood memories of family gatherings with grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins who helped create more beautiful memories of my life time.

Merry Christmas from Celebrating Life Ministries - by Rev Paul Funfsinn

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

Like Rev Paul Funfsinn and many of you, I too am celebrating this special season of joy and hope with my loved ones… even the loved ones who are in heaven. I miss them terribly; my Mom, Dad, and sweet Hanna. Merry Christmas to you! May you be safe, warm, happy and loved well. Know that you remain in my heart forever and are sorely missed.

Like you, I must live and be happy with my loved ones who share my side. Together we celebrate peace on earth.

Happy Holidays to you!

Carol

Are you going home for the holidays this season? Has it been several months since your last visit? Are you nervous about what you might find?

If you are an adult child or baby boomer and have an older relative that lives in another city or state, you may be going home for the holidays. This is an exciting time… maybe. You may also be a little leery of what you’ll find.. like a messy house, unkempt aging relative, food less refrigerator, disorganized meds, or maybe a very cold home.

That’s what happened to me several years ago when visiting my Dad. It was 33 degrees outside and Dad’s home must have been down to 50! burrrr.., I thought! “Dad, why is it so cold in here?” His answer was that he couldn’t get the pilot light to come on. I think he just couldn’t get down on the floor any longer to light it. Well, thank goodness that I came home. We quickly remedied that situation. And made additional plans to have someone check in on him regularly.

But if you are going home for the holidays consider taking this list along, it is very simple but a good place to start and may help you determine if your aging relative needs some help at home. Besides, it will help you find a bit of peace of mind too.

Senior Home Checklist

Happy Holidays!

Carol

If you have an elderly loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease and fear they may wander off without you knowing about it, consider giving an EmFinder, a wearable tracking device. Emfinder is reliable, secure — and nationwide.  The EmFinder takes advantage of existing, reliable network-based, cellular telephone location technology.

This technology uses advanced triangulation techniques to determine the precise location of a mobile phone, or, as in the case of EmFinders, the location of a specially designed wearable device. The target user segment are the impaired individuals at risk of wandering in the U.S. Those affected are:

Alzheimer’s — 5.2 million affected
Autism — 1.5 million affected
Down syndrome — 400,000 affected
Mental Illness — 57 million affected
Intellectual Disability — 2.5 million affected

What is EmFinders?

EmFinders is an emergency locating system that is triggered by the caregiver (not the missing person), and provides critical information for the recovery of a missing person.

Who benefits from EmFinders?

EmFinders is designed to help persons with medical impairments (like Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome or Autism) who are at risk of becoming disoriented and lost. The EmFinders device provides caregivers with peace of mind, knowing that law enforcement can quickly locate and recover their loved one should that
person wander and become lost.

Law enforcement benefits from the EmFinders device by simplifying and expediting the process of locating a missing person. Senior communities benefit because they can protect their residents and reduce their liability risks, while providing residents with maximum personal freedom.

To get more information on Emfinders, please visit MissingPatient.com.

Medicare Part D — We know many caregivers are playing an active role managing their aging parents’ medications and need to know what their plan covers. What caregivers may not know about Medicare Part D is that your loved one must enroll each year, even if they re-enroll in the same plan that they are currently enrolled in.  It’s a good idea to understand that the plan can change frequently, so please review your loved ones’ coverage to make sure their prescribed medications are still covered.

Medicare can be confusing. Most older adults that I speak with are confused about Part D. It is advised that caregivers learn and understand Medicare Part D so you can help those you are caring for. Open Enrollment ends Dec. 31st and Caring.com has resources to help caregivers understand Part D as well as select a plan that works best.

Using the Holiday Season to Assess the Needs of Aging Seniors

WHAT:

Because the holidays are a time when families gather together to celebrate and enjoy one another’s company, it’s also a perfect time for family members to determine how their aging loved ones are getting along. To help families evaluate the health and well being of their elderly relatives, the National PACE Association is holding a conference call to discuss warning signs that aging seniors might be in need of more substantive and comprehensive elder care.  An expert from a federally approved Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) will offer guidance on the kinds of behavioral and physical signs that might indicate the need for a professional geriatric assessment. In addition, the call will provide more information about the PACE model of care and its success in keeping frail elderly people in their own homes and out of institutions.

WHEN:
December 15, 2009 at 1:30 PM EST/10:30 AM PST

WHO:
Shawn Bloom, President and CEO of the National PACE Association
Cheryl Phillips, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of On Lok Lifeways and President of the American Geriatrics Society

WHERE:
Please use the following dial-in information for the teleconference call: (1-877) 343-1913 (participant ID: 888-338-6762).  The call will be moderated by an operator to allow for questions.

WHY:
During the holidays it’s not unusual for family members to notice that an elderly loved one has changed dramatically.  Yet, families and friends may not know if the changes are part of the natural aging process or something more.  More important, they may not know how these changes are affecting a senior’s ability to live independently.  This call will offer valuable information that families can use to help determine if an elderly relative needs a professional geriatric assessment.

We are seeking to engage bloggers who comment on family issues, parenting, family health, caregiving, and similar issues because of their primacy in making arrangements and decisions about health care issues.

CONTACT:  Please RSVP at RSVP@Stantoncomm.com or call Lauren Smith: (202) 223-4933