Seems like everyone is stressed or in major activity overload these days!!

I thought it would be timely to share some techniques to remind us how easy it is to turn away from on-going tension.See if you can turn low moods into joyful moments by incorporating some of the following into your home and work life, sharing these with the folks with whom you come in contact, like caregivers and older adults who sometimes get tunnel vision. See what a session on humor does to your next group with these clients/customers/colleagues.
Here we go:
1. Make a joy journal, listing the gifts that come to you each day, for example, smiles, finding something, a pleasant event, a joke.
2. Take “healing breaks” — at least 20 a day (30 seconds, to 1 minute each).
3. Give yourself a “standing ovation.”
4. Be a child, play with toys, wear a tiara, blow bubbles.
5. Surround yourself with funny pictures of yourself and your family.
6. Have a positive party funded by negative people. Negative remarks throw $1 into a positive pot and use the money every couple of months to do something fun. (We can’t keep negativity out of our lives, but we can turn the inevitable upsets into positives.)
7. Pretend you are in control.
8. Place a mark on your body to show where you have “had it up to.”
9. Too much to do? Complain loudly (you will get further behind, but you’ll feel better, and….your party collection will increase).
10. Whine — do a group, family or friend whine.
11. Breathe and let go.
12. Do not sweat the small stuff, it’s all small stuff.
Enjoy this list. Copy it, distribute it and most importantly, use it!!
Try something you would not expect yourself to do. Surprise yourself! Life comes at us, and all we can do is choose how to respond. Give those around you the gift and it might even be returned.

If nothing else,  spouses and/or their adult children of older adults should make note of these three most critical areas which, if changes are noticed, next steps need to be planned.

Safety...have there been fires in the kitchen, calls from a parent who has gotten lost in their car, unreported accidents or more than one fall in the bathroom??

Mood..have you seen your older family withdrawing from previously enjoyed activities, or increasingly isolating themselves?  Are they blue, eating less, sleeping poorly,   and appear to feel  hopeless?

Cognition…have they shown signs of losing skills they once were capable of (washing the clothes, setting the security alarm, setting up and/or taking  their medications as prescribed?)

These are examples within the top 3 most important changes that should alert you to call a family meeting, observe these changes more closely and see if professional assistance…geriatric social worker, geriatrician, neurologist…might be needed to do a preliminary evaluation.

Waiting will only narrow your options….act now!

Today’s St. Louis Post Dispatch had an interesting article on the topic of the importance early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and the  possible treatments available, that can reduce some of the early symptoms.  It goes on to speak to the fact that over half of those struggling with this or a related condition do not seek professional guidance, nor do they bring this to their doctor’s attention for referral to a geriatrician.  See the full article here.. http://tinyurl.com/ngk8ma

Caring for family members who are showing signs of memory loss can be very difficult. This article points to the fact that over half of those struggling with this condition do not get help. Avoidance of a diagnosis has two downsides. Firstly, medication and referrals to community resources are less likely accessed if the person with the memory loss is not seen by a geriatrician or multidisciplanary team of geriatric professionals. Secondly, the family is unnecessarily struggling alone, until they reach out to the Alzheimer’s Association or other local eldercare resource.

For both these reasons, I hope this excellent article has helped at least one family make up their mind to make an appointment with their doctor sooner than later. Everyone wins. Staying in the dark only extends the period of time a family unnecessarily goes through this alone. Sylvia Nissenboim, LCSW