The Connecticut Elder Law Blog

Keep Worrying!

If you find yourself ruminating over the state of the economy, the upcoming presidential election, oil prices, etc., then just remember that there's a bright side to everything.  In this case, it's a lower chance of suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

The results of an Israeli study were recently presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, which indicated that those who spent a great deal of time worrying about work and family were significantly less likely to develop dementia later in life than those who live a more carefree, happy-go-lucky existence. 

The theory is that although stressing out about such things is certainly no fun, it nonetheless stimulates the brain.  There is a great deal of past research which indicates that the mind is like a muscle; the more exercise it gets the better it performs.

Click here for more on this fascinating study.

Effective Communication with the Elderly

First of all, my apologies for the long absence.  A two-week trip to New Hampshire with the family, directing the Living Well Summer Racing Series in Glastonbury, CT and a very busy month at the law practice has forced a temporary blogging hiatus.  But things are at least starting to settle down a bit...

Today I would like to sincerely thank Fiona King for directing me to a fascinating article on RNCentral.com which contains 50 tips for caregivers on how to effectively communicate with their loved one.

The article draws attention to the fact that the success of a caregiver's interaction with their elderly patient depends strongly on how well they communicate.  Certainly, the elderly present a much different audience as compared to younger individuals.  Therefore, dramatically adjusting your communication style becomes very important.  Things like raising the normal volume of your voice, slowing down the speed at which you usually speak, minimizing distractions in the environment, a gentle touch on the arm to get attention...these are excellent ways to enhance the quality of communication with an elderly person.

The article is geared toward RN's, but it's still a fantastic resource for caregivers and children of elderly parents.  And, although I'm not in either of those categories yet, I certainly plan to use these techniques when I chat with my next elderly client!

Click here to see the whole article and enjoy the read.

Thanks again, Fiona!