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Senior Health & Advocacy Ministries

Senior Health and Advocacy Ministries

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Articles

The Many Faces Of Suicide and Seniors

Each month I try to add an educational piece to our website for general usage, and share with the Mission Center Leaders. This is a statistically high risk month for Seniors and Suicide, and I do not share this as a topic of fear or sadness but of awareness. It is quick to review and was well done by the central coast Agency on Aging. It is a topic and resource you can share with your Priesthood and Congregational Leaders to view, discuss and be deliberate in observations and reaching out to those at risk.

Have the Conversation - a heart-to-heart with Aging Parents

As many of us prepare to spend time with older parents and family over the holidays; I have discovered a resource that you might want to list in your bulletins. www.havingtheconversation.com has a wonderful video and has other support tools about how to begin discussing needs and wishes for safe living environments. Click one of the links below to watch

Learn Continuous Chest Compression CPR with Sarver Heart Center’s Newest Video

Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks. You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed here at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. “This video is worth sharing,” said Gordon A. Ewy, MD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and one of the research pioneers who developed this method.

Sarver Heart Center’s newest video was developed to make it easy for people to learn Continuous Chest Compression CPR. Dr. Ewy is hoping the video, which is posted on YouTube, goes “viral” and gives more people the opportunity to be lifesavers. “Every day people are asked to forward e-mails to their entire contact lists. This is one e-mail link that can truly make a difference in people’s lives,” said Karl B. Kern, MD, professor of medicine at the UA College of Medicine, who chairs the Sarver Heart Center resuscitation group.

So, watch the six-minute video below; then send it to everyone in your address book. You may not get gold from a faraway land, or become thinner, richer, luckier or more popular, but you are likely to make a huge difference; perhaps saving someone’s life.

Be a Lifesaver with Continuous Chest Compression CPR

If you see someone collapse who isn’t responsive and has trouble breathing:

  1. 1. Tell someone to call 911 or make the call yourself.
  2. 2. Position the person with the back on the floor. Place the heel of one hand on the center of the chest (between the nipples) and the heel of the other hand on top of the first.
  3. 3. Lock your elbows, position your shoulders over your hands and use your upper-body weight to “fall” downward.
  4. 4. Lift your hands slightly each time to allow the chest wall to recoil.
  5. 5. Try to compress at 100 beats per minute and about 2 inches deep until emergency help arrives.

Note: Mouth-to-mouth CPR still is recommended for drowning and very small children.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Alerts

10 Symptoms of Early-Stage Alzheimer’s You Should Know

What kinds of behaviors should you expect from a loved one who has just been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease? Johns Hopkins discusses 10 common symptoms of early Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's disease is progressive, meaning it worsens over time. Alzheimer’s is also terminal, meaning all who develop it will eventually succumb to it. As Alzheimer's rides its course, it renders those who suffer from it increasingly dependent on the care of others.

This is true for all people who develop Alzheimer's, but the particular symptoms and the degree to which they show themselves vary among individuals. For convenience, the progression of Alzheimer's is often divided into three stages: early/mild, middle/moderate, and late/severe.

The symptoms and signs of Alzheimer's have been identified by observing people with Alzheimer's disease as a group. An individual may not show all of the symptoms in each stage of progression. For example, many -- but not all – Alzheimer's patients develop severe psychiatric problems, such as delusions and hallucinations. Among those who do, the symptoms appear in the middle to late stages of Alzheimer's.

It may help friends and family to familiarize themselves with the typical stages of Alzheimer's disease so that they know what to expect in the coming years. The early/mild stage of Alzheimer's is characterized by declining ability to form new memories, impaired ability to organize and manipulate complex ideas, and, sometimes, by personality changes.

Symptoms Mild Dementia/Early Stage Alzheimer's disease

  • Diminished short-term memory
  • Misplacing belongings in odd places; losing valuable belongings, like wallet or purse
  • Difficulty finding the right word: "Tip of the tongue" syndrome
  • Person seems "not himself" and shows uncharacteristic behaviors
  • Lapses in judgment
  • Difficulty with mental arithmetic and handling money
  • Disorientation in unfamiliar places or situations
  • May become apathetic or withdrawn, avoiding social situations
  • More difficulty with routine tasks at work or at home, or may take longer to complete tasks
  • Irritation or anger in response to increasing memory lapses

Specific Examples

  • Asks the same question repeatedly within the same conversation
  • Puts car keys away in refrigerator
  • Unable to recall word for "car" and then says in frustration, "The thing you drive to work in."
  • A normally shy person becomes uncharacteristically outgoing or talkative at a family gathering
  • Agrees to buy services or products he/she doesn't need from telephone sales person
  • Finds it difficult to balance checkbook or figure out correct amount of money to pay for an item while shopping
  • Forgets to eat, skips meals, or eats the same food every meal

Posted in Memory on May 10, 2010.

Events

SHAMROCK Events

SHAMROCK St. Patrick's Day Celebration

  • Saturday, March 17, 2012
    Santa Barbara Congregation
    4675 Via Los Santos, Santa Barbara, CA 93111
    10:00AM – 2:00PM
    COST: $15.00
  • Holiday Lunch
  • Education Topics
  • Entertainment

RSVP by March 12 to Denise Leichter.

To get further info on these events, please contact Denise Leichter at DeniseLeichter@CofChristLA.org or 310-403-9973.

Resources

Advocacy | Disabilities | Driving Safety | Elder Abuse | Elder Care | Health | Housing | Internet Safety | Nutrition | Taking Care of Final Business | Transportation

The links below will open in a new window.

Advocacy

Disabilities

Driving Safety

Elder Abuse

  • 24 hour Hotlines
    • LA 877-477-3646
    • Orange 800-451-5155
    • Riverside 800- 491-7123
    • Santa Barbara 805-681-4550
    • Ventura 805-654-3200

Elder Care

Nutrition

Health

Housing

Internet Safety

Taking Care of Final Business

Transportation

Join the Senior Ministry Mailing List

  • To subscribe, send an email to: SeniorMinistry-subscribe@CofChristLA.org A confirmation message will be sent to that email address. When you receive it, simply reply to it to complete the transaction.
  • To post a message to the list, send an email to: SeniorMinistry@CofChristLA.org Only those subscribed, may post a message to the mailing list.
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  • To report problems with the mailing list, send an email to: SeniorMinistry-owner@CofChristLA.org Please include a FORWARDED list message with ALL HEADERS intact to make it easier to help you.

Shamrock Newsletters

Archives

Denise Leichter

Contact Information

Denise Leichter, RN SCMC Staff
Santa Barbara Pastor and
Senior Health & Advocacy Minister
17125 Hart Street
Lake Balboa, CA 91406
(818) 996-4709 (310) 403-9973 Cell


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