Changing perceptions

In the past, when I heard the word "hospice" (usually in a whisper), I immediately thought, "Oh no, this person only has a short amount of time."

However, I recently attended a meeting where I learned about many wonderful services our local Hospice offers for those who have been diagnosed with a terminal/life-threatening illness.  In some cases, Hospice services can span several years, in addition to the end of life comfort and care they are known for.

A new term Palliative Care was also discussed.   Palliative Care?  What's that?  It's a tough word to pronounce, what with all the "ll's" and double vowels! 

 The World Health Organization defines Palliative Care as:

An approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual. Palliative care:

• provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms;
• affirms life and regards dying as a normal process;
• intends neither to hasten or postpone death;
• integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care;
• offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death;
• offers a support system to help the family cope during the patients illness and in their own bereavement;
• uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling, if indicated;
• will enhance quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of illness;
• is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications.

In short, Palliative Care = Comfort Care.

Integrative (Complementary) Medicine was introduced.  Here's the WHO definition of Traditional and Complementary Medicine:

*  Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine is the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.

*  Complementary/alternative medicine (CAM)

The terms "complementary medicine" or "alternative medicine" are used inter-changeably with traditional medicine in some countries. They refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country's own tradition and are not integrated into the dominant health care system.

IM/CAM combines a variety of complementary principles and practices with conventional medicine.  It employs the best of all medical modalities, focusing on mind, body, spirit and emotions.  Integrative Medicine treats the whole person and reaffirms the practitioner-patient relationship and caring presence.   Such methods include:

*  Acupuncture              *  Aromatherapy              *  Biofeedback              *  Cupping

*  Energy Medicine (Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch & Reiki, Trigger Point Therapy, Conscious Breathwork, Guided Imagery, Mind/Body Practices for Relaxation)

The speakers told several patient success stories, not that the person was cured of their illness, but that they experienced less pain and were able to enjoy their time to the fullest.

A Reiki Master shared what she does to help patients that she sees in the clinic or their homes and also told us about The Five Reiki Principles:

Perhaps with more education, people's perceptions of Hospice will change, and the care and  services each organization offers will be welcomed sooner.

For more information on how A Stress-Less Transition, LLC can help you or an older adult, please visit our website.

Super Hero!

                       “Look!  Up in the sky! 

                             “It’s a bird!”

                             “It’s a plane!”

                             “No, it’s a Senior Move Manager!”

                             “A what??”

                             “A Senior Move Manager!”

Disguised as a mild-mannered business owner, a Senior Move Manager can:

• Move mom into Memory Care in a single day!
• Disperse 30 years of Dad’s accumulations!
• Calm the most overwhelmed adult child!
• Fight the never-ending battle for TRUTH, JUSTICE and Older Adults!
• And boldly go where no other dare …  Granny’s underwear drawer!

Senior Move Managers are professionals that assist older adults and their families with the emotional and physical aspects of a later-in-life transition  (i.e. aging in place, downsizing, moving to an assisted living facility or when a loved one passes away).

But in real life, we are more like SUPER HEROES and come to the rescue when:

  *  Older adults & family are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin

  *  Family lives out of the area and doesn't know the local resources.  

  *  A crisis situation has occured like being discharged from the hospital or rehab earlier than expected. 

  *  Dementia has progressed to the point where a person can't live at home anymore.  

  *  There is no family to help.

A Senior Move Manager can do as much or as little as needed such as:

• Organize, sort and downsize to prepare for a move
• Creating customized floor plans – recommending just what will fit
• Disperse unwanted items (to family, to sell, to donate and yes, to the trash)
• Discover forgotten things that might have sentimental or monetary value
• Pack, Move, Set-up new residence
• De-clutter existing space for safer and easier access
• Clear out a home to be sold or renovated
• Recommend related services such as cleaning, junk removal, shredding, home health, attorneys, realtors, estate sale and appraisal professionals, etc
• Facilitate into/out of state move

Why work with Senior Move Manager:

• Can help reduce the stress for the older adult & family by taking care of all the details and knowing who to call
• Neutral third party who guides older adults through the decision-making process about their things. 
• Can have difficult conversation about value of things
• Is patient, compassionate, and respectful when helping older adults and families
• Does what the older adult can’t do, doesn’t want to do or doesn’t have time to do
• Have vetted service providers to ensure licensed, bonded, good track record

Most importantly….by adding a Senior Move Manager to the team, the family can focus on needs of their loved one.

To find a Super Hero in your area, visit the 

National Association of Senior Move Managers

Condo Cleanout - A before and after pictorial

This is a before and after pictorial of what is becoming a common situation for many of the families that contact A Stress-Less Transition, LLC for help**.

Scenario:

This is the story of an 89 year old woman who had been widowed for nearly 25 years and lived in this condo for 30+ years.  She surrounded herself with many fine things (art, decor, and furniture) and based on the clothes in her closet, would "dress to the nines" even if she was going to the grocery store.  Her only living relatives were out of state so she didn't seem them that often.  In recent years, she began to isolate herself from them.  During that time, "life happened" and her dementia progressed dramatically.  

After a stay in the hospital, the family decided she would be safer and would get the assistance she needed in a memory care community.  A Stress-Less Transition, LLC put a plan in place.  Upon departing the hospital, she went right to her new home where it was was ready and waiting with many of the lovely things she was used to having around her.   

Working with a senior move management company like A Stress-Less Transition, LLC to handle all the details of a loved one's move, reduces the stress that naturally comes with a later in life transition not only for the older adult but their family.  In addition, we are able to connect families with resources they might need (financial planner, care manager, realtor, CPA, etc.)

** How did A Stress-Less Transition, LLC help?  (Well, a good magician never reveals their secret and neither do we.)  But we got her things packed-up, moved and set up in her new space and found good homes for all the accumulations left behind.  :o)

For more information on how A Stress-Less Transition, LLC can help you or an older adult, please visit our website.

"Survey Says..."

In the words of the famous game show host, Richard Dawson, "Survey Says...".

But this post has nothing to do with the "Family Feud", Richard Dawson or any real life survey results.

This blog entry is about the number one comment I get from people when I tell them about A Stress-Less Transition.    

"Survey Says":  

Where were you x months ago when I was dealing with my relative???

Part of my responsibility as a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers is to educate others on this relatively new industry.  We are dedicated to assisting older adults and families with the physical and emotional demands of downsizing, relocating or modifying their homes.  While the industry is new, the challenge of transitioning an older adult is not.  Helping to make people aware of all the services available to seniors is also an important part of our commitment.  

A Stress-Less Transition serves the Tampa area (Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties) and is a trusted resource for older adults and families.  Our mission is to alleviate much of the anxiety that naturally comes with a later-in-life move to a retirement community by handling all the details.  We also help families with the daunting task of figuring out what to do with a houseful of furniture and belongings when a loved one goes into a nursing home or passes away.  Taking care of the details of a transition is just one of the ways we can free up time for families to focus on their loved one.

We have built relationships in the Tampa Bay area with other senior-sensitive professionals (elder law attorneys, geriatric care managers, bankers, financial planners, Realtors, appraisers, etc.) who are experts in their fields and who can help older adults and their adult children.  We have also spent time learning about the many communities in the area (independent living, assisted living, memory care, etc.) as well as the many agencies that offer home care services (health, skilled nursing and companion care), in order to make informed suggestions.  

While every Senior Move Manager runs their business a little differently, there are people around the country dedicated to helping older adults and families.  To find a Senior Move Manager near you, please visit the NASMM website.  

For more information on how A Stress-Less Transition, LLC can help you or an older adult, please visit our website.