March 2015 | In This Issue:
Family Connection with Title
Who Are The Frail Elderly?

frail elderly

We know it when we see it, but what does it really mean to say someone is "frail?" Can frailty be prevented? Can it be cured?
 

People who are frail "are thin and weak. They have no energy. They tire easily. Their walking speed is agonizingly slow," says geriatrician, Ava Kaufman, in a 2012 Washington Post article, Frailty is a medical condition, not an inevitable result of aging. "They aren't really ill, at least not with any identifiable diseases. But they aren't well, either." Thirty years ago "we couldn't put our finger on a specific diagnosis or problem,'' says Kaufman. "We didn't have a word for it then."
 

What is Frailty?

In the past, frailty was considered a diagnosis but now is understood to be a result of a number of conditions that, when combined together, can cause an individual to become increasingly weak. Because it typically gets worse over time, frailty has serious consequences for the individual including the likelihood of suffering a disabling fall, having reduced immunity to illnesses and ability to recover, hospitalizations, and death. "Putting a frail person in the hospital often is the beginning of the end,'' Kaufman says.
 

"The symptoms [of frailty] are linked together in a vicious cycle,'' says Linda P. Fried, dean of the Columbia University School of Public Health. In 2001, Fried and research colleagues were the first to define the physical characteristics of frailty in a paper... 

 

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Dear Sheila
Grandma Needs Tough Love   
Sheila McKannay, Vice President of Client Care
     

Sheila McKannay

Dear Sheila,

My 82-year-old grandmother fell and broke her hip and after surgery was in a rehab center for 3 weeks. Her physical therapist told her it was important that she walk every day and also gave her exercises to do at home. The problem is grandma refuses to do any type of exercise. She says it hurts and she wants us to take care of her. When she asks me to do something that I know she could do for herself I feel bad saying "no" so I just do it. The physical therapist comes once a week and yesterday told us that grandma is becoming weaker rather than stronger and could even end up in a wheelchair! I feel bad so I help her but then she doesn't get better, and I feel guilty. What should I do?
~Guilty Granddaughter

 

Dear Granddaughter,
You are sweet and loving -- but you'll help your grandmother more by encouraging her to get up and move about. I understand that you feel badly, but you can still give her love and attention without giving in to her. Even though a hip fracture can be scary and painful, immediately following surgery, the hospital therapists had your grandmother up and walking and this continued at the rehab facility. The visiting physical therapist and you should be working on... 

 

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If you have a care question for Sheila, please send it to her at

DearSheila@familyresourcehomecare.com 

Superior Service
Clients and Families Talk About Their Caregivers 
    

Caregiving

It means so much to us to receive the amazing feedback we get about our caregivers:


From a Thankful Child
We had the pleasure of having Susan M. as my father's full-time caregiver for almost two years. We want to express how extremely fortunate we were to have her in our lives. She took such loving care of my father, even when he was in a difficult mood. She was a true blessing and a very kind hearted person. Even though we no longer see her every day, she will forever be considered part of our family.


From a Grateful Husband
Thank you to caregivers Cenen P. and Doris C. who provided much-needed support during a very difficult end-of-life situation with my wife. They were professional, compassionate and cheerful and worked extremely well with both home health nurses and family caregivers. With their kind and compassionate care and help, I was able to honor my wife's desire to live her final days at home.

 

From an Appreciative Son... 

 

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Sometimes the best move
is to stay right where you are.
 
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