Try: Use this sheet to document activites that are causing the Care recipient (cr) pain the level of pain and pain management strategies over time keeping a pain journal will help you document the cr cr’s progress in managing pain date ____ time when pain occurred ____ a m p m ask the cr to rate the pain on a scale of 0 no pain to 10 severe pain ____ where is the pain ____ what was the cr doing when the pain started _ what did you or the cr do to control the pain ___ did this work yes ____no ____ information references adapted from www palliativecare org au "pain management diary sample" by agency for healthcare research and quality no date

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Categories: Medical Physical, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Immobile, Independence, No Supervision, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision

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Keywords: Pain painful pain journal pain diary palliative

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Use this sheet to document the cr cr’s daily fatigue level activities that make the cr feel fatiqued and strategies or activities that make the cr feel less fatigued over time keeping a fatigue journal may help you and the cr better recognize and control fatigue date ____ time when fatigue occurred ____ a m p m rate the cr cr’s fatigue on a scale of 0 no fatigue to 10 high fatigue _ did the cr have a restful sleep last night yes ____ no ____ what was the cr doing when he or she started feeling fatigued ___ what did the cr do to feel less fatigued _____ did this help yes ____no ____ information references adapted from www mssociety ca "living well with ms managing fatigue" by lauren b krupp no date

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Categories: Medical Physical, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance

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Keywords: Fatigue journal fatigue diary tired fatigue worn out exhaustion exhausted

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Alcoholism is becoming more common in older care recipients cr the following is a list of physical symptoms doctors can look for when diagnosing alcoholism bruises abrasions and scars in locations that might suggest frequent falls bumping into objects physical altercations or other violent behavior cigarette burns on the fingers flushed or florid faces jerky eye movement or loss of central vision damage to nerves causing numbness and tingling hypertension particularly systolic gastrointestinal or other bleeding cirrhosis or other evidence of liver impairment such as edema in the lower extremities and other signs of fluid retention additional symptoms to look for in the cr are sleep complaints observable changes in sleep patterns unusual fatigue malaise daytime drowsiness apparent sedation seizures malnutrition muscle wasting depression and or anxiety unexplained complaints about chronic pain incontinence urinary retention difficulty urinating poor hygiene and self-neglect unusual restlessness or agitation complaints of blurred vision or dry mouth unexplained nausea and vomiting or gastrointestinal distress change in eating habits slurred speech tremors or motor uncoordination information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Substance abuse addiction

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Alcohol abuse is becoming more common in older care recipients cr it is important to recognize the different impact alcohol has on women than men alcohol has a stronger impact on women alcohol is more damaging to a woman’s liver than a man’s women develop liver disease in a much shorter time than men do and after drinking less women can increase their risk of breast cancer if they drink as little as one ounce of alcohol per day risks increase as drinking increases these differences between men and women may be related to women’s lower body water content body weight and stomach enzymes following are some additional facts caregivers should know about women and alcohol women become intoxicated more quickly women’s health problems are more serious women have increased risk for heart disease ulcers osteoporosis pancreatitis and memory loss women are twice as likely to die of alcohol related diseases more women develop drinking problems later in life than do men women are less likely to be diagnosed with alcoholism or receive alcoholism treatment information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Substance abuse addiction women

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Some care recipients cr struggle with prescription drug abuse the following are things to look for in the cr that may indicate addiction loss of control over the use of the drug continues use despite problems associated with use denial of the problem attempts to control use of the drug ultimately fail the true intent is to alter mood not treat a diagnosed illness the drug makes life worse not better increased dishonesty and defensiveness develops sobriety requires specific chemical dependency treatment information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Substance abuse addiction

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Addiction is increasing common in older care recipients cr the following are some of the most common myths and misconceptions about addiction in older crs it’s his last pleasure let him drink addiction is never pleasurable for the person addiction is a thief robbing older adults of their relationships with children grandchildren and friends it steals dignity and health the true joy of life returns when the cr becomes sober the problem is temporary she drinks to deal with her grief loneliness insomnia etc crs drink for many different reasons drinking to solve problems is always unhealthy alcohol only masks the problem and prevents people from implementing solutions if the drinking stops the problem still exists the cr is too old to change older adults have the highest success rate in treatment of any age group believing people of a certain age cannot recover is incorrect it it’s unlikely someone the cr’s age will become addicted to alcohol or other drugs addiction doesn’t discriminate based on age the aging body is more susceptible to the effects of drugs which may cause addiction to occur more quickly you can’t help a cr until he wants help most addicted crs die before reaching out for help on their own many crs will not seek help until family or friends intervene information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Addiction misconceptions

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Alcoholism is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages often alcoholism impacts drinker drinker’s health personal relationships and social standing the disease is often progressive and fatal in a Care recipient (cr) it is characterized by impaired control over drinking preoccupation with the drug alcohol use of alcohol despite adverse consequences and a distortion in thinking most notably denial when the focus is solely on the aging population the american medical association expands this definition to say "the onset or continuation of drinking behavior that becomes problematic because of physiological or psychological changes that occur with aging including increased sensitivity to alcohol effects " alcoholism in the elderly may go unnoticed because of isolation or the belief that the elderly are not at risk information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Alcoholism substance abuse

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Addiction is increasing common in older care recipients cr the signs of alcohol abuse and medication dependence can be different in the elderly than in younger people older crs often drink at home alone so no one notices the severity of the problem many older adults are retired so they don’t have work related problems due to their chemical dependency the following signs and symptoms are typical of older crs with an alcohol or other drug problem prefers attending events where drinking is accepted such as luncheons happy hours and parties drinks in solitary hidden from others is drinking more than before is drinking the same or less yet still experiencing problems makes a ritual of having drinks before with or after dinner becomes annoyed when this ritual is disturbed has lost interest in activities and hobbies that used to bring pleasure drinks in spite of warning labels on prescription drugs suffers from alcohol-related health problems has bottles of tranquilizers on hand and takes them at the slightest sign of disturbance is often intoxicated or slightly tipsy and sometimes has slurred speech secretly disposes of large volumes of empty beer and liquor bottles suffers from tremors and shakes makes excuses to keep liquor in the house guests special occasions etc drinks despite health problems frequently expresses a wish to die often has the smell of liquor on his or her breath or uses mouthwash to disguise it is neglecting personal appearance and gaining or losing weight complains of constant sleeplessness loss of appetite or chronic health problems that seem to have no physical cause has unexplained burns or bruises and tries to hide them seems more hostile or resentful than usual neglects home bills pets can’t handle routine chores and paperwork without making mistakes has irrational or undefined fears and delusions or seems under unusual stress seems to be losing his or her memory falls asleep during conversations appears to be depressed calls at odd hours has problems with urinary incontinence suffers from heart arrhythmia is less involved in activities during evening hours information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Addiction warning signs

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Osteoporosis is increasingly common in older care recipients cr the cr should be aware of the risk factors for osteoporosis if the cr knows the risk factors she can possibly reduce risk the following are the most common risk factors family history osteoporosis seems to run in families if parents or close relative had problems with osteoporosis the cr is at risk of reduced bone mass and fractures sex women are four times more likely than men to get osteoporosis but men also suffer from osteoporosis age the risk of osteoporosis increases with age women over the age of 50 have the greatest risk of developing osteoporosis while a cr at any age can get osteoporosis the older the person is the more at risk they are bone structure and body weight petite and thin women have a greater risk of developing osteoporosis weight loss after age 50 in women also seems to increase the risk of hip fractures weight gain decreases the risk small-boned thin men have a greater risk of osteoporosis than men with larger frames and more body weight history of fractures having one fracture increases the chance of that the cr will have more fractures in the future smoking smoking increases the risk of fractures cigarette smokers generally have lower bone density medications some medications may increase your risk of osteoporosis a doctor can advise the cr of the risks with medication information references webmd com

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Osteoporosis risk

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Some older care recipients cr are forgetful or struggle with absent-mindedness absent-mindedness is where a cr shows inattentive or forgetful behavior it can have three different causes a low level of attention blanking or zoning out intense attention to a single object of focus hyperfocus that makes a cr oblivious to events around him or her; or unwarranted distraction of attention from the object of focus by irrelevant thoughts or environmental events absent-mindedness is a mental condition in which the subject experiences low levels of attention and frequent distraction absent-mindedness is not a diagnosed condition but rather a symptom of boredom and sleepiness which people experience in their daily lives when suffering from absent-mindedness crs tend to show signs of memory lapse and weak recollection of recently occurring events this can usually be a result of a variety of other conditions often diagnosed by clinicians such as add and depression in addition to absent-mindedness leading to an array of consequences affecting the cr’s daily life it can have as more severe long-term problems it is important to not just ignore absent-mindedness in the cr treatment can often improve the cr’s situation information references

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Categories: Medical Physical

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Keywords: Absentmindedness forgets

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed