COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019 | 9A
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and Gift Boutique
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119 South 6th Street • 541-942-0505
How to choose a dementia caregiver
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To-Go Orders Welcome
541-636-3692
OPEN
10AM-11PM
EVERYDAY
85944 Hwy. 99S, Goshen, OR 97405
frenchysgoshen.com
Fall Heating
Tune-Up
Only
$119*
We’ll make sure your system is running effectively and effi ciently.
Call for details and an appointment today,
and beat the winter rush!
Complete Heating & Cooling System Service
Reasonable Rates • All Work Guaranteed
Comprehensive Family
Medical Eye Care and
Optical Services
Welcome
Anthony
Grillo, MD
A southern
Oregon native,
Dr. Grillo is a
board-certified
ophthalmologist
specializing in
cornea, external
disease, and
refractive surgery.
Call for an
appointment today!
Call 541-942-5000
257 N. 8th St. • www.pcvi.com
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
Official LASIK and
Eye Doctors of the
Oregon Ducks and
Eugene Emeralds
SOUTH LANE COUNTY
FIRE & RESCUE
The Only Emergency
Medical Transport
Service
in South Lane County
When a loved one is di-
agnosed with dementia, a
family’s life can turn upside
down. In such situations,
families may not know
much about the disease, in-
cluding what to expect with
treatment and how soon
before the dementia patient
begins to need care that the
family cannot capably pro-
vide.
Over time, dementia pa-
tients’ loved ones are likely
to benefit from the exper-
tise and assistance of qual-
ified dementia caregivers.
It can be overwhelming for
loved ones to offer the right
level of care for someone
who is unable to perform
the activities of daily liv-
ing. Bathing, medication
management, dressing, and
feeding are often very diffi-
cult for dementia patients.
The Alzheimer’s Asso-
ciation says that provid-
ing good care for someone
with dementia goes beyond
meeting basic needs. It also
means finding caregivers
who treat the whole person
and provide an environ-
ment that can enable the
person to be safe yet inde-
pendent.
In order to get started,
one should first assess the
needs of their loved one
with dementia. How many
services he or she will re-
quire depends on wheth-
er that person can use the
bathroom, walk, eat, or
bathe independently. Alz.
org says care needs tend to
be lesser in the early stag-
es of dementia. However,
during the middle and end
stages of dementia, 24-hour
supervision and potential-
ly more intensive medical
care may be necessary.
Some families start with
a visiting caregiver who
can come to the house. For
example, a service like Vis-
iting Angels is certified to
offer care according to ad-
vanced dementia care pro-
tocols after working with
leading dementia special-
ists. Caregivers may offer
companionship and help-
ful reminders. Others may
assist clients with personal
tasks. One key aspect of
dementia care is preventing
wandering. Alz.org indi-
cates that six in 10 people
with dementia will wan-
der. A person with Alzhei-
mer’s may not remember
his or her name or address
and can become disorient-
ed, even in familiar places.
Caregivers can put proto-
cols in place to help reduce
wandering. Alert bracelets
and GPS tracking devices
can help in this regard as
well.
At some point, caregivers
can help families transition
someone with dementia
to nursing facilities with
memory care divisions. So-
cial workers and other aides
may help families navigate
the legalities of medical
insurance and long-term
care insurance as well as
government assistance pro-
grams that may help offset
the costs of more intensive
care.
It’s never too soon to de-
velop a care plan for some-
one with dementia. Qual-
ified and compassionate
caregivers can help ease the
burden of dementia on pa-
tients and their families.
Staying Safe and Warm
Like it or not, here it comes
again: winter, along with
snow and ice in many parts
of the country. As seniors
we need to take extra steps
to stay safe, warm and
healthy during cold weath-
er.
Investigate now whether
your grocery store delivers.
Groceries brought to your
door can be a wonderful
help when you can’t get out.
Also keep on hand a few
days’ worth of extra canned
goods such as beans, fruits
and vegetables, as well as
cereals.
Start now to find indoor
walking locations, espe-
cially if you get lots of snow
and ice. Enclosed malls
often open early to allow
walkers. Look for local in-
door tracks, perhaps as part
of the parks and rec depart-
ment. As incentive to keep
to a routine, corral a few
friends who also want to
walk on a regular basis. If
nothing else, use the aisles
of the big box stores or ask
about senior fees at the
YMCA.
Remember to get out
among people. It’s healthier
for us to have social con-
nections so we don’t feel
isolated, which can lead to
depression. Look for an in-
teresting weekly group to
join. Call others to check in
on days you can’t get out.
Check your supply of warm
winter clothing. A hat, coat
and gloves are a good place
to start, followed by socks
and a scarf. Remember to
dress in loose layers that
trap body heat. Hypother-
mia and frostbite can affect
us faster than when we were
younger. Put a thermom-
eter outside your door or
window so you know what
to expect.
Be sure you have enough
batteries and flashlights in
case of a power outages.
Contact the National En-
ergy Assistance Referral
service at 1-866-674-6327
if you have trouble paying
your heating bill, or think
you will. Call them sooner
rather than later, as many
organizations have a set
budget amount each year.
Hand Sanitizers and the Flu
With flu season just
around the corner, there’s
a new wrinkle to staying
healthy this winter. Our old
standby, the antiseptic hand
sanitizer, has been found to
not work as well as we be-
lieved, especially with the
influenza A strain. It’s all in
how we use it, according to
a recent study.
First, choose a hand san-
itizer that is at least 60%
alcohol. Be sure to cover
your whole hands, includ-
ing nails. If you come in
contact with wet mucus
(from a sneeze or cough),
it takes the sanitizer a full
four minutes to kill the flu
virus. (How many of us use
sanitizer for four minutes?
Not many.) Dry mucus (for
example, on a shopping
cart handle) takes less time.
Hand washing, however,
takes only 30 seconds to kill
the flu virus and is thought
to be more effective than
using sanitizer.
Here are some ideas for
flu season:
-- Does your grocery
store deliver to your home
or the parking lot? This will
reduce your exposure.
-- Take some antisep-
tic wipes in a plastic bag-
gie when you go out. Use
them on the cart handles
in stores. Carry a small re-
fillable bottle of hand sani-
tizer.
-- Wash your hands thor-
oughly when you get home.
-- Once a week (or more
often) wrap hand wipes
around door knobs at home
and let them dry overnight.
The biggest step we can
take is to get a flu shot. The
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention suggests the
high-dose flu vaccine for
seniors because it creates a
stronger immune response,
24% higher than the stan-
dard vaccine. There’s also
an adjuvanted and a recom-
binant vaccine (not made
with eggs). Ask your doc-
tor which you should get.
Remember that it takes a
few weeks for the vaccine to
take effect.
You Can Count on Us!
We provide prompt and reliable, public
transportation. Our experienced, courteous drivers
will take you to appointments on time.
FREE Special Event
DEMENTIA SUPPORT
Call 541-942-4493 for info.
FOR EMERGENCY DIAL 911
Serving South Lane County.
www.southlanefi re.org
Medical Offi ces • Pharmacies
✓Serving the Communities of South Lane County
South Lane Wheels
1450 Birch Ave, Cottage Grove
southlanetransit.com
541-942-0456
Disclaimer: All vehicles are operated in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. South Lane Wheels complies with
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Information about the transit agency, including information in non-English alternative
formats, may be obtained by calling 541-942-0456 or rlinoz@southlanewheels.com
Learn the symptoms of DEMENTIA, including
ALZHEIMER’S, and learn how to support loved ones and
friends who live with dementia.
Wednesday October 23rd – 6:30 p.m.
For more information call:
Linda LaZar (541) 942-0054
1425 Daugherty Ave • Cottage Grove
Refreshments will be served