A big thanks to all the volunteers of Chicago Bridge including the leadership core past and present, all the event coordinators, the sponsers who provided us food and meeting space for our events, the Chicago Bridge blog writers and editors, the mentors and the mentees, all the members who posted thoughts, discussions, jobs and information in the field of aging on the Chicago Bridge Google Group.

Leadership Review

We started the year with the first every Year End Event held in January 2011: Organized by Alix Burns and the Support and Social Group of the Chicago Bridge. The event..

• Had about 40 people attend the event last January that was held at the Irish American Heritage Center
• Celebrated all the hard work that participants put in to make the Chicago Bridge a success in 2010
• Had four generations of Chicago Bridge leadership at this event
• 2011 marked a year for new leaders of the Chicago Bridge. Learn about the leadership at http://www.thechicagobridge.org/leadership-opportunities/

Membership & Google Group Review

• 499 members total on the Chicago Bridge Google Group in 2011
• 103 new members added in 2011
• 30 new “friends of the Chicago Bridge” added in 2011
• In 2011, over 400 posts were made to the Chicago Bridge Google Group

Website, Blog & Social Media Review

• There were 10,480 visits which included 6,678 visitors to the Chicago Bridge website http://www.thechicagobridge.org/
• The top visited page of the website was the Membership Page where are new members sign up.
• 55 blog articles from 20 authors and 6 editors were published in 2011- Topics included Policy and Aging, Elder Law, Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia, Senior Housing, Creative Arts Therapies, Medicare and much more.
• The three most viewed blog posts of our website included; 355 views of Kristen Pavle’s article “National Health Reform: The Affordable Care Act, Includes Great Benefits for Older Adults;“ 284 views of Eric Parker’s “Seven things to expectfrom a Nursing Home;” 275 views of Jaimie Robinson’s post “Early Detection: The good the bad and the big questions”
• 100 people LIKE the Chicago Bridge Facebook page- if you haven’t yet, find us at The Chicago Bridge in Facebook groups or click here
• Our Linkedin Group Page grew from 73 members to 204 (131 increase) in 2011- join us on Linkedin today!

Mentorship Program Review

• Launched 2nd cohort with 13 Mentorship Matches (13 Mentors and 13 Mentees)
• Streamlined application process and introduced initial launch event at start of Program
• Kristen Pavle and Gayle Shier presented at the American Society on Aging conference.
• Shared Mentorship Program materials with other emerging aging professional groups across the country for program development/replication purposes
• Recruited 2 new Mentorship Program Coordinators (Lyndsey Anton and Emily Shubek) to assist with Program coordination and implementation for cohort 3 and beyond

Events Review

• The Chicago Bridge members had the opportunity to meet once a month
• 8 educational events including topics like Medicare, creative arts, learning from seasoned professional and older adults, caregiving, and multiculturalism in aging were held for all members to attend
• The Annual Leadership Launch with Resume review was held for the fourth year
• Two social events offered members a change to mingle and have some fun!

Creativity and Aging Special Interest Group

• Launched in 2011 as a way to for interested Chicago Bridge members and persons in the field of aging and creative arts community to exchange ideas, network, support one another’s work, collaborate, and help connect the field aging to the arts and the arts to aging.
• Held planning meetings throughout 2011
• Started a special Chicago Bridge Creativity and Aging Google Group
• Plans to build a resources list for creativty and aging resources on the Chicago Bridge Website

Although the weather was awful the attendance for the event provided a great forum to discuss the tsunami for aging in place recipients and the informal caregivers who provide care.

The statistics are staggering.

• In the US, for Alzheimer’s alone, there are 15 million Caregivers; as a single group they would be equivalent to the 5th largest state in the US, somewhere between Illinois and the state of Florida.
• In 2010 unpaid caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s provided 17 billion hours of unpaid care.
• The value of the unpaid services provided by unpaid family member caregivers across all aging care needs is accessed at $365 billion per year.
• Informal caregiver’s lifespan can be lessened as much as ten years due to multiple stressors such as anxiety related to care responsibilities, poor nutrition, untreated depression, lack of rest and support from the community and or family members.

Topics covered at the October Chicago Bridge Event were, when to plan for home care needs, what are the key components to have successful home care and how to prevent burn out.
Michael Lindenmayer presented on the non-profit services of the Caregiver Relief Fund and of the community based education program, Wisdom Flame. It is essential to build a team effort that includes the family, local community and professionals. Wisdom Flame focuses on helping wake people up to the issue and this mindset.

A key factor of success for building a professional team is;

• Bridging the experience gap: most families have not had professional service in the home. Caregiver Relief Fund provides timely relief and experience by coordinating services with licensed home service agencies.
• Clear expectations on both sides (the family and the professional provider).
• Cross cultural education (in most cases there will be a multi-ethnic experience between caregivers and care receivers).

Dilemma of Communication

Joe Ferguson discussed the dilemma of communication and understanding between informal caregivers with formal caregivers. There is a lack of publications and information on the dynamics of a critical relationship between the informal caregiver and the formal caregivers. There is also a critical need for this relationship to be acknowledged by professionals in the field of aging. It is not only the identified care recipient who has needs; the informal caregiver has many needs that require attention so as to enable the caregiver to provide good care. There are many assessment tools for the identified client, however more research is needed to assess the needs of the informal caregivers.

Formal Caregiver Profile

When hiring caregivers, private duty agencies place great emphasis on selecting individuals who have the right personal traits to provide high quality, relationship-based care. The most important traits that home care agencies look for in their caregivers are: compassion, positive attitudes, communication skills and patience. Private duty home care companies report the following characteristics about their caregivers:

• 93 percent are female; 7 percent are male
• 64 percent have previously cared for an elderly family member or friend
• 19 percent retired from another profession prior to becoming a caregiver
• 17 percent are first generation immigrants to the United States
• 750,000 estimated number of private duty caregivers (Not enough to meet the demand)

Key recommendations

1. Get help sooner, rather than later.
2. More evidenced based research on aging in place relationships between informal and formal caregivers.
3. Help to avert financial ruin.
4. Help to avert healthcare related issues for the unpaid family caregiver.
5. It is essential to vet in detail who the caregiver agency of choice is;
                  • Help avert the $3b per annum in elder fraud
                  • Help avert elder abuse
                  • Utilize a licensed, reviewed and professional organization vs Craig’s list

Group Discussion

Participants were able to share personal experiences of being a caregiver along with the challenges of being a family caregiver with a professional background in aging. There were questions about the differences between Home Service and Placement Agencies – see more about this below.

Requirements for IDPH Licensure

Home Services Agency               Placement Agency
Supervisory Visits                                   None
Liability Insurance                                  None
Employee Bonding                                 None
Service Documentation                         None
Annual Employee Training                   None
Service/Care Plan                                 None
Exploitation Reporting                         None
Communicable Disease Policy           None

Additional recommendations are to request drug testing, background checks and verify references.

The Panel

Many were in attendance to hear Dr. Maria Spira, Professor and Director of the Institute on Aging and Intergenerational Study and Practice Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, Darby Morhardt MSW LCSW, Phd Candidate at Loyola and Research Associate Professor and Director of Education at Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and Jaimie Robinson LCSW, Resource Navigator at Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center share their observations on the challenges within independent living communities serving older adult populations.

Identifying the Problem in Independent Senior Buildings

Spira and Morhardt presented the findings from a study they undertook when Dr. Kilbane from Loyola University School of Social Work asked them to look over the dementia policies of Evergreen Services’ housing communities. Early signs of dementia were noticed but unidentified in the seniors living independently without the benefit of social workers or therapists on staff.

The employees at independent senior housing communities often including building manager or administrator, maintenance staff or janitor, and a social service coordinator, may not intervene when residents exhibit dementia symptoms. Attempts are rarely made to stabilize a crisis by assisting with emotional difficulties and transitions.

Because these buildings are managed like any other apartment building in Chicago, it is not in the staff person’s responsibility or training to intervene in complicated cases when seniors exhibit cognitive changes and need more care.

The Educational Intervention

Loyola University, Northwestern University, and Evergreen Terrace had a brainstorming session to begin the conversation about how to help seniors with dementia living in senior independent housing situations.

Spira and Morhardt then developed a workshop for staff from all departments employed by Evergreen, including senior housing administration, social service coordinators, maintenance, and security. The workshops began with a 90-minute information session that taught how to recognize signs of dementia and to understand a little more about what cognitively impaired residents were experiencing.

Staff Person Focus Groups

Each information session was followed by a one-hour focus group. The focus groups were asked three questions;

“Who is your model tenant?”

“Who is the most challenging?”

“What would help?”

Workshop attendees described model tenants as ‘socially outgoing seniors with family who want to be involved in their care.’ The most challenging tenant was one who is paranoid and/or aggressive with no family or social support system in place. Many helpful solutions proposed by the focus groups were systemic in nature.

Staff wanted more support from supervisors, more personnel, and help from larger organizations such as the Illinois Department on Aging.

Follow Up Survey

In a follow-up survey, members who attended the workshops believed they had learned to recognize beginning stages of dementia and to be more patient with residents because they understood better what they were dealing with.

Other Buildings Same Problem

Jaimie Robinson LCSW introduced the evening’s discussion by sharing similar issues she found when observing Midway Senior Building when she was asked to speak to the residents about dementia. A similar problem was identified at the Midway building.

Group Discussion

A lively conversation followed covering a wide range of topics for further investigation. A lot of questions were raised.

• How can we use this information to change the situation?
• How can people who run these housing units be sustained to manage and provide senior independent housing?
• Where do older adults go after independent living? Is there no intermediate stage before nursing home care?

Among the things concluded, it is clear that there need to be more studies similar to the one conducted at a community level engaging all necessary groups.

The Chicago Bridge members showed great interest in this topic and we hope to hold other events addressing these issues!

Student and Emerging Professional Peer Group

My conference started with a peer group, a roundtable discussion of current topics in aging.  The Chicago Bridge was invited to help facilitate the discussion, together with representatives from other cities, including GenPhilly, Legacy from San Francisco, ASA’s Students to Emerging Professionals (STEP) interest group, and ASA’s New Ventures in Leadership program.  The room was packed (standing room only!) with Bridge members, students, and emerging professionals from all over the country and world.  We tackled big questions including finding jobs, making a career change into aging, and linking with peers for those who don’t live in a city with a robust aging network like Chicago has.  We ended by brainstorming new ways ASA can support and connect students and emerging professionals across the nation to each other and to established professionals, both in person and online.

Chicago Bridge Mentorship Program Presentation

Immediately after the peer group, Kristen Pavle and I rushed to give a conference workshop on the Chicago Bridge Mentorship Program.  We explained how the program came to be, shared lessons from the pilot, and described the improvements we’ve made for this second year of the project.  Kristen and I were joined by Phyllis Mitzen, a mentor from last year’s program, who shared her experience and talked broadly about the program’s contribution to the field of aging.  It was an honor to present to an engaged and excited audience (even if they asked some tough questions).

Student and Emerging Professional Reception

On Thursday night, we got the opportunity to relax at the Student and Emerging Professional Reception, generously hosted by ASA and the Social Work Leadership Institute at the New York Academy of Medicine. This was a casual forum for meeting other emerging professionals in the field and reconnecting with friends and colleagues who have relocated to other cities.  This event was especially exciting because it was open to all emerging professionals in the San Francisco area, even those not attending Aging in America, allowing them to benefit from the conference even though they could not attend. Chicago Bridge helped host a similar event at the conference last year with huge success.  After the similar success of this year’s event, I hope this will become a mainstay of the conference.

The Chicago Bridge Member Presentations

I certainly wasn’t the only Chicago Bridge member at the conference.  Our members and supporters presented on numerous topics every day of the conference.  We would love to hear from you if you attended. If you presented, please leave a comment and let us know about your workshop.  If you attended, we’d love to hear about your experience, too.

Special thanks to Arlene Wanetick, Chicago Bridge Blog Editor. And thanks to Dani Robles for sharing your picture with us.

On March 16, 2011 the Chicago Bridge held had a wonderful panel of professionals in the field of aging share their advice and tips on getting started in the field of aging. This event was hosted by the Methodist Home. Claudia Cook from LivHOme, Robert Mapes from Age Options, Karen Kolb from Mather Lifeways, Nicole Batsch from Alzheimer’s Association,  Amy Wiatr from the Administration on Aging, and Amy Eisenstien from Rush University’s Older Adult Programs created a wonderful panel. 

Each panelist shared their story on how they got into the field of aging and how they ended up in their current careers.  Most of the panel shared similar experiences of volunteering or working with older adults as what drew them into the field.

Volunteer on Boards &  Join Special Interest Groups

The panel had great advice for those of us who are just starting out or are about to graduate. One idea for shared by the panel is to volunteer to be a Board of a non profit that may interest you. It was suggested that being a part of a Board is a great way to network with people in the field of aging, as well as other leaders in the community.  Aside from non-profit boards, another idea is to join special interest committees of larger organizations including American Society on Aging (ASA), and of course becoming involved with the Chicago Bridge. These were great ideas to expand the professional network in the Field of Aging .

Examples of Questions Asked to the Panel

1. I would be interested in learning what drew the panelist to the field of aging; what general trends they are aware of across the field now (particular needs of older adults, or pressures within the different professions; trends across Chicago and also nationally.

One of the trends in the field of aging that was identified by the panel was the movement toward enhanced discharge planning especially in light of the Affordable Care Act and the national focus on reducing the number of hospital readmissions. The growing need for geriatric care managers, and experts on aging issues with the aging baby boomer population were also identified as growing trends.

2. Can you share information about applying for jobs. 

 These attendees asked great questions about finding jobs in the field, when their degree specialty is so new, and they might competing with social workers or other professions who are able to bill Medicare. The panel encouraged them to develop professional networks so that their particular specialty may gain more recognition. Also it was suggested for attendees to apply for mental health positions within the aging field, even when postings may specify other degrees.  

Thanks to the Panelists

It was a great night thanks to a wonderful panel and audience.  The event highlighted the usefulness of the Chicago Bridge in developing professional networks and providing opportunities for members to get involved. It was especially encouraging to hear Robert Mapes tell the group that when he was recently interviewing for an open position that those who listed the Chicago Bridge on their resumes all got job interviews!

This post was edited by Jaimie Robinson

The ABCs of Medicare

Many Chicago Bridge members work with aspects of Medicare every day, but have not been formally trained in the program’s details. Garcia’s explanations of Medicare’s parts cleared up many questions held by the attendees.  The questions asked were as diverse as the audience, which included lawyers, students, nursing home and hospital employees, and community-based service providers and advocates.

Medicare Changes and Controversies

A large portion of the event was spent discussing upcoming Medicare changes associated with health care reform. This included discussion about controversies surrounding Medicare. Attendees engaged in an informative discussion about their experience with the rising rate of fraud and abuse and issues arising for beneficiaries admitted to a hospital under observation status.

Senior Health Insurance Program

Garcia also spoke about Illinois’ efforts to recruit additional volunteer counselors for the Senior Health Insurance Program (http://www.insurance.illinois.gov/ship/). This important program is the main mechanism for providing information and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries in the state. SHIP volunteers help beneficiaries understand the parts of Medicare, select the right Medicare supplement or Part D plan for their needs, and secure additional assistance through special programs like Illinois Cares Rx. For more information, visit www.illinoisbenefits.org/.

This article was edited by Arlene Wanetick. Thank you golbenge (골뱅이)’s photostream for providing this wonderful picture.

This seems like a big statement: “The Chicago Bridge Mentorship Program made a meaningful contribution.” But it’s one we believe to be true. We’ve seen evidence of this through formal evaluations completed by Mentors and Mentees, through a forum discussion at an end-of-the-program brunch in November 2010, and through the achievements of Mentees since joining the program. We’ve heard encouraging stories of how Mentees feel more prepared and supported, how Mentors feel a connection to the next generation of aging leaders, and how programs and services for Chicago’s older adults have been strengthened because of the program.

A Mentor summarized this best: “It was gratifying to be able to introduce my Mentee to my colleagues…and to feel that I was helping a really talented professional join the community of senior service providers in Chicago.”

When Mentees Feel Prepared and Supported

The benefits of building a mentorship relationship are well documented, as the experience of the Chicago Bridge Mentees demonstrates.

In an evaluation, one Mentee explained: “It was like having my own cheering section. It was great to spend two hours a month with someone who was only interested in my success.”

Mentees were able to directly benefit from personalized support from a knowledgeable and well-established professional with shared interests and goals. Many Mentors could empathize with their Mentees, having experienced many similar challenges when first entering the eldercare workforce.

And Mentors Feel Connected to the Next Generation of Leaders

The Chicago Bridge Mentorship Program created a process by which seasoned professionals could meet and share their hard-earned knowledge and connections with new professionals eager to learn. Mentors have already shown their dedication to the field through their years of service, but their role in this program ensures their contribution will extend far beyond their time in the workforce. Each Mentor’s legacy will include the achievements of these Mentees, future leaders and advanced practitioners both locally and nationally.

It should be stated, however, that the education was not one-sided. Mentors also reported learning from their Mentees. New ideas, new theories, and new perspectives flowed from Mentor to Mentee and back again. As one Mentor stated: “We both seemed to have benefited from sharing with each other and discussing current happenings in the field.”

Chicago’s Older Adults Benefit

The Chicago Bridge Mentorship Program facilitated the transfer of lessons from past Mentors’ successes and failures to current Mentees. This wisdom passed from seasoned professionals gives emerging professionals better contextual understanding of the state of the aging field today and informs decisions made about tomorrow. These relationships establish a strong foundation for future exchanges of knowledge and ideas. And who benefits most from this program? Chicago’s older adults, who receive care and attention from these more informed and confident professionals. We are certain the results of the Chicago Bridge Mentorship Program, both as a pilot and an ongoing program, will be felt by Chicago’s aging community for years to come.

* This article was edited by Arlene Wanetick

The Chicago Bridge is excited to announce our 2nd launch of the Mentorship Program.

The six-month Chicago Bridge Mentorship Program matches emerging and experienced professionals in the field of aging to ensure sustainable growth of an elder-care workforce prepared to meet the needs of Chicago’s diverse older adult population. Mentors and Mentees meet at least monthly with the goal of helping Chicago Bridge members develop their skills, network, and confidence. The Program builds a structure for passing the knowledge and skills of seasoned professionals to the next generations of leaders in the field of aging.

Seeking Mentors and Mentees (must work or live in Chicago-land area):

1. Seasoned Aging Professionals to become Mentors

2. Emerging Aging Professionals to become Mentees (Chicago Bridge Members only, please visit: http://www.thechicagobridge.org/bridge-membership/ for more information on how to join the Chicago Bridge)

Completed applications are due March 1st, 2011.  The Mentorship Program will run from April 1st – September 30, 2011.

Interested individuals should contact Kristen Pavle (Kristen.pavle@gmail.com) for the detailed Mentor and Mentee application packet.

Thank you to Sparkie Blues for sharing her pictures on Flickr for public use.

As you all have seen, the Chicago Bridge Blog has had a great first year thanks to all the writers, editors, mangers, and readers.

We are coming into a new year and we need your help. The Chicago Bridge blog is looking for editors. As an editor you will work with one writer and review each of their 6 articles throughout 2011. In addition, you may assist with editing other posts that are submitted by Chicago Bridge members. Average articles to be edited by one editor is 6-10 a year. Blog article editing training will be provided, so if you are unsure how to edit a blog post, we will teach you.

If you are interested to learn more about this new opportunity for 2011 with the Chicago Bridge, email chicagobridge@gmail.com

Thanks!

The Chicago Bridge Blog Team

The theme of the evening was: “Self Care Made Simple (even though we all know it isn’t always easy).” The event format was a small group discussion focused on the work of Eric Gentry, PhD, and his techniques for staying healthy and avoiding compassion fatigue and burnout. Susan Jones presented material from a workshop she recently attended which was led by Dr. Gentry.

Burnout vs. Compassion Fatigue

Gentry describes burnout as: “the chronic condition of perceived demands outweighing perceived resources.” The key word here is “perceived.” In our fast paced world, there are many times during a typical day that we can all feel overwhelmed. Is it possible that our thinking about the situation is creating the stress?

Individuals in many fields can be vulnerable to burnout. Those of us in caregiving roles have an added vulnerability: secondary traumatization. The presence of secondary traumatization with burnout is known as compassion fatigue. There are several symptoms of compassion fatigue: feeling physically fatigued, becoming more pessimistic and cynical, having moments of dread related to work, avoiding spending time with family and friends, and being unable to stop thinking about specific things related to work. Test yourself to see if compassion fatigue is affecting you at: http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/compassionfatigue.html.

Secondary traumatization is found in the DSM-IV TR definition of PTSD: “…witnessing or learning about unexpected or violent death, serious harm, or threat of death or injury experienced by a family member or other close associate (p. 465).” For those of us that work with older adults, we are exposed to loss and crisis on a regular basis. Many of our elders have led incredibly diverse and rich lives. For an elder in the process of life review, we frequently listen to their difficult memories and intense experiences. We might also hear their happy memories of times when they were healthier and more independent. Several Chicago Bridge participants in the discussion agreed that the joys and sorrows occur simultaneously when working with elders. These emotional ups and downs can begin to take their toll on our health. All of us consider it a privilege to hear these histories; however, it can become problematic for us without mindful attention to our own reactions and emotions.

Self Care is not Self Indulgence

Emerging professionals in the field of aging, like Jaimie Robinson in her blog post “From Student to Professional: A Reflection by a New Professional in Aging,” are aware of burn out from school, but may not always expect it in the workplace. Several Chicago Bridge members shared their struggles with self care as they are in the beginning stages of their career. Finding “the upside to elderly home care” in a post on EldercareABCBlog reminds us that while financial burdens and caregiver stress exist when working with this population, there are undeniable benefits. Learning self-care skills and being aware of our own vulnerabilities early on can make us resilient and protect us throughout our careers.

“Disease is the absence of effective antibodies. Not the presence of a toxic environment” – Eric Gentry

The Chicago Bridge event concluded with a discussion about Dr. Gentry’s five key points to self care. To be in a constant state of stress and anxiety activates our sympathetic nervous system and can impact our overall health. If we think of this as an uneasy and diseased state, what are the antibodies that will protect us?

1. Self Regulation – being aware of our physical state, literally pausing to catch our breath, consciously shifting from our sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous systems. Are we holding tension in our shoulders?
2. Intentionality – principle based vs. demand driven. Are you true to who you are in your work?
3. Self Validation – be reflective about your strengths. Be prepared to give yourself validation for your work.
4. Connection – Developing a support network. Reach out to professionals in other settings, and establish an ongoing commitment to supporting each other.
5. Self Care – Not surprising, aerobic activity three times per week is critical. Focus on activities that are active rather than passive. Learn a new skill, be creative!

For further reading:

LaRowe, K. (2005). Transform Compassion Fatigue: How to use Movement and Breath to Change Your Life. Eau Claire, WI:PESI,LLC.

As a doctoral student, Eric Gentry PhD. focused his research on Compassion Fatigue. A PDF of his dissertation is available on line. It is an excellent resource and provides more details of the concepts referred to in this post. http://www.compassionunlimited.com/pdf/CompasionFatigue_ACrucibleofTransformation.pdf

**Picture Courtsey of Grand Velas