Alzheimer’s

Partnership Provides Essential Tips and Guidance at a Time When “The Sandwich Generation” are Seeking Caregiving Solutions for their Aging Parents and Loved Ones.

IRVINE, Calif. — Comfort Keepers, a market-leading provider of uplifting home care for seniors and adults who need assistance, has partnered with Emmy Award-Winning Journalist and acclaimed Lifestyle Gerontologist Alexis Abramson, PhD to help generate awareness for essential solutions for today’s aging boomer generation and their families. The partnership will provide needed tips, guidance and education to seniors and their families through a variety of avenues including press opportunities, digital and social content, educational articles, speaking opportunities and more.

“We are delighted to partner with Alexis Abramson, PhD – a nationally renowned authority and advocate for the senior generation,” said Carl McManus, Chief Executive Officer, Comfort Keepers, North America. “Her expertise and experience will be invaluable as we further our mission to deliver quality care, positivity and purpose to today’s boomers and their families. Together, we hope to better educate families that there are viable in-home caregiving options out there for adults who need assistance, but also want to remain in the comfort of their own home.”

As baby boomers age, the demand for home care continues to increase to accommodate the growing senior population. Today’s “Sandwich Generation” (defined as adults who have both young children and aging parents) are often faced with the challenge of finding care for their aging parents who may gradually or suddenly have difficulty with routine tasks and activities. In fact, according to a recent study, nearly half (47%) of Sandwich Generation respondents spend an average of two hours a day caring for parents and in-laws, 37% are financially responsible for parents/in-laws and 27% say that it adds emotional and financial stress to their family^¹. Comfort Keepers not only provides assistance for this generation by offering a safe haven for seniors in the comfort of their own homes, but they also strive to elevate the human spirit and deliver inspiration, joy and happiness the clients deserve.

“One of the reasons why I am so excited to partner with Comfort Keepers is that their entire mission is focused on ways to deliver joy and positivity to their clients’ lives every day – a quality that separates them from other caregiving services,” said Abramson. “I’m looking forward to working with Comfort Keepers as they continue to convey to seniors that just because you’re getting older, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of living joyfully. With the right solutions and guidance in place, we can all look forward to so many amazing possibilities as we age.”

About Alexis Abramson, PhD
Alexis Abramson, PhD. is a leading expert in Gerontology, focusing on caregiving, elder fraud prevention and longevity. Dr. Abramson’s commitment to multi-generations has been featured in many national publications, including TIME, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and People. Dr. Abramson is an Emmy and Gracie award-winning journalist who has appeared frequently as an on-air expert for NBC’s Today Show, CNN, CBS, FOX, MSNBC, and numerous other media outlets. She is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, trainer, strategist, and corporate spokesperson. Dr. Abramson has been a consultant for many major organizations, including L’Oréal Paris, Proctor & Gamble, BMO Private Bank, United Healthcare, COMCAST, Northwestern Mutual, Subway, Walmart, AARP, and others. She has also written several noteworthy books, including The Ultimate Caregiver, STOP Fraud Now and The Ultimate Longevity Guide. Abramson earned her Doctorate in Gerontology from the University of Southern California and was trained in Cybersecurity Fraud Prevention at Harvard University. Learn more about her work by visiting AlexisAbramson.com.

¹The Mass Mutual 2018 State of the American Family Study

Survey Finds Seniors Embracing Texting, Social Media, Emojis and GIFs to Better Bond with the Grandkids.

IRVINE, Calif. — After a year like no other, Americans have gained a new perspective when it comes to attaining joy in their lives. Comfort Keepers®, a market-leading provider of uplifting home care for seniors and adults who need assistance, will celebrate its third annual National Day of Joy on June 30, 2021. Comfort Keepers founded this national holiday, which occurs each year on the last Wednesday of June, to emphasize the importance of individuals finding joy, no matter their age, to boost their overall physical, mental and emotional health.

“Even before the pandemic, Comfort Keepers believed in the importance of joy and delivering hope, love and purpose to people we care for regardless of their age,” said Carl McManus, Chief Executive Officer, Comfort Keepers, North America. “Even in the most difficult of times this past year, our network of compassionate, resourceful caregivers found ways to uplift, boost and inspire their clients – a practice that they will continue to embrace even when the pandemic comes to an end. For many of us, this past year became a valuable learning experience where we see the benefits of slowing down, connecting with family and appreciating the little things that bring us the most happiness.”

National 2021 ‘State of Joy’ Survey
Each year, as part of the National Day of Joy, Comfort Keepers conducts a survey that polls Americans on their perspectives about joy, including specific activities that bring them happiness and evolving attitudes about joy in light of current events. The survey was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Comfort Keepers from April 29-May 1 and polled 2,000 Americans; 1,000 of those surveyed were 30+ years of age with children and at least one living parent, and 1,000 were people aged 65+. Highlights from the survey are outlined below:

Americans Find Joy in People – Not Places, Events or Things
Last year’s survey saw Americans missing dining out, travel and personal freedom the most. They looked at the pandemic as a circumstance that prevented them from doing everyday activities. This year as the country continues to open up, respondents find the most joy in connecting with family and loved ones over restaurants, traveling and even wearing masks less often.

• Seeing family members (42%) and spending time with them (38%) brings Americans more joy than traveling (37%), seeing close friends (32%) or not wearing a mask as often (28%).
• Seniors over the age of 65 prioritized seeing family the most (55%), compared to last year, when dining at a restaurant topped their post-pandemic to-do list.
• People plan to see their loved ones as soon as they’re vaccinated (45%), before attending a sporting event (20%) and frequenting the beach or pool (27%).
• At the start of the pandemic, most Americans found the most joy in talking to family and friends via phone/video calls (24%) over watching a comforting TV show/movie (19%) and spending time outside (13%). In fact, 62% of Americans agree that talking with family members on the phone or video chat was the highlight of their weeks in quarantine.
• When asked to name the first thing they can think of that brings them joy, many respondents named children, grandchildren or spouses.

Seniors have Mastered the Art of The Text and Use Social Media to Bond with the Grandkids
Connecting with loved ones virtually became a fact of life for so many people during the pandemic- an activity that seniors mastered to keep up with the grandkids.

• One in three people over the age of 65 now prefer texting to phone calls.
• One in three seniors learned how to use social media and brushed up on their pop culture as a way to bond with the younger members of their family.
• Those over 65 even have favorite emojis — the heart (43%) and the happy face (43%) are getting the most use. Other popular emojis for those over 65 included the beer emoji and assorted animals.
• One in 10 have even surpassed emoji use and now send GIFs to stay in touch with their grandchildren.
• Nearly one in five (17%) were introduced to Netflix by their kids or grandkids.

Pandemic Brought a New Perspective on Living Joyfully
The pandemic will have a long-term impact on respondents’ day-to-day lives with people seeing the benefits of slowing down and taking the time to appreciate all they have.

• Four in 10 say they learned to “stop and smell the roses” and “savor every moment”.
• 43% will now try not to “sweat the small stuff”.
• Two in five (42%) say the prospect of seeing family members again as the pandemic gradually recedes brings them the most joy.
• 80% of survey respondents believe the world needs more joy.

“Sometimes we get so caught up in our fast-moving lives that it almost takes a global pandemic to make people really slow down and appreciate the little things that bring us the most joy,” said Alexis Abramson, PhD, Lifestyle Gerontologist, author and spokesperson for Comfort Keepers. “The National Day of Joy reminds us to find happiness in everyday moments and that embracing joy can improve mood, ease anxiety and help with our overall well-being. Our survey uncovered that connecting with family, spouses and friends brings us the greatest amount of joy over anything else, so let’s not forget to reach out to our loved ones and remind them how much they mean to us.”

The holiday falls in line with the overall Comfort Keepers’ mission – to find ways to deliver joy, positivity and elevate the human spirit in their clients’ lives every day at a time when 80% of survey respondents believe the world needs more joy. Now that we are emerging from the global pandemic, the holiday reminds people to appreciate the simple things in life that bring us joy and happiness to help get through even the most difficult of times.

The National Day of Joy is being celebrated in more than 100 locations nationwide where Comfort Keepers has a presence and will include both virtual and local celebrations and various social media extensions. To participate in the National Day of Joy Challenge, share three pictures of something or someone that brings joy on social media and nominate three people to take the challenge using #NationalDayofJoy. For more information about the National Day of Joy and Comfort Keepers services, visit www.ComfortKeepers.com.

Virtual Opening and Promise Flower Ceremony Followed by Team Walk in Irvine on Sept. 26th to Raise Funds and Awareness for Disease that Touches Many Clients and Their Families.

IRVINE, Calif. — Comfort Keepers^®, a leading franchise network in the in-home care market for seniors and other adults needing care, continues its participation in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s^® on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. As a National Silver Team, Comfort Keepers has more than 100 local teams across the United States participating in this year’s nationwide walks. The Irvine team will join in a virtual Walk Opening and Promise Garden Ceremony on Irvine’s Walk Day, September 26^th, by logging in at 8:00 a.m. to the Irvine, CA Walk Mainstage, the event’s interactive online experience. From there, participants and spectators can livestream the Opening and Promise Garden Ceremony in their local markets. Following the opening ceremony, participants can walk in their neighborhoods, connect with their teams via the Walk App, follow a virtual path in their neighborhood and share pictures with team members.

“Approximately 28 percent of the tens of thousands of seniors Comfort Keepers helps suffer from various forms of dementia or Alzheimer’s,” said Carl McManus, CEO, Comfort Keepers. “This is a cause that is very close to us, our franchisees, our caregivers, our clients and their families. We are proud to help raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Association care, support and research programs through our participation. We have raised more than $430,000 in our past five years as a National Team and expect to pass the half million-dollar mark in our sixth year with this year’s walk.”

This year, Comfort Keepers is recognized as one of the 51 National teams and will be walking all over the US with the goal of raising $100,000. Comfort Keepers has approximately 101 teams participating in the events across the U.S. through November. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alzheimer’s Association Walk is ‘everywhere this year’ and is encouraging participants to walk as individuals or in small groups on sidewalks, tracks and trails. Comfort Keepers local teams will be following additional safety precautions including wearing masks, social distancing and using sanitization products to protect themselves, their clients and their community.

“We are grateful to Comfort Keepers for this year’s commitment as a National Silver Team and their past contributions to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s,” said Lynda Collins, Director of Constituent Event Partnerships for the Alzheimer’s Association. “With the support of Comfort Keepers’ network of local teams across the country, it brings more awareness to our cause. We applaud their commitment to keeping seniors’ minds and bodies active and engaged –providing a great synergy between our mission and their work.”

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 16 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. As a long-term partner, Comfort Keepers helps support the Alzheimer’s Association’s care and research initiatives and is dedicated to increasing Alzheimer’s awareness in communities nationwide. You can learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and the Alzheimer’s Association by visiting www.alz.org. You can support your local Comfort Keepers’ Walk to End Alzheimer’s team at www.alz.org/comfortkeepers.

Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s^®
The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk^®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s Association^®
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Its mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

SOURCE Comfort Keepers