The brain is arguably the most essential, most complicated organ in your body. It is in charge of everything. It operates in the background, making sure we stay alive, and, in the foreground as the home of our awareness. This is why it’s so concerning when someone experiences a traumatic brain injury, and why it’s important to understand how each part of the brain is impacted by a TBI.
In our last blog post, we featured some age-related problems that prevent seniors from following a healthy diet, yet could there also be a link between poor nutrition and dementia? Malnutrition in older individuals is far more common than you may think. The National Resource on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Aging notes that 35% – 50% of the seniors living in long-term care centers are experiencing nutritional deficiencies, and as many as 65% of older adults in the hospital may be malnourished as well.
Most of us eagerly anticipate a delicious meal – the comforting tastes and scents, the satisfying sensation of a full stomach. For some older individuals, though, a host of health concerns can prevent their enjoyment of meals or even their ability to shop for nutritious foods, which can lead to dietary deficiency in many instances. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has some solutions to some of the most leading senior nutrition problems, including:
As a degenerating neurological disease, ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) can cause a wide range of physical obstacles that can trigger clinical depression. For individuals caring for a loved one with ALS, it’s difficult not to become stressed and uncertain about how to help the person live life to the fullest and stay positive. It requires understanding the nuances of the disease and implementing ALS care tips from those who have walked a mile in your shoes.
Receiving a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease (also known as ALS) can cause plenty of questions and apprehensions, both for the individual diagnosed and their loved ones. What causes ALS? What symptoms might be expected in each stage of ALS? Where am I able to go for support?
Following heart surgery, a complex web of transitional care needs develops, from nutritional changes to incision care, managing pain, swelling reduction, and more. The last thing a person wants after coming back home after such a traumatic event is to face the need for rehospitalization. Will you know what to do after heart surgery if the need arises?
If a person you love is fighting cancer, they may be suffering from a few unpleasant side effects of the cancer treatment they are receiving, and you will want to do whatever you can to help relieve these symptoms. Even though just being there with them to provide comfort and friendship is in itself extremely helpful, there are additional steps you can take.
Being given a diagnosis of cancer is life-changing, and making sure you have a strong network of support is vital. When it’s a friend or loved one, you may be unsure about what you can do to help. You’ll want to know the best ways to support someone with cancer without overstepping boundaries or making them feel discomfort for any reason. What can you do to best provide relief through a diagnosis of cancer for someone you love? Our experts in home care have some guidelines to get you started.
When you’re working together to ensure the care needs of your aging parents are met, even the closest of brothers and sisters could find themselves in opposition. Stress levels and emotions are, obviously, running high. Combine that with your past family dynamics and history, which tend to resurface in the midst of challenging times, and it’s easy to see how difficult this stage in life can be for each of you.
Though many older adults acclimate smoothly when a new caregiver comes into the home, and begin to enjoy a higher quality of life, there are some seniors who may continue to feel threatened. At CareFor, we’re especially sensitive to the feelings of a senior who is resistant to care. We’re skilled in helping to ease concerns and restore peace.
As the top provider of professional senior care in Austin, San Antonio, and the surrounding area, we see firsthand every day the joy, companionship, and improved quality of life older adults receive from having a caregiver. Yet we also know that many older adults balk at the idea of caregiving. Understanding why seniors resist home care is key to overcoming these objections.
Hiccupping. Itching. Changes in appetite and sleep. These are just some of the seemingly innocuous red flags that might perhaps suggest kidney disease. And with as many as 20 million people in the United States alone managing the disease, plus many more who have not yet been diagnosed, it’s crucial that individuals experiencing these symptoms bring them to the attention of the health care provider.
As we get older, we stay the unique and intricate people that we have been our whole lives. Assuming that all older adults will act the same and have a need for the same things is a one-size-fits-all approach that just will not work for seniors or the family members who take care of them. Providing care to older adults requires a creative and unique approach for every person. When a caregiver better understands just who the person is and what their distinct needs are, the best plan of care can be fashioned to keep the individual healthy and well at home.
If you’re the adult child of an aging father or mother, you’ve likely listened to them explain their wish to remain at home versus moving to a nursing home. The truth is, most seniors want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible – for a number of reasons. Home is the place they have carefully created, so it’s where they feel the most familiar and comfortable. Living at home also brings purpose and meaning to a person’s life. Something as simple as looking at your belongings, reading the mail, or relaxing on the back deck are more significant at home than in a long-term care facility because it is the home that provides the framework of life. The comforts of home provide a sense of tranquility and privacy that cannot be substituted.
Pressure sores, also known as bed sores, affect upwards of one in every ten seniors and are even more prevalent in those who smoke, are living with a chronic disease such as diabetes, or who have fragile or thin skin. Bed sores are not merely extremely painful – they can easily progress to infections that can become life-threatening.
Of all the changes that manifest as people age, bruising in seniors is one that can be frightening for family members to notice in their loved ones. It is crucial to talk to the senior’s health care provider whenever there is a health issue, but it is also important to realize that senior bruising is actually quite common. Bruising in seniors commonly is caused by the thinning of the skin and a decrease of fat that is normal with the aging process. Even a light bump to older skin can result in much more noticeable bruising as compared to younger skin.
The holiday season is an ideal time to get together with friends and relatives, but it’s not exactly a relaxing time of year. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season, from shopping to parties to family get-togethers, can be incredibly stressful, and when you’ve got someone to provide care for, your own duties can fall by the wayside. CareFor wants to help with some holiday tips for caregivers to make the season a little less overwhelming.
It’s the most joyful time of the year! But, if you’re one of the millions of Americans who is caring for an older relative, the approaching holidays may seem more like the most overwhelming time of the year. Setting aside time for yourself may have dropped to the very end of your to-do checklist, but the home care specialists at CareFor would like to encourage you to think again and reprioritize your self-care! Self-care for family caregivers is vital not only during the holidays but also throughout the year.
Of the numerous ramifications of Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most alarming is the person’s propensity for wandering and the potential dangers that can occur in the event that the senior becomes disoriented or lost. Alzheimer’s wandering can happen if the older adult is:
Conversations with an older adult struggling with all the difficulties of Alzheimer’s, particularly in the middle and later stages, could very well be discouraging – both for you and also for the person with Alzheimer’s. Brain changes affect the capacity to hear, process, and respond effectively to conversations, and it’s up to us to employ innovative ways of effectively interacting and communicating with a senior with dementia.
COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is the term for two lung diseases: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Basically, an individual’s breathing is severely affected by an obstruction to airflow. Prevailing symptoms include an excessively wet cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest. Managing COPD symptoms such as these can be extremely challenging.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can transform daily life into a battle. The good news is that there are breathing exercises to help relieve the symptoms and enhance quality of life. CareFor, a leading provider of Austin caregiving services and in-home care in nearby areas, recommends the following COPD breathing exercises to help strengthen the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, so those with COPD can take in more oxygen and expend less effort into breathing.
The countless benefits of physical exercise are obvious, but what is not as well known is that exercise for adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia can be particularly helpful in a variety of ways. It can help lessen the risk for muscle weakness as well as other issues that arise from inactivity, can minimize the impact of psychological and behavioral changes, and even more.
If you made a resolution in January to work out more this year, hopefully you’re continuing to stay with it! Adding extra physical activity to your everyday activities is one resolution we should all be putting into action. For seniors, many of whom take a variety of medications for various health problems, this is particularly true. As the top provider of in-home care services in Austin and surrounding areas, we’re excited to share research that shows new benefits of exercise for seniors.
COVID-19 cases in nursing facilities and assisted living facilities were devastating, as the virus spread like wildfire throughout our most vulnerable population in such close quarters. Because of this, many families made a decision to move their elderly parents home, which raised a number of challenges to be overcome.
Recuperating from an operation takes time, especially for older adults. Not only do older bodies take longer to heal, but there are extra factors that need to be considered: reduced mobility and numerous directions to follow for dietary restrictions, medications, follow-up appointments, and physical activities, just to name a few.
Stop for a moment, close your eyes, and imagine yourself like this: You have spent most of your life taking care of and assisting others – as a mother or father, in your workplace, through volunteering in your community, and as a grandparent. After all that time spent living independently and being in control of all of your decisions, you have suddenly aged to the point that now you are the person in need of assistance with bathing and other hygiene tasks. Consider the sense of fear, loss, and vulnerability.
It isn’t a facet of senior personal care that is as commonly discussed as other tasks, but is essential to keeping older adults healthy nonetheless. Aging skin care issues can cause a variety of difficulties for seniors, including discomfort, bruising, dryness, itching, and more.
The CDC shares that as many as one in three older adults fall each year, and surprisingly, less than half of them discuss those falls with their physicians. When a senior falls, even if it does not lead to serious injury, they can develop an enhanced fear of falling, which can result in limited activities, reduced mobility, less exercise, and eventually, a greater risk of another fall.
Falls can be painful, but for seniors, a fall can cause catastrophic effects, such as a fractured hip, something that can lead to even more health concerns. As many as one in four seniors who experience a fractured hip lose their lives within six months of the injury – a terribly disturbing, yet preventable fact. For these reasons, it is crucial to take measures in the home to help prevent senior falls.
Numbness on one side of the body. Slurred speech. Confusion. Appears to be a stroke, right? Then again, if those stroke-like signs subside rather rapidly and seem minor, they may be caused by a TIA (transient ischemic attack). But prior to breathing that sigh of relief and getting back to life as usual, it’s important … Read more
Caregivers dedicate so much of themselves to the ones they care for – both emotionally and physically. It’s common to become wiped out and to start to experience feelings like indifference, exhaustion, and a withdrawal from the person in your care. Referred to as compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress, it can be detrimental to your own wellbeing but can also influence your ability to be as nurturing, warm, and caring as you should be for the person you’re caring for.
Family caregiver stress is inescapable, and in reality, not necessarily always a bad thing. Basically, as they say, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” Yet especially for family caregivers, the level of stress can rapidly escalate and become overwhelming, and if not handled effectively, result in serious health concerns.
Urinary incontinence is an awkward issue for those who experience it. The stigma behind the condition commonly contributes to people having either a lack of facts or a belief in some common misconceptions about incontinence. The following are just a few incontinence myths and the facts to be aware of instead: Myth: Urinary incontinence is … Read more
Incontinence, or decreased bladder control, is a distressing and delicate issue, particularly for older individuals. It can trigger a variety of problems from skin sores to social isolation for individuals who are afraid to leave home in case of an “accident.” Yet, while bladder leakage causes approximately 25 million people in the U.S. to struggle with complications, the affliction hardly ever gets the attention and conversation it needs. With the lack of communication and facts about senior incontinence, many seniors and those who provide their care feel as though there is nothing that can be done about it.
Family caregivers give a tremendous amount of themselves to take care of their loved ones, frequently giving up their own desires and needs along the way. It may seem normal, then, to presume that caregivers would feel great about themselves, with a high level of self-esteem and sense of purpose.