If you’ve ever felt invisible as a family caregiver, you’re not alone. Caring for someone you love takes center stage, and you may find that your own needs are put on the back burner. A recent listening session, however, allowed us to find out firsthand what family caregivers say they need – and their feedback may surprise you. Here are some of the key findings and insights gleaned from these sessions.
Each year, thousands of American seniors are told they have Parkinson’s disease, but they don’t. For a number of these people, the actual diagnosis is a very similar but not as well-known disease: dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
There was a period of time when Mom only needed assistance for a few hours, several times per week. Then, as her needs changed, it became more beneficial to have a caregiver present to help her most days of the week while you provided care for her on the weekends. Now, you’re realizing Mom would feel most comfortable at home if she had someone present around the clock to make sure her needs are met and to help with any emergencies that may occur.
As people age and their needs change, the level of support they need to live safely at home may change, too. At first, in-home care assistance may include a caregiver who helps get their day started and prepares nutritious meals. As care needs change, however, receiving assistance for only a few hours a day may … Read more
Returning home for the holidays can be a joyous occasion, but it can also bring to light changes in the health and well-being of our aging loved ones. If you’ve recently visited your parents and are noticing care needs during the holidays, such as Mom is becoming increasingly forgetful or Dad is not moving as well as he did last year, you’re not alone. Many adult children experience a holiday reality check – a time when family visits reveal a need for care that may have been overlooked throughout the year.
Receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is life-altering – for the person being diagnosed, of course, but just as much for his or her loved ones. It’s important for family caregivers to know how to process the emotions of caring for someone with dementia in healthy ways, and to allow themselves ample time to care for their own mental health and wellbeing.
If you’re caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, you already understand how important it is to be flexible and patient, and to expect the unexpected. On any given day, the person may experience a broad range of emotions: calm, angry, agitated, fearful, giddy, melancholy. As you adapt your care strategy to match the person’s mood, you also need to juggle managing a host of difficult symptoms: wandering, repetitive behaviors and conversations, memory loss, sundowning. Through all of this, you may not even realize that there are certain factors that can make Alzheimer’s worse, that if avoided, can minimize some of the more challenging effects of the disease.
How wonderful it is when the medical personnel tells you that your elderly loved one is ready to be released from the hospital after surgery. Yet as they hand you that collection of discharge documents and guidelines, a certain amount of nervousness may start to settle in. Will your family member be able to take care of herself after the transition home from the hospital?
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.
As they say, we are what we eat, and for people with kidney disease, it is vital that an effective dietary plan is followed to cut down on symptoms like an upset stomach, swelling, pain, and more. In addition, following a kidney-healthy diet might even slow down the development of the disease. If you are providing care for a loved one with kidney concerns, it is important to know the best and worst foods for kidney disease, such as:
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.
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.
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
Today’s older adults are overrun with a plethora of hi-tech products directed at improving their independence and safety and providing life enhancement. At the touch of a button or two, we can automatically pay a visit “in person” with friends and relatives through Skype, wear a pendant that responds with emergency help and support when necessary, and even remain safe from wandering with specialized sensors attached to clothes or shoes.
Understanding the best place to turn with regard to the most current and dependable information about COVID-19, particularly as it relates to the elderly and those who take care of them, is very important – and complicated. Due to so many resources and various viewpoints on this serious subject, we wanted to help make it easy to locate what you need by putting together the subsequent list of trusted resources and caregivers for seniors.
Most elderly want to remain home, to age in place. Now, amid Covid-19, staying home has become imperative. Untold seniors have survived this pandemic as a result of remaining sheltered in their own homes. The safest place. With the world highlighting the focus on safety for our most vulnerable population, it’s an ideal time … Read more
Protection of the elderly is top of mind in the time of Covid-19. We have all become astute on how to provide the physical protection needed. But, what about the emotional refuge? For that, we are challenged to apply protections of the heart, previously the purview of family members and friends, people who have become … Read more
Do you think your aging loved one could benefit from enhanced safeguards in the shower or tub? Does he/she need a walker or rollator to move around? If so, it’s quite possible that you’ll soon be looking to buy the in-home assistive devices that so many families rely on to keep senior loved ones safe. It’s also likely that you’re asking yourself how to cover the expense for these types of assistive devices, and if any of them could possibly be covered through Medicare or insurance.
Are we more-free in the shelter-in-place world of COVID-19? Is this a crazy thought? Maybe not when you stop and think of the evolution of our programmed lives. We live in a world where children only go outside for team sports and practices. Where our calendar rules our day with an iron fist. Where there … Read more
During the course of growing older, assisted living devices can make everyday life around the home simpler and less hazardous. There’s a wide selection of adaptive equipment solutions for home care on the market today that can improve senior safety and help older adults remain much more comfortable at home. At CareFor, the leaders in senior care in San Marcos and the surrounding areas, we want to provide you with some insider advice for buying and utilizing some of the most widely used types of home care equipment.
As Jane Austen once said, “There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.” And for anyone with a chronic condition, like multiple sclerosis (MS), remaining as comfortable as possible and as safe as possible, is essential.
A mother’s love for her children has no limitations. And above all else, parents of all ages wish to safeguard their children from concerns, which in some cases may mean masking their own worries. In addition to that, when family members are separated by distance, it can be difficult to really know for certain how healthy older parents are.
On the subject of chronic disease management, seniors are the experts, hands down, with up to 3 out of 4 seniors affected by multiple conditions that are chronic, necessitate long-term medical treatment, and place limitations on activities. With the continuous barrage of bloodwork and other tests, physicians’ appointments and procedures and medications, controlling chronic diseases may take both a physical and emotional toll, which could quickly become overwhelming.
The holiday season is a perfect time to reconnect with friends and family, but let’s be realistic: it can also be a time for overindulgence in unhealthy meal choices. With a multitude of rich, fatty, and sugary delicacies to choose from at every turn, it’s difficult to adhere to a healthy diabetic diet, which can result in significant health concerns for individuals with diabetes.
You’re concerned that Dad may need some assistance at home, and so naturally, you know exactly where to turn for assistance, right? No? Relax – you’re not alone. Millions of Americans are faced with the same predicament, and most people don’t know much about home care services until the need for care develops.