Honoring Those Who Care During National Family Caregivers Month
If you have ever felt underappreciated and unrecognized in your role as family caregiver, this month is for you! November is National Family Caregivers Month, an occasion to celebrate the tireless work and dedication you invest in making sure a loved one’s life is the best it can be. While It’s Not Always Easy, You […]
The Top Three Obstacles Family Caregivers Encounter
Taking care of your aging parents is a tremendously rewarding act of love. As you think about the care they provided for you when you were growing up, you now have the opportunity to do the same. It allows you to take your relationship with your parents to an entire new level. Having said that, […]
Taking Care of Older Parents as an Only Child
Being an only child has some perks. During childhood, you never had to experience sibling rivalry or squabbles, and you also had the benefit of receiving all the love and attention of your parents. But as an adult with no siblings, you may now realize that it is your turn to provide all of the […]
Top Suggestions for Visiting a Family Member With Alzheimer’s
A diagnosis of dementia may also mean a diagnosis for loneliness. Though remaining social continues to be vitally important for people who have Alzheimer’s disease, many different factors lead to an increase in isolation, including: The need to discontinue driving Discomfort on the part of family and friends who are unsure what to say (or […]
Activities Help Promote Self-Confidence in a Loved One With Dementia
What is it that gets you up out of bed in the morning? Most of us have an extensive list of to-dos that drives us to get started on the day. As much as we might wish we could keep hitting the snooze button, having a feeling of purpose is in fact imperative to our […]
Top Incontinence Care Tips for Family Caregivers
It’s not something most people would feel comfortable sharing with others. In fact, the awkwardness of even bringing up incontinence can be enough to keep the problem concealed. Not just that, but there is a common misunderstanding that it is simply a normal part of the aging process and needs to be silently accepted and […]
Managing Allergies in Seniors
It’s finally summer! Now that the long, cold winter and wet springtime are over, we can at last get outside. For older loved ones, getting out into the beauty of nature, fresh air, and sunshine is particularly important for both mental and physical health. Regrettably, however, it can also trigger seasonal allergic reactions. And this […]
Adapt Everyday Activities to Help Dementia Patients Preserve Independence
If you’re caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, you may be inclined to do as much as possible for the person to help relieve the strain of even the most basic everyday tasks. Independent living and dementia may even seem like polar opposites. However, we all have an inherent need to preserve self-reliance and the […]
Understanding the Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice Care
When a person you love is struggling with a serious health condition, you might feel helpless. You want to do everything you can to alleviate the discomfort, fear, or pain, but are not sure where to start. One of the best ways you can help is simply by learning whatever you can in regards to […]
Top Assistive Devices for Someone With Arthritis
For someone with arthritis, even basic, daily tasks and activities can lead to unbearable pain. It could lead to a loss of self-reliance, if the person begins to rely more heavily on others for aid. Fortunately, there are a number of assistive devices that can both alleviate pain and permit those with arthritis to do […]
How In-Home Care Can Help a Family Caregiver Balance a Career With Care Duties
It is a delicate balancing act. On one hand, you’ve got your work, which supplies you purpose, fulfillment, and of course, an income. In contrast, you are caring for someone you love. Trying to give 100% to these two vitally important roles can make you feel physically and mentally exhausted, with little if any time […]
The Most Common COPD Triggers and How to Manage Them Effectively
We have waited all winter for March! Finally, the days are becoming longer and we can begin to feel the promise of springtime all around us. For a person with COPD, there is extra cause to celebrate the seasonal shift. Cold, dry air is one of a number of common COPD triggers, and the arrival […]
8 Behaviors That May Indicate Alzheimer’s in a Loved One
You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you’ve begun to notice some differences in a parent’s behaviors recently. He is somewhat more forgetful than before. She keeps losing her car keys. At times he repeats himself. Could it be dementia? Currently, more than 6.5 million people age 65 and older are battling dementia, […]
Top Tips for Healthy Hearing at Any Age
Children’s laughter. A favorite tune. Birds singing. There are infinite lovely sounds to enjoy everywhere, so it’s crucial to take care of the amazing gift of hearing. As we grow older, our ability to hear clearly can change, but there are steps we can take to maintain healthy hearing for many years. How Can Seniors […]
What Is Anhedonia and How Can Home Care Help?
Following the thrill of the holidays, it is not unusual for the winter doldrums to kick in. Yet what might look at first to be a little bit of boredom could in reality be something much more serious that needs to be addressed. What Is Anhedonia? Anhedonia is a loss of interest in activities that […]
Top Tips to Help Older Adults Live Their Best Lives
As we prepare to move forward into 2023, it is a wonderful time to think about what we have learned from the past year and what adjustments we’d like to make in the coming year. It’s more than just making a resolution that’s likely to be given up on within a matter of weeks. It […]
Recognizing Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Senior Loved One
Returning home for the holidays is a fantastic chance to think back on holidays past and make some new memories. But it’s also a time when family members can notice changes with elderly loved ones – changes that could be too slight to recognize during a phone call or FaceTime, but are glaringly obvious when […]
Advice for Accompanying an Older Loved One to the Doctor
When caring for an older family member, balance is key. Your goal is to offer as much care and support as you can without overstepping the boundaries that protect a senior’s self-esteem and individual independence. It is particularly true in relation to accompanying an older loved one to the doctor and making important health care […]
Managing Chronic Health Issues in Older Adults
If you are a family member helping an older loved one and your days seem overloaded with juggling appointments with different doctors, trips to the drugstore, lab work, and managing medications and special dietary needs, you are certainly not alone! Chronic health issues like COPD, diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis affect many people age 60 […]
Common Misconceptions About Aging
If you’re holding onto misconceptions about aging or the aging process that involve an inactive, solitary lifestyle spent in a rocking chair on the front porch day in and day out, the time has come to reconsider those thoughts! The answer to healthy aging is understanding the facts and disproving the myths to embrace a […]
Home Care Helps Older Adults Control and Live With Chronic Pain
Burning. Aching. Stinging. That’s the way in which many older adults who have chronic pain explain what they live with on an daily basis. Chronic pain may occur anywhere in the body, sometimes for no apparent reason whatsoever. It’s characterized by pain that lasts for more than three months, either nonstop or coming and going. […]
Tips to Help an Older Adult Loved One Adjust to Using a Wheelchair
Aging requires us to get accustomed to a wide range of changes. Our children become adults and move out. We may choose to sell the family home and scale down. Retiring from a long-lasting career alters our purpose and goals. And, health problems or mobility challenges may result in the need for a wheelchair. This […]
Steps to Take When an Older Loved One Dies
When an older loved one dies, there are a variety of personal and legal details that must be handled. Knowing what to do and where to begin can be challenging while dealing with grief. To help alleviate some of the stress during this time, our care professionals have created the following guide so you will know […]
How Families Benefit from Home Care Services When a Loved One Is on Hospice Care
When a loved one is nearing the end of life, comfort and top quality care are extremely important. Families must know that the individual they love will receive everything necessary for a peaceful transition. Hospice care is very helpful during this period, and pairing hospice with in-home care services ensures that both the individual receiving […]
Understanding ALS and How Senior Care Can Help
Receiving a diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) raises countless questions and concerns, both for the individual who received the diagnosis and those who love them. What causes ALS? What are the symptoms now – and what will they be in the future? Who can I go to for […]
Know the Signs and Symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection in Aging Adults
Itching. Burning. Urgency. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of suffering from a urinary tract infection (UTI), you recognize these symptoms all too well. For younger individuals, a UTI may be simple enough to detect and take care of. But it is usually more challenging for older adults, as symptoms can be less apparent or […]
Paying for In-Home Care
Continuing to live at home for a lifetime is the intent of the majority of people as they age. Home is the place we’re most comfortable. It’s where memories have been and continue to be made. We have carefully designed our surroundings at home in line with our personal style and preferences. Plus, it’s where […]
Taking Steps to Boost Senior Foot Health
It is challenging to put your best foot forward when pain accompanies every step. Foot problems are normal as we get older, which makes sense; there are so many delicate parts that carry the weight of our bodies. Not only that, but because they are so far from the heart, our feet are almost certainly not […]
Looking Out for the Health of Senior Men
If your father, granddad, or any other father figure prefers to do anything at all over going to the doctor, he’s in good company. The Cleveland Clinic recently questioned men on this very issue and discovered that only half of them get regular examinations, and almost three-quarters of them would prefer to clean the restroom than […]
Non-Verbal Communication Ideas to Make Dementia Caregiving Easier
Communication can be so much more than just the spoken word. A smile, gesture, or touch can communicate a great deal, too. As dementia progresses in a senior, it may well become essential to test out alternate approaches to stay connected. If you are unsure where you can start, try these non-verbal communication ideas: Body […]
Tips for Managing Dental Hygiene in a Senior with Dementia
It’s one of the first things we do each and every morning, and one of the last things we do every night, usually on autopilot without giving it a second thought. Yet it actually is a complex process comprised of numerous steps, making this seemingly simple task quite a challenge for someone with dementia. Proper […]
How Home Care Services Can Complement Hospice Care
If you were to ask those who have a life-limiting illness what specifically is most important to them, you are very likely to hear answers including: Remaining in control over which services will be provided To be free from pain Emotional and spiritual support To remain at home In-home hospice care meets all of these […]
The Importance of Social Wellness for Older Adults and How Home Care Can Help
Living through more than a year of a worldwide pandemic taught us to never take for granted the small but extremely significant things in life: shared laughter, hugging loved ones, a lunch date in a favorite café. We found out firsthand just how much socialization is to be valued, and just how empty and lost […]
Elderly Care Solutions: How an In-Home Care Consultation Can Help Your Family Navigate Care Decisions
You’ve just concluded speaking with Dad on the telephone, and now have a sense that something isn’t quite right. While it was a nice conversation, his memory lapses were troubling. He assured you that he is absolutely fine – that he is eating very well (even though he couldn’t remember what he had for lunch), […]
Top Strategies to Fight Chronic Fatigue in Seniors
Springing our clocks forward left a lot of us feeling sluggish from losing that extra hour of sleep. But before long, our bodies have adjusted to the time change and life goes on. Imagine, however, feeling lethargic and exhausted most of the time, regardless of how much you sleep. Chronic fatigue in seniors is a […]
Keep High Cholesterol in Check by Making Healthy Food Choices This Holiday Season
From November to January, it is very easy to lose track of our healthy eating habits with family and holiday gatherings. For older adults with high cholesterol, however, making sensible food choices is extremely important. Yazid Fadl, MD, MPH, Indiana University Health cardiologist, says, “Around the holidays, we tend to let ourselves go, and that’s […]
The Importance of Cognitive Health in Older Adults
Forgetfulness. Confusion. Disorientation. These as well as other impacts from cognitive decline can make life challenging for older adults and people who care for them, and may be a consequence of: Genetics Health conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, diabetes, and others Brain injury Medication side effects Poor lifestyle choices And more Nonetheless, […]