Richard BitnerHow to Get Seniors to Spend More Time Out of the House
At Visiting Angels®, we know how important home is to elderly adults. After all, the very goal of senior home care is to help seniors extend their years spent in the comfort of home. But as recent research has found, spending too much time at home can significantly shorten the lifespan of seniors. How to Get Seniors to Spend More Time Out of the House According to results published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, seniors who rarely leave the house have higher rates of mortality than seniors who leave their homes regularly. Meanwhile, seniors who leave the house
Continue readingUnderstand Your Caregiving Options
Choosing Between 24-Hour Home Care and Live-In Caregivers There are a number of reasons why a senior might require round-the-clock care. Severe illness, acute disability, or a memory disorder can all lead to 24/7 care and support. While many seniors and their families choose to make the move to a nursing home at this stage, others prefer to receive care at home, where seniors feel most comfortable. Understand Your Caregiving Options If you have a loved one who requires constant care, you’ll need to choose between a live-in caregiver and a 24-hour home care service. Each offers its own benefits and
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Guest BloggerMaking the Move to Senior Living Easy for Mom
Don't wait until the weekend before the move! Follow these 6 tips for a smooth transition: Set aside a weekend: Moving takes time. Set aside a weekend to do it right. Get the family involved: Get as many family members as possible to help with the move. Aside from helping the move go more quickly, it'll help remind your Mom that she has a support system. Identify the true junk: Walk with your Mom through her house or apartment identifying items that all agree can be donated, recycled, or trashed. Remember: just because Mom owns it, doesn't mean she has to
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Kathy MacaraegCommunicating and Alzheimer’s Disease
One of the challenges of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease is effectively communicating with them. They may have difficulty expressing their needs or the caregiver may not know how to address their changing ability. Caregivers can also get annoyed or frustrated because their caree repeats words or forgets the words for common items. To make communication go more smoothly, it helps to understand what the common challenges are, and then move forward with solutions. Once you understand the challenge, it can be easier to communicate with them. You realize what they are experiencing is a normal part of the
Continue readingHow to Know When to Bring in a Paid Caregiver
Not everyone will eventually need family or paid caregivers. Many people are independent and care for themselves all the way up to the end. Some people may just need a little bit of help from their loved ones to keep them independent while others need a lot of help and support as they age. If you have an aging loved one who isn’t able to remain independent, it can be overwhelming and stressful, no matter how strong your relationship is. Once you add in the stress of managing your own life, particularly if you are still working or are also
Continue readingHow to Prevent Caregiver Loneliness
Combat the Isolation of Caregiving Caregiving can be incredibly isolating. Between managing two households and family obligations, there isn’t much time left for socializing. Unfortunately, social isolation can be just as detrimental to a caregiver’s health, as it is to your caree. Loneliness has been linked to both physical and emotional health problems. Combat the Isolation of Caregiving Unfortunately, not all caregivers start their caregiving journey in good health. Even caregivers who start out healthy can experience health problems as a result of ignoring your own well-being for an extended period of time. The last thing caregivers need is to struggle
Continue readingHelping Seniors Avoid Medication Mistakes
Medications are a crucial part of life for most seniors, helping them stay healthy and manage chronic conditions. But for all the good they do, medications also represent a risk for older adults. Making mistakes when taking medications can lead to serious — even fatal — consequences. So, it’s important that seniors and family caregivers alike do all that they can to avoid medication mistakes. Helping Seniors Avoid Medication Mistakes As America’s choice in non-medical home care, the team at Visiting Angels knows how important it is for seniors and their families to avoid medication mistakes. To help, we’ve listed some
Continue readingFive Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles
The world’s first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace, refers to imagination as a “discovering faculty,” one that “penetrates into the unseen worlds around us.” That power to see beyond what is immediately available is echoed by Dave Evans, Stanford professor. “There are lots of you,” he reminds us. “There are lots of right answers.” Things are so much more than they seem, especially for those with a fertile imagination. If your interested in keeping your brain sharp, we recommend exploring ways to enhance your creative powers. Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Seeing multiple possibilities, believe
Continue readingSharing Caregiving With Siblings
Does your parent suddenly need care and you and your siblings are struggling with how to manage caregiving duties? While it can be difficult to figure out a system that will work for your family, once you create a plan that includes everyone, the burden will be lighter for all involved. Define the Caregiving Tasks Let’s face it. There is always going to be one sibling who lives closer or has more free time – or makes more free time – who will take the leadership role. That doesn’t mean that person has to do everything all alone. If you
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