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Month: November 2020

Meet BENNETT KOPP! Golden Heart’s 91 years young Fitness Advisor for Seniors!

Posted on by Craig Bass

ANNOUNCEMENT!

Good morning Friends! It is our honor to highlight BENNETT KOPP, 91 years young, as our new Fitness advisor for Seniors. After military service as a U.S.paratrooper, Bennett continued to increase his knowledge of, and proficiency at, bodybuilding and strength training. He was awarded the” Exercise for Older Adults” certification from the prestigious American Council on Exercise. For 18 years, he was a Senior Fitness Instructor for the City of Scottsdale.

We are honored that Bennett will be doing fitness instruction for seniors ( when it is safe to meet in person) and writing for seniors on all of our social media. Rodney and I could not be more thrilled to have his expertise. Goes to show…you are never too “ old” to work; to serve and enhance your life! #goldenheartscottsdale

What Do You Need Most When You’re a Family Caregiver?

Posted on by Craig Bass

Being a family caregiver is one of the most important things you can do for your senior, so it makes sense to be as prepared as you can be. These tips can help you to do that a little more easily.

As Much Information as Possible

Information is one of the most important tools you can have as a family caregiver. When you’re properly informed, you’re able to make better decisions and understand how the choices you’re making are going to impact your senior’s life and health. This takes a lot of time and energy, of course, but it’s worth at least attempting to make sure that you can collect all the information you can on a regular basis.

A Solid Relationship with Your Senior’s Medical Team

Your senior’s doctors and specialists can help you to fill any information gaps you have. They can also help you to understand how the information you’re gathering relates specifically to your senior’s health and situation. You may not always agree with your senior’s doctors, but it helps if you know that you can rely on them to call you back and to take care of whatever your elderly family member needs.

Respite Plans

There’s a lot going on when you’re a family caregiver, but rest has got to be part of the equation, too. Your senior needs respite just like you do and when you go into being a family caregiver with a plan for respite in mind, that’s going to be a good foundation. You may not feel as if you need time away now, but when you’re developing that habit, it will pay off for you down the road. In the future, you may need help from senior care providers in order to continue to take respite, so factor that in now.

Your Own Self-care Plan

Something else that a lot of family caregivers overlook is their own self-care plan. This is going to look different for every family caregiver, too. Assess what you need in order to feel and to be your best and make sure that’s in your plan. If you allow yourself to stress out too much or neglect your own needs now, that habit is going to carry forward and it won’t serve you or your senior well at all.

It also helps to take a look at how well these pieces are fitting together periodically. There’s always room for adjustment.

If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring senior care in Cave Creek, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

Laurie Malone featured on Born to Lead podcast!

Posted on by Craig Bass

Laurie Malone, CEO, interviewed for Born to Lead!

Laurie was honored to be a featured guest on Brianne Schmitz podcast, “ Born to Lead!” She talks about what leadership means to her and Rodney, Partner/COO, her husband and business partner. They built Golden Heart from the two of them starting in 7/14 and now have 75 employees!

Listen to the podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-to-lead/id1536195702

Four Ideas for Making Bathroom Issues Easier

Posted on by Craig Bass

There’s a lot happening when it comes to the bathroom. Your senior may have some specific needs that are changing quickly. Here are just a few ideas for helping her to keep up with what she’s experiencing.

Hydration Is Non-negotiable

Often when someone starts having issues with incontinence or other problems related to toileting, the knee-jerk reaction is to reduce hydration levels. But that’s going to cause many more problems than it ever resolves. Your elderly family member absolutely needs to be drinking plenty of water each day to keep herself as healthy as possible. She may want to look at the timing of her beverages throughout the day to make sure that she’s not drinking a lot of water late in the day.

Prioritize Bathroom Safety

Safety in the bathroom is absolutely key to helping your elderly family member as much as possible. Look at whether handrails would be a good addition. Focus on whether lighting, particularly a night light, might be a good idea, too. Anything that allows your senior to feel more secure while she’s in the bathroom is really important.

Make the Bathroom as Easy to Find as Possible

Finding the bathroom might be more of a challenge if your senior is having trouble with cognitive illnesses, like dementia. In that case, make sure that you’re making the bathroom really obvious so that she doesn’t miss it. Posting signs can help, as can using signs in other areas of the house, pointing toward the bathroom. You might also want to consider moving or rearranging furniture that might get mistaken for a toilet in an emergency moment.

Find a Nighttime Solution

At night, all bets might be off in terms of what works during the day for your elderly family member. Some of the nighttime solutions that might work for her could involve a bedside toilet or nighttime incontinence underwear. Waterproof mattress pads and sheets might also be a good option. These tools can help your elderly family member to feel more comfortable sleeping at night and can help with cleanup if an accident should happen.

It’s embarrassing to rely on someone else for something this personal, so don’t be surprised if your aging family member is resistant to help at first. Something that can help is to bring in elderly care providers. They know just what to do and how to help your senior without adding to the embarrassment.

If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring elderly care in Queens Creek, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!