Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale was featured in a recent article about the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more here!
Author: Craig Bass
What Can Your Senior Do if She’s Determined to Beat Incontinence?
Incontinence is occasional or consistent urinary leakage. It can be embarrassing for some people to the extent that they want to reverse incontinence. It’s always a good idea for your senior to talk about plans like these with her doctor, particularly if her incontinence may have a medical cause. Behavioral treatment methods can still be beneficial, especially if your senior isn’t going overboard with them. These steps can help your elderly family member to retrain her bladder to function more effectively again.
Keep a Bladder Diary
A bladder diary sounds complicated, but it’s really very simple. Your senior keeps track of when she urinates and other details that might be important. If she experiences any pain or leakage, she might want to include that in the details of her bladder diary. Gradually as she adds data to the diary, your senior is going to notice patterns. These can be helpful for her and for her doctor.
Schedule Bathroom Trips
Scheduling bathroom trips can be helpful in reducing or eliminating leaks. This can be helpful if your aging family member has trouble with her mobility, because she’s less likely to try to “make it” to the bathroom on time when an urge strikes. Eventually she may even adjust the schedule so that there’s longer in between bathroom visits.
Practice Delaying Urination
Delaying urination is a practice that your senior might start to try after she has some baseline information. When an urge to go to the bathroom strikes, she might delay going for five or ten minutes to “retrain” her bladder to last a little bit longer. If this is effective, your senior might opt to start increasing the duration by which she delays urination.
Pay Attention to Diet and Fluid Intake
Tracking what she eats and drinks can help your senior to see what might be triggering overactive bladder or incontinence issues. Many older adults find that things like caffeine or carbonated beverages are overstimulating for her bladder. Reducing or eliminating these foods and beverages, along with some of the other techniques, can help her to gain better control over her incontinence issues.
If your elderly family member needs extra help managing the record-keeping end of things while she’s tracking so much data, it might be a good idea to bring in a caregiver to help. Caregivers can also help with mobility concerns, assist with changing clothes, and so many other tasks as well.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring caregivers in Paradise Valley, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!
Even with a Fracture, it was a Great Christmas – Thanks to Elderly Care
Christmas was Hazel’s favorite time of the year. One of her greatest joys in life was writing Christmas cards and sending small gifts to each of her three children and nine grandkids. She always made sure to start writing cards and shopping gifts well before Thanksgiving to allow herself plenty of time to tackle the undertaking.
This year, however, there was an extra complication in the mix: she had fallen and fractured her wrist near the end of October. She was on her way to mending well, but she was generally having more difficulty with everything these days. Dressing, cooking and housework was incredibly challenging with a broken wrist. She was essentially one-handed. She was always surprised to find how tired she was by the end of the day!
Hazel wasn’t driving due to the cast. She couldn’t imagine doing all that shopping, or writing out all those cards! She felt so sad at the thought of missing out on her favorite Christmas tradition. She shared her feelings with her daughter Margo one evening over the phone.
“Mom,” suggested Margo, “Why don’t you hire an elderly care aide to help write out the cards? I know how important sending them is to you. I can call the elderly care agency and ask them to send an aide who could spend a couple hours – or however long you need ‒ helping you with it.”
Hazel brightened immediately at the prospect. “Do you think they would do that?” she asked.
“I’m sure they would,” responded Margo. “Tell you what. Let me give them a call tomorrow, and then we’ll know for sure.”
Hazel smiled. “Thank you, Honey. I appreciate it.”
The next afternoon Margo called Hazel. “Mom, I talked to the elderly care agency. They said they absolutely can have someone come out and help you with your Christmas cards!”
“That’s terrific!” cried Hazel.
“But, that’s not all,” continued Margo. “They can also take you shopping – if you want – to pick up some gifts. Or, they can help you pick them out online.”
Hazel’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Margo, thank you, I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
Margo smiled. “And, while they are there, they can help out with laundry and housework, if that’s okay with you.”
“Really?” Hazel was surprised.
“Yes, I think it would be good for you to take it easy for a few weeks and allow your body time to heal. It’s not good for you to be so tired all the time.”
“Well, sign me up!” Hazel grinned.
On Christmas Eve, Hazel and Margo chatted over the phone. Margo thanked Hazel for the lovely cards and thoughtful gifts she had sent.
“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you – and elderly care – that caregiver was phenomenal!” Hazel cried. “You know, I didn’t realize how much energy I was spending on cleaning up the house. With her help, I felt so much better than I even knew I could! In fact, I want to have her continue coming to help out with housework and errands. It was wonderful shopping with her! She was a lot of fun, and she helped me in and out of the car so nicely! She pushed the cart and did all the carrying. Having her help took all the trouble out of the process! I don’t think I’ve had so much fun doing my Christmas cards and gifts in years!”
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712463/
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring elderly care in Mesa, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!
Congratulations Jacqueline on receiving a Caregiver Award!
Golden Heart Senior Care is pleased to announce that Jacqueline has been selected for a coveted Caregiver Award! Jacqueline was nominated by the Golden Heart Office Team for her professionalism and excellence. We are proud to have her on the team. Jacqueline will receive a bonus for this award! #goldenheartscottsdale
Golden Heart joins Accelerent!
Rodney and I are very excited to be invited to join Accelerent whose sole mission is to interview and select companies, exclusive in their respected category, to meet others for the sole purpose of growing their companies. Decision makers accessing other key decision makers. Makes sense to us and excited to see how we can serve our Accelerent partners by introducing them to our friends and colleagues.
We look forward to working with Accelerent, Cigna and Solterra to help build out the healthcare vertical! Thank you Peter DeMangus for recommending us! #goldenheartscottsdale
Serving 94 zip codes East of I-17!
Official Announcement! Accelerent Welcomes Golden Heart Senior Care!
Non-Medical Home Care
Contact Person:
Laurie Malone, Managing Partner & CEO
480.284.7360
laurie@goldenheartscottsdale.com
Website:
www.GoldenHeartScottsdale.com
Executive LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/laurie-malone-mba-l-i-o-n-2a98334b
Company Facebook:
Golden Heart Senior Care Scottsdale
Thank you to Peter DeMangus of Solterra Companies for referring this Partner!
Wendy Purczynski
Regional Event Manager
Phoenix
Accelerent
602.622.6540
wpurczynski@accelerent.com
www.accelerent.com
Golden Heart’s Benefits by Bennett series!
Bennett Kopp, our Senior Fitness Advisor, publishes his first article in our new Benefits by Bennett series. “We are very excited to have Bennett’s expertise. Our mission is to keep seniors safe and healthy at home!” Laurie Malone, Managing Partner & CEO
First in our Benefits by Bennett series!
Walking, The Almost Universal Exercise
For all forms of human and animal life, the most indispensable method of transportation is walking. Most people of all genders, geographical locations, weather conditions, or economic conditions, spend much of their lives walking from one place to another. There are innumerable articles, lectures, videos, and the like discussing the benefits of walking.
Walking should be divided into three types, transportational walking, as already noted, recreational walking, and functional walking. Articles on correct walking, not simply just walking, can be worthwhile and are also available from multiple sources. Whatever the type, benefits will correlate with correctness.
The more important standard benefits of walking include improved circulation, which strengthens the heart, thereby lessoning the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Also, lowered blood pressure, improved bone structure and muscle strength and flexibility. There is, in addition, increasing evidence that mental decline, including various types of dementia, is reduced by walking.
Advice on walking correctness is applicable for pure transportation or for recreational walking. The first step is good posture, “walking tall.” Look straight ahead, avoiding watching the ground. Arms should be relaxed, moving back and forth with the pace of the walk. Avoid shuffling, raise the legs slightly off the ground with the knee slightly bent as the heel hits the ground first.
As with any exercise, warm up. Do not start off at top speed. Start slowly and gradually increase to a speed that can be comfortably maintained for the desired distance. Also as with other exercises, there should be a cool-down period, gradually slowing to a starting speed. Avoidance of this process has sometimes resulted in surprising heart attacks.
In initially describing the universality of walking, the phrase “most people” was included. That is where the term “Functional Walking” becomes relevant. Many seniors, especially those in the “middle old” and “old old” groups, may find walking to be extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible. Some others, of all ages, may share that misfortune because of injuries or illness.
In those circumstances, such usual walking objectives as, pure transportation, or recreation, or socialization, become subordinated to the more serious appropriate functional exercises. They are precisely defined by a fitness professional expert, or other health providers, to foster the attainment of ADLs, (Activities of Daily Living).
There may be no need for special equipment, or there might sometimes be need for such basics as plain chairs, walkers, wheelchairs, or light weight dumbbells. A professional trainer can design a program to strengthen the entire body, with emphasis on the appropriate leg muscles, and the diligent trainee will consequently attain all possible success!
“Custodiant Icedendo” by Bennett Kopp
Have Home Care Help With Challenging Alzheimer’s Behaviors
In the mid-stage and late-stage of Alzheimer’s disease, your dad’s behaviors may change. It gets harder to handle his wandering, agitation, and anger. Did you realize that home care can help with many of these more challenging behaviors?
Agitation
From time to time, your dad will become agitated. That agitation can progress to anger. If you aren’t careful how you react, it can escalate the behavior. It’s not uncommon for someone with Alzheimer’s to hit, slap, kick, or bite.
You’re not expecting your dad to physically attack you, so it’s alarming. You’ll react and that worsens it. It’s important not to react, but if you’re stressed, it’s more likely to happen. Take breaks regularly so that you’re calmer and less likely to yell or criticize him. Respite care is one of the services to ask about.
Changing Appetites
Alzheimer’s can make meals a bit more challenging. You get up and ask your dad what he wants for dinner. He picks something, but dinner arrives and he says he hates that. You have to go in and cook another meal.
If you do this, you’ll be cooking multiple dinners. Foods he once loved are now hated and vice versa. Instead, have a main meal all set and have something simple like peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich also ready. If he doesn’t like the main meal, hand him the sandwich. Sweeter foods are often more appealing.
Consider having home care aides available to cook his meals. You can focus on eating and cooking for your significant other and any children. The caregiver can focus on your dad’s meals.
Wandering
Wandering occurs in a large percentage of Alzheimer’s cases. It happens day and night, which makes it hard to get a good night’s sleep. Your dad wakes in the middle of the night, tries to go outside, and sets off the alarm. You’re jolted awake and have a hard time getting back to sleep once he’s settled.
He needs around-the-clock supervision if wandering is a problem. While you sleep, a caregiver can be up and watching for your dad to get up and try to get outside. You’ll get enough sleep and be ready for the next day.
Don’t wait until you’re overwhelmed and frustrated. That tends to worsen the symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Taking breaks from time to time is the best way to recharge and ease tension. Talk to a home care agency to learn more about pricing.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring home care in Fountain Hills, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!
Meet BENNETT KOPP! Golden Heart’s 91 years young Fitness Advisor for Seniors!
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?
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!
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