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Tag: Aging in Place

Help Your Loved One Declutter on National Give Something Away Day

Posted on by ltcep2023

Almost everyone gathers up more and more stuff as they age, especially if they’ve been living in the same home for decades. So many objects that were set aside or stored in a remote closet somewhere to be dealt with someday have remained in their spots for years gathering dust. The middle of July has a fun little holiday that can be just the incentive your loved one needs to do a bit of decluttering around the home. National Give Something Away Day promotes taking those once-loved objects and letting others enjoy them by giving them away.

The thought of going through that big closet at the top of the stairs and pulling out all of those boxes might seem a bit overwhelming for your senior loved one, and it might also be too physically demanding. Those obstacles make celebrating the day with the help of a family member or home care provider a must. It may not only be physically exhausting to open up all of those boxes or pull all of those clothes off the hooks, but it might be emotionally overwhelming as well. Many of those stored objects may also have memories with them that make giving them away extra difficult.

Let’s look at some steps your loved one can take with his home care provider to help make participating in National Give Something Away Day on July 15 more rewarding than stressful.

  • Start with the least sentimental first. Oftentimes, clothes are not sentimental. We just end up with too many of them because as we buy new outfits, we don’t get rid of the old. But if they no longer fit correctly or aren’t your loved one’s style anymore, it’s time to give them away so someone else can enjoy them. Your home care provider or family member can help by pulling items out of the closet one by one and showing them to your loved one to see if she wants to keep them, give them away, or throw the ones that are not in good enough shape to give away.
  • Start with just one box. If your loved one doesn’t want to go through all the boxes in the attic because there are just too many, suggest that you start with just one. It might help if you add a reward at the end such as you’ll go out for tea once you get through one entire box. When it comes to sentimental objects be empathetic and listen to why she wants to keep what and then honor those wishes as much as possible.
  • Make it personal. While clothes and shoes might be given to local thrift stores or second-hand stores, if your loved one has a lot of family heirlooms that are tucked away in the dark corners of storage places, you could suggest that she can give them to family members. Keeping those personal items in the family might make it easier for her to give away things that she has no use for but are still sentimental for her.

National Give Something Away Day is a great way to reuse and recycle items that may not be needed by your loved one anymore but will be greatly appreciated by others.

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

Talking About Senior Home Care with Aging Adults

Posted on by Craig Bass

As seniors age, their needs change. Sometimes that happens so gradually that they don’t realize that they need to be doing something different. Accepting the help of senior home care providers is one solution, but if seniors aren’t ready to hear about making this change, they might not be too excited about the idea. What can make a difference is how family members talk to seniors about this type of care.

What Does Senior Home Care Do?

First, it helps to know what senior home care does. This type of care is designed to support aging adults in their own homes with tasks that they need help managing. Home care can handle things like light housekeeping, helping out with personal care tasks, making meals, and so much more. What they do is more dependent on what seniors need help managing than anything else.

Prepping for the Talk

Before starting up a conversation about elder care services and bringing them into a senior’s life, it’s a good idea to do some prep work. Identifying current needs and considering how those needs might change in the future helps when looking at how senior home care can help. It’s also a good idea to consider what health issues seniors are facing now and later.

Choosing the Right Setting

Timing is always important with big conversations and this one is no different. Family caregivers should choose a time and place when everyone involved is relaxed and open to talking about big topics. If there’s a lot of stress happening, shift the conversation to a later time.

Engaging with Empathy

The idea of bringing in home care assistance can feel threatening sometimes for aging adults. Thinking about the topic from their perspective helps family caregivers understand more about why this might be tough for seniors to talk about. Try to keep that in mind and engage with empathy instead of trying to make the conversation cut and dry.

Highlighting Benefits and Finding Solutions

Focusing on benefits and solutions can sometimes be the key to helping seniors embrace home care. This is where the research about current and future needs can pay off. Comparing how senior home care can help aging adults with what they need help doing can be a fast way to help them see why this is a good idea.

Listening and Addressing Concerns

It’s normal for seniors to have questions and concerns about such a big change. When family caregivers take the time to actively listen and understand why seniors are concerned, everybody benefits. It’s always possible that there’s merit to what seniors are worried about. Finding the answers and alleviating the concerns builds trust.

Take Small Steps

Finally, it’s never a good idea to make immediate changes and to tell seniors that they have to simply accept this new type of help. A better option is to take small steps and go with a trial period. This allows seniors to have time to adjust and to get a feel for what senior home care is all about.

Senior home care offers tons of benefits, but burying those in a conversation that didn’t go well doesn’t help anyone. Tackling the conversation the right way can help seniors and family caregivers get the help they need.

Reference
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/aging-caregiving-older-adults

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

How Does 24-hour Home Care Adapt to Seniors’ Needs?

Posted on by ltcep2023

Seniors’ needs can change rapidly, depending on what issues they’re facing. 24-hour home care offers an around-the-clock solution for families, helping them ensure that seniors have the care they need. The help that 24-hour caregivers can offer also changes according to what seniors require at any given point.

Mobility Assistance

When seniors have mobility trouble, they’re more likely to be at risk of falling. That can also keep them from being as independent as they were in the past. Elder care providers who are there all day and all night with seniors can help them to move safely around their homes, can help them when they’re outside of the home, and prioritize safety during movement. This helps seniors to continue being as active as they can safely.

Managing Chronic Conditions

24-hour home care providers aren’t medical providers, but they can help seniors remember to take their medications on time. They can also help seniors to stick to the routines that help them to feel as well as possible. If they notice health situations changing, they can also keep family caregivers and healthcare providers apprised of what’s happening.

Personal Care Assistance

Bathing, other hygiene tasks, and other personal care tasks may also be more difficult as seniors experience changes in their needs. Caregivers who are there around the clock can help with all of these types of tasks whenever they need to be handled. This ensures that seniors are keeping their skin healthy and clean, and that they’re wearing clean clothing, getting to the bathroom, and addressing other personal care needs.

Offering Flexible Schedules

Sometimes seniors need more help overnight than they need during the day. Or they have shifting needs overnight and during the day depending on specific health challenges they’re facing. 24-hour home care services ensure that seniors and family caregivers get the help that they need exactly when they need it. And if those schedules need to be even more flexible, that’s entirely possible.

Introducing New Services

Sometimes families aren’t sure what types of help their seniors need. They may have never used home care services in the past or their aging adults need a variety of different types of help, even from other types of therapists and service providers. 24-hour home care providers can help seniors to adjust to these new services and offer a friendly face while seniors meet new therapists and specialists.

Fostering Open Communication

For busy family caregivers, it’s crucial to have all the information necessary to make the complicated decisions around their family member’s care. Home care providers who are there around the clock are able to keep family caregivers informed and aware of what’s going on. They can help keep everyone on the same page easily.

24-hour home care helps seniors and family caregivers experience peace of mind when it comes to care at all hours of the day and night. Seniors have consistent care, no matter what time of day it is, which allows everyone involved to focus on what is really important.

If you or an aging loved one is considering 24-hour home care in Phoenix, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

Five Ways Companion Care at Home Supports Disabled Seniors

Posted on by ltcep2023

Disabled aging adults face a variety of different issues on a daily basis, making it tougher for them to do just about everything. One of the most difficult challenges is often getting the social interaction that they need in order to protect their emotional well-being. Companion care at home can offer some solutions that help disabled seniors to live healthier and happier lives.

Addressing Unique Challenges

Seniors who are disabled experience difficulty in so many areas of life. They may have trouble with mobility, they may have sensory impairments, or they may be dealing with cognitive challenges. All of these issues make it difficult for disabled seniors to meet up with friends, spend time with family members, and have the social lives they want to have. Finding companionship through caregivers is an excellent solution.

Recognizing When Seniors Need Additional Help

Family caregivers who don’t live near disabled seniors may need to ask more probing questions to determine when their aging family members need more help. In some instances, it may be time for help from home care providers. Home care assistance can handle hands-on help with daily tasks, also spending time with seniors and keeping them company. Seniors who are lonely and don’t spend a lot of time with other people benefit greatly from companion care at home.

Personalizing Activities for Seniors’ Abilities and Interests

One benefit from having experienced caregivers visiting seniors to keep them company is that they can put together personalized plans for moving forward. Companion caregivers get to know the seniors they’re helping and they understand what seniors can do, what they enjoy, and how they want to spend this time together. From there, they put together a customized experience meant to bring disabled seniors as much joy as possible.

Offering Emotional Support and Encouragement

Many seniors may not realize just how important emotional support and encouragement are until they have someone there to offer both. For disabled seniors especially, it can help immensely to have someone there to talk about how they’re feeling and to share the challenges they’re experiencing. Companion caregivers are great listeners and they can help seniors to feel heard and understood.

Respecting Seniors’ Needs and Preferences

Companion care at home is about ensuring that seniors have all of the social interaction that they need and want. That doesn’t mean that each senior has the same care plan, however. Companion caregivers are there to meet each senior where they are, respecting that person’s preferences and needs equally. That might mean that some seniors only want visits a few times a month, while others want to see companion caregivers more often. The flexibility of this type of care can accommodate those differences.

Seniors who are already facing challenges because of disability may not be able to get out and be social as much as they want. But with the help of companion care at home, friendly caregivers can come to them on their own schedule and ensure that seniors are getting their emotional needs met.

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

Has Your Dad Talked About Aging in Place?

Posted on by ltcep2023

Aging in place is choosing to remain living at home in the twilight years of life. It’s what your dad wants, and you want to ensure he’s able to. Before he can, he needs to take a few measures to make sure he’s able to safely age in his current home. Here are a few important steps to take, and how elder care can help ensure he remains safe at home.

Heighten Safety Around His Home

Take measures to improve safety around your dad’s home. Add grab bars around his toilet and inside and outside of his shower. If he needs help keeping his balance, the grab bars are there. Non-slip bath mats and shower seats may also be useful.

In his living room and main living areas, make sure furniture is arranged in such a way that your dad has plenty of room to walk without tripping over things or stubbing his toe. Check that there are no loose or uneven hardwood boards, torn carpeting, or electrical cords that are in the way. If there are decorative rugs, remove them or make sure they have rubberized backing.

Where is his bedroom? If it’s upstairs, is he steady on the stairs or does he have a hard time getting up and down the stairs safely? Would a stairlift help or could you move his bedroom to the main floor?

How Is His Health?

Does your dad have health issues? Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol may have him taking prescription medications every day. If he forgets to take his medications, is anyone available to remind him?

If your dad has several medical appointments or therapy sessions throughout the month, is he able to drive himself? If not, who brings him? Would it help to have a caregiver available for transportation?

Is he supposed to exercise every day? Does he like to walk by himself or does he avoid it and skip the recommended exercise his doctor wants him to do? If he’d be more likely to take a daily walk if someone else joined him, make sure there is someone with him for his daily walks.

Plan and Cook Meals

If your dad is tempted to eat canned soup, ramen cups, frozen pizza, and other heat-and-eat meals, try to get him to focus on home-cooked meals. A ramen cup may be easy to prepare and taste good, but it contains over 1,100 mg of sodium. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 1,500 mg per day.

Instead, focus on meals that contain lean protein, whole grains, and fresh produce. Dairy is good for calcium and vitamin D. Keeping salt to a minimum is ideal, and easy to do when you cook from scratch and use herbs and spices instead.

Book Elder Care Services

Support your dad’s goal of aging in place by arranging elder care. He’ll have caregivers with him to cook meals, clean his home, and do the laundry. Your dad will have a driver when he needs to run errands, and company when he’s going for walks or shopping. Learn more about elder care by talking to an advisor.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elder 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!

How Do You Make Housekeeping Easier For Your Dad?

Posted on by Craig Bass

As your dad’s stamina and strength decline with age, he’s finding it harder to keep up with daily housekeeping chores. How do you help him with these tasks when you’re not always around? How does in-home care play a role? Read on to learn more.

Aim for Rechargeable When Possible

Rechargeable small appliances remove the cord that could trip your dad up. A rechargeable vacuum is just one of the helpful cleaning tools out there. A rotary scrub brush and steam mop are also handy to have.

At the very least, try to have a rechargeable vacuum to lower the risk of your dad tripping on cords while he’s cleaning his house. If it has a removable hand-held section for cleaning stairs, that’s even better.

Embrace Technology

Make the most of technology as it can make housekeeping a lot easier to manage. A robotic vacuum can clean floors on a schedule. Some are set up to empty their canisters themselves. This can eliminate a second chore from your dad’s list.

If you clean with a broom, there are automatic stationary vacuum bins where you sweep crumbs, pet hair, and dust to the device’s intake vacuum to clean up without needing a dustpan.

Move the Laundry Room If Possible

In some countries, it’s common to have a combination washer/dryer in the kitchen. If your dad has a basement laundry room, while it’s the norm in a lot of the U.S., the stairs can be impossible for your dad to navigate. Is it possible to move the laundry room upstairs?

If there’s room in his kitchen, a closet, or even a bathroom and there’s money available for this small renovation project, it’s worthwhile. He won’t have to struggle to do the laundry or wait until others are there to help him.

Simplify Meal Preparation

A slow cooker is one of the best kitchen tools for older adults. It’s not as heavy as a casserole dish that’s taken out of the oven each day. It also doesn’t require constant attention. At most, your dad has to stir the food in the cooker every couple of hours.

Having vegetables prepped and ready to use is helpful when your dad isn’t good at slicing or chopping ingredients. You can take care of it on the weekends or when you visit, and he can use items when he needs them.

Hire In-Home Care to Help

Is it better if someone else helps your dad with the housekeeping tasks? Home care services are ideal for assistance with household chores like cooking, cleaning, and laundry.

Have you considered the benefits of in-home care services like housekeeping and laundry? Instead of struggling to do things as he has the energy, your dad can have caregivers to do these things for him. Talk to an in-home care expert to learn more about the availability and cost of caregiver services.

If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home 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!

 

How Can Home Care Help Seniors to Age in Place?

Posted on by Craig Bass

When seniors are planning to age in place for as long as they possibly can, it is essential that they have the support that they need to make that goal attainable. Home care providers are able to keep seniors as safe as possible while also offering companionship and help with daily tasks. Here’s what family caregivers need to know about this type of help.

Activities of Daily Living

Activities of daily living, or ADLs, are tasks that seniors need to do every day as a part of life. These are tasks like preparing meals, bathing, getting dressed, and taking care of household matters. Home care providers are able to assist with these tasks to whatever degree is necessary. Having that help allows aging adults to conserve some of their energy and avoid struggling through daily tasks. This can be instrumental in helping seniors remain in their homes.

Safety and Supervision

Some seniors might need more help recognizing and addressing safety concerns, and elder care providers are able to do just that. Caregivers help to prevent falls and reduce other safety complications for aging adults and family caregivers. Home care providers can also help seniors to be more active and to remember to use assistive devices, like walkers, when necessary. If there are bigger safety concerns, caregivers make sure that family members are aware of what’s happening.

Companionship

It’s not uncommon at all for aging adults to gradually find that they’re spending the vast majority of their time alone. As time goes on, seniors may feel as if they’re becoming isolated. This can lead to some big mental health difficulties, including depression. Home care providers offer companionship, which can be an essential part of reducing the impact of loneliness.

Transportation

Seniors may not be able to drive any longer, which can complicate life a bit. That’s especially true when they still have appointments and other activities that they need and want to get to. Caregivers can help with transportation, ensuring that seniors safely get where they have to be. This also helps seniors to remain engaged in the world around them.

Education

Family caregivers have a lot going on and often aren’t as aware as they might want to be about how to meet the needs of the person they are helping. Home care providers offer education about what seniors need, especially in terms of things like safety and home modifications that make life both safer and easier. Understanding more of these details helps family caregivers to make better care decisions for their aging adults.

Home care helps seniors to age in place with the support that they need in order to live safely and independently in their own homes. Caregivers offer support with daily tasks, companionship, transportation, and more. All of this helps to improve quality of life for aging adults and for the family caregivers helping them on a regular basis. It also helps seniors to avoid moving away from their homes if that is what they are trying to avoid for the foreseeable future.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home 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!

How to Create a Senior Home Care Plan for Your Parent

Posted on by Craig Bass

Your mom is getting older, but she has always planned to stay in her home. Senior home care is one way to ensure this happens, but how do you get started? What steps should you take to create an effective care plan for your senior?

Gather Family Members for Input

Have your siblings, cousins or other extended family spent more time with your mom than you have? Their input is important as they’ll know what they’ve noticed she cannot do on her own. They’ll know where they have to help her each week.

Ask Your Mom

Ask your mom what she needs help doing. Where does she feel she’s fine on her own? What does she find to be too hard to complete? As she shares information regarding her care needs, use her comments and requests to build a care plan.

Consult With Your Mom’s Doctors

If your mom has health issues, ask her doctors what to expect. For example, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, she can do a lot of stuff on her own. But, a few months from now, she won’t be able to drive. She’s going to need someone to take her shopping, drive her to appointments, and make sure she gets to social events on time.

Ask her doctors what care she needs now and in the future. You’ll use information like this to build a care plan to cover her needs now. As that changes, you can adjust her arrangements with home care.

Build a Care Plan Using This Input

You have a lot of input from different people. Now is the time to build a care plan that matches your mom’s current needs. Consider the tasks she cannot complete without help on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and create three lists.

For example, she may not be allowed to drive. She’s going to need someone to take her shopping every week or two. She may have monthly appointments, and she’ll need to pick up prescription refills each month. She needs a driver for all of this.

Once a week, she needs her carpets vacuumed and her laundry done. She may need a caregiver to drive her to a laundromat if she doesn’t have a washer or dryer.

Every day, your mom needs someone to remind her to take her pills, help her get dressed, and assist her after she takes a shower. She might need help in the shower.

She needs someone to cook meals for her, so she’d need a caregiver with her each day from breakfast through dinner. Your mom may want to help her caregiver cook, or she might prefer to have the caregiver do the cooking and then join her for the meal. All of these preferences need to be noted and shared with a home care specialist.

Senior home care is designed to support your mom as she ages at home. Sit down as a family and talk about the things that would help her remain independent. Once you have some ideas of what she needs, call a senior home care agency to arrange those services.

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

4 Great Dog Breeds for Seniors

Posted on by Craig Bass

Has your elderly parent expressed a desire to adopt a dog? October is National Adopt a Dog month, sponsored by the Humane Society since 1981. It encourages people seeking out pet ownership to consider adopting a dog rather than purchasing one from a pet store or private breeder. Many dogs need to be adopted and they cover every type of breed. While sometimes finding the exact breed your parent desires may be a bit of a search at shelters, it is possible.

Different breeds of dogs can vary in temperament, maintenance, energy, and compatibility so before you take the plunge into being a dog owner, your parent should do a bit of research on what breed of dog may be best for the type of life he wants to provide the dog. While your aging parent can always get help from you and perhaps a home care provider, in the end, he will be the one mainly responsible for his new dog staying happy and healthy.

Let’s look at some top breeds for seniors and why they can be a great fit.

Shih Tzu

Topping the list is the adorable little Shih Tzu. Usually weighing around 10 pounds, these sweet little dogs are great lap dogs and are happy to snuggle with your parent on the couch or chair almost all day. They are also often very good with guests and visitors. They do require a lot of grooming so your parent will need to be prepared to groom and care for this dog’s coat. A home care provider can help with brushing when visiting but your parent will still need to pay for regular groomer visits.

Maltese

This is another small lap dog. Malteses are very good at understanding and reacting to people’s moods and are often used as therapy dogs because of their sweet demeanor. They don’t shed at all but do require regular grooming and daily walks. Having to provide a dog with daily walks is also a great incentive for your parent to get out and exercise as well. When the weather is too cold or too hot, he might want to have a younger family member take the dog for a walk on those days or even have a home care provider do it.

Poodle

Poodles are intelligent dogs that can be easily trained to follow rules. They also have a huge eagerness to please. It makes them happy to make you happy. Poodles come in three different sizes from the very small toy poodle to the much larger standard poodle, which can weigh up to 75 pounds. It can be a great option if your parent doesn’t want a smaller dog.

Bichon Frise

Back to small dogs, the bichon frise is a wonderful dog for seniors. They are not high energy and just love to curl up beside a person and keep close to their person. They make sure your parent will never feel alone because they don’t like to let their owners out of their sight!

These are just a few suggestions but in the end, it’s up to you and your parent to determine which is the best dog for him.

Source
https://www.forbes.com/health/healthy-aging/best-dogs-for-seniors/

If you or an aging loved one is considering home 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!

How Does Senior Home Care Keep Your Senior Safer?

Posted on by Craig Bass

One of the biggest benefits of bringing in senior home care for your family member is knowing that she is going to be safer than she would be if she were alone. But how do home care providers make life safer for your senior? Turns out that there are a lot of different ways to contribute to safety as your senior ages in place.

Assisting with Household Chores

Household chores take a lot more out of your senior as she ages than even she might realize. She may be spending a lot more time and energy doing things that someone else can help manage. This allows her to do the things that she truly needs and wants to do.

Offering Help with ADLs

Another group of tasks that may be getting more difficult for your senior could include ADLs, or activities of daily living. These are tasks that everyone does every day, like getting up from bed, grooming, getting dressed, and more. If your elderly family member is experiencing difficulties with these tasks, home care can help.

Ensuring Your Senior Is Eating and Drinking

Without proper nutrition, your elderly family member is going to experience bigger health issues than she might expect. Dehydration is another huge concern. With help from senior home care, your elderly family member is more likely to remember to drink water and other fluids while also eating healthy meals and snacks.

Offering Companionship

It’s also important for your senior to socialize with other people, even if she says that she doesn’t want to be around people. Crowds may not be the answer, of course, but having caregivers stopping by to assist with other tasks can make a big difference for her. Elder care providers help your senior to beat loneliness and avoid isolating herself or developing depression.

Watching Out for Safety Hazards

Safety hazards abound for seniors, and if your aging family member has someone there with her to watch out for problems, she’s going to be a lot safer in general. Some of the things to watch for are tripping hazards and other issues, like forgetfulness, that could cause your senior to experience dangerous situations. Senior home care can alert you to those conditions so you can resolve them for your senior.

Keeping Family Caregivers Informed

In general, the more informed you are about how your senior is doing on a daily basis, the easier it is for you to put together a care plan that works for her needs. It’s also a lot easier to adjust her routines as needed, because you’re more aware of what is truly helping. If you don’t live near your senior, you may not be able to see her in person as much as you would like. Senior home care ensures that you know what challenges your elderly family member is facing.

The safer your senior is, the easier it is for her to live the life that she wants to live. You’ll also feel more comfortable knowing that your elderly family member is in good hands.

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home 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!