Learn the warning signs of dementia in this article by the Ft. Lauderdale home care experts.
As soon as the door swings open and your senior loved one wraps you in a warm hug, through the joyous holiday dinner and each timeless family custom, possibilities abound for not simply high quality time together, but also to assess how your parent is truly doing and if any red flags are detected. Read more
For many senior adults, visits to the emergency room are more frequent as they get older. Changes in their physical and cognitive functioning, increased fall risk, higher instance of physical health concerns, and lower immune systems can all contribute to older adults visiting the emergency room more frequently than they might have when they were younger.
This frequency, however, does not make these situations any less serious. Whether your senior loved one visits the emergency room less than once a year or several times a year, as their family caregiver it is essential that you are there for them to help ensure that they get the most benefit out of the care that they receive, and that they continue to receive this benefit even after they are discharged.
One of the most important elements of this is asking the right questions before your parent leaves the emergency room. By asking these questions you can get the information that you need to structure your care approach and keep your parent on the right track toward recovery and management of their health and well-being.
Some questions that you should ask before your senior parent leaves the emergency room include:
• What is their diagnosis?
• What types of treatments did they receive while they were in the emergency room?
• What is the prognosis for this particular issue?
• What types of prescriptions did they receive?
• What are the instructions for these prescriptions?
• What are the potential side effects for these prescriptions and how can they handle them effectively?
• What type of care will they need after returning home?
• What changes do they need to make to their lifestyle because of this issue?
• What should you look for to determine if they need to return to the emergency room?
• When and with whom should they follow up after discharge?
Considering bringing a notebook with you and taking notes about the answers to these questions. This will allow you to reference these notes later if you have any questions or unsure of what needs to be done.
If your senior loved one has recently spent time in the emergency room, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting senior home care for them. Regardless of the issue that brought them to the hospital, the time after they return home can be integral in protecting the future of their health and well-being. This is the time when hospital readmission becomes an issue and your loved one will also need to focus on recovering from the illness, injury, or other concern that had them seeking emergency medical attention.
The highly personalized services of an in-home senior care provider can ensure that they get the care, support, assistance, and other services that they need to manage their individual needs and challenges, prevent readmission, and maintain the quality of life and lifestyle that is right for them.
If your parent is at risk of needing additional care or the medical team has given you specific instructions as to what to look for in ensuring that they are recovering properly, this care provider can be especially beneficial. Being with your parent ensures that they are able to detect changes or issues that might be concerning so that they can alert you and your parent can get the continued care that they need.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Hollywood, FL to provide companionship, compassion and motivation, please contact the caring staff at Responsive Home Care. Contact us today 954-486-6440.
The objects that you have in your home are a representation of the life that you have lived. This absolutely applies to your aging parent, who likely has objects that they have owned for decades. This does not mean, however, that they should hold on to everything that they have. Downsizing is an important task for elderly adults who are either transitioning into a new home or who have accumulated too many belongings over time and need to start clearing them out.
This goes beyond just older people holding onto items. According to a study performed by the University of Kansas, approximately 30 percent of adults over the age of 70 throughout the United States exhibit hoarding behaviors in that they had not given away any items in the previous year. Nearly 60 percent of seniors between the ages of 50 and 59, and more than 60 percent of those ages 70 to 79, however, admit that they have too many possessions. This illustrates the emotional challenge of hoarding, which happens when it is too difficult for them to let go of what they own. This could develop into a dangerous situation with excess clutter, holding onto potentially hazardous items, or filling the home with items os that it cannot be properly cleaned.
Some indications that your aging parent needs to downsize include:
• Rooms in the home that are no longer usable for their intended function because they are filled with items,
• Excessive clutter that builds up on surfaces, such as newspapers, magazines, and junk mail,
• Items that are in the home that have not been used in an extended period,
• Items that are in the home that are no longer usable,
• Having too many items to move into their new home comfortably or safely.
If your aging parent is dealing with hoarding behaviors or is transitioning into a new home and you know that they need to downsize, starting home care services for them might be one of the best decisions that you can make. An in-home senior care services provider can be a tremendous source of support and encouragement for this elderly adult so that they can better cope with the changes that are coming during this time in their life. This can also be extremely helpful when you are going through the actual process of downsizing their belongings or moving. The in-home senior care services provider can be with your elderly loved one to keep them engaged, talk them through these difficult situations, and even plan activities and outings to keep them out of the way so that they can experience less stress and anxiety during this process. When it comes to recognizing if your elderly loved one might be coping with hoarding behaviors, this care provider can monitor how your parent interacts with objects and if they might seem reluctant or hesitant to let go of items so that they can alert you to any possible areas of concern.
Source:http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/02/10/geronb.gbu003.abstract
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Hollywood FL to provide companionship, compassion and motivation, please contact the caring staff at Responsive Home Care. Call today 954-486-6440.
Caring for a loved one as he or she ages can be a very rewarding experience, but it isn’t without challenges. Millions of Americans have taken on the role of caregiver for an elderly parent in recent years, and while your relationship with your parent may have always been great, constant caregiving and feeling like there’s a role reversal between child and parent can be extremely stressful. It is important for all caregivers to learn how to manage their emotions for their health and the health of their loved ones.
In the article Taking Care of an Elderly Parent―and Not Loving It? How to Turn Resentment Into Patience and Joy, psychologist Dr. Suzanne Gelb encourages caregivers to do three key things in order to manage stress and find peace in their caregiver role:
1. Release your feelings in a positive way, even if you just need to scream into a pillow.
2. Find and talk to someone else who understands your experience. Seek out caregiver support groups in your area or online.
3. Recognize that there are things you cannot control and let those things go.
Read more of Dr. Gelb’s advice for caregivers in this article from the Huffington Post.
Responsive Home Care can help you with caregiving for your senior loved one. Contact us to learn more about our trusted senior care services in Pembroke Pines and surrounding areas.
Responsive is a home health agency committed to our clients’ wellness and supporting our incredible staff of caregivers. Through our education and training programs we offer our caregivers and office staff important new techniques to keep safety a priority. This past month, Responsive Home Care, providers of home health services of Broward County hosted four Body Mechanic In-services to train our caregivers and office staff on proper transferring and lifting techniques. These techniques are a pivotal aspect to maintain health and safety for both clients and caregivers.
There was a range of topics discussed in the Body Mechanics In-service. The topics spanned from assisting clients in and out of their wheelchair to maintaining posture and flexibility while on the job. Nerly, Responsive’s RN Case Manager, facilitated the In-service and utilized hands on training to strengthen the learning process. Each caregiver earns two hours of Continued Education upon the completion of the In-service. If you need information about proper Body Mechanics feel free to give us a call at 954-486-6440 or email us atAndrew@ResponsiveHomeHealth.com.
This month we look forward to hosting our First Aid and Safety In-services for our caregivers.
Stay tuned!
2949 W. Cypress Creek Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Phone: 954-486-6440
Toll Free: 888-544-6440
Fax: 954-486-6449
