The report is in: Learn the latest Alzheimer’s news, facts and figures here.
2019 Facts and Figures Report, and with a staggering 5.8 million Americans presently diagnosed with the disease – including one out of every ten older adults – it is essential for all of us to be familiar with the latest innovations in research and treatment plans.
Seniors experiencing pain or chronic illness can still experience joy. Learn how to help here.
Have you ever gotten out of bed and said, “It’s likely to be one of those days!” Maybe your alarm didn’t go off, the hot water heater decided to stop working, and the dog chewed up one of your most loved shoes overnight. Then consider if every day were “one of those days!” For someone coping with a chronic disease (and that’s the majority of the older adult population), day-to-day struggles and challenges can be a given.
Responsive Home Care presents a few steps that seniors can take to discover and maintain a life of joy, even throughout the face of chronic illness. For example:
At Responsive Home Care, it is our aim to help older adults attain the highest possible quality of life without exception. Our professionally trained and experienced caregivers provide pleasant companionship, interesting activities, transportation, and more. Contact us at 954-486-6440 and discover how we can make a difference by providing a home health aide in Fort Lauderdale, FL or the surrounding areas! See our full service area here.
Learn how partnering with Fort Lauderdale elderly care experts, Responsive Home Care can help you with dementia care for a loved one.
While an incredible number of older adults are struggling with the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, an even greater number of family members are trying to cope with caring for them. Incredibly, nearly 75% of family caretakers are managing their senior loved ones’ dementia care needs on their own, with only 26% seeking professional care assistance. Read more
Why don’t we face it: lots of us have a fear of doctor visits. It could be uncomfortable and downright distressing when something is wrong and we are facing the prospect of an undesirable diagnosis. Nonetheless we recognize it makes sense to complete what’s best for our health and to be conscientious about obtaining essential healthcare.
Our senior care services in Pembroke Pines and the surrounding area include helping older adults overcome a fear of doctor visits.
If you’re supporting someone with dementia and feel like you’re in uncharted territory, use these guidelines from our Sunrise elderly care experts.
At times, the greatest lessons in life come from going through them firsthand; yet the information we can discover from those who’ve traveled a similar course before us is priceless. If you are providing care for a loved one with dementia and beginning to feel a bit bogged down in this uncharted territory, the guidelines below might help: Read more
Learn more from the best home care company in Fort Lauderdale FL about these latest Alzheimer’s breakthroughs.
Groundbreaking research is zeroing in ever nearer to the eradication of Alzheimer’s disease, this time around two medications already developed and approved by the FDA. This permits accelerated clinical trials and hopefully fast-tracking us nearer to a treatment.
The first, surprisingly, is a medication utilized in treating HIV. Scientists are finding that the genetic blueprint in Alzheimer’s patients is altered as the disease advances, very similar to the genetic shuffling which occurs in those with HIV. The theory is that putting a halt to the movement of these certain genes may prevent the progression of the disease.
According to lead investigator Jerold Chun, “For the first time, we can see what may cause the disease. We also uncovered a potential near-term treatment.”
Secondly, scientists at Mount Sinai have found that medications used to reduce blood sugar in diabetics, such as metformin, might have a direct effect in decreasing the plaques and tangles connected with Alzheimer’s disease. Although this may be helpful right away for diabetics with Alzheimer’s who are already taking this medication, further research is necessary before testing on Alzheimer’s patients without diabetes as a result of potential for dangerously low blood sugar as well as other negative effects. Encouragingly, the research results add another piece to the puzzle of dementia.
These findings “…point us to the biological mechanisms that are being affected by those drugs. Hopefully, now we can find drugs that would have similar effects on the brain without changing the blood sugar levels,” said Vahram Haroutunian, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
With as many as 6 million Americans currently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and a predicted leap to 14 million diagnoses in the next 40 years, it’s imperative for medical scientists to gain ground on more fully comprehending the cause, effective treatment options, and ultimately a cure, for this disease which has truly become an epidemic.
The Alzheimer’s care experts at Responsive Home Care will continue to track these and other advances, while providing the top quality care that enhances general wellbeing while providing family members much-needed peace of mind. Our caregivers are fully trained and exceptionally skilled in helping manage some of the more difficult aspects of Alzheimer’s disease, such as wandering, aggression, sundowning, inappropriate behaviors, and many more. And our objective is always to be certain seniors with dementia have the ability to live life to its fullest potential, while remaining secure and comfortable at home.
Give us a call at 954-486-6440 to learn more or to request resources that will help you and your senior loved one navigate the experience of Alzheimer’s disease.
Responsive Home Care, providers of senior care in Hollywood, FL and surrounding areas provides tips to improve health by preventing senior loneliness.
With over 325 million people living in the United States alone, it’s difficult to imagine that loneliness would be so widespread. Nevertheless, over 50% of the elderly live alone, and more than a million of them are estimated to be chronically lonely. In reality, almost 1/2 of older adults studied stated that their primary source of company is the tv.
Being lonely may result in acute health concerns as well, reported to have as significant an impact as smoking cigarettes and being overweight, and can contribute to depression, hypertension, dementia, and also an earlier mortality rate than others who happen to be socially connected.
What are ways to ensure your senior loved ones avoid sinking into isolation? The Campaign to End Loneliness recommends using the following measurement tool. Check in with the older adults in your life to assess their answers to these three statements:
If loneliness is a problem for a loved one in your life, there are a number of things you can do to help:
It is also essential to eliminate clinical depression or any other health conditions as the underlying reason behind your loved one’s loneliness. A senior who’s isolating herself/himself on account of mental or physical conditions requires professional healthcare services to address the problem and receive relevant care.
One of the best ways to alleviate loneliness in seniors is through engaging the services of Responsive Home Care. Our caregiving companions spend quality time with senior loved ones through:
Contact us any time at 954-486-6440 for help in making certain that your senior loved one is socially active and experiencing life to the fullest!
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Learn how to avoid overstepping boundaries when it comes to caring for an aging parent.
We’ve all encountered helicopter parents, especially when a son or daughter leaves for college. In fact, we could possibly be guilty of hovering a touch too closely ourselves. Learning that appropriate harmony between caring and overstepping our boundaries is not easy. Read more
Happy and funny senior couple playing hulahoop in park
Do you remember that feeling as a child when the school bell rang, indicating the end of arithmetic and the start of the best part of the day: recess? There was a tremendous sensation of freedom dashing out onto the playground, leaving behind the pressure of school work for a quick period of unstructured play. Read more
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
Exercise is one of the most important things anyone can do for their health, energy levels, and safety. When you’re talking about seniors living at home, it may not seem as important as it once did, but it’s actually one of the most important things people can do, regardless of their age.
In fact, even seniors who have had heart attacks are often encouraged by their doctor to get exercise daily. Of course, it’s absolutely crucial that an elderly person consult his or her primary care physician to make sure exercise is warranted and safe.
There are numerous reasons why exercise is so beneficial and there are plenty of ways to get adequate exercise for people of all ages. When seniors exercise regularly, it can help improve their strength and agility, balance, and ultimately their safety.
It only takes 15 minutes per day.
A lot of people in the United States and around the world have a tendency to assume if they don’t get at least an hour’s worth of exercise in every day, it’s not really going to make a difference. In truth, 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day is enough to help strengthen the heart and keep the body in relatively good physical condition.
Of course, a senior who is only able to do 15 minutes of light exercise is not going to be maintaining their muscle mass each passing year.
There are many activities to enjoy.
Exercising can be done by simply increasing the pace of walking, doing water aerobics, taking part in yoga that is specifically designed for seniors, and much, much more. If a senior enjoys certain activities that get them moving, they should be encouraged to do them.
Sometimes, though, they may need physical support. This is where a home health care aide can be beneficial to keep them safe while taking part in these activities.
It helps to strengthen legs.
While a person in their 70s or 80s is not likely to add muscle mass through any amount of exercise, it can help prevent muscle loss from continuing, or at least slow it down tremendously. This can help them maintain better balance and keep them safe or within the comfort of their home.
Far too many family members see exercise as being a hazard rather than a benefit. They may discourage exercise and activities for their aging parents or other loved ones, but the best thing to do is encourage the hiring of a home health care aide who can assist the senior in these exercises and activities and keep them safer within the comfort of their home.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Health Care Services in Lauderhill FL to provide companionship, compassion and motivation, please contact the caring staff at Responsive Home Care. Call today 954-486-6440.
Having a difficult time sleeping isn’t fun for anyone, but if it’s happening to your elder loved one, it can affect you, too. As her family caregiver, it’s important to get to the bottom of your loved one’s insomnia issues so you can help her resolve them.
Short-term Insomnia Causes
Shorter-term insomnia might include a temporary patch of sleepless nights for your elder loved one. It also might be used to describe intermittent problems with sleep that your loved one is having. Some of the causes of short-term insomnia can include changes to your elder loved one’s medication, environmental issues such as noise, or even stress. Sometimes the smallest changes can make it difficult for your loved one to sleep properly. Short-term insomnia might cause your loved one to have an unpredictable sleep schedule, which can ultimately make the situation more difficult.
Long-term Insomnia Causes
Long-term insomnia is a much more invasive type of insomnia. This is a form of insomnia in which your loved one consistently has a difficult time sleeping. Some of the reasons for this can include depression, anxiety, and even chronic issues with pain. Health issues can even cause your loved one to have difficulty sleeping well. Breathing problems, acid reflux, and dementia can all contribute to insomnia. If your loved one has been having sleeping issues for a longer period of time, she might be reluctant to try to solve the problem because it feels like it’s always been there.
What You Can Do for Your Elder Loved One
The first step in managing your elder loved one’s insomnia is to talk with her doctor. Medication is not always the best step to take in the beginning, but your loved one’s doctor has other solutions in his bag that he can try first. If you’re not already using a sleep schedule including regular bedtimes and wakeup times with your loved one, now might be the time to start. A sleep diary can also help you and your loved one’s doctor to figure out the more subtle contributing factors to your loved one’s sleep issues.
Work with your loved one’s entire care team, including other family members and her elder care providers, to stick to whatever plan works to help her get the sleep that she needs.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Elder Care Services in Deerfield Beach FL to provide companionship, compassion and motivation, please contact the caring staff at Responsive Home Care. Call today 954-486-6440.
2949 W. Cypress Creek Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Phone: 954-486-6440
Toll Free: 888-544-6440
Fax: 954-486-6449
