Posts

Is It Time for 24-Hour Alzheimer’s Care?

/in , , , /by
A woman considering 24-hour Alzheimer’s care embraces her mother.

24-hour Alzheimer’s care empowers individuals to continue living at home safely and independently.

Caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease requires continuous adaptation to the person’s changing needs. As the condition progresses, there comes a point when 24-hour Alzheimer’s care becomes not only beneficial but necessary for ensuring the safety, well-being, and good quality of life for the person.

Here are key indicators that signal the appropriateness of transitioning to round-the-clock care:

  • Safety Concerns: One of the primary reasons behind considering 24-hour Alzheimer’s care is an escalation in safety concerns. Wandering, forgetting to turn off appliances, or experiencing challenges with activities of everyday living increases the risk for injuries or accidents.
  • Sleep Disturbances: As dementia progresses, sleep patterns often become disrupted. Nighttime confusion, wandering, or agitation may lead to sleep deprivation for the individual and you as their caregiver, impacting overall health and well-being.
  • Inability to Perform Basic Tasks: When the person starts to have trouble with basic tasks such as bathing, dressing, or eating, 24-hour care ensures consistent support for these activities, promoting dignity and empowering the individual to maintain the highest possible quality of life.
  • Decline in Physical Health: Dementia can affect an individual’s physical health, resulting in challenges with mobility, coordination, and self-care. Round-the-clock care ensures prompt help with any physical needs which could arise.
  • Medical Monitoring Requirements: Some people with dementia may have underlying health conditions that necessitate regular monitoring. Continuous care allows for close observation of medical needs and timely intervention.
  • Frequent Hospitalizations: If the individual is experiencing numerous hospitalizations as a result of complications related to dementia, 24-hour care may be necessary to provide consistent monitoring and preventive measures.
  • Communication Barriers: Advanced dementia often results in communication difficulties. Professional caregivers experienced in communicating with those who have dementia can enhance the individual’s overall quality of life and minimize frustration.
  • Caregiver Burnout: The demands of providing care for a person with dementia can be overwhelming. If you’re experiencing exhaustion or other signs and symptoms of caregiver burnout or depression, it may be an indicator that 24-hour care is needed.
  • Increased Behavioral Challenges: Aggression, agitation, or challenging behaviors may increase as dementia progresses. Professional caregivers trained in managing these behaviors can provide a more secure environment and prevent potential harm.

Note that if the individual’s behaviors are causing you or the person to be in danger of harm, it is a good idea to investigate care home options, where multiple caregivers are readily available to ensure everyone’s safety.

At Responsive Home Care, we provide specialized dementia care from skilled, trained, and experienced care professionals, customized to the needs of the individual. During the early stages of the disease, this may mean just a couple of hours of help and support. Once the disease progresses, we can increase the level of care to ensure comfort and safety, up to and including 24-hour Alzheimer’s care.

Contact us online or call us any time at 954-486-6440 to learn more about our in-home dementia care in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Lighthouse Point, or the surrounding areas.

Bridging the Gap in Dementia Care: Using Food to Engage and Connect

/in , , /by
dementia care

Learn how food can help you engage and connect as you provide dementia care.

Food is a universal language, and it connects us all! Think about how many cherished memories have been made through the years that incorporated food at the center of them all: birthday parties, wedding celebrations, holiday meals. Even average days involve routines that become ingrained in us around food, from that first aromatic cup of coffee in the morning to a shared bowl of buttery popcorn with family while watching a movie.

Of course, food isn’t just needed for our physical health, but it is also often a highly effective way to connect with someone with dementia while delivering dementia care. Here are several activities you can try to help spark memories while appealing to all the senses through food.

  • Preparing. Choose a simple recipe to prepare, like fruit salad or sandwiches. Assemble the ingredients and incorporate them into your conversation. While washing and cutting up fruit, for instance, ask the senior what kinds of fruits they enjoyed as a kid.
  • Decorating. Frost cupcakes while reminiscing about the treats Mom would prepare for school birthday parties. Roll out cookie dough and use cookie cutters and sprinkles to make them specific to an upcoming holiday while you discuss holidays past.
  • Storytelling. Take out a vintage cookbook and look through the recipes together to see if any spark memories. The senior may remember food rationing during wartime, or the time they tried a new recipe at the beginning of their marriage that was a total disaster. If a specific recipe is of interest, make it together!

Consider how you can involve the senses into mealtimes as you deliver dementia care. There is so much more to food than taste! Point out the sizzling sound of eggs frying, delicious scent of the chicken you are roasting for dinner, the cool smoothness of bread dough being kneaded. Attempt to make each plate served appetizing to the eyes as well as the palate. And whenever possible, cultivate conversations that link the person to memories from the past.

Quite often, a person with dementia will encounter a diminished appetite and lose interest in food. Activities such as these can be a terrific way to restore the joy we experience together through shared meals and treats.

Our dementia care experts have lots more tips to make life the best it can be for someone with dementia. Get in touch with Responsive Home Care any time online or at (954) 486-6440 to request dementia care resources or to find out more about our home health care services in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the nearby areas.

Safely Living at Home with Dementia: Is it Possible?

/in , , /by
Senior woman holding a tea cup looking into the distance

Safely living at home with dementia is possible with assistance.

There has been a belief that once someone received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another type of progressive dementia, the only option was nursing home care. After all, it’s not possible for someone with cognitive decline to continue safely living at home with dementia, particularly when they live alone – or is it?

Statistics demand the need for all of us to think this through for the people we love, and possibly even for ourselves one day. Nearly 14 million seniors are currently residing at home alone – 33% with dementia, and 15% specifically with Alzheimer’s disease. Even more alarming, half of this population not only lives alone, but has no identified caregiver.

There are a number of key aspects of concern for an older adult who lives alone with dementia:

  • The ability to take care of activities of daily living independently, such as meals, personal hygiene, household management, and problem-solving
  • An elevated risk to senior scams and exploitation
  • The isolation that stems from an anxiety about unfamiliar places and situations as confusion increases

Yet we also recognize that remaining in the home throughout aging for someone with dementia offers many great benefits, such as:

  • The comfort of familiar surroundings and belongings, which provides stability
  • The ability to help keep regular routines, making life navigation easier
  • Self-identity that comes through protecting a feeling of belonging

One solution that is beneficial for a great many is bringing in an expertly trained dementia caregiver to provide just the right level of support to nurture as much freedom and independence as possible, while making sure of safety and wellbeing.

It’s essential to note that the earlier you can bring in support for someone with Alzheimer’s, the better. Even during the very earliest stages of the disease, the progression can happen rapidly, at which time the transition to care would have to occur immediately. By starting slowly with just a little assistance, perhaps with housework, laundry, and meals, you can then work up to an increased amount of care seamlessly as needed.

At Responsive Home Care, we create a customized plan of care that is reviewed and adjusted as needed ongoing – so if the need is for just a couple hours each week of assistance, or full-time, around-the-clock care, we are available to help older adults continue to live at home for a lifetime.

Our fully trained Alzheimer’s care team can ensure safety and comfort throughout each stage of the disease, easing challenges such as:

  • Wandering
  • Aggression
  • Agitation
  • Frustration
  • Cognitive challenges
  • And more

Our caregivers offer the social interaction, mental stimulation, and encouragement to remain physically active which all lead to a significantly better quality of life. Our home care company serves Fort Lauderdale, FL and the surrounding area. Email or call us at (954) 486-6440 for a complimentary consultation for more information on how we can help someone you love continue to live where it is most comfortable – at home – for a lifetime.

Low Vision and Dementia Caregiver Tips: 6 Engaging Activity Ideas

/in , , , /by
Dementia Caregiver Tips

These low vision and dementia caregiver tips help make each day more enjoyable.

Finding activities that are fun and engaging for a loved one with dementia can be a challenge. Add in vision impairment, and it may seem overwhelming. Yet it’s vitally important to ensure each day holds opportunities for joy, purpose, and meaning – reducing the level of frustration, agitation, and other difficult emotions and behaviors in dementia. Never fear; we have the low vision and dementia caregiver tips you need!

The first step is to think through the senior’s current and past interests, hobbies, and lifestyle. Then brainstorm ways to tap into those preferences. We’ve compiled a few ideas to help you get started:

  • Put together a playlist of the senior’s favorite songs or genre of music, and then dance, sing along, keep the beat with a tambourine or simply a sealed container of dried beans. Reminisce about memories the music invokes.
  • Read aloud, choosing stories or articles that are easy to follow and on topics that are of interest to the senior. For instance, a sports fan may enjoy hearing an update on his or her favorite teams and players, and then talking about highlights from the past as well.
  • Get up and moving for improved circulation and muscle tone, as well as to help encourage daytime wakefulness and better nighttime sleeping. If weather permits, exercising outdoors is a wonderful way to add in fresh air and vitamin D. Try walks in nature, pointing out the particular birds, flowers, trees, etc. that you pass along the way.
  • Experiment with a variety of tactile art mediums that can be manipulated without the use of vision, such as clay or sculpting sand. Or try creating a 3-D work of art by gluing buttons, shells, dried pasta, etc. into a pattern or shape.
  • Include the senior in ability-appropriate tasks around the home. Food preparation offers a variety of options, such as washing and tearing lettuce for a salad, peeling and breaking apart bananas or oranges, and mixing ingredients for a cake. Or ask the senior to help with folding laundry or sorting nuts and bolts in a toolbox.
  • Give pet therapy a try. Specially trained pet therapists can provide a safe, trusted cat or dog for the senior to pet or hold. While this may seem simplistic, the joy and relaxing effects of spending time with an animal can be significant.

At Responsive Home Care, the leading provider of home care assistance in Plantation, FL and nearby areas, our care specialists are skilled in creative ideas to engage seniors of any ability level to help make daily life more enjoyable. Contact us at 954-486-6440 for a trusted care partner today!

Alzheimer’s Research Milestones Reached in 2020

/in , , , /by
Alzheimer’s Research Milestones

Discover some of the most exciting Alzheimer’s research milestones of 2020.

With so much negative news throughout 2020, it is worth noting some of the incredible achievements the year brought – including the Alzheimer’s research milestones. Katie McDonough, director of programs and services at the Alzheimer’s Association, shares, “There are many things that we’re learning and it’s an exciting time for Alzheimer’s research.”

Listed here are just some of the Alzheimer’s research milestones reached that are taking us ever closer to a cure:

  • Identification of Alzheimer’s disease risk factors. Learning about the leading risk factors for Alzheimer’s, in particular pollution, excessive alcohol consumption, and traumatic brain injury (among others) is estimated to reduce cases of dementia around the world up to 40%.
  • Decreasing rates of Alzheimer’s cases. For the past three decades, dementia diagnoses in Europe and North America have declined by 13% per decade – likely the result of changes in lifestyle.
  • Progress towards earlier diagnosis. The Early Detection of Neurodegenerative diseases initiative (EDoN) has been started, in which digital devices are being developed to diagnose dementia as early as 10 to 15 years prior to symptom onset.
  • Increased attention to MCI. Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, is now being evaluated more thoroughly, allowing for earlier strategy, diagnosis and treatment.
  • Dementia blood tests. Predictors for the risk of Alzheimer’s disease have become more sophisticated, and in a recently available study from Sweden, researchers identified blood-based proteins that predict future memory and thinking problems.
  • Review of antipsychotic meds. A recent study conducted by the University College London reported an increased rate of the prescription of antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia – possibly linked to the greater need for delirium management along with agitation and anxiety from COVID-19 restrictions. These meds are recommended only when no alternative is available, and the reduction of their use is currently being further explored.
  • Artificial intelligence. At a faster pace and lower cost, an innovative new AI solution is able to identify the formation of proteins within the brain, helping researchers design treatments to help remove these proteins.
  • The FDA accepted this promising drug in 2020 for a priority review process, meaning that sometime in 2021, we should be finding out if it’s approved for use in the general population.

At Responsive Home Care, we are committed to following the current research on dementia, as well as on offering the cutting-edge, highly skilled care that helps individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s live to their fullest potential. Whether the need is for full-time care, or just a few hours each week for reliable respite services, reach out to us at (954) 486-6440 for an in-home consultation or to explore options for home health care in Pembroke Pines and the surrounding areas.

Coping with Incontinence and Dementia

/in , , /by
senior woman drinking orange juice

ntinence and dementia often go hand-in-hand. Learn how to best handle care for incontinence with the senior you love.

Dementia care calls for both compassion and creativity to manage a range of complicated behaviors and effects, and that’s particularly true in relation to incontinence, something that is incredibly common in Alzheimer’s along with other types of dementia. These tried-and-true techniques are usually effective in minimizing the effect of incontinence and curtailing an escalation of emotions in someone you love with dementia.

  1. Choose your words very carefully. As opposed to talking about incontinence products as “diapers,” for example, call them “briefs” or “pull-up underwear.” Nevertheless, take the cue from your senior loved one; if she or he prefers to utilize the term “diapers” and appears confident with that, then follow along.
  2. Clean out regular underwear from the senior’s dresser. To avoid confusion or opposition to wearing incontinence products, be sure those are the sole option in his or her wardrobe.
  3. Test various products. With different brands, sizes, and absorbency levels on the market, it might take some trial and error to discover one that’s most comfortable and effective.
  4. Use backup products overnight. To help prevent the older adult from waking up throughout the night from incontinence-related issues, try inserting booster pads inside the absorbent underwear, and use products marked for heaviest coverage. Waterproof mattress protectors and disposable bed pads are usually also extremely helpful.
  5. Ensure quick access into the bathroom. Perform a walk-through of the areas the older adult spends time in to estimate how easy it really is for him or her to reach the bathroom. Specifically, remove any clutter, cords, or throw rugs in the senior’s walking path to protect against falls.
  6. If an accident does occur… Maintain a calm demeanor so as not to offend (or further upset) the older adult, and say something like, “It would appear that something may have spilled on your pants; let’s get you some clean clothes,” or “It seems like your pants are wet; that happens every now and then.”
  7. Address unwillingness to keep products on. For older adults who regularly make an effort to remove incontinence products, first see if you’re able to uncover the particular reason why. If uncomfortableness is an issue, try several types of products for one that will be more comfortable. Or your senior loved one may be attempting to change if there’s a feeling of wetness.

In all instances, watch the older adult’s skin for warning signs of rash or irritation, and contact his or her medical professional if noted.

For more incontinence care tips, or to find out about Responsive Home Care’s dependable, professional care for assisting with incontinence and dementia, reach out to us at 954-486-6440 for senior care services in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the surrounding area.

5 Tips for a Better Home Environment for Seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease

/in , , /by

happy senior woman reading with dogAgitation is among the more difficult effects of dementia, and may be exceedingly frustrating for family members to manage. The key is in taking steps to handle agitation before it’s felt and expressed by the senior loved one, which involves keeping track of what has triggered these feelings in the past, and establishing a home environment in which those stimulants are eliminated or minimized. The following tips can help:

  1. Designate an area of retreat. When life starts to be overwhelming, having a specially created area where your loved one can go to de-stress often works wonders in restoring calm. This could be a designated room, or simply a comfortable corner with numerous soothing activities conveniently available, quiet music, a soothing scent to enjoy such as lavender or vanilla – whatever supplies peace and relaxation when it comes to the senior.
  2. Assess the house for upsetting items. Pay attention to exactly what your senior loved one is sensitive to, for example, certain decorations, mirrors (that could give the illusion of somebody else watching), window coverings that do not adequately filter out the darkening evening sky (prompting sundowning issues), etc.
  3. Minimize noise along with other distractions. Soft carpeting is frequently more comforting for people with dementia than harder floor materials, which can reverberate or accentuate the sound of footsteps. Keep the television or radio at a reduced volume, and set to a station that offers soft music instead of alarming, graphic news presentations. Close windows if outside noises seem to cause annoyance.
  4. Modify lighting. Ensure that each room the senior may enter is effectively lit, with natural light as much as possible, or higher wattage lightbulbs, carefully adjusting to eliminate any unusual shapes or shadows caused by the light.
  5. Keep regularly used items readily available. Whatever the senior has a tendency to want to make use of or hold most frequently ought to be put in a visible location where he or she can discover it easily. Attaching labels with words or pictures of what a senior loved one may want to locate in cabinets or even the refrigerator is also an excellent way to help bypass frustration.

Let Responsive Home Care’s expert dementia caregivers help preserve the most calming and peaceful environment for a cherished older adult you love, and provide the skilled, innovative, compassionate care that makes life the best it can be. Just some of the various ways we are able to enhance life for individuals with dementia include:

  • Specifically created activities centered on a senior’s particular interests and abilities
  • Companionship in order to help older adults stay socially engaged
  • Evening respite care allowing family caregivers the chance for a restful night when an older adult is challenged by sundowning
  • And a lot more

Reach out to us at 954-486-6440 to ask about an in-home consultation and to find out about our exceptional dementia care for older adults today!