Mental stimulation of seniors with Alzheimer’s can work wonders for your mental health as well as theirs. This may sound simplistic but playing with them will provide you with a welcome break from your usual caring routine and could provide laughter for you both.

Put the Activities on the Schedule
Setting aside a specific time frame every few days will ensure that you are doing something fun with them. For the senior, it often proves to be the highlight of their week because they finally recognize something and respond to it. It breaks the monotony for them and can actively be used to calm them. They also see a light every now and then in the dark tunnel of the mind and they will often remember it and look forward to it.

Participate and Observe
When you start your activities it is important that you not only be a part of the activity but also be an observer. Your loved one will enjoy the interaction but not every activity will produce a positive response. Before their slide into dementia they had their likes and dislikes and they still do but they are more difficult to recognize. Be aware of smiles and frowns and disinterest. If they turn away from an activity it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to do it anymore, it could just mean that they are bored of it. So try something else. But keep it fun and engaging. When they say that they are tired, it’s over. Don’t make it a chore, it should be fun for both of you.

Stimulation Is Treatment
It is important to mentally stimulate the elderly in your care to keep their minds as sharp and active as possible. Seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, dementia and other ailments must exercise their minds as often as possible. But finding the right ways to achieve this could take forever, unless you have a little bit of help and advice. Medical research has found that some forms of stimulation are better than others because of the way in which the mind responds to certain stimuli.

Colors and Puzzles
Bright colors have been found to work exceedingly well. Here playing with rag dolls and brightly colored balls have worked wonders in keeping their mind active. In fact, if you ask them to do something as they are concentrating on the colors will stimulate different areas of the brain. This is, of course, purely for mental exercise and it has no direct meaning to it. However, there are certain activities that do have meaning and can also be used to exercise them physically as well as mentally. Examples of games that are brightly colored and serve a purpose are puzzles. You can find large piece jigsaw puzzles of clown and balloons. Not only do the colors draw their eye, but you can also encourage the individual senior to try and place the piece, with a little help of course! Puzzles are fun and can be of great benefit to the Alzheimer’s victim.

Take it Outside
Outdoor activities that involve animals are also perfect activities for mentally disabled seniors. For example, walking a dog will afford them responsibility and give some meaning to what they are doing. It will also enhance their perception of themselves tremendously. The responsibility of looking after another living creature can brighten up even their darkest days. Dogs are perfect for such activities because they are loving and affectionate and provide a warm and loving response to any fuss and attention they receive. Obviously, any such activities must be carried out under close supervision to ensure that the safety of all is maintained.

Communication is so important between you and your loved one and many times that communication is on a non-verbal level. It is important that you be an observer at all times and activities like those above can increase your bond and be fun for both of you.

Tips For Keeping Your Aging Loved One Stimulated is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

According to Merriam Webster relevant means: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand.    That makes sense when writing for your website but one of the synonyms for relevant is relative and that leads directly to the subject of this post.

The other day I was having coffee with another home care agency owner and he related a story to me which has pursued me daily.  He was visiting a family for whom he provided a caregiver.  It was a Sunday afternoon and the elderly parent was with him in the living room as he sat and chatted with the family.   As they chatted with each other and discussed what they would do for dinner no conversation was directed at mom.  She was not asked what she would like to do for dinner, go out or maybe the son would barbecue.  It was like she was invisible.

Mom, who I will call Janice has always been the revered matriarch of the family.  She and her husband had six children and raised them on a ranch in Montana.  Though the children always worked the ranch with their parents when dad was diagnosed with COPD along with lung cancer it was evident that the two sons and four daughters had no interest in maintaining the family ranch.  So through a series of family meetings, guided by Janice, it was decided to sell the homestead and head to the warmer climes of Arizona.

Dad died several years ago and now mom who is 86 lives with her youngest son, his wife and their last son to be in the house who is attending ASU.  Her mind is sharp, her eyesight fair and hears OK with hearing aids.  She does have balance issues and has fallen several times.  That is why it was decided to have  home care for her during the day when the son and his wife are working.

So how is it that this rancher’s wife who bore all six children at home in eastern Montana, who pulled calves along side her husband in winter storms, who managed the finances of the ranch and dealt with the bankers, who made the decision to sell the 8,000 deeded acres and move to the desert is now not even asked her opinion on dinner?

Now don’t get the impression that the family doesn’t love her, they adore her and would do anything for her.  It is just that she has lost relevancy in their lives.  It wasn’t a decision that was made it just crept in over time.

The son and his wife don’t get home till after 7pm so the caregiver makes her supper before leaving and make sure that she is ready for bed.  When they get home they spend some time with mom seeing how her day went but then they are off taking care their own life issues.

Since then, I have talked to other home care agency owners and it seems to be pretty much common place in today’s world.  So how can we combat this decaying family relationship?  Here are three tips that you might consider.

• Supper time is family time. With today’s frantic pace it might not be possible to have a family meal on every night of the week but the weekends should be sacrosanct as family meal time.  Whoever is cooking should tell the parent what is being prepared and then asked if that sounds good.  Many aging parents are so used to having their meals in their room that the family doesn’t think to extend an invitation.  Sometimes the aging parent doesn’t want to join the family due to feeling like they are intruding.  This is a hard thing to work through but it can be done.  Once the parent is joining you at the supper table make sure that they are wearing their hearing aids so they can hear what is being said and hopefully contribute to the conversation.
• It is great to get out. If your aging parent is mostly home bound and only gets out to go to the doctor then life really gets boring.  Plan short outings and make a big deal out of it.  Take a Saturday morning pick up a Starbucks caramel macchiato and a blueberry scone and head out to look at the fall colors.  How about a evening drive around the neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights, hot chocolate goes good here.  You get the idea.
• It’s hobby time. As we have said many times in this forum learning something new keeps the gray matter young and the synapses popping.  Checkers is easy but chess is more strategic and requires more planning and thinking.  Learning to play the piano doesn’t require a Spinet but can be accomplished with a laptop keyboard.  How about sketching or painting?  When choosing a hobby to suggest to your parent look at activities that will produce a product that can be shared with you when you get home.

I am sure that you can come up with dozens more ideas to reintegrate your parent back into the family fabric just don’t get discouraged if you are met with resistance from your parent to begin with, they can get real set in their ways.  Keep after it and you will enjoy it…I guarantee it.

Tips to Keep Seniors Relevant in Your Family is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

If you are looking after a relative, it is impossible to detach yourself from your family role and at the same time either provide or supervise effective care.  As a result, you will have to deal with all of the emotions that go with caring for an elderly relative.

No matter how devoted you are to your loved one, you may decide that you need some extra help caring for him or her. There are plenty of options available and this can range from having another family member take over some duties or to enlist the aid of a home care agency.  It may be labelled differently in your area but this name sums up just what it is: in home care for the elderly.

In home care from a qualified provider provides experienced and qualified care givers who will come into your home or your relative’s home as often as you wish to help them with the activities of daily living such as bathing, feeding and dressing. Arrangements can also be made to take them to doctor’s appointments, shopping, a bible study or just out for a drive.

Let’s face it sooner or later you will need some down time and in home care givers can be beneficial in reducing your stress level. Many individuals cannot cope with the thought of undressing and washing their own flesh and blood, and understandably so. Again, it all goes back to that air of detachment that has previously been mentioned. It may well be easier to have someone to come in to administer that side of things every day while you take care of all your other chores around the home.

Most caregivers from a professional in home care company are trained in the necessary methods of transferring an elderly person from the bed to a wheel chair, how to keep the care recipient active and engaged and of course all the HIPAA privacy regulations. Our caregivers have a heart for this business and can be counted upon to be honest and trustworthy. All of our caregivers at Visiting Angels of the Northwest Valley have to pass certain qualifications in order to be able to do their job and pass extensive local, state and federal background checks. We want to know their qualifications and history before coming to work for us.

Most of our care recipients have their caregivers come into their home and help them out of bed, bathe and dress them. But our caregivers also can provide meal preparation, medical reminders, light housekeepping, changing out bed linens, laundry and of course provide wonderful companionship. Three times a week is the usual level for caregiver visits but that is totally up to you. We provide everything from once a week to 24-7 live in or live out care.

You can search for in home care services on the Internet. Just Google “home care in (your city)” and see the results. There are minimum standards that each service has to comply with so always be wary of services that do not boast of their credentials. Check out testimonials and ask around for recommendations. We also let you interview caregivers before making a final decision.

You may want to take your elderly relative’s opinion into considerations. After all, it is your loved one that will have the most contact with the caregiver.

Caring for an Elderly Relative? is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

The good news is caregiver burnout can be avoided by learning to manage your care.

In a recent article by Diane Carbo in “SeniorsList” I found some wonderful information and positive steps to recognizing burnout and how to avoid it.

Recognizing that you have burnout is the first step.  Here are just some of the signs Diane lists:

• Difficulty with sleep, falling asleep, staying asleep
• Feelings of fatigue, lack of energy (physical and mental) even if you had a good nights sleep
• Easily becomes angered or unusually irritable
• Difficulty focusing or making decisions
• Feelings of anxiety, frustration, guilt, depression or grief
• Feeling of hopelessness
• Lack feelings of joy or moments of happiness or enjoyment
• Neglected your own health and personal care
• Have a chronic health condition

She also gives a list of how to avoid the burnout syndrome.  Of course my favorite was the last one -

• talk out your feelings with others – Join a support group – Have a family meeting – Seek professional help or talk with your spiritual counselor.

It’s a great article which you can read in its entirety by clicking HERE.

When Caregiving Turns to Burnout – Caregiver Burnout is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

Well like so many tasks that we tackle in life we put on our big person pants and get on with it.  There are enormous amounts of joy and laughter involved in being a family care giver as well as being connected to your aging loved one like no one else in the family.

There are special times, shared stories and an opportunity to extract family history that will be passed on to future generations.  But there are times of grief, self pity, frustration, resentment and even anger which can lead to guilt that also have to be considered.  Taking care of family, whether they are nine or ninety, is what we do.  Please make note of the helpful hints I will give you at the end of the article to help you survive in your new role.

Family care givers usually acquire that title through a set of circumstances, events and the every popular family dynamics.  The circumstances could be that you are the only child living close to mom, the event could be that she felland the family dynamics could be that your brother just has “too much going on in his life” right now to even think about moving back to help.  But we all have choices in life and your decision could be that you have chosen to take care of mom.  Not out of guilt but out of desire.  Once you have made that choice then that is where the excitement begins.  When someone attacks a family predicament with passion and creativity then the outcome will be better for all concerned.

When you think of someone in need of a home care provider most likely you think of the elderly.  In fact there are over fifty million Americans who have difficulty in performing the activities of daily living due to age, illness or a physical disability.  And with over ten million of those folks age is not an issue, it is illness or a physical disability.  For everyone receiving care I would bet that there are at least two others providing it.

We are living longer.  Someone born in 1945 could expect to live until they were 66.  Someone born in 2015 will have a life expectancy of 79 years.  We are living longer but sometimes it’s not all that great.  As director of a home care agency I have to opportunity to sit and chat with many of our senior clients.  We provide home care for one of our clients in Phoenix who will be 90 in a couple of months.  She has medical issues, vision and hearing issues but the one thing she complains about the most is fatigue.  During one chat she scrunched up her face in anger and said:  “Why can’t they find out what is wrong?  With all the doctors I am seeing why can’t they get it right?”  She is currently taking sixteen different medications.

Care giving is a job.  It’s might not be a job that you applied but now that you have it you are looking for some guidance.  If you have children then that was a conscious decision you made to bring children into the world and that you would be their care giver.  Now men, don’t get mad at me but statistically speaking family care givers are female.  In fact over 65% of family care givers are female.  If both your parents are living then the family caregiver is the usually the spouse.  In over 70% of elderly men it is the spouse who provides care but that drops to 33% if the wife needs the care.

Think of the jobs you do when you are a mom, that is besides your paying job out of the home.  Now these are the additional jobs you take on as a family care giver.

• Accountant and money manager.  At the very least you will be making sure the bills are paid so the heat doesn’t get shut off in the winter.  But most likely you will be paying bills, transferring funds from savings to checking and making sure things don’t go into default.
• Medical adviser.  Doing internet searches to make sure that the new supplement she is taking isn’t conflicting with the blood pressure medication.
• House keeper.  Getting the crud off the stove because while mom was an excellent house keeper back in the day, she just can’t see the splatters of spaghetti sauce that has crusted over.
• Personal hygiene assistant.  At the very least doing standby duty while she showers or bathes.
• Cook.  While she can still operate the microwave a nice homemade casserole is always a treat.
• Driver.  Many, many doctors appointments, lab tests and then there is grocery shopping, pharmacies, etc.

These are just some of your new duties that you will take on along with responsibilities to your family and your job.  Have you heard of the “Sandwich Generation” well you’re it.  Sandwiched between your children and your parents.

But don’t fret there are other family members to help right?  In a perfect world all will be there to help.  We had a client who had terminal cancer with really only a short time left.  We provided overnight home care for him in Peoria, AZ; his wife had passed on several years earlier and he now lived alone.  He had three children who were now in their sixties who lived not to far away.  Hospice of the Valley visited often providing palliative care.  His children would rotate during the day to provide care and we provided care givers for the overnight hours until one of the children arrived the next morning.  He was covered with loving care 24/7 and passed in his sleep one night.  In this situation the family care givers through many family meetings divided up the duties and also brought in professional help so that they could still spend quality time with their dad until the end.

We have another client who lives in an independent living facility here in Glendale, Arizona that we provide about twelve hours of home care a week.  She also has three children in their sixties; one in Portland, one in Oklahoma and one here in Phoenix.  The one in Portland supplies no support or help whatsoever, the one in Oklahoma calls mom once a week and the one here is dealing with insurance, prescription issues, trying to keep mom from spending too much money and doing supplemental grocery shopping to fill in what our care giver does.

So with all this new info to chew on, what’s next?  How about a mini-survival guide?

Survival Guide for the Family Home Care Provider

• Get other family members involved.  If you have siblings I am sure that you have learned over the years what buttons to push to give them a jab.  This is not the time for that.  Lay it out as a a project that effects the extended family and ask them specifically what they can do to help.  Many times when you ask for help you have a task that you need done and they will come up to that mark but no further.  If you have clearly defined areas of involvement and ask them what they can do, you might be surprised that they will exceed your needs.  If they are too far away to physically help then maybe they could send a couple of hundred dollars a month your way to buy some respite care from a local home care agency.
• Use mom’s social network.  Does she still have friends and neighbors that are active?  Maybe one of them could do some grocery shopping once a week or take her to get her hair done.
• Use available resources.  Do an internet search for local agencies like the Area Agency on Aging, Alzheimer’s Foundation, etc.  Also look into church organizations that might have a volunteer group to help with the elderly.  There are hundreds of on line communities (some of which I write posts for) that offer Q&A help from their members.  You are not alone in this, there are many others that have the same problems and can offer advice.
• Get some time off.  Remember this is a job and you need a vacation.  Even if it is only a long week end there are many home care agencies who can supply you with experienced care givers to give you needed respite.
• Make a schedule and stick to it.  If mom calls and says she is out of mayo, you don’t have to run over there on your lunch hour to get it for her.  Tell her to add it to the grocery list and you will pick it up on the normal shopping day.  Once you start doing this she will understand that there is a structure and will comply with it.
• Prepare for the future.  If mom only needs a little help now and then use this time to look at what the future looks like.  Have you found a qualified home care agency when and if 24/7 care is needed?  Have you contacted Hospice to see what services they offer and when it would be appropriate for them to enter the family of care givers.

You are a family care giver but you should think of yourself as the primary care giver not the only care giver.  Allow others to help.  If you develop a mindset that it is easier for you to do it yourself you will become grumpy and resentful and that is no way to remember mom’s last years.

The Care and Feeding of a Home Care Provider is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

At age 26, I was a busy, happy, stay at home mom; caring for Michael and our two sons on the sunny beach in Oxnard, CA when it became necessary for us to bring Michael’s beloved 91 year old grandmother into our home to live.  It was one of those “best of times and worst of times” type of experiences, and it gave me a clear picture of how difficult it is for today’s “sandwich generation” to be caring for both their children and their aging parents.

Some years later my mother had to move our precious “Baba” (her mother) out of her home and into a nursing home because there was no other way of caring for her.  I know the guilt my mother suffered; and still does to this day because she was not able to care for my grandmother by taking her in or letting her stay in her own home.  There just wasn’t a “Visiting Angel” to call for help.”

Today I know these experiences are what have given me the passion for what I do.  As Director/Owner of my own Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services franchise I am able to offer viable alternatives for the assisted living or nursing home experience; allowing seniors to stay in their own homes or in the home of a loved one, by providing caring and compassionate caregivers who assist in the daily activities of life.

It is such a rewarding and satisfying ministry that gives purpose to my personal experiences.  I knew this was the perfect career path for me but I must admit I never dreamed I would love it this much.  Every day is an opportunity to make someone’s day a little easier.  I’ve had adult children call me in tears because they think their experience with caring for their loved one is unusual.  They feel alone with their feelings of guilt, frustration and helplessness.  Being able to offer a way to relieve some of the stress they are experiencing by placing one of my Angel Caregivers, giving a referral for other types of assistance or just lending an ear and a word of encouragement is a blessing.  This is a special opportunity to me, and so much more than a business; I know I am making a difference.

What’s so special about the Senior Care business? is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

Angel Rides.

If your weeks are filled with trips to doctor appointments, grocery shopping and running errands for your loved one this service may be right up your alley.   In talking to prospective clients we have learned that many do not yet require the full use of the services we offer such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, hygiene assistance and so on.  However they could use transportation to and from doctor’s appointments, the beauty salon and the grocery store.

When we reach the age that we no longer feel safe driving or have relinquished our driver’s license it creates challenges that sometimes aren’t addressed until it becomes a huge problem.  The first solution is usually having a family member, a neighbor or a friend take on this task.  And may work in the short term but can become a source of contention when schedules conflict.

Using a “dial-a-ride” type service or a taxi presents its own problems.  These services will mostly drop their client at the front door and drive off which is fine for those without mobility, vision or memory problems.   However, for those with one or more of these challenges it can be an accident or tragedy waiting to happen.

With Angel Rides, we pick you up at a time convenient to you, drive you to the appointment, assist you into the building and stay with you for the entire time.  Many times appointments and errands are grouped together to provide a nice outing.  Once you are home we assist you safely in, making sure their is nothing else we can do for you.

This service has really struck a chord with children who do long distance care give as we can e-mail them with an update as to what was done and the general appearance of their loved one.

For more information on Angel Rides please contact us at 623-266-9304 or email at visitingangelsaz@gmail.com

Angel Rides is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

Design-Remodel-Move

There are a few options available to you if your aging parents are still in their two story home that you grew up in.  This area needs to be approached with caution, love and understanding.

• Option #1: Selling the family homestead and move them to a single story house.  Good idea but in this real estate market it could be problematic to get that done.  Have you spoken to the folks about moving?  Did they respond with joy and laughter and applause?  You might want to read Seven Reasons Why Seniors Want to Stay Home first for some hints on how they feel about moving.

• Option #2: Move their living quarters downstairs.  If the house is a large family home then most likely they will have a den or a formal living room down stairs which could easily be adapted to their bedroom.  However, most downstairs baths are just a powder room so some remodeling might be necessary.

• Option #3: Install a stair lift.  These stair lifts are easily installed and provide complete safety for your parents.  One thing to be certain of is that the lift will run on battery power if there is an electrical outage in the home.  If you are not mechanically inclined then you might want to have someone else install it.

The Bathroom

You take water and tile and mix in poor balance and eyesight and you have an area primed for falls.

• Stepping into a tub is not a good idea for an elderly person so the first thing to look at is replacing the tub.  Whether you look at one of those step in tubs or a shower that is a step in you will increase your safety quotient considerably.  If the unit you chose doesn’t have a molded in seat then use a stand alone shower chair.  The elderly like to sit and use the hand wand when showering.

• Also look at strategically placed grab bars.  The ones that suction onto the wall have gotten better but I don’t know if I would totally trust them.  If you are refitting the tub then now would be the time to install 2×4 blocking in the wall that the grab bars could be screwed into.

• All faucets should be the lever type and not the knob.  The elderly usually have lost gripping strength and have arthritis as well and cannot grip the faucet hard enough to turn it off.  By doing this you will reduce the risk of serious scalding accidents.

• You should either replace the toilet with a handicapped height one or you can get one of these raised toilet seats.  Either place a grab bar within reach of someone on the toilet or you can get a frame that sits over the toilet which allows the person to use some arm muscles instead of weak leg and hip muscles.

• If the bathroom has dual vanities then look at converting one of them to wheel chair access.  And don’t forget to widen the door to at least 36” again for wheel chair and walker access.

• If possible convert the doorways to pocket doors; this will gain you a lot of interior space.

The Kitchen

So many dangers here and you should look at safety in the kitchen for your parent as your parent looked at safety in the kitchen when you were little.

• Don’t put anything heavy or bulky in overhead cabinets or consider installing a pull down shelving system.  Imagine just as they are sliding a pot onto an upper shelf their strength gives out and the pot comes crashing down.

• If the stove has burner controls on the back panel replace the stove.  You don’t want mom reaching over a boiling pot to turn down the burner.

• Here is a no brainer:  no towels hanging over or close to the stove.

• To go along with the above tip make sure there is a working fire extinguisher with in reach.

• The elderly reach a point where they no longer really cook they just nuke.  You really don’t need all the bells and whistles just just a microwave that will defrost, cook and reheat.  Think simplicity here and make sure the numbers are large and readable.  Another tip, don’t use the above stove model get one for the counter and the reasons should be obvious.

• As in the bathroom all faucets should be lever type.

Other Rooms

Take a stroll through all the rooms that are used and if a room is not used then close it off.

• Doors should be refitted to the lever type of handle for the same reason that faucets are lever type.

• Look for any throw rugs and get rid of them.

• Try not to use extension cords at all but if they must be used make sure that they are covered with something like a cord duct so they will not pose a trip hazard.

• Look at direction of travel and pathways.  If the path from the couch to the kitchen or bathroom has a table and chairs encroaching into the path then rearrange the furniture so that the path is straight.  If mom bumps into a table this could just be enough to cause a fall.

• In the laundry room use a lower cabinet for the cleaning items instead of the cabinets over the washer dryer.

Lighting

Every room that mom goes into or through should be inspected for sufficient lighting.  Please keep in mind that sufficient light for you may not be enough for mom.  There should be general lighting as well as task lighting.

• Every room that has two entrances should have a three way light switch installed at each entrance.  You could try motion sensor lighting but it has been my experience that a person is halfway into the room before the light comes on.  There are inexpensive solutions for adding light switches without an electrician.

• Lighting in the kitchen should be of both the general and task and again have enough wattage so that mom can see oven/microwave controls and read instructions on boxes.

• Use plug in night lights in bathrooms, bedrooms, hallways and any other location where mom might travel after dark.  They have night lights that are flat against the wall and only come on after dark but provide enough illumination to see if there is an obstacle in the way.

Garage

• If mom is still driving then you should inspect her car for any new dents, scratches or paint marks.  This could indicate that she is loosing depth perception and possible loss of peripheral vision.  It may be time to have a talk with her about surrendering the car keys.  But you better have a plan as to how to approach this sensitive issue and what solutions you have in mind.

• Make sure there is ample room for the car as well as for her getting into and out of the car.  This might mean getting rid of some stuff in the garage or you could organize with some garage shelving.

• If there is a power outage then the garage door opener won’t operate.  Rig a light weight rope with a handle to the existing overhead door and string it to the side of the garage out of the way.  Then see if mom is capable of releasing the door and raising it.  You might have to get a garage door technician out there to adjust the spring tension on the doors.

• I have seen many senior’s cars where the trunk and the back bumper are damaged from the garage door hitting it.  One solution is to place the car in the garage where it should be and suspend a tennis ball from the ceiling to where it makes contact with the windshield in front of the driver.  This however takes the focus off of where the car is going to the tennis ball.  There are parking blocks that you might try so that mom drives slowly into the garage and feels the block.  If she drives over this then you need to have that talk about the keys.

Exterior

You need to continually be inspecting pathways around the house for trip hazards.  Vines that have grown across a path, a flagstone path that was once fine but now is uneven or even a hose that has been left out can be dangerous to the person who has limited visual acuity.

• If mom can still do a few stairs make sure a sturdy railing is there for support.  If not then a ramp should be installed.  Consult with your local chapter of the ADA for guidelines.

• Install a security type screen door on the front door so that she can still be secure when opening the door to strangers.

• Sliding doors out to the patio should have a zero threshold.  This will prevent tripping now and accommodate a walker, wheelchair or scooter later.  This can be accomplished by the installation of a small ramp.

Personal

• Telephone communications are important to mom, whether it is calling out or receiving calls from family.  There are inexpensive phone systems available that have multiple cordless hand sets.  If you have enough of these in the rooms that she lives in including the bathroom then the phone will be no more then a few steps away when it rings.

• Have a talk with mom about not responding to telephone solicitations for money and not to open the security door to someone she does not know.

• There are personal alarm systems that contact emergency services when a button is pressed.  This can be a pendant or a wrist type device.  Some of these systems can be expensive and have a monthly subscription fee as well.  One that we have experience with is the Guardian Alert system which has no monthly subscription and it can be programmed to call a family member, a neighbor or 911 in any order or just 911.  Mom can talk directly to the person on the other side through the device she is wearing.  It’s pretty cool.

This list seems like a lot but as you begin to check things off you will find that you are becoming more confident that mom is safe in the home that she wants to stay in.

Can you think of anything I missed?  Leave your suggestions in the comments.

Simple Senior Safety is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

Whether your parent lives with you, lives down the street or lives 3,ooo miles away you are always concerned that they are receiving the best home care and that they are safe in their home.  As a family care giver there are many options available to you but as with all decisions that impact the family; careful exploration of the alternatives is critical.

This is another video in our on going series titled “Senior Minutes”.  These are designed to help family care givers deal with the many issues of aging such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, mobility and independence.

Here are three warning signs that you should be aware of when spending time with your aging parents.  It is time to put on your detective hat and do a little observation and honest evaluation of your loved one’s capabilities and limitations.  There are many signs that you should be aware but this is a start and you will come up with your own indications as well. Mobility and balance cannot be emphasized enough.  If your loved one looses their balance but a fall it averted it will still shake their confidence and they will tend to be even more sedentary.  A more sedentary lifestyle will lead to muscle atrophy and loss of strength.

If a fall happens then more likely something will break and that will mean a hospital visit and probably an extended stay and weeks of rehab.  This again will cause more loss of confidence and encourage a more sedentary lifestyle.  Many times a home care solution is not looked at soon enough and if quality care givers are provided and assist in the activities of daily living then some of the above problems might be avoided or at least postponed.

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This “Senior Minute” was brought to by:

Visiting Angels Northwest Valley

Providing quality and affordable home care to:
Peoria • Surprise • Glendale
and the Northwest Phoenix Area

Senior Minute – Episode #2 is a post from: Home Care in Arizona

If you are a family caregiver and your aging parent is living with you or you see them every day then these changes might be hard to identify because they are gradual.  However if you see then only occasionally then any change will be more dramatic and you might want to get assistance from a home care agency.

• Are your aging parents moody?  Everyone is capable of being in a bad mood now and then but it could also be a sign of depression, especially if it is ongoing.  You might keep track of their activities.  Are they still maintaining their social network of friends?  Are they still showing interest in their hobbies?  Any withdrawal from other human contact should be noted.

• How is their mobility and their balance?  Can they still get around the grocery store the way that they used to?  Are they holding onto furniture as they walk through the house?  Aging will take its toll on muscle strength and endurance so start mentioning a walker early on.  We have a client who bounces off the walls walking down her hallway but mention a walker and you will have a fight on your hands.  Using a walker is one of those milestones, like not driving anymore, that folks just don’t want to cross.  Sometimes if you explain to them that if they fell more then likely something would break and that could mean a protracted hospital stay.

• Can they take care of themselves?  In the medical world this is called Activities of Daily Living or ADL.  Areas of personal hygiene like bathing, hair washing and tooth brushing if ignored could be early signs of dementia.  If they experience weight loss then they could be having difficulty cooking or maybe their eye sight has changed so they cannot read label directions or see the panel on the microwave.

These issues and many more should be brought to the attention of your parent’s primary physician, there might be some tweaking of the meds needed or maybe an eye exam.  Above all be loving, compassionate and understanding when with your aging parent.  But also be observant as to how they are doing and be a detective always looking for clues that might indicate future medical problems.

Three Tips on Possible Future Senior Health Problems is a post from: Home Care in Arizona