World’s Alzheimer’s Day: How Do You Know When Home Care is Necessary?

Posted in Caregiver in Enterprise AL, Home Care Services in Enterprise AL |

September 16, 2020

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Over five million men and women in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s. The number of people with Alzheimer’s is expected to triple over the next 30 years. If you have a parent with Alzheimer’s, you already know how serious it is.

 

Home Care Services in Enterprise AL: World's Alzheimer's Day

Home Care Services in Enterprise AL: World’s Alzheimer’s Day

 

 

World’s Alzheimer’s Day takes place each year on September 21st. When you’re mom or dad has the disease, you need to carefully watch the progression of the symptoms. Arranging home care services early helps your parent become familiar with the caregiver. That will help as the memory declines.

 

Meal Preparation

While your mom or dad’s memory may decline, mobility doesn’t always decline at the same rate. Your parent may still feel capable of cooking, but the memory gets in the way.

It’s best to hire caregivers to help with meals early on. You don’t want your parent to put something in the oven to cook, forget it’s in there, and start a fire.

 

Medications

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s, it’s not hard to forget to take medications. Later on, your mom or dad will need a reminder. If no one is there to watch your parent take medications and offer reminders, medications will be skipped.

Sundowning

Sundowning may have your mom or dad becoming very agitated at night after the sunsets. Sleep patterns get thrown off. Your dad may only sleep for 30 minutes here and there, which makes it impossible for you to get a full night’s sleep.

Wandering

Not every person with Alzheimer’s wanders, but it can be alarming if it happens. You don’t want your mom or dad to be alone on a walk and disappear. It becomes hard for a person to remember how to get home, so wandering takes them too far from home to safely return.

Delusions may worsen wandering. Your dad may become distressed that a distant neighbor stole something belonging to him and go off on a mission to get it back. Your mom may think her dog ran off, only she doesn’t have a dog so there’s no dog to find.

One thing is important when it comes to Alzheimer’s. You cannot wait to arrange home care. If you wait too long, you could put your parent in danger. Wandering, delusional behavior and difficulty cooking can put your mom or dad at risk of harm.

Home care aides can be with your mom or dad when you can’t be. It keeps your parent safe and gives you peace of mind while you’re at work or running errands.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Services in Enterprise, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.

Sources:
https://www.alz.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Aging Father Doesn’t Want a Senior Care Provider

Posted in Caregiver in Enterprise AL, Elder Care in Enterprise AL |

May 6, 2019

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If you are struggling to keep up with all the things you need to do to meet all your aging father’s needs, you should consider hiring a senior care provider.
Not only can a senior care provider alleviate a lot of your care burdens, but they can also be a big help to your elderly parent as well. However, it’s common for aging adults, regardless of health status, to refuse a senior care provider.

 

Elder Care in Enterprise AL: Senior Care Providers

Elder Care in Enterprise AL: Senior Care Providers

 

Knowing When Seniors Need In-Home Care

When elderly adults have a family caregiver that takes care of most of the daily tasks at home, their health is usually such that they have a hard time with mobility, strength, stamina, vision or other function. As their condition worsens, the more effort and time it takes. Family caregivers that cannot devote all their focus on their aging loved ones, but cannot leave them alone, can turn to senior care providers for help.

If elderly adults cannot do basic daily tasks for themselves, they run the risk of endangering their own health and wellness. Family caregivers are usually the ones who do the bathing, dressing, hygiene, grooming, housekeeping, cooking and shopping. They also do medication management, finances, arrange the senior’s social life and tackle anything else that pops up. It’s easy to see how family caregivers quickly become overwhelmed, but when their aging relative refuses a senior care provider, it can cause problems.

 

How Does In-Home Care Benefit Seniors?

Once family caregivers convince their aging loved ones about the benefits of in-home care, they may have a better chance of hiring a senior care provider for them. The senior must be shown that assistance comes in many ways, and the senior care provider will only help in areas they want.

For example, an elderly adult my struggle with hygiene and grooming but still enjoy cooking. The senior may not be able to drive anymore, but still wants to socialize, so the senior care provider can drive them during the week. The in-home care can be tailored for the senior’s needs and scheduled to come a couple of times per week or every day if needed. This customizable aspect of in-home care is often quite appealing to seniors.

It may be a tough job, but you have the tools you need to convince your aging loved one that you both need a senior care provider to deliver in-home care. Your stubborn elderly relative will eventually learn that they do benefit from in-home care services. When it comes to figuring out the best care options, senior care providers are flexible, affordable and customizable.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Enterprise, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.

What Do You Need to Remember about Being a Caregiver?

Posted in Caregiver in Enterprise AL, Home Care in Enterprise AL, Senior Care in Enterprise AL, Senior Health |

June 19, 2018

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There might seem to be a lot of rules about being a caregiver, but they’re more guidelines for helping yourself and your elderly family member to have the best experience possible.

 

Home Care in Enterprise AL: Caregiver Efficiency

Home Care in Enterprise AL: Caregiver Efficiency

 

Accepting Your Role as a Caregiver Is Powerful

Being a caregiver is a big responsibility. It may also be one that you were thrust into without much warning or without being asked. That can leave you feeling resentful, even if you’re trying your best to be a good caregiver. Learning to accept this role, from the heart and truly, can be a turning point for you. It’s a chance to make a real choice.

 

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Good Sleep

There are a lot of situations that feel entirely impossible until you’ve slept on it. When you’re a caregiver, you very often aren’t giving yourself the time and the space you need in order to get the sleep that you need. Try getting a good night of sleep for just one night and see what happens.

 

Give Yourself Grace

You’re going to mess up. If you go ahead and get that out of the way at the very beginning, it can be easier to accept later. There is no such thing as a perfect caregiver and if you’re shooting for perfection, you’re going to be very disappointed. Give yourself the same grace that you would give to someone else.

 

Remember There Are Professionals Who Can Help

You don’t have to do everything alone. If your senior’s home is not set up in a way that is functional for her, there are professional organizers who specialize in elderly concerns. If you’re overwhelmed with an ever-growing task list, then home care providers can lighten that load. There are always professional helpers available if you look for them.

 

Practice Forgiveness

Caregiving is not for the faint of heart. Chances are very good that you have a long relationship with your care recipient and that things weren’t always rosy. Do what you can to forgive, when it makes sense to do so. You’re going to need the grace of that forgiveness to help with some of the harder times along your caregiving journey.

If you’re still having trouble with the overwhelming aspects of being a caregiver, it might be time to reach out to a counselor or a therapist who can help. There’s no shame in this and you can learn how to accept your responsibilities as a caregiver much more readily.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Enterprise, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.

Hip Fractures in the Elderly

Posted in Caregiver in Enterprise AL, Hip Fractures, Senior Health |

January 18, 2018

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Few things are more devastating to an elderly adult than a hip fracture. This serious injury is common in those over age 65 and becomes more likely the older they get. Not only is the injury itself traumatic to the body, the recovery is difficult and long. Medical researchers have linked geriatric hip fractures to all kinds of additional health problems as well as increased mortality rates.

Family caregivers that look after an elderly relative will often have to deal with their loved one’s injury as they help them through recovery. When an aging relative has suffered a hip fracture, caregivers must focus on helping them recover from this injury and prevent it from happening again.

 

Caregiver in Enterprise AL: Elderly Hip Fractures

Caregiver in Enterprise AL: Elderly Hip Fractures

 

Risk Factors for a Broken Hip

Elderly adults are more likely to break a hip for several reasons. Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes the bones to weaken and become more brittle. Women are more likely to develop the disease and, not coincidentally, are more likely to suffer from a broken hip. Numerous chronic conditions also make elderly adults less steady on their feet, boosting the possibility of a slip and fall. Medications can also cause the elderly to be less steady on their feet, and slower reflexes mean that when they fall, they can’t react in time to catch themselves.

Other risk factors for seniors include weakened leg muscles, fluctuations in blood pressure that cause dizziness, poor vision, and substance abuse. Broken hips are considered a severe injury for the elderly because of the impact it has on the body. It also takes longer for them to recover because their aging bodies simply aren’t as efficient as they once were at repairing bones.

 

Treatment of Hip Fractures

To repair a broken hip, the doctor will recommend surgery as a necessary treatment option. The type of surgery depends on the break, but it is usually to put in a pin to keep the bones lined up in the proper position. Similarly, the surgeon may use a plate and screws to bring the bones together. In some cases, the elderly patient may require a hip replacement surgery. The recovery can take many months where the elderly person is not mobile. They will need home care assistance to be able to complete their daily tasks.

Hip surgery is quite risky in elderly adults, and there are many things that can go wrong due to the patient’s age and overall health. Risks of hip surgery include developing blood clots, infections and additional damage to the bone. Sometimes, the elderly person’s health puts them at risk and surgeons fear that the operation may do more harm. However, if it is at all possible, doctors recommend hip surgery because it is much riskier to avoid the surgery.

There’s no doubt that a broken hip can completely change the life of an elderly adult, as well as their family caregiver. However, with a good support network of doctors, physical therapists, home care assistance, family members and community services, an aging adult has the best chance of making a full recovery.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring a caregiver in Enterprise, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.

 

Source:
Mdedge.com