Senior Care Tips: Ways That You Can Help Your Elderly Loved One Stop Hoarding?

Posted in Senior Care, Senior Care Tips |

August 6, 2021

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Senior Care Tips: When you go to your elderly loved one’s house, what do you see?

Does it seem like your elderly loved one has their belongings on every surface of their home? Does your elderly loved one keep all old newspapers? Maybe, your elderly loved one has hundreds of books they never read. These are just a couple of things that many senior citizens hoard. However, it could be anything else, as well. Hoarding is often a sign of depression, dementia, or loneliness. Learn more about it today with these senior care tips, so you can start helping your elderly loved one.

 

Senior Care Tips: Hoarding

Senior Care Tips: Hoarding

Talk About Safety

One of the ways that you can help your elderly loved one to stop hoarding is to talk to them about safety. Many senior citizens don’t realize the dangers of having so much in their house. Some of these dangers include:

  • Fire safety
  • Tripping

These are the most common safety issues with hoarding. If you talk to your elderly loved one about these dangers, hopefully, they will see that having so much in their house could be a huge problem.

After having this talk, if your elderly loved one is willing to let go of some belongings, you or an elder care provider can help them sort through things.

Getting Extra Help

If it seems like your elderly loved one is hoarding, you should talk to them. They may not be purposefully keeping everything. There could be many reasons why your elderly loved one doesn’t get rid of things. Some of these things include:

  • Hurting too much to pick things up
  • Feeling overwhelmed with all their belongings
  • Needing help doing household chores
  • Needing help sorting through items to decide what to keep and what to get rid of

If these things are happening, hopefully, you or an elder care provider can help your elderly loved one. All it would take is for someone to help your elderly loved one work through each section of their house.

Regular Cleaning

Once you can help your elderly loved one get their hoarding under control, regular cleaning is important. If you or an elder care provider can help your elderly loved one clean their home at least once a week, hopefully, it won’t get that messy or cluttered anymore.

If you go to your elderly loved one’s house and clutter keeps accumulating, be sure to talk to them again before it gets too bad. Find out what is happening again and see what your elderly loved one might need help with. The senior care tips above can help you with this.

 

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

Sources

https://www.oprah.com/home/how-to-overcome-hoarding/all

Four Strategies to Prevent Wandering

Posted in Elder Care in Abbeville AL, Elderly Care in Abbeville AL, Home Care in Abbeville AL |

February 19, 2019

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The first time that your senior wanders off, you might be terrified.
To prevent that, you might want to try some of these techniques that other caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s disease have found to be helpful. Every situation can be a little bit different, but the changes going on in your senior’s brain can make her feel insecure and a little bit lost. These techniques can help her to feel safe again.

 

Elderly Care in Abbeville AL: Strategies to Prevent Wandering

Elderly Care in Abbeville AL: Strategies to Prevent Wandering

 

Set up a Timed Daily Schedule

It might feel restrictive, but a timed daily schedule is a good idea for someone who tends to wander. The routine can be comforting for your elderly family member, especially if anxiety or discomfort are common triggers for her to wander. You might want to adjust the schedule as you learn more about what times work best for certain activities.

 

Track Activities and Symptoms

Keep track of what your aging family member does and how she responds to those activities. This can help you to narrow down whether or not the schedule you’ve developed is helping her or not. You might also spot areas in the routine where switching activities around or adding something like a walk after a meal can help your elderly family member deal with restlessness.

 

Make Sure You’re Meeting All Basic Needs

One of the most effective strategies you can use is to keep track of your elderly family member’s basic needs. Hunger, thirst, and bathroom needs can be some of the biggest reasons that your elderly family member might attempt to wander off. When you’re targeting those needs most effectively, you’re going to see a much bigger reduction in restlessness.

 

Use Plenty of Reassurance

Disorientation is extremely disturbing for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. If you can build reassurance into each day, that can go a long way toward helping her to feel comfortable. Try to avoid negative responses when possible and just let her know that she’s safe and that you’re there with her. Reassurance can sometimes be just what she needs to hear in order to stay calm and to remember that she’s secure.

You may not be able to prevent wandering every time, even if you use all of these strategies regularly. Elder care providers can help you to become more comfortable with what you’re learning and trying while also helping you keep an eye on your senior. Remember that you’re doing the best you can, so go easy on yourself.

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

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Is Your Mom at Risk?

Posted in Cancer, Senior Care in Abbeville AL, Senior Health |

September 19, 2017

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Senior Care in Abbeville AL: September Is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Senior Care in Abbeville AL: September Is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s a good time to brush up on information about ovarian cancer. It’s also a good time to think about your aging mom and whether ovarian cancer might be a concern for her.

 

Ovarian Cancer Starts in the Ovaries

A woman’s ovaries are located on either side of her uterus and are responsible for producing eggs. They also secrete the hormones progesterone and estrogen. Ovarian cancer starts in an ovary but may spread to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is often not discovered until it has already spread. As a result, ovarian cancer is frequently fatal. However, when ovarian cancer is found before it spreads beyond the ovary, treatment is usually more effective.

 

Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer…

Ovarian cancer typically strikes after a woman has reached menopause, making your mom’s age a risk factor.

 

-Other risk factors include-

-Family History: If your mom’s mother had ovarian cancer, or if she has a sister or daughter who had ovarian cancer, she is at a greater risk.

-Genetics: Some women have a certain gene change that puts them at the highest risk of developing ovarian cancer. This gene change is often present in people with a family history of cancer.

-Age of Menstruation: If your mom began to menstruate before she was 12 years old or stopped menstruating before age 52, her risk may be higher.

-Pregnancy: Women who have never been pregnant have a higher risk.

-Hormone Replacement Therapy: If your mom used estrogen replacement therapy for menopause symptoms, her risks are elevated. This is particularly true if she was on hormone replacement therapy for an extended period of time or was taking high doses.

-Smoking.

-Use of an Intrauterine Device (IUD) for Birth Control.

-Having Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

 

If your mom has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, hiring a senior care provider to assist with her care can be a great help to both your mom and your family.  Senior care providers will come to your mom’s house to help her with things that may be too difficult for her to do on her own because of the illness.  For example, a senior care provider can help her move safely around the house, helping her to get to the bathroom and other areas of the house.  Senior care providers can also cook for your mom, perform light house cleaning tasks, and assist her with personal care, like bathing and dressing.

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

 

Sources
http://ovarian.org/about-ovarian-cancer/am-i-at-risk
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ovarian-cancer/basics/definition/con-20028096
http://www.webmd.com/ovarian-cancer/guide/ovarian-cancer-what-increases-your-risk
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ovarian-cancer/basics/risk-factors/con-20028096