Senior Care: Is It Possible to Be a Family Caregiver When You Live in Another Country?

Posted in Long Distance Caregiving, Senior Care |

November 24, 2021

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Senior Care: Your job brought you to Europe, but you worry about your mom and dad being alone as your parents get older.

You can’t visit often enough to make sure they’re doing well. Phone calls and video chats are the only way you can check on them. Have you ever considered the benefits of senior care services?

 

Senior Care in Elba AL: Long Distance Caregiving

Senior Care in Elba AL: Long-Distance Caregiving

 

What Can Senior Home Care Aides Do?

Senior home care aides help your parents with all daily activities of a non-medical nature. Suppose your mom fell and broke her hip. She’s not confident getting in and out of the bathtub/shower unit anymore. She can have a caregiver available to help her with bathing and grooming.

Your dad doesn’t cook. He’s never been good at it, so he limits his meals to canned soup or pasta that he can microwave. He could have a caregiver cook nutritious meals for him.

Caregivers can do the housework. If your parents don’t have the stamina or strength to do things like vacuum pet hair from the stairs or wipe down counters, a caregiver can do it for them. They can vacuum, mop, wipe surfaces, organize cupboards, and do the laundry.

Your parents can have their caregiver drive them to stores, local businesses, area attractions, and medical offices. If they don’t want to go to their doctor’s appointment on their own, their caregiver can accompany them. Caregivers can take them grocery shopping, pick up prescription refills, and put their purchases away when they return to your parents’ house.

 

Are You Locked Into a Care Plan?

One of the best features of a home care plan is that it can be adapted to fit your parents’ changing needs. Your parents only need companionship services right now. But, a year from now, a health issue arises that requires daily help with bathing and personal care. It’s easy to make those changes.

You’re not locked into anything. If your parents decide to visit you in Europe for a month, they can put their care services on a hiatus for those weeks and resume services when they return.

 

How Do You Make Arrangements?

Call a home care agency and ask about services in your parents’ city or town. You’ll discuss availability and prices. Once you’ve narrowed down the services they need, arrange the days and times for caregiver visits.

Senior care services can be there for your parents when you live too far away. Support them through video chats and phone calls. Leave the rest up to their caregivers to handle. Together, you and your parents’ caregivers will ensure they age at home independently and safely.

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

Getting In-Home Help for Senior with Dementia

Posted in Caregiver in Elba AL, Elder Care in Elba AL, Homecare in Elba AL |

January 22, 2019

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Caring for an elderly loved one with dementia is a real challenge, as family caregivers work hard to meet their day-to-day physical and emotional needs.
One of the best ways to ensure that seniors have all the help they need and are not left alone is to hire a home care provider. Not only will the in-home care provider take good care of the aging adult, but they also provide respite for the family caregiver who is in danger of becoming overstressed.

 

Elder Care in Elba AL: Seniors with Dementia

Elder Care in Elba AL: Seniors with Dementia

 

Home Care Providers Help with Safety

Dementia affects a senior’s judgment and reasoning ability, making even the most common household situations potentially dangerous. To keep their loved one safe, the family caregiver needs to make modifications to the home and let everyone on the caregiving team know about safety protocol for the home.

For example, seniors with dementia are prone to wandering, and they leave the safety of the home to move around aimlessly outside. Because the aging adult can’t be left alone, having a home care provider to attend them can prevent dangerous wandering.

 

Home Care Providers Help with Health and Wellness

Aging adults with dementia often lose track of time and place, and that makes it hard for them to remember to eat, go to bed on time and attend to hygiene issues. When a home care provider is caring for them, seniors get reminded about what they need to do and can have assistance at any point. Home care providers can prepare meals, remind seniors about taking medication, and so forth.

Many seniors are also at high risk for slip and fall accidents. These are usually caused by things like clutter on the floor, wet weather, poor lighting and being unaware of tripping or slipping hazards. Home care providers can help maintain an environment that reduces the risk of slip and fall accidents by seniors.

 

Home Care Providers Help with Burnout

There’s no doubt that caring for an aging relative with dementia can take a toll on family caregivers, physically and emotionally. It’s also hard for them to take regular breaks to recharge their mental health batteries. Hiring a reliable and professional home care provider to provide some relief can be a big help to family caregivers who need some respite.

Without regular breaks, family caregivers run the risk of developing chronic stress and caregiver burnout. When the body is in constant stress, it can have significant negative health impacts such as high blood pressure, headaches, insomnia, gastrointestinal issues and even an increase in the risk of heart disease. Chronic stress can also lead to anxiety and depression. With an in-home care provider to take some of the responsibilities, family caregivers can devote some time in the week to themselves.

 

Caring for a relative with dementia will showcase both good days together with some tough ones. However, with supportive resources such as in-home professional care, both family caregivers and aging adults with dementia will be much better off.

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

Honoring Hard Work During National Family Caregivers Month

Posted in Caregiver in Elba AL, Homecare in Elba AL, Senior Mental Health |

November 19, 2018

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Few people work harder for their loved ones than family caregivers who assist aging relatives. With millions of family caregivers in the United States who deserve recognition for their selfless service, it’s no wonder that November is designated as National Family Caregivers Month. It’s a time for all Americans to recognize the good deeds that family caregivers do, and to provide information and support for them.

 

Homecare in Elba AL: National Family Caregivers Month

Homecare in Elba AL: National Family Caregivers Month

 

Who Needs Family Caregivers?

Millions of elderly adults have the desire to age in their own home, but numerous physical or mental afflictions can interfere with their ability to live alone. From arthritis and osteoporosis to the after-effects of a stroke to Alzheimer’s disease, chronic conditions can prevent seniors from being safe and healthy at home. Even seniors who can do several daily tasks on their own may still struggle in other areas, requiring assistance to take care of themselves and their homes.

Family caregivers are those family members who step up and take over the daily duties that their elderly relatives cannot. This can range from handling finances and medical affairs to assisting with meal preparation to assisting, bathing, toileting, laundry, and home maintenance. As the elderly adult’s health declines, the amount of time the family caregivers spend with them increases.

 

Family Caregiving is Rewarding but Difficult

National Family Caregivers Month is designed to shine the spotlight onto all the good things that family caregivers do for senior Americans. National organizations and associations provide resources for them to use to make their duties easier and get the best help for their aging loved ones. Family caregivers need to connect with resources that specialize in senior services, elder care and medical advancements that can keep seniors happier and healthier.

National Family Caregivers Month is also designed to help family caregivers feel supported and point out any warning signs that they need some help of their own. Family caregivers have a very high risk of developing chronic stress, burnout, and depression. That’s because caregiving in any form is often frustrating and full of worry. It’s difficult to see an elderly relative decline physically and mentally, and as their needs increase, so do the demands on the family caregiver.

 

In-Home Care Provider Services Help

One of the most important pieces of information that family caregivers can gain from National Family Caregivers Month is to help them decide the appropriate level of care for their aging relative. Many are looking closely at in-home care provider services. These trained professionals come to the senior’s home and assist them with numerous tasks, from getting ready in the morning to preparing meals to light housekeeping. In-home care gives the family caregiver respite and time away to take care of their own needs.

There’s no doubt that National Family Caregivers Month is an excellent time for organizations to connect with individuals as they work together to care for the most vulnerable population in the country. Sharing information and experience results in better health for both family caregivers and their aging loved ones.

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

Recording Your Senior’s Wishes at the Beginning of a Breast Cancer Journey

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

October 18, 2017

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The possibility that your aging parent might be suffering from breast cancer can be one of the most intimidating and upsetting thoughts that you can experience during the course of your caregiver journey with them. The care that you give them during this time, however, can be crucial to how they manage their experience with cancer and the quality of your relationship and your caregiver efforts throughout the rest of their aging years.

 

Senior Care in Elba AL: Cancer Planning And Recording

Senior Care in Elba AL: Cancer Planning And Recording

 

If your parent is preparing for screening for breast cancer or has just been diagnosed, now is the time to start talking about the rest of the journey ahead of them. Recording their wishes at this time can help to clarify your parent’s thoughts about what they are going through and can give you guidelines for how to make decisions in later stages of the disease.

Start the conversation…

When it comes to recording your parent’s wishes about their cancer journey you should be open and honest with them, and encourage them to do the same for you. Reiterate that this is not a pessimistic or morbid conversation, but rather you are taking steps to help ensure that they will be treated in the way that they desire throughout their experience, and that you are taking stress away from both of you so that you can focus on more meaningful and enjoyable aspects of your time together.

What should you do?

Write down your parent’s thoughts regarding all elements of a cancer journey from what types of treatments they might consider to how they feel about resuscitation and life support to their thoughts regarding hospice care. Now is also a good time to think about issues such as final arrangements and legal considerations. As you are recording these, however, keep in mind that they might change. Recording them now is a means of starting your parent exploring their thoughts and feelings, providing a foundation on which to build their management approach, and helping you to start making decisions for the future.

Can home care help?

Home care can be a fantastic addition to your caregiver journey with your elderly parent. With an in-home senior care services provider, your aging parent will have access to the care, support, and assistance that they need, as well as the added benefit of additional companionship and social interaction.

The personalized services this care provider can give to your parent are tailored to your parent’s individual needs, challenges, and limitations, and designed to help your parent stay healthy, safe, and comfortable while also encouraging greater activity, engagement, fulfillment, and independence. As a family caregiver, this can give you a greater sense of confidence that both when you are able to be with your parent and when you are not, they are getting everything that they need to live their highest quality of life as they age in place.

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

 

Source:
https://pinkwarrior.com/
http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month
http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics