As a specialist in geriatric care, I encourage my Dallas clients to take the time to refresh and rejuvenate themselves through exposure to new activities and locations, including travel. The benefits of travel for seniors are extensive and can do a lot to restore overall well-being and outlook on life; however, many seniors are reluctant to travel because of the costs and the perceived lack of senior-friendly options. With senior-friendly travel programs like Elderhostel, neither of these concerns remain an issue, because not only do they provide inexpensive senior-friendly travel programs starting at as little as $100 per day, they are able to cater to the specific needs that older adults can have when away from their Dallas homes.

The following services are available to seniors who travel with Elderhostel:

• All travel programs are categorized by the level of physical activity required – Level 1 is ideal for seniors who may have mobility issues or who struggle with physical exertion, as it only requires that seniors have the ability to carry their luggage. With 6 level categories in total, Level 6 is the most physically challenging, with many daily activities that require extensive physical exertion; so these tours should be reserved for those seniors who are in great shape, good health, and have no concerns about their mobility or fitness level
• Specific dietary needs can be catered to, and are accommodated on a case-by-case basis
• Mobility issue are never a problem; transportation to and around specific sites can always be arranged when required by seniors participating in the Elderhostel programs

Sources:

1. Suite101
2. Elderhostel

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Scrapbooking is a very popular activity, and it is especially loved by the senior demographic for the trip down memory lane that it provides. As seniors memories change as they get older due to dementia, Alzheimer’s, or the simple changes that come with aging, photos are an important way for seniors to remember the important milestones that have happened in their lives. With this in mind, home caregivers providing care for Dallas seniors should encourage scrapbooking as a project for seniors and caregivers to do together. The experience can help caregivers bond with their care recipients and learn more about their lives, and it allows seniors to express their memories to someone who didn’t live through it.

The process of creating a scrapbook can help seniors to remember, as they sort through the pictures of family memories and the important milestones in their lives, but of course, having a scrapbook created also gives them a chance to look back over those important memories and have visual reminders. When creating a scrapbook, seniors can include captions to remind them of names and dates, and include other mementos besides photographs that have particular sentimental value. Seniors can make multiple scrapbooks for various themes, events and stages in their lives. They might dedicate a scrapbook to the birth and life of each of their grandchildren, family vacations, weddings and more.

So, if you’re looking for a fun activity that will also help maintain a senior’s memory, try scrapbooking!

Sources:

1. Ezine Articles
2. Scrapbook, Scrapbook

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Q – I have thought about home care for my aging mother in Dallas; but how do I know when it’s the right time?

A – There is no cut and dry answer for when it’s right to bring home care into the life of a Dallas senior like your mother, but there are some life situations that seniors can encounter which makes home care ideal for them.  If your mother finds herself experiencing one or more of the following scenarios, then it may be time to consider home care for her.

• She’s struggling with Activities of Daily Living – seniors who struggle with dressing, bathing, preparing meals, taking their medications, or keeping up with chores around the home are ideal candidates for in-home senior care

• Her mobility is declining – seniors who are having changes with their balance and mobility may be at a greater risk of falling or having an accident in the home when trying to perform ADLs . By hiring a caregiver, safety issues can be addressed and prevented through additional help

• She’s given up driving – seniors who no longer drive for whatever reason, would greatly benefit from the help of a caregiver who can take them to run errands or to appointments

• She doesn’t have family nearby – seniors who have the above problems but do not have family nearby to help them can benefit from in home care when there’s no one else out there to help them

• She’s recently come out of hospital or rehab – after seniors have been released from the hospital or rehab program and are in recovery, it’s better for seniors to have the help of a caregiver so they don’t put too much of a burden on their bodies by trying to care for themselves or their homes

• She suffers from Alzheimer’s or dementia

Sources:

1. Elder Issues

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Q – My dad’s caregiver has suggested digital photography as an activity for them to do together. I am totally on board with this since I know photography was a hobby of my dad’s in his younger days, and it’s great that she’s trying to inspire him creatively. The only problem is the caregiver doesn’t have a camera, and I don’t have one that I can lend him. With his birthday coming up, I’m thinking about buying a digital camera for him, but is there anything specific that I need to look for to ensure that the camera chosen is senior-friendly, especially since his abilities might change over the next few years while he has the camera?

- Stella, 47

A – It’s great to hear that both you and your father’s senior home caregiver are willing to inspire your dad’s creativity through photography! Shop around in Dallas to find a digital camera that is a good value, but there are also specific features that you should look for in order to ensure that the choice is appropriate for your dad today, and later on in the future if he continues the hobby of taking pictures on his own or with a caregiver. Think about your dad’s technological knowledge; if it’s limited, choose a camera that has minimal features without all of the unnecessary bells and whistles. A point and shoot style camera is more than sufficient for a senior looking to take on a digital photography hobby. You also want to look for a camera that has relatively large buttons, as his dexterity could decrease with age, as well as a camera with a large display screen. Also ensure that his computer is compatible with the camera before you decide to bring it home!

Sources:

1. Suite101
2. eHow

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Q – Is it safe for Dallas seniors to have pets?

A – Pets like dogs and cats can provide companionship to Dallas seniors who live by themselves. Having another living creature to care for can help motivate seniors to live their lives and avoid falling into a depressive state. However, having a pet, especially a dog can increase the likelihood of accidents such as falls. The responsibility of having a dog to take outside for walks can become a physical burden, and can unnecessarily expose seniors to potentially bad weather that can increase the likelihood of an accident. Having to bend over to pick up after a pet could result in a fall, and a dog has the potential to pull a senior over if pulling to visit another animal or person when on a leash.

Seniors who are stable may not be at risk for accidents resulting from pet care, but even they need to consider who will care for their pet in case of a medical emergency or incident.

Regardless of the situations, seniors can have pets and ensure that both their animal and their own health is well looked after by having someone else who is able to provide pet care once the senior’s physical mobility causes a safety issue, or in the circumstance where they are taken away from the home due to an illness. Since it’s not always possible to rely on family or friends to look after pets, seniors can find a home caregiver agency like Home Instead Senior Care to step in and look after the needs of both the senior and their beloved pet.

Sources:

1. Suite 101

Image Source:eldercareabcblog.com

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

When your senior is coming home after an extended stay in a Dallas hospital, nursing home or rehabilitation facility, the last thing they need to worry about is taking care of the mess they left behind when they left their homes in a rush, and while family members might be able to help, they naturally have more urgent concerns regarding the health of a loved one. So with everyone worrying about something, and no one worrying about the state of the home, how can families make sure that their seniors return to their Dallas homes in comfort where all they need to worry about is getting better?

Professional caregivers can come into a senior’s home, and help prepare it for a senior’s return from the hospital. They can take care of all of the light-housekeeping to ensure that the home is in order when the senior arrives. They can take care of cleaning out the fridge and pantries, washing any dirty dishes left behind, vacuum, change bed linens and even pick up fresh groceries. With this kind of help for seniors in their homes, all the elderly and their loved ones need to worry about is getting them better and back on their feet!

Sources:

1. Home Instead Senior Care

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

While there has been a long-standing misconception that the best place to provide care for a Dallas senior suffering from Alzheimer’s is in a nursing home or assisted living facility, the reality is that not only would these seniors prefer to stay in their own homes, they receive greater benefits by living in a familiar environment. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s can be overwhelming, and require you to make sacrifices in your work and family life in order to keep up with the senior’s growing needs. However, there are other options available to help keep seniors with Alzheimer’s living with some level of independence in their own home environments.

Home Instead Senior Care offers home care services which can help seniors deal with the areas of daily living that they struggle with, or with tasks where safety may be an issue due to the Alzheimer’s or dementia. Caregivers can help seniors with dressing, cooking, cleaning and more to preserve their safety and ensure their needs are being met. For those seniors who are suffering from more advanced Alzheimer’s and dementia, Home Instead Senior Care even have caregivers that are trained to deal with the specific needs presented by someone with Alzheimer’s, so families can rest assured that their elderly loved ones are receiving the highest level of care available.

Sources:

1. Web MD

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Q – My dad in Dallas has had to give up driving. I don’t live close enough to be able to take him on errands or to appointments. Are there any services available to help with transportation in his area?

A – In-home senior caregivers can help seniors with transportation to appointments, errands, and virtually anywhere else they want to go. At Home Instead Senior Care, we check all of our caregivers driving records with the DMV to ensure they are licensed to drive and have a good driving record. Caregivers can transport senior clients in the seniors vehicle, or in their own vehicle if the senior does not own a car. However, if they use the caregiver’s car, then transportation fees do apply.

While many communities do offer free transportation services for older adults that are similar to public transportation on buses, they do not offer the same level of flexibility or allow seniors to stick to their own schedule or routines. By having a caregiver to drive them, seniors can do everything on their own time without making sacrifices.

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

It’s not uncommon for family conflict to occur over elder care decisions. Dallas families are forced to choose what’s best for their aging loved one, and since everyone brings a different point of view to the table, this can often result in family conflict and even estrangement if the issues are allowed to continue, and the results can have serious effects upon the general well-being of the senior.

Reasons Families Experience Conflict over Senior Care

• The views of family members regarding what’s best for an aging parent may differ

• Siblings may disagree with the primary family caregiver’s decisions

• Family members may resent the role they play in senior care

• Family members may feel that responsibilities are unevenly distributed

So, how can families overcome these conflicts before it tears them apart and causes more stress to their aging parent? Families can consider using elder mediation by hiring a third party to assist them in moderating family meetings. By using an elder mediator, the following goals can be achieved

• Using a communications expert who specializes in elder mediation can help families who have a different perspective to the situation being discussed

• Meeting with a third party to moderate can help prevent disputes

• The mediator is able to provide additional resources in senior care, and may invite a geriatric care manager or home care specialist to provide a different perspective and specific insight into a topic of discussion

• Helps families lay out a care plan in writing, with the input of the senior parent and the elder mediator

Sources:

1. Plan for Care
2. Mayo Clinic

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

All family caregivers want some element of independence for their elderly loved ones, but at the same time, they worry about the safety of their seniors because if something should happen no one would know. After a fall or an accident, a Dallas senior might lie in wait for hours for someone to discover that they aren’t picking up their phone or coming to answer their door, and by that time there could be serious health ramifications.

As much as they’d like to be, caregivers can’t remain with a senior 24/7, and by doing that, they are decreasing the level of independence that a senior feels. So what is the solution? Personal Emergency Response Systems give Dallas seniors and their caregivers the best of both worlds because independence and safety are both offered. These Personal Emergency Response Systems allow seniors to press a button in the case of an emergency, at which point they are immediately connected to an operator who will contact a family member and notify the appropriate help. In addition to safety, these smart systems can be purchased with additional features that provide seniors greater levels of autonomy, including prescription reminders and 2-way voice communication.

By installing a Personal Emergency Response System in a senior’s home, caregivers and family members can give them the space they need to live their lives, without worrying that their health and safety is at risk.

Image: www.seniorspecialists.org