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

Today we are presenting some more information that came out of the largest study that was conducted on the state of senior caregiving in America.  These results just came out recently and if you would like a full copy of the report contact us to receive an electronic version.

The Importance of Home was another factor they looked at and the study found that an overwhelming majority (86 percent) of elderly want to be cared for at home for as long as possible. This is consistent with several other studies, including an AARP survey that found 89 percent of elderly would prefer in home care as opposed to assisted living or nursing homes.

The Home Instead survey also examined the views of family decision-makers about the desirability of their relatives continuing to age in place. The study found a strong correlation: 76 percent of decision-makers believe it is important for their loved one to be able to stay at home and to have in home care when the time comes that they need extra help.

So why are so many elderly people moving from their homes or being advised to move from their homes into Assisted Living Communities?  We would love to hear your thoughts on this question - please leave us a comment.

Source:  When the Age Wave Hits: The State of Senior Caregiving in America by Home Instead Senior Care, January 2009.

When visiting an older adult over the holidays, or in the New Year, families need to be prepared to appropriately handle any signs that the senior is struggling. According to Dr. Harwood, there are a number of ways to do it right; complete the following checklist to learn if you can productively handle your holiday visit.

• You know that their home might signify negative changes – unopened bills, clutter, or an under stocked fridge may indicate that they’re struggling to keep up with the responsibilities at home.
• You are prepared for no change or positive changes within their homes – they might have assistive devices, which can indicate that they are accepting and coping well with the aging process.
• You will do your best not to overact and will not try to do too much too soon, no matter what you witness.
• You know that the aging process is not always responsible for changes in a senior, so you take the chance to talk and learn what’s really been happening in their life. This helps you learn if they’ve recently lost a friend, experienced a health change, or begun taking new medications.
• You consider how you would like to be treated if you were in a similar situation.
• After learning why the senior is experiencing these changes, you help them find simple solutions.

Jake Harwood, Professor Department of Communication, University of Arizona

Home Instead Senior Care providing the most trusted elder home care in America! Helps family caregivers cope with senior care in Dallas. Call us today at 972-239-3934.

Caregiving Decisions

Q1 – Why might family caregivers choose not to involve seniors in decisions that impact their own lives?
A1 – Sometimes it can be challenging for seniors to make decisions or gain access to needed resources based on the physical, mental and emotional limitations. In these cases, sometimes a caregiver might find it easier to make the decision themselves.

Q2 – Should seniors be involved in making decisions?
A2 – Absolutely, while they may not be able to make them single-handedly dependent upon their abilities, caregivers can assist them with the decision-making process and setup situations where they’ll be successful.

Q3 – How can caregivers involve seniors in effective decision making?
A3 – If making big decisions are too overwhelming for seniors, caregivers can complete the necessary research and use resources in order to present seniors with the top suitable options. By preventing a senior with the best choices regarding a professional caregiver, community living facility or investment opportunity; families can ensure that their senior makes a good choice no matter what, while allowing the senior to be involved with the process.

Q4 – Can this decision-making structure be used for minor day-to-day decisions as well?
A4 – For seniors who find it overwhelming to decide what to wear or what to have for dinner, a caregiver can provide them with two or three options to choose from.

Q5 – Are there any legal ways seniors can ensure their voices are heard?
A5 – It’s important for older adults to draft up Living Wills and appoint a Power of Attorney while they are still able to make their wishes with regards to healthcare, asset management and more. This will ensure that their families, doctors and legal professionals follow the senior’s requirements, even if they can’t speak for themselves.

Source: http://assisted-living.aplaceformom.com/articles/eldercare-decision-and-guilt/

Home Instead Senior Care providing the most trusted elder home care in America! Helps family caregivers cope with senior care in Dallas. Call us today at 972-239-3934.

Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!

Encouraging Safe Driving

As a caregiver or family member of a senior, we know that their safety is always on your mind. For some seniors, getting behind the wheel of a care presents a great risk when physical and cognitive changes impact the skills required to drive.

It’s important to encourage your loved one to remain as independent as possible, which includes being able to drive. So instead of taking away their keys as soon as old age hits, encourage them to enhance their skills and safety using the following methods.

• Consider whether the vehicle they’re driving is safe, considering their physical capabilities. Are the doors too heavy? Is it easy to step in and out? Can seats be adjusted for optimal vision? Can the pedals be reached comfortably?

• How does a physician feel about their ability to safely drive?

• Encourage them to engage in activities that increase visual reaction time; like InSight brain fitness software or video games that increase hand-eye coordination.

• Have they taken a driving class to enhance their skills, or had an assessment completed to ensure they’re safe?

Remaining behind the wheel isn’t for everyone, if your senior is experiencing any of the following physical or medical conditions, their safety may be compromised.

• Serious visual impairments
• Decreased mobility due to joint and muscle problems
• Severe cognitive changes, like Alzheimer’s or dementia which may affect focus and reaction time
• Necessary medications that impact driving abilities

Sources: http://www.otworks.ca/otworks_page.asp?pageid=789
               http://www.positscience.com/news/view.php?contentid=511

Home Instead Senior Care providing the most trusted elder home care in America! Helps family caregivers cope with senior care in Dallas. Call us today at 972-239-3934.

Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!

Seniors Should Keep in Touch Too

After the holidays, the obligation often falls on the rest of the family and not the senior members to keep in touch. While it is important that seniors are made to feel important and loved year-round, beyond the holiday celebrations, seniors also need to make the effort to keep the lines of communication open.

The following are methods both sides of the family can use to make sure those who live away feel valued, regardless of age.

• Make regular phone calls, beyond just on birthdays or special occasions. Calling just to chat will let the other party know you’re thinking about them
• When a family member phones, make them feel welcome and make sure you always appear approachable
• Send photos to your loved ones to let them know what your immediate family has been up to, it’s as close as they may get to actually being there
• Send “just because” gifts
• Allow children to call their elder relatives anytime they want to share some news, or let them mail a hand-drawn picture
• Remember to allow the other person to talk and show interest in what’s important to them

This holiday season, put your feet up and make new memories with your family, but remember to keep in touch throughout the year. Seniors don’t need to wait for their families to take the first step; you’re never too old to pick up the phone.

Home Instead Senior Care providing the most trusted elder home care in America! Helps family caregivers cope with senior home care in Dallas. Call us today at 972-239-3934.

A great activity to do with your elder loved one while providing home care is - Observe Nature!

Today’s activity is based upon a suggestion by one of our CAREGivers.  It will allow you and your senior mom or dad to do at least a couple of things at once: drive to or from an appointment or errand, and enjoy nature along the way (since things outside are now cooling down nicely, we thought this was a timely idea.) 

If you’re traveling with your loved one to or from an appointment, you may have just enough time to enjoy the nature around you.  Pick a favorite spot to share.  If your aging mom or dad is visually impaired, describe what you are seeing and use other senses to draw attention to the other aspects of the moment, such as hearing or smell.

In fact, if your aging relative enjoys photography, journaling, or drawing, this may be a way to incorporate additional elements into this activity – all of which will be fun and meaningful for them, and for you.  Enjoy the late fall!

MANAGING CAREGIVER STRESS IN DALLAS

According to a survey conducted by Home Instead Senior Care Dallas, 55% of those using their professional caregiving services to care for their senior family members, suffer from significant levels of stress; these numbers likely only increase for those who do not seek help from an external source, and independently care for their loved ones within their own families.

Many of these caregivers not only assist with the care of their senior relatives, but also balance careers and provide for their own children, so it is no surprise that often they fall low on their own priority lists and forget to step back and take care of themselves.

There are a number of things that caregivers can do to alleviate stress that also allow them to take a time out from their caregiving duties and other stresses in their lives.

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Home Care Dallas - Call us today at 972-239-3934.

Since seniors do get less sleep often, it is no surprise that fatigue is present, and memory and dexterity problems are more prevalent. In order to live long healthy lives, free from accidents or serious illnesses, seniors should take sleep seriously, and do what they can to provide for a good night’s rest.

What can people do to sleep better?

What to Avoid:

• Don’t exercise at least 5 or 6 hours before turning in for the night
• Caffeine and nicotine (including coffee, tea, cola and chocolate), especially in the evening
• Steer clear of alcohol
• Avoid large meals late in the evening
• Don’t nap after 3pm
• Try not to lie awake in bed, if you are still awake after 20 minutes, get up and engage in another relaxing activity

What May Help:

• Maintain a regular sleep schedule – get up and go to bed at the same time each day (even weekends)
• Do something to relax before going to bed
• Take a hot bath before bed
• Set the mood for sleep in your bedroom, keep the room cool, dark and turn off any distractions
• Speak to your doctor about any medications you may be taking that could be delaying or preventing sleep
• See a sleep specialist if nothing else seems to be helping

Seniors Report Being Mistreated

About 13 percent of elderly Americans are mistreated, most commonly by someone who verbally or financially takes advantage of them, according to a University of Chicago study.  Researchers found that 9 percent of study participants reported verbal mistreatment, 3.5 percent reported financial mistreatment, and 0.2 percent reported physical mistreatment.

Researchers said that adults in their late 50s and 60s are more likely to report verbal or financial mistreatment than those who are older. “Perhaps the respondents are including routine arguments, perhaps about money, with their spouse or child in their reports, or perhaps older adults are more reticent to report negative behavior,” said lead author Edward Laumann.

“The population of the country is aging, and people now live with chronic diseases longer. So it’s important to understand, from a health perspective, how people are being treated as they age,” Laumann said.

Did you know that it is women who report verbal abuse? 

Of the people reporting verbal mistreatment:

• 26 percent identified their spouse or romantic partner as being responsible
• 15 percent identified their children 
• The remainder said that a friend, neighbor or boss was responsible.

Of the respondents who reported financial abuse:

• 57 percent reported someone other than a spouse, parent or child, usually another relative, was taking advantage of them.

The good news is that few older adults reported mistreatment by family members, and older adults appear isolated from physical mistreatment.  Read the full Universtiy of Chicago release.

If you have an elder in Dallas and want to help them be prepared for a potential emergency, please visit Ready.gov for useful tips and information.  For Home Care Dallas - Call us today at 972-239-3934.

Additional Items to consider when helping your senior prepare for an emergency:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler’s checks and change
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat waterby using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil