Craig Bass, Author at Golden Heart Summerlin

Tips for Keeping the Mind Sharp as a Senior Citizen

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Craig Bass

24-Hour Home Care in Las Vegas NV

Are you worried about your elderly loved one’s mental state? Does it seem like they are forgetting things more often, but they don’t have Alzheimer’s disease? You might even notice that your elderly loved one just isn’t doing much physically or mentally. If this is the case, there are some tips to help them keep their mind sharp that you and 24-hour home care providers can help with, if needed.

Improving Physical Health

Physical health and mental health do go hand in hand. For example, studies show that people who exercise regularly have better memory, concentration, and focus. If your elderly loved one isn’t exercising often, you can help them to create an exercise plan. If they stick to that plan or, at the very least, start exercising regularly, it can help to keep their mind sharp. As always, consult with your senior’s primary care physician before beginning any exercise regimen.

Lowering High Blood Pressure

Did you know that high blood pressure can affect one’s mental state? Many people who have high blood pressure often feel overwhelmed and stressed. Sure, there are physical health reasons such as lowering the risk for heart disease for why your elderly loved one should manage their blood pressure. However, lowering their blood pressure can also help to keep their mind active and sharp. If your elderly loved one needs to take prescription blood pressure medications, you or a senior care provider can remind them to take those.

Regular Brain Games

Another way that your elderly loved one can keep their mind sharp is to play regular brain games. There are a range of online websites and apps that your elderly loved one can use to challenge their mind. There are also other brain games they can play or do such as:

Brain teasers
Board puzzles
Trivia games

If your elderly loved one doesn’t want to do these on their own and you can’t be there to play the games with them, you can hire 24-hour home care providers to help with this.

Conclusion

These are just some of the many ways that your elderly loved one can keep their mind sharp. Now that you know about these tips, be sure to share them with your elderly loved one. You can ask them if they would like help in following through with any of these recommendations. If so, you or a home care provider can assist them. If, at any point, you are truly concerned about your elderly loved one’s mental or brain health, have them see their doctor about any issues that are happening at that time.

Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults

If you are considering 24-hour home care in Las Vegas, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Proper Handwashing Tips During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Flu Season

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Craig Bass

Elder Care in Summerlin NV

The Covid-19 pandemic is still going on as we all know. It is still very important that everyone washes their hands and takes safety precautions to prevent or at least keep the spread of Covid to a minimum. Proper hand washing tips should still be shared to remind people to prevent the spread of germs. However, it is also important to note that flu season is here now, as well. Proper hand washing can help to reduce the spread of flu germs, too.

Take the Proper Steps

It is important that you and your elderly loved one are taking the proper steps to wash your hands. The steps that should be taken include:

Use warm water to wet your hands
Cover hands with soap (get in between fingers and under nails)
Scrub hands completely for 20 seconds minimum
Rinse your hands with warm water
Dry hands and put the towel in the dirty clothes

It is crucial that people in the home aren’t sharing a towel. If your elderly loved one needs more hand towels, you or an elder care provider can go to the store to get more towels for their home.

Washing Long Enough

It is very important that you and your elderly loved one are washing your hands long enough. Just washing hands for a few seconds isn’t going to get the germs off. Depending on which health website you look at, they may have different recommendations for the length of time to wash hands. However, it is crucial that you and your elderly loved one are washing your hands for no less than 20 seconds. Even if they are going to use hand sanitizer, it should be rubbed onto the hands fully, not just applied quickly.

When to Wash Hands

Another thing to keep in mind is when you and your elderly loved one should be washing your hands. The times that it is a must to wash your hands to help prevent the spread of germs are:

After using the bathroom
When getting home from a public area
Before eating
After getting groceries

If you and your elderly loved one can wash your hands during these times, at the very minimum, it can reduce the chances of getting Covid-19 and the flu.

Conclusion

These are some of the proper handwashing tips for you and your elderly loved one during the Covid pandemic and flu season. Doing these tips all year round would be the most effective and helpful.

Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

If you are considering elder care in Summerlin, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

What Mindfulness Exercises Can Help Your Elderly Loved One?

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Craig Bass

Home Care Assistance in Henderson NV

Is your elderly loved one feeling stressed? Maybe, they struggle with an anxiety disorder or they just need to take a break from the ups and downs in life. No matter what the situation might be for them, there are many mindfulness exercises that can help your elderly loved one tremendously.

Deep Breathing

One of the mindfulness exercises that you and home care assistance providers can encourage your elderly loved one to do is deep breathing. There are many videos online, programs, and apps that can teach your elderly loved one some very basic deep breathing techniques. You or a home care provider can sit down with your elderly loved one and help them to set up a schedule for doing this technique. It can help to reduce their anxiety, lower stress levels, and help to take the weight off their shoulders, too.

Gratitude

Many holistic treatment programs offer gratitude sessions. The main reason for this is because when a person recognizes the things they are grateful for, it gives them more of a reason to feel happy and uplifted. If your elderly loved one is having a tough time in life right now, maybe you or one of their home care assistance providers can sit with them to make a gratitude list. You could even get them a journal, so they can list things they are grateful for every day. Hopefully, this can help your elderly loved one to see all the good in their life.

Break Time

Everyone needs a break from time to time. In fact, it is crucial that everyone tries to take a break to themselves every day. Even if it is just for 10 or 15 minutes a day, taking breaks can allow people to get out of their own head. It can give them alone time and allow them to just let go of the stressors in life. If your elderly loved one isn’t great at giving themselves breaks, it may be helpful for you or a senior care provider to remind them to do this every day. Your elderly loved one can do anything they want during these breaks. However, remind them that it should be something for themselves – a nap, reading a book, sitting in silence, etc.

Conclusion

These are some of the best mindfulness exercises that your elderly loved one should try out soon. The more they do these types of exercises, the better it can be in reducing their anxiety and stress.

Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4868399/

If you are considering home care assistance in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Nighttime Fall Prevention for Senior Citizens

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Craig Bass

Home Care in Summerlin NV

You may already know that senior citizens have a higher risk of falling than younger adults. However, did you know that many senior citizens have a higher risk of falling during the nighttime hours than during the daytime? There are many different reasons for this. However, there are also many ways that you and home care providers can work together to help with nighttime fall prevention for your elderly loved one.

Proper Bedding Placement

One of the reasons why senior citizens often fall during the night is because they trip over their bedding. For example, if your elderly loved one needs to get up to use the bathroom at night, they might trip over the edge of their blanket and fall in their bedroom. This could lead to a serious injury. It is important that your elderly loved one’s bedding isn’t stuck under their mattress, so their legs or feet don’t get stuck in the blanket when they try to get up. It is also important they don’t have any blankets on the floor, as well. You or home care providers can go into your elderly loved one’s bedroom each night, before they go to bed, to ensure the blankets are where they should be.

Good Lighting

Another way that you or an elder care provider can help to prevent nighttime falls for your elderly loved one is by ensuring there is good lighting in their bedroom and house. Improper or low lighting can prevent your elderly loved one from seeing where they are walking during the night. If they can’t see well, it could cause them to trip on carpeting, cords, or other things that are in the walkway. You or home care providers can check often to ensure each light in the house has working bulbs that are bright enough for your elderly loved one to see.

Better Flooring

If you are trying to help prevent nighttime falls for your elderly loved one, you should check on the flooring in their house. For example, if they have a lot of runners, lifted carpets, or loose rugs, these could all be fall hazards. It is crucial that someone ensures these are properly stapled or taped down to help prevent falls. If there are any loose rugs, you could also replace those with slip-resistant rugs.

Conclusion

These are some of the nighttime fall prevention tips for senior citizens. As a family caregiver, hopefully, you can work with home care providers to help take care of these things in your elderly loved one’s home. By doing so, you can significantly reduce the risk of them falling at night.

Sources
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/fall-prevention/art-20047358

If you are considering home care in Summerlin, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Tips for Making an Emergency Checklist for Your Senior

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Craig Bass

Senior Home Care in Henderson NV

As you are taking care of your elderly loved one, take some time to think about what they will do if there is an emergency and nobody is around. What would you do if you were with your elderly loved one and they had an emergency? It is important to have a plan. One of the things that you may want to do is to create an emergency checklist with your elderly loved one, so they can be more prepared in case of an emergency.

Writing Down Personal Information

One of the most important things to add to your elderly loved one’s emergency checklist is their personal information including:

Name
Phone number
Doctors
Medication allergies
Medication list
Treatments they are receiving
Religious affiliations or preferences (if any)
Emergency contacts

If all of this information is kept in an accessible place, if you or a senior home care are with your elderly loved one when they have an emergency, you will be able to inform the medics who arrive of the important things.

Who to Contact

If your elderly loved one has a medical emergency, it is important that certain people are contacted. For example, if your elderly loved one is being picked up by the ambulance for heart issues and they have a cardiologist, it is very important that this doctor is contacted right away. The sooner your elderly loved one’s doctors are contacted, the sooner they can work with emergency medical personnel to help your elderly loved one.

Health Concerns

If your elderly loved one is getting a new senior home care provider, it is crucial they know about your elderly loved one’s health concerns. For example, if your elderly loved one has allergies to certain foods or needs medication reminders because they won’t remember to take their nightly medications, these are things the senior home providers need to know.

Having an Advance Directive

Who will be in charge of your elderly loved one’s care or medical decisions if they are unable to do so? This should be thought about well before there is an emergency. One of the things you can work with your elderly loved one is making an advance directive. The advance directive can help to ensure the doctors know who is responsible for medical choices on behalf of your elderly loved one. It can also help to ensure your elderly loved one’s wishes regarding their medical needs are met.

Conclusion

These are some of the best tips for making a senior citizen an emergency checklist. You can use these tips to help create this type of checklist for your elderly loved one. If you need more information about how to create this checklist or what to put on it, you can talk to medical professionals including your elderly loved one’s doctor.

Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/features/older-adult-emergency/index.html
https://acl.gov/programs/emergency-preparedness

If you are considering senior home care in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Practical Ways That Seniors Can Maintain A Healthy Weight

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Craig Bass

Elder Care in Las Vegas NV

During January, seniors should think about what their healthy weight range is and how they can stay at a healthy weight. That’s because January is Healthy Weight Awareness Month. Weight has a huge impact on health, especially for seniors. Being overweight can make seniors more likely to develop serious illnesses. It can also make existing health problems worse. If your senior loved ones are at a healthy weight there are some practical things they can do to maintain that healthy weight like:

Count Calories And Track Meals

If your senior loved ones are at a healthy weight now then they are doing something right. Encourage them to keep a food journal that lists everything they are eating each day and to use a calorie app on their phone or tablet to keep track of the calories that they are eating. For seniors the best way to maintain a healthy weight is to pay attention to the calories that they are eating and make sure they are not eating more calories than they should. More calories means weight gain.

Stay Active with Help from Elder Care

Continuing to get physical activity will help your senior loved ones stay at a healthy weight. Limiting calories to a healthy amount and getting regular exercise are the best things that seniors can do to stay at a healthy weight. Seniors who find that they are losing their motivation to be active can get encouragement and support from an elder care provider. An elder care provider can also help your senior loved ones track their meals and calories.

Develop New Hobbies

Most seniors end up overeating or snacking too much because they are bored. Trying new hobbies and picking up new skills will keep seniors busy, discourage them from snacking, and give them a sense of purpose again. A large number of seniors put off developing hobbies when they were younger because they had bills to pay and a family to support or children to take care of. So now is the time for your senior loved ones to explore some of the things they always wanted to try but were never able to. Encourage your senior loved ones to try new things like playing an instrument, learning a new sport, reading a whole series of books, painting, or gardening. You may even want to try one or two new hobbies with them and make it a family hobby.

Be More Social

Isolation and depression can also be responsible for seniors eating too much or not exercising and gaining weight. Seniors need to be see people and visit with other seniors in order to be healthy. Encourage your senior loved one to join a senior’s center, take an exercise class at the gym, join a craft circle, or participate in other social activities and groups. Volunteer work is a fantastic way for seniors to socialize and do some meaningful work.

Source
https://www.ncoa.org/older-adults/health/diet-nutrition/healthy-weight

If you are considering elder care in Las Vegas, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Essential Things to Know About Nocturia

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Craig Bass

Home Care Assistance in Las Vegas NV

Nocturia is a common condition involving bladder control at night. It’s all about waking up and needing to go to the bathroom. It’s estimated that it impacts almost half of men and women over the age of 60.

Do your parents have nocturia? It’s not surprising if they do. Home care assistance may be an important part of the care plan when nocturia is present. Here are the things you should know about nocturia.

What Key Factors Increase the Likelihood?

Many cases of nocturia are linked to nocturnal polyuria. It’s a common condition where the kidneys produce too much urine when the body rests. The medications your mom or dad takes and overactive bladder are other reasons.

Women are more likely to experience nocturia if they have a weaker pelvic floor. It’s common in women who had children and are going through menopause. If uterine prolapse is a concern and causes pushing on the bladder, some procedures can resolve it.

If your parents drink too much before going to bed, it will lead to nocturia. Drinking alcohol or caffeinated beverages also increases the chances of waking in the middle of the night and needing to go to the bathroom.

Some health conditions increase the risk. Diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are among them. It impacts how the body works. If your mom or dad has insomnia issues, they may also find themselves waking up and needing to go to the bathroom.

What Can You Do to Help?

Your mom or dad needs to talk to the doctor. If there is an underlying health issue, addressing it is essential. Medications and diet could stop nocturia from happening.

Invest in two waterproof mattress covers to help protect the mattress from urine stains. Instead of replacing an entire mattress, you just have to strip off the soiled mattress cover, put it into the wash, and replace it with a second cover.

Don’t let your parents drink a lot of water before bed. They should limit how much they drink after dinner. Before going to sleep, a bathroom trip should be the last thing your mom or dad does.

Do your parents take time each day to put their feet up? They should. It helps with circulation and allows water to get absorbed into the bloodstream, where it eventually excess fluids go to the bladder.

Make sure your parent has someone to help them get showered and changed. Caregivers can also help them remember when to take a break from activities and head to the bathroom. Call a home care assistance specialist to learn more.

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5209574/

If you are considering home care assistance in Las Vegas, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Employee of the Month

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Craig Bass

Golden Heart has elected Denise “Quinn” Brown as our amazing December Caregiver of the Month! Quinn is originally from Philadelphia, PA and lived there for 39 years before moving to Reynoldsburg, OH for another 22 years. Luckily for us, Quinn relocated to Las Vegas one year ago and eventually crossed paths with us! Quinn has five daughters, who have given here for grandsons, 3 granddaughters, and soon another grandson who will be joining the family in June 2022. For over 30 years, Quinn worked in healthcare as a State tested Nurse Aide, Restorative Aide, and Hospice Aide. After retirement, Quinn found that she missed taking care of others and this inspired her to reenter healthcare and become a Caregiver. Her favorite part of caregiving is being able to spend one-on-one time with her clients and sharing stories with each other. Quinn is proud of the progress she has seen her client make because she says the experience is rewarding and very personal to her. She is also incredibly proud of her daughters and all that they’ve accomplished. In the next five years, Quinn hopes to be enjoying retirement in good health. Quinn shows what it means to be a Golden Heart Caregiver and we are so grateful for what she brings to our team. Congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished Quinn, you’re awesome!

Why Do Senior Citizens Often Get Readmitted to the Hospital?

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Craig Bass

24-Hour Home Care in Henderson NV

If you are caring for your elderly loved one, there are certain things that you need to know about. One of those things is that senior citizens often get readmitted to the hospital after injuries, surgeries, or illnesses. It can be helpful to know more about the causes of these readmissions. That way, you and 24-hour home care providers can help to prevent your elderly loved one from having to go back into the hospital after they come home.

Medication Issues

One of the most common causes of hospital readmissions for the elderly are medication issues. Usually, when someone leaves the hospital, they are on medications. Some reasons medications might be prescribed include:

Pain management
Stabilizing blood pressure
Reducing inflammation
Reducing the risk of infection
Fighting off infection

If your elderly loved one doesn’t take their medications as prescribed when they go home from the hospital, it could cause their condition to get much worse. If that happens, they may need to stay in the hospital again.

If your elderly loved one is discharged from the hospital, it would be a good idea for you and the 24-hour home care providers to have a list of the medications they need to take and when. That way, you can remind them to take those medications.

Falling

Unfortunately, there are many senior citizens that fall after they leave the hospital. There are many reasons why they have an increased risk of falling when getting home. Some of these reasons include:

Having a previous fall that put them into the hospital can lower their confidence when walking
Having balance issues due to medications or health issues
Being weak from not moving around enough

If your elderly loved one falls after they get home from the hospital, they may likely have to stay back in the hospital for a while. To lower your elderly loved one’s risk of falling, it would be best if they had someone stay with them for a while after they get home. 24-hour home care providers are available to do this.

Not Getting Enough Support

Most senior citizens who leave the hospital feel tired and weak. They may not be able to get around their house as easily as they did before. However, that may not stop them from trying. Many senior citizens often hurt themselves or have stitches break open because they try to do too much too soon. It is vital that your elderly loved one doesn’t push themselves too hard after they get home from the hospital. It would be best if you or 24-hour home care providers could be there to help and support them after they get home to prevent this from happening.

Conclusion

Is your elderly loved one coming home from the hospital? If so, you and home care providers can work together to lower your elderly loved one’s risk of going back to the hospital. The tips here today are a good way to help keep them at home.

Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6114496/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20reasons%20for,cancer%20(n%20%3D%2051).

If you are considering 24-hour home care in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

The Difference Between Forgetting and Dementia

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Craig Bass

Home Care in Henderson NV

It is natural to forget things from time to time. It’s why people keep reminders on their phones and sticky notes on their refrigerators. Memory loss may become more common as people age, but it is often normal. So, how can aging adults tell if they are experiencing dementia symptoms? And how do they know when it’s time to seek medical attention?

Home care is trained to help seniors with daily reminders and living on their own. Many seniors want to age in place, but it can be difficult to forget things. Although this is a sign of dementia, forgetting things is also just part of aging. When it becomes an everyday thing or becomes dangerous for a senior, they should seek medical attention.

You can use some signs to tell if it is average forgetfulness or dementia. They may seem the same, but they are not. When a senior has dementia, home care can help take the pressure off of the senior. It is important to have professional help from your parents when you are too busy taking care of your own family. Here are some signs that a senior may forget, and others may indicate dementia.

Normal Symptoms of Aging

There are a few things that are normal for seniors to experience as they age.

Absentmindedness

Absentmindedness is similar in that it relates to the focus of your brain. For example, you may forget an appointment simply because you were not preoccupied with the thought of it. This could be a good thing, because it indicates that the brain is clearing out old memories to make room for new ones.

Mental Illness and Forgetfulness

People suffering from depression are sometimes misdiagnosed as having dementia symptoms. According to the institute, one reason for this could be that a person suffering from depression may be preoccupied with the source of their sadness and anxiety. Constantly worrying about or obsessing over a recent tragedy can cause forgetfulness about other subjects.

Signs of Dementia

One of the only ways to get diagnosed with dementia is by seeing a doctor regularly. There are also stages of dementia, and seniors may not be diagnosed properly. Here are some potential signs of dementia.

Seniors Forget Important Things

Dementia symptoms extend beyond simply forgetting where an object is or when an appointment was scheduled. Symptoms include forgetting the names of close friends and loved ones and an inability to recall certain words. When an elderly person exhibits these symptoms of extreme forgetfulness, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a doctor.

Seniors May Experience Personality Changes

A senior in the middle stages of this disease may experience increased aggressive behavior, paranoia, or impulsiveness. This is frequently the most challenging aspect of the disease for caregivers. According to the association, it is normal for senior caregivers to be stressed out by these symptoms.

Becoming Disoriented

Another common dementia symptom is the tendency to become disoriented in new situations. When an older adult with dementia moves to a new location, the unfamiliar stimuli may cause anxiety. When seniors with dementia are disoriented, they may appear lost to onlookers and become easily irritated with their home care providers.

Source
https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/do-i-have-dementia/differences-between-normal-aging-dementia

If you are considering home care in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.