Keeping You Safe From COVID-19
Interested in a career at Golden Heart Senior Care. APPLY HERE!

Author: Craig Bass

Is It Time for Your Senior to Stop Driving?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Home Care in Henderson NV
Home Care in Henderson NV

In 20 years, the number of drivers aged 65 or older increased by 68%. In 2020, almost 200,000 older drivers were involved in crashes that required a trip to the hospital. Changes in vision, mental function, and flexibility can all increase the risk of a crash.

Sometimes, an older adult needs to stop driving for safety reasons. Dementia, severe arthritis, medication side effects, and vision loss are all reasons your mom may need to let someone else drive. When it’s time to take away your mom’s keys, what is the best approach?

Ask an Expert’s Opinion

Before you even discuss your mom’s need to hand over the keys, ask your mom’s doctors for their insight. Her eye doctor will know if her vision is likely to impair her safety while driving. If she has dementia, her doctor will tell you when it’s time for her to stop driving.

If arthritis is keeping her from being able to turn far enough to check her blind spots, she might be able to work with a physical therapist and regain some flexibility and keep driving. Or, she may be ready to let you and other family members handle the driving.

You can ask the DMV to request your mom go in for another driving test. While it’s not a legal requirement, if you feel your mom’s driving is unsafe, some states allow you to discreetly let the DMV know and they’ll assess her skills. That removes you as being the villain trying to take away her keys. The blame now lies on someone else.

Be Honest

If it’s time for her to stop driving, you need to be honest with your mom. She won’t be happy. But, it’s important for her safety and for the safety of others. She has to have seen stores of older drivers accidentally driving into buildings or causing serious traffic accidents. That’s why it’s important to give up the keys when her ability to drive is impacted.

Bring in Support

You might want to have your mom’s trusted friends or religious officials join in on the conversation regarding her safety. She might not want to hear it from you, but she can’t ignore a friend’s or pastor’s advice.

You don’t have to be the only person advocating for your mom to stop driving. Have your siblings join you, but make sure you’re not ganging up on her. Give her space if she’s becoming angry.

Make Sure She’s Able to Still Go Out

You might be pleasantly surprised that she doesn’t care. She just wants assurance that she can still leave her home, run errands, and not be isolated.

Home care advisors can help you schedule the services your mom needs the most. With home care aides assisting with transportation, your mom doesn’t have to feel stuck at home or isolated.

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/older_adult_drivers/index.html

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.

Can You Really Help Your Senior to Maintain Her Independence?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Home Care Assistance in Summerlin NV
Home Care Assistance in Summerlin NV

What does independence mean for your aging adult? That might be a question that you and she need to sit down and answer together. As your elderly family member grows older, she may fear that she’s losing more of her independence every day. This fear can cause her to become hyper-independent, making decisions that can lead to dangerous situations for her. But can you really help your elderly family member to maintain her independence?

Answer Safety Questions First

Anything that compromises your elderly family member’s safety is automatically a threat to her independence. Working with home care assistance can help your elderly family member to ensure that she’s addressing safety concerns before they become emergencies. Knowing that your senior has help available for safety issues helps you to feel more secure as well.

Increase Physical Activity

If your elderly family member is finding that she’s moving less and less than she used to, she may want to talk with her doctor about how much physical activity is okay for her. By becoming more active, your elderly family member increases her strength, her endurance, and her ability to remain as independent as she can. The key to sticking with any movement plan involves finding a physical activity that your senior enjoys doing so that she wants to keep going.

Keep Your Senior Socially Engaged

Social engagement is another key component of keeping your senior as independent as possible. As she grows older, it may be more difficult for her to stay as socially active as she used to be. Finding ways to make that easier for your senior to do on her own terms is essential. Elder care professionals can offer hands-on help while also making socializing easier and offering companionship themselves.

Help Her to Keep Her Brain Active

Finding ways to keep your senior’s brain firing also helps to preserve her independence. You can accomplish this goal in any number of different ways ranging from taking classes to reading more, playing games with friends, and staying social. Whatever keeps your elderly family member’s brain engaged is good for her, so find ways to incorporate more of those things into her daily life as much as possible.

Establish Routines That Support Your Senior’s Needs

Everyone has routines, even when they don’t realize they do. Your elderly family member may need to pay more conscious attention to routines as she grows older. Doing so is going to help her to hit all of her goals and targets, which is an important part of maintaining her independence. Home care assistance can be a crucial part of establishing and sticking with routines for your senior.

Remember that independence does not have to mean that your senior always does everything completely by herself. No one is completely independent, and that is true for your elderly family member, too. Having the help that she needs, when she needs it, is one of the biggest ways to help her to keep her independence for as long as possible.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/palliative-care/news/20220413/americans-over-50-want-to-age-in-place-at-home-but-many-arent-prepared-poll

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

Five Solutions to Help Your Senior Kick Stress

Posted on by Craig Bass
24-Hour Home Care in Las Vegas NV
24-Hour Home Care in Las Vegas NV

Nobody likes feeling stressed and the last thing you want for your elderly family member is for her to be experiencing stress on a regular basis. Stress causes problems with appetite, sleep habits, and can aggravate health issues, too. Figuring out a solution is important so that your senior can go back to living her best life. Here are a few ways to reduce stress and how 24-hour home care can help:

Address Underlying Causes of Stress

There are a lot of possibilities for what might be contributing to your senior’s stress levels. Look for hints that can help you to dig deeper. Is your senior experiencing health issues? Whatever she might be worried about, there is likely an answer that is simpler than you expect. If you’re comfortable doing so, talk to your senior about her stressors. Some aging adults aren’t comfortable talking about how they’re feeling, so it might take more than one conversation to dig deeper.

Look for Ways to Help Her Feel More Comfortable at Home

Stress about her living situation, or fear that she might have to leave her home, could be another factor to consider. Some of the things to consider could be whether household tasks are becoming more of a challenge for her. If that’s the case, elder care professionals can be the right answer. They can handle those daily tasks so that your senior doesn’t have to worry about them.

Find Ways for Her to Cope that Are Healthier

Coping mechanisms are something that everyone relies on from time to time. If your elderly family member is leaning on coping mechanisms that aren’t truly supporting her needs, that can be leaving her feeling more stress than she should have to experience. Healthier coping mechanisms can include options like meditating, taking a walk, or engaging in activities that fire her brain.

Consider 24-hour Home Care Providers

If your elderly family member is having more than a little bit of trouble with daily tasks, it might make a lot of sense to hire 24-hour home care providers. They can be there around the clock, helping her to feel more secure overnight. This is especially helpful if you’ve also been burning the candle at both ends because you’ve been worried about your senior.

Make it Easier to Stay in Touch

So many aging adults find it stressful to be out of touch with the people they care about. If you can find ways to make it a lot easier for your elderly family member to stay in contact with the people that she loves, her stress levels may go down. Video calls, even group video calls, can be a lot easier for your senior than she expects once she is set up properly to have them according to a regular routine.

Ultimately, there can be a host of things causing your senior to feel more stressed than she’s comfortable with on a regular basis. You may not be able to address every single stressor for her, but you can do a lot to address as many of them as possible.

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.

How to Improve Heart Health as a Senior

Posted on by Craig Bass
In-Home Care in Summerlin NV
In-Home Care in Summerlin NV

As your body ages, the chance of developing cardiovascular disease goes up. This means a senior really needs to focus on overall heart health, and having in-home care keeps them on the right path with healthy habits. When seniors start giving up on things like diet and exercise because they can no longer do what they used to, it’s time to think about hiring help like in-home care professionals. They may be able to help your senior focus on boosting heart health and manage pre-existing conditions through a healthy lifestyle. Here are some ways your senior can boost heart health quickly and efficiently.

Understand Heart Healthy Activities

Exercising regularly is still recommended as a means of maintaining and improving cardiovascular health. However, even with in-home care help, a senior should always consult a doctor before trying a new health routine. If they’re not used to being super active, it can have a negative impact if they push their bodies too hard. Always ask a professional what exercises a senior should do before doing it. Once a professional doctor is consulted, an in-home care specialist can help a senior stick to a specific routine for optimal heart health. Exercise doesn’t mean running marathons or lifting healthy weights, but it can be something simple like a brisk walk every day or stretching with yoga each morning. Find something your senior loves to do with a doctor’s approval and add it to their daily routine.

Quit Bad Habits Like Smoking

You’ve heard it before, smoking is bad for you. Not only is it terrible for your lungs, but it also impacts how strong your heart is too. This is something that can be easier to talk about than actually do. Ask a doctor for help and try finding other habits to replace smoking with. A senior may want to smoke when they feel hungry, stressed, sad, or another emotion they can’t quite place. If that’s the case, they may need to talk about what has them in a bad mood. Be an opening ear and help them de-stress without turning to a smoking session.

Encourage Them to be a Healthy Weight

Fad diets don’t work, and they’re not always the healthiest for a senior. If your senior is focused on weight loss or weight gain, help them focus on eating a well-rounded diet. Focus on eating green vegetables, lean proteins, and some fruits throughout the day. The less processed a diet is, the better it is for a senior’s entire body. Eating right won’t just help a seniors heart; it will help their brain and full body too.

Understand the Numbers

When you start looking into health, you will notice there are a lot of numbers and counts. A senior should get their vitamin levels checked, blood pressure, and even cholesterol checked. Some of the time, in-home care can help monitor specific numbers, but a senior should also get blood work done to watch these numbers too. If something is too low or too high, it can impact heart health, and it’s your job to help a senior understand these numbers and what they can do to fix them.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/heart-over-50/heart-health-aging

If you are considering in-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.

Employee of the Month – December 2022

Posted on by Craig Bass

Golden Heart Senior Care is proud to announce that Melinda L. is our employee of the month for December 2022. Melinda is from Kansas, she has two children and 3 grandchildren. Melinda retired to take care of her mother when she became ill and decided to continue as a caregiver because it’s heart filling and a joy to help seniors.

Golden Heart is so excited to have employees like Melinda on our staff. Please join us in congratulating Melinda!

Holiday Shopping Safety Tips For Seniors

Posted on by Craig Bass

Holiday shopping is here. It can be a lot of fun for seniors to get out and shop. Some seniors really enjoy holiday shopping and seeing all the special holiday displays and lights. But, seniors should be especially careful when they are holiday shopping. Seniors are often targets for thieves. And they have a higher risk of falling when the stores are crowded and bustling. Seniors and their loved ones can use these tips to keep seniors safe while they are out doing their holiday shopping:

Get Support from Senior Home Care

Senior home care is a good idea for seniors for a lot of reasons, but during the holidays it can a great resource for seniors. With senior home care seniors don’t have to run their holiday errands alone. They will have help from a senior care provider who can do things like help them arrange for rides, go shopping with them to help them manage their money and carry their bags, and make sure that seniors don’t get jostled or knocked over in crowded stores. Many seniors are much more confident when they have senior home care.

Take Frequent Breaks

It can be emotionally and physically tiring for seniors to be shopping during the holidays. Seniors should take frequent shopping breaks to get some water and a snack and sit down and rest before doing more shopping. Pacing themselves will help seniors lower their risk of becoming tired or disoriented and falling while they are shopping. It’s a good idea for seniors to have someone with them while they shop who can encourage them to take breaks and get them water or a snack.

Go Early In The Morning

Seniors are usually at their best mentally and physically in the morning, and the shops will be less crowded in the morning too. That’s why seniors should plan to start their holiday shopping early, when the mall opens, so that they can shop when the mall is the least busy. Parking will easier for seniors that drive or who are having someone drive them to the mall. And there will be a much lower risk of seniors getting bumped or knocked over by crowds of shoppers early in the day.

Minimize Stops

Shopping at stores that offer gifts for different ages and interests is a great way to save time and steps. Malls and department stores are great places to find gifts for all ages and keep your senior parent from walking too much. Senior home care can help your senior navigate through a large department store and check off their list as they go.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/fall-prevention-strategies

If you are considering senior 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.

Sienna Lunch and Learn

Posted on by Craig Bass

Bob Swadkins, Owner of Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin, presented to the residents of Sienna on November 30, 2022. He discussed the benefits of home care for seniors and of Golden Brook Residential Care Home which cares for residents who have Alzheimer’s and/or dementia. Fun was had by all!

4 Ways To Cheer Seniors Up This Holiday Season

Posted on by Craig Bass
Elder Care in Las Vegas NV
Elder Care in Las Vegas NV

During the holidays, seniors may feel sadder than usual, especially when their family members live far away. If your senior is going to be alone this holiday season, consider these ideas to help boost their mood and holiday spirit.

Video Chat

Video chats may not be quite the same as a visit but they are a lovely way to spend time with a senior loved one. Your senior parent will really enjoy getting to see you and your family for the holidays even if it’s through a screen. You will be able to see how your senior parent is doing and make sure that they look healthy. You should be able to video chat with your senor parent on any smart phone so as long as they have a smart phone or a tablet video chat are possible. You can also video chat through services like Facebook.

Send Treats

Another way to cheer up a senior parent during the holidays is to send treats. Many seniors won’t treat themselves to things like fresh fruit, decadent chocolates, or delicious sausages, crackers, and breads. But you can send gift baskets full of fabulously extravagant treats that your senior loved one can enjoy. There are even options to send delicious foods that meet dietary restrictions if your senior loved one has a special dietary need like they don’t eat sugar because they have diabetes. Fresh fruit is always a popular gift for seniors because it’s healthy and delicious.

Give The Gift Of Elder Care

Elder care is another way that you can surprise your senior loved one this holiday season. Elder care is the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. When seniors have elder care they have a companion that visits regularly as well as someone to help with things like cleaning, laundry, and cooking meals. When seniors have elder care they are getting the help they need to thrive at home where they can live happily in the home they love. What better gift is there than that?

Make A Surprise Visit

Of course, what your senior parent really wants is to see you. But that’s not always possible during the holidays. Weather, other obligations, and responsibilities like work can make it impossible to travel during the holidays. But you can surprise your loved one with a visit at another time. You don’t have to only visit during the holidays. Start planning a surprise trip to your senior parent’s home now so that you can get the best deals on travel. And then just show up for a birthday, a special day, or for no reason at all. Your senior parent will be overjoyed to see you and get to spend some quality time with you.

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.

How Valuable Can Home Care Be for Your Senior?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Home Care in Las Vegas NV
Home Care in Las Vegas NV

Home care is an essential service designed to help older adults age at home without risking their safety. It includes services that ensure the things your mom needs to do every day aren’t overlooked. Have you ever thought about the value of home care?

Your Mom’s Home is Clean and Organized

As her mobility changes, your mom is doing some routine household chores less often. She used to sweep her dog’s crumbs and fur each day, but now she’s waiting a week or two. You often do it when you’re there just to make sure it gets done.

Caregivers can dust, vacuum, and disinfect surfaces. They can water her plants, take out the trash and recyclables, and organize the mail. Her caregivers can also change her dirty sheets, make the bed with new ones, and do the laundry. Once clothing and items are clean and dry. They’re folded and put away, too.

Meals Are Prepared for Her

A recent news article came out stating that frozen pizzas are one of the worst dinners for people. The sugar content in the pizza sauce, processed ingredients in the crust, fat in the cheese and meats, and nitrates in items like pepperoni and sausage make it a poor choice. Yet, older adults also find pizza is a very easy food to make on their own.

If your mom has a hard time cooking meals for one and relies on frozen dinners, pizzas, and canned soup, it’s time to address her eating habits. Find out what she’d like to eat and arrange to have a home care aide make these meals each week. Caregivers can also plan her menu, take your mom shopping, and put groceries away.

Your Mom Isn’t Alone

Your mom often complains about feeling isolated and lonely. With her friends all moved to different areas to be closer to family, your mom’s social circle is non-existent. She relies on you and your sister to keep her company, but you both have jobs and families of your own.

Instead of leaving your mom alone all week, have home care aides stopping by to keep her company. While there, her caregiver can clean her home, cook meals, do the laundry, or take her out.

Your Mom Has Help Running Errands

Grocery shopping, post office trips, and pharmacy visits are hard to do for some people, and with your mom’s changing vision, they’re impossible. She can’t read paperwork, nutritional labels, or other important documents without help. A home care aide can join her and read forms aloud when needed.

Now that you see how home care helps your mom maintain her independence while aging, make sure she has the help she needs. Caregivers can support her by offering rides to stores, cooking meals for her, or cleaning her home. Talk to a home care specialist to get prices and a list of services in your mom’s town.

If you are considering 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.

What Happens With Personal Care as Alzheimer’s Progresses?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Senior Home Care in Henderson NV
Senior Home Care in Henderson NV

There are three main stages of Alzheimer’s disease. But, there are several stages within the early, middle, and late stages. Some medical practices focus on five, but many others, including Penn Medicine, feel there are seven. Take a closer look at these seven stages of Alzheimer’s to learn how each one will affect your dad’s personal care routines. Knowing them in advance helps when it comes to arranging personal care at home services.

Early Stages

In the early stages, your dad’s need for help with personal care will not be present yet.

  • First Stage – Alzheimer’s is present, but it’s not noticeable yet. Changes are happening, but it’s going to take some time to realize that there’s something wrong. It will progress from here.
  • Second Stage – This is where basic forgetfulness comes into play. Your dad will start forgetting he’s told you something. He may lose his keys and not be able to retrace his steps.
  • Third Stage – Memory loss and forgetfulness are impossible to ignore at this point. Your dad calls you and tells you that you haven’t talked to him in months. It was just ten minutes ago that you hung up the phone. He’s forgetting to pay bills, he’s spending more than he has, and he may make appointments, but he doesn’t remember he’s made them.

Middle Stages

As you move into the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, your dad’s need for help with certain tasks is obvious. He’s going to need cues to make sure he’s using the toilet when he needs to.

  • Fourth Stage – Cognitive function is declining. Your dad forgets where he lives. He goes out for walks and can’t remember what his house looks like. He doesn’t know what month it is, and he may start to dress inappropriately for the weather. He tries to bathe as he always has, but he’s starting to use the wrong products, such as body wash for moisturizer or mouthwash for aftershave.
  • Fifth Stage – Emotional and mental changes start to take place. Your dad may start worrying that people are stealing from him. He may accuse you. He’s hiding items from others. He withdraws and doesn’t want to leave his bed or home.

Late Stages

In the final two stages, your dad is dependent on others for most of his daily routines.

  • Sixth Stage – He cannot bathe alone. He forgets to use the toilet and has many accidents. He’s not feeding himself anymore, and his fine motor skills are diminishing, so he has to have others trim his nails or brush his teeth. He stops talking more than babbling or randomly blurted words.
  • Seventh Stage – The seventh and final stage often finds your dad confined to bed or a wheelchair. He needs sponge baths and spoon-feeding if he’ll eat at all.

Personal care at home is one of the best ways to ensure your dad’s grooming and hygiene routines are kept up. Caregivers can help him properly clean himself in the shower. They can help him shave and brush and floss his teeth. Talk to an expert in personal care at home about your dad’s Alzheimer’s progression to determine what help he needs.

Sources:
https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/neuroscience-blog/2019/november/stages-of-alzheimers

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