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Tag: Elder Care in Summerlin NV

Why Do Seniors Have Painful Feet?

Posted on by ltcep2023

Weakening bones are unfortunately a pretty normal part of aging and it can cause pain in multiple ways, including a person’s feet. Here are a few reasons your senior mom or dad may have foot pain and what they can do to stop it.

They May Suffer From Arthritis

A common problem that so many of your elderly loved ones may battle is having arthritis. This will not only impact their entire body, but it can impact their feet too. It may make it painful to walk and move around, and it may cause inflammation in their feet. Of course, elder care can help your loved one age in place and can help do a lot of the chores for your elderly loved one, but the truth is the worst thing a senior can do is stop moving. When a senior stops walking around, the inflammation will become worse. But it can be so hard to walk through the pain. Your elderly mom or dad may need to see a doctor to get prescribed medication to manage their arthritis. Remember that some days may be more challenging than others, and certain things may cause a flare-up, making it harder to move around.

Seniors May Have The Wrong Shoes

If your loved one has had the same shoes for several years, they could be breaking down, or they could be too used, causing foot pain. If they are new shoes, they may not have the right arch support, or they may not be the right size. Finding the right pair of shoes is crucial to managing foot pain, which your mom or dad may need help with. If you are too busy to go shoe shopping with them, this is something that elder care may help your loved one do. Your loved one may need rides to the stores or help with online shopping, which the right caregiver can help with.

Their Toenails May Have Problems

Often, as a senior gets older their feet become more neglected. It can be hard to trim toenails, hard to moisturize their feet, and maybe even hard to wash their feet while in the bathtub. They often do not wish to ask for help because this is sensitive, and they don’t want to rely on their adult children. Unfortunately, it can lead to health problems and foot pain when it becomes neglected. Elder care can help a senior take care of their feet by trimming toenails, using fungal cream, and ensuring their feet stay healthy. Relying on elder care for these tasks may be more comfortable for your loved one. If foot problems become too bad, a senior may need to see a podiatrist, who is a professional foot doctor, for more help.

They May Have Too Much Moisture

When your loved one is always in shoes and their feet are sweating, the moisture becomes trapped, and this can cause problems. It is important to let your feet breathe daily to stay healthy. This may not be something a senior always thinks about, but it is something that elder care can help remind them of.

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.

Helping a Senior Deal with Loneliness

Posted on by Craig Bass
Elder Care in Summerlin NV
Elder Care in Summerlin NV

Loneliness can negatively impact seniors’ physical and mental health. However, you don’t have to wait for loneliness and isolation to consume your loved elderly. You can give your older parents the better mindset that they deserve along with the life they deserve as they age. Elder care can help seniors deal with loneliness and give them peace of mind. Here are some of the things you can do to prevent elder loneliness:

Listen to them

Most of the time, seniors don’t demand so much. They need someone who can listen to them and express their feelings. Yes! You may provide them with everything, including food, clothing, and shelter, but you don’t spend quality time with them. Give your elderly some companion care at home.Actively involve your seniors in conversations and storytelling. Ensure you learn and understand what your elderly love. If they love singing, it’s good to encourage them to participate in the church choir or community band.

Let your seniors do something new

Encourage your elderly to learn and do something new. This will keep their brains active, helping them to remain young. Let them meet new people and interact. For instance, please encourage them to form a knitting circle, participate in the book club, or go to the nearby community center for weekly events.

Besides, encourage your seniors to walk around the park or the city. If they are not too old, you can go with them for shopping or ask them to assist you with small basic chores. Also, allow them to visit another city or have a vacation outside the country.

Give the seniors a healthy diet

A healthy diet can prevent loneliness. Eating well promotes physical health, controls feelings and emotions, and positively impacts one’s entire well-being. Also, a nutritious diet can lower your risk of developing chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. In addition, ensure your seniors are properly hydrated since dehydration can lead to discomfort.

How In-home Care Combats Loneliness in Seniors

Senior home care can help seniors fight loneliness. The caregivers provide reputable home care assistance to all elders regardless of their age. Home care providers will give companionship to the seniors. The elderly might feel lonely, especially if they don’t move so much or live alone. By offering social interactions and companion care at home, elder care helps seniors improve their mental well-being.

In-home care also offers transportation services to the elderly. Many seniors feel isolated if they cannot reach the bus station and remain home stranded. Hiring an elder care agency ensures seniors attend social group meetings, interact with fellow elderly, visit the parks, and many more.

Besides, home care can ensure seniors involve themselves in activities to improve their physical and mental health. Caregivers also offer other services like cooking, laundry, light housekeeping, brain games, medical reminders, errands, companion care at home, and personal care. All these services ensure that your seniors are happy and live healthy lives. Elder care can greatly impact your senior’s life for the better.

Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/loneliness-and-social-isolation-tips-staying-connected
https://www.who.int/activities/reducing-social-isolation-and-loneliness-among-older-people
https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.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.

Hearty, Heart-Smart Recipes That Take Little Time to Prepare

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

Heart disease is one of the most common chronic health conditions affecting older adults. Your dad’s cardiologist wants him to make changes to his diet. You don’t have a lot of free time where you can help him out, but you want to do what you can. Here are some quick, hearty meals that don’t take a lot of time to cook. Your dad has heart-healthy meal options, and you’re not spending hours in the kitchen. Elder care providers can also help your senior parent prepare these meals when you can’t be there, and save the leftovers for him to reheat for lunch.

Try these healthy meal ideas:

Chicken Curry

Chop two chicken breasts and put them in a slow cooker. Add a chopped onion, bag of frozen peas, chopped carrots, and half-cup of homemade chicken stock. Stir in a tablespoon of curry powder. Let that cook on low for several hours. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in a cup of low-fat Greek yogurt. Serve over brown rice.

Turkey-Cabbage Soup

Ground turkey is a healthier option than ground beef or ground pork. Aim for 95% lean or higher. Brown it in a pot and add sliced cabbage, diced onion, chopped celery, and chopped carrot.

Drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans and add those to the pot. You also want to add a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and six cups of salt-free vegetable broth. Simmer for an hour. About 15 minutes before the hour is up, add a cup of whole-grain orzo.

Seafood Stew

Chop an onion, three carrots, and three stalks of celery and put everything in a pot. Add a can of whole tomatoes, two cans of chickpeas that have been rinsed, and two chopped potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to low for half an hour.

Chop two pounds of cod, pollock, or salmon and add that to the pot. Cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chopped basil leaves, the juice from half a lemon, and black pepper to taste.

Vegetarian Chili

This is a great meal for a slow cooker. The night before, soak a bag of dried pinto beans. In the morning, drain and rinse them and add them to the slow cooker pot. Add two 28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes and rinse each one out with a cup of water that you add to the pot, a diced poblano pepper, and a sprinkling of chipotle powder.

Add a chopped onion, a couple of teaspoons of cumin, a teaspoon of smoked paprika, three stalks of celery that you’ve sliced, and two chopped bell peppers. Cook those on low for eight hours.

Avoid adding extra salt and any sugar. If your dad wants it spicier, you can add cayenne powder. If it’s too thin and watery, thicken it using cornmeal.

How Elder Care Can Help with Healthier Meals

Make sure your dad is following his doctor’s dietary recommendations. His heart health has to be a priority, and elder care providers can cook meals for him. Instead of relying on frozen meals and takeout dinners when you’re not around, hire elder care aides for meal preparation. Elder care can also ensure that your senior is taking their medications with meals when necessary, and take care of dishes and clean-up afterwards. Consider the many benefits of elder care providers for your senior parent.

Source
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-meal-planning-tips-older-adults

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.

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

Posted on by Craig Bass
Elder Care in Summerlin NV
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.

Planning a Labor Day Gathering? Keep It Safe by Using These Guidelines

Posted on by Craig Bass
Elder Care in Summerlin NV
Elder Care in Summerlin NV

As kids get back to school, your parents know they’ll be spending more time by themselves. School activities kick into high gear, and you need to help them with homework, too. Labor Day seems like the perfect day for everyone to visit their parents and spend the day together.

If you’re planning a Labor Day gathering, you have to focus on safety. A lot can go wrong during a fun afternoon, but it doesn’t have to with a bit of planning.

Keep Food Safety in Mind

When you’re having a gathering, food safety needs to be a priority. Older adults may not have as strong an immune system, especially if there are chronic health issues. Food poisoning may not be too severe for younger adults, but it can be dangerous for your parents.

Cold foods like deli meats and potato salad must be kept refrigerated. For an outdoor gathering, a cooler filled with ice is essential. Once people have gotten their food, the items go back onto the ice.

Grilled meats need to be kept hot. Once cooked, they shouldn’t be left out for long. The FDA recommends getting all warm or cold foods put away within two hours of cooking or serving the items. If the temperature in the sun is higher than 90 F, put everything away within one hour.

Use removable covers or foil to ensure items are protected from flying insects. You don’t want to eat foods that flies have crawled over.

Wear Sunscreen

Make sure everyone wears sunscreen. Even if you’re in the shade, some UV rays reach you. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher every couple of hours. If your gathering is near a pool or body of water, people need to reapply sunscreen when they get out of the water.

Keep Plenty of Water Available

If it’s hot, you want to make sure your parents stay hydrated. Ideally, they should drink a small glass of water each hour. If they’re active or sweating more than usual, they need to increase their water intake.

You don’t want the fun afternoon to end abruptly with your mom or dad becoming dehydrated. Make sure someone is watching their water intake throughout the day.

Can Elder Care Help Your Parents Age Safely?

What do you do when everyone goes home after the family Labor Day gathering? Your parents have all the companionship they crave that day. As kids get back into a full school schedule and you get back to work, you know your parents are alone all day.

Your parents want to remain independent, but you also saw many signs that they’re having a harder time. During your family gathering, you noticed your mom had difficulty walking up and down her deck stairs. Your dad’s taking more medications than before. It’s time to address their need for help.

With elder care services that meet their needs, your parents don’t have to be alone. They have the help they need with daily tasks and medication management. You have peace of mind that they have a trained professional making sure they’re okay each day. Learn more about the cost of elder care in your parent’s town.

Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/media/84739/download

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.

Is Your Senior’s Bedroom Causing Her Sleep Trouble?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Elder Care in Summerlin NV

Environment matters so much in lots of the different issues your senior could be having. When it comes to sleep and problems with sleep, you really do need to consider her bedroom and some of the items in her bedroom as contributing factors. Here are just a few ideas to help you to narrow down possible culprits.

Check How Dark the Room Is

Having a dark bedroom is really helpful, because light can cause the brain to mistakenly send out “wake up” signals that aren’t what she needs. The downside to this, though, is that your senior might have trouble navigating if she needs to get up in the middle of the night and the room is too dark. Motion-sensing nightlights can help without completely waking your senior up. Elder care providers can also assist your senior getting into and out of bed at night safely.

Consider Making the Room Cooler at Night

Besides light, having the room even a touch too warm can also cause issues. You can either turn down the furnace a degree or two at night or consider using a fan in her bedroom. Some people find this to not be as comfortable as they want, either, so you might have to try a variety of different things to find the right combination for your senior. An elder care provider can help your senior regulate their temperature overnight.

Dim Screens on Clocks and Other Electronics

Alarm clocks, particularly digital ones, and other electronics your senior has in her room may be bright lights when it comes time for her to go to sleep. Many of these devices have a way for you to make the screens much dimmer, so it’s a good idea to try that. Some electronic devices may even have an option to remove the lights entirely, so check owner’s manuals for that information in order to turn the displays off when they’re not in use.

Double Check the Mattress

Something else to consider is that an uncomfortable mattress might not be obvious to your senior right away, but it can have an impact on how well she sleeps. Double check how old your senior’s mattress is. If it’s older than about 8 years old, it probably is due for replacement. She might experience faster results with a new mattress than with any other solution.
If your elderly family member has a lot of issues with insomnia, it might help for her to have someone there with her overnight, just in case. Elder care providers can offer companionship and they can help with anything your senior needs as well.

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