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Tag: Family Caregivers

How Does Home Care Help Families Stay Involved?

Posted on by ltcep2023

No one can do everything, and that includes even the most involved family caregivers. When family caregivers want to make sure that the seniors they love are getting all the help they need, home care services are often the best choice. Home care providers offer hands-on help that ensures seniors are getting their needs met and that family members are able to keep juggling all of their responsibilities.

What Is Home Care?

Home care services offer seniors essential support that helps them to stay independent and safe while they age in place, or stay in their homes for as long as they can. The types of help that elder care providers offer can include help with activities of daily living like showering, brushing their teeth, and changing clothes. Professional caregiver assistance is also helpful with preparing meals, mobility, and light housekeeping tasks, among other necessary tasks. Caregivers can also help with transportation, mobility, and companionship.

Involving Family Members in Care Plans

While elderly care providers have experience helping seniors with their daily needs, family members offer a different type of support. Family members and family caregivers know their seniors est. They understand a lot more about what seniors want to do with this stage of their lives and they want to do all they can to make those goals possible.

Effective Communication Is Key

Communicating effectively keeps everyone involved aware of what is going on, what challenges are cropping up, and how the senior’s needs are changing. Keeping family members involved in the care of the senior they love means ensuring that everyone is working toward the same goals. This leads to the best outcomes for the person receiving care.

Personalized Care Plans Work Better

Needs change and they’re unique from one senior to another. Home care providers are able to help families figure out what their aging adults need most and how to help them get those needs met. Keeping care plans flexible allows families to adjust as their senior’s needs, health, and even preferences change. Keeping up with those changes is a lot easier with experienced help from caregiving professionals.

Flexibility Helps Families Adjust

It can be tough for family caregivers to come to terms with how much life is changing for the seniors they love. So many family caregivers once relied on the seniors in their lives for their own care and well-being, and experiencing the changes in those roles can be tough to adapt to. Help from home care services and using flexible care plans gives family caregivers the time and space they need to come to terms with their new normal.

Seniors are always better off when they have family members involved in their care as much as possible. Home care services make it easier for family caregivers and seniors to find the support and resources they need to make the most of this experience. Overall, seniors benefit because they have support from dedicated home care providers and from the family members who love them.

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.

National Relaxation Day: Take a Break with Help from Alzheimer’s Care

Posted on by Craig Bass

Your dad has Alzheimer’s and it’s progressing into the more challenging stages where he isn’t sleeping, he becomes angry at small things, and he never sits still. It’s getting hard to complete everything you need to do. You’re stressed and anxious and don’t see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

August 15th is National Relaxation Day and time to focus on yourself. Take a break, and plan a day where all you do is relax. Here are some of the things you can do to de-stress and unwind.

Catch Up on Sleep

When was the last time you slept all night without having to get up to tend to your dad? He barely sleeps, so it’s been months or even years since you haven’t had to get up in the middle of the night.

On National Relaxation Day, sleep in. Catch up on the sleep you’ve been missing. As long as you have some water nearby to keep you hydrated, there’s no reason to get up at a specific time. Sleep in.

Read a Book

Find a quiet spot, fill up an insulated bottle with your favorite drink, set up a plate of cheese, crackers, and fresh fruit, and read. Don’t let worries distract you from the escape you get in a book. If the book you chose isn’t grabbing your attention, try another. With sites like BookBub, there are hundreds of free books you can download to your e-reader, laptop, tablet, or phone.

Head to the Beach

Find the nearest beach and pack a picnic lunch. Sit and listen to the waves lap the shore, watch your children play in the water, and go on walks to look for things like fish, turtles, crustaceans, shells, etc. Make sure it’s a day where you ignore your phone and focus only on enjoying time together and being outside in the sun.

If the beach isn’t appealing, choose a state park, a waterfall, or even your backyard pool. Just make sure you’re relaxing and not reading emails or checking messages constantly.

Go on a Trip for a Weekend

Pack your bags, book a hotel or cottage, and get away for a weekend. You don’t have to go far, but make sure you have a change of scenery. Spend that weekend, exploring historic sites, hiking in the mountains, touring museums, or trying the area’s different restaurants and food trucks.

Is It Time to Bring in Help?

Use National Relaxation Day to focus on taking care of yourself for a change. It’s easy to devote your full attention to your dad’s care needs, but you cannot lose yourself in the process. Take at least one day to relax, de-stress, and enjoy having time for yourself.

As you do, consider the benefit of Alzheimer’s care. Your dad’s care needs keep increasing, and it’s getting to be a lot to do each day. With Alzheimer’s care aides helping with the time-consuming, difficult care tasks, you’ll be less stressed, calmer, and more clear-minded. That ensures the care you give your dad is the best care possible.

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

What You Need to Know Before Becoming a Cancer Caregiver

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

A caregiver is a person who helps an older adult diagnosed with cancer, whether it’s a friend or a family member. Usually, the primary caregiver is a spouse, parent, partner, or adult child. Close friends, neighbors, or colleagues may fill this role if the family is not around. When a senior has cancer, support is critical to the emotional and physical well-being of the patient. With cancer treatments given in outpatient centers, hiring a professional in-home care service is a good idea.

Certified caregivers have many roles that change depending on the senior’s needs during cancer treatment. In addition, in-home care experts also serve as companions and aides. They help dress, feed, and bathe older adults. This gives you time to focus on other critical aspects of treatment, like arranging schedules, providing transportation, and managing insurance issues.
If you lead a busy lifestyle, a professional in-home care provider can step in as a housekeeper, companion and mobility assistant while ensuring your loved one gets quality care. Even though caring for a cancer patient is a moral obligation, there’s a time you may need help. A trained caregiver can handle the heavy lifting, allowing you to take some time for yourself.

Know What You Can Do

As mentioned, caring for an older loved one with cancer is admirable. However, there’s a time when it can take a toll on you, regardless of your intentions. The reality is that caring for a sick senior for a long period by yourself is not realistic. Consider working with a professional to leverage the expertise and experience of dealing with a cancer patient.

Introducing in-home care to help care for your older loved one gives you peace of mind knowing your senior is getting the best help at home. Cancer is a progressive disease, and without the knowledge to detect new or pre-existing symptoms can be fatal. Alleviate the guesswork and rigorous schedule a consultation with a reputable in-home care service. You can also rely on home caregivers to access specialized equipment needed for treatment.

In-Home Care Services

Cancer no longer requires inpatient treatment since patients can receive proper care within the comfort of their homes. Hence, finding the right health and personal service goes a long way in ensuring proper recovery and mitigating advanced diseases. Trained professionals can help follow the doctor’s instructions and prescriptions to enhance recovery and improve the overall quality of life. Different diagnoses determine the type of care, which can be difficult for an untrained person to provide.
In-home care providers can help get specialized experts and compassionate care at home instead of hospitals or other facilities. This is also a cost-effective solution since all the care will be provided at home without regularly scheduled appointments.

Before you take the responsibility of caring for an older adult with cancer, consult a professional to ensure the level of quality meets the standards to improve your senior’s well-being.

URLs:
https://www.cancer.net/coping-with-cancer/caring-loved-one/tips-being-successful-caregiver
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/caregiver-support

If you are considering in-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.

How Do You Care For Your Parent Without Taking Over?

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

You’re the main family caregiver in your household, and your dad’s mobility is changing. He needs help, and you’re in a good position to help out. How do you help your dad out without taking over? Here are a few ways to support your dad without becoming the parent, and how senior home care can help.

Talk to Him and Establish a Care Plan

Be upfront with your dad and talk about his need for care with his desire to also remain independent in his home. Make sure he knows that you want to ensure this is possible.

By involving your dad in his care plan, he’ll feel that he’s making the decision. That ensures he feels at ease when you do have to help him. That’s the ultimate goal. You want him to be comfortable with asking for help.

Ask His Doctor For Guidance

What are your dad’s health concerns? His health has to take priority, so you need to make sure you know what his doctor says he needs to do each day. Does he have medications to take? Does he take them on time and the right way?

Ask your dad’s doctor about the things he’s supposed to do each day, whether it’s exercise, diet, or pills. Take notes and verify with your dad that he is prioritizing his health. If he needs help remembering to take his pills, shop for low-sodium foods, or walk every day, make sure you help him.

Let Your Dad Try First

Let your dad try first and then step in and help out if he can’t do something. Let him ask when he needs assistance. For example, he needs to change his sheets. If he wants to do it, let him try and help out only when he asks.

Or, he wants to make soup for dinner but he has a hard time chopping vegetables due to arthritis in the joints. You could prep the ingredients for him and let him do the rest.

Accept Criticism Without Getting Defensive

When your dad criticizes how you did something, don’t get defensive. What he says may upset you, but don’t get defensive. If you do, the situation may only escalate into a big argument. If possible, consider what he said and see what is feasible to change to make him happier.

Bring In Senior Home Care to Offer the Care He Needs

Are you finding your dad is argumentative and uncooperative when you’re trying to help out? This is more common than you might think. He may not be comfortable having his child help out. Hire senior home care aides to assist him.

Senior home care aides are there to ensure your dad maintains his independence, so he’ll feel that he’s in control. That makes him happier and eases your stress. Talk to a senior home care specialist to learn more.

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.

4 Things Family Caregivers Want Family Members To Know

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

March 3rd is a day to celebrate all that family caregivers give to their senior loved ones and to the family members who can’t be close enough to help care for senior parents. But family members that take care of senior family members don’t do it for the praise, or the gifts. They do it because they genuinely love their senior family members and want to help them be happy and healthy at home. This year you should shower your family caregiver with gifts and love but also keep in mind these things that family caregivers want seniors and other family members to know:

They Consider It A Gift To Spend Time With Senior Loved Ones

Almost all family caregivers say without hesitation that even though caregiving can be difficult they are grateful for the chance to spend as much time as possible with a senior parent or senior loved ones. Very few, if any, family caregivers regret putting their lives on hold when necessary to prioritize the care of senior loved one. They don’t see it as a burden or a chore. It’s a labor of love for to help the seniors they love be safe and happy in their own homes.

It Does Get Frustrating

However, just because family caregivers love spending time with senior family members doesn’t mean it can’t be challenging at times. Helping seniors who have serious medical problems, or who need lots of medications that need to managed, or who have other special challenges can make caregiving very frustrating. Sometimes caregivers need the chance to talk, to vent, or to cry when they are frustrated. If your family caregiver trusts you enough to open to you then you should be their sounding board. Listen to them without judgement and without criticism. If you’re too far away to help with the daily care of your senior loved one the leas you can do is listen.

Sometimes They Are Overwhelmed

Many caregivers never want to admit when they are overwhelmed because they are afraid it will make them seem weak or not committed to caring for your senior parents. But the truth is that caring for seniors can be overwhelming, especially if your senior loved one has a medical condition like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. If you see signs that your family caregiver is overwhelmed. try to help them out by encouraging them to talk about how they are feeling. If they don’t want to talk to you about it suggest they join a caregivers support group or get help form a trained mental health professional.

In-Home Care Is A Huge Help

In-home care providers can lighten the load for family caregivers. Getting in-home care for a senior loved one will give your family caregiver a break. It also gives them someone else to help manage your senior loved one’s care and help them with personal care, transportation, shopping, and other things that your senior loved one may need help. In-home care can be truly invaluable to a family caregiver and senior in need.

If you are considering in-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.

Thank the Family Caregiver in Your Parent’s Life

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

The Tuesday following Thanksgiving is named National Day of Giving. It’s a global movement designed to get people to give to others. Whether you’re marking the day by volunteering for a local non-profit or shop exclusively at local farms and locally-owned shops, it’s time to give back.

One way to celebrate National Day of Giving is by thanking the family caregiver taking care of your senior parent. If your brother or sister, aunt or cousin is caring for your senior parent, here are some of the best ways to support them.

Ask What They Need

Reach out to the family caregiver and ask what’s needed. Stop by for a day and help out. If your sister is there every day and is sick of cooking meals, offer to cook for her. Make a meal for your parents and your sister to eat together. Wash the dishes after.

You might find your brother would love to have someone else help out with the yard work for a change. Help out and rake while he watches a movie with your parents. Do the shopping for him.

Treat Them to a Meal at a Favorite Restaurant

Pick a night to take the family caregiver out to dinner. Pick the caregiver’s favorite restaurant and go out for a meal together. If that’s not possible, order takeout and bring it to the house.

Make sure you tell your family member that you’re doing this. That way, a meal isn’t prepared and ready to serve when you show up.

Buy a Gift You Know They Love

Your sister is an avid reader. Purchase an e-reader and gift card she can use to fill it with books. Your brother has been talking about a movie that’s coming out next weekend. Buy tickets and take him to see it.

Pay attention to the things you hear your siblings talk about. For National Day of Giving, treat your family member to whatever you know they want but haven’t taken time to purchase.

Arrange Services to Ensure They Get a Break

If you have a family caregiver who is with your parents every day, make sure they have the chance to take a break. They need a few days off each week. Respite care is one way to ensure a family member has days off.

Respite care is an essential service where an in-home care aide stops by. The aide stays to help out while the family caregiver takes a break. Make arrangements for respite care by calling an expert in in-home care.

If you are considering in-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.

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.