Caring for Elderly Parents

Caring for Elderly Parents? Learn How to Overcome Sibling Spats & Provide Better Care

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Although we would rather turn a blind eye to it, family friction is generally prevalent in some form for most of us, and within a time of crisis, is frequently exacerbated. Whenever stress levels are heightened, it’s natural to search for a target to serve as an outlet for all of those emotions; and sadly, that target is often people we’ve shared the most with over a lifetime: our brothers or sisters.

When family dynamics are preventing your from caring for elderly parents to the best of your ability, these tips can help:

  • Talk to Each Other. Even though it sounds rudimentary, it really is worth emphasizing that good communication is key to understanding different positions and getting on the same page. Documenting key points, such as financial choices, your parents’ plans, and who has decided to give assistance with each aspect of care is always a good strategy.
  • Accommodate. Share with one another what types of tasks you may be available to assist with; however, recognize that compromises may need to be made in an effort to ensure that all bases are covered. Recognize that sacrifices will likely be necessary from all individuals involved in care, and come together to identify a solution that’s as fair as possible to each person.
  • Delegate. Recognize that there is additional help available that can assist families in keeping their senior loved ones safe and thriving. Partnering with a qualified professional home care agency, such as Endeavor Home Care, provides families much-needed time to manage their own personal lives while knowing their family members are getting the very best possible care.

Planning as much in advance as possible before a care need appears is essential for cutting down on family friction later. Pull together details on how your parents would want to handle certain situations as they grow older. Would they wish to age in place at home, or move to an assisted living facility? If they’d like to remain in the home, what basic safety and accessibility modifications should be made? How would they prefer daily tasks to be managed when the need for assistance develops, such as with taking showers, getting dressed, maintaining the home, etc.?

At Endeavor Home Care in Phoenix, AZ , we recognize that complicated family dynamics are often at their highest when being confronted with care needs for a senior family member. Contact us at (623) 428-2100 in Phoenix, (480) 535-6800 in Scottsdale, or (520) 314-2600 in Tucson to learn how we can help alleviate worry and supply the solutions to care that can restore peace to you and your family.

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What Your Dog Can Do That A Doctor Can’t

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It has been said that a “dog is a man’s best friend.” Dogs can help with many things, including lowering blood pressure,lowering anxiety,improving social skills,improving immunity,and reducing risk of depression. The dogs serves as a friend that can help to keep you on the straight and narrow.As people get older, they tend to get lonely.Depression is reduced because you always have a friend with you. Dogs also help those with Dementia and Alzheimer’s when they have problems remembering certain things. Dogs can be very beneficial and help to keep us away from the doctor as much.

Key Takeaways:

  • Pet therapy has been shown to be very effective for improving the health of patients with age-related cognitive disorders.
  • Pets have been especially useful in evenings, when patients tend to be confused and upset.
  • Pets not only improve all-round health, but they also boost social skills and reduce the need for doctor visits.

“October is Adopt a Shelter Dog month, and while it’s by far the kindest thing people can do for dogs, the health benefits we get in return are substantial!”

Read more: https://senior.com/blogs/seniornews-com/why-senior-citizens-should-own-a-pet

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Best Guide to Bathroom Safety for Seniors

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As we all will eventually reach an age where the bathroom can for many not only become an obstacle course but dangerous as well this article offers up some safety tips for our aging seniors and ourselves in later years. Creating a safe bathroom is a task not too difficult for many. Whether it be safety bars for holding to get up and down on the toilet or adding a shower chair in the tub to avoid slips and falls this article provides these tips and more of the same to stay safe in the bathroom for aging adults.

Key Takeaways:

  • Senior bathrooms should be equipped with toilets that feature elevated seats and nearby hand rails for maximum safety
  • Showers and tubs should be equipped with hand rails to ensure senior safety while getting into and out of the tub or shower
  • More than half of all falls suffered by elderly people occur within the home, and oftentimes in the bathroom, so safety measures are important

“Our tub or shower is our sanctuary, but without the proper safety equipment, this is another bathroom hot spot.”

Read more: https://senior.com/best-guide-bathroom-safety-seniors/

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Dealing with Anger as a Caregiver

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At times being a caregiver can be challenging. Anger is a strong emotion that can build over time and let loose unexpectedly. Being a caregiver means having to help others who can no longer do some every day things for themselves and their frustration in that may lead to frustration and anger in their caregivers. This article offers several tips on dealing with this anger so that it does not rear its ugly head. Perhaps some meditation, treating yourself or simply just taking a break may be all that is needed.

Key Takeaways:

  • Many caregivers feel angry that their parents had fun or put themselves in dangerous situations, leaving their ill health to adult children.
  • It helps to change your perspective and take a break, remember you’re a good person for doing this, and it helps to get away for a little bit.
  • Treat yourself, meditate and let it go, and if needed, seek help from a personal consultant.

“Some caregivers are angry and resentful because they believe their parents have caused the situation they are in at the moment.”

Read more: https://senior.com/dealing-with-anger-as-a-caregiver/

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Busting Senior-Care Myths: My Parents Aren’t Eligible for Medicaid

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One of the most important but confusing things necessary in our daily lives is that of health care. For those who are considered seniors, understanding the ins and outs that go into medicaid eligibility and the impact that this can have is crucial in being able to seek out the care that is necessary. Here are some of the most commonly perceived myths regarding medicaid, and how one can overcome these barriers to get the treatment they need.

Key Takeaways:

  • Because eigibility requirements for Medicaid differ according to each state’s regulations, it’s important to know what your state offers.
  • Depending on where seniors live, it is possible to qualify for Medicaid even with an income of around thirty thousand.
  • Even if one parent goes into a nursing establishment,funded under Medicaid, the other parent can usually continue owning and living in their jointly owned home legally.

“Many Americans mistakenly think they or their parents would have to have nothing in order to qualify.”

Read more: https://www.senioradvisor.com/blog/2019/04/busting-senior-care-myths-my-parents-arent-eligible-for-medicaid/

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We Can All Lend a Hand in the Search for an Alzheimer’s Cure

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The world of Alzheimer’s disease research is expanding, and now there’s an easy way all of us can bring about the discovery of an Alzheimer’s cure. With an online game, Stall Catchers, many people are dedicating time to going through slides of mouse brains to aid research workers in establishing the effectiveness of addressing cerebral blood flow issues to reverse loss of memory.

An element of the developing trend in “citizen science,” Stall Catchers blends today’s technology with the overall population’s desire to really make a difference in the world around them. Huge numbers of volunteers give their valuable time every day to causes that include diagnosing malaria, storm damage tracking, and even attempting to find signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.

And it’s already helping. Stall Catchers volunteers’ hard work made a direct impact on achieving the finding that impaired circulation is not related to the amyloid plaques connected with Alzheimer’s disease, processing slides at a speed that might take a single lab researcher an entire week in as little as an hour. With government funding for Alzheimer’s research capped out at $986 million during the past year (and at least $2 billion needed every year, according to the Alzheimer’s Association), volunteer researchers are indispensable.

The next phase in this particular study is to search for a treatment that can address these blood flow blockages without reducing patients’ immune systems – an effort that involves the monotonous examination of more than tens of thousands of images. And even though it’s going to take a lot of time, even with an enthusiastic audience of volunteers, people that have a loved one dealing with the disease find purpose in the ability to do something to work towards an Alzheimer’s cure, at any time the urge arises. According to Judy Johanson, whose father is dealing with the disease, “You don’t have to wait for the walk or the triathlon to do this. You can do this whenever you need to.”

If you’ve got a senior loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, you’re able to register to be part of the Stall Catchers community  in order to assist, and contact Endeavor Home Care’s San Diego dementia care team and our Arizona senior care experts for in-home assistance with specialized Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Our fully trained, experienced, and compassionate caregivers are available as much or as little as needed – whether only a few hours a week to supply family caregivers with a little time to themselves, or full-time, around-the-clock care to keep seniors safe and well. Call us at (480) 535-6800 to learn more.

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Can Alzheimer’s Caregiving Get Easier?

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While caregiving will always be one of the most demanding yet rewarding careers, some caregivers are speaking out about how it can get easier as the years pass. For instance, many say that after gathering information through observation your first year in, the years following become a bit easier to adapt to. As years go on, you learn about how you can use the skills you have obtained in caring for your current clients, as well as utilizing the information to care for others in the future.

Key Takeaways:

  • Care-giving is a very difficult task which the author characterizes as the most difficult occupation of her life. The work involved fills the entire day.
  • Alzheimer’s causes intense dementia and memory loss. The author learned to recognize confusion and sadness when her mother used the term “different.” As the disease progressed, discontent decreased.
  • The mental deterioration of dementia led to more difficulty in care-giving tasks but also lessened the amount of effort to soothe mental distress.

“The effort it takes to foster contentedness in my mother, who lives in the late middle stages of Alzheimer’s Disease – that seems easier to me.”

Read more: http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2012/12/alzheimers-care-can-alzheimers-caregiving-get-easier.html

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Targeting ‘simple proteins’ may extend metabolic healthspan

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FABP’s are fatty-acid binding proteins, which are found in abundance in heart and liver tissue. A new study suggests keeping FABP levels very low may extend teh metabolic healthspan.
In the study, conducted at the T. H. Chan School of Health at Harvard University, researchers altered levels of these proteins in mice.
The research team was led by Gokhan S. Hotamisligil, chair of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases. The findings were published in the journal “Cell Reports”.

Key Takeaways:

  • Fatty acid binding protein (FABP) move fat molecules in cells. FABP occur in high numbers in the heart and liver. Keeping FABP low may assist in healthy metabolism.
  • Research shows that high calorie diets slow metabolism while low calorie diets inhibit the aging process and metabolic-related illness.
  • FABP is being researched and early findings suggest low levels of FABP lead to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and lower cholesterol. These two effects can lead to healthier aging.

“From a public health perspective, extending the number of years that people are healthy would be a huge achievement. Our findings show that this may be possible through a mechanism that can be translated into human populations through pharmacological and nutritional interventions.”

Read more: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319705.php

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Osteoporosis: Biology behind age-related bone loss revealed

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As individuals grow older into their senior years, it is quite common to become victim to some extent of osteoporosis. What occurs is that the bones that have been sturdy for so many years, begin to deteriorate and weaken as vitamins and nutrients are less able to be implemented. However, by understanding how the ailment works, and the measures that can be taken to stand in front of it, we can reduce the onset of osteoporosis.

Key Takeaways:

  • Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones. It makes them weak and more prone to breaking.
  • Roughly a third of women and a fifth of men over fifty will get bone fractures from osteoporosis.
  • Researchers are trying to understand how Cbf-beta maintains bones as we get older.

“Osteoporosis is a big global health problem and is more common in women than in men.”

Read more: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319543.php

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Too much salt could increase diabetes risk

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Researchers are finding that sodium which is commonly digested through salt or sodium chloride may be placing people at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes affects over 29 million people and type 2 diabetes is the most common usually affecting middle aged and older adults. The research has shown that for each added gram of salt the percentage of the possibility for diabetes increases as well. The research showed that for each gram of sodium that the risk for diabetes increased by 43 percent. The outcomes of this research is ongoing but the correlation between the increase in the chance of getting diabetes and increased sodium intake can be seen with this research.

Key Takeaways:

  • Type 2 Diabetes is the most prevalent form of Diabetes in the United States and it most commonly affects people who are middle-aged or older
  • Sodium levels not only interact with insulin in the body but can also cause high blood pressure and excessive weight gain, which increase risk factors for diabetes
  • Although researchers acknowledge the possibility of recall bias impacting their work, they are still confident in the overall findings

“Researchers suggest that sodium – which we commonly ingest through salt, or sodium chloride – could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults.”

Read more: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319434.php