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How Can I Help a Family Member With Kidney Disease?

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Kidney disease can be indicated through seemingly harmless warning signs: Hiccupping. Itching. Changes in sleep and appetite. These are just a few of the seemingly harmless warning signs of kidney disease that may possibly be cause for concern. And with as many as 20 million people in the United States alone living with kidney disease, over and above those who are as yet undiagnosed, it’s essential that individuals experiencing these symptoms bring them to the attention of the physician.

What Are the Best Ways to Help a Family Member With Kidney Disease?

If the person you care for finds out that they are living with kidney disease, sharing these tips from the National Kidney Center can help him or her to optimize quality of life:

  • Gain control. It is, ultimately, the responsibility of the person with kidney disease to observe symptoms, keep track of test results and treatments, and control management of the disease and everyday lifestyle choices. As the person’s caregiver, you can empower them to be aware of their sense of control.
  • Be productive. Both physical and mental health are positively impacted when the person has meaningful work and activities to do. Help the person you love to remain active by volunteering with a cause of interest.
  • Stay healthy. Following a diet that’s ideal for kidney disease, in addition to engaging in physician-approved physical exercise and taking medications as prescribed are crucial for the person’s health.
  • Be proactive. Motivate the person with kidney disease to contemplate a plan for the future, including various treatment options to start thinking about if their condition should worsen or change.
  • Learn. Power is attained through knowledge, and motivating the person to learn as much as possible about the disease will be helpful towards better managing it.

For someone living with kidney disease – or any other health problem – it’s vital to maintain strong social connections with friends and family who can provide motivation and inspiration. As the individual’s main family caregiver, you play a vital part in supplying necessary camaraderie, meal planning and preparation, personal care services, housekeeping, and the many other tasks you perform to improve quality of life. Be sure that while caring for your loved one you are also taking plenty of time to care for yourself, something that is incredibly important but often overlooked by overwhelmed family caregivers.

At Endeavor In Home Care, we’re here to partner with family caregivers assisting a loved one with kidney disease to ensure the best possible care is provided at all times. Family members can then take the time they need for their own mental and physical wellness. If you need help from a professional caregiver, contact us at 480-498-2324 to find out more about how our services can help. Visit our Service Area page to see if we offer care in your area of Arizona!

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Crafting a Kidney-Healthy Diet for Seniors With Kidney Disease

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You’ve heard it before. You are what you eat. And for people living with kidney disease, it’s especially important that an effective dietary plan is observed to cut down on symptoms such as an upset stomach, swelling, pain, and more. Plus, adhering to a kidney-healthy diet may even delay the progression of the disease.

What Dietary Choices Are Important for Someone With Kidney Disease?

If you care for someone with kidney disease, knowing the best and worst nutritional choices for their condition is important. For example:

Sodium

High levels of sodium in the diet can produce fluid retention and high blood pressure, and can force the heart to work harder. It’s recommended that sodium is limited to 2 grams a day at most for individuals with kidney disease. One way to assist is to avoid serving foods that contain large concentrations of salt, such as:

  • Processed or smoked meats
  • Pickled foods
  • Nuts
  • Chips, pretzels, and crackers
  • Canned foods
  • Condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup, and barbecue sauce

NOTE: Pay close attention to salt substitutes and “reduced sodium” foods, which in many instances are high in potassium.

Potassium

Almost all types of food contain the mineral potassium. Our bodies need potassium in order for our muscles to work, but when somebody is undergoing dialysis, potassium levels have to be examined very closely. Receiving too much or too little potassium can produce erratic heartbeat, muscle cramps, and weakness of the muscles. The doctor or dietitian can determine how much potassium is ideal for the particular person.

Vitamins and Minerals

People with kidney disease might need extra supplements of vitamins to reduce some of the typical side effects of kidney failure, such as bone disease or anemia, but they should only be taken if advised by the doctor.

Protein

Although protein is essential in our diets, for people with kidney disease, excess protein can accumulate in the blood. Individuals with kidney disease should consume no more protein than what is required by the body. When treatment starts early, a diet low in protein in conjunction with essential amino acids at ideal amounts during each meal is known to prevent the need for, or at least push back the need for dialysis, and in fact might even reverse some kidney problems.

For more resources on caring for a family member with kidney disease, or to discover how a professional in-home caregiver can improve health and quality of life, contact Endeavor In Home Care online or at 480-498-2324. We’ll be happy to arrange a free in-home meeting at your convenience to answer all of your questions and provide you with the information you need about our services.

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Customizable Home Care Services for Aging Adults

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Endeavor In Home Care’s home care services are tailored to fit every individual’s specific needs.

No matter our age, what never changes is that we are all unique people with unique wants and needs. As we get older, we stay the unique and complex people that we have been our entire lives. Presuming that all seniors will act the same and require the same things when it comes to care is a one-size-fits-all approach that just will not work for older adults or the family members who care for them. Providing home care services to aging adults requires an innovative and careful approach that allows the caregiver to determine just who an older adult is and what their distinct needs are. This is essential to create the best plan of care to keep the individual healthy and well at home.

As there are multitudes of different people with different needs, there are also multitudes of different kinds of home care services and providers. Knowing what kinds of services, or combinations of services, are right for someone you love can help the person live a happier, healthier life at home. Working with a trusted elder care provider like Endeavor In Home Care is also incredibly important.

When you’re ready to start home care services for an aging loved one, a geriatric care evaluation for daily function, depression, and mental status is a vital step that a high quality home care service provider will provide to figure out which types of services are recommended for an older adult.

What Is a Geriatric Care Assessment?

The goal of a geriatric care assessment is to:

  • Outline all of the concerns and challenges that an older adult might be enduring
  • Create a plan of care to outline interventions for recognized issues
  • Evaluate an older adult’s access to supports that can help them safely remain living at home
  • Determine care needs and the frequency of care that should be provided

After completion, a geriatric care assessment can lead to:

  • Postponing the onset of impairment
  • Understanding changes in health before they manifest
  • Enhanced quality of life
  • Better health outcomes
  • Determining rehab needs
  • Planning services to increase safety
  • Saving on health care costs
  • Determining a person’s capability to care for himself or herself
  • Identifying and correcting fall risks
  • Uncovering early-stage disease

During a geriatric care assessment, a home care provider should also take plenty of time to get to know the person for whom care will be provided – their life background, likes and dislikes, and character traits. It’s also important to take time to build a rapport with the individual’s family as well. Understanding family dynamics, personal history, interests and hobbies, and more can all help home care providers customize the care they provide for the unique people they serve.

At Endeavor In Home Care, we’re dedicated to supporting the freedom and dignity of every single person we serve. When health conditions and life stages lead to the need for a little support or even full-time care, we know the changes that follow can be complicated, emotional and daunting. We can help you assess a loved one’s care needs and determine the ideal type of in-home care services to ensure the person maintains independence at home. If you need elder care in Mesa, AZ or the nearby areas, reach out to us today online or at (480) 498-2324 to find out more or to schedule your free in-home assessment.

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Age Safely at Home With Our Expert Home Care Services

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Endeavor In Home Care’s services can help people age safely at home where it’s familiar and comfortable.

If Mom or Dad has been considering their plans for care when they get older, then you’ve probably heard their desires to age safely at home as opposed to moving to a nursing home. Truthfully, the vast majority of seniors want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible – for a wide range of reasons. Home is where they feel most familiar and comfortable because they’ve spent years making it a warm, loving place. Living at home also creates meaning and purpose to one’s life. Something as simple as looking at your personal belongings, reading the mail, or unwinding on the front porch are more significant at home than in a facility because it is the home that creates the framework of life. The comforts of home offer a sense of tranquility and privacy that can’t be substituted.

However, people of all ages assume that it’s inevitable that aging loved ones land in an assisted living facility or nursing home. Is it really feasible to age at home independently and safely with the help of home care services? Actually, in-home care services can be a long-term, practical option for many. Living at home offers not only the enjoyment of familiar surroundings and independence from rigid routines, but according to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey, home care can be a much more affordable option as well.

If you want to know whether Mom or Dad will benefit from the help of a skilled caregiver instead of making the significant decision to sell their home and move into a nursing home or assisted living facility, start paying attention to the level of functioning in the following two areas:

  • Activities to Maintain Independence: These are activities such as meal planning and preparation, managing finances (writing checks, paying bills), shopping for groceries or personal items, managing a residence/performing housekeeping, taking medications, using a telephone, taking care of mail and transportation by a personal vehicle or public transportation.
  • Standard Everyday Personal Activities: These activities are crucial to taking care of oneself, such as bathing, putting on clothes, getting up out of a bed or a chair, using the restroom, eating and walking.

Could Mom or Dad benefit from aging safely at home with senior home care services? Endeavor In Home Care can help you understand your senior care options. Our experienced and exceptionally qualified care professionals provide you with an alternative to a nursing home or assisted living facility and help you age at home. If you need Gilbert home health care or care in the nearby area, contact us online or call us today at (480) 498-2324 with any questions.

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How Can I Manage Pressure Sores in Aging Loved Ones?

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Female caregiver helping senior man

Learn how to best manage pressure sores in aging loved ones.

Bed sores, also known as pressure sores, affect nearly one in every ten older adults, and are even more frequent in people who smoke, are living with a chronic disease like diabetes, or who have fragile or thin skin. Not only are bed sores very painful, they can also evolve into extremely dangerous infections. That’s why it’s vital to learn how to effectively prevent and manage pressure sores in aging loved ones. Read more

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Helpful Tips for Managing Bruising In Seniors

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Managing bruising in seniors can be challenging, but these tips can help!

Of the countless changes that occur as people grow older, bruising in older adults is one that can be alarming for family members to see in their loved ones. Conferring with the aging loved one’s physician about any health problem that arises is vital, but bruising in seniors is actually very common. Bruising in seniors often results from the thinning of the skin and a reduction of fat that is normal with growing older. Something as minor as a mild bump to older skin can lead to much more prominent bruising versus younger skin, which is why managing bruising in seniors is so difficult. Read more

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Time Management for Caregivers: Holiday Edition

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Endeavor can help with time management for caregivers this holiday season.

The holidays are a great time to reunite with friends and family, but it’s not always a relaxing time of year. Time management for caregivers during the holidays isn’t easy. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season, from shopping to social gatherings to family get-togethers, can be incredibly stressful, and when you have a loved one to care for, your own obligations can fall by the wayside. Read more

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Self-Care for Caregivers: Tips to Remember During the Holidays

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Self-care for caregivers is particularly important during the holiday season.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! However, for the millions of people in the U.S. who care for an aging loved one, the upcoming holidays may feel more like the most stressful time of the year. Finding time for yourself may have been relegated to the very bottom of your to-do list, but the home care team at Endeavor In Home Care would like to challenge you to think again and reprioritize caring for yourself! Read more

Communicate With Seniors With Alzheimer’s

Communicate With Seniors With Alzheimer’s: Stage by Stage

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Communicate With Seniors With Alzheimer’s

Learn how to communicate with seniors with Alzheimer’s at different stages of their condition.

Even the most simple needs can be a struggle to communicate for aging adults with Alzheimer’s disease. As a family caregiver trying to communicate with seniors with Alzheimer’s, you may feel at times as though you’re trying to solve a puzzle in determining how to meet the needs of someone you love and ensure life is as fulfilling, safe, comfortable, and enriching as can be. Read more

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Alzheimer’s Communication Tips: Nonverbal Communication

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Alzheimer's communication

Learn these nonverbal Alzheimer’s communication tips to help communicate more effectively.

Trying to connect with an aging loved one with Alzheimer’s through conversation, particularly in the middle and later stages, is often a challenge – both for you and for the person with Alzheimer’s. Brain changes affect the ability to listen, process, and respond appropriately to conversations, and it’s up to us to put into action innovative Alzheimer’s communication tactics to more effectively interact with a loved one with dementia. Read more