Woman with her arm on a man’s shoulder, helping him make life better with ALS

5 Ways to Help Families Impacted by ALS

/in , , , /by
Woman with her arm on a man’s shoulder, helping him make life better with ALS

These tips can help families impacted by ALS by boosting independence and improving care.

As a degenerating neurological disease, ALS (sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease) can cause a broad range of physical difficulties that can trigger clinical depression. For those providing ALS care for a loved one, it’s hard not to become overwhelmed. What can you do to help families impacted by ALS to live life to the fullest?

When caring for someone with ALS at home, it is important for family caregivers to realize the struggles that the disease produces in order to offer the absolute best care.

Endeavor In Home Care, providing exceptional home care in Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler, and the surrounding areas, offers the following advice to help ensure the best care for someone diagnosed with ALS:

  • Set up a computer and internet access. Computers, along with other assistive systems, provide entertainment and social interaction and make it possible for the person with ALS to help with tasks like paying bills, tracking down information, hiring services, and shopping.
  • Those with muscle diseases such as ALS are competent thinkers, even if they are generally unable to communicate clearly. Talk through choices openly while making joint decisions about the individual’s ALS care.
  • Use adaptive devices. The utilization of adaptive equipment like wheelchairs is a move in the direction of self-sufficiency, not away from it. Adaptive tools are available for assorted daily tasks, such as eating, opening jars and doors, buttoning or zipping up clothing, writing, and taking a shower.
  • Ask if the person wants assistance before helping. Never take over tasks that still can be performed if the person is provided with adaptive tools and time.
  • Patience is vital. Although it may often seem faster and more efficient to take over certain tasks, demonstrate patience and allow your loved one to accomplish the tasks that they can.

For individuals with ALS, self-reliance and excellent ALS care are imperative. The home care specialists at Endeavor In Home Care are extensively trained and experienced in providing the care and assistance needed to ensure those with ALS live their best lives, through services such as:

  • Grocery shopping and other errands
  • Preparing meals and helping with laundry and housekeeping
  • Transportation and accompaniment
  • Fall prevention
  • Help with transfers and walking
  • Companionship
  • And much more

Contact us any time at 480-498-2324 to learn more about how we can help someone you love.

Medications and a syringe, suggesting treatment options for each stage of Lou Gehrig’s disease

What Does Each Stage of Lou Gehrig’s Disease Look Like?

/in , , /by
Medications and a syringe, suggesting treatment options for each stage of Lou Gehrig’s disease

Each stage of Lou Gehrig’s disease brings about unique challenges.

Getting a diagnosis of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) can bring about a number of questions and apprehensions, both for the person diagnosed and their loved ones. What’s the cause for ALS? What can I expect in each stage of Lou Gehrig’s disease? Where can I find support?

Nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. are currently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, and almost 5,600 new patients are diagnosed with the illness every year. And though the exact cause is unclear, some research points to complex risk factors, including a twofold risk of ALS in people who served during the Gulf War.

Although each person can be impacted by ALS in different ways from others, the progression of the condition seems to follow particular phases. Learning about these stages can help people diagnosed with ALS and those who care for them put into action the most appropriate plan of care.

Endeavor In Home Care, the leading provider of home care services in Carefree, Chandler, Phoenix, and the surrounding area, shares details below:

First Stages

  • For some people, the preliminary impacted muscles are those used for swallowing, breathing, or speaking
  • ALS symptoms may be detected in just one area of the body
  • More mild symptoms may affect significantly more than this one region

Possible Symptoms

    • Fatigue
    • Weakened grip
    • Stumbling when walking
    • Poor balance
    • Slurred speech

Middle Stages

  • Some specific muscles may be paralyzed, while others are weaker or totally unaffected
  • Twitching may be noticeable
  • Signs of ALS are now more extensive

 Possible Symptoms

    • Possible uncontrolled and inappropriate crying or laughing, known as the pseudobulbar affect (PBA)
    • Difficulties standing without help
    • Problems with breathing, particularly when lying down
    • Challenges with eating and swallowing, which can lead to choking

Late Stages

  • The person can no longer drink or eat by mouth
  • Talking may no longer be possible
  • The individual with ALS needs complete assistance to care for their needs

Possible Symptoms

    • Paralysis in the majority of voluntary muscles
    • Breathing is significantly affected, causing fatigue, unclear thinking, headaches and susceptibility to pneumonia
    • Mobility is substantially impacted

Obtaining care from a skilled caregiver, like those at Endeavor In Home Care, can increase the quality of life for someone affected by ALS symptoms. Our caregivers work with families to develop an individualized plan of care, allowing those with ALS to maintain dignity and the greatest level of independence at all times.

Reach out to us any time at 480-498-2324 to learn more about how our services can help someone you love.

stressed senior woman

Why Your Siblings Haven’t Helped with Providing Care for Your Parents

/in , , , , /by
stressed senior woman

Learn the underlined reasons why your siblings haven’t offered to help with providing care for your parents.

If you are providing care for your parents and your siblings consistently withhold help from you, you are not alone! In fact, 50 percent of all family caregivers are caring for an aging loved one alone, according to a recently available report from AARP. Read more

lady talking to senior man who is listening intently

How to Address Senior Concerns Surrounding Home Care

/in , , , /by

While many aging adults naturally embrace a new caregiver coming into their lives to help them thrive and enjoy a higher quality of life, there are some seniors who may still feel uncomfortable. At Endeavor In Home Care, we’re sensitive to the feelings of each senior we serve, and are skilled in helping to ease the concerns surrounding home care. Read more

adult daughter talking to senior mother about home care

Why Are Aging Loved Ones Hesitant About Receiving Help at Home?

/in , , /by

As home care professionals, we get to see the joy, companionship, and increased quality of life seniors gain from having a caregiver. But we also know that many people initially reject the thought of in-home care help. Read more

cookie-cutter-house

Customizable Home Care Services for Aging Adults

/in , , , /by
cookie-cutter-house

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. Read more

senior man eating

Age Safely at Home With Our Expert Home Care Services

/in , , , /by
senior man eating

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. Read more

happy daisies

Making Seniors Comfortable with Personal Care Assistance

/in , , , /by
happy daisies

Receiving personal care assistance can be humbling for seniors, but these tips can help!

Stop for a moment to close your eyes and imagine yourself like this: You have spent most of your life taking care of and helping others – as a mother or father, in your profession, through volunteering in your neighborhood, and as a grandparent. After spending your whole life being independent and making your own decisions, you now have aged to the point where it’s you in need of help with bathing and other care tasks. Imagine the sense of loss, vulnerability, and fear that comes from needing personal care assistance. Read more

woman scolding senior woman

Are You Missing the Signs of Elder Abuse in an Aging Loved One?

/in , , /by
woman scolding senior woman

Learn these signs of elder abuse to keep an aging loved one safe.

It’s a given that abusing a senior is something that is unthinkable in the minds of most people, but it’s a prevalent issue in the United States. Elder abuse happens in many forms, from physical to emotional, and it affects the most frail and vulnerable among us. Read more

Alleviate Your Compassion Fatigue as a Caregiver

/in , , , , , , , /by

Compassion fatigue is a normal part of the caregiver experience, but we can help you manage it!

Caregivers give up so much of themselves for the sake of the ones they care for – both emotionally and physically. It’s easy to become worn down and to start to experience feelings like apathy, exhaustion, and a withdrawal from the person in your care. This is often known as compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress, and it can be harmful to your own health and wellbeing. It could also hinder your ability to be as warm, nurturing, and caring as you need to be for the person you’re caring for. Read more