Dementia confusion, a common occurrence in Alzheimer’s, can result in recent memories being forgotten or distorted, while those from the more remote past often stay intact. This may cause prior times to make more sense to an older adult with dementia than the present. A person’s alternate reality could be his or her way of making sense of the present…
Acting as the primary caregiver to a seriously ill or aging family member may seem like the only choice you have. You may have chosen this direction for financial, personal, religious, or even moral reasons. Regardless of your reasons, it is inevitable that you will face challenges. Fortunately, there are ways to help prevent or alleviate their impact on you…
Hearing that your senior loved one will be returning home from the hospital, even after a short stay, is welcome news. However, you may have two conflicting emotions, thrilled they are coming home and stressed over how you’ll get everything in order without turning your life upside down! Plus, you’ll likely have plenty of other questions: How many doctors need to…
It’s all too easy to look at your senior loved one through your own eyes and have things colored by your own experiences and preferences. It’s natural to think of their problems, as well as the possible solutions, from the standpoint of what would work for you, or what you think they would want. You may even prioritize a doctors’…
Different people can respond differently to the benefits of senior home care. Most seniors who receive in-home care enjoy the personalized service, the one-on-one attention from the caregiver, and the ability to stay in their own familiar home with all of the personal items and memories they treasure. With the very best of care providers, seniors also like seeing the…
Everyone wants to do their very best when providing or choosing elderly care their senior loved one. There can be so many pressures from all sides (family, friends, employers, personal finances, etc.), and your time is both limited and usually filled with raw emotions. It’s easy to make choices which may seem good at first, but are later regretted. There are many factors to consider. Here are some important points to…
The specific activities of an in-home caregiver depend on the client’s needs, but they always involve attentiveness, compassion, and empathy. These people-skills are every bit as important as the caregiver’s skills in assisting a person into or out of bed or off the toilet, managing food and medicine timetables and interactions, cooking appropriate foods, operating oxygen equipment, emptying catheter bags, and properly doing household chores. For…
How important is a strict diet for seniors? For some people a strict diet can feel too confining and just thinking about dietary rules can even make them crave what they “cannot” have. For other people, it can be a relief to know what they will be consuming and when, that they will always like. And their digestive system and…
Transitioning to a Live In Caregiver Most people are accustomed to the privacy of their own homes and their familiar everyday routines. A new person coming into the home full time can feel quite different from how you and your loved one are used to living. Overcoming any misgivings about change is perhaps the single most important first consideration. By…
If you are providing part-time or full-time care to a loved one who is aging, there are many issues to face on a daily basis that may feel negative. You are concerned with time, money, logistics, and physical requirements. Your elderly parent or spouse may be additionally concerned about loss of self-sufficiency, inability to enjoy old activities, and isolation from…