When to Start Looking For Home Health Care

When is it time to start looking for home health care? Sons and daughters often struggle with the thought of that critical moment when mom and dad cannot stay alone. What happens when older parents insist on staying in their home? In some instances, parents and older relatives have made children and family members promise they would never be sent to a nursing home.

Researching and Speaking With Senior Parents and Close Family Members

Taking the time to research and speak with siblings and close family members may often provide you with clues and information about a parent’s well-being and personal care wishes; however, the best person to speak with directly about their future care decisions is the one you are the most concerned about, the elderly parent.

Challenging Conversations

One of the most challenging conversations many adult children will have with a senior parent is the one about their plans regarding future care, should they become incapacitated. Unfortunately, conversations about future care, along with end of life care decisions are avoided much too frequently. Some parents may scoff at the suggestion of needing home health care let alone needing to make an end of life care decision. However, this conversation angst is not always the case. In fact, many older seniors welcome the opportunity to discuss the type of care they want or may need in the future, along with end of life care decisions.

What Type of Care Do Your Parents Need

Once a decision has been made about providing home health care for a senior loved, some adult children make the mistake of looking for a quick and easy solution. In fact, some have made the mistake of renting a room to unscrupulous strangers, in exchange for caring for their parents; it seemed like an easy way out, but a dangerous and risky option nonetheless.

Others make the error of signing on with a caregiver registry. In the case of these registries, peace of mind goes away when clients find out the registry’s caregivers are independent contract workers and not the registry’s employees. Questions also arise about bonding, insurance and federal taxes.

An accredited and state licensed home health care agency is often the best option when looking for trained and bonded caregivers to provide the best possible care for senior parents. A home health care agency is very different from a registry because the agency's caregivers are employees of the agency and not independent contractors.

Warning Signs and Examples of When Care Services are Needed

The following are just few signs and examples that may signal elderly relatives or parents need assistance and home health care:

1. You visited mom and noticed she was not eating well. In addition, she is not remembering her morning medications. The neighbor’s teenage son cannot come over and roll the trash bin into her garage because he moved away to go to college. And the friend across the street cannot drive mom to the store anymore because her license has been revoked.

2. Grandmother has gained weight and is not exercising like she should. She is becoming so forgetful that she did not even know how to get to her hairdresser. In fact, this is the same hairdresser she has been going to on every month for the last three years.

3. Your uncle ran out the front door at midnight in his underwear. You did not know about the underwear escapade until your uncle’s neighbors and the local police called to tell you about your 80-year-old uncle’s impulsive midnight antics.

4. Do you have an elderly relative who is showing warning signs of self-neglect? Self-neglect is also a sign a senior loved one is neglecting their personal care. According to the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, self-neglect occurs when seniors refuse care or do not care for themselves because of factors they’re not even aware of or factors they are unable to control. The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse’s website lists self-neglect as a form of abuse, under the subheading Types of Abuse. The NCEA defines the following about self-neglect:

“Self-neglect is characterized as the behavior of an elderly person that threatens
his/her own health or safety. Self-neglect generally manifests itself in an older
person as a refusal or failure to provide himself/herself with adequate food,
water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication (when indicated), and
safety precautions.”

5. Unfortunately, passive neglect is another condition family members should consider as an important warning sign. This type of neglect takes place when a spouse or family member is not able, or becomes too ill and cannot provide appropriate care for another senior under his or her care. When one spouse becomes too ill to care for another it should signal a need for change of care; an immediate care will be needed for both family members, and not just one.

6. An elderly parent has fallen, has had hip surgery, and family members cannot provide care when released from the hospital because they are not in the immediate area to follow up and to provide needed assistance.

7. A grandmother is relatively healthy, but needs to start a daily physical routine. She needs encouragement and a companion to walk with her 30 minutes a day, but is afraid to proceed because of a previous fall.

All of these examples show a need for assistance and care at many different levels. We hope this list may be able to guide you in the right direction should your parents or loved ones need assistance, companionship or home health care.

Should you or a loved one need care, do not hesitate to contact Senior Helpers. We will be glad to discuss our services.

Resources:

Types of Abuse - National Center on Elder Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/FAQ/Type_Abuse/index.aspx

Keeping Seniors Upbeat

Senior citizens are coming to the end of their lives and depending on what kind of life they’ve lived; they could be slipping into a depressive state. This depression may be caused by things like dementia or diminishing health. The best caregivers around are the ones that can provide the elderly with the best care possible and keep them comfortable. Keeping seniors in an upbeat mood might not be easy, but there are some things that you can try. If you know someone that is dealing with an elderly loved one that seems to be in a depressive or lonely state, take notes of the following things and see if they might help cheer them up. Because seniors have not worked in some time and might have even lost a loved one, it is going to be tough for them to look “at the bright side of things”.

If you know a senior that is in a nursing home and might not be feeling that social, try and suggest activities they can do with the rest of the staff and residents. Many times, nursing homes will hold craft fairs, bingo games or even weekly dances for the seniors to stay active and participate in. This gives them a sense of belonging and can truly give their mood a boost. Craft fairs give the seniors a reason to make things with their creative minds to sell or show off to others that might come to visit. Getting together to participate in a scrapbooking session might be just the thing to liven up someone that has been quite sad and distant in recent weeks. If the elderly have a hobby like knitting or crochet, they should be allowed to continue that even if they have been moved into a nursing home or retirement community.

Staying social is key with elderly folks. As long as they can find someone to talk to, the effect on their mind and attitude is tremendous. Feelings of loneliness and depression can really put someone in a bad place. Going to plays, church or other organized gatherings can help to keep the mind sharp and even allow some to meet new friends. Playing cards with another person, doing a puzzle throughout the week or even just reading books together can be a few activities that help bring a mood up. Allowing seniors to be creative will give them a sense of accomplishment when they finish a project, while at the same time allow them time to do something they are good at.

Caregivers are typically encouraged to get seniors to participate in activities and other things like gardening, fishing or even painting and dancing. Sitting in a room all day listening to the TV or radio can be really tough on the brain and that will affect the mood of anyone. These types of activities will help to keep elderly adults mentally, socially and otherwise engaged through the last years of their life. Because things like dementia and other cognitive diseases can sneak up out of nowhere, it is important to allow the seniors to use their brain whenever possible. Health can also play a role in a person’s happiness, so it is important that, if possible, the elderly are allowed to exercise or at least walk each day. Getting the heart pumping and the blood flowing has never hurt anyone. The overall mood of senior citizens can often stay positive just by staying busy.

If you have a senior loved one that is being stubborn and might not want to participate in anything like what is listed above, then you might have another issue on your hands. The senior might need treatment for dementia or other mental diseases that could be causing depression and once that is done, then the caregivers or family members can work on the overall mood of the person. Keeping seniors happy and upbeat might not be the easiest thing to accomplish, but with the activities mentioned above the path might not be as bumpy.

Causes of Dementia

Some people would like to believe that dementia could be treated, but the reality is that once it has set in, your health can go down in a hurry. Because dementia is associated with old age, the general public might not realize that it can be the result of many things. Dementia can be the result of many things including Huntington’s disease, Parkinson disease, Pick disease, HIV/AIDS, Progressive supranuclear palsy and even a brain injury that is considered severe. For the simple fact that dementia can be caused by so many things is the reason that it is hard to treat or prevent. However, there are a couple of scenarios that would allow for the reversal or prevention of dementia if they are found soon enough.

Things like brain tumors, brain injury, and chronic alcohol abuse, lack of vitamin B12, drastic changes in blood sugar or even certain types of medicines can cause dementia. Dementia is also very hard to diagnose in a patient because it can be as simple as being forgetful. Being forgetful might not seem like it is that big of deal because it occasionally happens to everyone at some point. Forgetting where you put your car keys is not going to prompt anyone to take you to the doctor to get checked out for dementia. A serious brain injury can be a result of many things including a car accident, hitting your head after a trip or fall, a virus and even cancer. All of these types of brain injuries can cause dementia, or the loss of brain function. Brain functions are typically associated with memory, thinking, judgment, behavior and language.

Huntington’s disease is one thing that can lead to dementia. Basically the disease is caused by a defect on chromosome number 4. This disease affects part of your DNA causing the CAG repeat to occur more than normal. Normally, this part of your DNA is repeated about 20-30 times, but if you are suffering from Huntington’s disease the CAG repeat is going to be noticed in your DNA up to 120 times. If the gene is passed along through the family, the repeated section tends to get larger. The more repeats in the DNA, the higher the chances of developing the symptoms for the disease earlier in life. Those that have the highest risk of developing the symptoms would be in their mid 30’s to early 40’s. Having the symptoms in your teens or childhood is very uncommon.

Symptoms of the disease would include behavioral disturbances, hallucinations, irritability, moodiness, restlessness, paranoia and even psychosis in some cases. Dementia starts, symptoms like disorientation, confusion, loss of judgment, loss of memory and changes in speech will start to get worse. As listed above, this is not the only disease that can cause dementia in patients. Parkinson’s Disease is also a well known cause of dementia. Parkinson’s Disease causes brain cells to die and they are the cells that are needed for movement and coordination. Typical symptoms involve serious shaking or tremors and trouble walking. The disease develops after the age of 50 and is seen most commonly a problem with the nervous system.

Parkinson’s Disease is found in men more than woman and can sometimes run in the family. However, a child with Parkinson’s Disease is quite rare. Because your brain cells are dying when you are affected by the disease, this can lead to dementia. As the brain cells that control movement and coordination start to die, other cells that control memory and other normal functions will be affected as well. There is a long list of symptoms that come with Parkinson’s Disease include stiff muscles, drooling, slow blinking, low blood pressure, constipation, difficulty moving or eating, as well as tremors.

The last two causes of Dementia are typically not reversible, but there are some that are. They include dementia caused by alcohol abuse and low vitamin B12 level. Because alcohol abuse can be an additive part of your life, but it can also be reversed. If you have symptoms of dementia and it has been diagnosed as caused by alcohol abuse, there is plenty of help that you can get. Alcohol abuse can also cause brain injury as well and in that case the dementia might not be reversible. Many people do not associate vitamins with being healthy and that is a bad mindset to be involved in. Low minerals and vitamins in the body can lead to many things and if you have a low B12 count, dementia could be a result. Vitamin B12 helps with metabolism, the formation of red blood cells and the body’s ability to maintain the central nervous system.

One group of people that could be affected by low vitamin B12 counts are vegetarians or vegans. Typically, a vegetarian does not eat any meat, or products that come from animals. Because the main sources of the vitamin include beef liver, clams and chicken, getting enough B12 can be difficult for them. Taking a supplement with your meals is one way that you can make sure you are getting enough B12 in your diet, especially if you are over the age of 50 as the body tends to lose its ability to remove B12 from foods at that point.



This is just a few of the things that actually cause dementia, which can be very serious as it takes over the body very quickly. Since the brain is the main source of activity for the body, it is important that we take good care of it and stay healthy the best ways that we can.

Activities for Seniors

Just because you're in a different stage of life doesn't mean that you have to stop being active. In fact, there are many things that you can do to keep yourself in good spirits and having fun. Whether you're an outdoor person, or you prefer to stay inside, we have some lovely ideas for you if you need something to do.

Outdoor

With sun overhead, and blue skies as far as the eye can see, the outdoors present us with many opportunities. Gardening, hiking, fishing, and even bird watching are all activities that are relatively stress free and calming. If you've always enjoyed doing these types of things, now is not the time to stop. Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone either, maybe by taking up something you've never done. 

Photography is another wonderful use of outdoor time, as it allows you to be creative, while also giving you the freedom of the outside world.

Indoor

Prefer air conditioned rooms, and being near modern conveniences? You could take up something to bring out the favorite moments in your past or present. Scrapbooking, making a journal, or even writing your memoirs are fantastic ways to relive your history or enjoy the present. It's comforting to see where you've come from, and it may actually open up a world that you may have forgotten about. 

You could take up new activities as well, like making jewelry or learning computers (if you haven't already). This breaks down borders that you may have, and helps you to expand yourself in ways that you may never have expected.

So if you don't know what to do some days, try some of these activities, or maybe expand your horizons. Our Orlando, Florida home care programs can help you see some new avenues, and they can get you to have fun even if you don't want to.

If you're in Massachusetts, be sure to visit our Westford Senior Helpers location!