Guest Blog: Bringing the family support together – Crucial steps in elder care planning
As a devoted caregiver for an aging parent, you have to be ready to face a wealth of new responsibilities. Some of them will be intimidating, whereas others will be unfamiliar and unforeseen. Every now and then, you may feel alone and overwhelmed. However, in spite of all these challenges, caring for an aging parent comes with plenty of rewards too. There are many guidelines you should consider to make the process run smoother. Here are some steps to consider.
Bring the whole family together decide on a caregiving plan
Before making any decisions, you should set up a family meeting and decide with your siblings what’s best for your parent. Should you hire a home care assistant for your parent, or would it be better to put them in respite care home? If your parents are mentally stable but are having difficulties remembering things, or heading out to shop for groceries, you and your siblings may be able to be their caregivers. Split tasks equally by making a weekly plan. This way, your parents get the chance to see their kids, and you won’t have to get angry that nobody else but you in the family is looking after the parents.
Split responsibilities equally
Proper elder care takes a lot of time and effort. Careful planning is fundamental for your parents to live happy and not feel like a burden. Always remember that providing care for a loved one is an act of love, loyalty, and kindness. Thanks to advanced technology, it is now easier than ever to keep in touch with aging parents. Medical treatments are improving, life expectancy’s are increasing, and seniors are living well into their 70s. If you know little about caregiving, follow the tips below to provide the best care for your elder parent:
- Learn everything there is to know about their disability or illness. This will help you be prepared in case something unexpectedly happens.
- Look for professional help from certified caregivers.
- Go with your gut, and listen carefully to a doctor’s advice. If they tell you that an assisted living facility is better for your loved one, then they’re probably right.
Elder parents will do anything to preserve their independence, even if it means living on their own with a chronic illness or disability. Don’t allow them to struggle and try to make their lives more comfortable by caring for their well being.
Guest Blog: Tips on Caring for Loved Ones with Dementia
Dementia is a chronic or progressive syndrome that affects a person’s thinking, memory, comprehension, orientation, language, learning capacity, judgment, and calculation. People with dementia slowly lose their cognitive abilities, which leads to a decline in their social behavior and emotional control. Dementia develops when the brain is injured or damaged, such as what happens to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, over five million Americans are currently dealing with Alzheimer’s dementia. An estimated 80% are seniors aged 75 and up. If proper care, attention, and medication are not prioritized, the total can balloon to 13 million by 2050. Medical and health facilities are doing every means possible to address the situation.
If your senior family member has dementia and living at home or is under assisted living care, your best contribution is to care for your loved one properly. Here are tips to help you out.
Ask simple questions.
Someone with dementia will find open-ended questions confusing and intimidating. Instead of asking “what” questions, try to rephrase them to “yes-no” questions. For example, instead of asking, “What time would you like to take a bath today?” try asking, “Would you like to take a bath at 4 pm?”
Keep your words simple and clear.
Allow your loved one to help with daily tasks.
When dementia progresses, your loved one may find it difficult to remember and focus on tasks. You can help him or her maintain daily activities and skills and stay active. Allow him or her to assist you with simple activities such as setting the table, making the bed, and gardening. Help your loved one remember tasks and things by placing memory aids, such as signs and labels, all over the house.
Take your loved one to lunch.
Keeping senior loved ones with dementia socially active is essential. Have lunch together at his or her favorite restaurant. Go to a place where he or she used to frequent when communication wasn’t yet a problem. Make your loved one feel special and important.
Hold and touch your loved one.
Your touch is very powerful and reassuring. Hold your loved one’s hand or stroke his or her face now and then. Let him or her feel your love and support.
Most important of all, ask for help. Talk to a caregiver or get in touch with an assisted living care facility.
About the Author
Melissa Andrews is the Content Marketing Strategist for Paradise Living Centers, an assisted living center for seniors with locations in Paradise Valley and Phoenix, Arizona. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and going on hiking trips with her siblings and cousins.
Guest Blog: How Technology is Changing Elderly Care
Applying new technologies to in home senior care has significantly contributed to the quality of life by enhancing their daily living needs such as transportation, communication, health, and social participation. Telemedicine, voice command technologies, blood pressure cuffs, remote glucose monitors are some of the few technologies that have impacted elderly care. This article discusses various ways in which technology is changing elderly care.
Technologies are filling the caregiver gap
There is a massive growth of the elderly population which has increased the demand for caregivers. According to research by AARP, there will be about 50 million caregivers in the US by 2020, 45 million of them being unpaid family members. At the same time, there will be 120 million people in need of a caregiver. Many companies have therefore used their knowledge to create technologies that have smoothen caregiver’s work. These technologies have been designed to solve or ease various elderly needs, such as keeping track of their daily activities, medication, exercise programs, and monitoring meals.
Devices prevent wandering
Seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease always need to escape a situation because they are confused or disoriented. These diseases common in the elderly erase their memory-making familiar places to be unfamiliar. These cognitive impairments make the elderly lose direction and could apt walk to dangerous places. In an aged care facility, to be precise, the seniors wander because of inactivity or boredom. Wandering gives caregivers and relatives an alarm for fear that the senior will get hurt or get lost. To address this problem, several devices have been developed, and they include bed and door alarms.
Some pendants provide GPS for the elderly, especially those under medication and prone to getting lost. Some of these apps with GPS location include angel sense, GPS Smart sole, MedicAlert safely home, and others are still under development by HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) experts.
Cameras that protect the elderly from abuse
Due to other duties you need to attend to, it is impossible to stay around nursing the aged. Small cameras are one of the most significant ways to ensure that the older person is adequately cared for. You will have to place cameras in indiscreet locations. This camera will take footage of daily activities, and thus you will be able to know that the caregiver you hired or some family members are not mistreating your elderly loved ones.
Remote technology offers 24/7 protection
Caregiving from a distance has always had innumerable challenges. Senior safety tech industries have made life easy for caregivers by developing caregiver alert systems and elderly monitoring systems. There are different options to ensure that the elderly is safe and in good health while you are away. Monitoring devices used include:
- Sensors that turn off stoves if they are left for too long.
- Sensors to inform you if the elderly left the water running.
- Locked medication dispensers equipped with alarms and timers for missed doses.
- Voice-activated virtual assistants.
- Intelligent sensors that learn the elderly routine.
Smartphones to promote self-care
Smartphones are handy for seniors. It helps them stay connected with their grandchildren by video chatting, controlling other intelligent devices, monitoring health through pastern, and lots of features that improve the quality of life for the elderly.
Other benefits of smartphones to the seniors include:
- Making emergency calls.
- Using GPS to navigate when driving or walking.
- Accessing the internet.
- Looking at date and time.
The top features of a senior smartphone include:
- Simple menus.
- Larger buttons and screens.
- Emergency button.
- Fitness and health tracking tools.
Smartphones can serve the purpose of entertainment to seniors. Seniors can now break boredom through games, audiobooks, podcasts, and social media. This is mainly for those who are living alone. They also come pre-installed with a virtual assistant that responds to voice commands and questions.
In addition to the above technologies, the best way to avoid the elderly being mistreated is to hire a caregiver whose background check has been thoroughly conducted. Some online platforms specialize in this area, for instance, Caregiver, engaging in home-care services for the seniors. They provide the simplest and most effective way to find the right caregiver for your loved ones. In short, Caregiver empowers you to find the best in-home senior care.
Conclusion
Technology advancements have influenced how family caregivers and health care providers approach eldercare. It has bridged the caregiver gap and allowed seniors to age gracefully. These technologies have provided a mechanism for caregivers to assess the health of the elderly and provide appropriate medication.