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4 Home Improvements Caregivers Should Make


Paige A. Mitchell
If you’re caring for a family member at home, you’ll want to ensure your house is a safe, healthy environment for everyone involved. You’ll likely have some adjustments to make in order to make your home more comfortable for an ill or impaired loved one. Consider the four home improvements below.

1. Declutter and re-decorate

Keep floors clear of toys and shoes. Strategically rearrange the furniture, so that your loved one is able to remain stimulated and engaged while they sit. For example, they may enjoy some natural sunlight and the view of nature from a comfortable chair near a window. Personal touches and familiar objects can make Alzheimer’s patients more comfortable.

2. Enhanced access

It’s important to review each room in the house to determine how accessible it is to someone who is ill or impaired. The American Association of Retired Persons’ checklist includes zero-threshold and wide entrances for wheelchairs and walkers, low light switches and door knobs that are reachable to someone in a wheelchair, and non-slip flooring and grab bars in at least one bathroom.

3. Maintain your home

Whether you’re caring for someone who is ill or not, it’s important to conduct regular home maintenance to ensure it’s a truly healthy environment. For example, replacing batteries in smoke detectors is especially important if your loved one is forgetful and susceptible to forgetting that something is on the stove. Take full advantage of your home repair insurance to save time, energy, and money on repairs.

4. Ask for help

Fifty percent of caregivers report feeling depressed. If you’re suffering from fatigue, isolation, irritable, and/or ill, it’s important to take a step back to take care of yourself. Don’t forget to ask for help when you need it. Seek an expert opinion for objective advice on whether you should consider placing your loved one in assisted care.

By |2022-10-26T10:19:40-05:00November 19th, 2022|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off on 4 Home Improvements Caregivers Should Make
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Guest Blog: Top 5 Indoor Games for Senior Citizens to Play

Playing games with older relatives is a great way to keep older family members.

  • Engaged
  • Alarm
  • Concentrate

Also, while building muscles, it showed them a good time!

For the elderly, playing fun, low-impact brain games may be a good way to stay sharp and alert at all times. Research has shown that older adults who often stimulate their brains through active, educational activities tend to score higher on memory and cognitive tests than those who do not participate in sports.

Clear the board game on the top of the cabinet and use it. Indoor games may be one of the best ways to keep the elderly mentally healthy and active. It does more than providing entertainment. Chess is an amazing game to play, and the best chess learning rules seem simple and easy to learn, but the skills involved are huge and bring many health and psychological benefits. It can make your mind young, active, and entertaining at the same time.

We have compiled 5 top memory games for adults: Here are five indoor activities for the elderly, which are sure to make you spend a pleasant day.

  • Complete a Puzzle
  • Play Board and Card Games
  • Chess and Checkers
  • Card Games
  • Sudoku

Complete a Puzzle:

Word games for the elderly, such as crossword puzzles, can help maintain a memory. The challenge of the puzzle helps the brain to form and maintain connections. Crosswords involve the left and right sides of the brain. Older adults’ word games also require logical reasoning. Crossword puzzles can also help,

  • Older people learn new words
  • Recall vocabulary

Playing crosswords can promote,

  • Relaxation, which can have a healing
  • Calming effect, especially during a busy week
  •  Older people don’t have to complete the crossword puzzles alone! For families, this is a fun activity that can be done together, or it can be a bond for a group of older adults.

Play Board and Card Games:

Card games are a great way to think spontaneously, entertain and get along with others, and many games can be used by any number of players, from two to ten or more. Many seniors grew up playing card games, so be sure to ask them what games they like. Some seniors may prefer active and considerate games, such as bridge games or poker games. For others, playing simpler games such as,

  • Blackjack
  • War may be more fun

You can study other card games such as Uno that go beyond traditional game rules.

Chess and Checkers:

Chess is an amazing game. These rules seem simple and easy to understand, but the skills involved are huge. For decades, playing chess has been easy, and you can never really stop learning the subtleties of the game. Chess is about strategy, problem-solving, and footstep thinking. It is a great game for older people to participate and stay mentally active while having fun at the same time. Checkers is an improved version of the game, with fewer pieces and simpler rules, and a good choice. Is it better? The manufacturer’s chessboards and chessboards come in many different shapes and styles, including larger versions designed specifically for seniors with weaker vision and motor skills.

Card Games

Card games are a great way to think spontaneously, entertain and get along with others, and many games can be used by any number of players, from two to ten or more. Many seniors grew up playing card games, so be sure to ask them what games they like. Some seniors may prefer active and considerate games, such as bridge games or poker games. For others, playing simpler games (such as blackjack or war) may be more fun. Or, you can study other card games such as Uno that go beyond traditional game rules.

Sudoku

Sudoku is a popular pencil puzzle. It requires you to use problem-solving skills in a fun and easy-to-learn way. Sudoku can be used on almost any digital platform and traditional paper. Besides, you can play it online. Sudoku requires logic and memory skills, which can push the brain to establish connections. Strategic thinking can also help you improve your concentration and ability to make decisions in a short period. Besides, when you complete the puzzle correctly, there will be a sense of pride and achievement. Sudoku is not the only game that can help older people build memory.

 

 

By |2022-10-26T10:19:20-05:00November 17th, 2022|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off on Guest Blog: Top 5 Indoor Games for Senior Citizens to Play
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Guest Blog: Budgeting for Seniors and Those on Fixed Incomes

Most seniors have a fixed, limited income. Even though it may not seem like a whole lot, there are ways to budget and make the fixed income work to your advantage. After all, you know exactly how much money you are going to get each month. You don’t have to worry about losing a job, or not getting a paycheck. Most of the time the money comes in on a predictable date and this is very advantageous because you know exactly when the money is going to get replenished.

Now to the budgeting. Most seniors have essentials such as paying for medications, food, rent and mortgage, transportation and of course incidentals. Figure out how much you have available after your rent/mortgage expense, medication expense, transportation expense and this is the amount you have for food and incidentals. Going out to eat can be a major expense so staying in might be a good idea for some.
Additionally, if you have money left over at the end of the month, you can save up for a vacation, or a one off purchase.

If you have debt, negotiating the interest rate with the bank or credit card company can save a lot of money. Monitoring utility usage and minimizing utility usage can also lead to a big savings. Leaving on the air conditioning or heat during the day when you aren’t home tends to add up over time. Even though this may amount to 50-100.00 per month, over the course of the year this equates to thousands of dollars.

It’s also worth mentioning that not all insurance premiums are created equal. Some people are unknowingly paying for services outside of Medicare that they may not need. Likewise, for those on an extremely reduced fixed income, it could be worth looking into Medicaid in your state. Each state has different rules, but here is a nationwide guide to Medicaid, which can help pay for regular medical expenses and long term care.

The last piece of advice is to track your not-so-necessary purchases. Write down each time you purchase something that is not essential and you will most likely be surprised. If you are not careful, a large amount of your budget could be going to non-essentials. Whether you use a pen and paper, or are using budgeting software, it is a good idea to keep track of all expenses. Click the lick to see a handy budget sheet created by AARP. This minimizes surprises and will lead to a much easier time getting to the next month’s income check.

Jacob Edward is the manager of Senior Planning in Phoenix Arizona. Jacob founded Senior Planning in 2007 and has helped many Arizona seniors and their families navigate the process of long-term care planning.

By |2022-10-26T10:18:53-05:00November 13th, 2022|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off on Guest Blog: Budgeting for Seniors and Those on Fixed Incomes
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Guest Blog:Home care tips for Seniors with Fibromyalgia

According to the CDC, fibromyalgia affects an estimated four million Americans. Although it can strike both men and women at any age, it is most prevalent among women. Described as a chronic pain disorder, fibromyalgia is hard to live with even if you are young and otherwise in good health. For seniors, living with fibromyalgia is a constant struggle and can even be debilitating. This also makes the job of care givers so much tougher. Fortunately, there are steps to you can take to increase the comfort and make life easier for seniors with fibromyalgia.

Home Care Tips for Seniors with Fibromyalgia

There are various treatment options for fibromyalgia in seniors, including pain medications and antidepressants. However, the viability of some of these treatments is reduced when dealing with an aged population because of the increased risk of side effects. This makes nonmedical treatments or lifestyle interventions all the more important. Here’s how you can improve the quality of care.

Set Reminders: Aside from the fact that fibromyalgia increases the risk of depression, aging is also associated with memory loss. This makes it important for you to keep track of medication, meals, and other requirements that should be part of a daily schedule.

Encourage Activity: It may seem cruel to make someone move when they’re battling pain and just want to curl up in bed, but this is something you have to do. Be gentle and understanding, but coax and motivate your senior parent or patient to move. Exercise doesn’t have to involve anything vigorous, but can include mild activities like walking, gardening, and so on. The lack of physical activity has been linked to worsening symptoms and exercise will also help preserve muscle strength.

Meal Planning: In addition to enforcing disciplined meal times, you need to make sure that seniors receive balanced nutrition that will improve their condition. Focus on whole foods and anti-inflammatory ingredients, while limiting processed foods, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol as far as possible.

Sleep Schedule: Sleep requirements and quality decline with age, but that doesn’t make sleep any less important for seniors. It’s even more valuable for seniors with fibromyalgia as studies have shown sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality to exacerbate symptoms. Following sleep rituals and a strict sleep timetable will help cultivate healthier sleep habits in seniors.

Relive Anxiety: Stress and anxiety reduction techniques can help to lower the risk of depression, while also helping with pain management. Practices like meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation are known to alleviate both mental stress and physical pain.

Seek Help: Caring for someone with fibromyalgia is an immense responsibility and it’s not easy. If you’re juggling work and home care it can all get overwhelming. The best thing you could do would be to reach out to support groups and look for professional part-time or full-time home care providers to lighten the load.

The best thing you can do would be to speak to doctors to find out how you can best implement these steps in accordance with their treatment guidelines.

By |2022-10-26T10:18:29-05:00November 11th, 2022|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off on Guest Blog:Home care tips for Seniors with Fibromyalgia
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Ridgway CO. 81432
Phone: 970-626-4225

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