Elder Care ABC Created by caregivers for caregivers

By Jared Wright

The longer older people can stay independent and care for themselves, the better. There, however, comes a time when living alone becomes a problem and sometimes it can even become dangerous.

People suffering from illnesses and memory loss can become dangerous to themselves. They might forget to lock doors or wander off and can’t find their way back home. An elderly person might suffer a stroke and can’t get to a telephone to call for help.

It is seldom easy to convince the elderly that they need assistance and can’t stay on their own anymore. Where the husband and wife are still both alive and together, it might be possible to stay on their own for a longer period of time, providing at least one of them is still strong and of sound mind. On the other hand, if the one spouse is ill and needs special care it might become difficult for the other elderly spouse to provide this care. Read More

By Tyler Moon

There was a time when your mom used to keep the house squeaky clean and your dad could remember the last due date of every bill. But presently, mom is facing lot of problems in doing the basic household chores and dad tends to remain absent minded most of the time. Probably, this is time where you need to seek help of elder care provider.

With age people show different symptoms that signal to the fact that they need help. Some of the symptoms that you should consider as cry for help from your elderly near and dear ones are:

- Problems in maintaining personal hygiene.
- Cluttered home that needs immediate cleanup.
- Incapability in managing medical appointments and medications.
- Decrease in mobility.
- Increased forgetfulness and missing date of important events.
- Decline in social activities and increase in self-isolation.
- Vigorous change in overall behavior pattern or in mood.

With these behavioral changes, you can conclude the fact that you should go for elder care planning guide. Sometimes it becomes hard to devote your time to elderly near one. Under this type of situation, the decision to ask for a professional help would be sensible. You can get elder care service provider by searching on Internet. If you wish you can study about this topic on Internet also. This will help you in giving some ideas about handling with the issue of elder care.

Depending upon the need and requirements, you should look for elder care provider. The main aim lies in making the senior citizens self-sufficient. The provider tries to achieve this goal with various home care tasks like:

- Preparing meals.
- Helping the elders in attending events.
- Reading elder’s books of interest, holding a lively and jolly conversation and providing companions.
- Helping the elderly person in housekeeping.

The services of elder care provider also prove to be beneficial when any senior citizen returned to home after a long phase of hospitalization. It is noticed that under this type of situation elder person lacks confidence in managing their work. Sometimes, they feel lethargic in keeping themselves clean and doing everyday works like collecting mails and letters, watering plants, picking up the newspaper etc.

Tyler Moon is an expert in article writing and internet marketing. She regularly contributes articles on various topics like security services, birth announcements, elder care, web development, designing etc.

Pay attention to details

Elder travelers often have special needs, so keep these important tips in mind:

Before the trip…

• Ask about senior discounts; successful travel does not have to be an expensive proposition. Consider trip cancellation insurance.

• Invite your elder to have some input about the itinerary. Be flexible.

• Make sure your elder has foreign country medical insurance. Medicare doesn’t apply outside the United States. If your elder’s Medicare supplement isn’t covered outside the U.S., you may want to purchase travel insurance with medical coverage.

• Check out hospitals and 24/hour emergency medical centers on route ahead of time.

• Get necessary immunizations; know how to find medical assistance on the road; pack extra medications and food for special need diets; take precautions for varying climates and altitudes.

• There’s no need for physically challenged elders to stay home. For a wealth of information on accessible travel, search for “disability travel” on the Internet. Also, if your elder tells you that stair-climbing may be an issue, plan accordingly.

• Plan for back-up activities for rainy days and long airport delays. Pack books, games, IPods, IPads, and crossword puzzles. Download favorite movies. Check out Internet access before you leave.

• If your elder cannot handle his/her own luggage, make sure you have a plan in place for luggage assistance.

• Give copies of your trip itinerary and phone numbers with other family members and trusted neighbors.

On the road…

• Learn your elder’s routine ahead of time. Does he or she have a regular naptime? Bed time? Try to stick to that routine as much as possible.

• Elders should be especially careful at high-altitude destinations. Acclimate slowly, and take it very easy the first few days.

• Intersperse high levels of physical activity with quiet times together, like reading, taking a walk, and watching a movie.

• Encourage everyone to keep a trip journal and take pictures.

What to do if your elder says, “I don’t want to go.”

If your elder lives with you or close by, and rejects the idea of taking a trip with you, go anyway. Make arrangements for him or her to stay somewhere safe and pleasant while you are on the road. Here are some suggestions:

• Ask someone you like and trust to stay with your elder.
• Take up residence in the home of another family member or trusted friend.
• Consider a caregiver respite center, assisted-living facility or a nursing home that takes residents on a short-term basis. Contact your local agency on aging and your elder’s doctor for referrals.

Every trip comes to an end. Schedule some time later to look over photographs and journals. It may not have been a perfect trip and everything may not have been all you hoped it would be, but the special moments you shared are what you will remember.

by Joy Loverde

The plan is for Bill to leave Florida on a Friday morning and arrive in Chicago on Saturday afternoon. I would be there to greet Bill and get him settled into Sunrise Assisted Living. Mom will fly to Chicago on Sunday and then meet up with Bill after she drops off her luggage. Mom’s dream to move back to Chicago to be near family will finally take place next week. Read More

By George Kissi

There are many problems that are worthwhile to be regardful of when it comes to the subject of elder care. Caring for an aging parent or friend is a must but can certainly be trying. It is worthy to know that there are many resources and facilities out there that you can use to help you through such a process, of which will be discussed here.

Resources

One of the best elder care resources is ElderCare Resources. They are a capacious online company that is intent on to assisting people who are caring for their elderly loved ones. They agree that this can be a very difficult process and because of this they take every step possible towards ensuring the process is made as easy as possible for you. They feature certified geriatric care managers, elder law attorneys, adult day cares, nursing home care and more.

AGIS is another great option when it comes to elder care. They have worked with a wide range of businesses, government agencies and insurance providers worldwide, and they do not endorse or have any financial interest in any of the providers listed in their search results. They do not accept payment from providers seeking to improve their position in these search results either.

Support Groups

Caring for an aging parent or loved one can clearly present difficult challenges. Elder care support groups may be very helpful to you here, as they give you the chance to meet others who are going through the same thing as you and give you people that you can talk to and share your experiences with.

It is worthy for you to know that you are not alone and that there are many others around the world who have already solved elder care problems just like the ones that are facing you now.

If you are finding it very difficult to the point where it is absolutely unbearable for you to cope, you do always have the option of putting your loved one in a home or at least having someone come into your home to help you care for them. You should never feel bad or ashamed if you are unable to take care of them completely on your own because you do have your own life to worry about.

From daily grind of work, taking care of your partner and children, there are things that you really cannot just leave behind, and so soliciting someone to help you through this may be a necessity rather than a luxury.

By Gregory Weldy

Here are tips to creating your own DIY senior care action plan:

Lay out options.

Whether you hold a formal family meeting or not, make sure all family members understand care options-even if they ultimately won’t be making the final decision. Caring for aging parents, for example, does not mean your loved one must be forced into a nursing home. Your parent might be able to stay at home with the help of a regular, outside caregiver. Some companies offer non-medical services such as meal preparation, laundry, and grocery shopping. A good-quality caregiver can be an ideal solution, allowing dad to be as independent as possible for as long as possible. Elder care solutions also include inviting the loved one to live with a family member.

Make sure everyone is aware of the pros and cons of each caring for aging parent strategy. For instance, while putting dad in a nursing facility takes the pressure of round-the-clock care off of your family, it can be very costly and it might expose your loved one to risks, such as nursing home abuses.

Keep the lines of communication open.

Caring for aging parents also means creating a communication plan as part of your family’s elder care solutions. For example, a family caregiver might send out a weekly email telling siblings what kind of week your parent had. Also make a plan for what happens when the loved one is admitted to the hospital. Will you need to contact the prayer chain at Mom’s church? Who’s going to get in touch with her best friend, who lives hours away in a nursing home? Consider creating a contact group in your email account of all the people who’ll need to know if your parent becomes sick.

Talk to his or her health care professional.

Remember, your mom or dad’s doctor can be a partner in finding the right elder care solution. If your father lives with a progressive disease, such as Alzheimer’s, a medical pro can let you know what to expect as the disease moves into more advanced stages. Armed with that knowledge, you and your family will be able to make informed decisions before there’s a crisis. However, if you’re uncomfortable with the doctor or his or her advice, don’t hesitate to get a second opinion.

You could also use a social networking site to keep family and friends appraised of changes in day to day circumstances. A Twitter account makes for very quick and easy short messages to a large group of people following your situation. You can also privatize the account so that only people who are invited can access the messages. These messages can be easily sent from a phone or lap top.

Build a network.

Caring for aging parents can be a huge responsibility-but you and your family don’t need to shoulder the burden alone. Just like you’d build a professional network to support your career aspirations, you’ll want to build a network of people who can help you and your family provide the best and most compassionate elder care solutions.

Gregory Weldy is an expert on guiding families through the challenges of caring for aging parents. He has written an amazing Free report called, “Nursing Home Nightmares: Challenges of Caring For An Aging Parent”. To claim you FREE copy, visit: http://www.BestElderCareAtHome.com

By Gregory Weldy

For many families, the thought of caring for an aging parent brings stress and strain. After all, we don’t take Elder Care Solution 101 in school, and many of us may have not grown up in a multi-generational household. It doesn’t have to be like that though. Elder Care can and should be a positive experience. Check out these tips for making caring for an aging parent the kind of experience that changes your life in a positive way.

1. Ask for help – Caring for an aging parent is a significant emotional, physical, and financial burden. Don’t play the martyr by doing everything yourself. Ask your daughter to sacrifice some of her social networking time to spend an hour with Grandma so you can take a long, hot bath.

2. Encourage social activities – A smart elder care solution includes helping your parent find social activities they’ll enjoy. Look in the local paper to find senior activities calendars. Adult day services are another option to consider. These centers allow Dad to stay with caregivers while you work or take a day to go fishing or shopping.

Don’t limit social activities to dropping Grandma off at the senior center, either. Institute a regular family game night, so you, your parent, and other relatives can play board games or put puzzles together. You might also invite him or her to watch your daughter’s volleyball practice.

Social activities are an important part of any caring for aging parent strategy, so don’t let transportation concerns stop your loved one from participating. Look in the city/municipal services section of the phone book to find public transportation for seniors. If those services aren’t available, ask friends and family members to pitch in and taxi Grandpa where he wants to be.

3. Communicate with the medical team – Doctors, nurses, and other health care givers are an important part of your elder care solution. If possible, accompany your loved one on doctor’s visits to make sure you and your parent understand any diagnoses or instructions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something or if you and your parent disagree on what the doctor said.

Caring for an aging parent is also easier if you keep copies of health care information, such as insurance policies and medical records. Also keep a list of doctors and medications. Put the information in an easy-to-access place so you can get to it in an emergency.

If you’re involved in planning your family’s elder care solution, it’s also critical to make sure you understand how your parent’s health care coverage, including Medicare plans, work. Confused? The local agency on aging will direct you to resources that can help your family understand the process as well as make decisions. Caring for an aging parent doesn’t need to be a burden. Start down the path to a better elder care solution today.

Gregory Weldy is an expert on guiding families through the challenges of caring for an aging parent. He has written an amazing Free report, “Prevent nursing home nightmares: Caring for aging parents.” To claim you FREE copy, visit: http://www.BestElderCareAtHome.com