Elder Care ABC

We all forget things, especially if we are low on sleep or high on stress, but we start to worry when aging loved ones exhibit forgetfulness when life is good. Is it Alzheimer’s, we ask ourselves, or dementia? By becoming familiar with the varying forms and symptoms of dementia, we can understand the differences between normal and abnormal brain function in aging friends and loved ones.

What is Dementia?

A long time ago “senility” was a word used to describe the loss of mental capacity in the aged. Today, dementia is the term used to describe a host of symptoms that include the diminishing ability to remember, solve problems, or perform other cognitive tasks.

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For those with a passion for gardening, the thought of retiring from their favorite pastime is unthinkable. Sadly, the results of aging often cause the elderly to consider abandoning their favorite outdoor activity. If you have a friend who is considering hanging up their garden spade because of age-related problems, don’t let them. Gardening innovations make it possible to garden for an entire lifetime.

Stop Bending, Stooping, and Kneeling

Anyone who has ever tended a garden knows that there is ground to be broken, seedlings to plant, pests to chase away, and weeds to pull. This generally involves bending over, kneeling on the ground, or stooping over, all for the good of the garden.

Aging gardeners with knees that cannot kneel or with backs that cannot bend can still have a lovely and fruitful garden. By building raised beds or garden boxes on platforms or legs, even an aging green thumb can move about and care for the garden comfortably.

Platform gardens are perfect for those in wheelchairs. By creating wheelchair-friendly paths around the beds, flower and vegetables gardens are easily tended by wheel chair-bound horticulturists.

The Sensory Garden

For the gardener who enjoys being surrounded by the scents and softness of a flower garden, friends might consider planting a sensory garden. A carefully designed garden for the visually impaired will include smooth paths and a variety of plants chosen for texture and smell.

Soft-petaled roses, aromatic Russian Sage, and cool ivies are all excellent additions to such a garden. The sound of moving water is also a welcome addition to the garden. Be sure to add a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the fragrance and sounds so loved by gardeners.

The Hands-on Garden

For the gardener who can’t resist getting a bit dirty, help your sight-impaired friend plant and maintain a garden by incorporating some of these tips:

• To assure proper spacing, knot a light weight cord, indicating proper planting distances. Lay it along the bed, allowing your friend to plant his or her own seeds or seedlings.
• Maintain flat and cleared paths.
• Keep gardening tools in an apron.
• Help visually-impaired friends plant seedlings and starts at the proper depth by assigning a term such as “a thumb deep”.
• Consider container gardening.
• Cut out veggie shaped plant markers
• Paint tools white to make them more visible against dark soil.
• Include a flashlight in your gardener’s tool bag or apron. Extra light aids vision.

A Bird-lover’s Garden

Along with the satisfaction of providing a refuge for avian friends, the sounds of birds scratching the ground or flapping in the bird bath can provide a great deal of enjoyment.  A garden that attracts birds is also enjoyable to plant and maintain.

Gardening is a soul-satisfying hobby that can be enjoyed for many years. Help your aging gardener re-discover the joys of the garden.

Welcome to the October 19, 2011 edition of EldercareABC Blog Carnival.

lRegular hearing tests important to health in elderly – The Good Care …While many elderly people undergo a regular visit to the optician as part of good health practice, many often neglect to include a hearing test as part of…

Nanny Jobs » 10 Reasons Your Elderly Parent Might Need a Nanny..What used to be simple chores can become exceedingly difficult for elderly parents with health problems. A nanny could help with laundry, vacuuming, dusting and other cleaning that you parent has difficulty managing. …

Black Mold Health Risks for the Elderly

Elderly may experience is severe vascular deterioration. This leads to the destruction of the veins and arteries, which could cause a mild stroke or heart attack.

Hypertension drugs could help people with Alzheimer’s also …

Within the next 20 years it is expected the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will double from its current figure of half a million to one million. A new study has looked at whether certain types of drugs used to treat …

Antiviral drugs may slow Alzheimer’s progression

Antiviral drugs used to target the herpes virus could be effective at slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a new study shows. The University of Manchester scientists have previously shown that the herpes …

Alzheimer’s Disease Living Arrangements

Many people in the early stages of Alzheimer Disease live safely at home, even though they may need plenty of memory cues like lists and notes. Over time, though, Alzheimer Disease causes memory loss and thinking …

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of eldercareabc blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

By Carol Marak

Helping an aging loved one decide to move from their home into a senior living facility can be difficult, especially if they are leaving a home of 20 plus years. I remember when my Dad began the move process to an assisted living community from his home of 54 plus years, it was hard on him..

We knew that Dad was feeling isolated since Mom’s passing but we were unaware of his immobility issues and his general loss of interest in life. He was eating less at mealtimes and losing weight. Until he began falling frequently and losing up to 7 pounds, our remedy was to visit more often to check on him but that solution was futile. He was lonely and our weekend visits were not helping him much. The weeks were too long for him. Read More

Caring for an elderly friend or relative usually means being especially vigilant about health-related concerns. Yearly checkups, flu shots, and proper nutrition are usually our prime concerns. Surprisingly, there are four simple, but extremely important aspects to eldercare that many overlook.

Seniors and Dental Visits

Many who care for aging parents are shocked to find that their family member’s oral health has deteriorated.  While most elderly people visit the doctor regularly, the dentist lags far behind when it comes to routine visits and care.

Equally surprising for caregivers is the amazing bounce in health the elderly experience when their teeth and gums are properly treated and their dental health restored. Many report a new lease on life.

Gum health is directly related to cardiac health. Infections wear down the elderly and gums are often an overlooked hiding place for such threats to overall health and vigor. Teeth should be cleaned every 6 months and gums carefully examined. Regimens for improved gum health should be strictly adhered to.

Exercise Aging Muscles

While it might seem counter intuitive to suggest that an elderly relative who awakens to aches and pains every morning get out and get moving, nothing could be more true. At your aging friend or relative’s next doctor visit, discuss what appropriate exercises might be beneficial and safe for them to participate in.

Swimming and pool-based exercise are often the perfect solution for the elderly seeking to maintain health through exercise. The water relieves pressure on joints while also providing gentle resistance; the perfect conditioning environment for joints and muscles feeling their age.

The Benefits of Friendship for the Aging

As we age, we often find ourselves staying close to home or even becoming housebound.  When the elderly cannot leave their homes, they often feel isolated from their life and friends they once enjoyed. This isolation is damaging to physical and mental health.

Encourage family members and friends to visit, run errands with, and call their elderly loved ones. Introduce them to the Internet and the many new ways to connect socially such as video teleconferencing and chatting.

The elderly have spent a lifetime gaining knowledge and wisdom. Help them find ways to share their valuable talents with others. Older friends and relatives have a lot to share and can mentor grandchildren and much younger friends.

Brain Aerobics

A nimble mind is the product of mental exercising. Consider some of these great ways to get your elderly friend’s brain moving:

• Play games such as Scrabble or checkers.
• Play Sudoku.
• Do crossword puzzles together.
• Read mysteries and try to solve them.

Listening to or reading good books is a great way to keep the mind alert.  Books on tape are great for those having difficulty with their vision.

Don’t let the elderly get bored with life. Help them maintain a vigorous mind and healthy body and help them stay connected and engaged.

If you live and work near Denver and Boulder, Colorado you are one of the lucky ones. Have you heard about Active Minds™?

Since 2002, a few educators began reading poetry in a church basement; soon after their agenda included educational courses focusing on contemporary global issues, historical themes, music appreciation, great decisions and foreign policy issues, and other matters of importance.

At first, the audience was primarily retired older adults; over time Active Minds has grown to serve adults of all ages through programming at book stores, libraries, and corporations.  Today Active Minds provides programming to more than 200 organizations and has over 30 highly qualified instructors on staff.

Employee relationships deepen and the company culture is strengthened with programs that enrich people’s lives. Tell your employer about the Active Minds Corporate Programs. One-hour classes offer an instructor providing an overview and in-depth analysis of an important topic. Click here for a list of topics.

Give my friend, Zane Robertson a call or email, and tell him Joy Loverde sent you…
Telephone: 303-320-7652
E-mail: Zane@ActiveMindsForLife.com
Website: www.ActiveMindsForLife.com

Keeping in touch with friends and loved ones makes life so much sweeter. As our  friends and family members age, it often becomes difficult for them to stay in touch. It may no longer be possible to hop in the car and meet friends for lunch or fly long distances to visit children or grandchildren. Even making phone calls becomes difficult.

When communicating with those they care about becomes difficult, our elderly friends and relatives need our help. Technology comes to the rescue once again as we seek to ensure quality of life for the aging.

A Computer – An Aging Loved One’s Best Friend

If you think computers are just for the young, it’s time to reconsider. A laptop can be a boon to the elderly. Computers bring the world, and you and your family, right into an elderly person’s home.

Social networking sites allow the aging to enjoy old friendships and make new ones. Special interest groups allow those who are advanced in years to chat with others who share similar interests.

Most laptops come equipped with a camera and microphone, allowing grandmas and grandpas to videoconference with their loved ones. Homebound friends can arrange to video conference, making it possible to hold book clubs, movie critiques, or a virtual get- together.

Microphones and cameras embedded in the computer also make it possible to send video messages to friends and family. Personal and family histories can also be recorded digitally on a computer, which is also a great way to keep your aging loved one’s remembered and thinking.  Not to mention, what a wonderful treasure you’ll have when they’re finished.

A Phone is Not Just a Phone Anymore

The elderly might resist the switch to a smart phone, but once they see all it can do, they quickly embrace its wonders. Smart phones have many features that help the elderly overcome the challenges of arthritic fingers or failing hearing. Large screens, virtual keyboards, voice dialing, and a host of other innovations make placing a phone call easy.

Smart phones also allow users to enjoy easy access to news, social networks, and emails. And don’t forget texting. Texting is a great way to chat, send pictures, or just say hi.

Writing Letters in the New Millennium

Many of the elderly remember writing letters; we call it snail mail today. Many still find it pleasant to take pen to paper and write to a friend. If shaking hands or aching joints make it difficult to write a letter (or use a computer keyboard) help has arrived. Voice to text software enables users to bypass the keyboard and use their voice to interact with the computer.

Don’t allow failing health or being homebound to rob loved ones and friends from frequent communication with those they care about. Technological advancements unimagined when the elderly where young, can bring the world and those they hold dear close.

By Kaye Swain

“I’m so cold,” my senior aunt whispered plaintively. The nurse overheard and said, “I’ll get you some heated blankets.” “Thank you so much,” I said, as I tucked the hospital blanket tighter around my elderly relative.

Five minutes later, my aunt’s face looked brighter as the nurse tucked the toasty warm blanket around her. She felt so much better in the chilly room…for awhile. Then the blanket cooled and she was once again miserable from post-op pain coupled with being chillier than she liked.

Of course, we again got her a heated blanket, but once more, it was only a temporary solution to a long-term problem for my aunt. As with many aging seniors, her body’s temperature had changed over the years and she normally ran chillier than the rest of us all the time. Being in the cooler environment of the hospital, and with a body that was hurting from the recovery process, just made her feel worse. Read More