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Enjoying your Holiday as a Senior Citizen

The hour of rest has finally come! It is the holidays, we believe that means NO REST. We at Elderlink think all work and no play makes mom and dad plus grandma and grandpa a bit less happy and a bit more stressed. We understand, you have your normal standard day, wake, food, relax or nap, lunch, get out to meet with friends and family, dinner TV and bed.

This month that changes, wake, food, prepare for family and start cleaning, start baking goodies as presents or for friends and family, go out shopping, lunch (maybe), more preparation possibly more shopping, more stress, dinner, more anxiety TV with all the holiday shows and music and sleep. Or insomnia thinking about what to buy the grandkids, what to cook, what to wear, and the list goes on….

HINT #1: It’s time to refocus on your thoughts!

Plan out the days and make time to relax and play. Remember you live in California with sunshine 350 days a year. In your hectic schedule consider some time at the beach, in the country, in the mountains with your family, or friends, leave stress aside and learn how to enjoy your holidays with Elderlink hints.

HINT #2: Do Not Overload the Holiday

Plan, which means think ahead, identify the days you will shop, another day to cook and bake, and another day to clean and prepare what to wear. MONDAY Shopping for gifts. Wednesday Shopping for food and start baking those delicious cookies, cakes, a ham or something fun to serve or take to a family gathering.TUESDAY, THURSDAY are your full get ready days and FRIDAY (half of the day, pick a simple and easier project around the house to clean) the second half of the day, do what you do on those days off like going out with friends, go to a family amusement park like the Zoo, or and even at a recreation center, possibly a bike ride, read a good book. Whatever you choose, on your days of rest, play and have fun DO NOT DO WORK OR ANY KIND. ß This was HINT #3 BY THE WAY.

HINT #4:

 The risk for many holidaymakers is to overload with activities and to feel frustrated with the idea of ​​not having had time to do everything. In all of the other HINTS, this was the true message. Keep in mind, the holidays are about fun, laughter, excitement, family and friends.

HINT #5:

Read HINTS one throughfour again and from all of us at Elderlink, have a happy and healthy holidayseason.

How to Care for Someone with Alzheimer

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is one of the biggest challenges a person can face.

One of the most important things you can do as a caregiver is to set reasonable expectations. For many family members caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is a road too rocky to manage. When possible, a good senior citizens facility that works with Alzheimer’s patients is the best solution for you and your suffering family member. Most require very specialized care and having your loved one in the hands of a professional will help them and give you a sense of calm.

Most of us know Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects the memory, judgment and logical thinking of an individual with this disease. These symptoms may intensify as the disease progresses and your loved one’s faculties decline. Although there are treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, doctors still cannot cure it. Life expectancy after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s generally varies from 6 to 8 years but can reach 20 years for some people.

Stages of Alzheimer

Alzheimer’s has three stages. The first stage is the lightest form, in which the elder begins to have occasional loss of memory or to forget where his belongings are. At this stage of Alzheimer’s, many sufferers have difficulty with more complex reasoning and have prolonged personality changes. Many still work almost normally.

In the second stage, the disease is moderate. At this point, the first symptoms, such as memory loss, personality changes, and confusion intensify. Caregivers now need to help the older adult navigate his or her environment, as he or she may have difficulty identifying where he or she is and thereby putting themselves at risk without realizing it. Moreover, it is at this stage that many begin to confuse their relatives with another, to forget their name or not to recognize them.

The final stage of Alzheimer’s is the phase of severe dementia. At this stage, the older adult is no longer able to follow a conversation or interact with his environment and needs 24-hour supervision. In addition to the declining mental faculties, physical disorders caused by illness begin to manifest themselves. The person may have difficulty walking, their muscles and reflexes may react abnormally, and they may end up unable to feed themselves.

It is essential for a family caregiver to be mentally prepared, to know what to expect, and to resist the temptation to feel guilty as the disease progresses.

Tips to Help You Care for Someone with Alzheimer

The best advice you can give when it comes to caring for a person with Alzheimer’s/dementia is to have patience. Form short sentences the more information they contain, the more likely the individual will become confused and the more difficult it is for him or her to understand what you are telling them. When planning your day, try, as much as you can, to avoid changing their routine.

Another good tip, “Try to maintain their physical appearance as it was before their health status started to decline.” Give them some sense of normality. An Alzheimer’s patient’s health can decline rapidly, watching how they act is important since simple activities like brushing their teeth or showering can become a challenge. You will need to step in and remind or assist the individual, the more they get confused the more agitated they can become.

One thing is certain, the lingering effects of the disease on a family member as a caregiver will be very difficult to manage, especially when the person is close to your heart. However, if you follow these tips and those of the doctors, you and your family will experience the experience with less difficulty.

If you are ready to secure a senior living facility that works with Alzheimer’s patients, then we suggest you start with the best company to assist in your search,  please contact www.elderlink.net  for help finding the best elder care options.

 

Signs It’s Time to Get Help For Your Aging Loved One

Admitting the need for help is difficult at any age and one of the most difficult things to judge is exactly when someone may no longer be able to care for themselves by themselves. This may be especially when that person is your closest loved ones.

But the responsibility often falls on family members to recognize the signs that an aging loved one might need more support with daily living tasks. So how do you know when it is time to get help?

The answer is likely right in front of your eyes – in their appearance and around their house. Not sure what to signs look for? Some common red flags are listed below:

Personal Appearance and Hygiene

  • Difficulty standing up straight, frequently bent over or leaning to one side
  • Sudden weight loss or gain
  • Shuffling when walking rather than stepping
  • Infrequent showering or bathing
  • The smell of urine within the house or on clothing
  • Difficulty with clothing, including using buttons and zippers
  • Trouble getting up from a seated position
  • Difficulty with walking, balance and mobility
  • Unexplained bruising or injuries
  • New or numerous marks or wear on walls, door jams, furniture and other items that may be used to assist with stability and walking throughout the home
  • Mental Status

  • Difficulty keeping track of time, such as sleeping for most of the day
  • Loss of interest in hobbies and activities
  • Changes in mood or extreme mood swings
  • Forgetfulness, such as forgetting to take medications or taking incorrect dosages
  • Uncertainty and confusion when performing once-familiar tasks
  • Consistent use of poor judgment, such as falling for scams or giving away money to sketchy sources
  • Household Chores and Responsibilities

  • Increased clutter or difficulty putting things away the way they used to be
  • Medication is no longer stored properly and may not be taken as prescribed
  • Decreased amount of fresh food and/or increased amount of spoiled food in the refrigerator
  • Dirty laundry pilling up or difficulty using the washer/dryer
  • Piles of unopened mail or overflowing mailbox
  • Unpaid bills, late payment notices, bounced checks or checks written to pay bills but never sent
  • Lack of food in refrigerator and pantries
  • Increased amount of stains on furniture or carpet
  • Decreased maintenance inside and outside home, such as not replacing burned out light bulbs, lawn is not mowed
  • Vehicle and Driving

  • Unexplained dents and scratches on the car
  • Vehicle not properly maintained, such as lapse in registration, large discrepancy between change-oil sticker vs. current mileage
  • Difficulty getting in and out of the vehicle
  • Driving too slowly, decreased reaction time
  • Confusion or forgetting route or destination
  • Trouble parking
  • Lack of confidence driving, especially driving at highway speed and/or at night
  • Care Options
    Even if you see the aforementioned signs, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is required to move your loved one into assisted living or a nursing home. However, these red flags do indicate that more supportive care is needed. The signs should be used as a guide and a starting point in the process of determining whether home care or a higher level of care would be best and to help you make informed and confident decisions.

    Our caring and knowledgeable staff at ElderLink can help you determine exactly the level and what kind of support your loved one needs as well as help you find elder care services providers throughout California.

    These Preventive Measures Might Help Delay Dementia Or Cognitive Decline

    In a landmark report, scientists have endorsed three strategies for preventing dementia and cognitive decline associated with normal aging — being physically active, engaging in cognitive training and controlling high blood pressure.

    This is the first time experts convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have deemed scientific evidence strong enough to suggest that preventing dementia and age-related cognitive decline might be possible.

    Seven years ago, in a separate report issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, scientists said they couldn’t recommend any interventions to forestall or slow cognitive deterioration because state-of-the-art science at that time didn’t offer enough support.

    Now there’s a considerably larger body of research to draw upon. And while findings are still far from definitive, “we found encouraging evidence that supports the value of several interventions,” said Story Landis, vice chair of the 17-member panel that prepared the report and director emeritus of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

    That doesn’t mean the strategies are guaranteed to protect brain health. “You can do everything right and still get dementia in later life,” said Dr. Kenneth Langa, a panel member and professor of internal medicine, gerontology and health management and policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

    Nor does it mean these are the only interventions that offer promise. Managing depression, controlling diabetes and high cholesterol, engaging in social activities, getting adequate sleep, eating a healthful diet, taking disease-modifying treatments for dementia (if and when they become available) and getting enough vitamin B12 and folic acid also appear worthwhile, though more research is needed before those tactics can be formally recommended, the NAS report said.

    Addressing lifestyle factors that raise the risk of cognitive impairment could help prevent more than one-third of dementia cases across the globe, according to a separate comprehensive analysis published in The Lancet on Thursday.

    The NAS panel proposed that its findings be shared with the public and physicians, but stopped short of proposing a major public health campaign, citing the need for further research.

    Here are insights from the report, based on interviews with panel members and outside experts:

    Strategies Work In Some Cases, Not Others

    As people age, mental processing becomes slower and memory becomes less reliable — a normal condition known as age-related cognitive decline.

    Two of the interventions recommended in the NAS report — cognitive training and physical activity — appear to have the potential to delay age-related cognitive decline. But there’s no evidence that they can prevent dementia or mild cognitive impairment, an intermediate condition that sometimes progresses to dementia.

    Managing high blood pressure is the only strategy thought to have the potential to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. But it wasn’t shown to have an impact on age-related cognitive decline.

    Once the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s are detected — notably amyloid beta plaques and tau tangles in the brain — some interventions might not be effective, said Dr. Ronald Petersen, a member of the NAS panel and director of the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

    Start Early

    It’s now known that biological changes associated with Alzheimer’s and related dementias begin a decade or more before any symptoms become evident. So it’s best to make recommended lifestyle changes early and sustain them over time.

    “Prevention really needs to start in people who don’t show any sign of the disease — probably when people reach their 40s,” said Jeffrey Keller, director of the Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention at Louisiana State University, who was not involved in the NAS study.

    Controlling high blood pressure, a strategy that helps preserve the health of blood vessels in the brain, is most effective if begun in middle age, the NAS report explained. But if you’ve reached age 65 and your blood pressure isn’t well managed, you’re still well advised to bring it under control, Landis said.

    The same applies to physical activity: It’s best if you start in middle age, but becoming more active in later life is still good for your health. While it’s not yet known which type of activity is most effective, for what duration and how often it should be pursued for maximum brain benefit, walking briskly for 150 minutes a week or about 20 minutes a day is a good idea, Petersen said.

    On Cognitive Training

    Probably the best cognitive training you can get is a good education and ongoing mental stimulation. “There’s growing evidence that the ways in which your brain is challenged all through your life matter,” noted Langa, whose research has documented a decline in dementia rates in high-income countries over the past 25 years.

    But the impact of education on brain health is very difficult to quantify. So the NAS panel endorsed cognitive training based largely on a randomized controlled trial known as Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly, which studied several thousand older adults over the course of 10 years.

    ACTIVE had certified trainers work with seniors in small group sessions on various cognitive exercises for 10 sessions lasting an hour or more over five to six weeks. Feedback was an essential part of the intervention and booster sessions were offered. At 10 years, there was evidence of a positive effect on seniors’ independence and ability to perform daily tasks.

    What was responsible for this effect? The training? Social interactions? Feedback? Booster sessions? All or some of the above? It’s not yet clear.

    It’s important to note that the panel insisted that commercially sold computer-based brain games can’t be assumed to have the same effect. So far, research about brain games has failed to prove that this type of training improves broad-based cognitive functioning and people’s ability to function independently.

    “The data supporting their efficacy just isn’t there,” said Petersen of the Mayo Clinic.

    Try Several Things, Not Just One

    When scientists examine the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, they find amyloid beta plaques and tangles, but also changes in blood vessels, evidence of microbleeds, and lesions in the brain’s white matter. “It’s mixed dementia, due to multiple factors — not just one thing,” Landis said.

    The corollary: Mix it up and try several ways to reduce age-related cognitive decline or dementia, not just one.

    “If we think of Alzheimer’s as a multifactorial disease, it makes sense to reduce multiple risk factors simultaneously,” said Rong Zhang, associate professor of neurology and neurotherapeutics at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Zhang is also the principal investigator for a five-year study investigating whether aerobic exercise combined with intensive control of hypertension and cholesterol can help prevent Alzheimer’s. That study, the Risk Reduction for Alzheimer’s Disease trial, is currently enrolling participants at six medical centers.

    “The brain is complicated and its response to interventions is complex,” Langa said. “Therefore, the more strategies that you use to try to improve the brain’s health long term, the more likely they’re going to work.”

    Don’t Bother

    The NAS report found no evidence supporting the use of ginkgo biloba and vitamin E, which are widely marketed to people concerned about brain health. And it questioned the value of other supplements, noting that overall dietary patterns appear more important than any single substance.

    KHN’s coverage related to aging & improving care of older adults is supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

    Family Caregivers Increasing for Elderly

    Caring for ill and aging family members is not a new concept but with the increasing number of elderly around the world, combined with an unstable economy, the demands on caregivers can be overwhelming. While some employers offer flexible work schedules and family leave time, many others demand much more than a traditional 9 -5 workweek. The requirements of a family caregiver are often more than a full time job as well.

    According to The Wall Street Journal, many lawmakers and social-service providers are pushing for new ways to assist the vast unpaid workforce of people who are caring for their aging family members. These people are experiencing the strain of serving as family caregivers on a personal level as they assist more seniors to age in place but they also reduce reliance on public subsidies such as Medicaid, which is a major funder of institutional health care for older Americans.

    “Families have always been the backbone of our system for caring for people,” said Kathy Greenlee, the assistant secretary for aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told The Wall Street Journal, “Really, if we didn’t have them, we couldn’t afford as a country to monetize their care and we couldn’t replace, frankly, the love they provide to family members.”

    By the Numbers:

    • Approximately 40 million U.S. family caregivers provided unpaid care in 2013 for daily activities to an adult with limitations – valued at $470 billion according to AARP.
    • Maine’s population of adults 65 and over is more than 18% – compared with nearly 15% for the U.S. as a whole
    • A bipartisan bill, introduced in Congress in March, calls for a tax credit of up to $3,000 for eligible family caregivers.
    • 6 billion people are expected to be 65 or over by 2016
    • Less than $45,000 – the national average cost of full-time in home care but the majority of seniors do not require full-time or around the clock care. Many seniors require a few hours of support and assistance per week.

    If you or someone you know is currently caring for a family member, some tips to keep in mind are:

    Be organized. Create a file system that can be easily accessed and shared with other family members, including a daily schedule (information about daily medications, stress triggers, nap times, etc.) and key contacts (doctors, lawyers, accountants, family members and friends; along with with phone and e-mail info).

    Talk to other caregivers. You’re not alone and sharing your challenging as well as helpful tips can help reduce your own stress level.

    Don’t sacrifice your own life. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and lost in all the responsibilities of caregiving. Sometime the best support to a loved one is to take some time away and focus on your own health and well-being. While you may need to scale down many of your activities, maintaining a life outside of that caregiving role is important. Ask for help when you need it or bring in professional help, even on a limited basis, so you can make time to visit friends and pursue hobbies, activities, interests, career pursuits that will help you still be you.

    For some family caregivers, the burden of caring for their loved ones without professional could grow too heavy. If the time has come when your aging loved one is no longer able to live independently, please contact the knowledgeable staff at ElderLink  to help you find elder care services or an assisted living facility within California that is customized for your family.