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Tag: senior care services

Ways to Improve the Life of Your Loved One When Dealing with Arthritis

There are numerous ways that you can opt to manage the arthritis of a loved one. To help you improve the life of your loved one dealing with arthritis, we’ve listed some simple strategies that will help you reduce symptoms so your loved one can pursue the activities that are important to them.

  • Teach Self-Management Skills

Ecourage your loved one join a self-management education workshop. This will help them learn new skills to manage their arthritis and make better decisions about their health. Here are some of the main factors involved in teaching self-management skills to your loved one:

  1. They will feel more in control of their health.
  2. They will have the courage to manage pain and other symptoms.
  3. They will have more energy to plan and carry out valued activities, like working and spending time with other people.
  4. It will help them reduce stress.
  5. It will improve their mood.
  6. They will feel more conformable and able to communicate better with their health care provider(s) about their care.
  • Visit the Doctor

Accompanying your loved one to their medical appointment can help them feel more confident about getting medical treatment. Especially with an early and accurate diagnosis, this can help with effective treatment for your loved one to minimize symptoms and prevent the disease from getting worse.

Your main focus for arthritic treatment for your loved one should be to:

  1. Reduce their pain
  2. Effective treatment plans to minimize their joint damage
  3. Improving or maintaining function and quality of life

Ensuring your loved one is going for regular appointments with their health care provider and following their recommended treatment plan will play an active role in controlling their arthritis.

  • Managing Weight

Helping your loved one lose excess weight and stay healthy can also help them overcome arthritis. This will not only reduce their pain but will also improve their general physical movement.

Conclusion

We hope this guide will help when it comes to supporting a loved one dealing with arthritis. If you have a senior loved one that needs home assistance in Wilmington, NC, rely on Home Instead Senior Care. We provide the best quality care, with services personalized to you and your family’s needs. Visit our website or call (910) 421-2574 for more information!

Benefits of Respite Care

There will come a time where a caregiver will need the help of respite care. Respite care is temporary institutional or in-home care of a senior loved one who is ill, handicapped, or needs care around the clock. A caregivers, health and well-being need to be priorities, and giving yourself a break from those responsibilities as needed is key. Respite care will allow you to take a break from your daily care routine and manage the other responsibilities in your life. Read on and find some of the many benefits that respite care has to offer.

Find Relaxation Again

When it comes to your body, it needs adequate rest to function properly. If you fail to give it the rest it needs, you will begin to experience exhaustion and even depression. With optimal rest for your body, your mood will be enhanced. This will allow you to take on any caregiving responsibilities flawlessly, with a whole new outlook. 

Increase Your Social Life

People are creatures who need social engagement to avoid depression, as well as many other factors that can be debilitating at times. For a caregiver, it is important to avoid being isolated for extended periods of times. When you are constantly working with elderly loved ones, you can experience a mental and emotional breakdown. With respite care, it will allow you to take the time to have dinner with friends, attend a fun event, or even take a vacation, you know you deserve it.

Prevent Any Bad Habits

When a caregiver becomes overworked, they may turn to bad habits such as smoking, drinking, overeating, and other bad habits in an attempt to manage their stress. By choosing respite care you will have the ability to take some\ much deserved time off to relax and enrich your life with healthier habits such as fitness, journaling, meditation, or yoga. Preventing these bad habits is essential to be an efficient caregiver. Don’t allow yourself to become overworked.

Regardless of the reason your need for respite care, you want to make sure to choose the right senior care facility. That’s where we can help, here at Home Instead Senior Care we have years of experience working with the senior community and are here to help. Contact us anytime for additional information on our respite care service.

Home Modifications for Your Senior

Home modifications can make it possible for seniors to live a comfortable life at home. Some modifications, such as ramps and walk-in showers, are just a few ways to improve safety inside the home, while also adding convenience for daily activities. Follow along in our blog for ways to make your senior’s living space more accessible!

Ramp Modifications

Indoor ramps are a useful home modification for older adults who use wheelchairs. These indoor ramps provide smooth transitions from one surface to another, making it safer to move throughout the home. We recommend threshold ramps, which are made from rubber components. They can easily be adjusted to the height of the door jamb or steps.

Kitchen Modifications

Washing dishes can be a challenging task if the sink is too deep or hard to reach over. Countertops and cabinetry may also be too high, especially for those using a wheelchair. To fix this problem, hiring a contractor to come in and adjust the counter height or lower the sink may be necessary. Moving tableware to lower shelfs, like bowls and plates, can also make everyday items more accessible!

Bathroom Modifications

Getting in and out of the shower may prove difficult for seniors as they age. One way to solve this problem is to replace the bathtub with a walk-in shower, which provides a much easier (and safer) entry and exit compared to a bathtub. In addition, installing a shower bar can give seniors something to hold onto while maneuvering to and from the tub. If an elderly person is having difficulty standing for long periods of time, consider a bathtub bench for more convenience!

Conclusion

Caring for an elderly loved one means making changes around the house as they grow older. If you have a senior that needs home assistance, contact Home Instead Senior Care. We provide the best quality care from the comfort of your elder’s home, with services tailored to you and your family’s needs. Visit our website for more information!

Alzheimer’s Care: Engaging Activities for both Patient and Caregiver

When it comes to Alzheimer’s care, it is imperative to not only find things to keep your client occupied, but to find activities both of you can enjoy together. If the caregiver is able to take part in the entertainment, it is most likely that the activity will be more enjoyable and engaging for the client. Why not make your job even more fun?
When providing exceptional senior care for an individual with Alzheimer’s, it is important to have them partaking in mind engaging activities. When you set time aside for some fun, here are a few activities that you both can enjoy together.

Dance and Listen Music

Dancing is good for the soul. What can be more exciting than being able to move freely to a good tune? Take your client to dance classes offered at your local YMCA or schedule the activity to take place at the facility they live in. This allows them to partake in an activity that they have always enjoyed from years before and can continue to enjoy with other people too. If your client is unable to participate due to their current physical state, sit down with them and listen to some music that they would enjoy. Even this simple task of listening can do so much to brighten their day, and take them down memory lane.

Go Out and Enjoy the Fresh Air

Go out into the fresh air and stretch your legs with these different places to go. Be sure to spread your outings to avoid making them feel rushed and exhausting. Whether it be a store or a mall, a little window shopping can go a long way. This can allow your Alzheimer’s patient to get out of their usual environment and to be around others. While out, you can both grab a bite to eat. Depending on their dietary restrictions, take them to a place that offers food items that they can enjoy. Take them to a local museum to enjoy some art for the day. If they would rather spend some time enjoying the weather, take them to a local park. Being able to observe the scenery and people visiting the park can be a relaxing and enjoyable activity for them.

Stimulate Your Minds

When it comes to keeping clients’ minds stimulated, try to incorporate fun activities such as card games and puzzles that keep them thinking and engaged without growing bored. If they would prefer to play card games, a simple round of solitaire can go a long way. If they would rather put together a puzzle consisting of 200 pieces, that can be a relaxing and engaging activity great for them.

Conclusion

When it comes to providing Alzheimer’s care for a patient, tasks can become mundane and arduous at times. No matter how severe their diagnosis may be, they are still people who deserve to partake in fun activities. Depending on their current state of health, you be the judge of which activities would be best for them to engage in and also which they would rather prefer. Make your job feel more like a career and enjoy the little things with your clients too! Sometimes doing things outside of their daily routine can be positively beneficial and effective for them. Along with their caretaker’s presence, it can make each outing and activity that much more special for the both of you.

The Perks of Reliable Senior Transportation

As we age, more and more actions we take for granted become noticeably more difficult to perform. Naturally, with the degradation of eyesight, hearing, and more, leaving a senior citizen to transport themselves for errands and appointments can be a risk to their safety.

In response to this growing concern comes senior transportation providers. The service, much as the title implies, involves having a trusted professional take your senior to their crucial appointments. Understandably, many are a little averse initially to leaving their family or loved one in the hands of a stranger. Fortunately, relying on the service comes with a number of benefits for both you and your loved one! Read on for a few of the most noticeable perks that come with seeking out trustworthy senior transportation.

Independence

As much as you’d like to open yourself up to your senior at all times, you have responsibilities and a life of your own to maintain. As a result, a senior who has lost their ability to transport themselves can quickly come to feel cooped up and trapped in their home or living quarters. With a transportation service however, a professional is made available at all hours to accommodate your loved one’s needs. By opening up this avenue, you allow you senior the ability to feel a renewed sense of freedom, one that will do wonders for their mental health.

Rest for Family Caregivers

In the case of a senior citizen who has lost the ability to transport themselves, responsibilities often fall on the family to pick up where their loved one cannot. Naturally, having to balance this with things like their own work and errands can make rest a fool’s dream. Being able to rely on a professional for transportation, even if only part time, can give family that much needed time R & R they’ve been missing.

Improved Emotional Health

You’d be surprised to hear just how much of your mental health is tied to your ability to perform hobbies outside and breathe in the fresh air. Naturally, the same goes for your senior citizen. A senior transportation service can afford your loved one the ability to indulge in their hobbies, visit friends, and do more that stands to perform miracles for their mental and even physical health!

Conclusion

Don’t trick yourself into thinking you’re the only one responsible for caring for your loved one. Work with a team and reap the benefits a proven service can bring you and those you care for!