Elder Care Made Easy

2. Synopsis 1. Reduce the Risk of fall in Elderly with Simple Measures at Home 2. Alcohol Consumption by the Elder Member of the Family – What You Can Do 3. Signs That Indicates Towards the Need for Home Care 4. Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is Dealing with Alzheimer’s 5. Things You Always Thought Are the Part of Growing Older - Are Actually Not 6. How to Deal With the Stress of Being a Family Caregiver

3. Reduce the Risk of fall in Elderly with Simple Measures at Home Exercise – Daily exercise is most likely the only greatest element, which supports reducing the risk of falls. It is best for an elder to participate in exercises that are beneficial for the health of mind and body because these exercises help to improve strength and balance. A simple walking for 15 to 30 minutes per day at a moderate speed is also helpful. Individuals who continue the practice of active walking later in life are less likely to fall as compared to those who become inactive with age. Medication – Review the medications and if possible keep the intake of medication at a minimum level. Make a list of all prescription and non-prescription medicine along with sleep aids and anti-depressants and get them reviewed by a senior physician for drug interactions and side effects, which may contribute to the risk of fall. Alcohol Consumption – Moreover, one should restrict the consumption of alcohol. Even consuming in a safe quantity can make a person little less steady. Alcohol abuse is surprisingly common in elders who usually live alone and remain isolated. • • •

4. Reduce the Risk of fall in Elderly with Simple Measures at Home Regular Health Check – The health of elder requires a regular check. Reduced vision, internal ear problems, urinary tract infection, and further health conditions indicate the increased risk of fall. Proper Footwear – Always make sure that the elder member in the house wears proper shoes. Bedroom slipper or flip-flops can cause a fall or stumble, even if used inside the home. For a stable walking, it is necessary to wear sturdy footwear with a proper fit. Floor – Assess the house for a clear path across each room. Having to walk around the furniture or presence of footstools or coffee tables tend to increase the risk of fall. Additionally, small throw rugs need to be removed. Further small objects on the floor such as shoes, laundry baskets, toys, pet food dishes, and similar other items present a substantial risk of fall, particularly in the bedroom. Tape or staple extension cords and wires to keep them out of the way. Stairs and Hallways – Stairs and hallways must have sufficient lights. Any loose or torn carpet on the stairs should be removed and it is much better if you attach non-slippery rubber strides to the stairs. Also, check for firm hand-rails on both sides of the staircase. • • • •

5. Alcohol Consumption by the Elder Member of the Family – What You Can Do • A number of health concerns common to elder care rise in case of alcohol abuse. The balance becomes less steady, so it is more likely for such elders to experience falls leading to serious injuries. It also causes incontinence issues, leading to poor hygiene, infections and skin damage. While the harmful impact of alcohol on the neurological system is well-documented for all age groups and no one should drive while drinking. If this happens, you must know that now you require external intervention. Such behaviour needs to be stopped immediately as it puts the safety of other people at risk. • At times, people who feel embarrassed about their alcohol consumption, report falsely about the amount of alcohol they consume. Under such situation, you can easily determine the amount of alcohol been bought through credit card receipts or the amount that came in from shopping and the amount that is left behind to get the accurate idea about alcohol consumption. • In case the elder does not have a known history of alcohol abuse and there is no onset of dementia than the best approach is possibly a direct discussion. Most elders respond defensively when they are confronted for alcohol abuse. The objective is to encourage health and offer support and not to induce embarrassment. If the elder feels humiliated or ashamed then it can make it difficult for them to accept help. In such situation, a family friend or a professional counsellor can be a better choice. • Sometimes the elder person has a medical condition that involves the physician’s recommendation about avoiding alcohol such as a prescribed drug treatment that restricts the use of alcohol. In such situation, one can engage the physician in the discussion. It may not make the elder person willing to quit but can assist in establishing a firm and unbiased opinion in the discussion and provides the ground for asserting that alcohol intake should be restricted.

6. Signs That Indicates Towards the Need for Home Care Any incident that entails visible hazard makes it easy to decide. This may include dangerous driving, traffic accident, falls, house safety hazards due to inability to manage household such as roof leaks, overlooked plumbing issues, leaving the stove on, etc. Often elder people justify the incident by implementing that it could have happened to anyone. It is usually because they resist care, however, one must remember that it is not wise to wait for something bad to happen. Consider it a timely opportunity and do what must be done. In case of resistance, one needs to be persistent. The more visible signs include initial or moderate dementia, poor management of medication, and poor hygiene or incontinence. The incidents are non-negotiable and if any of these signs occur, it means living alone is extremely dangerous for your elder loved ones and they require home care. A further difficulty in decision making arises where warning signs are visible but not decisive and you are the only family member accountable for care. Only if possible, the best approach is to have an open and honest discussion with the elder family member. One can keep it hypothetical if it is helpful. Most of the times, individuals are not aware of how to request care and a discussion of possible incidents may allow those preferences to appear, which may have otherwise kept unspoken. • • •

7. Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is Dealing with Alzheimer’s • Try to make eye contact. Interact with them face to face and mention their name. Always make sure that their attention is focused on you. Deeply note their gestures and body language to realize how they are feeling. • Always mention in detail about what you are going to do before you do it. Elders with Alzheimer’s disease often feel more comfortable when they already know what to expect. • Considering their deteriorating mental capabilities, always ask only one question at a time. Try not to ask questions in the context of why or how. Elders with Alzheimer’s disease find them hard to process. Instead try asking the question in the context of who, what and where. • Try to speak in a soft tone and a calm manner while making use of small sentences. To maintain your pace, try taking a breath between each sentence. Try to use just one idea or instruction in a single sentence. • Never ask them to remember. It would be difficult for them and eventually cause frustration if they will be unable to remember past or recent events.

8. Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is Dealing with Alzheimer’s • Try to remain focus on the positive things and always address them in an adult voice. Remember that baby talk can put them off the edge. You must respect them for who they were and who they still are. • Never argue with them and do not attempt to correct them because this can lead to aggressive behaviour. For instance, if they are talking about a grown-up family member as a child you can ask them more about the person and show the picture of that family member’s childhood to prompt conversation. • Reading and singing are the abilities, which are usually preserved until later in the Alzheimer’s disease. You may sing songs to them, let them listen to music and read them stories from their childhood. • It may seem hard but always try to agree with them. Attempting to bring them back to reality may not work and worsen the condition. Instead, you can use what they are saying to extend conversations which might interest them.

9. Things You Always Thought Are the Part of Growing Older - Are Actually Not • Memory loss – Most of the elder people experience a certain change in their memory with the age. They seem to work a bit harder to remember a person’s name or recall a word. Such changes are normal because with age the part of our brain has stored so much information that it takes a little longer to access it. It is also important to know that some of the memory problems arise from curable conditions. Some common reasons for memory loss are vitamin deficiencies, metabolic disorders, sleep deprivation, alcohol abuse and urinary tract infections. • Vision problems – With the old age, a few changes in the vision are the most common, for instance finding it hard to focus when close to the eye. Most of the elder people develop conditions that impair eyesight such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration. Particular forms of vision impairments can be prevented with regular eye exams. As of today, cataract surgery is restoring the vision of a number of elder people. • Tooth loss – Poor nutrition has been the leading cause of poor oral health. Modern dentistry is assisting a number of elder individuals to preserve their natural teeth for a longer time period. Routine dental care can cure dry mouth, gum disease and regular wear and tear, which helps elder people to avoid loss of tooth. • Depression – Elder people are at high risk of depression. Changes in life circumstances, the death of spouse, health challenges and loss of independence can be a major cause of depression due to which home health care services have immense importance. Taking different medication due to certain health conditions may cause depression.

10. How to Deal With the Stress of Being a Family Caregiver Treat Yourself with Self-care – It is extremely important for you to maintain your own physical and emotional health. To do so, you must eat a balanced diet, take proper rest, exercise regularly and take out time for recreational activities in order to maintain your mental health. Taking out time to spend with friends, expressing how you feel and keeping your focus towards the positive aspects of life can also help you go through these challenging times. Get Some Additional Help – While your friends and relatives may not share your entire burden but most of the times they are happy to help with additional tasks such as your neighbours can help you with grocery shopping and cooking. Home Health Care Services can be the solution to all your problems. But if you have children you can involve them by assigning them chores according to their age. You may join a support group with other caregivers to learn from their experiences. Always remembers to say yes if someone offers you help. • •

11. The End For more details, please visit: https://medwayhealthcare.com/home-care/