April 2018 - Green Tree Home Care

Feet are the foundation for movement. When your loved one’s feet hurt it compromises many other activities. Foot care is super important to keep on top of. Feet are often neglected and get little attention till there is a raging issue. Elderly foot care is important to your loved one’s health.

Follow these foot care best practices for happy feet!

Take Time to Look at Feet

This may sound obvious but consider where feet spend most of their time: in socks or shoes, undercovers, or at the far end of your visual field. Rarely do you get close and personal with feet. As people age it becomes more and more difficult to reach toes and see changes in foot health. Your loved one may feel foot issues but conditions like neuropathy interfere with regular sensation processing. Neuropathy affects peripheral nerves and is more common in people with diabetes. It can cause numbness and weakness in feet making it hard to sense other emerging issues.

This is why it is important to give feet regular close inspection. But, what are you looking for? Common red flags in elderly foot care include:

Discoloration

Burning pain

Open sores

Noticable changes

If your loved one exhibits any of these signs, you may want to seek medical attention.

Work with a Podiatrist

Podiatrists work on feet and lower limbs. They specialize in preventing and diagnosing foot issues and are experts in elderly foot care. Podiatrists work to correct feet deformities and are skilled at keeping people mobile, relieving pain, and managing infections.

They often treat a range of conditions including:

Foot and toenail fungus

Calluses and corns

Bunions

Injuries

Open sores and blisters

Pain

Deformity

Podiatry care is covered by medicare. Most podiatrist see patients in medical offices but a few offer mobile services and will come directly to your loved one’s home. If your loved one has any foot concerns a podiatrist is a person to add to your team.

Practice Great Foot Hygiene

Prevention is key when it comes to good elderly foot care. Wash your loved one’s feet with mild soap and make sure to thoroughly dry them. Keep feet moisturized. Cracked dry skin may feel uncomfortable and might contribute to infections.

Keep your loved one’s toenails trimmed. Cut toenails straight across and do not round the corners. This helps keep toenails from growing into the sides of the toe causing ingrown toenails. Podiatrists help with toenail care and nail salons also often provide elderly foot care.

Encourage your loved one to keep feet elevated while at rest. Elevating feet supports good circulation. Be aware of other medical forces like diabetes. People who have diabetes are susceptible to gangrene if feet do not receive regular care.

Check to make sure shoes fit properly. As feet swell and change shoes may not fit the same. Poorly fitting shoes can cut off circulation and cramp toes. Cramped toes can lead to ingrown toenails and infection.

Wrap Up

Foot hygiene is an important part of personal care. Ensuring the foot health of your loved one means regularly checking feet for changes, redness, and swelling, open sores, and discomfort. Your attention to your loved one’s foot health helps prevent issues with mobility, infection, and illness.

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You aren’t with your loved one every day. You vigilantly look for signs that her caregiver is not providing adequate care. But, you want more than the minimum! How do you know if your caregiver is good for your loved one.

When is comes to trusting others with the care of your loved one, you should keep your eyes open for signs your loved one is thriving. Great home care is about creating relationships between caregiver and client. The best caregivers strive to exceed expectations and improve the health and wellbeing of those they care for.

Here are five signs your caregiver is good for your loved one.

Your Loved One is More Active Than Before

Great caregivers know that activities lift the spirit and give clients something to look forward to. Your loved one’s caregiver is good for your loved one when she schedules appropriate activities. Outings can be as simple as walk around the neighborhood. Or, Your loved one may want to take full fledged vacations with her caregiver. Activities depend on the health and activity level of your loved one. Great caregivers do not choose activities based on their own interests. They chose activities that resonate with your loved one.

Your loved one’s caregiver might encourage simple trips to the grocery or post office. Small steps often lead to more willness on the part of your loved one to participate in activities. Great caregivers might also introduce new activities to your loved one like a bunco group or ladies luncheon. Your caregiver is good for your loved one when she works to make your loved one feel interested in life activities.

Your Loved One is Reconnecting with Others

Reclusiveness is a symptom of depression. It may also point to physical changes like reduced hearing or cognitive impairment. Your loved one’s friends may notice your loved one withdrawing from conversations and social events.

A caregiver is good for your loved one when she encourages your loved one to reconnect with friends and family. Forcing a client into social settings is stressful. Great caregivers gently suggest social occasions. Often people avoid social gatherings because they experience feelings of anxiety or frustration. Great caregivers know what triggers their clients fear, and plan social gatherings that avoid the trigger. For instance, if your loved one is hard of hearing and feels frustrated in loud social venues, your loved ones caregiver may schedule an intimate gathering in a quiet location to encourage participation.

You Notice Your Loved One is Eating More

Eating is a social activity. While fundamentally necessary for life and nutrition, food consumption deals a lot with state of mind and personal preferences. As people age, the digestion process may become less efficient. Or, the taste of food may become less palatable. Malnourishment among the senior population runs rampant. Dehydration and poor nutrition contribute to weakness and susceptibility to illness.

This makes regular eating even more important. Great caregivers spend time on food presentation and taste. They look for ways to encourage your loved eat more regular nutritious meals. Simple gestures like dining together and learning favorite foods may make the difference between health and decline. Your loved one’s caregiver is good for her when you notice your loved one putting on healthy weight and getting regular meals.

Your Loved One is Gaining Strength

As people age they lose muscle mass. This process occurs naturally and is called Sarcopenia. Muscle loss increases with inactivity. Great caregivers work hard to keep clients up and moving. Protecting your loved ones mobility supports her independence.

Your loved one’s caregiver is good for her when she encourages movement and activity. Great caregivers encourage clients to participate and move. With consistent exercise support your loved one may gain mobility. By exercising together your loved one may improve her balance and be able to stand more easily.

Your Caregiver is an Excellent Communicator

Caregivers and clients often spend long stretches of time together. They form a relationship and bond over time. Often, caregivers have the most up-to-date information about your loved one since they have consistent, regular contact. Great caregivers know the importance of communication and pull family and resources together when necessary.

Your loved one’s caregiver is good for your loved one when she reports changes of condition immediately. Great caregivers also document visits and look for developing patterns. Your loved one’s caregiver should understand the importance of working with the care team. She should see herself as an essential member of this team.

Closing Thoughts

Your loved one’s caregiver is exceptional when she improves your loved one’s quality of life. It takes patience to change your loved one’s patterns of reclusiveness and sedentary lifestyle. Great caregivers make subtle suggestions and infuse times together with fun. The one-on-one care your loved one receives should result in stable or improving health if illness is not at work. Interaction, friendship, and planning may be enough to get your loved one interested and involved in life activities.

As you search San Diego in home care providers, you may come across the term “liv-in” home care. Upon first glance San Diego live in home care may seem like the perfect solution to your home care needs. But, what do providers mean by live in care? Well, it depends on the person using the term.

The umbrella term live in care includes several different arrangements that you might come across. This article addresses San Diego live in care arrangements and covers the pros and cons associated with each care structure.

Live In Care Through a Licensed Agency

San Diego home care agencies still use the term live in care, though the delivery of these services have changed dramatically. Before changes in overtime laws and home care licensure in California, San Diego home care agencies could offer massive discounts for home care that spanned an entire 24 hour period. Care that lasted 24 hours or more was called live in home care. Caregivers stayed at a client’s home for days on end. 8 hours of “sleep time” were deducted from the employee’s paycheck even though the caregiver could not leave the premise. Meals were provided by the client and the cost of the meals was further deducted from the employee’s paycheck.

After legislative changes, agencies could no longer apply the 8 hour sleep time reduction. Overtime laws became stricter and food deductions became more difficult to use. Licensure pushed agencies to conform to mainstream wage and hour practices.

Current State of San Diego Agency Home Care

Now, agencies pay caregivers time and ½ for all hours over 9 hours worked in a 24 hour period. This makes leaving one person on for more than 9 hours extremely cost prohibitive. 24 hour home care clients experienced a significant increase in the cost of home care. Volume discounts for live in home care disappeared.

San Diego live in home care agencies restructured operations to meet the new legal requirements. Many agencies now limit care shifts to 8 hours. They staff three people for a 24 hour shift rather than one. This change makes financial sense but creates a lot of daily change for clients. Clients sensitive to new faces and disturbances may find these constant shift changes disruptive.

Other San Diego home care organizations split live in shifts into two 12 hour shifts in a 24 hour period. They still pay overtime for the last three hours worked but opt for a staffing solution with less disruption. Some agencies pass the overtime charges on to clients and charge time and ½ for shifts longer than 9 hours. Green Tree Home Care does not charge clients overtime for longer shifts. We believe consistency and care continuity are essential. We don’t want to burden our clients with complicated overtime rate calculations so we keep the rate constant regardless of overtime.

The term live in home care no long means one person for 24 plus hours of home care. Agencies will still use the words live in but they staff 2-3 people per 24 hour shift. Make sure you ask your prospect agency if they charge overtime to clients and how many people they use to staff a 24 hour period. For the least amount of upheaval chose and organization that doesn’t charge overtime and staffs a max of 2 caregivers in a 24 hour period.

Live In Home Care from a Private Caregiver or Domestic Referral Agency

Live in arrangements are still relatively common in the world of private caregiving. Many people believe they are exempt from the laws that regulate San Diego home care agencies if caregivers receive an IRS 1099 form. Unfortunately, according to United States Department of Labor, an individual is classified as a W2 employee when she is economically dependent on an employer and is not in business for herself. There are several other factors that support the W2 status of caregivers over 1099 contractor status.

While some accountants and CPAs still may advise 1099 status for caregivers, legal trends point to W2 status as the safest bet. Reporting caregivers to the IRS is important. Penalties for misclassifying caregivers are often steep. If you misclassify a home caregiver, you may responsible for back pay for overtime wages.

Live In Home Care in Exchange for Room and Board

This is the most risky live in arrangement. There are a lot of laws that impact the viability of rent in exchange for caregiving. Basically Rental agreement laws favor renters in the state of California. The moment you include rent in exchange for a caregiving you enter into a renter/landlord arrangement on top of the employer/employee relationship. There are several cases where caregivers were terminated for cause and the care recipient still had to go through the legal eviction process to remove the caregiver from the home.

Closing Thoughts

When arranging San Diego live in home care make sure to ask what type of arrangement the home care provider proposes. You now have a solid understanding of how the legal considerations surrounding live in home care. If you use the services of a licensed home care like Green Tree Home Care you will have 2-3 caregivers per day. You can hire a private caregiver but need to ensure you follow wage and hour laws. It is highly recommended you do not mix rent and compensation as it complicates the employer/employee relationship.

For more information about San Diego home care check out this article:

San Diego Home Care – Everything You Need to Know

You realize your loved one is moving a little slower lately. Getting out of bed feels more and more difficult and the current mattress isn’t easy to get in and out of. Your doctor mentions it might be time to consider a hospital bed at home.

The term hospital bed sounds sterile and uncomfortable. But, hospital beds have changed a lot over the years. Now, they are valuable tools that make giving and receiving care more pleasurable for both parties.

Hospital beds move via mechanical or electrical means. The new models are easy to use and have controls handy for bed dwelling patients.

Hospital Beds Raise, Lower, Elevate, and Recline

There are differences in functionality among different bed models. But, most hospital beds are capable of a variety of movements. If your loved one has reduced balance and mobility, you want to ensure he has his feet firmly planted on the ground before he tries to stand. You can lower or raise a hospital bed so your loved one can stand safely. Hospital beds make the safe use of walkers and wheelchairs easier.

Hospital beds Elevate and recline. For patients who have difficulty sleeping on flat mattresses, hospital beds can adjust to create a comfortable sleeping space. Sometimes patients need to elevate legs and feet for health reasons.

Hospital Beds are Good for Caregivers

Hospital beds support good care technique. Caregivers can control the position of hospital beds. Caregivers are better positioned to offer support in back healthy positions. They are less likely to bend and stoop while providing assistance. Hospital beds make caring for your loved one’s personal needs easier.

Hospital beds often have rails that may give your loved one something to hold onto. Even if your loved one is non ambulatory he may have upper body strength. He can use his arms to help with rolling and repositioning.

Hospital Beds are Small and Mobile

While it may be an adjustment to move from a large bed to a hospital bed, often the reduced bed size makes maneuvering in the room safer. Wheelchairs and lifts require quite a bit of space to use and position correctly. Hospital beds may have wheels for easy movement. If your loved one is bed bound, a hospital bed makes changing scenery easier.

Hospital Beds are Accessorizable

Hospital beds rails offer great hand holds. They also protect people from rolling off the sides. While you would never want to restrain someone in bed rails are great reminders for people who need help in and out of bed. Bed rails can be attached on the entire length of the bed, or half rails can attach near the top of the bed. These rails are great for getting in and out of bed and usually don’t get in the way of getting in and out of bed.

Over bed tables slide close to the edge of the bed. They create a versatile table surface that works well with the size and design of hospital beds at home. Sheet or blanket supports raise blankets off lower legs and feet. These supports keep blankets from restricting leg movement and getting tangled as your loved one moves. Blanket supports also keep the extra weight off sensitive skin to help prevent sores and friction in calves and ankles.

If your loved one is prone to pressure ulcers specialized air mattresses can help. These mattresses provide alternating pressure and help keep body weight more evenly distributed. According the the US National Library of Medicine alternating pressure mattresses are clinically shown to better prevent pressure ulcers than standard mattresses.

The adjustable nature of hospital beds makes it easier to provide incontinence support. Caregivers can use side rails and hight changes to better manage personal care. Great cleanliness supports healthy skin. Minimize risk of bed sores and urinary tract infections with quality adult briefs, especially for overnights. https://dependabledaughter.com/product-category/incontinence/overnight/

Closing Thoughts

Hospital beds are great tools that help keep your loved one comfortable at home. For people who are bed bound or have trouble getting in and out of bed a hospital bed at home may be the solution. Hospital beds are sometimes covered by medicare. Medical professionals can help get your loved one a hospital bed at home.

Some people still regard hospital beds as clunky and sterile, but today’s hospital beds are valuable home care tools.

Your loved one suddenly seems less steady on his feet. His doctor suggests he start using a walker and shows him how to use it. When you get home you realize the house has narrow halls, or the chair sticks out too far. Home furnishings that once felt cozy now clearly look like trip hazards.

You notice how impossible a wheelchair will be to get up and down the steps. Your eye for ADA access and walker safety has suddenly come into focus and you plan to work with your father to make the home safer, but where do you start?

Clear a Path

While it might seem like a no brainer, sometimes in the fight for safety, aesthetic wins out. Tables and buffets that have held a special place over the span of 40 years feel permanent and important. Asking a loved one to use a new tool he doesn’t love, and move a piece of furniture he does love might be enough to start world war III. Often clearing pathways is more about gentle conversation than physically moving objects.

Sometimes it helps to have a professional suggest changes in the home. Your loved one may feel more receptive if difficult suggestions come from a stranger. Home health and home care organizations often have managers who will make home safety suggestions.

Walker Glides Make Moving Walkers Easier

You have seen walkers with the fluffy yellow balls attached to the legs. There are better versions of these walker accessories called walker glides. Walker glides protect the included rubber stops on the bottom of the walker, and they help make walking across carpeted surfaces easier.

For people who struggle to manage the weight of the walker friction reducing accessories make a big difference. Well worn walkers can scratch floors and make noise as the components wear out. Glides offer another layer of protection.

Different Walkers for Different Places

There are several types of walkers. Some walkers have no wheels, some have two, and some have four. Walkers are not expensive tools, so it makes sense to try different models for different activities. For outdoor use walkers with two wheels offer stability but move over uneven ground more easily. Rollators or walkers with four wheels make faster walking possible but require the user feel comfortable with using a brake.

Consider having different walkers for different levels of the house. You certainly don’t want your loved one navigating stairways will trying to carry a walker up and down. Some people keep a fold up walker in the trunk to minimize lifting and improve walker safety.

Remove Rugs, Cords, and Trip Hazards

Walkers offer stability but pathways must be clear to prevent trip incidents. Look for cords and rugs that are loose and could catch the foot of a walker. Talk to your loved one about the importance of fall prevention. Walkers help with balance issues, but falls can still happen if feet get tripped up. Rugs may seem heavy and secure where they lay, but corners and edges may lift just enough to catch a toe. Walker safety includes making sure trip hazards are out of the way.

Keep the Walker Somewhere Handy

Walkers do no good when stored in the garage, but without practice and urging that is where they can end up. Make sure walkers are in easy reach of your loved one. Keep a walker beside the bed, or in a bathroom. If there are door size issues keep one in an often used room so your loved one doesn’t need to try to fit it through the door.

Wrap Up

Getting used to a walker may take your loved one a little practice. Encourage the use of the walker by making it accessible, and easy to reach. Have walkers on different levels of a multi story homes and remove rugs and trip hazards from walkways. If your loved one doesn’t love a particular walker style, try a different one. There are lots of walker features including wheels, brakes and seats. Find the design that meets your loved one’s needs best.

If your loved one needs more encouragement using the walker when you aren’t around, or would benefit from meal preparation and light house keeping contact us for a free assessment.

As we age and health concerns begin to take center stage, personal beauty care sometimes takes a back seat. It is important to remember that personal image is important to emotional health and wellbeing. You should help your loved one maintain personal care even if cognitive changes have made her unaware of her personal care needs.

Maintaining personal beauty care routines may take extra time. And, you may have to modify personal care rituals. But, it is important your loved one feels prepared for the day. Personal care rituals span a wide range of activities. For some, personal care includes a shower and a clean pair of pants. While others feel good with a fresh fancy outfit and full makeup and hair.

Personal beauty care routines often stem from lifetime habits. So, check with your loved one about the personal care tasks she enjoys most and wants to continue. The following beauty rituals are important at any age.

Keep Toes and Feet Clean and Trimmed

Toe care is often difficult to maintain as your loved one ages. Funguses, dry skin, and changes in toe health are important health concerns. Toenails become thick and difficult to cut. Conditions like diabetes makes toenail cutting riskier, and most home care organizations do not provide toenail care.

So who can clip toes? Family members often take on this role. But, podiatrists provide excellent foot care, and some will provide house calls. If your loved one has ingrown toenails, foot pain, or fungus issues a call to the podiatrist might be your best bet.

Nail salons provide good foot care, and your loved one might enjoy the experience. Not only will feet be trimmed and cleaned, but a fresh coat of paint might lift your loved one’s spirits. Going to the nail salon is an enjoyable outing for you and your loved one.

Mouth Care

Sometimes, dental care feels less important than cardio and neuro doctor appointments. But, keeping your loved one’s mouth clean and cared for is important to personal daily care. Research shows a possible link between periodontitis and compromised glycemic management. So, diabetics, who have inflamed gums, may experience complications with blood sugar management.

When you take steps to preserve teeth, and prevent painful mouth conditions you support your loved ones health. Practice daily brushing of teeth. If your loved one doesn’t have teeth, then clean gums daily with a warm cloth.

Hair Care

Hairstyle is such a personal statement. If your loved always kept hair colored and styled, try to honar that practice by helping her keep it up. Preserving personal image may help your loved one stay focused and motivated in other care areas like exercise and nutrition.

Rinseless shampoos help keep hair clean if showering is difficult. You can set an appointment at the local beauty salon for a weekly hair style, and a fun outing. Make personal beauty care fun.

For men, create a regular routine for facial hair care. Electric razors make face care easier. There are barbers who offer expert face shaves, and a nice experience to boot.

Make Up

Each woman spends a lifetime developing her personal make up style. While some make up applications require more detailed hands. A favorite shade of lipstick might be just what your loved one needs to feel ready to face the day.

Talk to you loved one about what makes her feel beautiful. You may want to choose one or two of her signature personal beauty care practices to keep up. Be respectful that personal makeup routines are often wrapped up in identity. And, preserving those rituals supports emotional well being.

Final Thoughts

While makeup and hair styling my not be foremost on your daily care list consider how personal beauty care may positively impact your loved one’s emotional state.

Caring for someone else is about more than meeting daily needs. Great caregiving supports a person’s positive self image. The best caregivers want loved ones to continue doing the things that make them feel empowered and beautiful.

If you would like more information about home care, and san diego home care resources check out this article: San Diego Home Care – Everything You Need to Know

I am a fairly young person with two kids in elementary and middle school. My life is about carpools, school functions, and collage plans. My husband and I both work to keep the wheels turning. I was not planning on making a huge change to my life style, and then – my parent moves in!

I remember chatting with my dad about the “possibility” of him moving in. Then, with what seemed like a blink, he was at the door – boxes in hand. My husband and I helped my father situate into a covered patio we converted into a comfortable studio. We both carried boxes in a daze wondering what we had done exactly. There wasn’t an end date to Dad’s visit. In fact, it felt permanent.

My father was healthy at move in, but retired and reinventing himself. After decades of independence we suddenly had another opinionated adult sharing our daily lives. It felt wonderful in some moments and jarring in others.

If you are considering inviting your parent to share your home consider some of the emotional challenges that may lie ahead:

You Have a Roomate You Didn’t Necessary Want

My husband and I loved the idea of Grandpa close to our girls, participating in their young years. But, we quickly realized my father is an independent adult who has his own way of doing things, and expectations for his own comfort and routines.

Most of time we are respectful of his space and vise versa, but at times it seems clear we have a roomate with social rules we did not anticipate. Questions about food and cleaning become important to address. It helps to set boundaries for dealing with children living at home, and how the grandparent role fits with the housemate role.

It is very important that you have open and honest conversations about what living together might look like. If you are sharing a roof with your parent, you want to have clear expectations for both parties.

Old Patterns May Emerge

My father and I are both non-confrontational people which works out wonderfully most of the time. But, some of the parent child habits we spent 18 years developing creep back into the picture. As a teen I did most of the cooking, and my father would bring home the bacon – literally. Now, I work a lot, and often from home in the evening.

Dad may proudly walk into the house, and set his grocery store finds in front of my kitchen counter perch. He will look from me to the raw chicken breast waiting for me to fill my role as the 16-year-old maker of chicken – um no! There are four other capable cooks in our house including Dad who are not working in that precise dinner time moment.

It took a long time to undo the “I bring it home – you cook it pattern”. Now, the person who has the least going on assumes dinner responsibilities for the night. Don’t be afraid to talk to your loved one about habits and patterns that don’t work in the new arrangement, and celebrate the parts that do!

If your parent moves in because he or she is experiencing physical or cognitive issues, you may have less control of how your loved one responds to new patterns. Parents experiencing dementia my bring back old patterns that have been at rest for years, but feel fresh to your loved one. It is important to remember these behaviors are a result of illness.

You Might Feel Role Reversal Friction

I am an adult who makes hundreds of different decisions every day. I haven’t asked permission or considered what I could and couldn’t do in my house – because it is mine! When a parent moves in he isn’t the owner of that home, and doesn’t have the same carte blanche he enjoyed when “you lived under his roof”. If you have invited your loved one to move in, you have effectively said my home is now your home again. But, there are still teeter totter movements when child and parent struggle for home decision dominance.

My Dad begrudgingly puts up with my no red wine on white couches policy, and I deal with his elevator music choices. We are now sharing roles we both individually held with ease.

Your Otherwise Supportive Spouse May Not Love the New Arrangement

I spent my entire life learning the nuanced language of my father. I know what his raised eyebrow means, and how far I can tease before I get the look. I enjoy hearing my father laugh with friends on the phone. And, I like chatting with him in the morning when we share a cup of coffee. These activities feel natural to me and take me to a good place.

My wonderful husband has none of those experience anchors to keep him emotionally grounded in this tumultuous family blending. He is on strange footing with a strange person on his home turf. Be patient with family members who don’t have the emotional history you do with your loved one. You have to be willing to allow family members to find their own way to respectfully share space.

Your Parent May Require Emotional Capital You Don’t Have

My husband and I work. We run the kids around and keep the house going. By the end of the day we are zapped and nearly fall into bed. We are mindful to stay connected with each other throughout the busy day. When your parent moves in, the delicate balance you created to keep your sanity and your life my become disrupted.

If you loved one is leaving his social network, or changes in health have made socializing difficult, you may become his main social outlet.

My Dad loved to chat with me near the end of my workday when I was trying to cram the last few lines into an email. My fractured attention made my emails sloppy and my conversation stilted. Now, dad and I have our chats in the morning over breakfast or while sharing a glass a wine on a Friday night. This gives us the emotional connection we both need while creating space for us to thrive as individuals.

Closing Thoughts

When a parent moves in, life changes and a new chapter begins. Make sure to have the difficult conversations upfront. If your loved one is coping with a physical or mental impairment, make sure to educate yourself and create a support system. Check out this article for great information about San Diego home care resources. The Alzheimer’s association is a great resource for family caregivers and offers local support groups.

Remember, sharing a home with your loved one is a short season in your life and a gift you will never forget.

As a company, Green Tree Home Care is committed to helping our clients live enjoyable lives in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

We realize that safety is a huge concern for families when it comes to senior care planning.

In the United States, one in three people aged 65 or more will fall at least once a year.

The consequence of a fall is an increase in injuries that result in hospitalizations that cost a lot of money. Changes in cognition and judgment also put elderly adults at an increased risk for injury and illness.

This article address some of the major safety concerns and how you can help ensure your loved one stays safe at home.

Preventing Falls – 10 Tips

Falls are a major concern when it comes to the safety of an aging adult.

It is a serious problem – but one which has very simple and implementable solutions and will help your loved one stay safe at home.

10 Ways To Prevent Falls In The Home

Get rid of tripping hazards. Tape down or remove area rugs. Objects like furniture or shoes, that obstruct walkways, should be moved out of walkways.
Keep floors dry as much as possible. In areas of the home that routinely get wet like the bathroom or kitchen, non-slip mats should cover the floor. Mop up water and other liquid spills immediatly.
Support structures in the shower/bathroom such as a railings are extremely helpful. Seniors can hold onto these for extra support as they bathe themselves.
You may want to consider stairlifts for a two story home. If you are not sure if your long term insurance plan covers it, call to ask if these types of mobility devices are supported.
Another safety precaution for staircases are grab-bars or railings that allow the older adult to hold on as they ascend or descend.
If the home has a bedroom on the first floor that does not need a staircase to access, consider relocating your bedroom here.The less seniors have to move up a staircase, the less risk for falls and injuries.
Lighting should be adequate. It is natural for older adults to wake up at night to use the bathroom. Having night lights strategically placed in their path will help them find their way to and fro.
How long has it been since your loved one had an eye health check up ? Problems with vision can contribute to fall and subsequent injuries.
Encourage seniors to participate in a low impact strength training regimen to improve leg strength and balance.
If your loved one uses mobility assistive devices, such as a walker, make sure it is correctly measured for their height and weight and that she is comfortable with it.

Preventing Burns – 8 Tips

Fire safety is another concern that arises as seniors age. There have been reports of people leaving a kettle on and accidentally falling asleep only to wake-up to find a raging fire. Changes in judgment and memory increase the likelihood of accidental fires and burns.

Preventing something as tragic as a fire starts with taking some of the simple steps below.

Check to make sure fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are up to date, functioning and have new batteries in them. Early alerts through an alarm can help seniors get out of their house on time.
Smoking in bed is a big no-no. Especially so if your senior loved on has an oxygen tank in the house with them.
Ensure that all stove burners are off before heading to bed.
If you smell a gas leak, don’t hesitate. Report it immediately.
Turn off any burning candles before you go to bed.
Have the temperature of your hot water heater tested and adjusted to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Avoid electrical blankets as much as possible. They are warm and cuddly but are very much a fire hazard.
Have a fire extinguisher on hand at home to put out small fires.

Preventing Medication Errors – 3 Tips

Medication errors are just as dangerous as falls and fire injuries.

It just takes an overdose or a dangerous combination of otherwise safe medications to create a major medical incident.

Check medications against the latest doctor order to ensure medications are correct and in date.
If vision is a problem, make sure to let the pharmacy know to write the instructions in big font.
As a caregiver, it is always good to educate yourself on drug combinations that can be dangerous. Speak to the doctor or pharmacist and ask for print outs of such combinations.

Closing Thoughts

Safety at home is a key concern for seniors. If your loved one is experiencing falls, lapses in judgment, and medication mistakes, it may be time to bring in outside support. You can contact our client services team to find out if your loved one is appropriate for home care.

As a family caregiver, you can help your client or senior loved one take charge of safety by applying the tips just shared in this post.

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Naturally, people may experience malnourishment as they age.

As people age they may develop a lower tolerance for foods that were tolerable before. A decrease in the efficiency of the digestive system makes it harder for people to convert food into energy. And difficulty with movement makes meal preparation difficult. All these factors can contribute to malnourishment.

How do we as caregivers encourage nutrition in our senior loved ones ?

In this post, we will go over 5 ways to help your loved maintain excellent nutrition.

Make Meal Preparation Easy

The first way to encourage nutrition is to make sure meals are very easy to prepare for seniors.

Prepping half-cooked or fully cooked meals which can be refrigerated and easily popped into the oven when your loved on is ready to eat is a good way to get started with this.

Grocery stores across the country now sell a wide variety of pre-cooked meals that make cooking an ease. Simple but nutritious single serve meals that can easily be placed in a microwave or regular oven can also be bought in the grocery store.

Fruits and vegetables are full of essential nutrients and should also be on hand. Most fruits and vegetables require very little cooking. This makes them perfect for healthy snacks.

Red and orange vegetables like carrots and tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A which helps with eye health.

Green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and lettuce are provide iron which supplies the body with energy and helps to reduce anemia.

For seniors who have difficulty chewing, there are juicers and mechanical softeners that make food easier to swallow.

Making food easily available and easy to consume ensures that seniors get the right daily caloric and nutrient intake that supports life.

Make Meals Social

As a result of major life changes, such children living far away or the loss of a spouse, many seniors experience depression and loneliness which can translate into a loss of appetite.

This loss of appetite may adversely affect nutrition in seniors.

There is evidence, however, that suggests that social eating helps older people eat more.

While this can have a downside of over-eating for some people, in adults who have trouble eating alone, this is a good thing.

Providing seniors with the company of family, other seniors, neighbors, friends, or caregivers during meals can work wonders for stimulating appetite.

Other ways to make mealtimes social for seniors include starting a potluck club. You may also suggest your loved one join a mall walker program (where they have breakfast after walks).

Seniors can also be encouraged to eat out in the neighborhood. Several cafes offer discount for senior meals and these can be taken advantage of.

Enhance the Flavor

To cater for seniors who have low appetites try enhancing foods with flavor. As people age, the strength of thier sense of taste may decrease.

Stir-frying green vegetables in a little oil with aromatic spices can change a usually bland meal into a delicious one.

Shop for Bargains

Eating nutritious meals can come at a high price.

If price is a barrier to buying more nutritious choices at the grocery store, a caregiver can play an active role in helping a senior find affordable bargains. Use weekly grocery store sales prices that come out (always a good time to stock up when there is a sale!) Look out for coupons and discounts that offer even further reduced prices.

Local charities and churches will sometimes get overflow produce from grocery stores to give to the community. These local resoures may offer good food that may be significantly reduced or even free.

Price should never be the reason why person does not eat healthily. There are great resources that caregivers can look into to help seniors enjoy better low cost nutrition.

Transportation

One of the services we provide here at Green Tree Home Care is transportation assistance. We realize it is important our clients have access to grocery transportation for optimal health.

Some seniors like to shop for themselves and a caregiver can provide a ride to the store so they can make their own selections. In fact, giving them the opportunity to go to the store and buy their own food gives people a sense of autonomy and control. A sense of a loss of control can send our senior loved ones into depression. Activities like shopping for themselves not only gives them a chance to pick out food but encourages that sense of control.

Closing Thoughts

As people age, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain excellent nutrition due to a host of factors. In this post, I have shared 5 tips caregivers, friends, neighbors and family can all help in promoting excellent nutrition in seniors.

Encouraging excellent nutrition will increase the quality of life of our senior loved ones.

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As dementia affects more and more senior adults, expertise in dementia care will continue to be a very valuable skill for professional caregivers. But what does it take to become an expert at providing care for elders with dementia?

In this post, we will uncover 5 skills you can develop to become a dementia care expert!

But first, let’s take a moment to fully understand what dementia is.

Dementia is not a specific disease. It simply describes a constellation of illnesses that cause a general decline in memory and other thinking skills. These changes commonly alter how a person behaves and interacts with his or her environment.

Alzheimer’s Disease accounts for 60-80% of all cases of dementia whereas a vascular dementia – a condition that arises usually after a stroke is the second most common root cause for dementia.

Your loved one who has dementia is not “out of their mind” or “crazy”.

Dementia is an illness that can affect anybody regardless of their socio-economic status or educational level.

The symptoms of dementia include:

Memory loss
Problems communicating or finding their words
Difficulty reasoning or problem-solving
Difficulty handling tasks they used to be able to handle easily. They might forget how to start a car for instance even though they have driven for years
Agitation
Paranoia
Hallucinations

Understanding the basis for why dementia happens will make a caregiver more empathetic and understanding of the person you are providing care to.

Practice the Art of Living Where the Patient Lives

As mentioned above, with dementia comes memory loss and distortions of reality.

Your elderly loved one may suddenly start talking about things that happened years ago as if they happened yesterday, Or, she may not recognize you and call you by a different name.

Redirection is the practice of using non-confrontational language and tasks to change your loved one’s direction or behavior. Redirection may simply involve bringing up a beloved family member, or talking about a favorite hobby or pastime.

Your loved one may drift in and out of reality and current time and place. Focus on maintaining your loved one’s independence while creating an environment that is safe and easy to navigate.

Develop unending patience. The person is not the illness but it is important to care for both.

Engage Your Loved One in Their Preferred Mode of Communication

If she doesn’t want to use regular words, but wants to sing out her sentences, sing out the sentences with her! If she is now non-verbal, learn non-verbal ways to communicate with her.

Sometimes old songs can trigger advanced communicatio. If your loved one responds to music, play it often. Comfortable communication is the key to caring for your loved one with dementia.

It can feel frustrating when she will not speak or communicate with you the way she used to. But using these tactics, will make communication and completing daily tasks like bathing and dressing much easier.

If you are a brand new caregiver, who is new to a particular dementia client, it is important to talk with family members and perhaps other caregivers who are familiar with their case to get a feel for what works and what does not with a particular client.

Whether verbal or non-verbal, everyone craves connection. Therefore,finding the best way to communicate with someone struggling with dementia is immensely important.

Plan Activities

Dementia does not mean a person can no longer participate in activities. As an expert dementia caregiver, you will plan activities that allow encourage social interaction.

What did your loved one or client love to do before dementia set in ? If they still enjoy those activities, e.g they liked to play cards and can still play, incorporate those activities into their weekly schedule.

For some patients, activities they used to enjoy may no longer be things they want to be engaged in. If that is the case, find out through trial and error and observation, what their new preferred activities are.

Practice Redirection

Instead of vehemently disagreeing with a dementia patient about what is true or not, practice redirection. The art of redirection is not always easy but you can master it over time. Here are a few examples of something you could say to redirect someone with dementia.

Example #1

The lights are off at night and the client or your loved one says, “It is dark. The monsters come at me when the lights are off.”

Instead of stating that the “monsters” are not real, a reassuring redirecting statement would be “I see. You know what? We will turn the lights on so you feel safer.”

In this statement, you are not reinforcing the fact that there are monsters.

You are however providing a solution that may solve the concern your loved one is trying to communicate – she is afraid of the dark.

Example #2

She mentions she would like to fix her 1979 Crown Victoria so she can take it out for a ride this weekend. The reality: she hasn’t owned that 1979 Crown Victoria for 10 years and currently doesn’t drive. A non-combative, redirecting statement would be “Well, let’s see what we can do about that tomorrow.”

For a lot of dementia patients, disagreeing with their reality can lead to anger, agitation and frustration. As much as possible, avoid confrontation.

Redirection allows you to acknowledge the need of the client/loved one – which makes her feel understood – while averting attention away from the subject or addressing the real issue behind her communication.

Use Supportive Touch

Last but not least, as an expert dementia caregiver, use supportive touch.

Massage and touch no doubt help people relax. A gentle touch is a universal sign of interaction and affection.

Great dementia care will involve you as a caregiver providing as much supportive touch as is necessary to help the person feel loved and cared for. Supportive touch also involves caring for your loved one’s body by keeping it clean and encouraging regular motion.

Closing Thoughts

Caring for a dementia patient is no doubt a challenge for any caregiver. However, it is still possible to give great care to people struggling with dementia. You can also enlist San Diego community resources, and home care support.

In this post, we have uncovered 5 ways to expertly care for people with dementia.

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