Thinking of gifts for your caregiver friends this time of the year?

According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, over 43.5 million people have provided unpaid care in the past year. With so many people caring for loved ones, chances are high that someone on your list is a caregiver.

If you’re wondering what to get your caregiver friends this holiday season, this list has you covered. You’ll find seven different categories of gifts that caregivers would love.

These gifts also work as everyday gifts!

7 gifts to get your caregiver friends

If you’re wondering what you can give the caregivers in your life, here are seven types of gifts they’ll love!

1.     Time Off

Providing care is hard, both physically and emotionally. Caregivers are on duty all the time. When their family member needs care, they selflessly provide it.

But all this care giving takes a toll. Your friend can use a break!

Could you head to her home and relieve her for a few hours a couple of time each month? Or provide overnight care once a month?

Think about how much time you could commit to and create a certificate sharing your commitment. It’s a gift that’ll keep on giving all year long, giving your friend a necessary break.

 

If you don’t live close enough to personally provide respite, or don’t have the desire to do so, you can still provide a break. You can pay for another caregiver to relieve your friend on a regular basis.

2.      Relaxation

Self-care is so important, especially if you’re taking care of others. Give your friend the gift of relaxation, so they can fill their own cup a bit. Consider gifting:

• A spa day
• Quality coffee and a mug with an inspirational saying
• A chair massager
• Bath bombs in a favorite scent
• Candles
• A new book (a fun read, not related to care giving!)
• Starbucks gift card
• Subscription to a favorite magazine

3.      Hobby Building

Providing care can be consuming. Don’t let your friend lose herself in her efforts to be the best caregiver possible. Give her a gift that encourages her to pursue her own passions and interests.

Hobby building gifts could include:

• Painting supplies
• Yarn and knitting needles
• Online courses
• A blog domain and a year of hosting
• High quality camera
• A kit with the necessary supplies to learn something new
• Drawing instruments
• A musical instrument, instruction book, and lessons

4.      Food

Everyone needs to eat. Food preparation takes the time of a caregiver. Take this worry off your friend’s plate by giving the gift of food.

Meal delivery services make excellent gifts for caregivers.  You can also make several healthy freezer meals and deliver them with clear instructions for how to prepare them.

Before giving the gift of food, make sure you ask about dietary restrictions for the entire household. You don’t want your friend to have to make a second meal because someone can’t eat what you brought.

5.      Memory Holders

Caretakers realize that death can happen at any moment. Many of them desire to remember as many memories of their aging family member as possible. Give the gift of memories such as:

• An interview journal
• A couple’s letter book (for spouses providing care)
• A memory box to put mementos in
• Create a photo pillow featuring images of the caregiver and loved one
• Enlist the help of other family members and friends, asking everyone write a note about their favorite memories. Compile these in a small photo album or box.

6.      Household Help

Having a clean, well-maintained home can take a lot of stress from caretakers. Are there any household tasks you can help with or pay someone else to do? Think about:

• Housecleaning
• Yard maintenance
• Cleaning the gutters
• Doing minor repairs
• Regular household maintenance

7.      Care giving Supplies, Tools, or Subscriptions

Your friend wants to be the best caregiver possible. These items provide knowledge, support, and inspiration to make that happen.

• Membership in an association related with their loved one’s condition
• A book about caregiving, like How to Care for Aging Parents, The Conscious Caregiver, or Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s
• A locked pill box for keeping track of medication
• Wireless call button
• Household cameras or alarms for doors
• A guided journal
• Caregiving calendar

There you have it, seven types of gifts the caregiver in your life will appreciate. Please share this post with others who are purchasing gifts for caregivers.

 

Need some gift ideas for your elderly loved ones this year?

We’ve got your back!

In today’s post, I’ll be sharing nineteen different gift ideas that are suitable for your elderly loved one this year.

19 Gift Ideas For Your Elderly Loved One This Year

Audio Books/Audio Book Subscription

Does your loved one like to read but perhaps it has become harder for them to see? Help them discover new worlds of books through an audio book subscription.

iPad/Tablet

An iPad or any other brand of tablet are an invention that are not going away any time soon. The ability to load it with useful apps and use it as a communication device may be a good reason why this is a good gift idea for elders.

Emergency alert system

If your elderly loved one doesn’t have an emergency alert system (an example would be the Life Alert system), this is a great gift idea. This is helpful if you live far away from your loved one and would love them to be able to alert someone immediately if they fell down and couldn’t get to a phone.

Voice controlled smart devices

Amazon Alexa and Google Home are still great gift ideas this season. You are able to program different instructions into these devices. This will be helpful if your elderly loved one has limited mobility.

Heated foot massage

Give your elderly loved one an in-home spa treatment with a portable, heated foot massage. Please note that this type of gift may not be advisable for people who have diabetes.

Facebook Portal

Facebook recently debuted their Portal device which is a hand-free calling video calling device. Place portal anywhere around your house and chat with your loved ones without having to hold it or even turn it in a particular direction.

Smokeless indoor grill

Have a loved one who likes to grill? This might be a fast indoor solution for them. Please be safe with such a device so that it does not become a fire hazard.

Gratitude/Journal Books

Get your loved one talking about what they are grateful for. Writing in a journal can be therapeutic and can become a historical family keepsake.

Paid for trips

Pay for a trip for your elderly loved one!

Gift card to their favorite restaurant

Where do they like to eat? Get them a gift card to the place.

Hand cream

The winter months are notoriously drier. Rich hand cream that is on hand is the solution to keeping skin nicely hydrated no matter the season.

Board games

Games keep our brains active and are a great tool for socializing.

At-home spa set

Right from home your elderly loved one will be able to pamper him or herself.

Barbecue Sauce Bucket

If you have a loved one who loves to grill, this could be the perfect gift for them.

Digital camera

Help them capture all the moments of life they want to capture. Perhaps photography is even a new skill they can pick up and learn.

Comfortable shoes

Nothing beats a pair of comfy shoes. Comfortable sneakers for walking around the house or orthotic shoes that help with a person’s health are great gifts to consider.

Stainless steel straws

Our environment is being poisoned by tons of plastic every single minute. One of the biggest culprits are plastic straws. Stainless steel straws on the other hand are friendly to the environment and will generate less waste than plastic. If you have an elderly loved one who uses straws, this is a great gift idea for them.

Pet toys

While buying gifts for them, don’t forget their pets.

Online learning subscription

Is your elderly loved one an avid learner? An online gift card or subscription to websites like Udemy, Coursera and Skillshare are a gift to consider for your avid learner.

Did any of these spark any thoughts for you?

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with someone else who will find it useful.

 

The holidays are upon us and times of celebration are ahead.

However, there are unfortunate members of our society who have made it their jobs to defraud elders during this season.

Senior/elder fraud is not a thing of television shows. It is real and according to CNBC it is to the tune of $36 billion each year.

They also estimate that 1 in 18 seniors falls prey to scams each year.

This is an alarming statistic we all need to pay attention to.

According to the National Council on Aging, the following are the top ten types of elder fraud/scams out there.

1. Medical and health insurance scams
2. Counterfeit drugs
3. Funeral and cemetery scams
4. Fraudulent anti-aging supplements
5. Telemarketing/phone scams- fake charity calls
6. Internet scams- this includes e-mail phishing scams
7. Investment schemes
8. Homeowner/reverse mortgage scams
9. Sweepstakes/lottery scams
10. Grandparent scam- callers pretend to be a grandchild or younger relative who has fallen into an emergency

So what can you do as an elder or a caregiver to nip this problem in the bud?

In this post, I will share 3 simple but powerful tips that will help you steer clear of holiday fraudsters.

Beware of calls, texts or e-mails asking you for personal information

This seems like such a simple tip to heed but I have personally had friends and family fall into this trap.

Some fraudsters on e-mail go as far as duplicating company logos to make the e-mail look legit.

Don’t click on any link even if you think the e-mail looks legitimate. Instead, go to the company website and find the correct customer service number and call to verify if they indeed have requested this information. Chances are that if you’ve been a customer for a long time, they wouldn’t have requested this information.

Don’t give out your social security, birth date, debit card pin or password. Anyone calling you to verify ANY of this information for any reason is definitely a scammer.

Beware of holiday “donation” scammers

The holidays are a time of goodwill and you probably want to do some good and spread some cheer.

This is great.

Unfortunately, some scammers prey on the goodness of people during this season as well.

Don’t give donations to any charity you’ve never personally encountered or have experience with.

Moreover, never reveal your financial and/or personal information to these people.

Don’t give strangers remote access to your computer

This one was a new scam I discovered this year!

Someone called me over the phone and told me they were from Microsoft and that they had noticed that my computer was giving off problematic signals to their office. I learned later that this was a scam where if you gave them the information they were looking for, they would take control of your computer remotely and basically do whatever they wanted. And that would include stealing personal information.

Talk about boldness!

Microsoft is too busy building computers and software. Nobody from their company, or any respectable company for that matter, is going to call to tell you of “problematic signals” from your computer.

A fiduciary could help

If you have a loved one who is older and struggling to keep up with all their financial obligations, it might be time to hire the services of a fiduciary.

A fiduciary is a licensed professional who serves as an impartial third party in managing the finances of elders. They are required by law to work in their client’s best interest.

A fiduciary can handle things like paying bills and helping elders plan their will.

If you are concerned that your loved one is at risk for a financial scam or fraud during this holiday season, it might be time to research and enlist the services of a licensed fiduciary.

Closing Thoughts

When in doubt, give your information out to nobody.

Trust your instincts.

If it smells, looks and moves like a rat, it is a rat!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with someone. We can stop holiday fraud together.

Getting older does not mean a person’s mind and body have to go dull.

It is possible for seniors to stay active mentally, physically and socially for a long time.

As a caregiver, you can help your elderly loved one stay active by encouraging them to engage in a combination of the activities I share in this post.

Keeping Seniors Active

Social Interaction

Social interaction is essential to the success of any human being. One method of keeping seniors active is encourage them to get involved in social situation. The could include:

• Dinner with family members and/or friends
• Game nights that are designed especially for seniors in the community
• Local fairs and festivals with family members
• Church or other religious events

Physical Activity

Another way to get seniors active and engaged is to encourage them to get physically active.

• Offer to exercise with them. People are more likely to work out when other people do it with them. Take a walk with them in the park, ride a bike together or offer to do a video exercise program with them.
• Make it easy. Chances are that your elderly loved one is not exercising for a body-building competition. So keep the exercises easy and fun.
• The National Institute of Health recommends that adults exercise for at least 30 minutes everyday. As we get older, it understandably gets harder to work out. In this case, research has shown that getting healthcare providers on board is helpful.

Games for mental sharpness

It is helpful if you can help your elderly loved one stay sharp mentally. Examples of games you can try include:

• Crossword puzzles
• Jigsaw puzzles
• Sudoku
• Video games
• Chess
• Checkers

And I am sure you can think of more if you wanted to. The point here is to incorporate a game your elderly loved one enjoys into their daily routine to help them stay mentally sharp.

Games have also been shown to be helpful in seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Nobody is ever too old to learn

It is possible to teach an old companion new tricks!

If your elderly loved one does not use a computer, now would be a great time for them to take that computer class at your local community college.

Other skills the elderly can take up as a way to stay active include:

• Writing
• Pottery
• Quilt-making
• Computer coding
• First aid
• A sport
• A new musical instrument

The list is endless here. Learning a new thing is a great way to help your senior loved one stay active.

Volunteering

Volunteering is an excellent way to help your senior loved one stay active.

Not only will they be undertaking an activity that keeps their mind sharp, they will get to interact with other people and that will help meet social needs.

Closing Thoughts

Staying active keeps the mind and body sharp.

Encouraging your senior loved one to get involved in social, physical and learning activities is an excellent decision.

Everyone deserves to live a full and active life.

In this post, I have shared various ways you can encourage your elderly loved ones to live a more active life.

Did you find this post helpful?

Consider sharing it with someone else!

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health problem. It affects people who have experienced a traumatic life event.

That traumatic event could be anything from murder, rape, physical abuse or a national disaster.

Regardless of the type of traumatic event a person goes through, it is important that you are familiar with the symptoms of PTSD as a caregiver.

Understanding PTSD in older adults

Usually, people associate PTSD with veterans of various wars.

While a there are a number of veterans who live with PTSD, they are not the only ones who experience it.

For instance, I once worked at a facility where a elderly woman on admission was a Holocaust survivor.

It was not uncommon to hear her screaming at night and with requests to save her from the “Fuhrer”.

In that moment, there was nothing we could do or say to calm her down. She was reliving the event as if it was happening in the present.

As a caregiver, it is important that you realize that someone who is going through PTSD is not “crazy”, “weak”, “emotional” or “unable to let go of the past”.

PTSD can happen to anyone at any age. It can happen months and occasionally years after the original event.

Nobody wishes to experience a traumatic event over and over again.

However, for a lot of people who suffer with this mental illness, everything- their racing hearts, the inability to sleep and pure dread they experience when they encounter triggers that remind them of the trauma are very real.

Symptoms of PTSD

1. People who have PTSD regularly experience flashbacks. During these flashbacks, the event is real again for a PTSD sufferer. They might even begin to call out the names of people who are not present in the room with them.
2. Nightmares and night terrors. It is common for people with PTSD to experience insomnia that is related to constant nightmares they experience.
3. People with PTSD may avoid certain places, people or situations that remind them of the trauma. For instance, if the person lived through a train accident, you will find that this person avoids public transportation at all costs.
4. People with PTSD may be easily startled. Sometimes the things that startle them are things that normally would not startle a person at all.
5. A person with PTSD may blame themselves for the traumatic event- whether it was their fault or not.
6. A person with PTSD may begin to talk about harming themselves or suicide. Never take this type of talk lightly. The truth is while the media tends to mostly cover suicides among younger people, the rate of suicide increases sharply for white males after the age of 70 years. Sadly, cases of untreated PTSD have led to not just suicide but murders as well. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255. This lifeline is available 24 hours a day everyday. Dial 911 if it is an emergency.
7. A lack of sleep leading to general tiredness is another symptom of PTSD.
8. The person no longer enjoys events and activities they enjoyed in the past.

If any of these symptoms happen for more than a month and begin to interfere with a person’s daily functioning, PTSD is likely at play.

What you can do as a caregiver?

PTSD affects the sufferer and impacts the people around them.

I highly recommend that if you begin to notice any of the above symptoms in your elderly loved one that you help them seek professional mental health care.

PTSD is diagnosed by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. It is usually treated with a combination of therapy and medication.

Your role as a caregiver may include helping your loved one set up and attend appointments, finding other mental health care resources in your community and just encouraging words that help them gain perspective.

It is not easy to be the caregiver of a person struggling with PTSD.

So it is alright if you need someone to talk to and lighten your burden as well.

Caregiver self-care is important! You cannot give out of an empty vessel. So take care of yourself as well.

Closing Thoughts

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health issue that affects thousands of people each year.

The impact of PTSD in older adults goes beyond the sufferer alone. It affects relationships and a person’s ability to function normally. It can affect their judgement and decisions and lead to less than ideal consequences.

Thus if you notice any of the symptoms I just discussed above, work to address their needs immediately.

Did you find this post helpful?

Share it with someone who might be caring for a loved one with PTSD.

All of a sudden you find yourself becoming a caregiver for your family.

This is new to you.

You have a million questions and very few answers.

What should you do?

Glad you asked!

In this post, I want to give you five super simple tips that will help you as a first time caregiver.

5 tips for first time care givers

Listen to and respect your loved one’s desires

Listen to your loved one.

This is a difficult time for both of you but tension levels will come down if you take the time to listen to what they have to say.

Listen out for what they need and want.

Even if you disagree with them, respect those wishes.

During old age or a debilitating illness, people feel a sense of helplessness- especially over things they can no longer do- that is made worse when their needs and desires (within reason) are not respected.

Don’t be afraid to talk about money

As a caregiver, don’t be afraid to broach the topic of money.

We have covered many money topics on the blog that you can check out.

When adult children become responsible for their parent’s finances

Estate planning basics

What a fiduciary does and why your parents need one

You will need financial help during the care-giving process. This may require that you hire home care help. Your loved one may need hospital visits and in-home services.

Knowing your loved one’s state of finances and health insurance will help you make better decisions regarding their care.

It is alright if you feel overwhelmed in the beginning

It is alright to admit that you are overwhelmed.

Care-giving is hard and you are not a Superman or Superwoman.

Find out what resources are available to you in your community or state to help you on your care-giving journey.

You don’t have to do it alone

If you have other family members who can relieve you of your duties on certain days take advantage of it.

Hire home care help where necessary. If you live in the San Diego and Orange County areas, Green Tree Home care can help you!

Talk to a therapist or mental health professional. You will be better prepared to handle difficulties that come your way.

Self-care is important

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of taking care of yourself.

You cannot pour out of an empty well. Thus, if you are not taking care of yourself as a caregiver, you do everyone a disservice.

In this post, I share 7 self-care tips for caregivers. Learn and practice them!

 

Nobody becomes an excellent caregiver overnight.

It takes time, a lot of patience and sometimes the learning curve is steep.

It is however possible to give your loved one’s excellent care and enjoy your life personally.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to share it with someone else.

The colder months are upon us.

If you live in Southern California, you probably still are getting a lot of sunshine even though the air is getting noticeably chilly.

If you live in the Mid-West, the snow has already started and hot chocolate and warm blankets are becoming the daily normal.

No matter where you live, this time of the year is cold.

Older adults can lose body heat fast- much faster than a younger person.

This makes elderly adults more susceptible to health and safety issues that come with the cold weather.

For elderly adults, cold weather can spell the beginning of challenges- cold, influenza, the risk for hypothermia and the onset of rheumatic pain are just a few of the problems.

So how do we help our elderly loved ones live through the winter in a safe and healthy manner?

In this post, I will go over older adults can achieve that.

The elderly and cold weather: Tips to stay safe and healthy.

Arm yourself against the common cold and flu

In this post I talk about 10 home remedies for the common cold.

And in this one, I go over how you can prepare for the flu season.

This is one of the very first steps you can take during this season – that you are protected against diseases that usually come with cold weather.

The resources I cited above will help you get prepared.

Keep warm inside

Some people don’t want to warm their homes especially before November because of the high cost of heating.

We are not disputing the fact that it can get very pricey, very quickly to heat your home.

However, yours and your elderly loved one’s health is not worth the money you may think you are saving by not heating up your home.

1. Keep your home temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit at the minimum during colder months.
2. Wear warm clothing like a sweater, heavier pants and socks during the colder months.
3. Drink hot fluids to help you stay warm.
4. Contact your gas or electric company and ask if they provide discounts that help seniors with the cost of heating up their homes. Some companies even have reasonable plans if your income falls below a certain amount per year.
5. To save extra on your heating bill:
   • keep the doors closed on the rooms you don’t use in your house
   • roll a towel in front of the doors in your home to keep drafts out
   • keep the basement door closed
   • close all windows and keep the blinds closed at night so you don’t lose the heat
6. If you are an elderly adult who lives alone, have people check on you at least once a day.
7. If your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s it is important to keep an eye on them during this season so that they don’t walk out of the house without the appropriate clothing.

Know the signs of hypothermia

Knowing the signs of hypothermia is critical for you- to be able to recognize it for yourself- and your elderly loved one.

Here’s what you should watch out for.

Early signs of hypothermia:

• Cold feet and hands
• A puffy or swollen face
• Pale skin
• Shivering
• Slower than normal speech or slurring words
• Person seems sleepier than normal
• Being angry or confused

Later signs of hypothermia:

• Moving slowly, trouble walking, or being clumsy
• Stiff and jerky arm or leg movements
• Slow heartbeat
• Slow, shallow breathing
• Blacking out or losing consciousness

If you observe any of these signs in yourself or your elderly loved one, call 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY!

Safety outside the house

Snow, hail and freezing rain in the winter months can make going out a hazard.

Making sure that walkways are shoveled and salted is an important key to preventing falls and related accidents.

Warm your car up for at least 5-10 minutes before you move it to prevent mechanical problems.

Before the weather gets super cold, have a mechanic check your car for antifreeze levels and change your tires if need be.

Closing Thoughts

This is not Game of Thrones but winter is coming.

Staying warm during the colder months should not be an afterthought.

Preparing for it now could be a life-saving decision.

Did you find this post helpful?

Consider sharing it with someone else who needs it.