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Assessing your seniors needs is a vital part of being her family caregiver. There are a few key areas that you need to focus on, but they can feel overwhelming at first. If you can get help from the very beginning, thats a lot easier for both you and your elderly family member.

Nutritional Assistance and Meal Prep

Getting the nutrients that she needs is vital for your seniors overall health and well-being. If shes relying on prepackaged foods, shes likely not getting the nutrition that she should. Having someone taking care of meal preparation for her can be the perfect solution to make sure that your elderly family member is eating healthier foods more often.

Dealing with Medical Concerns

Health issues, especially conditions that are new for your senior, are difficult to manage at times. Your elderly family member may need emotional support, but more importantly she requires physical support. She may need someone to help her to do things like test blood sugar levels or blood pressure, all of which can be a key part of managing her health properly.

Managing Home Safety

Safety at home involves a lot of moving parts for your elderly family member. There are maintenance issues, like flooring that may need repair, as well as safety devices that might need to be added. Adjusting lighting to compensate for fading vision is just one solution you might need to consider.

Getting Around More Easily

Your seniors ability to get around safely involves multiple concerns, too. First theres the ability for her to walk safely, whether thats with assistive devices like a cane or walker or on her own. If your elderly family member is at higher risk for falling, those assistive devices can help her to avoid that problem. But theres more to getting around. If shes unable to drive, that requires some assistance in other ways.

Taking Care of Hygiene Issues

Can your elderly family member still handle personal care tasks on her own? These tasks involve bathing, toileting, and getting dressed. If those tasks are becoming more difficult, you may need to change how you assist her. This can be a tough adjustment both for your senior and for you.

 

This is all a lot for a caregiver to manage. Having help from elder care services can make all of these concerns much easier to handle. Find out more about how elder care providers can help you and your senior.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Coon Rapids, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Did you know that elderly adults have a higher chance of experiencing a heart attack during the summer? The heat does play a role in heart health and your elderly loved ones body. It is important to make sure that your elderly loved one is properly taking care of themselves during the summer. The good news is that there are some things that you can help your elderly loved one with to help them prevent heart health issues during the summer.

Keeping Hydrated

One of the things that you can do to help your elderly loved one prevent heart health issues in the summer is to make sure they stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water and other fluids is very important. Your elderly loved one should be drinking water and other fluids throughout the day. If they get dehydrated their heart has to work harder to function in the hot heat of the summer. If your elderly loved one cant remember to stay hydrated, you may want to hire a senior care provider to help them do so.

Appropriately Dressing

Another way that you can help your elderly loved one to prevent heart health issues in the summer is to make sure they are wearing the appropriate clothing. They need to dress in light clothing. They should wear clothes that are made of breathable fabric and that are light colors. This will help them to stay cooler when they are in the hot heat. Wicking fabric is another idea for clothing in the summer. This helps to keep the moisture off from the skin.

Know the Signs

Heatstroke is very common in elderly adults. It is important that you, your elderly loved one, and their senior care providers know the signs of heatstroke. During the summer, if your elderly loved one is feeling exhausted, dizzy, confused, disoriented, headaches, nausea, or vomiting, they could have heatstroke. If you feel this is happening with your elderly loved one, 9-1-1 needs to be called immediately. Then, your elderly loved one should be taken to a cooler area and put some water on them to bring down their temperature.

Heart health in the summer is very important. There are far too many elderly adults who are experiencing heart attacks, heatstroke, and other heart health issues during the summer months. Follow the tips above to help your elderly loved one stay safer and healthier during the summer.

Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-expert-discusses-ways-heart-healthy.html

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior care in Burnsville, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Hydration in any weather is vital. When you’re caring for elderly parents, pay close attention to how much water and other beverages they’re drinking. They may not be drinking anywhere near enough and that will impact their health.

Too little fluids can lead to dehydration. That can damage your organs like your heart and brain. It can dry out the skin. It also increases the risk of a UTI. Why? Proper hydration has people emptying their bladder regularly, which keeps flushing out bacteria. If your parents aren’t staying hydrated, bacteria can build and lead to infection.

In an elderly adult, a UTI may not present the same way it would in a younger adult. It can cause confusion, agitation, and anger. You may not associate that with a UTI and put off seeking medical treatments. If your mom or dad has a UTI, it’s best to get it treated ASAP and prevent it from spreading to the kidneys.

How Do You Make Sure Your Parents Drink Enough?

How much water is enough? It varies from one person to the next. It used to be the recommendation was eight 8-ounce glasses per day, which came to 1.89 liters. That falls short of the recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The newer recommendations are 3.7 liters for men and 2.7 liters for women.

What’s important to remember is that 20 percent of the daily intake of water comes from foods. If you get your parents to eat foods with a higher water content, you can help them stay hydrated. Watermelon, oranges, and celery are good options.

Monitoring Water Intake

Look for water bottles that contain markings to measure how much you drink. Some of these cups have audible alarms to alert you if you haven’t had a drink in a while. Other cups have flashing lights. Fill a bottle in the morning for your parents and keep an eye on how much they drink each hour. If they’re not drinking enough, you can remind them.

Make a Glass of Water More Appealing

There are ways to make water more appealing if your parents refuse water. Add slices of lemon, orange, or lime. Place frozen berries in the cup and use them like ice cubes. You can also make herbal teas (iced or hot) and get your parents to drink those instead.

Bubbly seltzer may be a more satisfying option. Make sure you buy seltzer and not club soda. Club soda adds sodium, which increases your parents’ salt intake.

Caregivers can also help your parents stay hydrated. Arrange home care services and have caregivers available each day to monitor your parents’ drinking habits and offer encouragement to drink more.

Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in Edina, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

It’s never too early to discuss plans for elderly care. Your parents may be healthy and quite capable of doing things around the house right now. You never know when something will happen. Your mom could fall on ice and break her hip. Your dad could have a stroke or heart attack and need elderly care services during the recovery.

You don’t want to think about that, but if you don’t and it happens, planning elderly care services when you’re already scared and stress is much harder. You want to have time to discuss things and come up with the best possible plan. To do that, sit down with your mom and dad to discuss these questions.

What Wouldn’t You Want Your Children Helping You Complete?

If your parents need help, what don’t they want you to help complete? They may be okay with you helping with yard work but not with personal care. They may not want you doing the laundry but don’t mind you helping with meals.

Does Your Home Have Safety Issues?

Go through your parents’ home. Are there issues that increase the risk of a fall? Are rails on all staircases secure? Is the carpeting curled up in spots? Is the tub floor slippery or are there non-slip mats in place?

You should look at each room and make sure there are no clear hazards. The bathroom should have grab bars near the toilet, bathtub, and shower. Lighting should be bright and avoid creating shadows. Outdoor stairs and decks shouldn’t have loose or broken boards.

If Something Happens, Are Plans in Place to Have Someone Make Medical Decisions?

If your dad had a stroke, does he have a medical power of attorney who can make medical decisions following his preferences? If he is unable to communicate, can someone say if he’d want a breathing tube? If he was in a coma following a car crash, would someone know if he’d want to be resuscitated if his heart stopped?

How Do You Plan to Pay for Elderly Care?

Make sure you understand how elderly care works. People often think health insurance will cover caregivers, but that’s not the case. You might get some coverage for temporary home health care like IV-care or wound care following surgery, but insurance will not cover elderly care services like housekeeping and meal preparation.

If your parents have long-term care insurance, that can help cover the bills. Otherwise, your family will be paying out of pocket.

Talk to your parents and make sure you include them when you talk to an elderly care representative. They need to be involved as much as possible to ensure the switch to home care goes smoothly.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in Minnetonka, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Caring for an elderly adult can be tough at times. You need to help with their daily living activities, doctors appointments, meals, and more. It is also important that you know more about the vaccinations that your elderly loved one should be getting. There are many diseases that could be prevented in your elderly loved one if they get the proper vaccinations. If your elderly loved one is going to get vaccinations, they may need boosters with them. This is something you should discuss with their doctor or the health department that gives the vaccines.

Flu Vaccine

One of the vaccinations that your elderly loved one should get is the flu vaccine. Senior citizens have a greater risk of becoming seriously ill from influenza than many of the younger adults do. This is because their immune system is weaker and can’t handle the symptoms of the flu. Every year there are far too many elderly adults being hospitalized or losing their life due to the flu. If your elderly loved one has yet to get the flu vaccine, they should contact the health department or their doctor to get it right away.

Tdap or Td Vaccine

Another vaccination that your elderly loved one may need to get is the Tdap or Td vaccine. Td booster vaccines will help to protect your elderly loved one against diphtheria and tetanus. Tdap vaccines help your loved one to be protected from whooping cough. Each of these diseases could cause a fatal reaction in your elderly loved one. With all the problems that could arise as a result of these diseases, you should make sure your elderly loved one gets these vaccinations.

Pneumococcal Vaccine

An infection-based disease known as pneumococcal disease can cause problems for your elderly loved one, as well. Bacteria causes this disease. If your elderly loved one gets pneumococcal disease they could also get a blood infection, bacterial meningitis, middle-ear infection, or pneumonia. In some instances, these conditions can be fatal. The only way that your elderly loved one can prevent pneumococcal disease is with the vaccination.

Zoster Vaccine

This is a vaccine that will protect your elderly loved one from shingles. Shingles are very painful and the rash can be very difficult to deal with. While this vaccine doesn’t protect your loved one fully from this disease, it does lower their risk of getting it significantly. Also, if your loved one gets shingles after getting the vaccine, it won’t be quite as severe.

These are some of the vaccines that could help your elderly loved one to prevent disease and illness. You or your loved ones’ home care provider can drive them to their health department or doctor’s appointment to get these vaccines.

Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/rec-vac/index.html

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in St. Paul, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Lots of caregivers find that theyre always running out of time to do things for themselves, like sleep, or relax. But could there be more time than you think, especially if you have help?

Schedule Yourself Differently

How are you scheduling time for yourself now? Odds are very high that you’re scheduling every other responsibility in your life and then trying to find time for your own needs. That usually results in having zero time in which you can focus on yourself. If you switch things up and schedule time for yourself differently, you might be surprised at what happens. Everything else is still going to fit, but you’re going to have time for yourself, too. It sounds like it could never work, but it truly does.

Consider Carefully Before You Say Yes

Something else that you need to start doing is thinking about your answer very carefully before you agree to take on something new. No matter what the task or opportunity is, match it up with your current needs and your current schedule. If you’ve been overcommitting in the past, its tough to say no to things you’re asked to do. But it might be necessary if you’re going to keep being a healthy caregiver.

Find More Solutions for Respite and Task Management

Very often caregivers feel as if they don’t have options for delegating tasks or for taking respite time. That might be true right this moment, but there are other options. Hiring senior care providers gives you a chance to work with someone who doesn’t need a lot of time to ramp up to doing things the way your senior needs them done. You can also start to take time away from caregiving completely, simply because you know your senior is in good hands.

Take Advantage of Time for You

When someone does offer to take over something so that you have time to devote to your own needs, you need to take advantage of that opportunity. You might feel weird doing so at first, but its a vital part of giving yourself the time that you need in order to take better care of yourself. The other important thing to know about this is that when you say yes to these offers, you’re more likely to get them in the future.

Sometimes what you need to do most in order to find time for yourself is to rethink what that means and how you look at time in general.

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior care in Plymouth, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

During the coronavirus pandemic, you and your senior need to know what might be putting her at a higher risk of complications with Covid-19. Heres what you both need to know about how this illness might affect her.

People Who Are Older

The most obvious high-risk group right now is older adults. Age has an impact on the immune system, making your senior more susceptible to a variety of different ailments. This one, however, is particularly virulent and is one you want to help her avoid if possible. Make sure youre following all the steps for avoiding the coronavirus.

People with Serious Heart Conditions or Lung Issues

People who have heart or lung issues, like COPD or high blood pressure, are at higher risk from Covid-19 because their heart and lungs are already taxed. Covid-19 places added stress on these organs, making them work even harder. This could present some very serious complications for your aging family member.

People Who Are Immunocompromised

People who are immunocompromised are also at risk. Immunocompromised means that someones immune system isnt working as well as it should be. This could be temporary, because of a previous illness or because of medication, or it might be permanent, like with certain autoimmune diseases. Talk to your seniors doctor about whether or not she qualifies as immunocompromised.

People with Diabetes

Diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, tends to respond to illness like an autoimmune disease. What that means is that people with diabetes can experience greater amounts of inflammation when theyre sick or when they have an infection and that complicates the healing process. Blood sugar levels can be out of control while sick and other problems may be more complicated, too. All of this means that the coronavirus might hit your senior a little harder than it would someone without diabetes.

People with Other Health Conditions

Other health conditions can pose problems when someone has Covid-19, too. These can range from liver problems to kidney issues and all sorts of ailments in between. Because not much is known about Covid-19 still, doctors are still working on understanding how the illness affects and is affected by other health issues.

Prevention is the best plan with Covid-19. Encourage your senior to stay at home and to wash her hands frequently. If she needs additional help, senior care providers can be there for her. Helping older adults while preventing infection and illness is what they do every day.