Tag Archive for: senior home care

Caregiving During the Holidays

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The holiday season is coming upon us. Now is the time to start prepping! The holiday season can be stressful and overwhelming; this is especially true for those who need extra care. Caregiving during the holidays can be tricky because you want to ensure your loved one is having an enjoyable time, but also want to make sure their safety is a priority. It is important to start planning early to make sure the holiday season goes smoothly.

Keep the following in mind when caregiving during the holidays:

Travel.

If at all possible keep travel to a minimum. Traveling can be exhausting and add unneeded stress to your loved one. Have family members come to you instead.

Meals.

Your loved one’s food options may be limited; however, this doesn’t mean their meals need to be bland. A great part of celebrating the holidays is the delicious assortment of food, so do research on special healthy meals they’ll enjoy.

Keep a routine.

Routines are essential for an aging loved one or those with disabilities, so make sure to keep mealtime and bedtime the same as usual. Prepare any visiting family members and explain the importance of the routine.

Accept help.

With family coming in for visits there will be more people who can help out. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance, holidays tend to cause stress and your stress levels will affect those around you.

Avoid being overly loud or hectic.

This type of environment can be too stressful for your loved one; specifically those with dementia can become overwhelmed or overstimulated by too much noise.

Dealing with depression/loneliness.

The holiday season may be difficult for your loved one emotionally. They may compare the current time to previous holidays or may feel limited on how they can help out. Make sure to keep things upbeat and light-hearted and give them projects they can work on such as stringing garlands of popcorn, creating photo albums, reading holiday stories to the young ones, etc.

Comprehensive Home Care is here to help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to see how we can help take the stress out of the holiday season. Call us at 704.333.5214 or contact us here.

Signs that Your Loved One May Need Senior Home Care

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“I do NOT want to move to a nursing home!” This is an often-heard sentiment expressed by many seniors, even when they’re beginning to experience some difficulty managing at home on their own. And who can blame them? Home is where older adults feel most comfortable and safe. They know where everything is and they can enjoy their own individual routine and they may have friends and family who live close by, who enhance their quality of life. But, if you have concerns about your senior loved one’s ability to remain living safely at home, it may be time to assess the best possible solution, senior home care.

Consider the following questions to determine if your loved one could benefit from senior home care:

Weight Loss

  • Has your senior loved one lost weight unintentionally over the past several months?
  • Are they able to pick up groceries and prepare meals?
  • Do they prepare meals safely, remembering to turn off the oven or stove?
  • Do they complain about how food tastes?
  • Are they drinking sufficient amounts of water and other fluids during the day to prevent dehydration, especially during the hot summer months?

Personal Hygiene

  • Is your senior loved one adequately maintaining their hygiene?
  • Can they take care of laundry, bathing, grooming, and toileting needs sufficiently?

Medications

  • Does your senior loved one take medications?
  • Do they take them exactly as prescribed?
  • Can they read the labels and understand what each medicine is for?
  • Are they physically able to swallow pills, or otherwise use them as they are intended (i.e. creams, drops, etc.)?

Safety

  • Is the home free of clutter, which could be a tripping or falling hazard?
  • Could your loved one call for help if they were to fall?
  • Are there grab bars in the shower/bath, and are banisters and handrails on stairways fastened securely?
  • Is there sufficient lighting to allow them to safely get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or kitchen?
  • Do you notice any cuts, bruises, scrapes, or burns that could have been caused by a fall or other unexplained circumstance?
  • Is the kitchen clean enough to safely prepare food?
  • Is your loved one taking multiple medications from multiple doctors and/or does they use multiple pharmacies?

Emotional, Psychological and Cognitive

  • Does your loved one seem depressed or anxious?
  • Are they staying social as much as possible, whether in person or through the Internet or by phone?
  • If he/she is religious, are they continuing to attend services or programs available?
  • Are they still enjoying hobbies that interested them before?
  • Are they forgetful? Unusually loud or agitated?
  • Are their finances in order?

The list of questions may seem overwhelming at first, but our senior home care services team can help. Our professional home care team can evaluate your senior loved one’s situation and provide suggestions and solutions, giving you and your loved one peace of mind. Our trained home care staff can provide companionship, perform light housekeeping tasks, prepare nutritious meals, among other helpful tasks. We can even coordinate services between various healthcare providers.

Contact us at 704-333-5214 for a free in-home assessment and see how we can help your loved one.

Check out Perks of Home Care to learn how a care provider can help.

How Often Should I Check On My Aging Loved One?

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If you have an aging loved you may realize you need to periodically look in on them in order to make sure that they are okay. Knowing how often to check up on them can be complicated but there are certain factors to help you know.

In many instances, a combination of outside help and periodic check-ins may be necessary in order to make sure that a loved one remains happy and healthy. This allows them to get by on their own with some assistance from a home care company. This is true for many medical conditions. For example, some may still be able to stay on their own as long as they have some outside help. That’s where a quality home care agency, like Comprehensive Home Care, can help. Comprehensive Home Care can check in on a family’s senior loved one, providing home care services or respite care.

In general, the need to check up on an aging loved one will depend on multiple factors. Such factors include:

  • An existing medical conditions as well as any recent medical problems such as a fall or other healthcare issue.
  • Whether or not the relative has access to a community that encourages strong bonds between residents. Many elderly people have developed strong ties to other members of their community. For example, they may be cherished for their gentle love of children and tasty contributions to the local church bake sale each year.
  • How far away their loved ones live. It can be particularly important to make sure a relative is cared for even when you cannot be physically present. In such cases, the person may want to set up a series of ways in which they can check up on a loved father or favorite aunt. This may include a combination of hired help from a home care agency that is in the area.

Comprehensive Home Care can assist the relative with certain tasks such as meal preparation and driving. Contact us here or call us at 704.333.5213 to see how we can help.

Check out Transitioning to Assisted Living to learn about the common challenges seniors face when transitioning to assisted living. The stage they are in in the transition may determine how often you should check in.