CAREGIVERS PUTTING OTHERS FIRST 

I work as a nurse at a busy Dallas hospital and see many patients suffering from stress related ailments; many of these individuals are caregivers, who experience burnout and breakdowns because they are always putting the needs of others before their own which can have a negative consequence on their health.

A large number of family caregivers are adult children of seniors, many of which also have other responsibilities such as young families and full or part-time careers; these individuals are referred to as the ‘sandwich generation’. Nearly half of family caregivers are spouses of someone whose physical abilities are declining more quickly than their own; due to the age of these caregivers they are even more susceptible to experience health issues resulting from stress and burnout.

Caregivers are often selfless and devoted to caring for their loved ones, but the job is not without its stresses and a caregiver who does not look after his/her own well-being may not be able to adequately provide care to a senior.

Home Instead Senior Care helps family members when caring for an elderly relative. Call us for respite care at 972-239-3934.

Dallas aging seniors visit doctors more often.. our August 25th post continues..

The report’s findings include:

• The number of visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency departments increased 26 percent from 1996 to 2006, faster than the growth of the U.S. population, which rose by 11 percent. The rise in visits is linked to the aging of the population, as older people have higher visit rates than younger people in general.
• Seven of 10 visits had at least one medication prescribed, or continued, for a total of 2.6 billion medications overall.
• The percent of hospital inpatients who were 65 or older grew from 20 percent in 1970 to 38 percent in 2006. Over the same time period, the percent of inpatients who were 75 or older increased from 9 percent to more than 24 percent.
• The rate of knee replacement for those aged 65 years old and over increased 46 percent between
• 2000 and 2006, and the rate doubled among those aged 45-64 years during the same time period.
  The rate of coronary atherosclerosis (clogged heart arteries) more than doubled during the 1990s but since 2002 declined for all age groups, particularly for those 65 years and over.
• Patients with Medicaid use the emergency department more frequently than patients with private insurance – 82 per 100 persons for Medicaid vs. 21 per 100 for private insurance.

If your elder loved one needs help at home or a CAREGiver companion to accompany them to the doctor’s office, please call Home Instead Senior Care Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas, please call 972-239-3934.

AGING POPULATON IS MAKING MORE VISITS TO THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE

The aging of the U.S. population is translating into more visits to doctors’ offices and hospitals, a new government report notes. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, there were an estimated 1.1 billion visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency departments in 2006, an average of four visits per person per year.

Here are tips for seniors and families when visiting their physician:

• Have a pen and pad handy at all times to write questions down. You may forget things when more stressed.
• Have your questions written out or consider faxing them to the doctor or his staff prior to the medical appointment. 
• At any point that you do not understand what the doctor or his staff recommend or suggest, ask for clarification. 
• Be clear when talking to the doctor. 
• If you know you may need to occupy a large chunk of the doctor’s time, arrange for a consultation appointment. 

Cooking for seniors can be a challenge and many elderly people need help with nutritional food preparation. Continuing our post from August 18th.

According to the food pyramid, recommended daily food intake for seniors includes: 
• 2-3 servings from the milk, yogurt and cheese group.
• 3-5 servings of vegetables.
• 2-3 servings from the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts group.
• 2-4 servings from the fruit group.
• 6-11 servings from the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group.

“Keep in mind that within each category, it’s important to pick foods your father likes – eating should be a pleasurable experience, not a chore,” Lichtenstein said.  And don’t forget one of the most important ingredients to healthy nutrition for seniors – companionship. 

Your father may need help with cooking, but he also needs someone with whom to enjoy his meal.  If you’re unable to always be there to dine with your dad, encourage him to develop a network of friends to have dinner with.  Or hire a professional caregiver, such as one from Home Instead Senior Care Dallas, who is trained to assist with grocery shopping and meal preparation, and available to provide mealtime companionship as well.

By encouraging your father to eat nutritious meals in the company of people he enjoys, you are helping to keep him independent and healthy.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care Dallas, please call 972-239-3934.

Home Instead Senior Care - Please call us in Dallas, Texas at 972-239-3934 - Seniors Need Good Nutrition and Companionship - Call us when seeking homemaker services and personal care services for elders in Dallas.

Question for Home Instead Senior Care Dallas:  I’ve been helping my 77-year-old widowed father cook.  What foods does he need at his age?

Cooking for seniors can be a challenge and many elderly people no longer are able to prepare meals for themselves.  That’s why the help you’re providing your father may be more appreciated than you know.  To further complicate matters, the elderly sometimes lose their appetites because of illness or depression, or have a difficult time with certain foods if they have poor teeth. 

“The elderly have lower metabolic rates, lower proportions of lean muscle to fat mass and, in many cases, lower activity rates,” said Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy, and senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.  “As a result, they have lower caloric needs but certainly not lower nutritional needs,” said Lichtenstein, who helped develop a food pyramid for seniors – the first of its kind – that modified the current U.S. Food Guide pyramid for healthy people over 70 years old. 

That makes individual food choices even more important for seniors.  “Within each category of foods, seniors should choose those that are nutrient dense, that is, have relatively high levels of vitamins and minerals per calorie,” Lichtenstein said.  “It’s also vital for older people to consume adequate water, whether it’s water itself, other beverages or foods such as soups, fruits and vegetables – the equivalent of eight 8-ounce glasses daily – to prevent dehydration.”

Visit soon for more tips on Senior Nutrition in Dallas.

Hope on the Horizon for Alzheimer’s Victims in Dallas - Home Instead Senior Care - Please call us 972-239-3934.

Question from a senior client in Dallas, Texas. A 69 year old man has a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.  He lives alone with no relatives nearby, so he worry about how he might get along if he contracted the dreadful disease.  Is there any hope on the horizon?   

Alzheimer’s disease robs its victims of all memory and still remains an incurable disease.  Aging and genetics are two risk factors you can’t control.  But there’s plenty of good news to report about preventing this disease and research is ongoing on many fronts. 

For instance, a study in the American Journal of Medicine recently reported that drinking fruit and vegetable juices frequently may significantly cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. U.S. researchers followed almost 2,000 people for up to 10 years and found the risk was 76 percent lower for those who drank juice more than three times a week, compared with those who drank it less than once a week.

An overall healthy diet also is a proven preventative, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.  Research suggests that high cholesterol may contribute to stroke and brain cell damage.  And there is growing evidence that a diet rich in dark vegetables and fruits, which contain antioxidants, may help protect brain cells, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Some tips for people related to family living with Alzheimer’s:

• Stay mentally healthy, since mentally stimulating activities strengthen brain cells and the connections between them, and may even create new nerve cells.

• Stay physically active, as physical exercise is essential for maintaining good blood flow to the brain.  It also can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, and thereby protect against those risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Remaining socially active also is important, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.  Social activity can reduce stress levels, which helps maintain healthy connections among brain cells.  If you don’t have a social network, consider joining a senior organization in your community.  Contact your local Area Agency on Aging or your church for more information.

Cell Phones Servces as Safety Blankett to Benefit Dallas Seniors

Millions of American’s poorest senior citizens – who might benefit most from cell phones in emergency situations – are not taking advantage of the technology.

According to a 2008 research report by Nicholas P. Sullivan, 38 percent of the 45 million poorest households are without cells. Of that 38 percent, 37 percent are retired, and 38 percent make less than $35,000 a year. Yet, Sullivan’s report shows that nearly half of Americans have used their cell phones to call or text during an emergency situation.

Sullivan and the Seniors Coalition outlined three things every senior – or the child or a caregiver of an elderly person who may be reluctant to use cell phones – can do or help the senior do to make the most of the “cell phone safety blanket effect”:

• Wear your cell phone whenever it is not being charged. A cell phone stowed away in the car’s glove compartment or always sitting in a recharger stand won’t do you any good should you fall down the basement steps. The only cell phone that does you any good is the one you can get to when you need it.
• Preprogram the cell phone with key numbers – including home, doctor, pharmacist and family contacts. Make sure you know how to find these pre-programmed numbers and how to place a call using a pre-programmed number. Add “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) contacts that emergency responders can use to place calls if the need arises. This can include ICE Doctor, ICE Pharmacy, ICE Family Contact.

Beat high contract cell phone prices with an inexpensive pre-paid phone.

Home Instead Senior Care - Please call us 972-239-3934.

If you are caring for a spouse living with Alzheimer’s, you may feel stuck…  our post continues from August 10.

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas wants you to remember a very important aspect of family caregiving that too many people overlook - your own health. Don’t neglect your own health and needs.  If you’re going to be healthy and a support for your husband, continuing with your favorite pastimes will be a crucial part of your routine. 

• Set aside a little time each day to talk with friends, even if it’s on the phone.
• Carve out some time for a favorite pastime.
• Catch a weekly movie with a friend. 

If you can’t go out every week, host the movie at your house! 

What family caregivers often need most in Dallas is help. 

Are there other family members who can step in and share the load?  Is there a day care center where your husband could go for part of each day?  Call your Area Agency on Aging or local hospital to find out if there are other respite programs available in your community. 

Contact Home Instead Senior Care Dallas to hire a CAREGiver - Call us at 972-239-3934. For just a few hours a week, and up to 24 hours a day, a CAREGiver could come to your home and stay with your husband while you get away to shop, relax, lunch with friends or pursue your favorite hobby.  CAREGivers are screened, bonded and insured, and trained to work with seniors in a variety of settings.

With just a little help, you could stay revived and rejuvenated enough to continue to be the kind of dedicated family caregiver you want to be for your husband.

Stress and Spousal Caregiving - Home Instead Senior Care Dallas can help.

If you are caring for a spouse living with Alzheimer’s, you may feel stuck. The vows you tooks with your spouse may remind you .. In sickness and in health…of your wedding day. So, you wouldn’t think twice about caring for your partner now that he/she is in a situation that they have a growing need for your assistance.

Whether it is a chronic health problem, issues with mobility or decreased cognitive function, your support will likely be necessary. This is a natural reaction in a loving situation, it is important to note that spousal caregiving in Dallas often leads to significant changes in your marital relationship and it can sometimes leave the family caregiver feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

If you, the caregiver, are taking over responsibilities that were once handled solely by their ailing spouse, from cooking and doing laundry, to balancing the checkbook and heading up the financial decisions, this can compound your stress.

There can also be a sense of loss, especially if your spouse suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Or, if activities that once provided pleasure and deepened a sense of connection may no longer be possible. As a caregiving spouse, you may begin to feel very isolated from friends and feel tremendous guilt about your own unmet needs.

In fact, the Journal of American Medical Association reports that if you are a spousal caregiver between the ages of 66 and 96, and are experiencing ongoing mental or emotional strain as a result of your caregiving duties, there’s a 63% increased risk of dying over those people in the same age group who are not caring for a spouse. The combination of loss, prolonged stress, the physical demands of caregiving and the health vulnerabilities that simply come with age place an older spousal caregiver in a danger zone.

Visit us again in a day or two and get tips on handling the stress of spousal caregiving.

Local Company Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Helps Keep Seniors’ Minds on the Move

• The second-annual “Evercare 100 @ 100 Survey,” sponsored by the company Evercare, polled one hundred Americans turning 100 and older this year about their practices and habits and found that one in seven has played video games. 

• And the New York Times reported earlier this year that PopCap Games in Seattle says its video games have been downloaded more than 200 million times since the company was founded in 2000.  A spokesman said that the company was stunned by results of a customer survey last year, which found that 47 percent of players were older than 50 years.

Other retailers are noticing the trend as well.  Nintendo’s Brain AgeTM: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, a video game for the portable Nintendo DSTM that features simple math and other activities, also has received high marks from seniors and researchers. And its new WiiTM home video game system—which allows players to interactively compete in sports such as bowling and golf—is flying off the shelves, with seniors comprising a significant consumer market for this new video game.  Senior care communities around the country are even hosting Wii tournaments. 

Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski, a professor of gerontology and psychology at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California (USC), says games such as Brain Age can help keep older adults’ minds active.  “My family, including boys ages 17 and (nearly) 21, has a long history of interest in video games. 

Like kids, seniors are playing games with people all around the world: it’s all about communication,” Zelinski explains.  “Seniors can do a great deal to maintain and even improve their mental abilities.  Aging is all about taking on new challenges for our minds.”

To find out how we help seniors participate in mind games, Home Instead Senior Care - Please call us 972-239-3934.