Your elderly mother was recently diagnosed with dementia, and you can see the disease changing her with each passing month. Because mom still lives on her own, you’d like to start planning some care for her in the event she becomes incapacitated.
Caregiving is not only physically demanding and time consuming, it can also have a detrimental effect on one’s emotional and mental health. In honor of Mental Health Month, here are 4 reliable ways for caregivers to stay mentally strong.
Many patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s are elderly, which is certainly concerning if you have aging in place relatives or friends. April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month, which makes it the perfect time for you to learn more about the disease. Here are 5 Parkinson’s facts that you may not be aware of.
Under ordinary circumstances, elderly individuals who live independently are encouraged to stay socially active because it provides them with many health benefits. However, Americans of all ages are currently at risk for being exposed to coronavirus, or “COVID-19”. For that reason, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released preventative guidelines, including the practice of “social distancing”.
Your elderly father lives alone, and the last few times you’ve been over to his house there were medicine bottles strewn all over the bathroom vanity. Not only is it unsafe, you’re pretty sure that some of dad’s meds have special storage requirements. But whenever you’ve tried to talk to him about implementing a better medicine storage system, dad just mumbles under his breath and walks away. What should you do?
Depression is quite common in seniors and if allowed to persist the physical and emotional toll upon their lives can be devastating. On the positive side, because depression isn’t a normal part of the aging process itself it is a very treatable condition.
If you’re currently looking after an aging in place loved one, knowing how to keep seniors socially active may not be one of your caregiving priorities. But countless studies have shown that it’s vitally important to do so to ensure that your loved one enjoys a better quality of life.
Your elderly mother still lives about two hours away in the home you grew up in. Ever since dad passed away two years ago, mom has been able to continue aging in place on her own. But lately her health has taken a turn for the worse. Mom’s always made it clear to you and your siblings that she wants to remain independent for as long as possible. You want to honor mom’s wishes, but how can you assist her when you live so far away?
Many people use to-do lists when planning a vacation, home improvement project or for managing their personal finances. If you’re one of the millions of Americans who take care of an aging in place loved one, a to-do list is also important so that you can more efficiently balance those informal caregiving duties with a household, job and kids.
One-in-four older Americans trip and fall every year, and falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries in the elderly population. If you’re currently caring for an aging in place loved one, helping them avoid a trip and fall will go more smoothly when using these prevention tips.