Elder Care Made Easy

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Elder Care Made Easy
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Synopsis

1. Reduce the Risk of fall in Elderly with Simple
   Measures at Home
2. Alcohol Consumption by the Elder Member of the
   Family What You Can Do
3. Signs That Indicates Towards the Need for Home
   Care
4. Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is
   Dealing with Alzheimers
5. Things You Always Thought Are the Part of Growing
   Older - Are Actually Not
6. How to Deal With the Stress of Being a Family
   Caregiver

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Reduce the Risk of fall in Elderly with Simple
Measures at Home

• Exercise
• Daily exercise is most likely the only greatest
  element, which supports reducing the risk of
  falls. It is best for an elder to participate in
  exercises that are beneficial for the health of
  mind and body because these exercises help to
  improve strength and balance. A simple walking
  for 15 to 30 minutes per day at a moderate speed
  is also helpful. Individuals who continue the
  practice of active walking later in life are less
  likely to fall as compared to those who become
  inactive with age.
• Medication
• Review the medications and if possible keep the
  intake of medication at a minimum level. Make a
  list of all prescription and non-prescription
  medicine along with sleep aids and
  anti-depressants and get them reviewed by a
  senior physician for drug interactions and side
  effects, which may contribute to the risk of
  fall.
• Alcohol Consumption
• Moreover, one should restrict the consumption of
  alcohol. Even consuming in a safe quantity can
  make a person little less steady. Alcohol abuse
  is surprisingly common in elders who usually live
  alone and remain isolated.

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Reduce the Risk of fall in Elderly with Simple
Measures at Home

• Regular Health Check
• The health of elder requires a regular check.
  Reduced vision, internal ear problems, urinary
  tract infection, and further health conditions
  indicate the increased risk of fall.
• Proper Footwear
• Always make sure that the elder member in the
  house wears proper shoes. Bedroom slipper or
  flip-flops can cause a fall or stumble, even if
  used inside the home. For a stable walking, it is
  necessary to wear sturdy footwear with a proper
  fit.
• Floor
• Assess the house for a clear path across each
  room. Having to walk around the furniture or
  presence of footstools or coffee tables tend to
  increase the risk of fall. Additionally, small
  throw rugs need to be removed. Further small
  objects on the floor such as shoes, laundry
  baskets, toys, pet food dishes, and similar other
  items present a substantial risk of fall,
  particularly in the bedroom. Tape or staple
  extension cords and wires to keep them out of the
  way.
• Stairs and Hallways
• Stairs and hallways must have sufficient lights.
  Any loose or torn carpet on the stairs should be
  removed and it is much better if you attach
  non-slippery rubber strides to the stairs. Also,
  check for firm hand-rails on both sides of the
  staircase.

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Alcohol Consumption by the Elder Member of the
Family What You Can Do

• A number of health concerns common to elder care
  rise in case of alcohol abuse. The balance
  becomes less steady, so it is more likely for
  such elders to experience falls leading to
  serious injuries. It also causes incontinence
  issues, leading to poor hygiene, infections and
  skin damage. While the harmful impact of alcohol
  on the neurological system is well-documented for
  all age groups and no one should drive while
  drinking. If this happens, you must know that now
  you require external intervention. Such behaviour
  needs to be stopped immediately as it puts the
  safety of other people at risk.
• At times, people who feel embarrassed about their
  alcohol consumption, report falsely about the
  amount of alcohol they consume. Under such
  situation, you can easily determine the amount of
  alcohol been bought through credit card receipts
  or the amount that came in from shopping and the
  amount that is left behind to get the accurate
  idea about alcohol consumption.
• In case the elder does not have a known history
  of alcohol abuse and there is no onset of
  dementia than the best approach is possibly a
  direct discussion. Most elders respond
  defensively when they are confronted for alcohol
  abuse. The objective is to encourage health and
  offer support and not to induce embarrassment. If
  the elder feels humiliated or ashamed then it can
  make it difficult for them to accept help. In
  such situation, a family friend or a professional
  counsellor can be a better choice.
• Sometimes the elder person has a medical
  condition that involves the physicians
  recommendation about avoiding alcohol such as a
  prescribed drug treatment that restricts the use
  of alcohol. In such situation, one can engage the
  physician in the discussion. It may not make the
  elder person willing to quit but can assist in
  establishing a firm and unbiased opinion in the
  discussion and provides the ground for asserting
  that alcohol intake should be restricted.

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Signs That Indicates Towards the Need for Home
Care

• Any incident that entails visible hazard makes it
  easy to decide. This may include dangerous
  driving, traffic accident, falls, house safety
  hazards due to inability to manage household such
  as roof leaks, overlooked plumbing issues,
  leaving the stove on, etc. Often elder people
  justify the incident by implementing that it
  could have happened to anyone. It is usually
  because they resist care, however, one must
  remember that it is not wise to wait for
  something bad to happen. Consider it a timely
  opportunity and do what must be done. In case of
  resistance, one needs to be persistent.
• The more visible signs include initial or
  moderate dementia, poor management of medication,
  and poor hygiene or incontinence. The incidents
  are non-negotiable and if any of these signs
  occur, it means living alone is extremely
  dangerous for your elder loved ones and they
  require home care.
• A further difficulty in decision making arises
  where warning signs are visible but not decisive
  and you are the only family member accountable
  for care. Only if possible, the best approach is
  to have an open and honest discussion with the
  elder family member. One can keep it hypothetical
  if it is helpful. Most of the times, individuals
  are not aware of how to request care and a
  discussion of possible incidents may allow those
  preferences to appear, which may have otherwise
  kept unspoken.

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Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is
Dealing with Alzheimers

• Try to make eye contact. Interact with them face
  to face and mention their name. Always make sure
  that their attention is focused on you. Deeply
  note their gestures and body language to realize
  how they are feeling.
• Always mention in detail about what you are going
  to do before you do it. Elders with Alzheimers
  disease often feel more comfortable when they
  already know what to expect.
• Considering their deteriorating mental
  capabilities, always ask only one question at a
  time. Try not to ask questions in the context of
  why or how. Elders with Alzheimers disease find
  them hard to process. Instead try asking the
  question in the context of who, what and where.
• Try to speak in a soft tone and a calm manner
  while making use of small sentences. To maintain
  your pace, try taking a breath between each
  sentence. Try to use just one idea or instruction
  in a single sentence.
• Never ask them to remember. It would be difficult
  for them and eventually cause frustration if they
  will be unable to remember past or recent events.

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Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is
Dealing with Alzheimers

• Try to remain focus on the positive things and
  always address them in an adult voice. Remember
  that baby talk can put them off the edge. You
  must respect them for who they were and who they
  still are.
• Never argue with them and do not attempt to
  correct them because this can lead to aggressive
  behaviour. For instance, if they are talking
  about a grown-up family member as a child you can
  ask them more about the person and show the
  picture of that family members childhood to
  prompt conversation.
• Reading and singing are the abilities, which are
  usually preserved until later in the Alzheimers
  disease. You may sing songs to them, let them
  listen to music and read them stories from their
  childhood.
• It may seem hard but always try to agree with
  them. Attempting to bring them back to reality
  may not work and worsen the condition. Instead,
  you can use what they are saying to extend
  conversations which might interest them.

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Things You Always Thought Are the Part of Growing
Older - Are Actually Not

• Memory loss
• Most of the elder people experience a certain
  change in their memory with the age. They seem to
  work a bit harder to remember a persons name or
  recall a word. Such changes are normal because
  with age the part of our brain has stored so much
  information that it takes a little longer to
  access it. It is also important to know that some
  of the memory problems arise from curable
  conditions. Some common reasons for memory loss
  are vitamin deficiencies, metabolic disorders,
  sleep deprivation, alcohol abuse and urinary
  tract infections.
• Vision problems
• With the old age, a few changes in the vision are
  the most common, for instance finding it hard to
  focus when close to the eye. Most of the elder
  people develop conditions that impair eyesight
  such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease
  and age-related macular degeneration. Particular
  forms of vision impairments can be prevented with
  regular eye exams. As of today, cataract surgery
  is restoring the vision of a number of elder
  people.
• Tooth loss
• Poor nutrition has been the leading cause of poor
  oral health. Modern dentistry is assisting a
  number of elder individuals to preserve their
  natural teeth for a longer time period. Routine
  dental care can cure dry mouth, gum disease and
  regular wear and tear, which helps elder people
  to avoid loss of tooth.
• Depression
• Elder people are at high risk of depression.
  Changes in life circumstances, the death of
  spouse, health challenges and loss of
  independence can be a major cause of depression
  due to which home health care services have
  immense importance. Taking different medication
  due to certain health conditions may cause
  depression.

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How to Deal With the Stress of Being a Family
Caregiver

• Treat Yourself with Self-care
• It is extremely important for you to maintain
  your own physical and emotional health. To do so,
  you must eat a balanced diet, take proper rest,
  exercise regularly and take out time for
  recreational activities in order to maintain your
  mental health. Taking out time to spend with
  friends, expressing how you feel and keeping your
  focus towards the positive aspects of life can
  also help you go through these challenging times.
  
• Get Some Additional Help
• While your friends and relatives may not share
  your entire burden but most of the times they are
  happy to help with additional tasks such as your
  neighbours can help you with grocery shopping and
  cooking. Home Health Care Services can be the
  solution to all your problems. But if you have
  children you can involve them by assigning them
  chores according to their age. You may join a
  support group with other caregivers to learn from
  their experiences. Always remembers to say yes if
  someone offers you help.

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The End

• For more details, please visit
• https//medwayhealthcare.com/home-care/