Weight Gain

Weight gain can be a bad sign if your elderly family member has heart failure. Changes in her weight aren’t necessarily because she’s eating more or because she’s doing anything wrong. Sudden weight gain, especially of around 3 to 5 pounds, overnight or over a couple of days can mean that she’s retaining more water than she realizes. This is directly related to heart failure and can mean that her medications aren’t working well.

Swelling in the Extremities

Swelling in the extremities, or edema is something else your elderly family member might experience. Edema occurs when there’s too much fluid in the body and it pools in the lower legs, feet, and even in the abdomen. The heart isn’t able to keep up with the fluid, which causes the buildup. Some medications can help to reduce edema, but suddenly experiencing swelling is a cause for concern and your senior’s medical team needs to know what’s happening.

Blood Pressure Levels

Blood pressure levels are also a good indicator of how your senior’s heart failure is progressing. Using a home monitor is easy to do, but home health care providers can remind your senior and help keep track of the results. Your senior’s doctor may want to adjust the medications that she’s taking depending on how blood pressure levels fluctuate.

Fluid Intake

Drinking plenty of water and staying properly hydrated is important, but for people with heart failure, there is such a thing as too much fluid in one day. If your elderly family member does drink too much, she runs the risk of overwhelming her kidneys and her heart. Tracking fluid intake and making sure that it hits that happy medium is vital.

Poor Sleep

When your elderly family member isn’t getting good sleep, her body is less able to keep up with the demands of her heart failure. Getting better sleep can feel more complicated than your senior is prepared for it to be, however. Addressing sleep hygiene issues, like making sure she has a sleep schedule and her bedroom is comfortable for sleep, can make a big difference.

Shortness of Breath

Shortness of breath is not a symptom you might associate with heart failure, but it is a symptom directly related to heart failure. Fluid accumulation and congestion in the lungs make it difficult for the lungs to do their job, and that places more strain on the heart. Shortness of breath while exercising is one thing, but it’s particularly concerning when it happens while your senior is at rest.

Being able to keep tabs on all of these symptoms on a regular basis is crucial for your senior as she battles heart failure. Home health care providers can help your elderly family member to keep her doctor informed about what symptoms she’s experiencing regularly.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Cherry Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

The post 6 Types of Symptoms to Watch for with Heart Failure appeared first on Attentive Care, Inc..

Bathing, Hygiene, and Grooming

Taking a shower is one area where your mom isn’t confident anymore. She fell stepping out of the tub, and that increased her fear. She’d rather have someone support her while she gets into and out of the tub. Her caregiver is there for support.

If your mom needs help washing her hair or body and drying off, that’s an option. Her caregiver can trim the nails on your mom’s fingers and toes. She can have her caregiver help apply skin cream to hard-to-reach areas.

Housekeeping and Laundry

Is your mom able to keep her home clean and organized? If not, she can have a caregiver around to vacuum the carpets, sweep hardwood floors, dust furnishings, and do the dishes. Her caregiver can wipe and sanitize surfaces and tidy up clutter.

With a caregiver’s help each week, your mom’s sheets are changed and washed. Her dirty clothing is washed and dried. Towels are changed and laundered. Everything is dried, folded, and put away before the caregiver leaves for the day.

Your mom’s caregiver can also help with oral care, toileting, shaving, and hair care. As she has a caregiver there to help her brush and dry her hair, making it easier for her to start her day.

Meals and Snacks

Your mom’s caregiver can prepare meals and snacks for her. She can talk to her caregiver about the foods she wants throughout the week. Her caregiver can take her shopping, if needed, and prepare those meals and snacks for her when it’s time.

Does your mom hate eating alone? If so, ask the home care agency about companionship during meals. Your mom can have her caregiver eat with her or sit with her while she eats to ensure she’s never alone during a meal.

Socialization

Your mom’s caregivers provide the friendship she needs. She can socialize with her caregivers while engaging in a favorite hobby, going on outings to stores and area attractions, or while playing games.

Your mom loves to garden, but she has a hard time carrying her tools and any ripe produce. With a caregiver helping out, your mom is social and engaged with others.

Transportation

Your mom no longer drives, but that doesn’t mean she’s stuck at home. Hire a caregiver to take her shopping or when running errands. Her caregiver can bring her to her medical or therapy appointments.

Hold a family meeting to narrow down where your mom does well independently and where she could use help. Once you have an idea of the services that would help her, call a home care specialist to make arrangements.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Mullica Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

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Your Senior’s Physical Health Has Declined Significantly

If your elderly family member’s health has taken a shift for the worse, either seemingly overnight or over a longer span of time, she may feel like there is not much else she can really do about that. Hospice elder care can help her to have additional ways to manage those new symptoms that she may be experiencing. Problems such as losing too much weight, experiencing constant shortness of breath, and other issues just make her existing health problems feel more complicated.

Or Her Cognitive Health Has Significantly Changed

But it isn’t just physical health. Your senior’s cognitive health can also be a huge indicator of how well she’s doing. If she sees big changes, especially reduction, in her cognitive health, it might be time to consider changes like hospice care. Cognitive changes can be a result of illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, but there are other possible causes, including things you wouldn’t suspect, like hearing loss or diabetes. These illnesses can affect her overall health to the point that her brain health also can suffer.

Your Senior Is Ready to Stop Curative Treatments

Curative therapies and treatments have their place and they’re a big part of your elderly family member’s care plan, probably for a long time. If those treatments become too much for your senior, she might opt to stop them. Some of the treatments that she may have counted on making a difference for her health may feel as if they take more out of her than they offer back in terms of quality of life. Hospice treatments can shift things for her so that your elderly family member can focus on being comfortable instead.

Your Senior Is Even Closer to the End of Her Life

If your elderly family member’s doctor has let her know that she’s even closer to the end of her life than she expected, hospice may feel like a better option. Your senior’s doctor may recommend hospice care when her lifespan is estimated to be six months or less. That doesn’t mean that your senior’s doctor is definitively saying she’ll only live for the next six months and if hospice care needs to be extended, your senior can be recertified to receive that type of care.

Talk with your elderly family member’s doctor about your concerns with your senior’s overall health and her needs. When hospice elder care is the right choice, you’ll have several markers that help you to understand that it really is time to embrace that sort of treatment plan.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Turnersville, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

The post Four Ways You Can Tell it May Be Time for Hospice Care  appeared first on Attentive Care, Inc..

By the time a senior is released from the hospital they are usually well enough to do some things for themselves, but recovering from a heart attack can be a long process. Depending on how much damage was done seniors may need months of rehabilitation and extra care to make sure they are safe at home. And in order to prevent future heart attacks, seniors will need to focus on making some lifestyle changes that will lower their risk of heart attacks. Senior care can make sure that your senior loved one is getting the care they need during recovery when you can’t be there to help.

In-Home Care After A Heart Attack

The services provided as part of an in-home care program can be tailored to the needs of your senior parent. Based on the severity of the heart attack your senior loved one may only need basic help around the house with things like cleaning up or making meals. If the heart attack was serious they may need help with personal care, dressing, and more tasks.

In-home care also can help seniors make the lifestyle changes that they need to make in order to keep themselves safe from future heart attacks. Most seniors know they need to change the way that they’re living for good of their health but many still struggle to make those changes. In-home care providers can motivate seniors to exercise more, eat better, and get more sleep so that they have a lower risk of a future heart attack.

Lifestyle Changes That Help Seniors Recover

Making lifestyle changes is never easy, especially for seniors to need to try and make abrupt changes in the way they live for their health. Most experts say that seniors should focus on making small measurable changes in their lives instead of attempting to make many big sweeping changes. But when a senior is recovering from a health attack some of the immediate changes they need to make are:

Changing Medications

Most likely your senior loved one will be put on medications after a heart attack. Their current medication regimen may also change. In-home care can help seniors make sure that they are taking the medications they need to take at the right times of the day to help them recover.

Exercising Daily

Daily exercise is a must for seniors that are recovering from a heart attack. Even though seniors may not be able to do strenuous exercise at first they need to start building up endurance and getting some activity each day. Walking is a fantastic exercise for seniors who are in heart attack recovery.

Getting Enough Sleep

The body needs sleep to recover from many conditions, including heart attacks. Your senior loved one may sleep better at night knowing that someone is there with them. And you’ll sleep better knowing that someone is looking after your senior parent.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Turnersville, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

Sources:

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/life-after-a-heart-attack/heart-attack-recovery-faqs

What To Do After a Heart Attack

The post Heart Attack Recovery At Home: How In-Home Care Can Help appeared first on Attentive Care, Inc..

Bacterial Pneumonia

One of the respiratory infections that is all too common in the elderly is bacterial pneumonia. If your elderly loved one gets this it could land them in the hospital very quickly. With this condition, there is fluid and inflammation in the lungs. Your elderly loved one may also develop chest pain due to fluid build-up and inflammation. They may have a fever and confusion, too. Generally, this condition is treated with antibiotics and other medications to manage the symptoms. When your elderly loved one comes home from the hospital, they may need additional care to get their medications. You can hire home health care providers to assist them.

Seasonal Influenza 

The flu or seasonal influenza is very dangerous for senior citizens. Did you know that around 90% of the deaths caused by the flu are among elderly people? If your elderly loved one develops the flu, some of the symptoms they may have include:

• Sore throat
• Cough
• Headache
• Chills
• Fever
• Digestive symptoms

Generally, the flu is treated with different types of antiviral medications. These are usually only effective if they start taking them when symptoms first start. If your elderly loved one is hospitalized or needs to be given medications at home, they may need home health care providers to assist with their medication regimen.

The Common Cold

In the days of Covid, the common cold isn’t talked about much, but it should be. There are many viruses that can cause a cold. The problem is that while some people don’t get very sick with the common cold, senior citizens can get extremely ill. Sure, it may not seem like sneezing, a runny nose, and a sore throat could do much to a person. However, the common cold can cause severe symptoms and even lead to pneumonia in the elderly. If your elderly loved one develops the common cold, make sure they are getting plenty of fluids and a lot of extra rest. If they are given medications to take at home, be sure they are taking them as prescribed.

Conclusion 

Unfortunately, many senior citizens who develop a respiratory infection need to be put on supplemental oxygen and other medications. Your elderly loved one may not be too thrilled with this. However, it is important that you and your home health care providers work with them to ensure they are taking their medications as prescribed. It is also important to ensure that they are getting the rest they need, so they can recover quicker from the illness.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Mullica Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

Sources

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15482146/#:~:text=The%20three%20types%20of%20respiratory,and%20nonpneumonic%20respiratory%20tract%20infection.

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Keep in mind that although some surgeries provide amazing benefits, you will want to ensure your senior can recover quickly. You may need to add them or find someone who can be. Some seniors may need 24-hour home care for a brief time, and it is something you should look into before a senior has surgery. There are many advantages to hiring 24-hour home care for a period of time.

If your senior has been losing their sight, it is time to take them to an eye doctor. Cataracts may be the cause of your senior’s eyesight problems, and surgery can help them see better and live longer. When a senior can see better, they will stumble less, which leads to fewer falls. Cataract surgery enhances a patient’s quality of life as well. Cataracts may make it difficult to do regular duties such as driving or reading. The things your senior loves may no longer be enjoyable. There are a few other reasons why cataract surgery could be the best decision for your senior.

What Are The Symptoms Of Cataracts?

Before deciding on this surgery is something to bring up to the doctor you need to understand if it is something your senior is suffering from. Here are symptoms to be watchful of.

Cloudy vision
Light sensitivity
Halos around lights
Changes in eye prescriptions
Double vision
At first, the cloudiness of the cataract may just damage a portion of your eye’s lens. However, as it develops in size, it will obscure more of the lens. It is important to ensure a senior is getting regular checkups.

Benefits of Cataracts Surgery

If your senior has cataracts you may be worried about them or they may not want to do it because it seems frightening. However, there are a few advantages to why you should encourage your senior to accept this surgery if needed.

It Is Fast

Some surgeries are not fast but choosing to go through with a cataract surgery will be a quick choice. Overall the entire procedure will take 10 to 20 minutes to do and then around 30 minutes to recover from the effects.

It Will Improve Vision

One of the best reasons this surgery is beneficial for a senior who can’t see is that it will certainly work. After the short recovery time a senior will be able to see much better than before. This will lead to a better life and may help them live longer.

This procedure is often conducted under local anesthesia using eye drops that numb the surface of the eye. During the process, you will be conscious, but your eyesight will be quite fuzzy. After the surgery, a senior’s eyes may feel fuzzy and itchy because a new lens is inserted but it will go away in a day or two. After that, a senior will be seeing things better than ever before.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Cherry Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

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Bathing/Showering

As mobility changes, taking a shower independently can become a challenge. You don’t want to get the call that your mom or dad fell while climbing in and out of the bathtub/shower combination or slipped stepping into the shower stall. Grab bars offer some protection, but elder care aides are even better.

Elder care aides help your parents get in and out of the shower. If they need a shower seat, the caregiver helps them get settled and hands them the things they need. Should your parents need help washing their body or hair, their caregiver helps out.

After the shower or bath, the caregiver helps them out. If they need assistance with towel drying, that’s an option. They may also want the caregiver to help them apply moisturizer after their shower and that’s also possible.

Companion Care

Do your parents complain about feeling lonely or isolated? Companion care at home is important. Caregivers stop by to talk to your parents, play games with them, or join them on fun outings to museums, parks, and stores.

Errands

Your mom and dad no longer drive, so they rely on you to run errands for them. Have a caregiver stop at the pharmacy to pick up prescription refills. Caregivers can pick up groceries or household items like toilet paper and cleaners at a warehouse store.

Grooming

If it’s harder for your parents to get dressed, shave, and trim their toenails and fingernails. You can hire elder care aides to help with those routine grooming tasks. If they need help picking out suitable clothing for the day, that’s possible.

Housekeeping

How about having a caregiver help with housework? That’s one of the most popular reasons to hire elder care. Your parents cannot keep up with dishes, and the vacuum is too heavy for them to push around the house.

Caregivers can do light housekeeping chores like vacuuming, dusting, wiping countertops, disinfecting faucet handles, and sweeping hardwood floors. They can make beds and change sheets and towels.

Laundry

Have caregivers stop by each week to do the laundry. During that visit, the caregivers can change the bedding and towels, put them in the laundry, and make sure it’s dried, folded, and put away. If your parents have items that need to be ironed, that is also possible.

Meal Preparation

Have caregivers cook meals and snacks. Your parents work with their caregivers on meal plans and can even take them shopping for ingredients.

That’s just a sampling of the tasks elder care aides help your parents with each week. Options like oral care, toileting, and transportation to appointments are also available. Call an expert in elder care to schedule these and other services.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Mullica Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

The post What Are 7 Benefits of Elder Care? appeared first on Attentive Care, Inc..

The best foods for seniors who want to stay hydrated are:

Watermelon

Watermelon is mostly water, as the name implies. There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than some cold watermelon. Watermelon is also easy to puree so that seniors who have problems chewing can enjoy it. A watermelon sorbet is a delicious snack. It’s also a fantastic way to end a meal. A home care assistance provider can help your senior loved one increase their hydration by cutting up or pureeing some fresh watermelon for them each day.

Citrus Fruits

Oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are all good sources of water as well as the best source for important minerals and vitamins like Potassium and Vitamin C. Snacking on some citrus fruit is a delicious way senior’s can stay hydrated. If you or a home care assistance provider want to tempt your senior loved one to eat more citrus fruit a great way to do that is to dip peeled orange segments into melted chocolate, then put the segments on a baking sheet in the fridge until they firm up.

Salads

Many of the components of a good salad are at least 85% water. Iceberg lettuce, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots all have a lot of water in them. Just one salad  per day with a mix of these ingredients can significantly increase your senior loved one’s hydration without them having to drink more water. A home care assistance provider can make a salad for your senior loved one for lunch or for a snack each day.

Celery

Celery is another food that is mostly water but does have some vitamins and minerals too. If your senior loved one isn’t allergic to peanuts some celery spread with peanut butter is a fantastic snack for seniors. It has lots of water, protein, and healthy vitamins and minerals.

Drinking More Water

If your senior loved one doesn’t like drinking water because they don’t like tap water bottled water is a good option that might encourage them to drink more water. But you can also make water more appealing by adding fruit to it. With an infusion pitcher you or a home care assistance provider can make delicious fresh fruit water.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Services in Medford NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

Source:

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/study-finds-a-lack-of-adequate-hydration-among-the-elderly

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Just Having Conversations

One of the best ways to keep the lines of communication open between yourself and the elder care providers is by just having regular conversations. There are many things that the elder care providers may need to talk to you about such as:

• Health concerns for your elderly loved one
• Daily routines
• Appointments
• Transportation
• Nutritional needs

The more you speak to the professional caregivers, the more you will be in touch with how your elderly loved one is doing.

Keeping Contact Info Updated

Another way to keep the lines of communication open between yourself and your elderly loved one’s senior care providers is by keeping contact info updated. For example, if your phone number or email changes, be sure to share the change with the elder care providers. If they don’t have your correct number or contact info, they aren’t going to be able to update you on what is going on with your elderly loved one.

Regular Meetings

Another way for you to keep in touch with and communicate with the elder care providers is by having regular meetings with you, your elderly loved one, and the elderly care providers. The meetings don’t have to be very long and they don’t have to be every day. However, it would be a good idea to have the meetings put on your schedule and on your elderly loved one’s calendar. If you have regular meetings with the home care providers, you won’t feel left in the dark about what is going on with your elderly loved one, especially when you can’t be there as often as you would like.

Connect on a Social Basis

If you just aren’t feeling comfortable with the home care providers yet, it may be a good idea for you to spend some time at your elderly loved one’s home when the care providers are there. That way, you can be around them in more of a social environment to get used to them and their presence in your elderly loved one’s home.

Conclusion

These are some of the best tips to keep lines of communication open with you, your elderly loved ones, and their elder care providers. If you can follow through with these tips, you won’t have as many issues with not knowing what is happening in your elderly loved one’s life. In addition, you will always be able to ensure your elderly loved one is being well taken care of.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Evesham, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5705584/

The post Tips for Keeping Lines of Communication Open Between Yourself and the Elder Care Providers appeared first on Attentive Care, Inc..

It could be due to the Covid-19 pandemic or just the fact that people are so busy these days, they don’t have or make time to socialize. If your elderly loved one is feeling lonely, it is crucial that you help them to feel better. There are numerous ways that you and an elder care provider can help with this.

Making Plans Together

Are you the one who usually makes the plans for your elderly loved one? For example, maybe you make up all the plans and then, just tell your elderly loved one what is going to happen. If that is the case, maybe, you could do things a little differently from now on. It might be a good idea to start having your elderly loved one help make the plans. For instance, you could pick the time of when you are going to dinner with them and they could pick the restaurant. Just helping to make decisions could make your elderly loved one feel less alone.

Connecting Regularly

Do you find your own life to be full of appointments, work, and running errands? Are you making it over to your elderly loved one’s home less and less? This is normal. It happens. Life does often get in the way of socializing and visiting with loved ones. However, if your elderly loved one is feeling lonely, it may be a good idea to have companion care at home providers connect with them regularly. Just having someone come to their home and sit with them a few times a week could help to reduce their feelings of loneliness.

Having a Pet

If there aren’t many family members or friends in your elderly loved one’s life it is no wonder they are starting to feel lonely. However, there might be a solution – what about getting them a pet? It could be a guinea pig or a cat. Sometimes, dogs are a lot of work for senior citizens. However, cats and guinea pigs are a bit easier to take care of since your elderly loved one wouldn’t have to take them outdoors. If this is something you believe would help your elderly loved one to feel less alone, talk to them about it. See what they think. You or a home care provider could even help with the light cleaning it might take to pick up after the pet.

Conclusion

These are some of the best tips to help senior citizens to prevent or overcome loneliness. If your elderly loved one has been feeling lonely, let them know that you understand and want to help. Share these tips with them to see what they believe would or could help. Then, you and the companion care at home providers can work together to help your elderly loved one to start feeling less lonely.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Mount Laurel, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

Sources

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/loneliness-and-social-isolation-tips-staying-connected

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