Important Fitness Tips for Seniors

An important part of senior care is helping your elderly loved one stay active as they age. Exercise and physical activity are a key component to a healthy lifestyle, and many studies have shown that exercise offers an array of health benefits that seniors can enjoy, simply by incorporating moderate physical activity into their daily life. It can prevent or help loved ones recover from falls, keep bones strong, and stave off weakness or strength loss that often accompanies aging. 

Exercise can also help your loved one stay fit and strong enough to continue doing the activities or hobbies they enjoy. But before starting a physical activity routine, it is important that your older relative or friend speak with their health care provider. A Durham physician can advise on which types of exercises are beneficial and which could do more harm than good. Your loved one should always get the approval of a doctor before starting a routine. 

A physical activity regimen for an older adult will likely look different than one for a younger person. But by modifying exercise, seniors can find activities that work for their bodies and discover new activities that suit their personalities. There are many exercises that can be done virtually anywhere, even in the home, which is essential for providing great home care for your loved one. A good routine should include endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility exercises. Consider these tips when working with your older loved one in choosing a physical activity program that suits their needs.

Strength. Lifting weights or using body weight is an important part of exercise. It helps to build muscle strength and keep your loved one better able to hold their balance and continue enjoying the activities they do daily. Improving strength will help them to move around the house, get out of bed, do grocery shopping, and complete many other everyday chores or activities they want or need to do.

Endurance. Cardiovascular endurance exercises refer to anything that will increase your loved one’s heart rate. Many older adults go for walks, take a bike ride, or go swimming to get their heart rate up. Some seniors may not be able to do cardiovascular exercise for more than a few minutes at a time. But with practice, they can build up their endurance and go for much longer. This is important, as many household activities require endurance. For example, gardening or going up and down stairs require cardiovascular strength, and a workout routine that focuses on endurance can make many of these daily activities easier and more enjoyable.

Balance. Focusing on balance is highly important for older adults. Such exercises can increase muscle strength in the core and legs. By improving balance, your loved one can better prevent falls, which could lead to major injury or even death. 

Stretching. Your older relative or friend can improve their flexibility by stretching regularly. It will increase their range of movement and reduce their risk of injury if they do fall. Even more, it will make daily activities easier because it will help your loved one move more freely and with less pain.

Remember that before starting any exercise routine, your older loved one should receive their doctor’s clearance. But you can help care for elderly family or friends by working with them and their physician to find the best routines for their individual needs, capabilities, and styles. 

Planning for Your Parents’ Elder Care Costs

When it comes to planning for elder care, Durham families should start considering arrangements early on. Preparing for the costs of your parents’ care services needs advance attention. But with sufficient planning, families can budget wisely and successfully provide care for their aging parents and their needs.

First, consider the many different ways you could deliver care to your parents. Many older adults are aging in place. They are upgrading their homes and designing them to make life easier and more suited to their changing mobility. Other parents are moving in with children or relatives where family can provide senior care themselves or through a trusted home care service. The third common option is to help your aging parent or parents move into an assisted living facility. 

Consider what works best for your parents. They may need more supervision or they are able to thrive with maximum independence. However, you may need to still fund some or all of the costs of care. Consider each of these ideas and if they are relevant, helpful, or feasible for you and your parents’ individual situations.

Plan in advance. If necessary, consider creating a legal document to designate yourself or another family member as having “power of attorney.” This will allow a person to authorize decisions if a parent experiences memory loss or severe illness.

Get expert advice on improving your savings. Your employer may offer financial planning assistance. If not, you may also be able to contact an independent financial planner or credit union. Getting expert investment advice can help you start preparing in advance, allowing you to better support your parents later.

Learn more about insurance. Insurance can come in handy when financing senior living or care. Reach out to your employer or conduct your own research to learn more about insurance plans that may be able to help offset the cost. 

Think before quitting a job to support a parent. Having more time to help out a parent may not be feasible, considering lost income. It could also hinder your own retirement savings. If you did choose to leave your job, how easily could you find new employment in the future? Consider if your job skills would still be enticing for employers if you had a gap in employment.

Learn if you would lose helpful benefits if you quit. Your health insurance may no longer be provided if you left your job. You may also lose life insurance, long-term care policies, or employee disability. Rather than leaving your job, explore your employer’s family leave or flextime policies. They may allow you to still spend time with your parents while also retaining your employment status.

Develop a caregiving budget. Prior to making a big life change that could come with financial setbacks, develop a comprehensive budget. Consider what you will need to spend on caregiving to help keep your parents safe and healthy. Write out a list of your parents’ own resources, and see how they might be used to help support caregiving.

Explore low-cost or free public benefits. You may be able to receive assistance in paying for or getting help with caregiving. The National Council on Aging offers a benefits checklist, and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging offers lots of helpful information on caregiving, in addition to a location service that helps you find your nearest office.

Do your own research. One of the best ways to plan ahead is to take charge over your own financial future. As early as possible, start conducting your own research, reaching out to resources, and learning as much as you can. The more options you know about, the better you will be able to make sound decisions that can help you and your parents as they age.

Helping Your Older Loved One Recover From Knee Replacement Surgery

When an elderly loved one undergoes a knee replacement surgery, you might not be sure of how to help them and make their recovery easier. Luckily, there are many things you can do to assist in their healing and make them feel as comfortable as possible. 

The first few days after their surgery will likely be difficult. Your loved one will probably be worn out and even in pain. This, as well as their limited mobility, could make it easy for them to feel frustrated or nervous, as they are unable to get around as well as usual. While they may be upset about losing independence during recovery, this is exactly the time your help is most important. A post-operative senior may need your assistance in getting around, grooming, or cleaning. It is important to be patient and to help your loved one in their hour of need. 

Assist with Medications and Healing

If you are helping with home care, make sure that your loved one takes all of their prescribed medications as directed. If possible, be in attendance when a nurse or doctor explains what mediations are required after the operation. If there are multiple medications, especially if they need to be taken at different times, consider making a calendar to keep everything organized.

After a surgery, senior health also depends on keeping the operation site clean, too. You might need to monitor the wound and take note if there is any inflammation or swelling. If any occurs, reach out to the patient’s medical care provider right away. You might also need to change wound dressings and put together a kit of supplies, such as bandages. 

Help Out Around the House

After a knee replacement surgery, your older family member or friend won’t be able to take care of their home as well as they usually can. If possible, lend a hand and help out with grocery shopping, cooking meals, washing and putting away laundry, and other household chores as needed. 

While providing senior care in the post-recovery stages, it is also important that you make sure your loved one is taking medications correctly, eating the proper foods, and getting enough rest. These components all work together to help support the healing process and ease the burden on your older family member or friend. 

Attend Medical Appointments

If you are taking a lead role in caring for an elderly patient after a knee replacement, you should try to stay in contact with medical providers, too. You can help your loved one by monitoring appointments with both the doctor and the physical therapist. If a knee replacement patient misses any of their appointments, they may experience a setback, or worse, a complication, in their recovery. In addition, it may also help if you manage transportation to and from these appointments. Driving may be difficult or entirely impossible after surgery. 

Perhaps most importantly, a big role you can assume in helping your older loved one recover is providing them with motivation and support. It can be easy to feel down after a surgery that reduces a person’s independence, even if only temporarily. Parents or older loved ones might need some extra inspiration to continue their rehabilitation, exercises, or other routines to facilitate their healing. You can take this opportunity to act as their “cheerleader” and offer them the support and inspiration they need to heal properly and feel as great as they deserve.

How to Help Your Senior Overcome Insomnia

Unfortunately, insomnia is a common complaint among seniors, even for those who are otherwise healthy. Your loved one may run out of energy earlier, wake up throughout the night, or fail to feel rested after a long night’s sleep. Over time, insomnia can contribute to other health issues, both physical and mental. Sufficient rest is essential for good senior health, so it’s important to face any sleep-related problems quickly before they’re allowed to progress and persist. 

Home care professionals explain that facing bouts of insomnia occasionally is normal, but if a senior regularly struggles to fall asleep or stay asleep they may actually be dealing with a sleep disorder that requires medical treatment. Signs of a sleep disorder include:

• Relying on sleeping pills or alcohol to go to sleep
• Irritability throughout the day
• Failure to feel refreshed after sleeping a sufficient amount
• Trouble getting back to sleep after waking up
• Trouble falling asleep, despite feeling tired

In the case of insomnia, senior care professionals explain that there are often a number of different underlying yet treatable causes. Such causes include:

• Stress
• Depression
• Chronic anxiety
• Medication
• A recent traumatic experience
• Health problems
• A poor pre-bed routine
• Chronic pain
• Lack of exercise

According to those who work in at-home care, Chapel Hill families can help their senior to sleep better by encouraging the following habits:

• Cutting down on caffeine usage. Many people are highly sensitive to caffeine, and find that even a cup of coffee consumed in the afternoon keeps them up at night.
• Discontinuing the use of electronic devices before bed. The light from tablets, computers, and TV screens can keep the brain awake, making sleep hard to come by.
• Establishing the proper sleep environment. The bedroom should be cool, quiet, and dark in order to make it easier to fall asleep.

If problems with sleep still persist even after these changes, it’s time to consult with a medical professional. Quality sleep is important for your senior’s physical and mental well-being, so any issues with insomnia need to be addressed quickly.

Preventing Your Senior with Dementia From Wandering

If your elderly loved one suffers from dementia, their safety becomes a real concern. Home care professionals explain that those with dementia often wander off, and can find themselves in highly dangerous situations as a result. In order to protect your senior and deter them from exiting the home on their own, it’s important to develop a safe environment where they feel at peace. To do this, follow these tips:

Secure the home

Make it harder for your senior to slip out and wander off by putting deadbolts on doors, high and out of reach. You may also consider outfitting your home with door and window alarms. According to those who work in dementia care, Chapel Hill families should also look into buying an alarmed mat that goes off when your senior gets out of bed. This can help you to intervene before your loved one exits the home.

Provide comfort

Many times, an elderly individual will wander off because they feel unsettled in the house. They may not remember how to find the bathroom or may feel disoriented. To help cut down on these instances, consider hanging a sign on the bathroom door that reminds the senior that this is where the bathroom is located. This can cut down on confusion, and may prevent them from getting distressed and leaving. 

Determine patterns

It’s common for an elderly loved one to leave the home due to certain triggers or patterns. For instance, they may think that they need to get to work so they head out, or perhaps they’re worried about a garden they had years ago and try to go outside to tend to it. If you can detect these patterns, you can soothe your elderly parent and remind them that everything is being taken care of. This helps to keep them calm and prevents the urge to wander off.

Plan group outings carefully

If you’re heading to the park, beach, or another large public space, plan the outing well in advance. It’s easy for your loved one to get overwhelmed in these situations and disappear from the rest of the group. Ask an extra person to tag along to help you keep watch on your senior. Also try to select a place with family-friendly bathrooms.

Recognizing the Signs of Caregiver Depression

For those who care for elderly family members, life can be stressful. Couple the responsibilities of caregiving with work obligations and attending to children’s needs and the process can be overwhelming. For this reason, it is important to be aware of the signs of caregiver depression and burnout, and to react accordingly. Some signs that a caregiver is experiencing depression include:

• Withdrawal from other family members, friends, and loved ones
• Loss of interest in activities that they previously loved
• Irritability
• Mood swings
• Bouts of anger for no apparent reason
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Feelings of anger toward the person you’re caring for
• Physical and emotional exhaustion
• Weight loss or gain

In some cases, a caregiver who is experiencing burnout and exhaustion may turn to escapist behaviors, like heavy drinking, promiscuity, or drug use. Elder care professionals explain that many family members feel the need to escape from the demands of caring for their senior and turn to unhealthy outlets in order to relax and feel free.

How to cope

Caregivers get into trouble because they spend so much time focusing on the health and well-being of their elderly family member that they neglect their own needs. It’s important for a caregiver to carve out some time for self-care each day. Whether this means seeing friends, reading a book, taking a nap, or watching a favorite TV show, this time is crucial for restoring that caregiver’s mental health.

Asking for help is another part of fighting off caregiver depression and burnout. There is no shame in having a home care professional come in a few days per week to help with the burden of caretaking. They can assist with bathing, cleaning the home, and taking care of other errands that the elderly individual can’t handle on their own. This ensures that the senior is well cared for, but gives the family member a break. Having help even just a few days per week can make a major difference for caregivers.

While it’s important to keep the focus on the elderly family member’s health and safety, a caregiver can’t neglect their own needs. Doing so can leave the person feeling depressed and desperate. Taking time each day to indulge in favorite hobbies is a major part of successful caregiving. 

What You Need to Know About Glaucoma and Your Senior

You may have heard the term “glaucoma” thrown around at your optometrist’s office, but if you’re caring for an elderly loved one it’s important to know the details about this devastating disease. Glaucoma is technically a cluster of diseases that wreak havoc on the eye’s optic nerve. In many cases, glaucoma leads to vision loss or even total blindness. 

Unfortunately, glaucoma appears to be hereditary, and is particularly prevalent among elderly individuals. The condition is still relatively mysterious, though there are several factors that are known to contribute to risk of the disease. Such factors include: 

• Family history
• Nearsightedness
• Previous eye injury
• Low blood pressure
• Diabetes

Many people are surprised to find out that there are actually a few different varieties of glaucoma. In order to protect senior health, home care professionals recommend gaining a basic understanding about these varieties. They include:

Isopen-angle glaucoma

This is the most common type of glaucoma, and it results in a slow yet often painless loss of peripheral vision. Because most people don’t pay close attention to their peripheral vision, it is often hard to spot this kind until it’s too late. 

Withopen-angle glaucoma

This variation of the disease slowly narrows a person’s field of vision. Over time, an elderly individual may feel as if they are looking through a tunnel or a paper towel tube. 

Low-tension or normal tension glaucoma

These strains are harder to detect because intraocular pressure levels typically are not alarming. Instead, the disease impacts blood flow to the optic nerve. 

Fromangle-closure glaucoma

This happens when intraocular pressure is too high and the iris blocks drainage to certain parts of the eye. This can quickly result in vision loss, and is often quite painful. 

There are also other types of glaucoma, but these strains of the disease are very rare. If you’re caring for an elderly loved one, it’s important to understand glaucoma. Ensure that your loved one gets a regular eye exam in order to help detect the disease early on and to stop vision loss from happening. 

An Essential Wellness Checklist for Elderly Loved Ones

As your parent ages, you want to be able to track their health and their needs while making sure that they have all necessary medications. However, if there are multiple caregivers involved, this process can get confusing. For this reason, home care professionals recommend devising a wellness checklist to protect senior health. This compiles all necessary information about this senior’s health, and also helps to monitor note-worthy changes. The checklist should include things like:

• Contact information for any doctors or caregivers
• An assessment of that elderly individual’s current level of wellness, including any medical conditions they are currently facing
• A list of prescriptions
• Any changes in mental health, such as poor hygiene, depression, or memory issues
• Changes in physical health, including weight gain or loss, injuries, abilities, and fatigue levels
• Changes in relationships with other people like family members, caregivers, and friends
• An assessment of the senior’s environment
• Hobbies that the senior currently enjoys

Elder care services professionals explain that when you see your elderly family member every day, you may not notice subtle changes that happen over time. When this information is recorded and well documented, it makes it easy to become aware of these progressions and to then address any issues that may have developed over time. This checklist is particularly important if you share caregiving duties with other family members or an elder care professional, as it helps to prevent any confusion or miscommunication.

As the elderly individual continues to age, it is important to make note of some important questions. Though these conversations are not easy to have, discussing the following questions ensures that everyone is on the same page about how the senior wants to spend their last years:

• Do you have a living will?
• How long would you like to stay in your home?
• Do you have specific wishes about your last days or your funeral?
• Are there any other loose ends that need to be addressed?

Caring for an elderly loved one can be a draining process, and checklists such as these help to prevent any important details from slipping through the cracks. 

Preparing to Welcome Your Senior Home From the Hospital

When your senior is getting ready to come home after a hospital stay, you’ll want to prepare yourself and the house for their arrival. Home care professionals explain that preparation is essential in order to keep your elderly loved one happy as they continue to recover. Take these steps to ensure that this is the case:

Plan ahead

Even if the discharge is still a little while away, it’s still important to make plans about how you’ll proceed when your loved one is released. This is especially true if you’ll need to make special accommodations in your home in order to better assist the elderly individual. You’ll want to have bathroom grab bars and other fixtures installed well before your senior arrives.  You may also need to rearrange the space if a hospital bed, wheelchair, and other similar items become necessary. 

Don’t forget to get rid of unnecessary area rugs in order to reduce your loved one’s chance of slipping in their fragile state. Make sure cords that lie on the ground are secure and not located in high traffic areas. These small details will make that elderly individual’s return a much more pleasant experience for everyone.

Learn about your new responsibilities

When your senior is home, they’re no longer in the care of highly trained doctors and nurses. This means that you and other family members will need to shoulder much of the caretaking burden. For the sake of senior health, you will need to get educated about this process. 

According to professionals who work in home care, Chapel Hill families should spend some time talking with their elderly family member’s doctors and nurses about the caregiving process. This means finding out about administering different medications, changing bandages, and other essential parts of preserving their senior’s wellbeing.

Get assistance if necessary

Caring for an elderly loved one can certainly become a full-time job. For many people, this fact is overwhelming. Never feel ashamed to ask for help in providing your senior with what they need. You may consider having an elder care professional come in several days per week in order to help with bathing, changing, and the distribution of medication. This gives family members a break from the caregiving process, allowing them to feel refreshed and recharged once again.

Protecting Your Senior From Freezing Winter Weather

Temperatures during the winter can dip and become dangerously low, which means that you’ll want to make sure your senior is protected from whipping winds and subzero wind-chill. In order to keep your elderly loved one safe during this time of year, elder care professionals advise keeping these issues in mind:

 Hypothermia

When it comes to care for elderly people, a focus on preventing hypothermia is a must. Studies show that each year, half of the Americans who die from hypothermia are at least 65 years old.1 Elderly individuals are especially vulnerable because they have less fat, slower circulation, and slower metabolisms. Make sure that your senior is properly dressed each and every time they set foot outside. This includes wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves too. It doesn’t matter how long they plan to be outside, proper coverage is a must. Keep in mind that hypothermia can set in inside the home too. To prevent this from happening, make sure that the thermostat inside your senior’s house is never set below 65 degrees. 

Falls due to snow and ice

The wintertime greatly increases an elderly individual’s risk of slipping and falling, note home care professionals. Ice can become hard to see, and may cause a senior to fall in their driveway or in a parking lot. Additionally, boots track in snow, which makes floors inside restaurants and doctors’ offices slick. Encourage your senior to wear rubber-soled shoes, and consider investing in a walker or cane for extra stability. 

Ensure that the driveway and walkways leading to your loved one’s home have been cleaned thoroughly. Do not allow them to handle this task on their own, as they can quickly become off balance and fall as they are trying to get rid of snow and ice. Regardless of how warm the day is supposed to be, snow and ice can linger, so attending to this task regularly is a must.

Space heaters

These devices can become essential during the coldest winter months; however, they must be used with care. Leaving a space heater on overnight or when leaving the house can quickly result in a fire. Make sure the heater is only used during short spurts. This will warm up the house without posing a safety risk. Keep the area around the heater clear of clothes, papers, trash, and other items that could quickly ignite.

1http://www.agingcare.com/Articles/cold-weather-protection-for-seniors-148625.htm

Why You Should Have a Long Term Care Plan

Though it’s not always pleasant to acknowledge that your senior is getting older, long term care plans are an essential part of ensuring that your elderly loved one lives a high quality life in a comfortable setting. Start these discussions early in order to ensure that plans are in place when they are needed, and that everyone’s goals are met. There is a number of different long-term care options, including:

Home care

Home care professionals can assist your elderly family member with important daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, grocery shopping, and meal preparation. They can also ensure that your loved one is taking their medication each day. This option is beneficial for seniors who live well independently, but could use a little extra assistance. 

Day programs

Day programs allow seniors to interact with other people their age, while enjoying nutritious snacks and stimulating activities. This option is a great one for an elderly individual who doesn’t need constant supervision, but could benefit from some additional socialization during the day. They’ll participate in light exercise, field trips, arts and crafts activities, and other events, while getting help with their medication.

Assisted living

For seniors who need help with daily living tasks but don’t need the intensive level of care found in nursing homes, assisted living facilities are ideal. Eldercare professionals handle bathing, dressing, and administering daily medications. Your loved one resides in a safe place, with plenty of opportunity for socialization. They also enjoy much of the independence that they experienced when living on their own, without the risks that come along with it. 

Nursing homes

Nursing homes provide round-the-clock care for your senior, and are necessary for those who can no longer care for themselves independently. Services include help with bathing, using the restroom, eating, dressing, and taking medication. Elderly individuals can also get wound care and rehabilitative therapy.

With so many different long-term care options, a family must decide what appeals to their senior. Planning early allows those family members to assess all options thoroughly, and find an option that works with their senior’s needs and wishes most effectively. The ideal option will depend on your senior’s health, necessary care regimen, and ability to take care of themselves.  

How to Help Your Senior Beat the Post-Holiday Blues

The holidays are full of joy and time with family, but the days and weeks afterward can actually be a prime time for feelings of sadness or depression. The eldercare professionals of Chapel Hill explain that your elderly loved one has probably spent months looking forward to Christmas parties and family gatherings, and may feel disappointed and wistful once they’re over. To help your senior overcome the post-holiday blues, keep these tips in mind:

Plan another excursion to look forward to

So the parties and huge family get-togethers may be over, but this doesn’t mean that the next few weeks and months need to be boring. To help your loved one get over their sadness that the holiday season is over, plan a fun excursion or activity to look forward to. You can go to dinner, see a play, or simply bundle up and take a walk around the neighborhood.

Help them declutter

A peaceful and clean living situation contributes significantly to your senior’s happiness. When they are spending a significant amount of time in a space that is filled with dirty dishes, papers, and clothes, they may find that their post-holiday sadness worsens. To ensure that their home is a place where they enjoy spending time, senior care professionals encourage family members to help their seniors straighten their space up. 

Together, you can go through old clothes and papers and discard items that are no longer needed. Move through their refrigerator and ask them to point out items that they are no longer eating. You may also consider hiring a professional cleaning service to come and give the space a deep clean. It’s amazing how significantly a clean home can impact your elderly loved one’s mood.

Bring them books or music they’ll love

If your senior has a favorite book genre, consider purchasing them a few titles that they can enjoy reading now that their busy holiday schedule has quieted down. You may also purchase DVDs or CDs featuring their favorite music, movies, or TV shows. 

Spend time with them
Though the holiday season is coming to a close, there’s no reason why bonding with family has to stop. Make it a point to drop in on your elderly loved one regularly. Invite them over for dinner, or take them out for a cup of coffee. The activities don’t have to be expensive to be meaningful.

How to Help Your Senior Sell Their Home

Whether your senior is ready to downsize, move in with family, or is planning on heading to a new community, preparing their home for sale is important. Family members should help their elderly loved one ensure that they are getting compensated accordingly. In order to help your senior sell their home successfully, keep these tips in mind.

Find someone who specializes in this kind of sale

There are special programs where real estate agents receive training on senior housing. Seek out an agent who has an understanding of senior housing needs, as well as the implications of certain financial transactions. When the realtor you work with has your elderly loved one’s best interests in mind, it makes it easier to ensure that the sale goes smoothly.

Know what the home is worth

When your elderly loved one has resided in their current home for many years, it can become difficult to maintain a real sense of the value of the property. However, blindly accepting an offer without learning about the residence’s value is doing your senior a disservice, note the home care professionals of Chapel Hill.

Part of eldercare is ensuring that your loved one does not make any major financial mistakes, which means that they need to learn what their home is really worth. To do this, review the comparative market analysis that the real estate agent will provide you. This includes data from that area, including information about what similar homes have sold for recently. These details can help you guide your elderly loved one to making a smart choice as they prepare to sell.

Help your loved one declutter

When your senior is getting ready to sell their home, you will want to work with them to make the house look its best before potential buyers come to look at it. Those who care for elderly individuals explain that this is often a challenge, as your elderly loved one probably has a wide variety of belongings that they’ve accumulated throughout the years they’ve lived in the home. Be sensitive as you help them sort through their belongings, deciding what will come with them, what will get donated, and what will get thrown out. A clean, clutter-free home is much more attractive to prospective buyers, but the process behind it takes time.

While preparing your senior’s home for sale is no easy undertaking, working together ensures that your elderly loved one will make a smart financial decision.

How to Trace Your Ancestry with Your Senior

Every family should understand where they came from. This helps to build appreciation and shape that family’s plan for the future. If you’ve never really sat down to talk with your senior about your ancestors, home care professionals explain that doing so is often a thrilling and enlightening way to spend the day. Home care, Chapel Hill, providers assert that there is a number of different ways to trace your heritage with an elderly loved one.

Talk with them about their past

Your senior is a great (and often underutilized) resource when it comes to family history. Most elderly individuals love to share stories about their childhood with their children and grandchildren. The next time you’re curious about your ancestry, sit down with your senior and ask them a few questions. You may even consider recording the answers so that future generations can listen to their words and hear their voice. You can ask your elderly loved one about anything, including where they grew up, what their parents were like, and what daily life was like when they were younger.

Chronicle photographs

It’s common for a family to have boxes of old photographs floating around. If this is the case in your home, take some time to sort through these pictures and then organize and display them in a beautiful way. Instead of letting shots of relatives from generations past just sit idly in a box, arrange them in a way that makes sense so others can enjoy it. That way, whenever someone in the family is feeling curious about their heritage, they can simply look through these books and get a better understanding of what their relatives were like.

Use free resources online

Fortunately with the Internet, it’s easier than ever to trace your roots. There is a number of popular sites that offer useful (and often free) resources that can help you find out more about those who came before you. Some of these sites include:

• Ancestry.com
• Familylink
• Genealogy.com

Plug your information into these sites and you may be surprised about what you learn. Additionally, eldercare providers explain that seniors and their families can rely on the U.S. government’s National Archives database, which allows you to use census data, immigration forms, military documents, and other materials to track your relatives.

A Comprehensive Look at Veteran Benefits for Your Senior

If your senior served their country, they may stand to receive veteran’s benefits. These benefits also apply to spouses and surviving spouses of veterans. If your elderly loved one is at least 65 and served during war time, it is important to look into whether the Department of Veteran Affairs will help pay for their medical care, as well as care for their spouse. For an elderly individual who may be in a tight financial situation, these benefits can be life changing.

In order for your senior to qualify, they must have served at least one day during wartime. Wartime is currently defined as the following periods:

World War II 
12/7/1941 through 12/31/1946

Korean War
6/27/1950 through 1/31/1955

Vietnam War
 8/5/1964 through 5/7/1975

Gulf War
8/2/1990 to date to be determined by U.S. government

If your senior lost their discharge papers, they can contact the National Archives for assistance.

Senior care professionals and family members should make sure to understand the tiers of VA benefits for those who served and their dependents. The three tiers are as follows:

Basic pension:  This provides cash help for low-income veterans and their dependents. This means that the applicants are often healthy, but do not bring in much money.

Housebound benefit: This provides assistance for homebound vets, giving them help from a home care professional in order to accomplish day-to-day tasks.

Aid and attendance: This is for someone who requires daily assistance from an eldercare professional in order to live a healthy life.

If your senior is looking to receive these benefits from the VA, they will need to illustrate that they are genuinely in need of the benefits. They will do this by verifying their income, assets, and needs. However, don’t be discouraged if your elderly loved one’s income is over the threshold. Many seniors will qualify anyway, depending on their age and their current situation. It is worthwhile to apply just in case, as many seniors get the benefits even if they fall right on the border of eligibility. If you or your elderly loved one are confused about the benefits process, consult with a Veteran Services Officer who can provide you with detailed information about what your senior and their dependents can qualify for.

What You and Your Senior Need to Know About Carotid Artery Disease

Seniors and their families should understand the basics of carotid artery disease, which is when the major arteries in the neck become narrow and blocked. These arteries, known as the carotid arteries, are what supply the brain with the blood it needs to function on a daily basis. When the arteries become blocked by plaque (made up of cholesterol, calcium, and fibrous tissue), the arteries start to narrow and stiffen. Eventually, this condition can lead to a stroke. In order to keep your elderly loved one healthy, it is important to understand how to prevent the condition from developing.

A person’s chance of developing carotid artery disease increases as they age. Only one percent of those aged 50 to 59 have narrowed carotid arteries, yet 10 percent of those 80 to 89 have this issue. Fortunately, even as a person ages, there are some steps that they can take to protect their body. To avoid carotid artery disease (and stroke), a senior should focus on exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.

In order to provide proper care for elderly people, families and homecare professionals must do what they can to ensure that their senior is getting some physical activity in during the course of each day. Proper diet is also key when it comes to preventing such conditions from occurring.

What are the symptoms of carotid artery disease?

Unfortunately, many people only find out that they have this condition when they suffer a stroke. Others may experience transient ischemic attacks, known as TIAs, ahead of time. Symptoms of a TIA last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour and include:

• Weakness or tingling in one side of the body
• Inability to control the movement of arms or legs
• Lost vision
• Inability to speak clearly

Eldercare professionals and family members should ensure that their senior gets regular checkups to help pick up on the signs of carotid artery disease before serious damage occurs. To do this, a doctor can listen for the sounds of turbulent blood flow in the elderly individual’s arteries, and will also measure their blood pressure. These preventative measures can help to keep your senior safe as they age.

Inspiring and Exciting Home Activities for Your Senior

Even if your elderly loved one has lost the mobility they once enjoyed, there’s no reason that they have to sit at home mindlessly watching television all day. According to eldercare professionals, there are plenty of inspiring and fun activities that a homebound senior can enjoy with family and friends. Some of these choices include:

• Studying genealogy: Family members can bond with their senior as they take some time to research the family’s ancestry. It’s often eye opening to learn about distant relatives, and to track the family’s progression to America.
• Painting: Even if your elderly loved one struggles with fine motor skills, painting can be the perfect pastime. They can find a brush size that works for them, and create paintings that allow them to express themselves. Regardless of whether the work is museum-worthy or not, seniors will get a kick out of turning broad brushstrokes into their own unique piece.
• Learning about new subjects: Thanks to the Internet, seniors can learn about any subject they please without having to venture to a museum or library to do it. Is your loved one interested in woodworking? Watch some videos on the topic. Does the elderly individual love exotic places? Take them on a Google Maps tour of Mount Everest or the Amazon. They’ll get the thrill of seeing a new place and learning about an unfamiliar subject without having to leave the comfort of their home. 
• Scrapbooking: Home care professionals encourage seniors and their loved ones to work together to create a scrapbook. The book can detail family vacations, milestones, or the elderly individual’s childhood. The finished product is beautiful to look at and has sentimental value, making it the perfect project to work on together.
• Catching up with friends: For seniors, loneliness can become a problem. To ward off feelings of isolation, encourage your elderly loved one to catch up with friends. The two can discuss their families, and can provide each other with emotional support. Having someone to care for and think about helps to keep a senior feeling fulfilled.

If you’re looking for ways to keep your senior engaged even when they can’t leave the home, these easy, inspiring activities are perfect. Work together with your elderly loved one so they have some company as they pursue a new hobby.

The Must-Know Points About Palliative Care

Palliative care refers to highly specialized medical care that is used for elderly individuals who are facing a serious illness. This method of care giving is committed to providing relief from pain for these seniors, regardless of their diagnosis. Ultimately, palliative care is about boosting an elderly loved one’s quality of life, keeping them comfortable and at peace. Palliative care is provided by a team of highly trained home care professionals, and can also include treatment from doctors, nurses, massage therapists, nutritionists, religious figures, pharmacists, and others. These individuals offer support and care for elderly individuals and their family members.

Some common illnesses that may require palliative care include:

• Cardiac disease like congestive heart failure
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Kidney failure
• Cancer
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The goal of this kind of eldercare is to eliminate unpleasant symptoms like:

• Trouble sleeping
• Pain
• Shortness of breath
• Depression
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Fatigue

Together, the palliative care team provides expert pain management, assistance navigating the healthcare system, and emotional and spiritual support for a senior and their family.

What is the difference between palliative care and hospice care?

Though hospice care and palliative care share many similarities, they are also quite different. For instance, palliative care is typically administered in a hospital, extended care facility, or nursing home. Hospice care, on the other hand, usually takes place at home. Hospice care is typically reserved for a senior who has been deemed terminal or is thought to be within six months of their death. Palliative care has no time restrictions, and can be administered at any stage of illness, regardless of whether the elderly individual is terminal or not.

Another major difference between hospice and palliative care comes with the approach to treatment. Most hospice programs focus on comfort instead of prolonging life. However, palliative care does not work off of the assumption that life-prolonging treatments will be avoided. In many cases, palliative care is covered by insurance, whereas hospice treatment may have some policy restrictions.

For elderly individuals who are dealing with a serious illness, palliative care is often a useful tool in order to keep the senior comfortable while allowing the family members to enjoy emotional and spiritual support.

Assisting Seniors with Social Media

Within the field of eldercare, Chapel Hill professionals have seen a rise in the number of seniors who are using social networking websites. Social media is a tool that has helped bridge the geographic gaps that settle between friends and family members, as the Internet allows individuals to connect with one another from virtually anywhere in the world. But while social media is certainly accessible to any senior who has a connection to the World Wide Web, it is also difficult for seniors who are not tech savvy to navigate.

Eldercare professionals and family members who provide senior care can play an integral part in helping elderly individuals to stay connected with friends and family online. Below are a few of the ways in which you can assist your loved one with using social networks to stay actively engaged with the people about whom they care.

1. Start slowly by getting your senior involved with one social site at a time. Facebook is the most popular, as it appeals to the widest range of users and is the easiest to navigate. As your elderly loved one wants to become involved in new networks go ahead and help them do so, slowly building their ability to use these websites on their own. 
2. Take the time to set up your loved one’s profile. Once this is up and running it will be easier to explain to them how to use the website. Once the profile is set up, set aside an hour or so to walk your senior through the many features and functions that the site has to offer. For instance, you might coordinate with them to send friend requests to their loved ones on Facebook and then teach them how to send private messages, write on walls, and peruse the pictures that others post. 
3. If you think it will prove beneficial, schedule a time each week to get online with your loved one. For instance, you might log into your senior’s Facebook account and update them on the activity in which they are interested every Sunday after family dinner, or every Monday after you help them with grocery shopping. 

Home care professionals understand that social media can greatly impact a senior’s life in a positive way. With these tips you can help bring about these benefits.

Outdoor Activities for the Elderly: Getting Your Senior Outside

For seniors who have mobility limitations or who suffer from certain injuries or illnesses, staying indoors is often the routine in order to minimize their discomfort. But eldercare professionals assert that, if your senior can get outside, there are so many benefits to soaking in a bit of sun that it is well worth the effort to spend some time out of doors. When providing care for elderly individuals, though, you may find it difficult to come up with ways to spend time outside. Below are some activities that homecare professionals believe will help you and your elderly loved one to enjoy time spent out of the house.

Going for a Walk
If your senior is able, going for a stroll through the neighborhood or a nearby park is a wonderful option. For elderly individuals who have mobility limitations, it is a good idea to find a park with a paved walkway so you can push them in their wheelchair. The beauty of the natural surroundings and the simple pleasure of the fresh air will both serve to reinvigorate your senior and allow them to enjoy time spent in a new location.

Visiting 
When friends or family come to visit, seniors normally sit in the living room or kitchen with their loved ones while catching up on one another's lives. Instead of staying indoors, try moving out to the porch or backyard. Additionally, a nearby park with benches and a great view of a lake or pond is a wonderful option.

Gardening
Elderly individuals who enjoy gardening will certainly love getting out in the yard and getting their hands dirty. As seniors get older they may have difficulty lifting heavy bags of soil and completing other tasks, so make sure a friend or family member is available to help them and keep them company. Additionally, make certain that your loved one has access to all of the resources they need, like knee pads and a hat, to keep them comfortable while enjoying this hobby.

There are so many different ways that seniors can spend time in the great outdoors no matter their mobility limitations. These are just a few of the activities that your loved one may enjoy.