by Shelly Haskins
9. January 2012 22:34
 Despite the many rewards of caregiving, it is no secret that it can be stressful both emotionally and physically for the person providing care.
Your feelings may seem to be of the least importance when a loved one is suffering through cancer, recovering from a severe injury or dealing with another type of illness or disability. However, the quality of their life depends on the quality of yours in many ways, so it is important to stay in touch with your emotions and ensure that the challenges of caregiving don't bring you down.
According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, caregivers who are looking after someone with dementia are twice as likely to suffer from depression as a person caring for someone without dementia. In addition, research has shown that women experience depression at a higher rate than men, and lack of sleep has been proven to contribute to the condition.
It is important to note that experiencing feelings of sadness, grief or loneliness is normal for caregivers. While caregiving does not cause depression and not all caregivers experience negative feelings, it is normal for the effort of trying to provide the best for someone else to take a toll on your mental and physical well-being.
Negative feelings like these come and go and are not considered depression. However, when the feelings become more intense, long-lasting and cause the caregiver to become easily upset - either crying or becoming angered easily - depression may be on the horizon. Other symptoms to look for include a change in eating habits or unwanted weight gain or loss, a change in sleep patterns, fatigue, becoming easily agitated, thoughts of death or suicide, a loss of interest in people or activities that once brought you pleasure, or chronic conditions that do not respond to treatment. If any of these symptoms last longer than two weeks, you should seek help, whether from a friend, physician or psychologist.
Early attention to symptoms of depression can reduce them and prevent a more serious onslaught. Exercise, a healthy diet and the support of family and friends may help pull some people from a minor state of sadness. Enlisting the help of a mental health professional even if you do not think your symptoms are severe is also a good way to make sure you stay happy and healthy in order to provide the best care to your loved one.
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by Shelly Haskins
9. January 2012 22:22
 Eating well, especially for seniors, is an essential part of a healthy life and the older you get, the more important it becomes to make the right kinds of food choices. The holidays are a particularly tough time because of all the sweet treats and rich foods that pop everywhere this time of year.
At Interim HealthCare, we encourage all of our in home care clients to make sure they eat as healthy as possible around the holidays and during the rest of the year for that matter. But if you couldn’t resist all those delicious holiday treats, as many of us can’t, here’s our quick guide to get you refocused on the types of healthy foods that should always be at the top of your shopping list.
Whole Grains – these are loaded powerhouse fiber and Vitamin B, which offer better protection against cardiovascular disease, infections and repertory ailments. Look beyond oatmeal and whole wheat bread and try grains such quinoa, which is incredibly high in protein.
Fish – oily fish such as salmon are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight the bad cholesterol that can build up as we age. Just two servings a week can make all the difference in your heart’s health.
Fruits & Vegetables – deep colored vegetables and fruits have more function, which means they’re typically loaded with lots of vitamins and antioxidants. Blueberries, dark cherries, spinach and kale are can’t miss additions to anyone’s diet.
Meat – focus on lean meats such as skinless chicken or turkey, which supply your body with great protein and vitamin B-12, but minus a lot of the heart-clogging fats. Remember portion control when eating meat as well. A little can go a long way.
Dairy – this is an incredibly important food group for our senior home care clients or anyone as they get older. Calcium needs are high for seniors and you can’t get any other foods with as much calcium as dairy. Milk actually does the body good and is essential for good bone health. Just stick to low fat when you can.
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by Shelly Haskins
8. November 2011 01:08
The holiday season can bring cheer, but it may also cause added stress to a number of individuals. For those caring for a loved one, normal caregiver stress can become intensified to an extreme level. Faced with holiday preparations and family gatherings, caregivers may feel a series of negative feelings including resentment toward siblings who have not offered assistance in caring for another family member. Caregivers may feel that they cannot participate fully in the joyous activities of the season because they are busy looking after a loved one with a cognitive or physical impairment.
However, with the appropriate techniques, caregivers can turn the holiday season into an opportunity as opposed to an obstacle, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA). Because the holidays tend to entail group gatherings, they offer an opportunity to communicate about caregiving to others. The FCA reports that honest communication about a loved one's impairments and other realities of the situation may prompt others to step in and help. Enclosing a note in a holiday greeting card is one way to inform interested parties in the loved one's condition without being accusatory or threatening.
As always, caregivers should also seek healthy ways to manage the inevitable stressors. The Mayo Clinic reports that caregivers should look for signs of stress such as feeling tired, overwhelmed or irritable, sleeping too much or too little, and losing interest in activities they used to enjoy.
If caregivers are noticing these symptoms or changes in their attitudes, they should not be afraid to accept help, join a support group, stay connected to a social network or bring in outside help from a professional home care agency, such as Interim HealthCare, without guilt. When feeling overwhelmed, Care2.com recommends prioritizing duties and "biting off chunks" of what seem like impossible or overwhelming tasks. For instance, if preparing a dish for Thanksgiving is a chore more than a joy, ask for help either with the meal or with respite care for the loved one. Holiday shopping can also turn into a complete drain of energy when it was once an opportunity to enjoy giving. In these circumstances, one can consider paying a portion of a gift someone else purchased, or asking for assistance with caregiving duties in order to make a trip to the mall. Interim HealthCare even offers services for shopping, gift wrapping, writing & addressing cards and other services during the holidays to not only relieve the stress for the caregiver but to also allow the loved one an opportunity to do something nice for their primary caregiver.
At the end of the season, caregivers should write thank you notes to friends and family who spent time with their loved one, whether providing respite care or simply paying a visit. These notes can diminish discomfort that they may have felt about the experience and encourage people to repeat their helpful behavior in the future.
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by Shelly Haskins
4. November 2009 18:24
I have been a patient with Interim for over a year. I don’t know what I would do without Interim, especially my nurse Kim. I look forward to seeing Kin on her visits. Having Interim has been a blessing; it has relieved some of the pressure off of my family for having to try to get me to the Labor Wound Care Centers, since it is difficult for me to leave the house, as I am disabled. I brag about my nurse Kim, to my physicians, friends and staff in the hospital. Kim helped me to get help after my last hospitalization with cleaning my house, receiving meals on wheels, equipment needed in the home.
I live alone and want to remain in my home as long as I can. With the help of Interim, my nurse Kim, and my family, I feel I will be able to remain here safely for a long time.
Elizabeth B
by Shelly Haskins
12. October 2009 23:47
Chances are everyone has been touched during their lives by someone who has had breast cancer. Perhaps it was a mother, sister, aunt, a close friend or yourself.
Breast cancer is a disease that forms in the tissues of the breast. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for American women. Over the past 50 years, the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has increased each year which is likely due to better public education about the disease and better as well as earlier detection.
Today the statistics are that 1 in nearly 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, or 12.3% of US women in their lifetime. This year an estimated 180,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Although rare, an estimated 1,500 men will be part of that number.
Effective breast cancer testing procedures such as the mammogram diagnose breast cancer before it has a chance to spread to other areas of the body. Such early detection also allows early intervention and is the best way to increase the chance of survival. Early detection also makes treatment more effective. Most breast cancer in the early stages can be effectively treated with surgery that preserves the breast. According to the American Cancer Society, 63% of breast cancers are now discovered at an early stage, before the cancer has spread to other organs or body tissues. The five-year survival rate following treatment for early stage breast cancer is 96%. The American Cancer Society also states that the mortality rate from this disease could decrease by 30% if all women age 50 and older who had a mammogram annually or as often as recommended by their physician.
Scientists still do not know what causes breast cancer, but we do know that certain factors may put a woman at higher risk of developing it. A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of getting a disease. Different cancers have different risk factors. Having a cancer risk factor or even several of them does not necessarily mean that you will get cancer. Some women with one or more breast cancer risk factor never develop it. However, every woman is at some risk for breast cancer as simply being a woman and growing older puts us at risk for this disease. As of age 40, the incidence of breast cancer increases as we age, and continues to increase over our lifetime.
Other factors that can increase a woman’s risk include:
- Personal history of breast cancer - if a woman has had cancer in one breast; she is at increased risk for developing it in the other breast.
- Family history - a woman is at increased risk if her mother, sister, or daughter has had the disease.
- Cellular irregularities - if a woman has certain changes in her cells which are called atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ, she is at increased risk; your doctor can help you determine if you have this irregularity.
- Genetics - the presence of certain inherited genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2 indicate a woman’s predisposition to develop breast cancer. Tests are now available to determine the presence of these genes.
- Women who began menstruation at an early age - under 12 years old--had children later in life- after age 30 - or not at all or experienced late on-set menopause - after age 55 - may be at increased risk
- Weight: women who are overweight - carrying their weight particularly in the waist area - are at higher risk, particularly after menopause.
- Familial Groups - female descendents of Eastern and Central European Jews (also known as Ashkenazi Jews) are at increased risk for breast cancer.
- Alcohol - Use of alcohol is linked to increased risk of developing breast cancer. Compared with non-drinkers, women who consume one alcoholic drink a day have a very small increase in risk; however, those who have 2 to 5 drinks per day have about a 1.5 times the risk for the disease as that of women who drink no alcohol.
- Race - Caucasian women are at a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer than are African-American, Asian, Hispanic or Native American women.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - long term use of certain female hormones increases the risk of breast cancer. If you have taken such therapy, discuss your risk factors with your physician.
All women should talk with their physicians about their individual risk for developing breast cancer. For those of you with granddaughters, this conversation should occur early in life—in their twenties. As we age we should update our health histories, especially if a mother or sister develops breast cancer, or if you have any risk factors for breast cancer.
We hope that the information motivates you to be tested and that women you know are also tested each year as research continues to find the cure for this disease.
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