Interim HealthCare Blog
Posted: 5/17/2018 9:35 AM by
Interim HealthCare
As driving becomes challenging and mental health issues make socializing more difficult, seniors are prone to facing feelings of isolation. While it's not proven that social connection benefits the heart and blood vessels, companionship certainly has its benefits when it comes to reducing the risk of a stroke.
Posted: 5/10/2018 8:32 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Our parents dedicate their time to taking care of us. One day, you'll be taking care of them as they age. The signs that tell you they might need help in their later years could be subtle. It's important to keep your eyes open for clues like a messy yard, a dented car, dressing inappropriately or having poor personal hygiene.
Posted: 5/8/2018 9:40 AM by
Interim HealthCare
You value the home healthcare nurses on your team. But do they know just how much you appreciate them? National Nurses Week is a perfect time to show them the love.
Expressing your gratitude isn’t just nice, it’s good for your business. In a study by staffing firm OfficeTeam, 66 percent of employees said they would quit their jobs if they felt unappreciated. For millennials, that figure jumped to 76 percent.
Posted: 5/3/2018 8:43 AM by
Interim HealthCare
If you are new to the role of family caregiving, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed about all the things your elderly relative needs to get through their day. As you are working out your schedule and figuring out what your loved one needs, consider hiring home health care services to help both of you out.
Posted: 3/16/2018 8:51 AM by
Interim HealthCare
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. This is an important cancer to talk about. It's equally important that your parents get tested. In 2017, more than 135,000 positive cases were diagnosed. More than 50,000 died from colon cancer. The earlier it's caught, the better the outcome.
Posted: 3/9/2018 10:08 AM by
Interim HealthCare
In just shy of two decades, the number of deaths attributed to Alzheimer's has increased by 89 percent. Right now, people aged 65 or older have a 1 in 10 chance of having Alzheimer's. It's expected that in the next 32 years, the number of Alzheimer's patients will triple.
Posted: 2/28/2018 8:20 AM by
Interim HealthCare
As a family caregiver, you know how important it is to keep your parents physically active. Getting enough activity everyday is essential for keeping your parent at a healthy weight, supporting cardiovascular health, warding off a wide variety of health complications, and preventing health challenges. staying physically active is also important for maintaining good mental emotional health and well-being as they age in place. For many seniors, thinking about being physically active is intimidating. They think that means that they need to participate in exercise classes or do strenuous activity, but that is not necessarily the case. There are simple ways that you can encourage more physical activity for your parent that are beneficial for them and for you.
Posted: 2/23/2018 10:04 AM by
Interim HealthCare
There's a lot that goes into keeping track of overall health and the key can be paying attention to signs along the way. Here are just a few ways your elderly family member can get a better handle on how she's doing.
Posted: 2/14/2018 8:19 AM by
Interim HealthCare
When you think of pollution, do you think about the air inside your home? Probably not. Most people don’t. But, according to WebMD, the air inside the house could actually contain more pollution than the outside air. For older adults with respiratory conditions, like COPD or asthma, having cleaner indoor air could improve some of their symptoms.
Posted: 2/8/2018 10:10 AM by
Interim HealthCare
For seniors, the risk of falling and getting injured increases every year. In fact, one in five falls causes a significant injury to an elderly person, such as a head injury or broken bone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even if seniors have a family caregiver and senior care assistance, they are still susceptible to slip and fall accidents. It doesn’t take much for elderly adults to take a tumble, and for those that have already experienced a fall, the odds are increased that they will experience another within a year.
Posted: 1/31/2018 12:12 PM by
Interim HealthCare
Flossing is an important part of keeping the mouth healthy. This process removes food and bacteria from between teeth, helping to prevent infections, tooth decay, and gum disease. Unfortunately, many elderly adults have either never flossed or stop flossing as they get older, believing that it is no longer important. As their family caregiver it is important that you emphasize to them the importance of flossing to improve and protect their oral health and to prevent potentially serious health problems throughout their bodies. In order to get the most benefit from their flossing, however, it is very important that they floss carefully and safely.
Posted: 1/31/2018 11:00 AM by
Interim HealthCare
If an elderly person requires a family caregiver to assist them in various aspects of daily living, it’s possible they also need help keeping up with their finances. Even if a senior is relatively healthy physically, they may be diminishing enough mentally that they forget to pay bills or can’t remember all their investment details. They may need their family caregiver to take over financial duties.
Posted: 1/19/2018 7:54 AM by
Interim HealthCare
One of the drawbacks of growing old is the increase in social isolation. Elderly parents that were once active in their jobs, the community and with their growing families and friends are eventually removed from all of that over the years. Illness, injury, loss of driving ability and more can further separate elderly adults from the activities and people they need. As humans, we instinctively want to connect with others and the extreme lack of interaction can lead to a condition called social isolation. Your elderly parent may be suffering from social isolation, so it’s time to learn more about it.
Posted: 1/9/2018 8:02 AM by
Interim HealthCare
If you are a family caregiver for an elderly adult who has recently received a diagnosis of heart failure, you may be worried that this means that they will not be able to live a full, fulfilling, and enjoyable life after diagnosis. Statistics show that the average length of life after diagnosis is five years, but advancements in treatments and improved lifestyles have shown that seniors with heart failure are still able to live a high quality of life. As their family caregiver, you can make a tremendous difference in their health, well-being, and enjoyment in life.
Posted: 1/5/2018 7:35 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Your elderly family member might surprise you sometimes with an angry or aggressive outburst that seems to come out of nowhere. The reality is that these types of episodes don't truly come out of nowhere. There's a reason for them, even if it's difficult to sort it out at first.
Posted: 12/28/2017 8:15 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Setting goals is a fantastic way for your parent to enhance their quality of life and pursue better health and well-being as they age in place. They give your parent the opportunity to discover new sources of excitement and fulfillment, keep them motivated and working toward the next step, and help them to break down larger goals into something more accessible. A great way to start your parent on setting goals is to talk to them about it.
Posted: 12/22/2017 10:00 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Being a family caregiver means fulfilling your parent's needs, supporting their health and well-being, and taking steps on a daily basis to help support the highest quality of life possible as your parent ages in place. A major part of this is helping them through medical issues and ensuring that they are doing what they need to do to properly care for themselves and effectively receive care from you and their medical team after they experience such medical issues. One way that you do this is through encouraging medication compliance. When a senior suffers a medical issue such as a heart attack and the doctor prescribes medications, treatments, and lifestyle guidelines for them, the only way for your parent to get the most benefit is through following those exactly how they were presented. This is referred to as medication compliance.
Posted: 12/14/2017 7:50 AM by
Interim HealthCare
If your aging parent has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, it is important that you as their family caregiver understand that the effects of this disease can go beyond just the initial symptoms. While the symptoms themselves can be difficult and range from the mild to the severe, there are also potential complications of the disease that can lead to further diminished health and challenges for your parent. Understanding these is an important step in helping your parent to manage their condition and guard their health.
Posted: 12/13/2017 6:41 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Have you ever had the feeling, after getting off the phone with your Mom or Dad, that something just seemed off? Did you find yourself wishing you were closer and able to check on them more often, in person? You are not alone.
Posted: 12/7/2017 7:29 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Your aging adult may have been driving for decades, but if she's not driving safely, that's not going to do anyone any good. Here are some things to look for when it comes to driving and your aging adult.