Interim HealthCare Blog
Posted: 8/14/2017 8:25 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Having had one heart attack is a scary proposition and it can make your loved one worry about the possibility of having a second one. Following some of these tips can help your loved one to reduce the risk that she might have a second heart attack.
Posted: 7/27/2017 1:59 PM by
Interim HealthCare
In your role as a family caregiver, your parent’s safety, health, comfort, and happiness are your highest priorities. You want to know that they are getting everything that they need to keep them this way as they age in place, and to help them to live the highest quality of life possible throughout their later years. In trying to make sure that you can achieve this for your parent, you might have come to the conclusion that starting home care for them might be the right choice for them. This can help to fill any care gaps that might exist, encourage your parent to live a more active and fulfilling lifestyle, and ease your own personal caregiver stress. While you recognize the benefits that this type of care can offer your parent, you might find that your senior is resistant to it.
Posted: 7/21/2017 12:20 PM by
Interim HealthCare
Being a family caregiver for an elderly loved one can be one of the most important and fulfilling decisions that you can ever make in your life. After all, this is a chance for you to give back to them for the care that they have given you, to show them that you love them, and to make sure that they are getting all of the care, support, and assistance that they desire and deserve. When entering this type of care arrangement, you would hope that you would enjoy a close, meaningful, and loving relationship with your senior. This, however, is not always the case. There are times when adult children who have a tense relationship with their parents still find themselves in the position of needing to care for them. If you have found yourself in this position, it is extremely important to take the time to evaluate the situation and make the decision that is right for both of you.
Posted: 7/17/2017 9:10 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Having a difficult time hearing what's going on around her can be really difficult for your loved one to deal with. It can also mean that communication is not as easy as it could be. Taking your time communicating and avoiding making the situation worse are all good first steps.
Posted: 7/6/2017 8:32 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Mobility limitations are extremely common among elderly adults. If you are a family caregiver for a senior who is dealing with this time of difficulty, it is an important priority for you to help them cope with these limitations and approach their activities of daily living in a way that will keep their quality of life high while keeping them safe and secure. While there are many things that you can do within their home to keep them safe while they deal with their mobility limitations, it is important that you keep these issues in mind when they head outside as well. This enables them to remain more active and to enjoy their surroundings as much as possible. During the warmer months of the year this can be particularly enjoyable as your family is about to head out and spend quality time with friends and family.
Posted: 6/29/2017 3:29 PM by
Interim HealthCare
Often part of the job of being a family caregiver is coordinating medical care and taking care of your parent’s important paperwork. Unfortunately, organizing important documents is sometimes forgotten until an emergency occurs. When that happens, it can be difficult to navigate your parent’s medical care and handle some other important decisions. If you haven’t already done so, getting your parents important documents in order could make future caregiving duties much easier and less stressful.
Posted: 6/22/2017 10:58 AM by
Interim HealthCare
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately half of elderly adults are dealing with some level of incontinence or urinary urgency. This condition is particularly common among aging women, with up to 80 percent of those who experience these symptoms being women. Whether it is not being able to control their bladder, experiencing leakage, or dealing with urgency, this can be a very challenging condition for your elderly parent that can put them at risk for issues such as illness and infection, threaten their mental and emotional health, and diminish their quality of life. As a family caregiver you can make a tremendous difference in how your senior is able to handle this condition and continue living an active and fulfilling lifestyle.
Posted: 6/19/2017 3:43 PM by
Interim HealthCare
What is in-home care? How do I go about arranging it? Will they be safe? Well for starters, there are two basic types of in-home caregivers. The first are licensed healthcare professionals... The second are caregivers who serve as companions, homemakers and aides.
Posted: 6/14/2017 9:06 AM by
Interim HealthCare
When people are younger, their skin care routine sometimes centers around trying to prevent skin from wrinkling. However, for older adults, the focus of skin care should change to keeping skin healthy since seniors are more prone to skin infections and other skin problems due to changes in the skin. When seniors are cared for by elder care providers or family caregivers, the responsibility for managing skin care falls on their shoulders. To help keep your parent’s skin healthy, it’s important to know about the skin problems that seniors may face and some techniques for keeping skin healthy.
Posted: 6/12/2017 8:31 AM by
Interim HealthCare
There are approximately 5.5 million people throughout the United States who are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Of these, 3 in 5, or around 60 percent, will develop wandering tendencies at some point in their progression. This can be a very dangerous situation for your elderly parent, putting them at risk of serious injury or even death. By understanding why your loved one might wander and what this might look like, you can better protect your senior from these potentially serious consequences.
Posted: 6/7/2017 6:15 AM by
Interim HealthCare
As the person responsible for the elderly care of an aging parent or loved one, you are surely aware of all of the possible medical crises that can occur. It is important, though, to know the signs and symptoms of each individual problem, so that you can take the correct action as quickly as possible.
One of the medical emergencies that requires the quickest action on your part is a stroke. A stroke occurs when the blood flow is cut off to a certain part of the brain.
Posted: 6/2/2017 7:01 AM by
Interim HealthCare
As your loved one's primary family caregiver, you're in charge of making sure she's as safe as possible. if you don't know where to start, though, the job can feel overwhelming. Start with these safety considerations and then you can branch out to other potential safety problems.
Posted: 5/31/2017 7:11 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Celiac disease is a disorder that, to put it simply, causes the body to attack itself when there is gluten present in its system. It is not known for sure why this happens, but it is important for seniors with celiac disease to stay away from gluten, to give their bodies a chance to heal and prevent further damage.
Posted: 5/17/2017 9:26 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Amyotrophic laterals sclerosis, better known as ALS, is a disease that affects the spinal cord and brain. Over time, the nerve cells in these areas degenerate more and more, leading to an inability to control one’s muscles. This is a very serious disease and is, unfortunately, a fatal one as well.
Posted: 5/4/2017 9:01 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Each year millions of older adults suffer falls. Many of these result in serious physical injuries that can reduce their mobility and functioning, cause pain and discomfort, and even increase the likelihood of death in the near future. As a family caregiver, however, it is important that you recognize that it is not only the physical effects of the fall that you should consider if your elderly loved one suffers a fall. They may also experience serious emotional consequences that can diminish their quality of life as they age in place. Helping them to handle this type of impact can help them to move forward after their fall and preserve their lifestyle as they age in place.
Posted: 4/30/2017 6:53 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Grief is something that virtually everyone will have to face and get through at some point in their lives. This loss of an important person can be extremely painful and a difficult phase to push through, but as a family caregiver it is critical that you are prepared to help your parent deal with their loss in an effective and healthy way so that they can move forward and enjoy a lifestyle that is safe, comfortable, healthy, happy, and tailored toward greater fulfillment and enjoyment in life as they age in place.
Posted: 4/25/2017 6:41 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Do you worry about your parent having dementia? If so, you’re not alone. Many people who face acting as caregivers for their elderly parents fear this devastating and difficult condition, but sometimes people don’t fully understand what dementia is. Dementia is not actually a disease itself, but instead is a term that refers to a set of symptoms that affect a person’s memory so severely that they interfere with normal life. There are several conditions that cause memory loss. The most common of these is Alzheimer’s Disease, but that does not mean that having dementia means that your parent has Alzheimer’s Disease. If you’re wondering about dementia and what it could mean in terms of acting as a caregiver for your parent, we hope the information below will help shed some light on the subject.
Posted: 4/21/2017 11:29 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Diabetes is a very serious condition that requires extensive and management to ensure that it does not develop into more severe complications. One of the major ways to help your senior manage their condition is through changing their diet. What your loved one eats makes a tremendous difference in their health and well-being, as well as their ability to manage their condition. This might be a big change in their lifestyle, which can be difficult for them to adapt to, particularly if they enjoy sweets. Fortunately there are ways that you can trim out the foods that might threaten their well-being while still allowing your parent to indulge in the flavors that they love.
Posted: 4/19/2017 10:09 AM by
Interim HealthCare
If you have an aging parent or loved one, you know that breathing problems can be a serious issue. With age comes an upsurge of respiratory illnesses, like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, and sarcoidosis.
Posted: 3/28/2017 9:01 AM by
Interim HealthCare
When you're a family caregiver to an elderly loved one, some situations can crop up that you didn't expect. A loved one who is suddenly reluctant to bathe is one such situation, especially if your loved one has always paid a lot of attention to her personal hygiene. Some of these tips can help.