Interim HealthCare Blog
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.
Posted: 11/30/2017 7:21 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Your elderly family member may have gradually started to mention that food just doesn't taste good to her anymore and that can present some problems. When food isn't flavorful or even remotely good anymore, your elderly family member may not be as willing to eat. Finding the cause can sometimes help you find a solution.
Posted: 11/22/2017 2:08 PM by
Interim HealthCare
It is a sobering reality that Alzheimer's disease is a terminal disease. No one who is diagnosed with it will die without it. While advancements in treatment and management have made it so that some people with the disease are living twenty years or more after diagnosis, the average lifespan is between four and eight years after diagnosis. While this isn't something that you want to think about...
Posted: 11/17/2017 4:20 PM by
Interim HealthCare
As a family caregiver, one of your goals for your aging family member may be to help them remain as independent as possible. However, for seniors with arthritis, some tasks can be pretty hard to do because of painful joints. Fortunately, there are many adaptive devices available that can make it possible to do all sorts of tasks. Below are some adaptive tools for people with arthritis that migh...
Posted: 11/10/2017 8:53 AM by
Interim HealthCare
If you’ve become a family caregiver to someone with diabetes, you’re probably hearing a lot about insulin. You know it plays an important role in the health of a diabetic, but what it is and what it does is a bit of a mystery. Learning everything you can about diabetes, and how insulin affects the body, is an important part of your new role as a caregiver.
Posted: 11/3/2017 1:57 PM by
Interim HealthCare
One of the most challenging aspects of caring for an older adult with Alzheimer’s or dementia are the behavioral changes they may experience. It’s hard to know what to expect because not every person with dementia has the same symptoms. In fact, people sometimes say the experience of being a caregiver to someone with dementia is different for everyone. One of the best ways to be prepared for di...
Posted: 10/27/2017 4:17 PM by
Interim HealthCare
Handwashing is one of the most important things that your aging parent, and you, can do to protect them from potentially serious health complications and challenges throughout their later years. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that simply washing the hands with soap and water can prevent one out of ten episodes of diarrheal diseases, and one out of six episodes of respiratory illnesse...
Posted: 10/20/2017 8:08 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Even small problems can cause big trouble for your aging adult when she gets behind the wheel. If you're not sure what her driving ability is actually like at this point, you may need to take a closer look.
Posted: 10/13/2017 5:29 PM by
Interim HealthCare
In a normal day, people aren’t likely to think much about their liver, if they think about it at all. That may be unfortunate since the liver is extremely important to good health. The liver is important to metabolic functions because it transforms the nutrients in the foods we eat into substances the body can use, storing them until they are needed. The liver is also responsible for removing t...
Posted: 10/8/2017 11:34 AM by
Interim HealthCare
When you made the decision to be a family caregiver for your aging parent it is likely that you knew that you were facing increased risk for stress. While you may have thought that you were preparing yourself properly for this stress and even taking steps to deal with it, you might have found yourself dealing with high levels of this serious health issue and could face caregiver burnout.
Posted: 10/6/2017 7:54 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Diabetic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that is a result of diabetes. Approximately 50 percent of people with diabetes have nerve damage. Diabetic neuropathy is more likely to occur in people who have had diabetes for many years. If your parent has diabetes, keeping their blood sugar levels under control can help prevent neuropathy from occurring or keep existing neuropathy from getting worse.
Posted: 10/4/2017 11:42 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Bringing your elderly parent on a trip can be one of the most fun things that you do as a family caregiver. This is a great way to spend quality time with them and to make memories that you cherish well into the future. Whether you are going away for an extended vacation or just a quick getaway it is extremely important that you keep your parent’s safety in mind. Being out of the house can make...
Posted: 10/1/2017 7:25 AM by
Interim HealthCare
TBI, or traumatic brain injury, is a pressing risk for elderly adults. Most frequently caused by falls, but also potentially caused by motor vehicle crashes and other accidents, TBI results when the brain is jostled or bumped, resulting in a change of function that can be either mild or severe. This type of injury results in nearly 3 million visits to the emergency room and 5 thousand deaths th...
Posted: 9/29/2017 9:14 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Worrying is a natural part of your caregiving journey. But when it gets out of hand, you'll find that all you're accomplishing as a family caregiver is becoming an expert in worrying. It's time to break the loop.
Posted: 9/26/2017 12:04 PM by
Interim HealthCare
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 56,870 people in the United States will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year. And, 2,010 people will die as a result of thyroid cancer this year. The good news is that today’s technology allows doctors to find thyroid cancer sooner, making treatments even more effective. In fact, experts at the Mayo Clinic say that the majority of ca...
Posted: 8/31/2017 12:43 PM by
Interim HealthCare
A healthy living plan sounds extremely formal, but it's really just a framework for how you and your loved one are going to manage her overall health on her caregiving journey. It's an important conversation to have with your loved one and her medical team.
Posted: 8/29/2017 9:43 AM by
Interim HealthCare
As people age, they naturally experience sarcopenia – a fancy word for muscle loss. On average, people lose between 8 and 50 percent of their muscle mass as they age. Men tend to lose muscle faster. The problem with muscle loss is that it can lead to mobility problems, which can sometimes lead to older adults losing their independence. However, research shows that eating more protein may help r...
Posted: 8/18/2017 12:36 PM by
Interim HealthCare
With the many changes taking place in your parent’s life, it is just one more difficult phase of the disease when it comes time for them to give up their driver’s license. But the time will come. The good news is that there are often a myriad of other transportation options and, in many cases, your parent will have been feeling uncomfortable behind the wheel and hesitated letting you know so as...
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 ha...