Families in Pasadena all struggle with the decision of when it’s the right time to get help for an aging relative. No one wants to admit that someone they love is getting older, because that brings them face to face with the concept of mortality and the idea that the important person in their life might not be part of it for much longer. However, by suggesting home care when the time seems right, families can give their loved ones the benefit of safety and health in their own homes. There is no definite equation for when it’s the right time for home care, but some ideal situations can be used as signs that it might be time to start talking about it.

Situations when Home Care is Ideal

• Seniors who struggle with Activities of Daily Living – seniors who struggle with dressing, bathing, preparing meals, taking their medications, or keeping up with chores around the home are ideal candidates for in-home senior care

• Seniors with declining mobility – seniors who are having changes with their balance and mobility may be at a greater risk of falling or having an accident in the home when trying to perform ADLs . By hiring a caregiver, safety issues can be addressed and prevented through additional help

• Seniors who have had to give up driving – seniors who no longer drive for whatever reason, would greatly benefit from the help of a caregiver who can take them to run errands or to appointments

• Seniors who don’t have family nearby – seniors who have the above problems but do not have family nearby to help them can benefit from in home care when there’s no one else out there to help them

• Seniors who have come out of the hospital or rehab – after seniors have been released from the hospital or rehab program and are in recovery, it’s better for seniors to have the help of a caregiver so they don’t put too much of a burden on their bodies by trying to care for themselves or their homes

• Seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia – safety may be an issue for seniors who struggle with their memories

Sources:

1. Elder Issues

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

If someone you love has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in Pasadena, you’ve probably already faced one of the toughest experiences you will encounter in your life. There’s not much in this world that’s harder to cope with than trying to put on a smile when your elderly mother or grandmother doesn’t know your name or recognize you. It’s not easy to keep your cool when you are the recipient of a senior with mood swings, or cope with the increasing responsibilities of trying to provide Alzheimer’s care. Remember, while the focus might be upon meeting the needs of your loved one with Alzheimer’s, your own emotional and physical health needs to be a priority too. Take care of yourself by keeping the following tips in mind:

• If you’re a caregiver, take the time to step back from your responsibilities when the stress gets to be too much. Ask another family member to step in so you can take a day off, or hire a home care agency for respite care

• Find someone to talk to about the emotional affects of Alzheimer’s upon family – find a support group for families in Pasadena where you can talk about your experiences and share tips with others dealing with similar situations

• Do something for yourself everyday – you will collapse under the weight of your responsibilities if you don’t take the time to focus on your everyday. Do something to help you relax and put a smile on your face

• Educate yourself – learning about Alzheimer’s will help you understand what to expect during the progression of the disease, which can help you learn to cope

Sources:

1. Health and Age
2. ProQuest

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

Caregivers who are looking for a fun, creative activity to do with their seniors should consider flower arranging. It’s a craft that offers hours of entertainment, which seniors can then use to decorate their home and appreciate their accomplishments. In order to get started with flower arranging, seniors and their caregivers need to invest in some simple pieces of equipment that can be found at any Pasadena florist, garden center or hardware store.

• Supports for the flower arrangements such as florists’ foam, florists’ prongs, florists’ mastic, loose supports (rocks, marbles etc), pinholders, and wire netting

• Cutting tools like disposable razors, florists’ scissors, kitchen knives, secateurs, and wire cutters

• Additional equipment like florists’ tape, florists’ sire, stub wires, buckets, plastic sheeting, string

• Containers for the flower arrangements like baskets, candle holders and more

While there are a number of flower arrangement designs, centerpieces tend to be among the easier flower arrangements to create, especially when seniors are just learning about their new hobby. There are a few things that seniors and caregivers need to consider in order to help maintain the arrangements once they have been created and are on display in the home.

• Remove leaves from flowers – removing the leaves from flower stems will help keep the water fresh and make it easier to insert the flowers into florists’ foam or other flower arranging supports

• Water daily – when watering, lift up the tips of the leaves in one corner and use your finger to measure when the water is nearing the top

• Use a platter – to avoid water damage to your furniture, place a platter underneath centerpieces to catch any displaced water

• Keep candles apart – if inserting candles into flower arrangements, keep them at least an inch apart to prevent melting or fire hazards

Sources:

1. Suite101
2. Associated Content
3. Associated Content
4. About

Image Source: www.poststat.net

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

It’s never easy to watch someone you love getting older, but as a relative of a senior, often the responsibilities fall to you to decide when they need help. For the sake of your loved one, it’s important that you know when home care just might be right for them. Take the following checklist, and if your Pasadena senior meets any of the below criteria, it just might be the right time for senior home care.

• Your loved one is struggling with Activities of Daily Living  (dressing, bathling, preparing meals, taking medications, keeping up with chores at home)

• Your senior’s balance and mobility is declining, putting him/her at greater risk for in-home accidents.

• Your loved one has given up driving and finds it challenging to get to appointments and run errands.

• Your senior doesn’t have family nearby, or family members who are able to help them on a regular basis.

• Your loved one has recently come out of the hospital or rehab and needs to focus on recovering

• Your loved one’s memory is suffering because of Alzheimer’s or Dementia which could impact their ability to care for themselves safely.

Sources:

1. Elder Issues

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

Q – My dad in Pasadena has had to give up driving. I don’t live close enough to be able to take him on errands or to appointments. Are there any services available to help with transportation in his area?

A – In-home senior caregivers can help seniors with transportation to appointments, errands, and virtually anywhere else they want to go. At Home Instead Senior Care, we check all of our caregivers driving records with the DMV to ensure they are licensed to drive and have a good driving record. Caregivers can transport senior clients in the seniors vehicle, or in their own vehicle if the senior does not own a car. However, if they use the caregiver’s car, then transportation fees do apply.

While many communities do offer free transportation services for older adults that are similar to public transportation on buses, they do not offer the same level of flexibility or allow seniors to stick to their own schedule or routines. By having a caregiver to drive them, seniors can do everything on their own time without making sacrifices.

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

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For many seniors, agreeing to accept help from a family member or caregiver is like the first admission that they’re aging and losing independence. That being said, it should come as no surprise that many seniors are reluctant to accept help, and even fewer suggest hiring a senior caregiver or moving to a senior residence or nursing home themselves. As a senior care specialist in Pasadena, once families have recognized that seniors need help at home, they ask me how they can convince their parents that it’s time to accept it.

While there is no answer that I can provide that will work to convince all Pasadena seniors that it’s time to accept help, it’s important to help seniors to understand that it’s about keeping them safe and making their lives easier; while helping them maintain their independence while living at home. Many family caregivers find that seniors may be willing to accept help when the options are out on the table, which can include assisted living facilities or nursing homes to help keep them safe and alleviate the burden of taking care of a home. When faced with these choices, senior care at home with a professional caregiver always looks like the more desirable choice. Seniors should also be aware that nothing is forever; if you choose to work with a reputable caregiving agency, if seniors are displeased, they’re able to cancel the caregiving services at anytime or request that a new caregiver come into their home.

Once families get over the hurdle of getting seniors to accept help, they’ll find that their elderly loved ones stress levels are reduced, and more often than not, their caregiver becomes one of their most trusted friends!

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

Q – My mother, who is 72, seems to have increasing stress levels as she gets older and deals with more of the trials and tribulations of aging; are there any proven methods that could help reduce the stress levels of Pasadena seniors?

A – Reducing stress in Pasadena seniors is easier than you’d think, with some simple lifestyle changes that can easily be incorporated into any life; it’s possible to help seniors lead less stressful lives. Encourage your mother to get active in her community and remain social with friends and family. By focusing on someone else and forgetting about her problems while having fun, it’s very possible for her to forget about her own stress.

Diet and exercise can also play a big role in eliminating stress; by ensuring your mother gets a well-balanced diet daily, and incorporates regular exercise into her daily routine, she will find that she copes with stress much more effectively. Depending upon her level of physical mobility, virtually any cardiovascular exercise can have its benefits; consider walking, running, or engaging in one of her favorite sports. Even activities geared completely towards relaxation and control of thoughts can be beneficial, like yoga, meditation or deep breathing exercises.

While it may seem like stress is an inevitable part of aging, with effective stress management techniques, seniors do not need to find themselves over burdened by stress.

Sources:

1. American Institute of Stress

2. About

Image:www.dovechristiancounseling.com

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

Sometimes walking into a doctor’s office feels like traveling to another country. The flight can be as short or as long as the scheduling dictates and is not determined by distance, but like a plane ride, your neighbor in the next room probably has a bad case of the sniffles. Once you get to your final destination, it can be like emerging yourself in another culture where no one speaks your language, and you return home feeling like you might have learned something from the experience, but require a translator to determine just what. As a senior caregiver, this might be a circumstance you encounter every time you step into a doctor’s office for a consultation with his/her physician. As with traveling to another country, doctors assume that we speak their language and understand what they’re saying; however, this may not always be the case when less common medical terms are being thrown around.

While of course it’s important to ask for clarification when at the doctor’s office, the internet has a wealth of resources to help seniors and their families understand important issues that relate to their health. The Medical Library Association offers a site called Medspeak which gives caregivers access to medical terms in an easy to understand dictionary form. MedicineNet also offers a comprehensive guide to help people understand the medical conditions and other information related to their health.

Caregivers, share your worst doctor experiences that have resulted from a breakdown in communication.

Sources:
1. Medical Library Association
2. MedicineNet

Image: Image: www.navigenics.com

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

It’s spring in Pasadena and when taking seniors outside in the warmer temperatures, home care caregivers must take special care to ensure that seniors are protected from the heat. With the proper precautions this spring in Pasadena older adults can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine without any negative repercussions upon their health. When planning outdoor activities on hot or sunny days, choose times of the day, like early morning when the sun is not as hot; and ensure that chosen locations have shady areas so seniors don’t have to remain in the direct sunlight.

Staying well hydrated will also help seniors prevent the affects of heat stroke; make sure there is lots of cool water on hand as well as healthy, juicy snacks like fruits and salads. Cooling treats like ice cream and popsicles can also be delicious ways to ensure a senior remains cool even in warmer temperatures and will help prevent the onset of heat stroke. Also be sure that the senior is well dressed for the weather, hats and sunscreen are crucial, as are light billowing fabrics to help keep the body cool.

Caregivers should also be aware of the signs of heat exhaustion, and get the senior medical attention if symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, nausea, heavy sweating, dizziness, rapid pulse, confusion or fainting occur.

Sources:

1. Today’s Senior’s Network

2. Senior Ark

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.