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Caring for Your Parent in Your Own Home: What to Consider

 

 

Your parents cared for you when you were a child. Now, as they are aging and need someone to care for them, it’s only natural to invite them to live with you.

As you make this move, it’s crucial to think through the specifics of your new living arrangements, and to assess the amount of time, patience, and energy required to provide the necessary care.

To start an initial assessment, ask these questions about your parent’s abilities:

Shopping:

  • Can your parent take care of all shopping independently?
  • Can your parent only make small purchases independently?
  • Does your parent need to be accompanied on shopping trips?
  • Is your parent completely unable to shop?

Cooking:

  • Can your parent plan, prepare and serve meals?
  • Can your parent prepare meals if given the ingredients?
  • Can your parent heat and serve prepared meals?
  • Does your parent need to have meals prepared and served?

Housekeeping & Laundry:

  • Does your parent maintain the house independently?
  • Can your parent only perform light chores, like bed making and dishwashing?
  • Does your parent need help with all home maintenance tasks?
  • Can your parent do personal laundry completely?
  • Can your parent only launder small items?
  • Does your parent need all laundry done for him or her?

Does this list leave you feeling overwhelmed? Still want to care for your parents at home? Consider calling Caring Solutions to assist with your home health care needs in Connecticut and Longmeadow and East Longmeadow, MA. We can provide as much or as little help as you need to make sure this new living arrangement is a success.

www.CTCaringSolutions.com

We can cover some of the more mundane aspects of in-home care, such as housework, laundry, grocery shopping and meal preparation, or provide transportation and accompaniment to appointments and fun outings. We can also provide hands-on personal care to help with bathing, dressing, and toileting. We’ll create a care plan to cover your needs today, and continually monitor that plan to make sure that future needs are met as well. Call us at 877-369-5602 to learn more!

By Sandra Sergeant

with Sandra Dombrowski
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And You Thought We just did CT Home Care . . .

Well, here at Caring Solutions our main focus is keeping seniors safe, happy, and living at home, using the best possible care we can deliver.  But we do have a few other exciting things going on.  As you might expect, all of them are somehow connected to caring for seniors.

 

Here’s the latest:

Watch us Drive By!

Keep your eyes open and you may see the Caring Solutions logo drive by on the back of three Dial-a-Ride buses.  They head out of Enfield and drive through Stafford, East Windsor, East Granby, Suffield, Windsor and Windsor Locks.

 

Or Check us out as You Drive By! You’ll soon see us on the digital billboards on Route 91.  We’re looking for ways to share our care with more seniors and their families.

 

Caring Solutions at Mohegan Sun

This year we’re sponsoring the Sun Senior Dance Team, a dance group of energetic women and men 50 years of age and older, at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, CT.  They perform for the Connecticut Sun women’s basketball home games, and also gave a demonstration for a home care business conference that Caring Solutions organized.  We’re also a proud sponsor of Connecticut Sun, Mohegan Sun’s professional women’s basketball team.

 

To Thank our Caregivers

Sunday, August 27 we’re heading out to Wickham Park for a company picnic to celebrate our caregivers and their families.  They do a great job and deserve time to relax and have fun together.

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COPD Diagnosis and Treatment

Brought to you by Home Health Care Experts in Enfield

If a senior in your life has been overwhelmed with chronic coughing, wheezing, and fatigue, being diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) just might be the first step to improving her quality of life.

Sometimes hearing a diagnosis can be a relief for those who unknowingly struggle with COPD. Finally there’s a name for the condition and a definite plan to treat it!

Here’s what the doctor will do to diagnose COPD:

  • Assess the senior’s health and environment, including smoking history, exposure to pollutants, symptoms, and family health history
  • Order spirometry tests (breathing into a machine to check lung functioning), x-rays, and blood work
  • Create a treatment plan

Since different people may experience symptoms in different ways, treatment plans can vary widely as well. Here are some ways your senior loved one’s doctor may help her manage the disease:

  • Medications

– Bronchodilators, taken through an inhaler to help open airways, are available in both short-term and long-term formulas, to work immediately and taken as needed, or to be taken continually for maintenance.

– Steroids and corticosteroids work to reduce inflammation, swelling and mucous production.

– Antibiotics fight any bacterial infections in the lungs.

– Immunizations protect against flu and pneumonia, as those with COPD are at a greater risk for complications from these illnesses.

  • Pulmonary therapy strengthens the lungs through guided exercise and nutrition.
  • Oxygen therapy is available through liquid or gas oxygen tanks or oxygen concentrators that utilize the oxygen already in the environment.
  • Lung surgery may be an option if symptoms are extremely severe.
  • Palliative care, designed to improve the quality of life, is available to anyone diagnosed with COPD, regardless of the prognosis or stage of the disease.
  • Clinical trials help researchers determine the success of new, experimental treatments, and is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Talk with your senior loved one’s physician to see if clinical trials are an option, and check the American Lung Association’s clinical trial search page for opportunities near you.

Whatever the doctor’s recommended plan of action, Caring Solutions’ Enfield home health care professionals are here to help. We’ll assist with personal care, such as bathing and dressing, cleaning up around the house, preparing meals, transportation and running errands, or simply be a caring person to talk with and enjoy activities together. Contact us at 877-369-5602 to learn more.

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Tips to Help When Dementia Causes Personal Care Distress

What do you do when a loved one—especially those with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia—refuses to accept your help with personal care, such as bathing, dressing or using the bathroom?  Do you allow them to let personal hygiene slide, soil their clothes or room, and risk a serious accident? Or face an equally dangerous battle of the wills? There is a tender balance between helping your loved one maintain safe, effective personal care and retaining their human dignity.

With a little understanding and some tips to help, you can meet these personal care conflicts with more success and less distress.

Personal care distress can be triggered by a variety of causes:

  • Loss of control. Seniors may feel like their independence and autonomy are slipping away. Keeping control over the most basic functions becomes critical to them.
    • What can help: Let your loved one maintain as much control as possible. Come up with compromises that won’t sacrifice safety. Allowing her to wear a mismatched outfit of her choice may be a better compromise than letting her dress with no assistance.
  • Adherence to tradition. Standards of hygiene were far different when today’s seniors were younger, and a weekly bath, rather than a daily one, was normal. A senior whose memory is unclear may revert back to those days and balk at the idea of a daily bath or shower.
    • What can help: Use positive, motivating language to encourage your loved one to see things from a different perspective. For example, use bath time as preparation for a fun activity, such as a lunch date, for which she certainly will want to look and feel her best.
  • Fear of the experience. The thought of bathing and dressing can stir up fear in older adults, and rightfully so. The risk of falling while in the tub or getting on or off the toilet is a real danger. Some seniors with dementia also become fearful of the sound of running water, or distressed by the feel of water that’s too warm or too cool.
    • What can help: Install safety modifications, such as grab bars beside the tub and toilet and elevated toilet seats, to reduce the risk of falling. Using a soft, soothing voice and explaining each step of the process in advance can also help.

When you begin daily personal care time with your loved one, keep these tips in mind:

  • Always allow as much independence as possible to enhance self-esteem.
  • Make sure the room is warm, use comfortable, calming lighting, and maintain as much privacy as possible.
  • Lay out clothing in the order that each piece should be put on, gently giving guidance for each step if needed.

At Caring Solutions of Connecticut, we know how hard it can be for a family member to provide personal care for a senior loved one.

CTCaringSolutions.com

Contact us at 877-369-5602 for more tips or to arrange for help from our fully trained and experienced caregivers.  We want to give both you and your loved one peace of mind!

 

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Is That Cough Asthma or COPD? Our Home Care Experts Explain the Difference.

Coughing that just won’t go away. Shortness of breath. Wheezing. Sounds like an asthma attack, right? Instead of reaching for the inhaler or an over-the-counter cough drop, however, perhaps it’s time to see if another culprit – COPD – might be coming into play. With a full 12 million people in the U.S. currently living with COPD (and just as many who probably have the disease but haven’t been diagnosed), it’s crucial for seniors with COPD-like symptoms to determine the cause behind the cough.

Some of the major differences between these two conditions include:

Asthma:

  • Environmental factors such as cigarette smoke, dust, and pet hair can trigger asthmatic symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath.
  • Usually displays in patients in childhood, often by age 5.
  • Thought to be caused by genetics.

COPD:

  • Environmental triggers can exacerbate symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing, but these symptoms are often present in a milder form regardless of air quality.
  • Typically diagnosed after age 40.
  • Caused mainly by cigarette smoking (in up to 90% of all patients), or bysecondhand exposure to air pollutants.While medications available for both COPD and asthma are often similar – bronchodilators or inhaled steroids – their treatment plans usually differ. Those with asthma are urged to stay away from known triggers, such as limiting outside time when the pollen count is high and avoiding secondhand smoke. Those with COPD require a more intense approach, which may include prescribed oxygen, pulmonary

rehabilitation to maximize breathing capacity, and, most importantly, making sure they’re not smoking.

Of course, it’s crucial to see the doctor if you’re concerned that your senior loved one is struggling with any lung condition.

Although there’s currently no cure for either asthma or COPD, both conditions are better controlled when properly diagnosed and treated. Although COPD does cause permanent, irreversible damage to the lungs, with correct treatment, the progression of the disease can be slowed down, its symptoms made more manageable, and quality of life maximized.

Caring Solutions’ home care team is also here to offer the assistance at home that can help make a chronic condition much easier to manage. Some of the many ways we can help include:

  • Light housework, to ensure as much dust as possible is removed from the home
  • Transportation and accompaniment to medical appointments and to pick upprescriptions
  • Encouragement and participation in physician-approved exercise programs
  • Planning and preparation of nutritious, delicious meals
  • Friendly, compassionate companionship
  • And much moreTo help your senior loved one remain safe and healthy at home, contact Caring Solutions’ home care experts at 877-369-5602. Or fill out our online contact form and someone from our staff will be happy to help you find the home care solutions that are right for you.tagged with Asthma, COPD
  • Aging Issues
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  • Tips to Help When Dementia Causes Personal Care Distress
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