Everyone goes through times when they just want to be by themselves for a bit with their thoughts, to work through issues in their lives without distractions, or simply to experience some downtime. For seniors, however, being isolated for an extended period of time may be indicative of a more serious condition: depression.
Know the Difference Between Dementia and Depression in Seniors
A visit with Mom recently revealed a number of unsettling signs. Even though she’s always been up at the crack of dawn, now it is hard to wake her before lunchtime. Rather than fixing an elaborate home-cooked meal, she prefers to simply warm up a can of soup; and can barely finish a small bowlful. Not only that, but she’s lost interest in spending time with her beloved friends from…
Wheelchair-Friendly Home Modifications for Seniors
Home is where we can truly relax and be ourselves, and that’s just part of why so many older individuals make the choice to remain at home throughout aging. But in many cases wheelchairs will become a part of life when seniors or those with certain disabilities experience decreased mobility. This can be especially challenging when it comes to ensuring the home is safe. Thankfully, a few home modifications for…
How to Deal with a Common Challenging Behavior in Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a complicated condition that often brings with it overwhelming issues for family caregivers. As the disease continues into later stages, those with Alzheimer’s increasingly communicate through actions as opposed to speech, and quite often these types of behaviors can be inappropriate. For example, a senior with more advanced Alzheimer’s disease might exhibit the following:
Safely Dispose of Medications with These Five Tips
With many aging parents taking many different prescriptions, and with health care professionals changing and adding dosages and medications to discover just the right solutions, it’s important to know what to do with prescription drugs that are no longer needed or that have expired. There are a number of options to safely dispose of medications:
Overcome Hurdles in Helping Seniors Adapt To New Technology
These days, seniors are flooded with a lot of high tech products directed at bettering their self-reliance and safety and contributing to life enhancement. With the touch of a button or two, they can instantly pay a visit “in person” with friends and relatives through Skype, wear a necklace that takes action with emergency services when needed, and even remain safe from getting lost with specialized sensors attached to clothing…
Learning from and Responding to Confusion Caused by Alzheimer’s
Confusion caused by Alzheimer’s can lead to recent memories being forgotten or distorted, while memories from the more remote past frequently remain intact. This can cause more distant situations to make more sense to an older person with dementia than the present. A person’s alternate reality could be the senior’s way of making sense of the present through past memories.
COVID-19 And COPD: What You Need To Know
Seniors with COPD have needed to remain especially vigilant since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Individuals with COPD are likely at both a higher risk for experiencing symptoms of the virus along with developing more serious complications as a result. COVID-19 and COPD can prove to be a challenging combination. A current study published by the European Respiratory Journal reported that people with COPD were more likely to be admitted to…
Increasing Senior Self-Confidence Through Meaningful Activities
“Here, let me help you with that.” “Take it easy and don’t overdo it!” “You just sit down and rest; I’ll take care of that.” How many times have we made statements just like these to senior loved ones, with the very best of intentions, of course? We want to do whatever possible in an effort to help our older loved ones, to keep them safe and to take care…
The 6 Best COVID-19 Resources for Seniors and Family Caregivers
Recognizing the best place to turn with regard to the latest, most dependable info on COVID-19, particularly as it relates to older adults and those who care for them, is extremely important – and complicated. Due to so many resources and different opinions on this earth-shattering topic, our team at Advanced Home Health Care wanted to help make it simpler to find what you need by providing the list below of…