Senior Care: Keeping an elderly parent with dementia active

It’s important to keep an elderly parent with dementia active to benefit their overall health and well-being. This being the case, it’s the duty of the caregivers to put in the effort to find activities that are stimulating. Perhaps the biggest challenge is finding things to do that are fun for both you and your parent with dementia.

AgingCare.com shares some general guidelines on how to best approach this:

Creating meaningful activities

• Design activities that safely involve your parent’s interests. For example, if they enjoy games, have a regular game night. The severity of the dementia can make the difficultly and length of these activities vary.
• If your parent lacks the physical or cognitive capability, make the necessary adjustments to allow them to participate in their favorite activities. Maybe taking them out to bingo is no longer an option, but playing bingo or other games in the home is.
• Make activities meaningful is important — this contributes to your parent’s overall health, even if they don’t necessarily remember every moment of the experience.

Keeping up with old routines

• People are creatures of habit — and routines are important for people with dementia as it gives them a sense of purpose. Activities that make your parent feel needed and useful can add greatly to their overall happiness. Allowing them to keep up with old routines like cooking and cleaning — even to a small degree — helps them hold on to their sense of independence.

Exercise

• Taking your parent with dementia on daily walks or other forms of light activity, as AgingCare.com states, can reduce agitation and wandering, which can be triggered by lack of exercise.

Social interaction

• Just the same as people are creatures of habit, so to are they pack animals. This is why social interaction fills a basic need within us all. Sadly, dementia leads far too many people to lives of isolation. Involving your parent in everyday tasks, like going to the store, will be something they enjoy and appreciate time and again.

Physicians Choice Private Duty can help

Physicians Choice Private Duty — currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the options available for those with dementia and related conditions like Alzheimer’s.

All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts.

Contact us today with your senior care needs.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/.“

Elderly care: Medicare not always the solution

Medicare = Mediocre

Medicare, like most entitlement programs, only provides minimal services. Other government-sponsored programs, like Food Stamps and Social Security, provide basic support without the intent of covering the entire solution. There are no government entitlement programs that provide all serves that are needed. They were created to provide basic needs to vulnerable populations.

Because of this basic premise, Medicare dictates what a participant receives in many areas. For example, Medicare decides how long a person can stay in the hospital after a particular health event and whether or not additional rehabilitation is warranted. If additional rehabilitation is needed, Medicare dictates where the rehab takes place — at home or in a facility, what type of therapy is indicated and how long a person can participate in therapy. Again, providing the basic amount of services — not what may be in the best interest of the particular patient.

Oftentimes, seniors believe that the services covered by Medicare are all they need, but in reality it is all that is authorized by the funding source. Many people benefit greatly from additional therapy and help in the home as they recuperate from surgery or other health crisis. Most of the time, this additional assistance is paid for privately and increases the chances of the patient becoming stronger and more independent over time.

Medicare is a very important part of any senior’s health care, but shouldn’t be viewed as the only solution.

By continuing in-home assistance (i.e. bath aides, home health care and physical therapy) privately, the patient is able to grow stronger and is often able to regain function and maintain it more effectively than those who stop receiving these services once Medicare decides to stop paying for them.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living has a staff dedicated to maintaining a person’s independence and enabling them to stay in their home for as long as they are safe. By providing in-home services, they are able to create a safe environment and assist them in remaining in their home.

Medicare is a very important part of any senior’s health care, but shouldn’t be viewed as the only solution. By looking at all the options and continuing therapy and in-home care until independence is reached should remain the ultimate goal. It is vital that, with your help, your aging parent takes charge of their own health and designs their own plan.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living is just a phone call away – 402-331-2273. We want to work with you to regain your strength and independence.

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.“

End of life care: When is hospice needed?

When an elderly parent or loved one nears the end of his or her life, hospice care may be a viable option. A person is eligible for hospice care when the doctor determines life expectancy to be six months or less. Also, hospice may be an option if it’s determined that further tests and treatments are no longer effective, and will instead add to or cause suffering.

What is hospice?

The Hospice Foundation of America defines hospice as “a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.” Hospice care is provided by professionals with specialized knowledge of medical care — including pain management (palliative care) — and doesn’t prolong or hasten death, according to the HFA. Rather, the main goal of hospice is to offer a person suffering from chronic or terminal illness comfort and dignity. Emotional, social and spiritual support is also available for the patient and his or her family during this sensitive time.

A person’s hospice care likely takes place in a care facility, but can occur at home if circumstances allow it.

Related: HFA’s Understanding Hospice Fact Sheet

Home hospice

When home hospice care is provided, nurses are either on hand or on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These hospice care professionals can perform most of the procedures provided by a hospital or care facility, including administering medicine, set up IVs, do blood work, etc. Hospice professionals also keep family members informed on the progress of their loved one’s condition.

Related: Hospice: Conquering common misconceptions (via Chicago Tribune)

Physicians Choice Private Duty can help

Physicians Choice Private Duty — currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa — provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the options available for those in need of hospice care and related end of life conditions.

All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com“

How to take care of yourself while caring for an elderly parent

Caring for an elderly parent can be an overwhelming experience. For one, there’s the stress related to seeing the health of someone close to you deteriorate. Two, the role reversal of caring for the person who cared for you so much of your life can be emotionally unsettling, to say the least. Not to mention the time it takes to give your elderly parent proper care — balancing work, family and friends all along the way.

That’s why in order to give the best care you need to first take care of yourself.

Help is always available from the knowledgable and experienced staff of senior care providers, such as Physicians Choice Private Duty.

An article in the Huffington Post by author John Shore offers “15 Ways to Stay Sane While Caring For an Elderly Parent.” Below, we’ve summarized the key points of the article for you.

• Don’t neglect yourself. Make the time to go for a walk, watch your favorite shows, eat healthy and spend quality time having fun away from caregiving. This will help rejuvenate you and likewise will make you a better caregiver.
• Take things slow. It’s new territory for both you and your elderly parent. Shore suggests you both let the process reveal itself and unfold organically.
• Accept change. The role reversal of who’s-caring-for-whom can be very difficult to adjust to. Shore advises to “write a whole new script,” where old methodologies, emotions and roles may not apply.
• Don’t expect any emotional revelations. While it would certainly be wonderful if your parent suddenly opened up to your emotionally and spiritually, don’t expect any sort of thing to happen. Rather, go in with no expectations and be surprised.
• Show them respect. Even if you’re calling most of the shots, by offering your elderly parent as much autonomy as possible — giving options versus ordered — it’s a sign that they still have control over their own life. Likewise, don’t be surprised if they act angry or upset, give them the same respect they’ve earned from you your entire life. Also, asking their advice on various things shows you still trust, love and respect them.
• Shore: “Love your health care providers.” The expert advice and support provide by the healthcare professionals also taking are of your elderly parent is priceless at such a sensitive time in both you and your parent’s life. Remember to treat well all who are helping — nurses, doctors, social workers, physical therapists, etc.
• Look to your spouse for support. Oftentimes, according to Shore, your parent may be more comfortable relating to your spouse than you. This is likely because your parent has never been a dominant force in your spouse’s life, making them peers in a way. Let this relationship work the best it can for all parties involved.
• Expect insane siblings. Aside from the emotional roller coaster associated with dying parents, there’s all that come along with it: your parent’s will, their possessions, their house, money and assets, etc. Shore is right on to suggest you stay away from participating in the madness, so long as you protect yourself.
• Don’t let your parent get under your skin. Your parent is a master of driving you crazy, as they know exactly what your triggers are. Protect yourself from petty emotions episodes. Shore suggests using the Seinfeld-esque motto, “No buttons for you!”
• Find outlets to let go of the stress. Things such as talking regularly with a friend and praying/meditating can go a long way in helping you not only deal with the stress of caregiving, but also helps your emotional health. Remember, no one really knows what happens when we die — there are bigger things out there.

Are there any tips for staying sane that Shore missed? Let us know in the comments.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“

How Physicians’ Choice helps with elder care

Who we are and what we can do

The professionals at Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living provide comprehensive in-home assessments, services and resources to people with the goal of helping them remain in their home environment.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living was developed by a social work professional who has years of experience working with people who are elderly and/or have disabilities, is familiar with the Omaha and Council Bluffs areas and who is connected with quality personnel at the local agencies who can help your loved one. Today, Physicians’ Choice is staffed by a team of professionals to personally work with each client and their family.

We strive to provide education and support to help your loved ones make their own decisions as long as possible, and enabling them to be as independent as possible. We advocate for your loved one while providing emotional support and assistance. We work with you to create a customized service solution which maximizes quality of life and peace of mind for both you and your loved.

Physicians’ Choice can help with a variety of elder care needs, including when:

• Your loved one seems isolated or lives far away from those who can help.
• Your loved one is receiving services from several different sources and could benefit from increased communication between them.
• Your loved one seems to need assistance making decisions.
• Your loved experiences multiple crises and nothing seems to help.
• Your loved one seems to need assistance but is not sure which services to seek or how.
• Family members disagree on decisions regarding the care of your loved one.
• You suspect your loved one may be vulnerable to abuse, neglect or exploration.
• Your loved one has a medically complicated situation that is becoming overwhelming.
• Your loved one desires to stay in their home but needs help meeting their needs.

By utilizing a multi-disciplinary team, Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living is able to see the big picture unique to every family. After the assessment we can give a clear picture of what is going on and what needs to happen in order for your loved one to remain as independent as possible. Our plan, or guide book, not only looks at all the options available, it also allows the family to make the necessary decisions to ensure their elderly loved one remains in their home safely for as long as possible. The answer may be just a phone call away.

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”