Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative, and ultimately fatal disease that destroys brain cells.
There is no doubt that genetics play a role in the disease, but the most common way to get Alzheimer’s is just by normal aging – up to 10% of people between 65 and 74 years of age have this disease. However, there are medications health care providers may use to help manage problematic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. These symptoms may include depression, sleepiness, and behavioral problems such as agitation and aggression. There are also new medications that may slow down the progression of the condition. An earlier diagnosis may increase the benefits.
The Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s
Not everyone will experience the same symptoms or progress at the same rate. Below are a list of things you will need to look for if you think a loved one may have signs of Alzheimer’s so you can get them the help they may need.
Loss of Abstract Thinking – Someone with Alzheimer’s disease may lose the ability to draw conclusions and solve problems.
Disorientation – People with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost on the street where they live, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home.
Lack of Initiative – Become passive or unmotivated, not pursuing his or her usual activities.
Language Problems – People with Alzheimer’s disease often forget simple words or substitute words with inappropriate ones.
Misplacing Items – A person with Alzheimer’s will misplace things or place normal items in unusual places.
Mood Swings – Rapid mood swings from calm to tears to anger for no apparent reason is quite common.
Personality Changes – Has onset of severe personality changes while becoming extremely confused, suspiciously fearful, or dependent on a family member.
Poor Judgment – A loss of judgment is a common symptom. A patient may dress without regard to the weather, wearing several shirts or blouses on a warm day or very little clothing in cold weather. Others may give away large amounts of money to telemarketers or pay for home repairs or products they don’t need.
These are just a few of the troubling symptoms Alzheimer’s disease can cause. If you need help taking care of a loved one, contact Premier Caregiver Services at 877-724-3678. Whether you need part-time or full-time caregiver services, our staff is on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
We’ve been so proud of our partnership with the Parkinson Support Center in their Caregiver Help Webinar Series. This 8 month webinar series incorporated humor and real-life caregiving stories into difficult topics such as caregiver anger, guilt, depression and grief.
Based on her own experience of caring for family elders, Caregiver Speaker Elaine K Sanchez, developed a passion for helping others cope with the emotional stress of caring for family elders. She frequently delivers keynotes, workshops and caregiver training sessions at caregiving and healthcare conferences, as well as to business organizations across the U.S.
Sanchez is the author of the unflinchingly honest and surprisingly funny book, “Letters from Madelyn, Chronicles of a Caregiver.” She is the co-founder of CaregiverHelp.com, a video-based caregiver support website. She writes blogs and articles for numerous magazines and online publications, including the Caregiver Blog on her website as well as the Huffington Post.
In this presentation, Sanchez explains how to connect with organizations that can assist you in finding resources for a loved one who needs more support than you can currently provide. She also describes the three essential end-of-life documents every person needs, and you will see how planning ahead of time can have three huge benefits.
Premier Caregiver Services is an independent and locally owned agency specializing in personal care services. We strive to offer the best in home health care by providing dependable and experienced caregivers to elderly adults across the area. We offer a wide variety of home care services, have multiple payment options available, and are happy to provide a free assessment to get you started! Contact us through our website or by calling 877-724-3678 today!
https://www.premiercgs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Depositphotos_32902617_xl-2015.jpg533800Premier Caregiver Serviceshttps://www.premiercgs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/PCGS_logo.pngPremier Caregiver Services2019-02-19 15:36:392023-10-06 08:52:59Caregiver Help Webinar Series
It can be extremely difficult to talk to aging parents about getting extra help at home. In a current report that discussed a survey by AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors expressed interest in staying in their homes while aging. However, it is estimated that 70% of seniors will need in-home assistance to stay safe while aging in place. So, how do you speak to your aging parents about getting outside help from a home health care agency? While it can be extremely difficult to do so, it can be done. It must be done with care and sensitivity. Otherwise, you risk the discussion turning into an argument or an immediate shutdown on the topic.
A lot of aging seniors see home health care as a surrender of freedom. While it may seem that way, hiring an in-home care provider can actually bring more freedom to a senior’s situation than anything else! Whether aging parents are resisting because they see home health care as a surrender of independence or fear they will become a burden, these 5 expert tips will help make the discussion easier.
5 Tips on Starting a Discussion about Getting an In-Home Provider
1. Don’t Discuss the Limitations, but the Advantages to Home Health Care
One of the most important things to know about talking to your parents about home health care is that you should go into it positively. Most people will get defensive when first confronted with the idea of giving up independence. However, if you discuss the advantages of home health care instead of the limitations, they are more likely to be open to the idea. One of the best advantages to discuss with aging parents is that in-home health care is better than assisted living. As we stated earlier, 90% of elderly adults want to age in their home. That is one of the biggest advantages of home health care and making clear from the very beginning often makes the discussion a lot easier.
2. Suggest Home Health Care Instead of Insisting on Assistance
Being told to do something is never easy. This is especially true when role reversal is involved and a parent is being told to do something by their child. By suggesting home health care as an option instead of insisting on assistance, elderly parents are more likely to be open to the idea. Daily Caring – an award winning caregiver resource – has great insight into how to suggest home health care. They recommend that you “talk about how they’ve [your parents] reached a point in their life where they deserve a personal assistant to make life easier and smoother”. By spinning a home health care assistant as a luxury, parents may be more open to the idea of making their life easier.
3. Focus on Others Who Have Tried Home Health Care and Benefited
Before approaching the subject of home health care with a parent, do some research. Do they have close friends who use home health care assistants? Who do their friends use and how do they like having help around the home? By focusing on others, especially close friends, who have tried home health care and benefited from it, your parent is more likely to open up to the idea. As the common saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding”. If their friends are really happier with some in-home assistance, why wouldn’t they be? Focus on the benefits of home health care including:
4. Include Them in the Decision Making Process
When it comes down to it, the suggestion for home health care can be yours but the decision should be your parents. Make it clear to your parent that they will be a part of the entire process of choosing a caregiver. They will be the one person spending the most time with this caregiver, so it is important they like them and feel comfortable with them. By giving your elderly parent a say in the process, it will help them feel more in control. Control is extremely important during a time in which they are losing some of their independence, so be sure to include them in each decision.
5. Run Care Giving Trials with Different Agencies
It is always better when you can test something out before purchasing it. When it comes to home health care, most agencies will offer “trial periods” to see if in-home care is the right option. By making it clear to your parent that the first run is a trial and nothing permanent, they may be more open to giving it a shot. Homecare.com has a great tip, too, regarding trial runs. While your parent is getting to know their home health care professional, take a trip! Being out of the picture can give your parent a real chance to get to know the caregiver and what it would be like to have home health care assistance without it feeling permanent.
Home health care is a sensitive topic for parents and children alike, but these tips can help make the approach easier. By softening the idea of home health care with familiarity, inclusion, and test runs, parents often warm to the idea as time goes on. In the end, in-home care providers can help relieve the burden of aging off of parent’s shoulders as well as children’s. The benefits of home health care greatly outweigh the drawbacks. However, for some, it takes a little longer to realize that than it does others.
At Premier Caregiver Services — in Louisville, KY and Eastern, KY — is an independent and locally owned agency specializing in personal care services. We strive to offer the best in home health care by providing dependable and experienced caregivers to elderly adults across the area. We offer a wide variety of home care services, have multiple payment options available, and are happy to provide a free assessment to get you started! Contact us through our website or by calling 877-724-3678 today!
https://www.premiercgs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Support-and-assistance-ambulatory.jpg7351000Premier Caregiver Serviceshttps://www.premiercgs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/PCGS_logo.pngPremier Caregiver Services2018-01-24 20:22:022023-10-06 08:54:385 Expert Tips on Talking to Aging Parents about Home Health Care
Aging Gracefully: Creating a Senior Care Plan for Mom and Dad
Moderator, Jackie Hays speaks at the “Aging Gracefully” event hosted by Norton Healthcare.
On Wednesday, March 30, 2016, the Norton Healthcare Employee Resource Group for Women or NWIRED, hosted an event called, “Aging Gracefully.” This free program sponsored by Premier Caregiver Services and the Norton Healthcare Foundation, discussed the details and conversations involved in creating a senior care plan for mom and dad. With this topic, a panel of speakers addressed the fact that many times it’s the eldest daughter who is responsible for making the decisions for her parent’s long term care. This conversation covered many topics related to senior caregiving and care planning including: developing a care plan, taking away the car keys, learning your parents’ medical history and understanding your parents’ preferred care preferences.
Panelists include (right to left): Mary Kate Probst, Amy Jo Condo, Merrily Orsini and Misty Clark Vantrease.
A group of four female panelists, guided by moderator Jackie Hays, helped conduct this discussion. Moderator Jackie Hays is an Emmy award-winning journalist that currently writes and produces health-related stories for Norton Healthcare. The women on the panel presented different areas of expertise and experience on senior home care planning. Merrily Orsini, an elder care professional, brought her extensive knowledge to the panel, along with pharmacist Dr. Mary Kate Probst. The panel also included Misty Clark Vantrease, an attorney with Kentucky ElderLaw PLLC, and Amy Jo Condo, a daughter that discussed her experiences caring for her 92-year-old mother.
50 guests attended the “Aging Gracefully” event hosted by Premier Caregiver Services and the Norton Healthcare Foundation.
All of the panel participants brought their diverse experience and knowledge to the discussion to provide a 360 degree perspective on senior caregiving and creating a care plan. Mary Jo Condo is a busy mom and business owner that spoke about the challenging and humorous experiences that coincide with caring for aging parents. These personalized stories from a person who has been through the senior caregiving experience and truly understands helped connect everyone who attended the event. The panelists were on hand to answer any types of questions and to connect participants to resources in the Louisville, Kentucky community.
While many may find the topic of creating a senior care plan for aging parents challenging, this panel showed how beneficial it is to take the time to do it. Starting the conversation isn’t always easy, but with the help of Norton Healthcare, Premier Caregiver Services and these panelists, the 50 attendees left the event with a deeper understanding and more confidence to open up the conversation with their parents and other aging loved ones.
For additional information about senior home care services in Louisville, Kentucky and Eastern, Kentucky, including how to address home accessibility and safety, meal preparation, transportation assistance and much more, give Premier Caregiver Services a call at 877-724-3678. We look forward to hearing from you.