Use these six essential tips to improve dementia care for someone you love.

Caring for someone with dementia is one of the most meaningful yet challenging roles you can take on. It’s important to remind yourself regularly: You are doing your best. You are making a difference. A little self-affirmation goes a long way, but there’s more to consider when caregiving gets tough. Enter the Six Rs of dementia care—a framework designed to help improve dementia care and better manage the complexities of the disease.

What Are the Six Rs of Dementia Care?

The Six Rs offer a practical, compassionate approach to navigating difficult dementia-related behaviors. By following these steps, you can create a more peaceful, supportive environment:

Reassure
Dementia can make familiar routines and environments suddenly feel intimidating or strange. Loud noises, changes in lighting, unfamiliar visitors, or even … Read More »

“We need leaders not in love money, but in love with justice.  Not in love publicity, but in love with humanity.”  ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this important day, we pay respect to a most amazing man, and say thanks for his tireless fight for equality and human rights.

All of us at Hired Hands would like to celebrate our diverse group of care professionals.  It is an absolute honor to work alongside such amazing people from so many cultures, races, & orientation on a daily basis.

With Respect,
~ The Hired Hands Homecare Team

This checklist will help guide you through necessary steps after the death of a loved one.

After the death of a loved one, the grief can be all-encompassing, and the last thing you may feel ready to tackle is a series of responsibilities and tasks. Yet these steps are necessary to honor their memory, ensure their wishes are carried out, and settle their affairs. While the process may seem overwhelming, breaking it down into smaller, manageable actions can make it more bearable.

We’ve created a detailed guide to help you through this difficult time.

Immediate Actions

Obtain the Legal Pronouncement of Death: When a loved one passes away in a hospital or nursing home, the staff will automatically take care of this step. However, if the death occurs at home, call 911 to arrange transportation to the hospital where … Read More »

Loss of recognition in dementia is never easy to accept, but these tips will help.

You’ve been caring for your mom since her dementia diagnosis, doing your best to manage the ups and downs of the disease. One day, she looks at you with a blank stare or calls you by the name of someone else—a sibling, her spouse, or even her own parent. The sting of the loss of recognition in dementia is overwhelming. Should you correct her? Ignore it? Or embrace the new role she’s assigned you?

Recognition loss is one of dementia’s most heartbreaking effects. Watching someone you love struggle to connect the dots of who you are is never easy. However, how you respond in these moments can shape the interaction and bring peace to the person you love.

How to Respond to Recognition … Read More »

A temporary assisted living stay can be less overwhelming and more comfortable with these tips.

After a hospitalization or surgical procedure, the doctor may recommend a temporary assisted living stay before the person returns home. This is typically a short-term time of intensive therapy to promote healing and recovery. However, the thought of moving into a nursing home or assisted living facility even for a matter of weeks or months can be extremely difficult to accept.

Whatever is Beautiful
and Meaningful,
whatever brings you
Peace and Happiness,
may it be yours
this Holiday Season!

Try these Parkinson’s communication tips to enhance your ability to connect with someone you love.

Imagine trying to share your thoughts, feelings, or even a simple idea with someone you love, only to feel as though your words are getting lost. Now, consider how isolating it must be if this were an everyday struggle. For someone living with Parkinson’s disease, this is often the reality. Communication becomes increasingly difficult as the disease progresses, creating frustration and emotional strain for both the person with Parkinson’s and their loved ones, making it crucial to know effective Parkinson’s communication tips. It begins with understanding how communication can be affected by the disease.

Improv is one creative dementia care strategy that can be both effective and fun.

Creativity, adaptability, and a healthy dose of lighthearted fun are some of the top ingredients to healthy and effective dementia care. It stands to reason then that a spontaneous activity like improvisation is a great way to connect and engage with someone struggling with cognitive challenges. Not only does it allow you to pivot and embrace unexpected plot twists, but this creative dementia care tactic helps you to learn more about the person in your care.

Learn the pros and cons of daily bathing for seniors.

Sinking into a warm, soothing, bubble bath at the end of a stressful day, and stepping into a hot, invigorating shower first thing in the morning are daily pleasures for a great many of us. However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing in regards to bathing habits for older adults. You might want to rethink daily bathing for seniors, for a number of reasons:

On this most important Holiday, we could not be more thankful for our simply amazing team of dedicated, hard working and compassionate people.  Every day, we make such an important impact on the lives of seniors and families in our community.  That would not be possible if not for truly exceptional people.  To our entire team, we send the most heartfelt and sincere appreciation.

Wishing you and yours an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving!
~HHH