Caregiver Support Tip
How to Be the Best Possible Caregiver
Taking steps to learn how to be the best possible caregiver will improve life in a variety of ways for the person in your care – and yourself.
If someone were providing care for you, how would you want that caregiver/care receiver relationship to look? What qualities would shift that level of care from ordinary to extraordinary? Placing yourself in the shoes of the person in your care is the first step to learning how to be the best possible caregiver – something that will have a lasting impact on both your family member and yourself!
What’s the Best Flu Vaccine for Older Adults?
Learn about the best flu vaccine for older adults and make sure the seniors you love are protected.
While COVID-19 continues to dominate our overall health concerns, it’s important to keep in mind that other illnesses can be equally as dangerous, especially for older adults. Flu season is upon us, and it’s time to make sure that the seniors you love are protected. This starts with knowing the best flu vaccine for older adults.
FREE Money!
Greetings Outstanding Hired Hands Caregivers! As we enter the second half of the year… time is running out!
As a reminder, HIRED HANDS HOMECARE is a proud partner with the state CalGrows program. Together, we are empowering Caregivers, by helping them Learn More and Earn More! Grow your skills and knowledge, allowing you to advance in our profession, while working smarter! And the best part… the CalGrows program will PAY you $30 per hour to take FREE classes, and provide LARGE bonuses for putting your new skills to work with Hired Hands. YE$… you could earn up to $6000, but this program is set to end at the end of the year, so the clock is ticking!
It is SO easy!
1. Visit www.CalGrows.com
2. Choose one of the two Incentive Tracks. Each Track is designed a little differently. A maximum of $2500 can … Read More »
How to Tell the Difference Between Dementia and Medication Side Effects
With so many similarities, can you tell the difference between dementia and medication side effects?
Disorientation. Confusion. Memory loss. While these are certainly hallmark symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, they may also come about from taking certain medications. Before automatically assuming an inevitable diagnosis of dementia, review the following list of prescribed medicines that can cause similar adverse effects in order to help tell the difference between dementia and medication side effects.
Caregiver Anger: I Never Expected to Feel So Angry About Caring for Aging Parents!
If you’re feeling angry about dealing with aging parents, know that you’re not alone, and there are steps you can take to help. Contact us for help.
If you were to detail the top 5 emotions you encounter in meeting the caregiving needs of your aging parents, what would they be? Maybe you would first think of emotions like compassion, love, and sometimes, even frustration or stress. Would caregiver anger make the list? In many cases, though family caretakers wouldn’t wish to admit it, it’s quite common to feel angry about caring for aging parents. Read on to learn more about caregiver anger, and reach out to Hired Hands Homecare for the support you need to step away to care for yourself!
The Latest Surprising Facts About Alzheimer’s
The latest surprising facts about Alzheimer’s are changing the way scientists are thinking about what causes the disease.
Surprising facts about Alzheimer’s are surfacing nearly every day, it seems. Take, for instance, amyloid plaques: they’re at the heart of scientists’ hypotheses about what causes Alzheimer’s, and the focus of research is on removing them as an effective treatment option and hopefully, one day, a cure.
Yet a research study led by the University of Cincinnati and in cooperation with the Karolinska Institute in Sweden is turning this thinking upside down. Alberto Espay, the study’s senior author and professor of neurology at UC, shares, “It’s not the plaques that are causing impaired cognition. Amyloid plaques are a consequence, not a cause.”
If Not Amyloid Plaques, Then What?
Espay and the UC team believe the focus should instead shift to … Read More »
The Benefits of a Daily Routine for Seniors
ry implementing a daily routine for seniors who are struggling with physical or cognitive functioning problems.
Life can be full of uncertainties. For seniors who are feeling less in control of particular areas of life, such as losing cognitive or physical functioning, concentrating on what can be controlled is empowering. An excellent way to help is by establishing a daily routine for seniors, personalized to a senior’s particular interests and needs.
Keep in mind that the older adult’s routine is certainly not meant to be a rigid regimen to be adhered to, but simply the basis for predictability and structure. With the older adult’s input and direction, settle on a preferred framework for every day. A sample daily routine may look like this:
Wake up at 7:30 a.m.
Handle personal hygiene needs and get dressed
Enjoy breakfast on the porch while … Read More »
The Harm in Talking to the Elderly Like Babies
We all need to understand how disrespectful talking to the elderly like babies is, and to avoid this common practice.
Watch what happens at the next family members get together when a new mother places her baby in someone’s arms. The person is likely to shift instantly into baby mode: a sing-song, high-pitched voice, exaggerated facial expressions, and overly-simplified speech. Of course, this is quite normal and actually beneficial to an infant’s growing brain. Sadly though, it is also quite common to hear people talking to the elderly like babies too. This can be so harmful to the elderly, that there’s a word to describe it: elderspeak.
A recent research study by Susan Kemper, a professor specializing in gerontology at the University of Kansas, matched senior listeners with younger speakers. Even with the seniors’ instructions just to listen … Read More »
Concerned It Might Be Dementia? Here’s How to Bring It Up to the Doctor.
You may be afraid to talk with the doctor if you’re concerned it might be dementia, but these tips can help.
Distress. Embarrassment. Fear. If you’re concerned it might be dementia, the feelings surrounding a potential diagnosis can force you to keep your suspicions to yourself. An AARP survey peeled away some of the layers of emotion to find the reason – namely, worry over losing independence and becoming a burden to others.
While there is some truth to these worries, there are also some misconceptions fueling them. As an example, roughly 1/2 of the participants, who were adults age 40 and over, believe they’re likely to get dementia as they grow older. The truth is that just over 10% of older adults over age 65 are identified as having Alzheimer’s disease.
Because of this, it’s critical for … Read More »
Unique Dementia Signs to Watch For in Latinos
Learn the distinct dementia signs to watch for in Latinos.
A new study sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association is uncovering some striking results in how dementia may show differently in Hispanic people. While further research is necessary to fully understand whether these differences are the consequence of social/cultural nuances or the dementia itself, it is beneficial information for Latino families to learn the specific dementia signs to watch for in Latinos.
What Are the Unique Dementia Signs for Hispanic Seniors?
Daily Life Activities
One feature of this research was the dramatically faster decline in the capability to do everyday activities, including walking, getting dressed, and taking a shower, when compared with other ethnicities. Andrea Ochoa Lopez, the University of Houston doctoral student who performed the research, explained that the cultural dedication to caring for older relations can be … Read More »
