Pleasanton Senior Care
How to Become a More Patient Caregiver
Does your blood pressure soar once you finally finish filling your cart with groceries, simply to find only one checkout lane open and a line of aggravated shoppers in front of you? Or when you arrive 5 minutes early for a doctor’s appointment, but have to wait 40 minutes to be seen? Many people just seem to exude an innate sense of patience, regardless of the circumstances. Wouldn’t you like to know their secret, particularly when it comes to knowing how to become a more patient caregiver for someone you love?
Could Alzheimer’s Disease Be an Autoimmune Condition?
Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s has become as tangled as the tau threads long thought to be the root cause of the disease. But now, research workers may be drawing one step closer to unraveling the puzzle of Alzheimer’s, by using a different train of thought. New studies are leaning towards the potential of an inflammatory response in the brain, which poses the question: could Alzheimer’s disease be an autoimmune condition?
The Final Stage of Alzheimer’s: What to Expect
The journey through Alzheimer’s disease can be compared to navigating a winding road that spans years, riddled with intermittent stops, starts, unexpected twists, and a plethora of unknowns. As the dedicated caregiver for an individual grappling with dementia, having foresight about what to expect around the next bend is paramount. This knowledge empowers you to not only be well-prepared but also to administer the most fitting and compassionate level of care in the final stage of Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s, being a highly individualized experience, manifests uniquely in each person. Yet there are certain commonalities at every stage of the disease. When an individual transitions into the last stage, discernible challenges emerge, including struggles with eating … Read More »
The Importance of Friendships and How to Find Friends as a Senior
Observing kids effortlessly form friendships at the playground is a heartwarming sight, but as adults, building connections can be a bit more complex. Friendships are vital, especially for seniors emerging from COVID-related isolation. How can you assist the older adults in your life in enhancing their socialization and making new friends?
While a pick-up game of tag might not be on the agenda, consider these alternative tips for how to find friends as a senior:
Join a Club: Help an older loved one brainstorm their interests, whether it’s reading, knitting, gardening, fishing, or sports. Look online for local groups or explore resources at the senior center. If no suitable groups exist, consider creating one!
Take a Class: Community colleges often offer … Read More »
What Can You Do When Family Members Refuse to Help With Senior Care?
If you find yourself handling all of the care responsibilities for an aging parent while your siblings distance themselves from offering help, you’re not alone. In fact, as many as one out of every two family caregivers are taking care of an aging loved one on their own, according to a recent report from AARP. What can you do when family members refuse to help with senior care?
There are several reasons why siblings may shy away from supporting you in the care you’re providing. We’ve compiled the most common, along with what you can do to remedy the situation.
They don’t realize there’s a need for help. It may very well be that from … Read More »
Understanding Parkinson’s Fatigue: It Feels Like “Walking Through Molasses”
Parkinson’s fatigue affects as many as one in two people with the disease, but until recently, we haven’t fully understood just how debilitating this condition actually is. A study is providing us with the insight we need to comprehend the impact of Parkinson’s fatigue, and what we can do to help someone experiencing it. Led by Duke University’s Sneha Mantri, MD, the goal of the research was to gain firsthand patient insights to know how to better address this challenging condition.
Three distinct areas of fatigue were investigated in the study: physical, emotional, and cognitive. Participants were asked to describe their level of fatigue, and the terms they used were quite revealing, including feeling unmotivated, overwhelmed, isolated, lacking energy, and as if they were “walking through molasses.”
Parkinson’s fatigue … Read More »
Dementia Delusions: How to Respond to False Accusations
Dementia delusions can come seemingly out of thin air: you place your loved one’s favorite chicken salad sandwich in front of her – light on the mayo, no onions – something she typically enjoys. But today, she pushes the plate away and will not take a bite, insisting that you’ve poisoned the food.
Or, you’ve provided your loved one with a meaningful activity that links her to a significant time in her past career, sorting paperwork. Out of the blue, she accuses you of tampering with the documents in order to steal money from her banking account.
How can you respond to dementia delusions or hallucinations without further agitating the person? Try these strategies:
Keep a controlled, soothing, understanding tone. It might be instinctive … Read More »
Take These Steps to Prevent Financial Elder Abuse
When asked whether they thought they might be at risk for financial elder abuse or fraud, the overwhelming majority of surveyed older adults – 81%, in fact – were confident that they would never fall for a scam. We all want to believe we’re too savvy and smart to be taken advantage of; but the reality is, many scammers are even smarter and savvier.
And though we might assume that financial fraud mostly occurs at the hands of strangers, the truth is that as many as two out of three of all financial crimes are committed by people the victim knows and trusts.
The good news is, there are several steps that seniors and their loved ones can take to protect themselves:
Register with EverSafe (or a … Read More »
Caregiving Tips to Ensure You’re Motivating Without Bullying
As a family caregiver, you obviously encounter an array of feelings throughout the day: shared laughter over a joke with your senior loved one; worry due to a health concern; and certainly, from time to time, irritation. We want only the best for those we love, and if a senior loved one is resistant to doing an activity we realize is beneficial, it could be tough to identify the most appropriate response.
The key is to try to offer motivation and support, while remaining cautious not to ever cross the line into bullying your senior loved one. These caregiving tips are good to remember:
There’s no one-size-fits-all. An approach that has worked on a single occasion may perhaps be entirely ineffective in another. In … Read More »
4 Ways to Promote Purpose and Meaning for Seniors
Think of a typical day in the life of a senior loved one. Hopefully it provides several positive and enriching experiences: enjoying breakfast, engaging in a fun hobby or interest, visiting with a friend or family member, watching a favorite TV show. Nevertheless, there’s a difference between positivity and purpose and meaning for seniors; and the need for a life rich with significance and purpose is starting to become more evident, particularly in the life of aging parents.
Viktor Frankl , world-renowned psychiatrist and survivor of the Holocaust, shares poignantly, “What matters is not the meaning in life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.”
For people whose identity has been focused on a career and raising … Read More »