Senior Health

If your senior loved one has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, you may be feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to turn next. And, you’re likely to have a number of questions that arise AFTER you leave the doctor’s office. The best time to seek out resources and assistance is when the early signs of Parkinson’s disease are being noticed, and to help you begin the journey to providing the best care for your loved one, we’ve compiled the following list of some of the top Parkinson’s disease resources.

Parkinson’s Disease Fact Sheet: The Family Caregiver Alliance offers an informative guide for patients and caregivers about Parkinson’s disease.
10 Signs that Your Parent Might Have Parkinson’s Disease: Caring.com offers this handy checklist to help decipher whether or not a loved one might be exhibiting symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s Disease Caregiving: This site … Read More »

Since those with Parkinson’s disease are at a heightened risk for balance and vision concerns, they’re also at an increased risk of falling. The in-home care specialists at Hired Hands Homecare in California have a wealth of experience in providing safe Parkinson’s care in seniors’ homes, and can help reduce the risk of falls by providing a thorough safety evaluation of the home, room by room. Here are some tips to get started on making your senior loved one’s home safer, more comfortable, and as accessible as possible:

Bedroom:

Place a firm chair in the bedroom for the senior to sit in while dressing, and include a sturdy footstool for his/her use when putting on socks and shoes
Remove any portable space heaters, electric blankets, and any other potential fire hazards
Secure a bed rail between the box spring and mattress
Use nightlights in strategic … Read More »

More commonly diagnosed in men than in women, and more prevalent than MS, muscular dystrophy, and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined, Parkinson’s disease affects an astounding of 7 – 10 million people across the globe, and as many as 600,000 in America are diagnosed each year. Although each individual’s experience with Parkinson’s can vary widely, there are typically five stages of progression that are common to all. Since it’s Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Hired Hands Homecare of California would like to share the following important information on these stages:

Stage 1: Also known as early-stage Parkinson’s, the individual in this stage usually exhibits only mild signs or symptoms that may appear as follows:

Symptoms are on one side of the body only
Symptoms are concerning, but not disabling
Tremors or shaking in one limb may be discovered
Loved ones can frequently observe differences in the individual’s balance, … Read More »

For many individuals, living with multiple sclerosis is more comfortable with some degree of assistance for daily activities of living. Several hours a day of practical, hands-on assistance from a professional caregiver who has been trained in MS care can allow the person with MS to reserve energy and reduce feelings of fatigue. At Hired Hands Homecare in California, we believe that nourishing a person’s mind, body and spirit is crucial to help those with MS remain motivated and enabled. Here are just a few ways we can help.

MIND – Professional caregivers can help those with MS understand their symptoms and how to best adjust their lifestyle to improve quality of life. For example, they can help set up a daily routine, stressing the need to limit activities and take regular periods of rest to avoid fatigue and symptom exacerbations.

BODY … Read More »

Although there is not yet a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), hundreds of thousands of people in the United States are living with it – approximately 400,000 people to be exact, and of that, as many as 86% list fatigue as the number one symptom of their disease. The cause of MS is not known; it is not contagious or known to be directly passed down from one family member to another, but there are some known factors that may play a role. Consider these MS facts:

Gender – Women are affected more than twice as often as men
Age – Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50
Geography – The majority of people with multiple sclerosis live in moderate climates
Ethnic background – Caucasians are at a heightened risk

It is believed that multiple sclerosis symptoms result when an immune … Read More »

It’s no problem at all for us to get plenty of exercise while we’re young; physical activity is just a natural part of our hectic, daily lives. As we grow older, however, it’s not uncommon for the pace of life to slow down, sometimes quite dramatically; and there are many people who assume that with aging comes a reduced need for physical activity, or maybe even that exercise for seniors could be dangerous.

The good news, however, is that these assumptions are completely false. Studies have shown that routine exercise for seniors offers both physical and psychological benefits in older adults, and that even just a small amount of exercise can go a long way. The Office of Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shares that an exercise plan can:

Lower the level of disability in older adults
Improve … Read More »

Getting into a routine exercise regimen is challenging at any age. Working out is tiring. We don’t want to invest the time. We’re feeling sore from yesterday’s exercising. We’ve all made excuses like these for not exercising; but frailty and advanced age make it even more difficult to stick to an exercise plan and maintain senior fitness.

Hired Hands Homecare wants to help seniors remain active with tips to overcome the following common senior fitness roadblocks:

Self-confidence: It’s normal for older adults to feel overwhelmed with the idea of meeting exercise goals. It can help to begin slowly with exercises that are easily accomplished and advance gradually; and, motivate the senior with frequent encouragement.
Attitude: Attitude is everything when it comes to physical fitness. If approached negatively, it will be much harder to maintain an effective exercise regimen. Choose activities that will be … Read More »

The benefits of exercise don’t diminish as we age, and it’s incredibly important for older adults to maintain as active a lifestyle as possible. Even those who are bedridden or wheelchair-bound have a full range of options available to strengthen, improve resistance and flexibility.

The first step is always to check with the physician to get a recommendation on the best exercises for seniors that fit with your loved one’s activity level and medical history. Initially, exercising even for as little as a few minutes a day, repeated several times throughout the day, can greatly enhance the senior’s health and wellbeing.

Following are several examples of the best exercises for seniors:

Aerobic Exercises: If whole body movements aren’t possible, exercises from a seated position are available to build cardio strength. When possible, good options include:

Swimming or water aerobics
Dancing
Walking
Tai Chi
Bowling

Resistance Exercises: To build and … Read More »

Take a moment to close your eyes and picture yourself like this: You’ve spent most of your life taking care of and assisting others – as a mother or father, in your career, through volunteering in your community, and as a grandparent. After all those years of living independently and being in control of your life’s decisions, you’ve suddenly aged to the point that now you are the one in need of assistance with bathing and other care tasks. Imagine the sense of loss, vulnerability, and fear.

If you’re taking care of a senior loved one, it can help to put yourself in his or her shoes when facing challenges related to helping the person with personal care tasks. The struggles your older loved one is feeling are real, and a little empathy and patience can go a long way towards … Read More »

It’s not an aspect of elderly personal care that’s as commonly discussed as other tasks, but is crucial to keeping seniors healthy nonetheless. Aging skin care issues can cause a wide variety of distress for seniors, including discomfort, bruising, dryness, itching, and more.

The home care professionals at Hired Hands Homecare work hard to keep older adults safe and healthy from head to toe, and that includes healthy skin. We’ve outlined below some of the more common skin difficulties in aging, and some suggestions to help.

Dryness

According to Medscape, an overwhelming majority of adults over age 65 are troubled by dry, flaky, itchy skin, which results from a reduction in sweat and oil glands.

How to help:

The senior should take less frequent showers or baths, using warm (not hot) water, gently dry the skin, and apply moisturizer
See if “dry bath” products work … Read More »