As much joy as the holiday season brings, there’s also often an overwhelming level of stress, particularly for busy family caregivers who are already stretched thin. The additional responsibilities of shopping, baking, attending parties and events, and so much more can make it difficult to feel that all is calm and bright!

At Hired Hands Homecare, the top providers of Sonoma home care and senior care services in the surrounding areas, it’s our goal to partner with families to provide the dependable, professional care services that help restore a healthy life balance – even (and especially!) during the hectic pace of the holidays. One of the many ways we can help is through planning and preparing nutritious meals for seniors, and when stress levels are elevated, including these types of foods to reduce stress:

Whole grains. A great source of … Read More »

The holidays are the perfect time to reconnect with family and friends, but let’s be honest: it’s often also a time for overindulgence in unhealthy food choices. With a variety of rich, fatty, and sugary delicacies offered at every turn, it’s difficult to follow a healthy diet, which can result in significant health concerns for individuals with diabetes.

Important new diabetes management guidelines for seniors from the Endocrine Society.

The latest guidelines from the Endocrine Society concerning diabetes management and the elderly are unexpected, to say the least: lower blood sugar isn’t always best. And for individuals who’ve been maintaining a routine of finger pricks, insulin injections, and keeping careful track of food intake, this alteration may be a bit hard to swallow.

Known as de-intensification, geriatricians are now often taking the strategy with older adults that the benefits to be attained by aiming for rigid blood sugar control are not outweighing the health risks inherent with aging and illness. When A1c and blood sugar levels are held at low levels in the elderly, for instance, it may possibly result in an increased frequency of hypoglycemia and also kidney failure.

With up to one in … Read More »

Chemotherapy can impact a person’s appetite, but these tips can help.

Eating healthy is especially crucial for those undergoing chemotherapy or another type of cancer treatment, but one of the major side effects preventing patients from eating well is a change in how foods taste. It’s important to overcome this and other obstacles to healthy eating in order to maintain the strength needed for chemotherapy treatments and protect against infections. Eating a balanced diet may even help cancer patients better manage higher doses of certain types of medications.

When experiencing challenges with taste changes that interfere with adhering to a recommended dietary plan during cancer treatment, the following cancer nutrition tips from Hired Hands Homecare, providers of the the best senior care Santa Rosa, CA seniors need, can help:

Experiment with different food temperatures. For some people … Read More »

Learn tips on caring for a parent with Parkinson’s disease.

A large number of older adults with Parkinson’s disease receive the largest part of their care at home from loved ones, specifically during the earlier levels of the disease. As the leader in elderly care in Napa and the surrounding area, we at Hired Hands Homecare are aware of the unique concerns experienced by family members who are care providers for a parent with Parkinson’s, and want you to know you’re not alone! We are always available to offer recommendations and to partner with you in making sure your loved one is receiving the highest quality care at all times.

To begin with, it’s very helpful to keep these Parkinson’s-specific tips in mind:

Nutrition: A healthy diet helps lessen cell loss in an individual with Parkinson’s. Getting plenty of antioxidants, like … Read More »

Santa Rosa home care offers transitional care considerations to keep in mind.

After recovering from heart surgery, an intricate web of transitional care needs develops, from nutritional changes to incision care, pain management, swelling minimization, and more. The last thing an older adult wants after returning home from such a traumatic event is to face the need for rehospitalization.

Hired Hands Homecare, the top-rated home care company Santa Rosa, CA families trust, wants to help make sure your senior loved one recovers completely and as quickly as possible from heart surgery, and shares the following guidelines for effective transitional care:

Caring for the Incision

Instructions on how to care for the incision will be provided prior to being discharged from the hospital. Issues to be aware of include:

Always keep the incision clean and dry.
The incision can be gently washed (don’t rub) with soap. Do … Read More »

Recovering from surgery can take some time, particularly for seniors. Not only are aging bodies slower to mend, but combined with diminished mobility and numerous directions for medications, physical activities, follow-up appointments, and nutritional constraints, there is a lot to keep track of after surgery.

In a recent study led by IPC, The Hospitalist Company, nearly one out of five discharged patients needed assistance in a minimum of one area that had the potential to impact their recovery. Other similar studies show that bringing in care help for senior transitions reduces hospital readmissions.

As the premier home care agency in the North Bay area, Hired Hands Homecare is available to help your senior loved ones with safe senior transitions home from the hospital by providing trusted senior care to help with recovery. We can start assisting with post-discharge planning soon after hospital admission to assess … Read More »

You are what you eat, as the saying goes, and for individuals with kidney disease, it’s even more essential that a proper nutritional plan be adhered to in order to reduce symptoms, such as nausea, swelling, pain and others, and to maybe even slow the progression of the disease. Hired Hands Homecare recommends the following dietary considerations (after approval by one’s healthcare provider) and notes which foods to avoid with kidney disease:

Salt

High amounts of sodium in the diet can result in fluid retention, elevated blood pressure, and cause the heart to work harder. Sodium intake should be restricted to 2 grams per day. Refrain from consuming foods that contain significant levels of salt such as:

Canned food

Smoked or processed meats

Pretzels, crackers and chips

Nuts

Read More »

It’s often human nature to deny that we need assistance, although the truth is that often we really do. This is especially true for older adults, who may not wish to confess they need help doing the everyday things that used to be a snap but now are getting to be more complicated. For loved ones, this can make recognizing that an older adult requires help more difficult to identify. The encouraging news is that there are tools that can help family members better determine when a senior needs help.

It’s holiday time once again, which means it is also the perfect time for a “holiday reality check.” If you haven’t seen your elderly loved ones in a while, now is a good time to examine how your senior loved ones are doing and take the necessary steps in keeping seniors safe. With frenzied lifestyles or long distances separating families for a lot of the year, subtle (or not-so-subtle) indicators can very easily be overlooked. Keep a lookout for the following indications that additional care could be required, and bear in mind that looking for warning signs is not for the purposes of judgment or critique; it’s a check for wellness, well-being and safety.

Physical appearance: An unusually disheveled appearance of a senior loved one may be discovered during a holiday visit. Failing to stay up with daily hygiene routines such … Read More »