2024 Resolutions: Positive Goals for Caregivers
“I’m going to force myself to run three miles every day.” “I’m going to clean the bathrooms more often.” “I’m going to eat more celery and less chocolate.” Do your New Year’s resolutions feel more like punishment than positivity? If that’s the case, resolve to make 2024 the year you set some goals you will […]
Holiday Season Alert: Monitoring Older Loved Ones for Safety
Ready or not, the holiday season is here! As you prepare for family gatherings, there is something more to consider besides what dishes to prepare, which gifts to buy, and how far off your diet you’re willing to stray. During holiday celebrations, it’s common to notice changes in older loved ones you have not seen […]
Celebrating Family Caregiving and Those Who Care
If you’ve ever felt unrecognized and underappreciated in your role as family caregiver, this month is for you! November is National Family Caregivers Month, an occasion to celebrate the tireless work and dedication you invest in making sure a loved one’s life is the best it can be. Family Caregiving Is Not Always Easy…But You […]
How to Overcome Common Caregiving Problems
Taking care of your aging parents is an extremely rewarding act of love. As you think about the care they provided to you when you were growing up, you now are able to do the same for them. It allows you to take your relationship with your parents to a whole new level. Having said […]
Caring for Aging Parents? Top Tips for Only-Child Caregivers
Being an only child has some perks. During childhood, you never had to experience sibling rivalry or fights, and you also had the benefit of receiving all the attention and love of your parents. As an adult with no siblings, you may now find that it’s your turn to provide all of the care and […]
Strengthening Bonds: Strategies for Visiting a Person With Dementia
A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s may also mean a diagnosis for loneliness. Though socialization continues to be very necessary for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, various factors lead to an increase in isolation, including: Discomfort on the part of friends and family who are unsure what to say (or not to say) The need to discontinue driving […]
Activities for Dementia Patients That Can Help Improve Self-Confidence
What gets you out of bed every day? Many of us have an extensive list of to-dos that pushes us to begin the day. As much as we might wish we could keep hitting the snooze button, having a sense of purpose is in fact imperative to our health. That’s true for a person with […]
Top Incontinence Care Tips for Family Caregivers
It’s not something most of us would feel comfortable discussing with others. The awkwardness of even talking about incontinence is generally enough to keep the problem hidden. Not only that, but there’s a common, incorrect assumption that it is simply a normal part of aging and needs to be quietly accepted. Yet the reality is, […]
Navigating Criticism While Caregiving for a Loved One
“You always…” “You never…” “If I were you…” As a family caregiver, you work selflessly to provide care for someone you love. What happens when you are giving it all you have, but your all is not good enough? Criticism while caregiving is never easy to hear, and it can be quite hurtful when it […]
How to Continue to Build a Nest Egg as a Family Caregiver
Providing care for an aging parent is a time-intensive labor of love. It may also influence finances, as family caregivers may choose to take unpaid leave from work, reduce their hours, or stop working altogether. It’s not unusual for family caregivers to set aside their long-term financial plans in order to prioritize a loved one’s […]
Top Tips to Find a Work-Life Balance as a Family Caregiver
It is a delicate balancing act. On one hand, you have your career, which provides you purpose, fulfillment, and of course, a paycheck. On the other hand, you are taking care of someone you love. Trying to give 100% to both of these crucial roles can make you mentally and physically drained, with little if […]
Tips for Prepping for a Senior Doctor Visit
When caring for an older loved one, balance is key. You intend to provide as much help and support as you can without overstepping the boundaries that protect a senior’s self-esteem and personal independence. It is particularly true with regards to making essential medical care decisions. There are a number of clashes that can arise […]
Aging Care Services Help Family Caregivers Recharge
What does a standard day look like for you as a family care provider? For many family caregivers, it begins before dawn, assisting an older relative who has trouble sleeping during the night and is in need of assistance, or at least a person to talk to. From there, the day may be a bustle […]
What to do When a Parent Dies
Knowing what to do when a parent dies is hard. In addition to navigating grief, there are a variety of administrative tasks that must be handled in a timely manner. To help alleviate some of the stress during this period of time, our care professionals have put together the following helpful timeline so you will […]
Steer Clear of Injury When Caring for Seniors with These 5 Tips
At the time you made the decision to offer care for an older loved one, you most likely did not think your role would be hazardous. Yet the challenges of caregiving aren’t anything to take lightly. Approximately 94% of care providers who participated in a recent survey noted physical pain in one or more parts […]
How to Get Help from Siblings When Taking Care of Aging Parents
As the saying goes, many hands make light work, and that’s certainly true when siblings are taking care of aging parents. If you and your siblings work together in harmony to fulfill the needs of your senior family members, congratulations! In many cases, however, one sibling takes on most of the responsibilities. This can quickly […]
Caring for a Senior Loved One with Early Stage Parkinson’s: Part 1 of 3
A Parkinson’s disease diagnosis impacts members of the family as well as the person diagnosed. Understanding what to expect as the disease progresses is vital to being ready for the changes to come and to make life the very best it can be each day. Throughout the next couple of months, we’ll be sharing what […]
Be Alert to the Warning Signs of Parkinson’s
Even though nearly one million individuals are living with Parkinson’s disease within the United States alone, the condition was perhaps first brought to the foreground after the diagnosis of Michael J. Fox. Since then, his foundation has funded breakthroughs in research and awareness, which were previously unparalleled, giving us hope for a future cure. In […]
Best Ways for Family Caregivers and Seniors to Maintain Emotional and Physical Wellbeing During the Pandemic
While we can certainly start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on our emotional and physical wellbeing. Months of isolation and physical separation from people we love has taken a toll on many older adults and the ones they love. Now is the perfect time […]
The Benefits of Journaling for Family Caregivers
With the new year just around the corner, now is a great time to think about new strategies that will help you become a more effective family caregiver and also provide benefits to your senior loved one. Journaling for family caregivers is an effective way to minimize stress, and can be utilized as an outlet […]
Balancing Act: Taking Care of School-Aged Children and Aging Parents
If your days are overflowing with managing a home, parenting, working, caring for older parents, and trying to squeeze in time for yourself while looking after other relationships, welcome to the sandwich generation! Made up of those ages 35 – 54 who are “sandwiched” between meeting the needs of aging parents and taking care of […]
Senior Drivers: Tips for Safety
Remember that feeling as a teenager the first time you climbed behind the steering wheel, experiencing the exhilaration of the opportunity to go anywhere you wanted? The freedom that the ability to drive grants us is beyond compare! Nonetheless, as we grow older, a number of factors will come into play that impact the safety […]
Top Tips for the Management of Chronic Kidney Disease in Seniors
They are only about the size of your fist, but they are crucial to your body’s performance. Kidneys work as filters to get rid of waste from the body, but they also regulate our blood pressure and help in the production of red blood cells. For people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, effective management is […]
Improve Senior Safety in the Bathroom with These Tips
While you may consider your bathroom to be a safe sanctuary where you are able to relax and rest with a soothing bath or invigorating shower at the end of a hard day, for aging parents, the bathroom is undoubtedly the most dangerous room in the home. With slippery floors that are even slipperier when […]
New Year, New You: Meaningful and Realistic Resolutions for Caregivers
We either love them or avoid them, but whatever our stance on New Year’s resolutions, there’s something incredibly energizing about moving into a brand new year, providing us with a new slate and the opportunity to make any changes we desire to improve wellbeing or even accomplish a completely new goal or dream. For family […]