Episode 23 - 

If you have a loved one with dementia then this episode may be far too familiar to you. We are going to be discussing how to prevent your loved one from getting lost. This is a very real fear and reality for many families who have loved ones with dementia. It could be that your loved one wanders and when you’re not looking they go out the front door and start wandering down the street or maybe they wander at night and it’s hard to rest knowing that they may leave the house at some point during the night. 

If this sounds far too familiar with the situation that you are facing we hope that this episode will provide you with information and resources to help keep your loved one safe.

Episode 22 - 

On this episode of All Home Care Matters we are going to be talking about safe and fun activities that a senior with limited mobility can enjoy doing. As our loved ones age their needs can increase and their physical abilities decrease. This is hard to watch and can lead to other issues for them as well like depression, loneliness, isolation, and a feeling of helplessness. We are going to share some safe and fun ways for them to stay active and engaged. 

Episode 21 -

On this episode of All Home Care Matters we are going to discuss a topic that is more common than not for families and that is long distance caregiving. Trying to maintain any relationship or obligation when you’re doing it from a long distance is challenging enough, but when you’re trying to care for a parent or a loved one long distance the challenges are even more difficult.

If you’re living out of state or several hours away from a loved one who needs your care you may already know the challenges that you have to face or maybe you’re wondering what you can do to best help them and make sure they are cared for.

Episode 20 - 

Today we wanted to take some time and talk about Adult Day Care Programs. If you aren’t familiar with what an Adult Day Care program is that’s ok. It is not always one of the first options that families are either told about or consider when looking for either respite care for themselves or as an option when their loved one may no longer able to be by themselves.

They are also not that common depending on where you live. We are in Metro-Detroit and I know of 3-4 Adult day centers that are in the metro-Detroit area. These centers are a great resource for families and also their loved ones. However, as we mentioned there isn’t an overabundance of them available like nursing homes, home care providers, and assisted living facilities are. This is because certain types of adult day care programs only offer certain services and the services that each of the adult day care locations offer can vary widely and their criteria for who would be a good fit and qualify to use their services can vary as well.

Adult day care programs are a wonderful resource for not only families, but also their loved ones. But, then why aren’t they common place like all the other long-term care and senior assistance options that we hear about daily? This is because families tend to refuse this option and worry that their loved one will resent being a part of such a program and others feel guilty dropping off and leaving their loved ones with someone else.

When a family does finally decide to try the program if even for a day. However, more times than not their loved one develops friends with other participants and their family or the person that has been responsible for their care is able to enjoy the respite that the adult day care has provided to them.

Episode 19 -

On this episode of All Home Care Matters we are going to discuss difficult behaviors that are associated with dementia. If you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with a form of dementia then you know that behaviors can change from day to day and hour by hour. There are no guaranteed proven methods or actions that can change these behaviors, but there are ways that are better for handling them than others. We are going to discuss and go through the most common and challenging behaviors that are associated with dementia and discuss effective ways for handling them.

Episode 18 - 

Today’s episode of All Home Care Matters is for the family caregiver. We are going to be discussing ten tips for you the family caregiver.

Did you know that currently there are 65 million American’s caring for a loved one who is either disabled or in failing health? Of those 65 million caregivers two-thirds of them are women and according to AARP there is approximately 34.2 million American’s who are currently or have in the past provided unpaid care to someone over the age of 50 years old in the past 12 months.

Maybe you are one those caregivers that have had to give up their job or maybe you’ve had to sacrifice something else so that you could be there and care for your loved one when they needed you. If you have, we appreciate and understand what you’re going through and hope that today’s episode helps you and your loved one.

Episode 17 -

In this episode of All Home Care Matters we are going to discuss coping with caregiver burnout. If you have been caring for a loved one then you know that caring for a loved one is a full-time job. Whether you’re caring for a parent, spouse, child, or a loved one who is close to you that responsibility never leaves you and the job is never over. When you're a caring for a loved one it is a commitment unlike any other and you need to make sure that you're also caring for you and your health.

If you’re caring for a loved one you’re not alone - There 65 million Americans (two-thirds are women) who are caring for a family member right now who are either disabled or in failing health. If you’re one of the 65 million caregivers you are probably aware that there are many wonderful moments and experiences helping to care for your loved one, but you are also probably aware that it has moments that make it one of the most challenging experiences you have ever faced and it’s also a job that nothing you’ve done prior could have helped to prepare you for the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that can accompany it. In fact according to a recent study 20% of caregivers report that their own health has suffered as a result of caring for their loved one.

If this role of being a caregiver for your loved one is new to you or you’ve been caring for them for a while and you are feeling the stress of this we want to provide you with some helpful tips and suggestions, because if something happens to you who will be there for them?

Episode 16 -

As our loved ones age and enter into their senior years these are supposed to be the “Golden Years” and there are happy moments, memorable moments, milestones to celebrate, and fond memories to reminisce about. However, they can also be times of strife and difficulty. Our loved ones can be slowly losing their independence and be left feeling a lack of control for the first time in their lives and it can also be as difficult for their family, children, and loved ones as they watch and try helping with these changes. Most families aren’t prepared when the time comes and quite often they are left unsure how to approach the situation and talk with their loved ones about the issues they are facing.

This is normal and understandable. Many times these situations come out of nowhere or they may see things that causes them concern. They may think mom or dad can handle it or maybe they see that dad is having difficulty walking unassisted and instead of talking to dad about it they decide to talk to mom and express concern. Then, mom wanting to protect her husband’s independence lets them know that dad is fine and that it’s just a little arthritis or they assure them that everything is fine because they don’t want to alarm their children. It can be a little difficult and tricky getting our parents and our elderly loved ones to acknowledge that there is anything to worry about. This is usually for two reasons – They are very private, independent, and from a generation of strength and pride. Another reason that’s common is they believe they are protecting their kids and family from being worried about them. If this sounds familiar, this episode will help you have a better and productive conversation with them by knowing what not to say to them when talking about the concerns that you have for them and their safety. 

Episode 15 -

Our parents are our role models. They were there to help us learn how to ride a bicycle without the training wheels the first time and they were there to pick us up when we fell. Our parents are the ones who have helped to guide us through childhood and into adulthood.

This is why having to talk with them about possibly needing help and needing care is so difficult. Suddenly, the roles are being reversed and most of us don’t know how to go about having this discussion. It feels like we are encroaching on their independence and their ability to recognize that they need some extra help on their own.

Episode 14-

On this episode of All Home Care Matters we are going to talk about the warning signs of dementia. A lot of times when we are talking with families or get emails about dementia we often times will hear something like “My mom didn’t have dementia, she had Alzheimer’s.” This is fairly common, and quite often families don’t realize that Alzheimer’s is part of dementia and falls under the dementia umbrella. This is because Alzheimers and other forms of dementia fall under the dementia umbrella and the reason families don’t realize this is because Alzheimer’s happens to be by far the most common form of dementia, but there are several others. Let’s take a moment and talk about the dementia umbrella and the various forms and types of dementia that there are:

First, as we mentioned is Alzheimer’s which accounts for between 50-70%

Then, vascular which accounts for the second most at 20-30%

Next is Lewy body at 10-25%

And finally, frontotemporal which is the least common at 10-15%

We will be doing shows on these forms of dementia but for today we wanted to give you an idea of what it means when someone says dementia and how it could be anyone of those forms, but typically they are referring to Alzheimer’s (but not always) and we wanted to show the variation in the commonalities of each of the forms of dementia.

Today, we are going to discuss the warning signs of dementia. This can sometimes be very difficult to identify right away, as it typically (but not always) starts out slowly and gradually becomes more progressive. A good friend of ours here at all home care matters that has partnered with us and enriched life home care for years works with us to host, facilitate a Dementia Ministry Series that we along with her provide to professionals as well as the community to help better educate them in this horrible disease as well as help them to be better caregivers for their loved ones.