All Home Care Matters

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.

Episode 13 - 

A living will is something that is sometimes forgotten about and avoided because it reminds us of our vulnerability as humans and it can be uncomfortable to talk about. Five Wishes makes it a little easier to decided what we want done for us in the event we are unable to speak for ourselves and it makes it a little easier to talk about.

Some of you may already be familiar with Five Wishes, but if you aren't or want to learn more about Five Wishes we are going to go through and discuss all the wishes and explain what they are in this episode.

Episode 12 -

Have you ever talked with a friend who is caring for a spouse or maybe a parent and they say they feel like they're the ones who need care? Maybe they share how they're exhausted or how they miss their weekly visit to the salon, but can't go since they started caring for their mom or dad? Does this sound familiar because you're going through this yourself right now? Making time for yourself and practicing good self-care usually is an after-thought when you care for a parent or a spouse.

You’re not in the minority, let’s take a look at some research and statistics….if you’re caring for a spouse between the ages of 66 and 96 and you are experiencing mental or emotional strain you have a risk of dying that is 63% higher than that of people your own age who are not caring for a spouse. The combination of loss, long durations of stress, physical demands, and the biological vulnerabilities that come with age place you at risk for serious and significant health issues as well as a premature death.

Episode 11 -

On this episode of All Home Care Matters we are going to talk about diffusing family conflict when mom and dad need care. If you have siblings this may be something that you are familiar with. Hopefully, you have a great support system with your siblings and this hasn’t been an issue but for many families once mom and dad’s health starts to decline it can lead to conflict and real difficulties when siblings start needing to make decisions and sometimes they don’t all agree.

 All too often it seems that while mom and dad are healthy and able to make decisions for themselves things tend to operate smoothly, but once the children start becoming more and more needed often this can lead to power struggles or one of the siblings feeling hurt or left out when they weren’t made the decision maker or the power of attorney. We know of a situation where the oldest son in a family of 4 was designated the power of attorney over his parents years earlier only to find out that the youngest sibling had convinced their parents to designate them as the power of attorney.

This situation had really escalated once their parents health began a significant decline and the oldest son never forgave his parents or his youngest sibling and it sadly never healed or resolved at the time of his father’s passing (their mother preceded their father 4-5 years prior).

Was the oldest son right in holding that grudge all the way through the passing of both of his parents? Was the youngest sibling completely wrong for going behind the backs of their siblings and never letting them know what they had done until both of their parents were in such declined health that they couldn’t step in and bring peace back to their family?

Episode 10 -

Are you part of the “Sandwich Generation”? No, we’re not talking about a generation of people that like to eat sandwiches, it’s a newer growing group of individuals that are facing sometimes insurmountable challenges. This group is tasked with not only raising their own children but also providing care for their elderly parents at the same time.

Maybe you currently have children living at home they can be older or younger and you’re working full-time but maybe your mother or father or even both are starting to have some more and more health issues and needing your help just a little bit more and your children still need you’re help whether its laundry, making meals, or help getting to school or picking them up from work or financial help…regardless of their ages children will always need their mom or dads help…does this sound familiar? This is the sandwich and you’re in the middle. But you’re not alone….it’s a big sandwich.