While it may seem obvious to the family that a senior is in need of help around the home in order to ensure their health and safety is first priority, the obstacle can be convincing a senior that it’s okay to give up part of their independence as they age. For many seniors, the worst thing that can happen to them is to end up in a nursing home or assisted living facility; but just because a little help is required, doesn’t mean that has to be their fate.

Professional caregivers can provide Indianapolis seniors the help that they need so they are not overburdened by the responsibilities of caring for a home and for themselves, especially when it creates a strain on their health. With professional caregivers providing seniors help with just about anything they need; from helping with bathing/dressing, preparing meals, running errands, and even light-housekeeping and laundry, seniors are provided with the option to stay in their homes while maintaining their established lifestyles. While a potential loss of independence may be scary, this is an option that gives Indianapolis seniors the best of both worlds.

Sources:

1. Senior Journal

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Digital photography is a growing trend, and it’s expanding into the senior care industry as more home caregivers are using digital photography as a fun activity to keep their elderly care recipients entertained while exercising creativity. Of course, when introducing digital photography to a Indianapolis senior, it’s important that they have access to a digital camera that is suitable for their abilities and the type of technologies that they have available that way photography is enjoyable, rather than becoming a frustrating experience.

When shopping for a senior-friendly camera in Indianapolis consider the following:

• The senior’s technological experience – if it’s limited, choose a camera with more basic features so they’re able to work it without assistance

• Access to a computer – does the senior have a computer? Is their operating system compatible with the camera?

• Ease of use – a senior with sight issues would benefit from a large display screen, while an older adult with dexterity problems would benefit from large, well spread out buttons

• Instructions – make sure there’s someone who’s willing to help a senior learn how to use their camera; a caregiver can help with this if it’s an activity they’ll do together!

Sources:

1. Suite101
2. eHow

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

If you have a family member suffering with Alzheimer’s, you know how hard it can be to make decisions about their care, especially when the responsibility falls to you alone. While you might have heard about care options like nursing homes and assisted living facilities to help with Alzheimer’s care, you haven’t considered every option until you’ve looked into home care in Indianapolis and the surrounding area. Instead of shipping your loved one off to a new residence, your senior can remain living at home with a little bit of help.

Home care agencies like Home Instead Senior Care can provide the following services to seniors living with Alzheimer’s:

• Maintain a safe environment

• Manage changing behaviors

• Provide nutritious meals

• Provide mind-stimulating activities

• Create social interaction

• Supervise daily activities

To ensure that you find the best caregiver to provide care to your senior at home, make sure you ask the following questions when speaking with a home care agency that specializes in Alzheimer’s:

• Does your staff have Alzheimer’s specific training?

• Does the agency cater to a large number of people with Alzheimer’s? How Many?

• Can the senior with Alzheimer’s spend some time with a prospective caregiver to make sure they are a good match before they are contracted for time?

• Can I check references of your agency regarding specific Alzheimer’s care experience?

Sources:

1. Alz Info
2. Home Instead Senior Care

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Q – I have thought about home care for my aging mother in Indianapolis; but how do I know when it’s the right time?

A – There is no cut and dry answer for when it’s right to bring home care into the life of a Indianapolis senior like your mother, but there are some life situations that seniors can encounter which makes home care ideal for them.  If your mother finds herself experiencing one or more of the following scenarios, then it may be time to consider home care for her.

• She’s struggling with Activities of Daily Living – seniors who struggle with dressing, bathing, preparing meals, taking their medications, or keeping up with chores around the home are ideal candidates for in-home senior care

• Her mobility is declining – seniors who are having changes with their balance and mobility may be at a greater risk of falling or having an accident in the home when trying to perform ADLs . By hiring a caregiver, safety issues can be addressed and prevented through additional help

• She’s given up driving – seniors who no longer drive for whatever reason, would greatly benefit from the help of a caregiver who can take them to run errands or to appointments

• She doesn’t have family nearby – seniors who have the above problems but do not have family nearby to help them can benefit from in home care when there’s no one else out there to help them

• She’s recently come out of hospital or rehab – after seniors have been released from the hospital or rehab program and are in recovery, it’s better for seniors to have the help of a caregiver so they don’t put too much of a burden on their bodies by trying to care for themselves or their homes

• She suffers from Alzheimer’s or dementia

Sources:

1. Elder Issues

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

With many home care agencies, you never know who’s going to turn up on a Indianapolis senior’s doorstep each day of their scheduled care. But what this means is that seniors never have the opportunity to trust, bond and form a friendship with their senior caregivers. At Home Instead Senior Care, we know that the right caregiver is one that a senior can get to know, begin to trust with their home and their care, and someone who will become an important companion. Every day a senior has home care scheduled, we send the same caregiver to provide consistency and because through our process we ensure that the caregiver sent is one that meshes with the senior’s personal needs and personality.

When we send a new caregiver to a senior’s home for the first time, we complete an in-depth assessment to evaluate the needs of the senior and the type of caregiver who would be best suited for the role. However, just because a senior has been sent a caregiver, doesn’t mean that they’re stuck with them forever. If a senior or their family is not satisfied with the caregiver, we will be happy to send a replacement that better meets the request.

Once the right caregiver has been matched with a senior, you’ll never be able to separate them!

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Image Source: happyhippy.vox.com

Indianapolis families often ask what the benefits are of hiring a senior caregiver to provide home care in order to understand why they should do it. The benefits are endless, so the question really should be more, why shouldn’t you hire a senior caregiver? Hiring an in home caregiver gives seniors the option of remaining in their own homes, and maintaining some level of independence they might not otherwise have if they were to move to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Home caregivers for seniors can also change the lives of family caregivers, who can find themselves devoting their lives and their time to care for a loved one. Family caregivers don’t need to give up their responsibilities, but with the help of a senior caregiver, can get the break that they need from someone who is able to allow a senior to maintain their chosen lifestyle, schedule and routines rather than have their world turned upside down just because they’re getting older.

Hiring a senior caregiver to help a loved one at home is about providing them the independence they deserve and allowing them to age with dignity while maintaining the way of life that they’ve chosen for themselves. Giving it all up would be too grave a loss, but with the option of home care, it doesn’t have to come to that for Indianapolis seniors.

Source:

1. Caring.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Q1 – Is it true that stress is responsible for killing Indianapolis seniors?

A1 – Stress has been linked to serious medical conditions, as well as non-fatal viruses which can compromise a senior’s health. Chronic stress in seniors can result in cardiovascular problems, gastrointestinal issues, and a weakened immune system which can lead to colds, flu, and even some form of cancer.

Q2 – What are the physiological effects of stress?

A2 – Stress can result in anxiety, depression, and related physical manifestations like insomnia.

Q3 – Is there a reason that stress effects health?

A3 – While there are some simple explanations why Indianapolis seniors suffer from health issues due to stress, including resulting improper eating habits and lack of sleep which can both weaken the immune system; there is a more complicated answer which begins with a hormone called neuropeptide Y (NPY). When we’re stressed, this hormone is released into the blood stream and it effects the proper functioning of the immune system, allowing bacteria and diseases to infiltrate.

Q4 – Is there any way to block these effects in seniors so stress doesn’t have a chance to kill?

A4 – While there has been no specific scientific solution to block this hormone from impacting immunity, simple lifestyle choices can have an effect upon stress. These stress management techniques include breathing exercises, yoga, socialization, and other activities that a senior finds enjoyable.

Sources:

1. Medical News Today
2. Medicine Online
3. The American Institute of Stress

Image: Image: www.gettyimages.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

We asked our readers in Indianapolis to share their worst doctor’s experiences when bringing their senior care recipient in for a medical consultation, and discovered that many caregivers have gripes about the doctor’s inability to speak to them in a language they understand. To help decipher medspeak, there are a few great online resources like The Medical Library Association and MedicineNet which define common and atypical medical terms in a way that’s easy to understand. To help take control of your senior’s medical care and understand the health information presented by a doctor, consult the above resources; but for now, enjoy one of our reader’s humorous horror stories about a visit to her mother’s doctor and a breakdown in communication.

Last year, I escorted my elderly mother to her family physician to have a rash looked at. During our first visit, the doctor was uncertain of the source of the rash; but by the second visit, she began to refer to it as “static”. Until we returned to the office the next time, we thought the doctor was blaming my mom’s rash on static, it turns out she was trying to refer to the fact that the condition of the rash had not changed. Meanwhile, I was trying to find a fabric softener that would reduce the static in my mom’s clothing!

Julie, 53

Sources:
1. Medical Library Association
2. MedicineNet

Image: www.ecwusers.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Spring is in the air in Indianapolis and seniors are dying to get outside into the fresh spring air and sunshine. However, when outside in Indianapolis health and safety is important, so when taking a senior outside, ensure that you are properly prepared to provide for their age specific needs by completing this checklist!

• Outdoor time is planned for early in the day, before the sun and temperatures rise

• The outdoor location chosen has plenty of shady areas to escape the sun

• The elderly person is wearing appropriate outdoor clothing – including a hat (and sunscreen) and light, loose clothing. Also bring an extra sweater in case the senior feels cool, and an umbrella should the sunny skies turn to rain

• Items are packed to keep the senior well hydrated, including plenty of cold water, fruits, and popsicles to cool the body down

• You won’t rush the senior when outside – let him/her take their time when walking around

• You understand the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion, and know you can’t always rely on a senior to tell you when they’re not feeling well. Look out for signs of dizziness, nausea, fatigue, confusion, sweating or even fainting

Sources:

1. Today’s Senior’s Network

2. Senior Ark

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.