Seniors Site

Your human relationship with family members can sometimes be as significant as those with patients. Technically, a home care visit is meant to give care for the sick person, in reality, you usually will be functioning with the person’s family members as well.

Family members usually do help care for their ill loved ones and they may spend lots of time and energy doing it. In fact, family members may be under great stress and tension from trying to accomplish their own usual roles while also caring for a sick person. A caregiver who doesn’t have help can easily burn out.

Often the job of giving care for a sick person falls mainly on a female family member such as the wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, or sister of the patient. This person may have to shop, cook, run errands, do laundry, and even hold a job while also trying to care for the patient when you aren’t there. If the patient has a long-term illness, this caregiver could be facing years of hard work.

That’s why it is very important for every family member to support primary caregivers. You can do this in many ways. For one, you can urge the caregiver to talk about how she’s holding up. Ask her to talk about herself and how she’s feeling. Use empathic instead of sympathetic techniques when working with the patient and caregivers.

Ask the caregiver if she or he knows someone who can help her get through the hardships of caregiving. Does she have a friend or someone from church who could watch the kids, help with laundry, or sit with the patient while she or he rests or does something fun?

As much as possible, help the caregiver learn safe and quick ways to care for the patient by attending forums and seminars - even local group sessions with professional caregivers, if you have one in your area. Make sure she uses safe body positions to avoid getting hurt. Praise her and help her hone her abilities as she cares for the patient.

Urge her to take care of herself. That means eating right, exercising, and trying to relax whenever possible. Local services may be available to help her, such as support groups, respite care, Meals On Wheels, and groups for people with specific illnesses, such as diabetes or cancer.

It is important to note if you think the patient’s main caregiver is getting exhausted, angry, or resentful. Be on the lookout for sadness, depression, and any mention of suicide or “giving up.” Use her exact accurate words or your observations rather than contributing your opinion when reporting incidents of such to patient’s doctor or health care provider. Use the services of a medical social worker to help caregivers with emotional and financial needs whenever possible.

The aging process comes with individual role changes and transitions. Some roles, spouse or employee, may be bewildered, while new roles, widow or volunteer, may spring up. Such changes call for role adjustment or modification. The elements that may influence role adjustment include age, sex, beliefs, attitudes, financial gain, health, cultural background, and preceding experiences.

With aging, changes in the marital role may take place. The division of work and labor, and household management may change after retirement. If the other becomes ill, one spouse may take the role of the primary caregiver; If a better half passes away, social relations for the one left may also change. As a result, spouses may call for a “renegotiation” of household chores as well as leisure time and social activities. An independent adult may find himself growing dependent of the persons around him and it is all associated with an aging person’s natural, growing need for assistance. As we all know, the aging process comes with major physical, psychological, and sociological losses as well as a diminished ability to compensate and cope up with common stressors.

One of the most profound losses a person can experience in his or her lifetime is the death of a spouse. In addition, widowhood can seriously impact a person’s financial status, social network, and also physical and mental health. Bringing in awareness of counseling services, support groups, and other resources that are available to help him or her cope and adapt to the loss of a spouse is of great help. Informing him or her about respite care services that are available proves to be helpful especially when the affected person is a caregiver.

Following a loss of this kind, remember that there are decisions that should be made and paperworks that should be filed pronto. Take the easy route and call Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 if by chance you cannot find your spouse’s Social Security Number. 12 certified copies of the death certificate from the funeral directory or country health department are also needed. Aside from that, birth certificates from the state or country public records office where the person was born is also a requirement. To be able to prove your relationship and eligibility for any benefits, you’ll also need a marriage certificate on file with the county clerk where the license was released.

In instances where you can’t locate your spouse’s recent Income Tax returns, you could fill out IRS form 4506, a request for Copy or Transcript of Tax Form, with proof of authorization attached to act in lieu of your spouse.

If applicable in your case, you’ll necessitate Military Discharge papers to also prove eligibility for any benefits. If you don’t have this, you could contact the National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200, and call attention of the branch of the military where your spouse has served.

Lastly, the Original Will as evidence, to show disposition of assets, which may be at the office of a lawyer who wrote it or in a safety deposit box, is needed. Arm yourself with Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate and Social Security Numbers for you and your spouse since some banks may have special procedures that would require these things. While losing someone is painful, it doesn’t need to be hard on your pocket too, if you’ve just lost your better half, make sure you don’t lose your financial security, and the earliest you could bring yourself to put these things in order, the better.

First off, let’s define burnout. Burnout is a psychological condition, much like depression. It is usually a result of prolonged stress which leads to diminishing interest in the things that you normally do as well as feeling exhausted all the time. However, if you are a caregiver, it’s quite hard to distinguish psychological exhaustion from real physical exhaustion and more often than not, you find yourself too busy to even care.

Being always on the go doesn’t help either, but be forewarned that no matter how you love what you are doing, working too hard will always lead to burnouts. Also, bear in mind that burnouts are quite a silent killer – that you are most likely to find yourself experiencing meltdowns before you even realize that you are indeed burned out.

Experts say that, of course, there are telltale signs of burnouts, you just have to spot it ahead of time so you’ll avoid meltdowns and be able to allow yourself a little breathing room. Below are some of the signs you might want to observe to know if you are indeed burnt out:

• Your drag yourself out of bed every single morning. Like you don’t want to ever leave your bed anymore and just sleep your day away. Most likely, you’ve burned out because you spent the night thinking of the things you need to do the next day, or you’ve reached your maximum physical energy limit and was too tired when you hit the bed last night! The only solution you have for this is to set a reasonable – but strict - time for your caregiving duties and like you would in an office, you leave your “work” behind as you prepare for sleep. Of course, there could be emergencies in the middle of the night but surely emergencies don’t happen every single night so you can still relax most nights right?
• You can’t keep track of your things. Your stuff is a mess and you can’t even remember where and when you last saw your mobile phone. This is because you run back and forth to do errands for your senior that you barely have time to recover. This, of course, causes you to burn out. To combat this, allow yourself 15 minutes every morning to prepare for the work ahead, like warming up before a workout routine.
• You unintentionally skip meals. Actually, it’s more like losing track of time? If you are too busy to even remember your last and next meal then you are definitely burning yourself out.
• You just can’t seem to finish a task. or you are longing for your tasks to end. or you’re always starting something new when you aren’t even finished with your other tasks. A lot is going on and it is definitely bad for you as the pressure of completing all your tasks in record time can be quite tiring.
• You experience foggy mind. A lot. This is actually a bad sign as it only means your mind cannot take it anymore and threatening to shut down.

It is important for caregivers to have their very own support system as it will help them overcome the hardships of caring for their loved-ones. Having a support system is like having two or three heads thinking of a solution when an emergency situation strikes, or perhaps a shoulder to cry on when everything is going too tough for the caregiver. Perhaps another convenient way of putting together a support system is through social media sites since they are easily accessible and it has wider reach. Best of all, you really don’t have to go out of your way to connect to your support system as most of these sites can also be accessed using just your mobile phone or tablet computers.

Your support system can help you in more ways than one. If your patience is wearing thin, you could always unload your frustrations to your support system. If there’s something that is bothering you, perhaps something you feel is not right, your support system could assess the situation for you and could vote on a solution best for your situation. Also, a support system, especially if it’s an organized one, can help you with questions – trivial and otherwise – on things that a newbie wouldn’t know the answer for.

Now for the good news, most of these organizations are now available to be reached on most social media sites, particularly on Facebook and Twitter. Your support system is now a click away which actually made it more convenient for caregivers with very limited time to do anything else in a day. And like what I’ve said earlier, there are apps which you can install on your smartphones so you could access these sites through your mobile phone anytime and anywhere you need to. Take for example the ever popular AARP; AARP has a very active Facebook page and a Twitter account, both accounts are well-maintained and moderated and receive a lot of traffic that when you throw a question, someone will surely answer. Now, if you don’t want strangers in your support system, you could always go with the traditional way of “befriending” your family and friends on social media sites. This way, you could contact them through there whenever you need help. It’s a good way to connect with your loved-ones too and be updated with the happenings in their lives while you’re busy caring for your senior.

It’s always recommended for caregivers to connect with people who have the same experiences as you can learn from them big time. These people are sure to have helpful advices on things and how you could be more effective in caring for your loved-one. There are online forums designed for caregivers which you could join. Truth be told, the internet is a goldmine when it comes to caregiving information. There are thousands of instructional videos and even product reviews to help you decide what’s best for you and your senior.

I have heard somewhere that a car represents the person who drives it; somehow I believe this. When I was in college, it didn’t matter if your car was battered and doorless just as long as people can sit in it and it could go places. Of course, as the children started coming in, one would also start thinking of trading cars for something that would fit all the kids in with plenty of room for wrestling matches. Then comes the “matured, dignified” car look of someone undergoing midlife crisis which involves executive cars or worst, expensive, sport cars. Caregivers are no different, they too have their own set of requirements for a car to make their job a little easier to do!

Below are some of the most important car features for caregivers, compiled by caregivers themselves:

• Accessibility. Just because the senior in question can still jump in and out of the car with just little difficulty, doesn’t mean you don’t need a car that has wider doors or one that has easy stepping level – and when you say “easy” stepping level, that should mean not too high nor too low for the senior to climb into the car. Minivans are your best bet as they have sliding doors which get the door out of the way when trying to load and unload passengers.
• Plenty of cargo space. Always remember that your passenger has special needs and most of the time, they need their gadgets with them thus the need for more cargo space. Also, do take note how easy/difficult it would be for you to open and/or close the cargo compartment with minimum effort, say, one hand, since you are most likely be minding your senior while trying to get things in and out of the compartment area.
• Navigator or navigation system. Most of the cars nowadays are sold with GPS. This navigation tool helps caregivers when they are transporting their seniors to some unknown clinic or in case of a medical emergency. If your newly purchase car doesn’t come with this, go for portable GPS as they are cheaper and can be brought anywhere.
• Some entertainment while on board. The beauty of technology today is that they made it really easy for us to access them. Tablet computers are an excellent way to keep passengers entertained while giving you some room to breathe and drive in peace. Books, movie clips and games can be downloaded and played during travel.
• Your comfortability. Of course, you, as the driver, should be comfortable enough to drive the car. Make seat adjustments if needed and install all the right gears to help you make your driving experience more rewarding. A friend has just recently put a back massage pad and turns it on everytime she drives; now she’s looking forward to these trips and getting a relaxing massage!

What better way to start the year than decluttering your life? Okay, decluttering your life may sound a little drastic but certainly you could start with your own home right? And since we seniors are encouraged to forever downgrade our homes and our lifestyles to suit our current capabilities, financial and otherwise, this might be the best time to start a 4-week decluttering plan!
4 weeks for me, is ample enough time for sentimental people like me to come to terms with the fact that I need to throw away things even if they were kept for sentimental reasons. However, I must admit, all those clutter tend to take away the beauty of a home so they should really go.
Without further ado, let’s get started:
WEEK 1:
Start with the eye catchers. Start with the things or areas that caught your eye first since if this area was able to hurt your eyes and as a result, finally made you realize that decluttering is in order, then it must be really really bad. Small or big, these are the areas that need your immediate attention. Get started on the things that are easier to deal with, for example, your small mountain of mails, or your work station, or perhaps the corkboard that has loads of paper pinned into them and kind of missing the point now. As soon as you bring order into these areas, you’ll feel good at once.
WEEK 2:
Next stop is your bathroom. Bathrooms for me are the easiest to clutter especially if you are also keeping a medicine cabinet there. I’m sure you have loads of stuff in there that haven’t seen light for 6 months and I’m sure you know that keeping them is not a very good idea anymore right? Especially if they were already opened prior to “discovery”. Drag a big black garbage bag in there and start tossing bottles, makeups and what-have-you’s. Good rule to consider when dealing with bathroom stuff: expiry date and six months to one year prior to opening on beauty products. However, medications should be kept separated from other things since they can be hazardous to health.
WEEK 3:
Your kitchen is the next good candidate after bathroom as this area is a known item “collector” too. Examine drawers and cabinet one by one and see if there are things that you need to throw away now, like that old bottle of spice sitting in there since World War Two. However, unlike what you did in the bathroom, there are things in your kitchen that are salvageable or worth keeping even if you haven’t used them for a long time such as cookwares. These things you can pack nicely and store in attic or storage room. You can also sell them or give them to your kids who are interested.
WEEK 4:
Your bedroom. Of course this must be the hardest to sort since this room has your personal stuff however, you need to throw it some love too just to get some more space and bring back some normalcy in your private quarters. Take your time and take it slow. Start with those visible then work your way into the not-so-visible ones such as your closet. Same rule apply, if you haven’t used it for about 6 months, it should go, or at least be moved to storage.

When seniors talk about their health, for some reason, it is easier for them to just lie about it or not tell anything at all. What they don’t know is that some of these littlest things are considered by doctors as important red flags when it comes to your well being so it is really important for you to mention them everytime you visit your doctor! By doing so, you prevent misdiagnosis from happening and your doctor will be able to give you better treatment than have him second guess things.
#1: Your smoking habit. Smoking is bad and seniors are not encouraged to continue smoking – healthy and otherwise. Seniors know this too but as they would simply put it, what difference does it make if they continue doing so? In return, they just keep on smoking – lessen it 2-3 sticks a day to remove guilt – then just lie about it when asked by their doctors. Some who admit the nasty habit to their doctors, try to trick their doctors into believing that they are on their way to weaning when in fact they don’t have any intention of doing so. One stick or ten, you just have to tell your doctor – they need to know about it. Smoking affects your blood circulation and put you in risk of forming blood clots which can clog your arteries. Smoking can also alter your treatment, bringing about unexpected drug reactions. Only your doctor can understand and foresee these reactions if told.
#2: Your stress levels. When you talk to your doctor, make it a point to express your current stress levels. A lot of bodily reactions these days are connected to stress. Just recently, my doctor found out that my incessant coughing has nothing to do with my lungs but it was brought about by an allergy – an allergy triggered by stress. So does my friend’s tummy ache – which was diagnosed as ulcers. So the next time your doctor is up for a chat, do a little rundown of the things that have been bothering you, just don’t burn your doc’s ear about it.
#3: Vitamins, supplements and other medications, herbal and otherwise, that you are taking these days. Sometimes when we refer to something as “natural”, we are quick to assume that it’s not worth telling your doctor when in fact, even the kind of food you eat, is something that should be taken note of. Fish oil for one is a blood thinner so if your doctor happened to be prescribing a medication to do exactly as such, you are doubling your recommended dose for thinning the blood.
#4: Your sex life. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you are safe to have sex and/or invincible in acquiring sex related diseases. I say that this is the time when you should be more cautious about your sexual relations and be more aware of what going on “down there”.
#5: Your eating habits. Or more so, the kind of diet you are engaging at the moment or planning to engage in the near future. Even the slightest shift in your appetite should be reported as it is an indication of what’s going inside your body.

For me, the greatest invention ever for the mobility challenged seniors would be the chair with wheels or wheelchairs, electric and otherwise. These mobility aids do help seniors who experience difficulty in walking and getting around in and out of the house. It also helps caregivers a lot in terms of getting their seniors to and fro destinations especially if they are used to the said device. Nowadays, even the “not-so” mobility challenged ones find benefits from using wheelchairs. A dear friend of mine just bought a stylish mobility scooter for himself in case his arthritis attack gets bad. Since he insists on living on his own and staying single, mobility scooter must be the most sensible solution to his problem. He can walk fine on a normal day, by the way, and he sheepishly admitted that sometimes he ride his scooter just for the fun of it. I would too, if you ask me.

Anyway, while mobility scooter looks like the best choice for wheelchairs, some seniors are still considering manual wheelchairs over electrical ones. Of course, if price is to be considered, manual wheelchairs are cheaper than their electric counterparts but there are also manual ones that are quite pricey especially if they were specially made to suit a certain need of the rider. Manual wheelchairs have been around for quite some time now, even dating back as far as the twentieth century which more or less, makes its design more dependable. Basically, manual wheelchairs should be durable but at the same time lightweight. As for the design, manual wheelchairs can have handrails so the senior riding it can better navigate the chair by themselves. Do note that a type of wheelchair called transport chair doesn’t have handrails since they are designed to be pushed from behind. Transport chairs are for those who can no longer operate their wheelchairs on their own. Manual wheelchairs are foldable too which make them more appealing to caregivers.

On the other hand, mobility scooters are the rave nowadays as they are very comfortable for the rider, not to mention, stylish. It somehow exudes the feeling of in-control rather than incapacitated. However, it is expected to be more expensive than manual ones – way expensive, that some seniors don’t see any sense in getting one for themselves. Mobility scooters are sturdier since it has four to six wheels supporting it and the chair supports your back more effectively. Of course, it is easier to maneuver a mobility scooter than manual wheelchairs because it uses joystick from its armrest.

Years of driving may have put your old self into confidence and comfortability when on the road that it is not impossible to overlook some of the basic safety tips when driving. While road mishaps are still very much rampant, most of it can be avoided – actually almost all of it could be avoided if only the drivers were more cautious of their driving habits. The sad truth though is that many innocent lives were taken just because of such carelessness- accidents that could have been avoided.
Let’s face it, as our own bodies conspire against us and aging takes toll, we are more and more becoming a life threat, not only to ours but to others as well. Below are some of the most practical tips to maintain safety on the road, even if you are already a senior:
· Take breaks whenever your body calls for it. Anytime you feel the need to stop, do so. Not only you are doing yourself a favor but you are preventing an accident from happening as well. Suddenly dizzy? Pull over and let it pass. Acknowledging what your body is trying to tell you is the key to safety on the road.
· Check the weather. Road visibility is very important especially if you are struggling with poor eyesight to begin with. Avoid driving when it’s raining as the roads are probably slippery and considering your reaction time, you might have problems navigating the roads.
· Slow down at night – or not drive at all. The problem with night driving is that it impairs your visibility effectively. Also, headlights coming toward you can cause problems , as they can be blinding.
· Drive with company. Like I always say, 2 pairs of eyes are better than one even if they are both impaired. Your company can be your extra eyes. Also, they are most excellent when you are trying to consult a map or if you need to reach for something while trying. In other words, it will allow to you focus your attention to driving and not anything else.
· Use your signal lights. You know the problem when driving is that you are unable to communicate with other drivers realtime. That is, you cannot possibly say to the one in front of you that you would like for him or her to go a little faster or whatnot so the best thing to do is at least use your signal light to let the driver following you to know where you’re planning to go and prepare him for what comes next.
· Use your brakes wisely. Did you know that the most common cause of vehicle accident is breaking abruptly? This is because drivers don’t expect you to just do that hence they are not prepared to suddenly brake when following you.

Healthy teeth and good dental health are important to seniors since your dental health plays a big role in maintaining your overall health and outlook. Good news is, seniors nowadays recognize this importance thus moving them into action and providing their dental health the attention it needs. Seniors need to know that it is important for them to pay attention to their dental health especially during their retirement years. Failure to do so could result to infections and other diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases as well as respiratory problems.
Maintaining a good dental health is quite easy, you just have to remember to brush and floss everyday and of course, to visit your dentist at least twice a year for regular checkups and minor repairs as well as professional teeth cleaning. Do tell your dentist about the medications you are currently taking or if you notice some changes in your oral health. These dental habits lessen the risks of having oral cancer.
Avoid alcohol and tobacco as much as possible. Alcohol damages your teeth’s enamel by way of the substance metabolizing into sugar which in return encourages plaques from forming. With that said, teeth, when constantly bathed in alcohol is pretty much like soaking it in a glassful of melted sugar. Tobacco, on the other hand, is hands-down, a tooth killer! The moment you put a cigarette stick in your mouth, you expose your mouth to a hundred different kinds of abuse! Let me count the ways:
Tobacco smoking is bad for your dental health because:
1. It causes bad breath.
2. It stains your teeth.
3. It shrinks your gums.
4. It irritates the soft tissues in your mouth leading to mouth sores.
5. It limits your sense of taste.
6. It slows down the healing process inside your mouth.
7. It has substances that scratch your teeth’s enamel.
8. It encourages tooth loss as a result of one or two of above.
9. It encourages gum diseases because it affects bones and soft tissues inside your mouth.
10. It disqualifies you as a candidate for some of dental procedures.
It really pays to adapt a healthy lifestyle since it, more or less, takes care of your teeth too. For one, if you are on a diet, you are most likely to be limiting your sugar intake which apparently is your teeth’s number one enemy – sugar is. Second, a recent study showed that exercising may improve your dental health too since it contributes to overall health.
Do invest on a good toothbrush since it is your first line of defense. Dentists suggest that high-quality electric toothbrushes with rounded heads are designed to remove plaques more effectively than your regular toothbrush.