• Test your green thumbs: whether you simply visit a nursery to purchase hanging planters in bloom or start from scratch with potting soil and seeds, gardening is a great way to engage your senior in the springtime spirit.

• Go for a walk: a brief walk will provide the fresh air and exercise that your elderly loved ones (and you) need.

• Fill your bird feeders: have your senior fill bird feeders and hang them in a prime viewing location. Humming bird feeders hang especially well in front of windows where the winged creatures can be seen up-close.

• Do some spring cleaning: while you will be the one doing the leg work, have your senior tell you which items to keep and which to donate to charity.

• Do fun activities with their Grandchildren: Caring for your elder can be fun for everyone! Involve your kids and blow bubbles, do spring time crafts, play with pinwheels, bake and decorate spring-themed cupcakes.

These are just a few fun springtime activities you can do to make the time you spend caring for your elder extra special. What types of things do you like to do with your elderly loved ones in the spring? Let us know in the comments below!

Candace shook her head, “Mom is eighty-four years old. I think after all of that, she’s going to want a nap.” She smiled, “I know I would.”

“It’s not often that we can get everyone together,” Carrie Anne protested. “We should make the most of it.”

Does this discussion sound familiar? Many families wind up having their own version of it over the years. Our desire to spend time caring for our seniors and loved ones and enjoying time together is often frustrated by our busy lives and schedules. When we can get together, we want to cram every moment of the day with activity and visits. The result, almost inevitably, is an overwhelming train-wreck of the day, with hurt feelings and misunderstandings.

Our older family members may not have the patience, tolerance, or ability to make it through a long, noisy day with lots of people around – particularly if they spend the majority of their time in quieter surroundings, with a familiar routine. If you throw memory or cognitive issues like Alzheimer’s or Dementia into the mix, things become infinitely more complicated.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have family gatherings while still caring for your elder parents’ or grandparents’ needs! What it does mean is that you need to be smart and strategic about your plans. Talk with your mom or grandma while you’re planning the event.

While caring for your seniors, pay attention to how they’re doing physically. Do they move around easily, or do they depend upon an aide to help them keep their balance? This is important information to have before you plan a family walk through the park or attending an event that requires climbing a lot of stairs.

Notice their energy levels. Are they bright-eyed and alert, or are they clearly ready for a nap a half-hour into your visit? Limiting the length of events so your elder doesn’t become too tired is one idea; having a quiet area where your elder can rest, relax, and enjoy some privacy during a longer event is another option.

Talk to the people who are responsible for caring for your elder on a daily basis. They’ll have a better understanding of the physical limitations your mom is dealing with, as well as any medical concerns you should be aware of.

Keeping family events fun for the whole family involves being aware of the needs of your youngest family members as well as caring for your seniors. Small children may be frightened of older family members, particularly if they use a wheelchair, walker, oxygen, or any other medical device the kids have never seen before. Let the kids know ahead of time what to expect, and the chances of them being scared goes down. If you have a little one who is afraid, give them a way to get safely away and calmed down. This will go a long way toward keeping the event fun for everyone.

Keeping family ties strong is a critical part of our lives. Families need guidance and support as their loved ones get older – after all, this is new territory for all of us! That’s why Bass Eldercare is here for you to help you navigate the process of caring for your elder loved one’s needs. Give us a call today!

Life happens quickly. One minute, you’ve met the love of your life, gotten married, started a family… and the next thing you know, everybody has grown up and moved out and now it’s just the two of you left to enjoy the golden years… in sickness and in health.

It is not uncommon as a couple begins to age that one spouse must take on the role of caregiver to their partner. You may think it’s just another title to add to your ever-growing list – parent, grand-parent, partner, best friend – but being the sole caregiver to your spouse is incredibly demanding and taxes you both physically and emotionally.

Bass Eldercare Resources is here for you. We’ve provided what we hope will be helpful elder care advice and guidance to help you navigate this new chapter of your life together.

So much of your day becomes task-oriented when you’re providing senior care help for a loved one. From making sure your husband or wife is comfortable and has taken their daily medication to ensuring that the house is clean and free of accident-inducing clutter to preparing meals – it can be easy to forget to make time to sit and simply be with one another.

If you’re caring for a spouse with dementia (or even if you’re not), it can be especially healing (mentally and emotionally) to flip through a family photo album or watch home videos. Recount those very special moments of your life together. Talk about your favorite family vacations or read aloud to your loved one –being together for even just a few minutes, without talk of medical bills or other affairs, can help you put the pressures of the day aside.

Being the sole provider of senior care help for your spouse is both noble and brave, but don’t forget about yourself in the process. Chances are as you age that you have health concerns to care to as well. Remember to eat regularly, maintain a consistent sleep schedule and try to stay as active as possible. Be honest with yourself when it comes to your limitations. If one day you wake up and you are lacking the energy to go about your daily routine, call on your support system to help you out.

Find a hobby you enjoy – gardening or taking afternoon walks – set aside time each week for yourself. As a caregiver it’s very easy to become overworked and stressed out. Take care of yourself so that all your days with your husband or wife can be happy and enjoyable.

One of the most important factors to bear in mind when caring for your aging spouse is to ask for senior care help when it is needed. Establish a support system of people who can lend a hand, and remember that you don’t have to go it alone.

Bass Eldercare Resources is here for you and your aging loved on, to provide support, elder care advice and guidance. We’ll help you navigate this stage of your life to help make it the best possible experience for you and your spouse – live out the final chapter of your life together, happily ever after.

We change as we grow older. Sometimes the changes are physical. It becomes harder to go out dancing, or to take the nightly walk around the block. Sometimes the changes are emotional. Some people enter their senior years joyously, with plans and expectations, while others fear the changing of the calendar. Sometimes the changes are cognitive, stripping our memories from us. Alzheimer’s and dementia can make the most familiar face seem a stranger. Many of these changes require senior care help from a spouse, family member or hired caregiver.

These changes can have a powerful impact on even the strongest marriage. Advances in health care and gerontology mean we’re living longer lives – often far longer than our parents ever saw their parents live. We’re just now starting to understand the best ways to provide elder care help and support couples as they face life’s challenges together. This is new territory for many families.

What we’ve learned is that one familiar tradition – one spouse serving as the primary, and often only, caregiver for the other – is not necessarily the healthiest or wisest choice. While it’s natural and loving to want to be there for your partner no matter what, doing so exclusively without senior care help can place a tremendous burden, both on the caregiver and the relationship. Being able to draw on supportive services – coordinating a ride to the doctor’s office, for example, or having someone make sure that the driveway is always kept clean and free from snow – reduces the feelings of pressure that the caregiving partner may be experiencing.

It’s especially important that a caregiver spouse receive abundant and meaningful support and elder care help when their partner is experiencing serious physical or mental health challenges. It’s terrifying for any of us to contemplate what it means to lose a partner. No one should have to face that fear alone. Many seniors have been socialized to never express that kind of fear or anxiety, but that doesn’t mean they’re not suffering from it. What do you do when no one is going to be there to zip up the dress?

There are questions that have no answers. Providing loving, compassionate support and senior care help doesn’t change life’s inevitabilities, but it does ensure that both partners enjoy the best quality of life possible for as long as possible. The smart use of elder care help resources can help couples transition from a place of anxiety and fear to a healthier focus on the joys each day offers. This has physical and emotional health benefits for both partners… and the entire family!

Often times, doctors avoid giving the honest diagnosis to elderly patients, maybe assuming that within the next few days they will just drift peacefully off to sleep, none the wiser. This approach leaves your elder in the dark about the last days of the life they’ve lived, loved and cherished for so long. As elder care givers, you can help to make these last days enjoyable ones.

At Bass Eldercare, we’re here to provide senior care help, elder care advice and guidance. Here are a few tips for elder care givers on having an open, honest end of life discussion with your elder.

Plain and Simple

Offer Choices

Keep it Intimate

For additional senior care help, please contact us. This is not an easy time for you or your family – we’re here to provide elder care advice and support to help you make the transition as comfortable and loving as possible.

In the middle, we have the patient, left without a clear understanding of what their future may actually look like. Dr. Teno, an advocate for patients being informed about their prognosis, talks about what this means for the patient. “Discussion is delayed to the point where the dying patient and family don’t have the opportunity to say, ‘Goodbye, forgive me for my mistakes, and I love you.’”

Senior Care Help: Focusing on What’s Important

As someone who’s worked in the elder caregiving industry for over twenty years, I can tell you that the days that come at the end of life can be good, rich, loving days. With communication and preparation, a family can move through this transition gracefully. With senior care help and guidance, it becomes possible for more elders to choose where they want to spend their final days. We need everyone to bring a high level of honesty to this process. Doctors and health care providers must provide us with clear, comprehensible information about our elder’s health and expected prognosis. We, as elder care givers and family members, must be able to listen to what we’re being told – and to accept that at some point, the end of life comes for us all.

This honesty can allow us to shift the focus from our own anticipatory sense of grief and loss onto what’s really important: ensuring that our elder enjoys the highest possible quality of life during their final days. Research has told us that patients who understand their diagnosis in many ways have a better end of life experience than those patients who don’t: there are fewer needless, painful, invasive procedures; accessing needed PRN medication is easier; patients are more likely to die in the setting of their choosing; the comfort of knowing their family was receiving compassionate support.

We all want to be able to say goodbye. There are tremendous, unique needs elders experience at this transition point. Ensuring access to emotional and spiritual senior care help and support systems makes sure these needs are met in a loving, compassionate way.

Senior Care Help and Preparation

Determined to make sure your elder’s last days are good days? You have some work cut out for you. Making these plans, ensuring this support, and providing these resources takes time. From the NY Times article: “Even expert hospice teams can’t provide many of the elements of a good death — and they believe there is such a thing — in mere days.”

Honesty gives us time. The sooner we hear the news, the sooner we accept the news, the sooner we can act on the news to ensure that everything that needs to happen, happens. Elder caregiving resource coordination and compassionate support can help your family navigate this time with grace and dignity, while honoring your elder’s wishes about where and how to spend their final days.

We have to be willing to have these conversations. If you need senior care help to get started, contact us. That’s what we’re here for.

Here are a few ideas for elder care givers.

• Look through old photographs, talking about each one. Put them together to create a scrapbook; this is a great hands-on activity for you and your elder, and it serves as a wonderful keepsake to share for years to come.
• Read together. Reading is an important activity to keep the mind sharp. Read the latest newspaper to your elder. You can also share your favorite poetry and stories and take turns reading aloud.
• Play games. Board games and puzzles exercise the brain for people of all ages! These activities are also a great way for elders to bond with the younger generation of grandchildren or great grandchildren.
• Every once and awhile it’s nice to get out of the house and take short day trips. If the weather is nice, visit a nearby park or community garden. Trips to museums are a great choice for those rainy day excursions. Be sure to keep your elder’s abilities in mind when planning these activities. Keep them short in duration so as not to overwhelm or overwork your elder.
• Another great activity to involve members of the whole family is to bake together. Have your elder loved one stir the batter and help measure out the ingredients. Take into account the dietary restrictions of your elder so that they are able to enjoy the delicious goods as well!

These are just a few ideas for elder care givers to help aging parents keep their minds sharp; there are still so many other activities that you can enjoy together. For other ideas or elder care advice, contact us today.

Alzheimer’s, along with the other forms of dementia, debilitates not only the person diagnosed with the disease, but everyone who surrounds them. The caregiving needs are extreme, and the job never stops. That’s where services like Bass Eldercare come into the picture. Families need resources and elder care advocacy – but they also need hope.

Hope that the treatments and new medicines will slow the progression of this terrible disease.

Hope that there is a cure to stop or even reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s.

There are people who say there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, and that the condition is irreversible. But once upon a time – not so long ago, really – cancer was a death sentence. So was diabetes. Heart attacks were nearly always fatal. Today? We may not have cured all of these conditions, but we’ve learned to tackle more than a few – and we’re learning how to manage the others as chronic conditions.

The news that the US is Declaring War on Alzheimer’s feeds the hope that there will someday be a cure. As a strong supporter of elder care advocacy, I’m excited by what I read in this article, including the fact that there will be much needed dollars flowing into Alzheimer’s research.

Elder Care Givers Need Support

It’s my sincere hope that this initiative will also result in a heightened awareness of the hundreds of thousands of families that live with Alzheimer’s every day. Elder care givers don’t have an easy role to fill, but these families face a particularly challenging burden. By sharing our stories and finding ways to connect with elder care givers and promote elder care advocacy, we will be making meaningful change in our communities.

We’re all touched by Alzheimer’s, and we’d all benefit from seeing this disease eliminated. Every one of us can do something to help wage the war against Alzheimer’s. Something as simple as being there to enjoy a cup of coffee and some conversation can be so helpful against the isolation that impacts the person with Alzheimer’s and their elder care givers alike.

The Benefits of Curing Alzheimer’s

One of the biggest challenges in Alzheimer’s care is finding appropriate housing, as well as funding for that housing. At Bass Eldercare Resources, we work closely, on an individual basis, with all of our clients, to find the best housing solutions.

Some elders strongly prefer to live independently as long as possible. Our team helps foster that independence while coordinating a supportive safety net of health care oversight, daily living assistance, bill pay services and other essential tasks. Elder care givers often benefit from respite services: it can make life tremendously easier to have a trusted caregiving professional be there for the person with Alzheimer’s while the elder care givers go out to do the shopping, take care of errands, or simply have some time to relax.

When we find a cure for Alzheimer’s, or even ways to better control and contain this condition, what we’re also discovering is a way to reduce the challenges and costs for elder care givers as well. This has an immediate benefit for the caregiver and the community!

The following safety measures can serve as a checklist of items to employ while caring for seniors in your home or while safety proofing your elder’s home.

• If the home has stairs, install handrails on both sides on every staircase
• Make sure the entire staircase is well lit, particularly at the top and bottom
• Install strong, supportive hand rails and a slip-proof mat in tubs and showers
• Help keep the home free of clutter that may cause trips or falls
• Ensure all carpeting has a strong adhesive back and will stay in place
• Make sure furniture is out of the way providing a clear path to walk
• Keep hallways and common areas lit with a nightlight in case your elder must get up in the night for a glass of water or to use the restroom

Following these guidelines while caring for seniors will also serve as peace of mind for you. Knowing that you’ve taken the appropriate measures to make your elder’s home safe should make you feel more at ease. You can now spend more time enjoying each moment with your loved one rather than worrying about the safety of their home!

If you have any questions regarding how to keep your elder safe at home or are interested in further senior care help or advice, please contact us at Bass Eldercare.

How many times have you heard about a fall resulting in a broken arm, shattered pelvis or worse? There’s a reason for that. The aging process changes our bodies. We become less resilient. Bones break more easily. We bruise more easily. It takes longer to ‘bounce back’ and recover from even minor injuries.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There are steps you can take to help aging parents prevent slips and falls. Read the below elder care advice to learn more:

Talk to the Doctor

There are several health conditions elders experience that can contribute directly to slips and falls. Gout, bursitis, arthritis, and similar conditions can make it difficult to maintain one’s balance, especially if you’re on uneven ground. It’s good to know what your elder is dealing with and what you can expect. Your doctor may provide additional elder care advice such as checking the side effects of prescription medications. They may make your elder dizzy or unsteady on their feet.

Check the Lighting

One reason elders fall is that they simply don’t see the obstacles that trip them up. Our vision changes as we get older. Cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration make it hard to see, especially in a low light environment. Help aging parents by making sure your elder is living in a well-lit area. Pay particular attention to staircases and entryways: two areas where many falls happen.

Help Aging Parents With The Housework

Clutter and debris that gets underfoot can contribute directly to your elder falling down. Most elders have the best intentions. They mean to keep their living areas clean and tidy. However, that isn’t always possible. Having someone help your elder perform the tasks of daily living helps ensure that they are in a tidy environment without the clutter that causes falls.

Check The Shoes & Slippers Your Elders Wear

Footwear choices can have a tremendous impact on the number of slips and falls your elder experiences. Check the shoes and slippers they wear. You want the soles to have good tread, making it easier to avoid slips and falls. Smooth bottomed shoes make it easy to fall! Replace worn out shoes and slippers regularly. This is also a great way to help cut down on the fungal infections that plague many elder’s feet! For elder care advice regarding appropriate footwear choices, consult with your elder’s doctor or podiatrist.

Embrace Adaptive Technology

There are many ways you can make your elder’s home safer. Installing handrails and grab bars in slip-prone areas, such as the bathroom, can make a tremendous difference. Something as simple as having a bar to hold onto while getting in and out of the shower can make independent living much safer for your elder. Stair lifts, chairlifts, and vertical platform lifts are all specialized lifts that can be installed in your elder’s home so they can travel from one floor to another without having to physically climb the stairs. This greatly reduces the risk of falling.

Every elder is different and has different needs. Bass Eldercare can help you assess which solutions are right for your family and provide targeted, specific elder care advice to meet your individual needs. Preventing slips and falls needs to be every caregiver’s goal, throughout 2012 and beyond!