Posts Tagged ‘senior care’

Here is a great article that I found and wanted to pass on to you.  It has some great tips on how to stay healthy this winter season.  Visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com for more assistance with an aging loved one in your life.

Avoid the ‘Senior Sickness Snowball Effect’ with a strong immune system

(ARA) – An emerging health trend where a relatively simple illness leads to a number of physical and lifestyle changes is impacting seniors around the country, say immune system researchers from Embria Health Sciences, co-founders of the Nourish America Senior Health Project. They’ve dubbed this trend the Senior Sickness Snowball Effect, which impacts the overall quality of a person’s daily life and follows this recurring cycle:

Read the rest of this entry »

Is it a cold or the flu? Here’s how to tell

(ARA) – “My body aches and my head is throbbing. Do I have the flu or is it just because I’m stressed or tired? Do I need a flu shot? Do I need the H1N1 vaccine, too?”

Millions of Americans will be asking themselves these and more questions this fall and winter as news reports and health care providers continue to warn about seasonal influenza and novel H1N1 influenza, otherwise known as swine flu.

Read the rest of this entry »

Should Mom Be Living Alone?

Jacqueline Marcell

Recently I received a call from Michelle, an exasperated adult daughter asking if there was any legal way to get her elderly father to stop yelling, screaming and berating her, and to accept a caregiver so she could move out of his house. She had moved in to help him after her mom passed, but was now trapped as he refused to move to assisted living or accept live-in help.

Michelle started to cry, saying she had just called an agency where a man “laughed at me,” saying her father could do whatever he wished in his own home short of physically abusing her. Since I have survived the same situation with my own father, I knew the misery she was going through.

Continue reading HERE

As always, visit us at www.maryandmikecare.com if you need help caring for an aging parent in the area.

On average, the cost of elderly health care is $5,531 annually. Family members not only provide hands-on care but often dig into their own pockets to pay other expenses which include groceries, drugs and medicines, medical equipments such as wheelchairs, toilet seat risers and transportation. Many times family members have to miss work and lose out on their income to take care of elderly family members.

Many family members take loans, skip vacations and often ignore their own health. Government must start providing tax deductions and tax credits to family caregivers.

The expenditures incurred for elderly health care is increasing rapidly and reaching astronomical heights. Elders have many special needs when it comes to health care. One is often left frustrated when there are gaps in insurance coverage. Medicare programs offer only minimal assistance for serious health disorders.

Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping diabetes in check between doctor visits

 (ARA) – Americans are taking a closer look at their own personal health and assessing changes they can make, as the topic of health care remains front and center. More and more, people are paying attention to the cost of prevention and care for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, as they have a high risk for health complications.

 Diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in the United States, an increase of more than 3 million in approximately two years, according to 2007 prevalence data estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If not controlled, diabetes in particular can lead to serious health complications including heart disease, blindness and kidney failure. That’s why it is extremely important to manage the disease on a daily basis.

 To stay healthy and avoid potential consequences, people with diabetes can take steps every day to manage the disease. In addition to eating a balanced diet and exercising, this also involves monitoring blood glucose levels each day and seeing their physician regularly to check in and monitor their A1C levels – a test that provides a two to three month indication of average of blood glucose.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a great article from agingcare.com for anyone who has a friend or family member who may be suffering with Alzheimer’s.   If you have questions, or need help for a senior loved one in the area, visit us at www.maryandmikecare.com/. 

 ‘Tough Love’ – Caregiving For Alzheimer’s Patients

 It is an understatement to say that taking care of a loved one who is stricken with Alzheimer’s Disease, also known as ‘AD’, is a tough job.

 (AD is an illness which results in the progressive loss of brain nerve cells, leading to a gradual decline of mental functions and is the most common cause of dementia).

 AD is considered to be among the most stressful illness a family caregiver can face and one of the most physically and mentally exhausting situations in a person’s life.

 Continue reading HERE.

November is National Family Caregivers Month!  Below are 10 ways to celebrate.  Visit us at http://www.maryandmikecare.com/ if you need caregiving help in the area. 

Top 10 Ways to Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month 2009

There are many ways to celebrate family caregivers and to take action and communicate the important messages of NFC Month.

The following are ideas and guides to help you create a successful National Family Caregivers Month in your community:

1. Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they spend time with friends, or simply relax.
2. Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten up a family caregiver’s day.
3. Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.
4. Participate in the National Family Caregivers Association’s FREE national teleclass: Safe & Sound: How to Prevent Medication Mishaps The free one hour teleclass/webinar will be November 12 at 2 p.m. ET. For more information visit: www.thefamilycaregiver.org.
5. Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.
6. Offer comic relief! Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them an amusing audio book to listen to while doing their caregiving activities.
7. Find 12 different family photos and have a copy center create a monthly calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.
8. Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.
9. A United States postage stamp honoring the more than 50 million family caregivers in America is officially “under consideration” by the U.S. Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee for introduction as early as 2011. Sign the petition at www.thefamilycaregiver.org and ask others to sign the petition letter.
10. Help a family caregiver find information and resources on the internet or to locate a local support group.

Original content can be found HERE.

November is American Diabetes Month.  Read this very informative article to make sure that you and your family members are well informed of the warning signs of diabetes.  If you have any questions, or need help for an aging senior in the Western Springs, Illinois area, visit us at www.maryandmikecare.com. 

Diabetes and How it Affects You

Nearly 24 million adults and children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with diabetes. Another 57 million people have pre-diabetes, a condition that increases their risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

The term “diabetes” refers to a number of diseases, the most common being type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. In each, the body does not produce or properly use insulin — a hormone that is needed to convert sugar starches and other food into the energy we need to live. The exact causes of diabetes are still unclear, although both genetics and environmental or lifestyle factors can play an important role in the development of diabetes and its complications.

• Type 1 diabetes — In this type of diabetes, the body fails to produce insulin, the hormone that “unlocks” the cells of the body, allowing glucose (sugar) to enter and fuel them. People who have type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to survive.
• Type 2 diabetes — This is the most common form of diabetes. It develops when the body cannot produce or properly use insulin. Older people (and minorities) carry the highest risk for type 2, but a growing number of children and young adults are now being diagnosed with it.
• Gestational diabetes — This type of diabetes occurs during pregnancy and then usually goes away after the baby is born. It’s very important to treat gestational diabetes because it can harm the developing fetus. Mothers who experience gestational diabetes are also at greatly increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
• Pre-diabetes — This is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

What is the Link Between Diabetes and Being Overweight?

Being overweight is a leading risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and makes treating diabetes more difficult. Studies show that overweight people who lose as little as 10-15 pounds and exercise just 30 minutes a day 5 times a week reduced their risk of developing diabetes by almost 60%.

Are You at Risk for Diabetes?

• Take the Diabetes Risk Test

Warning Signs/Symptoms of Diabetes

• Unusual thirst
• Frequent desire to urinate
• Blurred vision
• Tired feeling for no apparent reason
• Extreme hunger
• Irritability
• Tingling/numbness in the hands or feet
• If you have any of these symptoms, why take chances? See your doctor and ask to be tested for diabetes. Find out for sure.

For more information about diabetes, please visit the American Diabetes Association site at: www.diabetes.org

Read original article HERE.

Home care agencies provide services that range from home support such as cleaning, cooking and running errands to help with transportation to MD appointments and more.

To receive quality assistance, it’s important to know what questions to ask so that you hire the home care agency that’s right for you.

To help you sort through your options, ask questions to help you evaluate the services. There are several facets to home care, and asking the right questions up front can help you choose the best agency for your needs.

Quality of care

• What is the professional training of the staff?

• Will the agency provide you with the services of nurses aides, CNAs or therapists? Will they work directly with you, your family members or your doctor?

• Are the caregivers bonded and insured?

• Does the agency provide a supervisor to evaluate the quality of home care on a regular basis?

• Does the agency have references on file for home care staff?

• Do employees seem friendly and helpful?

Brought to you by www.maryandmikecare.com, of Western Springs, IL.