The wisest thing a family caregiver can do is to know when to get help. This is especially true when the elderly loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s or dementia. These diseases affect the brain which controls communication, behavior, speech, thinking, reasoning, problem solving, memory and so forth. What happens in a family when grandmother is [...]
Over 37 million people in the United States suffer from migraines. With migraine sufferers being such a large total of the population, it is no wonder that there are many who wish to understand it more. Yet, despite how many have migraines, there is still a wealth of misinformation and myths about migraines that persist in the greater population and thus having a migraine awareness month helps to bring the issues to the forefront of society. If you are providing care for a loved one, migraines can be especially debilitating. If you provide senior care for someone who cannot do for themselves, you must remain vigilant, aware and capable of acting, which migraines can stop you from being.
On May 11, 1989 President George Bush signed a Presidential Proclamation 5975. This proclamation designated May as the official National Stroke Awareness Month. Since then, every year the Stroke Association has led the nation in observing a month-long time it to honor those that suffer from stroke, elderly care providers who have helped these seniors, and other health care workers who have helped sufferers of stroke. This month is dedicated to raising public awareness of this serious condition in an effort to find ways to treat and overcome the condition.
If there’s one thing that most elderly care providers will agree upon is that it is critical to have not only an elder care plan, but an elder care calendar. When preparing to become an elder care provider for an aging loved one, you may not realize or appreciate how much planning and strategy will go into providing the best, most effective elder care as you possibly can. Once you enter into this relationship, however, you will quickly understand that in order to be the best care provider, you will need to be organized. Appropriately managing multiple medical conditions requires a close understanding of the frequency of medication doses and other treatments, how often you need to be bringing your aging loved one to medical appointments and the close monitoring and recording of new and worsening symptoms. All of this can be accomplished on an elder care calendar.
Next to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. This disease results from the dopamine generating cells in the patient’s brain undergoing a massive cell death. While the cause of this cell death is not known, it is obvious that these particular cells are rapidly and dramatically reduced. Over the course of the disease, the patient will exhibit primarily physical symptoms, as opposed to the largely cognitive symptoms exhibited by seniors with Alzheimer’s disease. These symptoms include tremors, continuous shaking, difficulty walking, rigidity and slowness of movement. During the later stages of the disease, seemingly the opposite of Alzheimer’s disease, patients may experience a variety of cognitive or behavioral issues. Other difficult symptoms of the disease include sensory problems, difficulty sleeping and emotional changes. This disease, also as with Alzheimer’s disease, is most prevalent among seniors, with the vast majority of patients developing the disease after the age of 50.