At a certain point in their lives, your parents may need elderly care or homecare assistance near Memphis . It may be difficult for your parents to accept that they need in-home care, so you should plan to have an in-depth conversation about the matter. When having such a conversation, be sure to stress to you parents that they will not need to move out of their home, but instead will simply have regular visits from a home health aide or in-home caregiver.

If your parents are particularly resistant to the idea of in-home elder care, you can consult with a therapist or counselor who has experience in caring for elders. This professional can act as a mediator between you and your parents to make the conversation easier and more constructive. Be sure to listen carefully to your parents’ feelings and concerns and address each one specifically so that they know they’re being heard.

When the time comes to contact a home health care company regarding in-home care, you should make sure that your parents are involved in the process. They should meet any potential caregiver before any elder care services are contracted.

It’s perfectly normal for a senior to need some extra care as he or she advances in age, particularly given that growing older can increase the risk of numerous health problems. However, knowing exactly when to make the transition to in-home care can be difficult. Even if you don’t think your loved one needs some extra care right now, it’s a good idea to research your options for elder care in Memphis. Once you know which assisted living options are available in your area, you can begin to plan how to meet your loved one’s changing needs.

Cognitive Indicators

Cognitive impairment becomes more likely as your loved one ages. At some point, your loved one’s cognitive difficulties can inhibit his or her ability to perform self-care tasks. It’s advisable to introduce your loved one to a caregiver before these issues become too severe. Some indicators that it’s time to discuss elder care with your loved one include forgetting to take medications, forgetting to eat meals, displaying signs of confusion, and missing doctor’s appointments.

Physical Signs

Sometimes, the need for elder care becomes obvious rather abruptly, such as when a loved one suffers a stroke or a fall. In other cases, a loved one may gradually experience increasing physical limitations. Unusual changes in sleeping or eating patterns, difficulty walking, problems keeping up with the housework, and frequently developing bumps, bruises, or more severe injuries are some of the signs that your loved one may need extra care.

Socio-Emotional Issues

Seniors are at a high risk of suffering from depression and other mental disorders. Unfortunately, the signs of depression among the elderly can easily be mistaken for indicators of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Often, depression is attributable to social isolation. Consider whether your loved one still participates in his or her favorite activities, goes out to the senior’s center or other gathering places, and meets with friends regularly. If not, he or she could be experiencing mental health issues. Hiring a caregiver for your loved one will provide him or her with crucial social contact, cognitive stimulation, and of course, day-to-day care.

As your loved one ages, he may need more and more help completing everyday tasks. Luckily, an in-home caregiver near Memphis can provide elder care services, assisted living services, and home health care for your loved one. In-home care ensures that your loved one remains safe, happy, and healthy without requiring him to move out of his own home.

Watch this video for some great tips for simplifying your elderly loved one’s life. You’ll get advice on removing hazards from the home, staying involved in your loved one’s health care, and contacting a home health agency about their senior assisted living services.

If you’re caring for elders near Memphis , you need to take some precautions to ensure that they are safe, happy, and healthy. Falls are the most common cause of injury and death among the elderly. Here are some of the ways that caregivers can modify their in-home care to reduce the risk of falls among seniors.

Maintain Physical Activity

As you age, you begin to lose muscle mass and strength, and bones can become brittle and weak. This puts you at a much higher risk of tripping and falling. As a caregiver, you can reduce your elderly loved one’s risk of a fall by ensuring that he maintains a regular physical activity routine. If possible, your loved one should engage in physical activity for at least 20 minutes per day. This can improve muscle tone, strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility, which makes a fall much less likely.

Remove Hazards in the Home

If you’re providing in-home care for a loved one, you must make sure that the home is safe and free from hazards. The primary walkways should be clear of furniture, boxes, cords, and other dangerous items. Rugs should be completely secured with tape, tacks, or slip-resistant backing. If rugs cannot be secured, they should be removed. Damage to carpeting and flooring should be repaired immediately. Bathtubs and showers should be equipped with handrails, non-slip mats, and seating. Necessities should be stored within easy reach so that your loved one doesn’t have to use a stool or chair to access them. Any spills on the floor or walkways should be cleaned up immediately.

Encourage the Use of Assistive Devices

When caring for elders, you may have to communicate with their physicians to determine whether they have health problems that increase their risk of a fall. If he does, he may need to use assistive devices throughout the home to improve his mobility. These devices may include handrails, non-slip treads, canes, walkers, scooters, grab bars for the shower or tub, a raised toilet seat with armrests, and a sturdy seat for the shower or tub.

If you have an elderly loved one who is in need of in-home care near Memphis , you may need to help him adjust to the idea of using a caregiver or home health aide. Using an in-home caregiver allows your loved one to remain in the comfort of his own home, rather than moving into a senior assisted living facility or nursing home. Here are some tips for helping seniors adjust to in-home care from a caregiver.

Make Time to Listen Discuss Feelings and Concerns

Your loved one may have a lot of feelings and concerns to discuss with you regarding in-home care from a home health aide. You should be patient with your loved one, and directly address all of his concerns. You may even want to consult with a counselor or therapist who has experience caring for elders. He or she can help you mediate and calm your loved one’s anxiety or fear. Your loved one will feel much better about home health care if he feels that his feeling are being acknowledged and addressed.

Go Over Your Role and the Caregiver’s Role in the Household

Once you hire a home health aide, your role as a primary caregiver will change. You should be sure that your loved one understands how certain duties will be divided between you and the new in-home caregiver. Your loved one may feel more comfortable if you perform certain tasks, rather than the caregiver, until he gets to know his caregiver better. You will most likely remain the mediator between your loved one and the caregiver for a period of time as they both adjust.

Help Your Loved One Prepare His Home for In-Home Care

Before the in-home caregiver’s first day, you and your loved one should prepare his home for the visit. Your loved one may want to rearrange certain things to maintain his privacy, and may want to designate some rooms or areas of the home as off-limits to the caregiver. You should also make sure that any items that the caregiver needs are easily accessible.

As your loved one grows older, it’s a good idea to assess his or her home for potential safety hazards. Consider visiting a caregiver agency near Memphis to discuss your loved one’s elderly care needs. A home health aide can help you make your loved one’s home safer by pointing out areas that need better lighting or by recommending modifications to the bathroom. For instance, placing red and blue buttons on the hot and cold water faucets can prevent scalding injuries. The caregiver may also recommend making sure the bathroom lock can be disengaged from other side, just in case your loved one experiences an emergency and needs help.

Watch this video for more helpful tips on elder care and home safety. It reminds family members of the importance of keeping smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in good working condition and of keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

Falls are a significant concern for the elderly. In fact, more than one-third of seniors fall each year. Many of these individuals suffer from serious health problems as a result. If you have an elderly loved one, consider talking to a caregiver in Memphis about ways of keeping him or her safe at home. Having an elderly care provider to help your loved one out around the house is one effective way to protect him or her. A caregiver can also be on the lookout for potential safety hazards in the home.

How Falls Occur

There are many potential risk factors of falling . Some of these risk factors are controllable through home modifications that an elder care provider may recommend. Additionally, the in-home caregiver can be on the lookout for side effects from your loved one’s medications. Seniors often take multiple medications, some of which can cause dizziness that may make a person more likely to fall. Seniors can also fall because of muscle weakness, poor flexibility, difficulty walking, and impaired vision. A senior who is having trouble seeing properly may misjudge the distance between one step and the next, for example. Other seniors may fall because they are wearing improper footwear, perhaps because they have trouble putting on sturdier shoes by themselves.

What Complications Can Result

For a young person who is in good overall health, a fall may not seem like a major problem. It may only result in some bumps and bruises. For a senior, a fall may result in a lengthy hospitalization, permanent physical limitations, chronic pain, and sometimes even death. Seniors are at a high risk of osteoporosis, which means they are highly susceptible to suffering from fractures when they fall. Hip fractures are particularly common. In many cases, seniors who suffer from a fracture must endure a lengthy rehabilitation period and they may never regain their full physical function or independence. Falls are a leading reason why families turn to a caregiver agency for help.

How Falls Can Be Prevented

However, the time to look for an elder care provider is before a fall occurs. Caregivers can help keep your loved one safe by providing help with bathing, dressing, laundry, meal preparation, and housekeeping. They can also identify ways of making the home environment safer, such as by removing loose rugs and clutter.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, getting proper elder care near Memphis can help everyone in your family feel more at ease. If you are still unsure what dementia is, or what the early signs of dementia are, watch this video to learn more.

Dementia is a term that is used to describe a large group of symptoms that are caused by diseases that affect the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease. It is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain and it is a progressive condition. When a nerve cell in your body dies, it cannot be replaced. As these cells die, the brain begins to atrophy. There are many symptoms of dementia, including memory loss and loss of physical coordination. These symptoms vary depending on where in the brain cell loss occurs. Unfortunately, there is no cure for dementia. However, choosing an assisted living provider in Memphis, such as Caring Companions, can help make the diagnosed patient more comfortable.

If a family member is transitioning to home care, it can be a very stressful time for everyone involved. Planning ahead of time with a facility that is specialized in home care health in Memphis can help to make this process and easier one.

It is important to remind your loved one that this transition is a new process and things are going to be different than they may be used to. Planning any changes to the home should begin immediately. Also, hiring a home health aide early on will be beneficial to ensure that recovery for the patient will continue at home. Reach out to the rehab facility to understand what is needed at home for the recovery to occur quickly and safely. Lastly, recognize that it is okay to have help when caring for a loved one. Self-care is necessary for everyone to stay healthy. Allowing someone to help you care for your family member is the best way to help everyone’s health.

Caring for a loved one at the end of their days is one of the most precious gifts you can give. Choosing where and how this care is given can be a difficult choice to make, but fortunately there are options. In the past, staying at home was the norm. However, today more people spend their end-of-life at a nursing home or hospital. When you find the option that best suits your needs, your loved one will get the elder care near Memphis that they deserve . Read on to learn about comfort and care at the end of your loved one’s life.

Nursing Homes and Hospitals
Due to the many pressures of the outside world, caring for your loved one can be hard to fit into your daily life. For this reason, many people are choosing to let their loved ones spend their final days in a nursing home or hospital. This is a great option for individuals who have severe physical ailments, such as heart failure. However, this choice may not be ideal for those who are wishing to make sure their loved ones receive the one-on-one special care that they so deserve. Also, this option removes your loved one from their home, which can be a hard transition in itself.

Home Health Care
Home health care is another option for your loved one. It offers the luxury of allowing your loved one to spend their days in a familiar setting, while allowing you to feel safe that they are receiving the special care and attention they deserve. Home care can be exhausting for family members and many people have busy lives they also need to tend to. Hiring an at-home care professional is a wonderful way to ensure that comfort and safety are a priority for the person in need of end-of-life care. It also allows you and your family to maintain the self-care needed as your loved one needs more personalized attention. Working with a specialized in-home care company in Memphis is a great way to provide your loved one with respectful and comfortable end-of-life care.