Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's...

Caring for Elderly | Alzheimer's | Dementia
Arizona, Gilbert, Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, AZ

There truly is nothing more heartbreaking than the day you realize it wont be long before one of your loved ones doesn't recognize you. How does one really prepare for such a moment...?

When you realize that caring for a loved one suffering with Dementia or Alzheimer's is going to require help... please consult with a professional care manager first. An experienced care manager in Arizona will be able to save you time, money and heartache by connecting you with trusted local resources. You are not alone... there are abundant resources available to help you plan for the future care of your elderly loved ones.

Here is a good article on Caring for aging loved ones: click here

Elderly Drivers Balance Independence and Safety

Elderly Driving | Elderly Independence
AZ, Gilbert, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Arizona

We recently found this great article about elderly drivers maintaining independence:

Having to deal with and adjust to change is a scary and difficult ordeal, especially after you have done something for 45 years or so – like driving in Arizona. As we age, we must realize that changes in our bodies can affect our driving ability and we may need to consider care management or a care plan.

Growing older means that our coordination is not as sharp and the ability to be flexible is limited; also our strength in general is reduced.

Aging does not mean that elderly drivers automatically loss their ability to drive; but some modification might be necessary. These tips for elderly drivers will help them remain safe on the road and keep elderly drivers independent longer:

To read the entire article click here

Rising Cost of Elder Care in Arizona...

Elder Care Expenses | Affording Cost of Parents | Elder Care Management
Arizona, Glendale, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, AZ

With Medicare and Medicaid constantly changing their coverage, more and more families are struggling to provide adult or elder care for their aging or disabled loved ones in Arizona. Planning for the future is imperative for all families with aging parents or relatives.

Make sure to consult a qualified Care Manager in Arizona before trying to take on the weight of this responsibility yourself. An experienced Care Manager will guide you through the care planning process and share valuable resources with you and your family so you can make the best decisions for the care recipient. Your aging loved ones deserve the best possible "quality of life" available.

Here is a great article on Elder Care Expenses.

Are Your Elderly Parents Eating Well...?

Nutrition for Elderly | Elderly Health Issues | Senior Health
Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Arizona

A relatively large portion of the population in Arizona are seniors. This means that many Arizona families are involved in caring for aging parents or loved ones. Sometimes we don't pick up on the signs of poor eating habits in our elderly loved ones. We recently read a great article about nutrition for seniors and wanted to share it...

Eating well is important at any age. But health issues and physical limitations sometimes make it difficult for seniors, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, to get the nutrients they need for a balanced diet. Poor nutrition and malnutrition occur in 15 to 50 percent of the elderly population. - Read Entire Article Here

Is Mom getting enough sleep?

Sleeping Problems for Elderly | Mom Sleeping Less | Older People with Insomnia
Phoenix, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, AZ, Arizona

Aging and Sleep

More than half of men and women over the age of 65 complain of at least one sleep problem. Many older people experience insomnia and other sleep difficulties on a regular basis.

As we get older, our sleep patterns change. In general, older people sleep less, experience more fragmented sleep, and spend less time in stages 3 & 4 and REM sleep (for example, deep sleep and dream sleep) than younger people. However, regardless of your age, good restorative sleep is essential to physical health and emotional well-being.

What Causes Sleep Problems in Older People?

Several factors may contribute to the inability to sleep well as we get older. Some common causes include:

To read the entire article on WebMD click here

Quality of Life...

This is more than a buzz word or phrase for a professional care manager. Providing the best possible care and living arrangements for the elderly or disabled is the mission of any Care  Manager or Care Giver. Depending on the situation, the phrase "Quality of Life" can have a very different meanings to different people. A recent study conducted by researches at the San Francisco VA Medical indicates that for disabled elderly people, quality living is closely tied to two factors: a sense of dignity and a sense of control.

"Control" to elders means a sense of autonomy in their activities and daily living. Because of disability, not all of them are able do to all activities on their own, but they want to feel they have some say in how those activities progress throughout the day” said lead author Jennifer King, MD

The two factors were singled out as important by members of all ethnic groups in the study, which was based on a series of qualitative interviews with 62 disabled elders. The ethnic groups represented included white, African American, Latino and Chinese American.

When asked to rate the quality of their own lives on a five-point scale that ranged from “excellent” to “poor,” 87 percent of the elders responded “fair to very good,” which was in the middle of the scale.

Read entire article here

Caring for the Elderly & Disabled, Arizona

Protecting yourself from your own family members…?

Yes, it’s true, sometimes as parents begin to age, family members start to take advantage of them… and each other.  You’d be surprised to learn how often family relationships implode as they try to take on the added responsibility of caring for aging parents or loved ones.

The elderly parents are not the only ones at risk either. It is essential to secure the assistance of a professional care manager before the situation gets out of control. A care manager can provide you with the tools and resources necessary to ensure the best possible quality of life for the care recipient as well as supporting family members.

Risk for family members…It may sound simple to take on the added responsibility of caring for an aging loved one, but you can get overwhelmed quickly. In some cases, caring for the elderly in Arizona is more than a full-time job and can jeopardize your individual health and well-being. It is easy for a seeming “easy” care situation to completely take over your life if you aren’t careful.

The added stress can also begin to dip into your pocketbook as well. Most adult children feel a responsibility to their parents and loved ones and find it difficult to ask for financial help. Before you know it, your gas bills will double, you’ll be buying their groceries and hiring babysitters for your own children so you can care for your parents. Sometimes it makes sense for the family members to quit their job and have the parents hire them as a caregiver in order to offset the financial burden.

Risk for the elderly care recipient…The elderly are prime targets for would-be scammers and charlatans, with the disabled and those suffering from Alzheimer’s especially vulnerable to fraud. It is important to protect your aging loved one from financial loss at the hands of these unscrupulous people. Surprisingly, many of these situations involve family members, close friends or even the family pastor on occasion. Your care manager can suggest ways to protect your family’s assets and preserve available funds for sustaining the lifestyle of the one needing care and attention.

Pay close attention to their bills and checkbook for suspicious expenses. Be careful when someone suddenly seems to show an uncharacteristic amount of attention to your elderly loved one. They may be up to something! Sometimes poor decision-making shows up first in spending habits, so make sure to pay attention to the warning signs.

For a family facing an inevitable elder care situation, the most mutually beneficial decision they can make is to hire a professional Care Manager to guide them as they make critical decisions while they plan and prepare for the future of their loved ones.