Adeste In-Home Care - Colorado

In-Home Care in Colorado

Caregiving Tips For Rheumatoid Arthritis

by 1 Comment

Caregiving Tips For Rheumatoid Arthritis

In many ways, every day brings new challenges when you’re a caregiver. You may be dealing with multiple conditions, some chronic, only to discover even more with every doctor you visit.

If one of your loved one’s recent diagnosis’s has been rheumatoid arthritis, pain may be a common word in your vocabulary. How do you care for someone who is in constant pain? How can you ease their comfort and decrease their pain?

Practice relaxation. When you are in pain, you tend to tense up. Focus in a moment to a minor pain you have in your body. Are you more tense in that area? Now consciously relax the muscles around the effected area. Notice the difference? For someone with rheumatoid arthritis, you can practice progressive relaxation in which you tense and relax your muscles from your feet up to your head, focusing in on reducing the amount of pain you experience in the most effected areas. By helping teach your loved one this practice, they can consciously choose to do so when they experience bursts of pain, whether you are around or not. [Read more…]

When Its Time For Personalized In Home Caregiving

by Leave a Comment

When Its Time For Personalized In Home Caregiving

Caregiving isn’t a job you sign up for or apply for the job. It simply happens. And in some cases it changes from nothing to 24 care almost overnight. Nothing prepares you for it; you simply cope with the changes as they present themselves.

But in some cases, the challenges may begin to be too great to take on all alone.

Hiring a personal in-home care provider is never an easy choice. However, here are some signs that will help you recognize when its time to ask for assistance:

Wandering. With some degenerative conditions, your loved one may start to wander without really knowing where they are. It can be a condition of dementia, stroke, head injury, Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. In later stages, when the risk posed by wandering becomes much greater and the likelihood of injury increases as well, its time to call in help. [Read more…]

Living With A Brain Injury

by Leave a Comment

Living With A Brain Injury

Brain injuries are never planned. Yet once they happen, the affects ripple through family and friends, changing life as you knew it significantly. Studies show that once a caregiver enters their new role, they too face a variety of emotions and difficulties, including feelings of burden, distress, anxiety, anger and even depression.

When your loved one sustains a brain injury, all focus is put on making them well and improving life as much as possible. Your focus centers around your loved one. Yet the more you enter this new phase of your life, remember the adjustments fall to you too. Eventually they will come home into your care. Rather than having them come home to someone exhausted and already facing the symptoms of overwhelm and overload, take a step back now and learn all you can about life balance in your new situation.

Once your loved one leaves the traditional hospital environment, he will enter the rehabilitative phase. Most medical problems will be stabilized, meaning your loved one will be facing coming to terms with his current situation. While he is working with his own doctors and specialists, its time for you to work with your set of specialists too. You’ll enter the learning phase.

Start with a meeting with his rehabilitation center and find out all you can about his treatments.

  • How long will your loved one be in this specialty care?
  • What steps will he take?
  • When will he be able to move home?
  • What should you be prepared for?

These specialists have been through it many times and should be able to provide you with a wealth of information and resources to get you through the coming weeks and months.

From there, begin preparing your home for the transition. Remember, no one will ever be completely prepared for what lies ahead. You will take this one day at a time.

Before you routine to your life at home, find a support group first. If you find a group early on, you can learn from others that have been there too. They can offer you advice and comfort as you move through each phase. And if you set this support system up in your life before your loved one transitions home, you will have a small piece of comfort all ready in your life to help make the transition smooth.

Don’t give up this support. If your loved one cannot be home alone, an in home caregiver can provide you with the support you need to give yourself the break to attend meetings and stay ahead of your own overwhelm and questioning.

Also, whenever you find one piece of advice that you think will make a difference, implement it right away. Its very easy to get caught up in the now and quickly move to overwhelm. If you implement things slowly as you discover solutions, overall your entire family will transition more quickly into their new lives.

Its not easy. But with help and support, you can live a happy, well balanced life within this new situation. Remember, one day at a time. And this too will become easier.

Brain Injury Awareness Month: A Basic Guide

by Leave a Comment

Brain Injury Awareness Month: A Basic Guide

According to the Brain Injury Association of America, an estimated 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries will occur this year, along with another 800,000 acquiring a non-traumatic brain injury. No matter what the cause or the age of the person, brain injuries can have heavy impact on the individual and their families.

In our lives, there are two times when we are most at risk for a brain injury – before the age of 4 and from 75 on. Statistics show that overall, brain injuries occur from:

  • Falls – 28%
  • Motor vehicle crashes – 20%
  • Struck by or against objects – 19%
  • Assault – 11%
  • Other – 30%

Research shows that while elderly are most at risk from suffering a brain injury from a fall, they are capable of returning to their homes and communities and living a normal life after rehabilitation. The key is in eliminating the risks for falls as much as possible, and providing as much support as possible after a fall has occurred to return the person to normal health.

Two out of every three people that have experienced a fall are at risk of falling again within 6 months.

Approximately 60 percent of all falls in the older population occur at home.

At least one in three of these falls are caused by environment – hazards that could easily be fixed within the home.

If you provide caregiving for an elderly loved one, what can you do to improve the odds?

Watch for physical limitations and provide support when possible. If you notice your loved one has problems with balance or reduced strength, you can reorganize the kitchen for instance to make sure things needed daily are closer and easily accessible.

Monitor medications. Some medications have side effects, and when mixed with others can cause a whole host of issues. Always talk to a doctor or pharmacist about implications and what you should watch for.

Shoes can impact falls. Make sure women move from high heels to a more stable shoe. Shoes should have ample support and be firmly fixed to the foot. The more wiggle room in a shoe, the increase risk of falling.

Regular exercise no matter what your age can help you stay fit. Try a senior class at your local community rec center. Get out and walk on nice days. Stay active in your home doing things like gardening. Exercise should include balance, strength, flexibility and endurance.

How to Juggle Work and Caregiving

by Leave a Comment

How to Juggle Work and Caregiving

Caregiving for family members, particularly elderly parents, has been on the rise in the last few years. According to recent studies, almost 25 percent  of all households have at least one adult who has provided care for an elderly person at some point during the year.

Add into that the number is expected to increase in the next couple of years, with one of out of every ten employees caring for someone.

Caregivers face many long-term effects by accommodating the needs of others. Aside from wage reductions and loss of retirement benefits, working individuals who care for another experience many stress-related health problems. Try as they may, many people simple have trouble handling it all.

So how can you juggle work and caregiving? Here are some tips:

Make sure your boss knows. Communication is always a good thing, so informing your manager or boss now about your caregiving situation may help. If they are aware of the challenges you are facing, they may be understanding and flexible with your work options and hours. [Read more…]

When Hospice Care Is Right For Your Situation

by Leave a Comment

When Hospice Care Is Right For Your Situation

When we speak of hospice care, we use our most somber tones.  Hushed voices, serious faces, and a loss of hope typically accompany any discussion of this type of aid.  But hospice care is not something that should be dreaded.  Hospice care is intended to bring help and comfort to a family, not a burden.  So, how do you know when it is time to call in the cavalry and contact hospice care?

What is hospice care? – Hospice care is a collection of services intended to help a family through the course of serious or terminal illness.  These services are intended to give aid to a family’s physical, emotional, and psychological needs through the course of a loved one’s illness.  Hospice helps loved ones understand what to expect, and help them through the unique challenges of end of life situations. [Read more…]

8 Reasons To Connect With Adeste In Home Care When You Need Caregiving

by Leave a Comment

8 Reasons To Connect With Adeste In Home Care When You Need Caregiving

1. Caregiving isn’t about buying a simple product, or even investing in a quick service you’ll use in a short period of time. When it comes to caregiving, it may be a part of your lifestyle for years. Knowing each caregiver is hand selected, personally monitored by the president of the company, will bring you piece of mind even during the most challenging moments.

2. Some caregiving companies come into town as a large corporation with employees, whose sole purpose is to make money. When a caregiving service is small by design and personally overseen by a member of the community, you’ll see the difference.

3. When only a true expert will do. One of our goals is to educate our community. That’s why you’ll find us teaching across the Front Range. We’ve given brown bag seminars at major corporations, helping employees become more aware of the responsibilities of caregiving. And we’ve joined in on expos with other health care providers, finding resources to help out everyone in the community. If you have a question, we have an answer. Just ask.

4. You’ve heard the expression “you don’t know what you don’t know”. That’s definitely true when it comes to caregiving, a job most likely you’re forced into without much thought. Instead of struggling to do everything yourself, by simply talking with a professional caregiving service can open up your eyes to the potential that lies in front of you. We’ve helped dozens of clients, have acces to hundreds of resources, and would love to share with you the knowledge from being in the caregiving community for over two decades. [Read more…]

How To Tell If Its Parkinson’s Disease

by Leave a Comment

How To Tell If Its Parkinsons Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that affects millions of people around the world. It can be a debilitating disease, one that greatly changes one’s life and standard of living.

Unfortunately, there is not a test that will determine if someone has Parkinson’s disease. Doctors have to rely on the symptoms of the disease to decide if someone is afflicted or not. There are four major symptoms that doctors look for during their diagnosis process.

Rigidity – this symptom occurs when the disease makes it difficult for your body to move. Your muscles will be in a constant state of contraction, making you feel stiff and sore. Rigidity will make it difficult for someone else, such as your doctor, to move one of your limbs. [Read more…]

It Takes A Team For Proper Caregiving

by Leave a Comment

It Takes A Team For Proper Caregiving

November is the month when we celebrate many different aspects of the caregiving field. Its National Alzheimer’s Disease Month, National Family Caregivers Month, National Home Care and Hospice Month. And each of the driving forces behind these celebrations have something in common; they all work to ensure the best quality of life no matter what life throws your way.

Caregiving is a job none of us anticipate, and none of us really want. Instead, we’re usually thrust into it when we are hardly expecting it. All of a sudden there is a diagnosis, a change, or even a fall. And from that point on the world changes all around you. Instead of work, play, and everyday living, it changes to things like doctors visits, medication, and making the best out of every moment you have.

Caregiving in many cases starts out as a single person activity. As a spouse, the diagnosis is made, and your life takes on entirely new meaning. Or maybe as a daughter or son, a sudden realization that mom can’t stay by herself anymore means moving in and taking over 24 hours of the day.

Caregiving may seem like its all you – without you the job would be unfilled. Yet its in times like this when its important to reach out to those around you. [Read more…]

Caregiving Advice: How to Stop Them When They Are Mean

by Leave a Comment

Caregiving Advice

It’s no secret that caregiving is tough. As a caregiver, you may be intimidated by the responsibilities and demands. So you move along day by day taking in the experiences as they happen.

But nothing prepares you for when they turn mean. You love them; they love you. But through no fault of their own – if they have Alzheimer’s they won’t even remember their actions – they can be downright mean nonetheless. So how can you deal with this behavior? And how can you remain sane in the process? Here are some tips:

Use assertive communication. Instead of showing hostile emotions, express how you are feeling inside. Don’t use blaming statements, as they simply seem threatening.

Understand your feelings. It is normal to experience a wide range of emotions as a caregiver. Stress is easier to deal with when you face your emotions and admit your feelings. [Read more…]