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Showing posts from 2019

Engaging a Loved One with Alzheimer's

Having a loved one with Alzheimer's is never easy. Providing care and ensuring that they remain safe can be overwhelming. On top of providing care, losing the relationship you use to have is even harder. As the disease progresses, they often end up losing traits that made them who they are. To help family members who are experiencing this, Visiting Angels Punta Gora shares some insights on how to improve your relationship with a loved who has Alzheimer's. One of the first suggestions Visiting Angels provides is to consider your loved one's past hobbies. Think about what they liked to do as a child or something they picked up after retirement. Even though a loved one may have forgotten a favorite hobby due to Alzheimer's, "engaging your loved one in their favorite hobby is a meaningful way to reconnect with them." Whether their hobby was painting, baking, or solving puzzles, you can break each project down to smaller simple steps. Having them embrace thei

When Your Aging Loved One Refuses Help

We all know how hard it can be to see a loved one age. As they give up on hobbies and downsize due to their physical limitations, it can be disheartening. Despite their life becoming more complicated, when you offer to help, they may refuse. They may even completely refuse to admit that they need help in the first place. By witnessing them struggle with relatively simple tasks and not being able to help, it can be quite troubling for you and your family to just sit idly by. When you have a loved one who refuses to admit that they need help at home, Visiting Angels Punta Gorda shares some insights on how to approach the conversation:                    “Chances are that once you’ve expressed your concerns, your aging loved one will be eager to end the conversation. They probably are already aware of their need for help, and your confrontation only makes it public now. Give them time to process what you’ve said before moving forward with a plan. Wait a couple of weeks before

What to Do When a Loved One Suffers a Stroke

While it is mainly associated with older adults, a stroke can happen to anyone at any time. As the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability, experience a stroke not only affect’s the person who suffers from one but also their close friends and family. While the severity of a stroke differs from person to person, the road to recovery is difficult. If you have a loved one who has suffered from a stroke, it can be jarring to see them in a different state than you’re used to. To help, Visiting Angels Punta Gorda provides some insight on what you can do to support a loved one recover from a stroke . Active Listening Can Go a Long Way When one suffers a stroke, brain cells begin to die due to a lack of blood flow that contains nutrients and oxygen. Of those who survive a stroke more than likely will experience a loss in their cognitive and physical abilities. A typical symptom of a stroke is paralysis and trouble understanding speech. When you visit them

4 Tips to Protect Your Loved One from the Sun

Now that it is summer, the sun is stronger than ever. If you are outside for too long, you can be a victim to sunburn, heatstroke, or sun-related health conditions. Those over the age of 65 have a higher chance of suffering health problems relating to t oo much heat or sun exposure . Visiting Angels Punta Gorda is a senior care center that offers advice on how you can protect your elderly loved one from the sun’s rays . The Importance of Sunscreen The older that people get, the thinner their skin gets because of the decline of water and fat in their skin. The thinner their skin is, the more difficult it is to block UVA and UVB rays. So, sunscreen becomes increasingly more important as people age. There are a variety of sunscreens but the best one to block UVA and UVB rays would be any broad-spectrum sunscreen. Regardless of which sunscreen you choose for your loved one, make sure to apply it before leaving the house. It is recommended to apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes be

Angels & Alexa for Your Elderly Loved One

Alexa is a smart speaker that Amazon sells; it receives verbal requests from the user and relays the information back verbally. Alexa can be used effortlessly by seniors to communicate with others and for entertainment purposes. Recently Alexa and Visiting Angels Punta Gorda have partnered up for a new program called Angels & Alexa . The goal of the partnership is to provide another source of assistance for senior assistance at home. How can Angels & Alexa Help My Elderly Loved One? Angels & Alexa can be a valuable source of in-home assistance for your aging loved one. Alexa can keep track of when your loved one is supposed to take their medications or when they have a doctor’s appointment. The smart speaker will also come in handy if your elderly loved one needs help with minor situations. There is always the option to ask Alexa to google an answer or to contact someone. Moreover, if your aged loved one falls or needs more serious help, they can use Alexa to call a

Hearing Loss and Your Elderly Loved One

The bodies and minds of people change as they grow older. One in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 experience hearing loss ; additionally, fifty percent of those older than 75 are subject to hearing problems . If you have suspicions that your elderly loved one has hearing problems, start a conversation with them. Though hearing loss can be a sensitive topic to bring up, it is necessary. Talking About Hearing Loss A conversation discussing the possibility that a loved one could be losing their hearing can be difficult. What time is a good time to bring it up? Do they know their hearing is fading? Will they be devastated? More likely than not, your loved one already knows their hearing is worsening. They could have noticed a while ago and decided not to bring it up because they are not emotionally or mentally ready to deal with that reality. Furthermore, bringing up a sensitive topic about their hearing should not be rushed. Instead of bluntly telling them that their hearin

Ways to Stay Active this Spring

Spring is officially here which means that the temperatures will continue to rise. As the days get longer and the weather lets us spend time outdoors, it's important for us to remember that being physically active can greatly benefit our health. While it is commonly known that exercise yields many benefits, nearly 31 million adults over the age of 50 remain inactive . To help you get outside and become physically active, Visiting Angels Punta Gorda weighs in to share some tips. One of the first things Visiting Angels suggests is to spend time outside. At first, it seems obvious. However, just being outside can invigorate the body and mind. There is nothing more satisfying than being in the sunlight, hearing the birds chirping, and feeling a slight breeze of wind. When you're outside, you can go for a walk around the neighborhood, garden, play tennis or golf, and so much more. The outdoors truly has no limits when it comes to being physically active. The next point Visiti

Is Companion Care Right For You?

Companion care provides aging adults companionship as well as assistance with housekeeping tasks. While companion care appears to be simple on the surface, it has a more significant impact on the well-being of older adults. A rising number of adults report that they are living alone. For them, being alone can lead to a higher risk of depression as well as other health complications such as high blood pressure. Outside of health-related issues, older adults who are living alone also need to consider their safety within their home. While doing housekeeping tasks may not seem like much, there is still the chance that an aging loved one may hurt themselves with no one to assist them. This is where a companion caregiver comes in. Having a companion caregiver allows your aging loved one to have the emotional and physical support they need. By spending time with your loved one, a companion caregiver helps reduce the feeling of loneliness. Knowing that there is someone who can keep you

Take Care of Your Loved One and Yourself

Family caregivers try their best to assist their loved one. They want their loved one to have the best care possible and that usually leads to the family caregiver to put a lot of effort into taking care of their aging loved ones. As noble as it may seem, family caregivers often find themselves unprepared to provide adequate care as their loved ones age and their health declines. As this continues, it puts a strain on the family caregiver as well as their loved one. To help correct this, Visiting Angels Punta Gorda provides a list of ways a family caregiver can help themselves. One of the first things you can do is to find a support group. Support groups are great ways to find resources on providing care as well as to find people with similar situations. Support groups usually meet at hospitals, libraries, or at churches. Accepting help from others is one of the hardest we can do - especially when we are taking care of an aging loved one. When we take on too much, we ultimately hu