Once your elderly family member is diagnosed with dementia, you might want to consider making some changes in order to help her to navigate her home more easily. These changes can allow her to continue to live in her home for much longer than either of you expect possible.

Make it Easy to Spot the Time and the Date

People with dementia sometimes find it difficult to keep up with a time of day and even the date and day of the week. If it’s easy for her to spot the date and time, it’s much easier for your elderly family member to reorient herself when she needs to do so. A large digital clock and a calendar that is easy for you to update can be a huge help.

Make Everything Easier to See

Overall, the easier it is for your senior to spot and to identify items that she needs or wants, that’s going to be less confusing and frustrating for her. Having a more minimalistic approach can help with this because clutter and simply having many things around gets visually complicated. Put items that she doesn’t use or need often away in cabinets and clear off surfaces as much as possible.

Reduce the Amount of Different Patterns

Making things easier to see can sometimes mean changing the colors of your senior’s home. If every room has white walls that all look alike, she might find them blending together. Contrasting colors can break up that visual. But be careful if there are already a few colors and patterns competing in the space. Too much contrast can be visually confusing, which then leads to bigger confusion.

Label Rooms or Leave Interior Doors Open

People with dementia can very easily lose track of where in the house they are. This can be especially true if doors are closed. One way around this can be to start leaving those doors open. That way your elderly family member can easily see inside each room. If she doesn’t like this idea, another solution could be to label each room with a specific sign that indicates what happens there.
Something else that you might want to consider is hiring senior care providers to help out. They can take care of light housekeeping for your senior and offer her a friendly face during the day. This can be particularly important if you’re not able to be there with her during the day.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering senior care in Lubbock, TX, please contact the caring staff at Best In-Home Care (806) 412-0723.

Emily stopped in to visit her 88-year-old grandmother, Marsha, at least twice a week. Marsha had suffered a broken hip that left her confined to a wheelchair. Marsha was fortunate that her daughter, Sarah, worked from home and was able to look after her during the day. However, Emily was concerned that Marsha often seemed bored when she came over, but she wasn’t sure what she could do to relieve the boredom.

Being confined to a wheelchair can be limiting. Many people aren’t sure what to do to make life more interesting for a wheelchair-bound loved one. If you’re struggling for activities to keep your aging family member occupied, here are 4 ideas.

#1: Go for Outings

Admittedly, taking someone in a wheelchair on an outing can be challenging. However, it’s important for seniors to have opportunities for social interactions just as it is for younger people. If you struggle to take your family member out on your own, an elder care provider can go on outings with you and the older adult. That way, you have assistance getting them in and out of the car. In addition, you can focus on spending time with the senior instead of worrying about their care.

#2: Play Board Games

The love of playing board games doesn’t end with old age. So, if your aging relative has enjoyed board games in the past, offer to play with them. Pull out an old classic like Scrabble, chess, or checkers. Or, try something new. There are thousands of board games on the market, so the possibilities are endless. Need a third player? An elder care provider can join in the fun or play board games with the senior when no one else is available.

#3: Go for a Stroll

Even if they can’t walk, going out for a stroll can still be enjoyable. The fresh air and a change of scenery can brighten an older adult’s day. Elder care providers can push the wheelchair while you stroll and chat with your love done. Or, when there isn’t another family member around, an elder care provider can still take the senior out to enjoy a walk around the neighborhood.

#4: Try Out a New Craft

Seniors who enjoy making things might enjoy learning a new craft. It can be fun for them to learn alongside you. The two of you can use an instruction book or an Internet video to learn. Elder care providers can also help seniors to learn new crafts or just do crafts with them to offer companionship.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering elder care in Lubbock, TX, please contact the caring staff at Best In-Home Care (806) 412-0723.

As a family caregiver, you can make a big difference in your senior’s efforts to eat a healthier diet. Supporting them in in shopping for their food and preparing their meals and snacks can be instrumental in showing them that healthy food can be accessible and approachable, and they can actually enjoy eating the foods that their body needs to thrive. The healthiest diet truly starts in the grocery store, but it’s the steps you take after returning from grocery shopping that bring the healthy foods to the next level. With just a few simple tasks, you can make it easier for your elderly loved one to eat a healthier diet and keep them on track.

Some things you can do after grocery shopping to help your senior eat a healthier diet include:

• Breakdown fruits and vegetables intended to be eaten raw. By washing and chopping at fruits and vegetables as soon as you get back from the grocery store, you make them accessible for easy, healthy snacks and salads throughout the week. Packaged vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks in individual servings so all your parent needs to do is reach into the refrigerator and take out a bag or container and enjoy
• Put together quick meals that will last for several days in the refrigerator. Overnight oats are a great example. Put oatmeal, milk or plant-based milk, a small amount of nut butter, fruits, sweeteners, and whatever your parent enjoys and oatmeal in two jars, close, and put in the refrigerator. They will be ready to enjoy the next day and can keep for a few days to provide fast and easy breakfast, snacks, or even desserts
• Store meal kits together. If several items go together to make a specific meal, store them together so they’re easy to access and prepare. This way if your senior is looking for a healthy meal to put together, they can see the ingredients that go together and be inspired by them

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the needs of caring for an elderly adult. You love your parent and want what’s best for them, and giving that to them often means reaching out for help. One of the best sources of help available to you as a family caregiver is elderly care. An elderly home care services provider can offer your senior a completely customized set of services specifically designed with them and their individuality in mind. This means you can delegate specific care tasks, take a step back and focus more energy and attention on the other elements of your life, I’d still feel completely confident your parents are giving everything that they need on a daily basis.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering elderly care in Lubbock, TX, please contact the caring staff at Best In-Home Care (806) 412-0723.

When an older adult reaches a stage in their lives where they need help around the house, it’s normal for family members to have questions about care options. In fact, many people aren’t even aware of all the services that are available. They may think they can only get assistance for medical needs or that the only choice for a senior with health problems that keep them from being completely independent is moving to a facility. Fortunately, there is help for seniors who just need a little extra help to stay at home. Home care is a service that provides for non-medical needs so that your loved one can continue to live at home safely and comfortably. If you’re uncertain what kinds of things home care can do for senior citizens, here’s a list of just 20 ways they can help throughout the day: 

 

1. Assisting the senior to get out of bed in the morning. 

   

2. Choosing clothing and getting dressed. 
3. Brushing teeth or cleaning dentures. 
4. Grooming, including shaving, combing hair, and applying makeup. 
5. Foot care, which is especially important for diabetic seniors. Care may include clipping toenails, checking for blisters and sores, and putting on lotion. 
6. Reminding the older adult to take medications. 
7. Planning meals. 
8. Taking the senior grocery shopping, which includes transportation, assistance with pushing the cart, selecting foods, carrying heavy bags, and putting groceries away. 
9. Making meals and snacks that conform to any dietary restrictions. 
10. Doing dishes. 
11. Encouraging the person to get enough fluids throughout the day to prevent dehydration. 
12. Offering emotional support. 
13. Taking the senior on outings, such as to museums, movie theaters, and other places of interest. 
14. Enjoyable activities that prevent boredom, like reading aloud, playing games, doing puzzles, or watching movies. 
15. Helping the senior use the bathroom, such as by transferring them from a wheelchair to the toilet, assisting with the bedpan, or emptying a catheter bag. 
16. Light housecleaning, including vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, mopping, making beds, and doing laundry. 
17. Preventing falls by removing clutter, clearing walkways, keeping the house well lit, and offering a steadying arm as they walk. 
18. Getting the mail and helping the senior to read it. 
19. Encouraging more physical activity. 
20. Monitoring for changes in symptoms or new symptoms. 

 

Keep in mind that this list doesn’t cover everything home care can do. If your older family member has a specific need, ask home care how they can help.  

If you or an aging loved-one are considering home care in Lubbock, TX, please contact the caring staff at Best In-Home Care (806) 412-0723.