Caregiving | Take My Hand At Home

Don’t miss your yearly checkup

June 1, 2021 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

Don’t overlook the value of a yearly health screening.

There’s a reason we’re told so see the doc at least once a year as we age: the older our bodies get, the more they can start to break down. A regular checkup can help identify unknown issues before they become serious.

Even if you feel healthy, you still should visit your health care provider at least once a year. During a regular checkup, your doctor likely will take care of such important issues as screening for medical issues, assessing potential future health care needs, updating vaccinations and encouraging any health-focused changes that might be necessary.

If your health is great, you’ll feel relieved. And if there’s something you need to take care of, you’ll be thankful you caught it early.

For example, did you know that other than getting it checked, there’s no reliable way to tell whether you have high blood pressure? That’s one reason high blood pressure is known as the “silent killer,” causing damage to your circulatory system and leading to potential heart attacks and strokes without you even knowing it. At a checkup, your doctor will identify whether you have high blood pressure — and, if so, what to do about it.

Plus, regular checkups can help you get to know your doctor better, which can be comforting if you ever have an illness or emergency.

In addition to a regular health checkup, older men also should consider regular screenings for cholesterol, colorectal cancer and diabetes, among others. Women also should consider regular breast cancer screenings. Your health provider will let you know what screenings are important for you specifically, based on your health and history.

With Father’s Day coming up, how about a checkup as an outside-of-the-box gift idea?

The joke about belts, ties and wallets is that dads often need them but would rarely buy them for themselves. Setting your dad up with a health checkup could be something like that, too. If your dad has been dragging his feet about seeing his doc for a look-over, helping him set that up could be a needed gift.

Another good idea could be signing up for long-term care help at home. At-home care visits from a certified nursing assistant can give you piece of mind that medication is being monitored, groceries are stocked, and daily needs are being met.

You both will be thankful for that.

How to identify strokes — and help prevent them — in an elderly loved one

May 6, 2021 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

As we age, our risk of stroke increases. According to the Mayo Clinic, those older than 55 have a greater likelihood of stroke than do younger people.

Are you concerned about the risk of stroke in a loved one? Here’s how to spot them:

An older man in a hat looks off into the distance outdoors.

You’ve probably heard the acronym FAST, from the American Stroke Association. The acronym is a great way to help identify the symptoms of a stroke in a loved one.

F: Face drooping. If you spot face drooping and suspect a stroke is occurring, ask your loved one to smile. If the person is having a stroke, his or her smile might be uneven or lopsided.

A: Arm weakness. Ask your loved one to raise both arms and check whether one arm drifts downward.

S: Speech difficulty. Ask your loved one to repeat a simple sentence. Stroke victims often will have slurred speech that is difficult to understand.

T: Time to call 911. If you see any of these symptoms — even if they go away — call 911 and take your loved one to a hospital immediately.

To help prevent strokes, there are a few things you can encourage your loved one to do:

An older woman in a hat looks off into the distance in a diner.

Get good sleep. According to Senior Living, elderly people who sleep poorly — those who wake often and have erratic sleep patterns — are more susceptible to developing hardened blood vessels, which can restrict blood flow to the brain and lead to strokes. The avoidance of strokes is one way in which good sleep can promote good health. If an elderly loved one has Alzheimer’s or dementia, working to manage sundown syndrome also can help promote better sleep.

Pay attention food and drink. Cholesterol, which sticks to the insides of our blood vessels and restricts blood flow, can increase stroke risk. Sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which is a major stroke risk. Diet soda, too, can be harmful. And then there’s fatty food. Trans fat, in particular, can contribute to strokes (not to mention obesity, cancer and heart disease). Spend some time researching the value of good nutrition and make changes in your loved one’s diet to maximize the benefits of great food.

Exercise. Research published in the journal Neurology found that higher levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of silent stroke.

If you’re concerned that a loved one might experience a stroke or other medical issue with nobody around to help, consider setting up a schedule with family members or seeking a nurse for hire to be with your loved one when you are unable. A home attendant caregiver can help offer peace of mind that someone will be there for your loved one — while also helping out with many other personal care tasks, including shopping for healthy foods. Take My Hand At-Home Care provides licensed caregivers throughout Whatcom County to help the elderly live safely at home.

How technology can help loved ones with dementia

February 2, 2021 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

As an aid for older people with dementia or cognitive decline, technology has been in use for decades. In fact, the first medical alert device — a pendant that could dial preprogrammed phone numbers when pressed — dates to the 1970s.

As technology has grown and expanded in the past half-century, its usefulness in helping people with dementia and their loved ones has grown as well.

Here are five ways modern technology can be used to help those with cognitive decline:

Because those with cognitive decline can be prone to wander and get lost, location trackers can be lifesavers. The Alzheimer’s Society website contains a wonderful resource for those looking for technology to keep tabs on the location of a loved one.
Video monitors can be placed strategically to let family members and caregivers know that people with dementia are able to take charge of important activities. A camera trained on the medication cabinet, for example, can send alerts when movement is detected, providing assurance that important medications are being taken. Similarly, a kitchen camera can provide evidence that loved ones are eating, and a door camera can send notices when someone enters or leaves the house.
It can be common among the elderly, and especially those with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, to need regular reminders of the time, day and their schedule. Talking clocks can provide aural and visual reminders of the time and can be programmed to remind the elderly when to take medications.
Digital games can help the elderly meet needs for socialization, communication and brain stimulation. ActTo Dementia, an international dementia research project, provides app recommendations on its website.
Picture frames that show slideshows of digital photos can be used to show friendly and familiar faces to the elderly, helping stave off loneliness and to keep the faces of loved ones at the fronts of their minds. Some of these frames also can be set to play familiar and meaningful music.

Of course, technology should be used as an aid, not as a replacement for a caregiver or another form of memory care. For their emotional and physical wellbeing, it’s important that elderly loved ones continue to receive personal care and attention. For assistance with at-home care in Whatcom County, from Bellingham to Blaine, please consider giving Take My Hand At-Home Care a call.

How to spot cognitive decline in a loved one

January 5, 2021 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

Cognitive lapses are fairly common among older adults, with subjective cognitive decline affecting roughly one in nine people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s natural to be concerned that a loved one might experience dementia, Alzheimer’s or a similar brain decline in older age.

How can you tell whether cognitive decline might be happening to someone you know and love? Here are four things to look for:

Increasing forgetfulness. If you’ve noticed that your mom or dad tends to have increasing trouble remembering routine tasks, or if you’ve seen that more and more appointments are being missed, advancing cognitive decline may be a factor. You also might notice that your loved one is forgetting recent conversations or events. “Some cognitive decline can occur as adults age,” according to the CDC, “but frequently forgetting how to perform routine tasks, for example, is not a normal part of aging and can affect a person’s ability to live and function independently.”

Difficulty understanding directions. After a visit to the doctor, for example, your loved one might struggle to follow instructions about taking pills. Getting lost more easily can be a sign, too — like getting “turned around” more often in the grocery store.

Increases in impulsivity. Perhaps your loved one has been buying things online that he wouldn’t have in the past or is showing other signs of acting without thinking.

Changes in hygiene, appetite or organization. Becoming increasingly messy at home or disorganized in how tasks are conducted can be another symptom. Decreased hygiene and reduced appetite also can be warning signs.

It’s important to remember that signs of cognitive impairment may be mistaken for other issues, as experts at Emory University have detailed. Some medications, for example, may cause side effects like drowsiness or mental slowness. Hearing issues can make it harder for people to follow along in a conversation, and arthritis or other pains can cause problems with concentration.

If you see any of these signs in an elderly loved one, reach out to Dementia Support Northwest here in Whatcom County for a memory screening to get a better handle on what might be the issue.

And if you do find that a loved one needs ongoing assistance, hiring an at-home caregiver can be one way to assist loved ones who might need increasing levels of support. Caregivers can devote as little or as much time as is needed to ensure the proper amount of attention and support for loved ones in Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale and the rest of Whatcom County.

Does your elderly loved one need a healthcare advocate?

November 7, 2020 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

As COVID-19 lockdowns and mask-wearing requirements continue here in Whatcom County, an increasing trend we are seeing is that the elderly are having difficulty at medical appointments.

With masks being a requirement, it is difficult for many people to correctly understand what doctors and nurses are telling them. Many elderly people do not hear well and are unable to read their providers’ facial expressions or lips from behind their masks. For many older adults, this is extremely isolating — and even scary. Not only do they feel unable to communicate about important life-related needs, but they often can’t even acquire a good understanding of what they are supposed to do (how to take medications, when to return for a follow-up appointment, how to process potentially life-changing health information, etc.).

For those reasons, it is prudent to ask whether older loved ones need a healthcare advocate to accompany them to medical appointments in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and throughout Whatcom County.

Not only can assistants help with basic tasks like setting appointments, driving and picking up prescriptions, but they also can help digest important information from healthcare providers at appointments and can help explain how and when to take medications.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when so much is confusing and far beyond ordinary, having a kind, calming person to assist with tasks related to healthcare can be an enormous relief.

Some seniors avoid going to the doctor because they feel like they don’t understand what they are being told or they are scared of the outcome, even though not every visit leads to bad news. There may be important prevention information to learn or wellness tweaks to make that can help extend their lives. Having a healthcare advocate at their side can make all the difference.

Plus, in addition to health-related support, an advocate also can help with such responsibilities as ensuring that bills are paid, transporting people to and from appointments, shopping for groceries in Bellingham, cooking meals and liaising with important Whatcom County community services.

If you think your mom, dad or other loved one could benefit from having a healthcare advocate at an upcoming medical appointment, please give Take My Hand At-Home Care a call. We would be happy to discuss your needs and opportunities.

ADUs can be part of cost-effective option for eldercare

October 6, 2020 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

As we age, the options for health care and assistance only get more expensive. Nursing home care, for example, can cost $90,000 to $100,000 per year in Washington state. Assisted living can cost approximately $50,000 per year and up.

However, one option for caring for aging parents and loved ones is to add an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, to your property to aid in the provision of at-home care. Doing so allows families to keep their aging loved ones nearby, not only being able to oversee their care but also to spend more time with them as they age.

ADUs have been around the Whatcom County area for a long time. The rules for ADUs — whether free-standing structures or finished basements or attics — can vary depending on your location, so it’s important to check with your local jurisdiction before getting started. The rules in Bellingham are different than the rules in Lynden, Ferndale and unincorporated Whatcom County.

In general, here are some options you might consider when thinking about adding an ADU to your property to help care for an aging loved one at home:

Refinish a basement or attic. Especially after children grow up and move out, homeowners often find themselves with extra space inside their homes that can be remodeled to accommodate a loved one. Adding a bathroom and small kitchen to a finished basement, for example, can turn unneeded storage or play space into important living quarters for a loved one.
Buy a prefabricated ADU to place behind your house. As ADUs become increasingly popular, more and more companies are offering prefab ADUs — built to your specifications — that can be sited on your property with minimal construction costs and delays. At a cost of less than one year in a nursing home, a gorgeous prefab ADU could provide years of comfortable living. A prefab accessory dwelling unit can provide some autonomy and privacy while also keeping loved ones nearby.
Convert a shed or detached garage to a “granny flat” or cottage dwelling. Do you have a shed or garage on your property that’s just storing unused junk? Converting it to an accessory dwelling unit could be a wonderful way to reclaim that wasted space.

No matter what type of ADU you decide on as an alternative for assisted living, remember to check your local government’s website or put in a phone call to find out exactly what rules and regulations govern the construction of an ADU on your property.

You’ll also want to consider how to get your loved one the help he or she needs. Will family members be providing the care, or will you hire part-time help to assist with activities of daily living, such as grocery shopping, transportation to doctor visits, cooking and more? For information on how Take My Hand At-Home Care might be able to help provide care in your new ADU, please feel free to give us a call.

Should I take my parent out of assisted living during COVID-19?

September 1, 2020 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

Assisted living can be a wonderful way to ensure that loved ones get the care they need as they age.

Many assisted living and skilled nursing centers offer a robust level of care while also doing what they can to ensure that those who live there are able to retain some independence and live life as “normally” as possible.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered how assisted living facilities can operate. State and federal guidelines regarding the management of care centers have severely restricted visits with family members and even hampered how much residents can see and talk with each other within the facilities.

In fact, these restrictions have led many families to think about removing their mom or dad from long-term care to help ensure that loved ones aren’t isolated and lonely while they wait out the pandemic.

Is removing a loved one from assisted living during COVID-19 something you have been considering? Or maybe you’ve been thinking about placing mom or dad in assisted living, but during the pandemic you’re not certain it’s a good idea?

Here are a few questions you might want to ponder:

If you take a loved one out of long-term care, how will he or she receive the necessary care? Regular visits from an at-home care provider could be one way to ensure that your loved one’s daily needs are met during COVID-19. Or perhaps you will be providing the care yourself. Either way, you’ll want to have a plan in place before you decide to move mom or dad — and one that includes where your loved one will stay.
Are you worried about your loved one’s state of mind? Loneliness can have drastically negative consequences for older adults. If you fear that your loved one spends too much time alone due to COVID-19 restrictions, bringing them home — where kids and grandkids can pop by any time for a socially distanced visit — might be a good choice.
What are your long-term care facility’s policies? If your loved one is currently in assisted living, check to find out what policies and procedures are currently in place regarding visitation, infection prevention and other issues. This article from NextAvenue includes other great questions to ask a current or prospective long-term care facility.
Do you have a long-term lease set up? If you’re locked into an agreement of any kind, you’ll want to think about the potential costs of leaving early. You’ll also want to consider whether your loved one can be readmitted to the assisted living facility down the road.
What will you do when the pandemic is behind us? When COVID-19 has run its course, or when governments allow the return of some of the freedoms of yesteryear, will your loved one continue to live at home? Will you need to line up a long-term home or apply for admission to assisted living? Will you continue to make use of at-home care to provide for your loved one in the comfort of home?

The pandemic and its related lockdowns haven’t had nearly the effects on at-home care that they’ve had on assisted living centers. Here at Take My Hand At-Home Care in Lynden, we certainly are being cautious to avoid spreading COVID-19, but we’re generally able to continue as before, caring for people in their homes and helping them conduct essential duties throughout Whatcom County. Government restrictions on health care facility operations, on the other hand, have forced larger changes.

Are those changes big enough to cause you to consider caring for a parent or loved one at home? The choice is yours, and we hope this post has given you a few good considerations to ponder.

Differences between communal living and at-home care

July 2, 2020 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

Nearly 9 in 10 elderly people want to live at home for as long as possible, according to the AARP.

Why?

There are many reasons why a person might choose to age in place rather than move to an assisted living center or other communal living arrangement: cost, independence and the level of personal care needed all have a role in the decision-making process.

One of the most obvious reasons why individuals might choose to live at home instead of in a communal facility is that it’s what they’ve always known. Living in their own home is what they’re used to; it’s comfortable. They can sleep in their own bed, use their own kitchen, enjoy the window views they’re familiar with and more. Whether it’s in Lynden, Ferndale, Bellingham, Everson or somewhere else, home is… home.

Related: Is your mom or dad ready for care?

Here are some other simple – but important – reasons why people might want to age in place:

Not having to share sleeping spaces. Among the simple benefits of living at home is not having to share a room with other elderly residents. Living at home means more privacy, more individual freedom. An at-home caregiver can provide services in support of the individual’s independence, offering as much or as little care as is desired.
Being able to set the heat. Living at home means being in control of your home. It may seem simple to be able to set the heat to one’s desired comfort level, to listen to music (or not) when desired or to turn on or off the lights when needed. But in a communal living environment, those choices aren’t always possible. There’s good reason for that, of course; in an assisted living home, the needs of many people must be met at once. At home, there’s just one person whose needs are most important.
Choosing what and when to eat. Communal living offers the convenience of having all meals prepared and served by someone else. That can free up an individual’s time for other activities. However, there’s some loss of choice in that, and many older people choose to have an at-home caregiver help with meal preparation – and even grocery shopping, too – to enable them to retain control over dining options.
Maintaining easy access to family and friends. Living at home, there are no restrictions on visiting hours. There is no need to keep voices down, meet in shared spaces or limit who is allowed to visit. Instead, family and friends can continue to visit grandma as they always have – at grandma’s house.

Of course, these aren’t the only things to consider when deciding between aging in place or moving to an assisted living facility. Cost can be a factor, as can the amount of care needed and the ease of completing activities of daily living. For some people, medical or other needs are great enough that moving to an assisted living center is the right choice. For many others, an at-home caregiver can be brought in to provide whatever assistance is needed, extending the amount of time that older people can continue to live at home – which, as we’ve seen, many people want to do.

Related: How can I fulfil mom’s desire to live at home?

Before and after surgery: Why you might need help at home

June 3, 2020 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

Going in for a planned surgery often includes the need to prepare for days ahead of time and to recuperate for days or weeks afterward.

If your mom or dad has a surgery planned that requires a lengthy prep or at-home recuperation period, you’ll want to ensure that they have help with daily needs. Even for surgeries with relatively rapid recovery times, help at home after surgery often is essential. As you prepare for your loved one’s surgery, be sure to talk with the surgeon about expected recovery times and recommendations for post-op care for seniors.

Your mom or dad’s specific needs will depend on the type of surgery involved, but in general there are several reasons why someone might need at-home care before or after surgery in Whatcom County:

Food and medication management: Correctly managing dietary and medication plans during preparations for surgery can be difficult. Often, the instructions can be confusing. Specific plans and timings – eat this food now, fast for this long, take this pill at 6 and that one at 8 – can be challenging for people of all ages to understand and abide by.

Pain management and regulation: After the surgery, the management of pain medication can be difficult – but oh, so important. Your mom, dad or other loved one might be taking medications that could cloud thinking and judgment. Having someone around to help your loved one follow the medication plan and recognize when slight adjustments might need to be made is valuable. This can help prevent overmedication while providing valuable support in managing pain for the first few days.

Getting here and there: Speaking of pain medication and management, it’s important that people who are taking pain medication do not drive. The pain management regimen could go on for days or weeks after the surgery. An at-home assistant can help ensure that the shopping gets done and that the patient has a ride to and from follow-up appointments.

Personal care: Before and especially after surgery, it might be necessary to have someone help with various tasks related to daily living. Assistance might be needed to provide and/or prepare meals, change dressings, fetch ice packs and keep your mom or dad hydrated.

Reducing the likelihood of a return to the hospital: Hiring a caregiver to manage the post-hospital care such as wound dressing, medication management, mobility aid and doctor communication can make all the difference between smooth post-op recovery and a return to the hospital if things go south.

When the elderly must have surgery performed, often they rely on family members to help. But what are they to do if family do not live nearby or are otherwise unable to help? At at-home nursing assistant can provide invaluable support in situations like this. To learn more about how Take My Hand At-Home Care provides help before and after surgery for people in Lynden, Ferndale, Bellingham and throughout Whatcom County, please feel free to give us a call or read this information about our in-home assessments.

Help! I have questions about caring for an aging parent.

May 6, 2020 By Take My Hand At-Home Care

As we’ve mentioned before in previous TMH Client Profiles, at Take My Hand At-Home Care we hear often from adults who are wondering when and how to decide that mom or dad needs a higher level of personal care and attention.

These certainly are not easy decisions to make, and every situation is different. But read on for an example situation that may include elements of what you’re going through. Perhaps it will help you make those important decisions.

Mom is still pretty active. She lives nearby, so sometimes I accompany her to doctor visits in Bellingham or take her shopping, but she typically can do those things just fine on her own.

The other day, when we were working in her garden, she mentioned that she loves her home — she’s lived in the same home in Lynden for 50 years, after all — and doesn’t want to leave. When she eventually needs care, she said, she wants to stay at home. She doesn’t want to be moved to a long-term care center or assisted living facility; she’d rather just stay right at home.

The problem is that I’m not able to spend the time caring for her that probably would be required. I have a family of my own to care for, and I have to go to work every day, too. How can I meet mom’s desires to stay home while also being sure that she’s taken care of? Sometimes it keeps me up at night.

This is a common concern. Adults in the sandwich generation — those who are sandwiched between caring for aging parents and caring for their own young children — often find themselves having to make difficult decisions about how to spend their time and money. Do I sacrifice my family time to spend evenings and weekends caring for mom? Do I dip into our family savings to pay for upgrades to mom’s home so she can age in place? How do I even know when mom is ready for extra assistance around the home?

No single solution is a perfect fit for every family here in Whatcom County. However, there are some good options for adult children in situations like this to consider:

Set up a consultation with a home care provider to discuss your situation. A trained provider with experience in at-home care situations can take a look at your loved one’s situations and offer personalized advice. Take My Hand offers complimentary in-home assessments for folks in Lynden, Ferndale, Bellingham and throughout Whatcom County.
Ask an at-home care provider for part-time shifts to cover basic needs. This would help your mom or dad get used to the idea of having people other than family members in the home. Plus, part-time home care would help set a baseline for the care needed. At-home care situations can be new for everyone, and starting off slowly is often a good idea.
Caregivers like us are fond of saying that the best caregivers are those who are able to care for themselves and meet their own needs. Honestly, that’s critically important. If you, as a family caregiver, are constantly giving and never receiving, you’re going to run your own batteries so low that you won’t be able to help anyone. Please know that your family — spouse, kids, yourself — needs and deserves your attention, so don’t feel guilty if you can’t be with your aging parent as much as they might like.
Independence and self-sufficiency are good things for older adults. We try to keep them from becoming reliant on outside help too early; if they can do something for themselves, let them and encourage them! Of course, pay close attention to signs that they might need extra help — increasing bouts of forgetfulness, difficulty getting around, declining eyesight, lack of ability to process and understand doctors’ orders, etc. — and step in when necessary, but don’t feel obligated to help just because your parents are getting older.
Now is a great time to start considering payment options for long-term care. You never know what you might need in the future, and how much it might cost. Consider your family financial situation and the amount of money mom and dad have saved up and start investigating options that might work for you. Long-term care insurance can be a good choice, as can Medicare and private-pay options.

If you’d like to have a discussion about any of these aspects of eldercare in Whatcom County, please feel free to give us a call or send an email.