I couldn’t remember the last time I did something just for me; even after the birth of my children, I had hobbies, I went out with my friends, and attended events with my husband. After speaking with a friend, I was recommended to Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston, a company that I was told could help me, since they provide professional in home care for seniors.

After checking them out, I signed my mother up to receive assistance a few days a week, to alleviate some of my responsibilities. They also recommended me to a caregiver support group in my neighborhood so I could speak with other people who would understand what I’m going through.

With the help from HISC, I was able to take back some of my social life, and generally look after myself. After a few years in this routine, I was fortunate enough to be in a financial situation to cut back my hours at work. I chose to spend more time caring for my mom while still working part time; but having learned my lesson earlier,

I kept the help that HISC had been providing to allow me some guilt-free time to myself. While dealing with my aging mother, caring for my family, and working still naturally pose a stressful combination, I am no longer overwhelmed and I am better able to care for everyone, including myself.

Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston provides resources that seniors need to remain independent at home, we hope that families can avoid some of the stress that goes with caring for an aging loved one - (281) 484-0200.

WHEN A CAREGIVER NEEDS TO STEP BACK

Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston provides resources that seniors need to remain independent at home, we hope that families can avoid some of the stress that goes with caring for an aging loved one - (281) 484-0200.

I’ve been my mother’s caregiver for over 10 years, since she suffered from a severe stroke in her late 70’s. Initially, I only cared for her on a part time basis, while I continued to manage my full time career and run a household consisting of 3 small children, and 1 husband who was frequently away from home on business trips.

When I began this process, the challenge was invigorating, but as time went on I started to cave under the pressure; with all my responsibilities compounded together, it was like working 3 full time jobs. When I started to have these feelings, I felt guilty; I knew my family needed me, and I didn’t want to disappoint them. So what did I do? I kept a stiff upper lip, and continued on. My immune system suffered from the stress I was feeling, and I seemed to have a constant illness I just couldn’t get away from; I wasn’t sleeping much, and I went through my daily routine in a daze.

It wasn’t until I stumbled in from my mother’s house late one evening, and collapsed into bed, only to be immediately disturbed by my 5 year old daughter, did I realize that something needed to change. I hadn’t even gone into my children’s bedrooms to kiss them goodnight, and instead of recognizing how much she missed my absence, I got upset because her appearance kept me from rest.

It was only later did I hear about the respite care Home Instead Senior Care in Southeast Houston delivers. If you are like me and need help, please call them at (281) 484-0200.

“Third, safety becomes a real concern for seniors who are suffering illness or mobility problems.  To prevent falls, consider putting grab bars in bathrooms, placing bright yellow tape strips on stairs or painting the toilet seat yellow,” she said. 

“Finally, transportation is a big challenge for those seniors who are forced to give up their keys.  Communities can offer the best programs in the world, but if you can’t get the individual there, what good are they?” Hujer said.

Oftentimes, seniors are reluctant to seek outside help because they want to keep doing things the way they always have.  “Dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive problems, may impair seniors’ judgment as well as their memory,” Hujer said.  “That’s when, with an older adult’s input, a caregiver can intervene to promote a safe environment and help ensure quality of life.”

“By helping adult children identify the types of resources that a senior might need to remain independent at home, we hope that families can avoid some of the stress that goes with caring for an aging loved one,”

Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston & Bay Area - please call (281-484-0200.

Seniors’ expectations for remaining at home are high.  In a survey conducted late last year by Home Instead Senior Care, 83 percent of seniors surveyed said they are very or somewhat likely to remain in their homes rather than move to a care facility. If you choose to stay home and need help at your home call 281-484-0200.

Home Instead Senior Care, the largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship for the elderly in the U.S., sends CAREGivers to seniors to help keep them independent and at home for as long as possible.

 “Most people, in general, want to live at home or independently in a retirement community,” said Mary Hujer RN, MSN, geriatric clinical nurse specialist for the Cleveland Clinic.  “Who wants to lose their independence?  The best approach to staying self-sufficient is to plan ahead and accept help when necessary.”

Hujer explained that some concerns of aging, which jeopardize independence, could include isolation, weight loss, safety and transportation.  Research shows that routine socialization is one of the key aspects of successful aging so it’s important for seniors to find social activities. 

Poor nutrition that leads to weight loss can be caused by multiple factors, some of which may be social.  Up to one-third of patients I see experience some weight loss at one time or another.

Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston helps Houston elders & seniors eliminate isolation, weight loss, safety and transportation. Call us at 281-484-0200.

How to tell when the elderly need assistance to stay safe and comfortable at home -

What today’s seniors want most is to age in place.  What they fear most is to lose their independence.  But what they’re least likely to ask for is the kind of help that will keep them comfortable and safe at home.  That’s why it’s often up to the adult children of aging parents to look for the signs that their elderly loved one needs help at home.  Neglecting those signs will likely lead seniors to the kind of dependence that most would like to avoid.

Seniors often don’t recognize when they require help. That’s why adult children should identify where their loved ones need assistance.  Home Instead Senior Care Houston has made this process easier by providing a list of simple, look and see signs that adult children can use to identify the types of services their loved ones might need. 

Providing seniors assistance with a few basic tasks:

• Meal preparation
• Light housework
• Companionship and medication reminders

This can often mean the difference between whether they stay at home or go to an assisted living facility.  And that kind of independence is very important to seniors’ overall happiness.

The latest report in the AARP’s Beyond 50 series confirmed that seniors’ number one fear is loss of independence.  The vast majority of people 50 and older do not require long term assistance at any given time.  However, most people will require assistance at some point in their lives, and most families will face these issues with their older family members according to the report.

Home Health in Southeast Houston, League City, Pasadena, Webster, Clear Lake, Baytown call 281-484-0200.

Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston sends warm wishes and hope to our Southeast Texas residents.

If you need help:

• SHELTERS: Evacuees should register at Port San Antonio’s Reception Center. Once registered, evacuees will be given directions to their assigned shelter. Basic sheltering is being provided. Evacuees should bring clean clothes and bedding as well as medication, toiletries, pet items, baby items and other specialty items. For more information, call (210) 207-6400 or 311.

• FEMA: If you are in a disaster-designated county, register online at www.fema.gov or call FEMA at (800) 621-FEMA (3362). Detailed information about this disaster and the recovery process also is available online at www.fema.gov or www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

• PRICE GOUGING: Call the Consumer Complaint Hot Line, (800) 252-8011 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. to report price-gouging on necessities, including gas, groceries, clothing, medical supplies, lodging and repair work.

• SAFE & WELL: The American Red Cross has set up the Web site disastersafe.redcross.org to allow evacuees to register so loved ones can find them. Evacuees also can register by calling (866) GETINFO (866-438-4636) or (800) REDCROSS (800-733-2767).

• PET SHELTERS: An evacuation shelter for pets is housed at Stinson Municipal Airport, located off 99th Street and Roosevelt Drive in Hangar 80. The shelter will care for and take in pets 24 hours a day.

• MEDICARE: If you belong to a Medicare health plan, you have special rights for out-of-network care. Visit www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema, or call (800) 621-FEMA (800-621-3362) to learn more. TTY users should call (800) 462-7585.

• PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: If you lost your Medicare prescription drug card, call (800) 633-4227. TTY users call (877) 486-2048.

• ROAD CONDITIONS: Texas Department of Transportation has road condition information at (800) 452-9292.

• DISASTER ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT: The program’s toll-free hot line (866) 9-TIP-DAP is accepting calls from Gulf Coast residents and relief workers who spot gaps in disaster-relief efforts.

• INSURANCE: Companies’ phone numbers are listed here: www.tdi.state.tx.us/consumer/storms/cpmdiscatlist.html. The Texas Department of Insurance also has a consumer hot line that can provide phone numbers at (800) 252-3439.

• AUTO INSURANCE: Claims assistance is available through the AAA Texas claims hot line: (800) 672-5246.

• FREE INTERNET AND PHONE BANK: AT&T is offering free phone service and high-speed Internet to evacuees at Port San Antonio.

• ATMs: San Antonio Federal Credit Union has placed two automatic teller machines at Port San Antonio. SACU is waiving its ATM fee.

• CHILD SUPPORT CHECKS: Parents who receive child support through the mail can call (800) 252-8014 for information about their payments. The hurricane has disrupted mail delivery to Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda and Orange counties. The Texas Child Support Disbursement Unit will reroute child support payments as soon as parents contact child support officials with their new locations. Parents who do not call will get their checks at their current address as soon as mail delivery resumes. Parents who pay child support may call (800) 252-8014.

• STATE PARK SHELTERS: Evacuees are allowed to tent camp or stay in RVs or campers at no cost in Texas State Parks and may stay in cabins or screen shelters at discounted rates. Information on parks closed or accepting evacuees is available through the TPWD Web site (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/site/emergency).

Home Health in Southeast Houston, League City Pasadena, Webster, Clear Lake, Baytown call 281-484-0200.

I don’t have a strong family history of cancer. Am I still at risk?

The average person in the U.S. has a lifetime risk of nearly 40 percent of developing some type of cancer. So you’re definitely at risk, says David S. Alberts, M.D., director of the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson. All of us are at risk. But interestingly, lifestyle-not family history-is responsible for the majority of cancers in this country, Dr. Alberts says. More than 80 percent of all cancers are related to our diets, our smoking habits, our inactivity, and other preventable lifestyle factors.

The best overall strategy for lowering your risk? Dr. Alberts’ Rx: Don’t smoke, eliminate your exposure to secondhand smoke, stick to a diet that’s low in fat with loads of fruits and vegetables, get physically active for at least 60 minutes every day, and follow all standard screening guidelines.

Limit your alcohol consumption. According to the American Cancer Society, the more alcohol you drink, the higher your risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, including oral, liver, and breast cancers.

Colon cancer is no respecter of gender, striking men and women with equal frequency.  However, colon cancer is also easily prevented, since it can develop from polyps that can be removed before they become cancerous. 

That’s why middle-aged and older adults should follow these guidelines:

• Get regular screening tests;
• Exercise regularly;
• Maintain a healthy weight;
• Eat a diet rich in fruits,
• Vegetables and whole grains;
• Don’t smoke and don’t drink alcohol excessively.

About Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon and/or rectum. It is equally common in both men and women — 148,810 cases will be diagnosed in 2008, and an estimated 49,960 people will die from the disease. It is also one of the most easily prevented cancers because it can develop from polyps that can be removed before they become cancerous.

Visit PreventCancer.org for more information.

Home Health in Southeast Houston, Pasadena, Webster, Clear Lake, Baytown call 281-484-0200.

Home Caregiving in Southeast Houston & Bay Area, Clear Lake, Pasadena, Friendswood, Webster -  Call us at (281) 484-0200.

Our post continues from September 5 on Caregiving Tips for Elders.

• Work out for 20 minutes at least three times per week, and consider learning a stress-management exercise such as yoga or tai-chi.

• Eat well – plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, including nuts and beans, and whole grains.

• Meditate.  Sit still and breathe deeply with the mind as “quiet” as possible.

• Attend to personal medical needs.  Get annual check-ups and other treatment as necessary.  Being a caregiver provides numerous excuses for skipping doctor’s visits, but this absolutely should not happen.

• Get help from family members, friends, volunteers, or professional non-medical caregivers.   
• Find a local caregiver support group to help understand the experiences and feelings associated with family caregiving.

Click to learn more even about caregiver stress – including signs and symptoms, and other ways of dealing with this problem.  Visitors to this site can even take a very enlightening 20-question online test to determine their personal levels of caregiving-related stress.

Home Instead Senior Care knows what a challenge family caregiving can be.  It’s one of the most rewarding tasks a person can ever perform in life.

So if you ever want to know more about caregiving; if you’d like to learn more about our services; or if you’re interested in employment as a Home Instead CAREGiver, please contact us at 281-484-0200.

Respite Care for families dealing with elder care - Call us at (281) 484-0200.

In addition, the basic stresses of family caregiving can be exacerbated when a caregiver has other responsibilities such as a job; children; a busy social life; some distance to travel to provide care for an aging parent or relative; and so on.  Moreover, caregiving can be particularly hard for a spouse, especially when the care recipient requires around-the-clock assistance.

So, it’s not surprising to find that most family caregivers struggle to balance the task of caring for an aging parent or relative with other major life responsibilities.  This often means that these caregivers have little time left to care for themselves – which can result in their experiencing high stress levels and resultant health problems.  In fact, according to this same survey, 55 percent of family caregivers appear to have average or significant levels of stress.

The problem, of course, is that when caregivers neglect self care, they end up incapable of taking care of the senior loved ones who need their help in the first place.  Recently, Home Instead Senior Care and Caring Today Magazine held an essay contest – one that, not surprisingly, had the theme of caregiving.  One prize-winning entry put it very succinctly: “A worn-out caregiver is good to no one.”

Visit us in a day when we add some excellent tips for caregivers to avoid or manage stress.  These were compiled by Home Instead Senior Care’s Advisory Board of senior care experts, which includes company CEO and Co-Founder Paul Hogan.