What exactly is Swine Influenza? Learn the facts about the virus that’s catching the
attention of the news media and concerned citizens all over the US from The Center of
Disease Control and Prevention website and share your thoughts.
1.) How should this outbreak be handled?
2.) What can adults and seniors do to prevent exposure?
Please comment below with your opinions!
Image Source:
-New York Times
Maintaining Positive Interactions between family caregivers and aging relatives. Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston, Webster, Pasadena, Baytown, League City, Houston Bay Area Helping Seniors Living at Home with home health - Call us 281-484-0200.
Q1 – I’ve noticed that people tend to treat seniors differently, why is that?
A1 – According to my studies, there are 2 common ways that people interact with seniors; they treat them like children, or they treat them with undue levels of respect. People have a hard time seeing seniors as regular people, they either look at their decline in skills and reliance upon others, and associate them with children; or they believe that their age makes them a natural fountain of knowledge.
Q2 – If families treat their elders this way, what does it do to relationships between seniors and the younger generations?
A2 – Treating a senior like a child or communicating with them in a patronizing manner does nothing positive for the relationship or a senior’s self esteem. And, while a senior may have more life experience, addressing them with excessive levels of respect can create contempt.
Q3 – How have these societal conceptions of seniors come about?
A3 - Society tends to judge people based on their Continued Value, often using family relationships or career aspirations to attribute this worth. Seniors, as retired people, can be seen as not making an ample contribution to society, which leads people to think they have no value and are therefore seen in a different light from everyone else.
Q4 – How should families handle interactions with their senior members?
A4 – Quite simply, seniors should be treated just like everyone else. Get to know who they really are and interact with them accordingly.
Q5 – How can families look at a senior’s continued value?
A5 – Instead of assessing them based on the fact that they are retired, look at the many contributions they do make; including community involvement, political activism, financial contributions to causes and family, and the support they provide to their loved ones, like caring for grandchildren.
Courtesy of Dr. Jake Harwood, Professor, University of Arizona
Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston, Webster, Pasadena, Baytown, League City, Houston Bay Area Helping Seniors Living at Home with home health - Call us 281-484-0200.
Seniors face unique challenges over the holiday season when they are forced to celebrate without the important people in their lives who have passed away, and manage the stresses that come with the season.
In order to minimize the onset of the blues, and make the most of the holidays seniors need to adjust their expectations and ensure they are not set too high. While this year’s celebrations may not be comparable to past times spent with loved ones who are now gone, they won’t be disappointing when seniors take a realistic approach to their holiday planning
Stress levels can also be decreased by limiting activities that have the tendency to cause anxiety, seniors need to accept that as they age they may no longer be able to do it all on their own. They shouldn’t hesitate to ask family or friends to help them with decorating, baking or shopping if they are feeling overwhelmed.
Sometimes older adults feel like they need to spend the holidays by themselves because their families live at long distances or because their spouse has passed away. This shouldn’t stop them from surrounding themselves with important people in their lives; either by traveling to visit family or inviting them over; attending holiday events; or forming important connections by volunteering in the community. Even when spending time with loved ones, seniors also have to remember to look after themselves; increasing overall well-being will decrease the likelihood that the holiday blues will develop, so they should focus on eating well, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep daily.
In order to make the most of this year’s holiday celebrations, seniors need to take control while focusing on today; letting the past remain in cherished memories.
Source: http://www.4therapy.com/consumer/life_topics/article/5558/599/Seniors+and+the+%22Holiday+Blues%22
Q1 – I’ve committed myself to providing care for my elderly mother; does this make me responsible for her forever?
A1 – Absolutely not, only you can decide whether or not it’s right for you to continue providing care.
Q2 – I don’t feel like I want a personal relationship with the relative I care for anymore, what does this mean?
A2 – It’s not unusual for relationships to dissolve when family relationships transition to care giver – care recipient, however, that doesn’t make it okay. Once caregivers start to feel like their relationship has been compromised, it might be time to hire a professional caregiver.
Q3 – Why do relationships change between family caregivers and their care recipients?
A3 – Some families have problems adjusting to their new roles; it can be hard for a parent to begin accepting help from a child when they’re used to being the one providing care. Sometimes there can also be stress and tension caused by the circumstances. Once relationships begin changing for the worse, caregivers need to consider who would be better to care for the senior.
Q4 – I care for my mother, who suffers from a chronic illness. However, I feel like her medical needs are changing, can I continue to care for her?
A4 – If you feel like you are no longer able to do a sufficient job as a caregiver, based on changing medical needs, or overwhelming responsibilities, it might be best to find someone else to take over her care.
Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston, Webster, Pasadena, Baytown, League City, Houston Bay Area Helping Seniors Living at Home with home health - Call us 281-484-0200.
Be a Santa to a Senior Brightens the Holidays for ‘Elder Orphans’
The Be a Santa to a Senior program, sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, provides gifts to isolated seniors who otherwise might not be remembered during the holiday season.
Seniors without family or friends feel the loneliness of the holidays more than those who have a strong support network. Whether they are in a nursing home or their own homes, it’s important to reach out to isolated older adults during this special time of the year.
Prior to the holiday season, participating local organizations identify needy, orphaned or isolated seniors in the community and provide those names to Home Instead Senior Care. Christmas trees go up after Thanksgiving at various local merchant locations and feature ornaments with the names of seniors and their gift requests. Holiday shoppers can pick up an ornament, buy items on the list and return them unwrapped to the store. Home Instead Senior Care then collects, wrap and deliver the gifts.
Now in its fifth year, this national program has brightened the lives of hundreds of thousands of older adults. Home Instead Senior Care’s Be a Santa to a Senior has become an annual holiday tradition that changes the way many view the needs of seniors during the holidays and has become the largest gift-giving project of its kind for older adults. Last year, hundreds of local seniors in our community received over 1,000 gifts through this program.
Many local merchants and not-for-profit agencies are participating in the program. For tree locations log on to www.beasantatoasenior.com and enter your zip code for a listing of locations nearest to you.
For more information, go to the website, www.beasantatoasenior.com or call your local Houston Home Instead Senior Care office at 281-484-0200.
Q1 – Is it possible for people to be both a family caregiver and responsible employee?
A1 – Absolutely! Although this circumstance may create a greater challenge in the life of the person, it can happen if it is handled appropriately and responsibly.
Q2 – Are many people in the United States balancing careers with family caregiving responsibilities?
A2 – A recent study demonstrated that 28% of employees aged 18-30 and 43% of people aged 50 and older have had some form of family caregiving responsibilities.
Q3 – Do companies have to give employees time off to care for a sick or injured family member?
A3 – If you have plans to care for a senior in your life and would require an extensive period of time off work, ask your employer to see a copy of the Family and Medical Leave Act to see if you are eligible.
Q4- What if I need some time off to care for a senior, but want to continue to work during this time? Is my job protected?
A4 – Many large organizations offer flex-time, which may allow you to take time off of work when needed without losing your job.
Q5 – Do you have any tips for caregivers that would help keep them on target at work?
A5 – Caregivers need to use strong time management skills when at work, and meet established goals so that even time off doesn’t impact the quality of work they deliver. When you step into the office, also make sure you have left your stress and responsibilities that relate to caregiving at home; avoid making phone calls or doing research when on the clock.
Q6 – As a family caregiver, I have missed some time at work; is there anything I can do to make sure their impression of me doesn’t change?
A6 – While it shouldn’t be used as an excuse, make sure your Managers and co-workers know about what you deal with outside of the office; this will help ensure that they don’t form the impression that your job isn’t important. If you have missed a lot of time, you can also offer to work less desirable shifts to make up for hours out of the office. And, most importantly make sure that you show that you love your job by remaining on task and meeting all expectations.
Sources: “How Can Employed Caregivers With Eldercare Responsibilities Stay on the Job?”
http://assets.aarp.org/external_sites/caregiving/planAhead/work_and_caregiving.html
http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3042610
Are you a senior living in Southeast Houston? And are you prepared to face the future? Have you and your adult children put into place a care plan?
These are very important questions for today’s seniors. There are many issues you face that are different from the past when you helped your mom and dad. First off, your adult children more than likely do not live in the area of the country as you do. And secondly, lives have changed. Your married daughter may not be a stay at home mom and she may have totally different lifestyle than you at her age.
So, what’s to do?
Prepare now. Social Security benefits increasingly playing a smaller role in retirement funding, it’s time to take on responsibility for supporting your own retirement. Only 44 percent of non-retirees say they are saving for retirement.
Do you have a will? 57 percent of Americans don’t have one, leaving them without say about their assets or the care of minor children after they die, reports legal Web site FindLaw.
If you die without a will, the estate is distributed according to a rigid legal formula and you may not have wished for their interpretation of distribution.
You may be among Americans who do not have financial planning - like long-term care insurance. Did you know that more than half of Americans will need long-term care during their lives?
Long-term care is simply the help people need when a serious illness, injury or disability makes them physically unable to care for themselves. Medicare and Medicaid don’t cover many types of long-term care. And most American can’t afford it. So, adult children are left with the burden of elder care.
Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston, Webster, Pasadena, Baytown, League City, Houston Bay Area Helping Seniors Living at Home with home health - Call us 281-484-0200.
Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!
FAQ: Living Long Distance
Q1 – I live hundreds of miles from my aging mother; how can I make sure she’s doing okay?
A1 – It can be challenging when you need to rely on what a senior tells you, so consider hiring a professional caregiver from Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston.
Q2 – How can I ask a friend or neighbor of a senior to help me?
A2 – Simply let them know that you are concerned about the senior’s well-being on a day-to-day basis and would appreciate if they can stop by periodically.
Q3 – How will someone checking in on a senior know if something’s not right?
A3 – Physical appearance may be an indicator, or the state of their home.
Q4 – Is it okay if someone checking on my mother is a close friend of hers?
A4 – Absolutely! You want someone who can provide an unbiased perspective when assessing their well-being, but if they can also offer friendship and companionship it’s even better.
Q5 – Is it a good idea to hire a CAREGiver, even if a parent doesn’t need much help?
A5 – Hiring a Home Instead professional CAREGiver when you live far away, ensures there is always someone available in the case of an emergency. They can also stop by periodically to assess overall health and well-being, and assist with any tasks your parent may struggle with.
Home Instead Senior Care Southeast Houston, Webster, Pasadena, Baytown, League City, Houston Bay Area Helping Seniors Living at Home with home health - Call us 281-484-0200.
Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!
When we were kids, mom and dad would often stage a fire drill to make sure that we all knew how to react in case of an emergency. Now that we are grown, we have kept that tradition intact—but now it is focused on mom.
All five of us children have moved from our small hometown, but our mother refuses to live anywhere else. So each Christmas we gather at her house to make sure that, as far as mom’s safety is concerned, it’s still “all clear.”
Each of us takes an area of focus—communications, finance, health, home repair, or transportation—then we look closely at each. We check her list of contact numbers to be sure that they are all still accurate. We speak with her automobile mechanic, home handyman, postman, physician, accountant, friends, and anyone else who can provide us with information on how mom is doing in our absence.
We always find something that needs to be addressed, and most of the time she agrees. She finally assented to a cell phone (a no-contract GoPhone from AT&T) and has come to appreciate the AlertOne pager that can summon help if she can’t reach a phone.
Like our fire drills as kids, there have been no real emergencies—but it sure is comforting knowing that we have prepared for the possibility.
