Did you know that November is Home Care and Hospice Month? This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight some of our excellent caregivers, and share some tips to thank the caregivers in your life - especially if you live in the greater Philadelphia area. Let’s get started!

For many families, the decision to hire in home care (or other types of senior care) can come rather quickly or unexpectedly. Like most things, it’s best to plan ahead and anticipate what future needs your loved ones may have. Certain pieces of information, like whether a parent has a will, certain medication needs, do-not-resuscitate orders and other important documents, can help a family be prepared for all sorts of scenarios. Unfortunately, sometimes an elderly parent or spouse is rendered incapable rather suddenly. In these situations, it can be hard to make decisions about health care, finances, and other life factors.

There are a lot of generations currently represented in our population: the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millenials, and...the sandwich generation. But unlike the former generations (which represent people born during certain years), a sandwich generation might always maintain a presence. And here’s a bit of trivia for you: July is National Sandwich Generation Month! Those who make up the sandwich generation are those who are caretakers for both their children and their parents - hence, they are sandwiched between two generations of people who rely on them for caregiving. Here are some tips and resources for caregivers in this position.

Changing lifestyles, decreased mobility, and challenges with activities of daily living can all lead to increased stress among seniors, and stress is a leading contributor to mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. Caregivers can play a role in helping their senior loved ones ease stress, which helps to boost mental health. Let’s take a look at some resources for caretakers and family members to help the seniors in their care.

When a beloved family member lives in a different area and gets to the point where they begin needing help with daily tasks, it can be difficult for all involved. Knowing when and how much help a family member needs can be difficult enough, but these problems can be compounded when you live far away. In this blog, we will look at some tips for family members and other caregivers to use when they are far away from loved ones who potentially need in home care.

There’s something timeless about love, romance, and courtship. Countless books, plays, movies, songs, and everything in between have been based upon romance - and it truly is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, there are those who would prey on a person’s desire for love to gain financially. We’re talking about romance scams, which tend to affect senior citizens more than younger generations. Let’s take a closer look at this unfortunate phenomenon, and learn tools to discern when a new lover is too good to be true…

Caring for someone who has dementia can be extremely challenging. An estimated 47 million people around the world are affected by dementia, which is generally defined as a deterioration of cognitive ability. It can be manifested in a variety of ways, and will have long-term impacts on a person’s quality of life (as well as their family’s). One of the most common dementias is Alzheimer’s disease, which you can learn more about here. As the Baby Boomers continue to age, we can expect to see more and more cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s. These diseases are unique in that they impact primary caretakers and family members almost as much as the patient themselves; it is incredibly difficult to watch a loved one slowly lose mental faculty. While there is not a cure for these progressive diseases, there are ways to mitigate their effects and enhance quality of life for those living with dementia. Let’s take a look!

Borrow concepts from communities made specifically for those with dementia

Did you know that there are communities in the Netherlands built specifically for seniors with dementia? It’s a fascinating concept, and not unlike the Jim Carrey movie “The Truman Show.”

Do you know whether you’re a mandatory reporter or not? Or what that means? Who can you call to report sexual abuse of an elder? In a previous blog, Pennsylvania Agency of Nurses discussed different types of elder abuse, and some of the telltale signs for caregivers and family members to look for. In this article, PAN takes a look at a specific piece of legislation: the Older Adult Protective Services Act, which is one of many resources for caregivers and families that is important to know about. Let’s get started!

Did you know that dementia affects more than 47 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization? Dementia is broadly defined as a deterioration in cognitive function, greater than would be expected in normal aging processes. Deteriorating cognitive functions can affect memory, learning capacity, calculation ability, recognition, language, and more. Of the different dementias, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common - and one of the most serious. Needless to say, when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, it will signal major changes for both the patient and his or her family.

Becoming a primary caretaker for a loved one is not unlike becoming a parent for the first time. It’s a journey full of compassion, love, stress, anxiety, humbling moments, and incredibly rewarding moments. To care for another human is the greatest act of love, but it also requires a lot of energy, time, and work. In that light, it can be easy to lose track of your own health and wellbeing as a caretaker...which can have negative impacts on yourself as well as your loved one. Let’s take a look at ten different ways caretakers can take care of themselves, too!