Having Hard Conversations While Caregiving

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Two women stand in the kitchen with cups of coffee, having hard conversations while caregiving.

Having hard conversations while caregiving is key to maintaining healthy family relationships.

Any time you dedicate so much time to caring for a senior member of the family, it is natural for other relationships to take a back seat. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day, and you can only spread yourself so thin. This may result in additional stress, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings.

The answer to overcoming this obstacle is communication. This means having hard conversations while caregiving, which may be uncomfortable but allow the opportunity to air grievances, share feelings, and ultimately reinforce the love you have for each other.

Having Hard Conversations While Caregiving

First, understand that a planned, formal meeting is not necessary for a conversation to be effective. It can be a quick chat while waiting for the coffee to brew. It should not, however, be a triggered response to a stress-inducing incident. Plan to talk about a concern before the stress has an opportunity to build up to an explosive level (or when you’ve had the opportunity to settle down).

Here is an example scenario and how to include a courageous conversation. Your teenage daughter is feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable bringing friends over because of the dementia-related behaviors of your elderly parent. Begin with this brief assessment to gauge the answers for yourself along with your teen:

  • What do we need from each other?
  • What goals do we wish to accomplish from this conversation?
  • What do we have to give and receive?
  • What do we want each other to know?
  • What exactly are each of us feeling and thinking?

Include in your assessment the feelings of the individual in your care as well. In particular, prior to the cognitive decline, determine what your mom would want for you personally as well as your daughter.

With this framework in mind, allow yourself to be honest, authentic, and vulnerable. Listen to each other’s viewpoint respectfully, offer empathy and understanding, and collaborate to create a viable solution.

Is It Better Left Unsaid?

You might feel as though it’s simpler to maintain status quo than to risk upsetting a family member by initiating a challenging conversation. And certainly, situations may arise that are best resolved through another means, like speaking with a professional therapist to unravel your feelings and thoughts before approaching someone else with them. As a general rule of thumb, however, nothing beats open, honest communication to allow you and those you care about to better understand one another.

Let a Responsive Home Care caregiver help you carve out time for the conversations you need with other members of the family by providing skilled, professional in-home care for the person you love. Contact us at (954) 486-6440 for more information regarding our home care in Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, and the surrounding areas.

How Caregivers Can Prioritize Privacy

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A woman who knows how caregivers can prioritize privacy smiles as she reads a book and holds a cup of coffee in a sunny room.

It’s vitally important to know how caregivers can prioritize privacy to achieve a healthy life balance.

Reflect back to your teenage years. Remember how important it was to find a safe place to be on your own, to shut out the world, turn the music up, and write your most secret thoughts in your diary?

The desire for privacy that began then can become overshadowed when providing care for someone else. Yet it is still extremely important to know how caregivers can prioritize privacy, both physically and mentally, to take time for self-care.

How Can a Caregiver Prioritize Privacy?

Frankly, it isn’t always easy. You might feel as though you need to always have at least one ear and eye open to the needs of the person in your care. There are several steps you can take to help, however. Try:

  • Designating a spot of privacy for both yourself and the older adult. After all, they need privacy as much as you do. Agree that whenever either of you needs some alone time, you can retreat to your chosen spot and only interrupt one another in case of an urgent situation.
  • Determining house rules. In shared living spaces, put together some basic rules of etiquette that are fair for everyone. For example, take turns choosing TV shows to watch, so one person isn’t monopolizing the remote. Compromises similar to this can make together time less stressful for everyone.
  • Considering emotional privacy. Make sure to take frequent breaks from care that allow you time to disconnect completely from your care role. Go on trips, attend events and activities with other friends and family members, take a book to the park for a stress-free afternoon. Responsive Home Care’s care experts are always on hand to fill your caregiving shoes when you take some time for self-care.

Special Considerations for Dementia

If the person in your care is struggling with the challenges of dementia, finding privacy becomes more challenging – and much more vital to obtain. The person may need 24/7 oversight to ensure safety, but this doesn’t mean that you should (or can) provide that level of care yourself.

We frequently hear from primary family caregivers that there is not anyone in their circle of close friends and family who knows the senior or the requirements of dementia care well enough to assist. This is when our specially trained and experienced dementia caregivers are an invaluable part of your care team. We can partner with you to ensure the seamless, reliable, skilled care a senior with dementia needs, while you take the regular breaks from care you need.

Contact us at (954) 486-6440 for further tips on how caregivers can prioritize privacy and find help in acquiring a healthier life balance. Our personalized home care services are offered in Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, and the surrounding areas.

Can You Handle Embarrassing Dementia Behaviors in Public?

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An older woman stands in the grocery store, leaning on her cart with a calm expression on her face.

If you’re not sure how to handle embarrassing dementia behaviors in public, these tips can help.

Dementia is unpredictable, to say the least. It can transform a person’s mood, personality, and behaviors in the blink of an eye. When you’re at home caring for a person with dementia, these changes can be hard enough to manage. But what happens when embarrassing dementia behaviors arise when you are at a grocery store, restaurant, or hair salon?

Simple Tips to Change Cringeworthy to Calm

Fear of a public outburst can make you want to eliminate venturing out at all with someone with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia. However, being out in the community is very important. It gives someone with dementia a feeling of purpose, eases loneliness and isolation, offers opportunities to socialize, and much more.

Understanding how to cope with an uncomfortable situation before going out is key. These recommendations can help.

  • Keep calm. Your demeanor and attitude are highly contagious to a loved one with dementia. Take a deep breath and give yourself a pep talk before stepping out the door. Remind yourself to remain calm and patient, regardless of what happens.
  • Carry cards. If you are worried about how embarrassing dementia behaviors may impact others around you, create some small business-sized cards that you can discreetly hand out. They can simply state, “Please forgive any impolite actions or outbursts. These are the result of dementia.”
  • Track triggers. Keep a journal to make note of details on difficult behaviors in public and then look for commonalities. You might find, for example, that the individual does well in a small store or restaurant, but becomes distraught when there are large crowds, too much noise, or bright lights. There might be a specific time of day that is more distressing to be out, or physical needs could be an issue, such as hunger, thirst, pain, fatigue, or the need to use the restroom.

How In-Home Care Can Help

Our dementia care experts are available to help manage the effects of the disease, with patience, skill, and creativity. As seasoned experts who are fully trained in a wide range of dementia care needs, we have seen it all! We understand just how to restore calm to somebody who is distressed or agitated, ensuring respect and dignity throughout an outburst.

A few of the many challenging symptoms of dementia we are able to help manage include:

  • Aggression
  • Sundowning
  • Hallucinations and delusions
  • Wandering
  • Anxiety
  • Confusion and disorientation
  • And more

Whether you are looking for just a couple hours of respite care to allow time for you to take a break, overnight support or live-in care to ensure safety and wellbeing while you get much-needed rest, or anything in between, we’re here for you.

Give us a call at 954-486-6440 for more tips and resources, and to learn more about our specialized in-home dementia care in Tamarac, Parkland, Fort Lauderdale, and the surrounding areas.

How to Talk to Older Loved Ones About Aging Care

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Adult son and elderly father sit on a couch having a conversation.

These tips can help you talk to older loved ones about aging care in a calm and respectful way.

Maybe you remember having “the talk” with your parents about those cringeworthy pre-teen topics. If you thought that was uncomfortable, brace yourself for having to talk to older loved ones about aging care issues and concerns you are noticing at home! This is often very difficult, for several reasons:

  • Your parents may resent what appears to be a reversal of roles or being told what to do
  • They could be in denial that there’s a problem at all
  • They could feel threatened and fearful of losing independence and the freedom to make their own choices

How can you overcome these very valid feelings to come to a place of acceptance about home care services? Try these tips as a starting point to talk to older loved ones about aging care:

  • Plan the conversation: what you will discuss, who will attend, where you can best talk without distractions.
  • Think through what it would be like to be in your parents’ shoes and exactly how you would want the conversation to go.
  • Resolve to remain calm and respectful through the entire discussion, never attempting to parent your parents.
  • Listen to your parents’ worries with an open mind and without preplanned responses.
  • Realize there may be more than one solution – and, that it often takes more than one conversation to achieve agreement.

Before approaching your parents, practice what you want to say with someone you trust to give you straightforward feedback. Role-playing is a good strategy to refine your presentation and words and to help you gain confidence.

When you are ready to talk with your parents, be prepared for any outcome. In a perfect world, they will agree with your concerns and be open to having the support of a home care professional. It’s certainly possible that they share your concerns, but were unsure how to broach the subject with you. But likewise, be prepared for resistance, defensiveness, and possibly even anger.

In the event that the discussion is producing heightened emotions and you are reaching an impasse, shelve the conversation and try again later. It may be beneficial to include someone your parents trust and respect in a subsequent conversation, such as a close friend or medical professional.

When you are ready to explore home care options for your parents, contact Responsive Home Care. We can start out with minimal support, such as meals, transportation accompaniment, or light housekeeping, and slowly work up to more care once your parents feel comfortable with their caregiver.

We understand how difficult it can be for someone to acknowledge the need for assistance at home. Our goal is always to cultivate an environment of independence in which each individual in our care remains as much in control of all of life’s decisions as possible. You can connect with us 24/7 at (954) 486-6440 for more information about our highly personalized home care services in Hollywood, Plantation, Lighthouse Point, and the surrounding areas.

Here’s What to Avoid During Chemotherapy

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: Do you know what to avoid during chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is, without a doubt, a potentially life-saving journey. However, during the process of destroying harmful cancer cells, noncancerous cells can be in the crossfire, leading to challenging side effects. The physician will offer guidelines on what cancer patients should do to minimize these effects, but it’s just as important to know what to avoid during chemotherapy. Read more

Keeping a Sense of Purpose for Seniors Leads to a More Fulfilling Life

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Learn the importance of maintaining a sense of purpose for seniors.

What motivates you to push forward every day? If you are part of the sandwich generation, taking care of both older and younger loved ones, your list is probably quite long! However, for aging adults, as the nest empties, it becomes important to redefine their identity and learn new ways to bring meaning to each day. Read more

Starting Home Care: What to do When Family Is in Denial

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When a family member refuses the need for parents starting home care, we have tips to help.

Once you realize that an aging loved one could benefit from starting home care services, it’s not uncommon for the aging loved one to be resistant to the idea. After all, acknowledging the need for assistance is not easy, especially for an individual who values their privacy and independence. However, it gets more challenging when another family member is the one in denial about starting home care. When you’ve reached an impasse within your family in regards to the need for senior care, there’s one very likely culprit to consider: denial. Read more

Staying Present as a Caregiver: How to Avoid Caregiver Boredom

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bored caregiver

Learn how to stay present as a caregiver and avoid caregiver boredom.

No caregiver is proud of it, but it’s also difficult for any caregiver to avoid. Becoming tired of your role as family caregiver is a common reaction to spending so much time together, performing the exact same tasks, engaging in exactly the same activities, and running out of intriguing conversation topics. Your struggle in staying present as a caregiver is not in any way related to your feelings for the individual in your care. In fact, they might be feeling just as bored with a stagnant routine.

How can you breathe new life into your caregiving relationship? If you’ve been struggling with staying present as a caregiver, our care team has some ideas you can implement to help.

Break Out of the Norm. Take a mental walk through the routines you’ve established, and think about ways to implement changes. Have you been preparing the same bowl of cereal every morning? Search online for cookbook recipes and try a new one with the person you care for once a week. Rather than those morning talk or game shows, switch off the TV and go for a walk together. Drive a different route to the doctor’s office or beauty shop to see some new sights.

Celebrate! You don’t need an official reason to get the party started! There are so many unique and lesser-known holidays to pick from, for example, National Polar Bear Day, Toast Day, Tell a Fairy Tale Day, and Comfy Day – and those are just a handful of reasons to celebrate in the last week of February! Or why not designate your very own? All it requires is a little creative thinking as you look around your environment, select something you’re thankful for, and think about ways to make it the star of the day.

Tap Into Your Imagination. Do you remember how vibrant your imagination was as a child? It can be just as fun as an adult! As you are waiting at the doctor’s office, take a look at the people around you, and try to picture an extraordinary story of their lives. Encourage the aging loved one to do the same, and share your stories on the ride home. Practicing mindfulness is another way to fully engage in the moment as opposed to dully observing from the sidelines. Use all five senses to experience your surroundings in a new and intriguing way.

Plan Something Fun. Come up with fun activities and new experiences you can plan and do with the aging loved one. These can be as simple as trying a brand new restaurant in town or traveling to a destination they have always wanted to visit but never had the opportunity. If traveling with the older adult seems too daunting, consider bringing along a professional caregiver from Responsive Home Care! We are always available to help make dreams come true for the older adults we serve.

Let Responsive Home Care help you with staying present as a caregiver by providing breaks from care that give both of you the opportunity for experiences outside of each other’s company, allowing for interesting conversations to have when you’re together again. Contact us online or at (954) 486-6440 to learn more about our home health care in Plantation and the nearby areas!

How to Help Manage the Challenges of Medical Tests for Aging Adults

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senior-man-getting-ct-scan-with-technician

If you need to help an aging loved one manage the challenges of medical tests, Responsive Home Care can assist!

There is almost always nothing “routine” about routine checkups at the doctor. You may arrive to your appointment perfectly fine, but leave with orders for blood work along with other medical tests a doctor recommends to help keep you as healthy as possible. These tests might be nothing more than a minor inconvenience for you, however trying to manage the challenges of medical tests for older adults can be overwhelming for many reasons: transportation problems, thinner skin, mobility issues, cognitive difficulties, fragile veins, and so much more.

There are steps you can take to advocate for and help an older loved one manage the challenges of medical tests more easily. For example:

  • Find out if tests can be carried out in the individual’s home. Home health care is becoming an increasingly viable option for blood work along with other tests.
  • If the aging adult has to leave home for the test, call the facility where the test will be conducted ahead of time. Find answers to any specific questions you may have about parking, drop-off location, the best time of day to schedule for the test, etc.
  • Providing a urine or stool sample can be challenging. Ask the doctor for any recommendations to help make the process easier, for example, a receptacle to position over the toilet as opposed to using a cup. Make sure the bathroom floor is clean and dry and that any bathmats or throw rugs are removed, and encourage the person to hold onto a grab bar during the collection process to prevent a fall.

Can Home Care Services Help Manage the Challenges of Medical Tests for Aging Adults?

An in-home caregiver from Responsive Home Care can:

  • Pick up prescriptions and provide medication reminders to make certain that meds are taken exactly as prescribed
  • Provide accompaniment to medical appointments, tests, and procedures, while assisting with mobility support as needed
  • Take notes to make sure doctors’ orders are understood and followed
  • Help the person to get settled safely back at home afterwards, and provide companionship and oversight to watch for any changes in condition that should be reported
  • And so much more

Also, many individuals feel much more comfortable receiving assistance for sensitive medical matters from a trained professional. Our caregivers are skilled in discreet and respectful support with personal care needs, allowing family relations to step back and offer the older adult with privacy.

Contact us online or at (954) 486-6440 to arrange for the support necessary for someone you love. We offer a free of charge in-home consultation that will help you understand your options, so contact us today to learn more about our senior care in Hollywood, FL and the nearby areas!

What to Do When a Senior Does Not Want to Eat

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Home caretaker – man helping senior man

Learn what to do when a senior does not want to eat at mealtime.

Following the holiday feasts, many people choose to reduce their calorie intake. But when a senior loved one refuses to eat altogether or is making unbalanced or unhealthy dietary choices, it is important to look for the cause associated with this behavior and to recognize how to encourage them to get on track with healthier eating.

Why Do Senior Eating Habits Change?

There could be many factors at play when a senior does not want to eat or when they begin to make poor dietary choices – as well as many ways you can help overcome them:

  • Issues with dental health. Speak with the dentist to determine if dentures should be refitted or if there are any other dental concerns that need to be addressed. You may want to provide foods which are softer and/or cut them into smaller pieces. Lentils, ground meat, and beans, for example, are easier to chew than a steak or pork chop.
  • Low vision. If the senior is unable to see clearly, they may regard foods differently and lose interest in eating. Vision problems can also make it more difficult and even dangerous to prepare meals as well as get out to pick up groceries. Offer to help with shopping and meal prep (or let us help!) and serve foods that are brightly colored and contrasted to the colors of serving dishes, place mats, the tablecloth, etc. so they’re more easily seen.
  • Side effects from medications. Schedule an appointment with the physician for a complete review of all medications being taken, and find out if one or more could be leading to a loss of appetite or troubling gastrointestinal side effects. See if the medication can be changed to something more tolerable or if perhaps the dosage can be changed.
  • Loneliness. This is a standard problem among older adults, and can make mealtime less enjoyable. Share meals whenever possible with a lonely senior loved one, invite friends and neighbors to join them, or contact Responsive Home Care for a caregiving companion to assist.
  • Loss of taste or smell. Aging as a whole often results in a dulling of these senses, which may affect the satisfaction of eating. Try experimenting with more aromatic and flavorful spices and herbs while preparing meals, such as ginger, garlic, and thyme.

Responsive Home Care is here for older adults struggling to keep up a healthy diet, for whatever reason. When a senior does not want to eat at their regular mealtimes, we can partner with you to help provide senior loved ones with every chance to once again enjoy meals and establish improved eating habits. Contact us online or at (954) 486-6440 to discover how we can help with our services for elder care in Hollywood, FL and the nearby areas.

Tips for Increasing Caregiving Patience: It Takes Practice!

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patient-caregiver

Taking care of an aging adult can be tiresome, but these tips can help you with increasing caregiving patience.

Does waiting in line at the grocery store make you want to pull your hair out? Do you get antsy when the doctor is running behind for your appointment? Some people just appear to project a natural sense of patience, no matter what the circumstances. Wouldn’t you like to know their secret, particularly when it comes increasing caregiver patience in caring for a loved one?

Thankfully, it is possible to increase your level of patience in much the same manner in which you increase your endurance in exercising – through practice. Try these recommendations to help with increasing caregiver patience:

How Do I Become More Patient?

  • It’s OK to not fix the problem immediately. Allow something that is broken to remain broken for some time as opposed to pressuring yourself to quickly deal with it.
  • Take a beat, and truly listen when others are speaking. It’s easy to begin formulating your response before the person has finished, but strive to place all your concentration instead on everything they are saying.
  • Attempt to channel your inner child. Let yourself laugh more, be silly, and remind yourself not to permit the small things that irritate you to become big things. A little lightening up and letting go can go a considerable way towards getting rid of stress.
  • Focus on being in the moment. When your thoughts begin to wander, recognize the distraction, but gently guide your thinking back to your breathing.
  • Deliberately put yourself in circumstances that necessitate patience. Let someone go ahead of you next time you’re standing in line. Make yourself wait a few moments (or more!) prior to checking your phone. Initiate a conversation with an individual who tests your patience.
  • Accept your present circumstances. Perhaps the person you’re caring for is taking a lot longer to get dressed than you’d like. Remind yourself that your job is to provide care but to also allow the person to stay as independent as possible, and often that will call for allowing some additional time and a good measure of patience.

When time is of the essence, however, it becomes all the harder to stay patient. Let a caregiver from Responsive Home Care help. We are available to provide a full range of home care in Lighthouse Point and the nearby areas that will help you free up the time you need. Reach out to us at (954) 486-6440 to find out more information and to ask about a free in-home consultation.

New Year’s Resolutions While Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s

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2023-alzheimers-resolution

These New Year’s resolutions can help you better prepare for caring for someone with Alzheimer’s in 2023!

While everyone else is focusing on getting more exercise, dropping a few pounds, or sticking to an insufferable diet, as a caregiver caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, just getting through each day will be challenging enough for you. The notion of striving to improve upon any part of your life in this unsettling time can be overwhelming.

At Responsive Home Care, we want to boost your morale. We realize caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is often both frustrating and rewarding, and we’re here to support you by any means we can. To start, we have compiled some resolutions just for Alzheimer’s caregivers that can actually help make your journey a bit easier.

What Resolutions Are Good for a Dementia Caregiver?

Take a step back, and consider the following:

  • Make time for you. Of course, that’s easier said than done. But taking time for yourself is vital to both your quality of life and that of the person you are taking care of. It does not need to be anything elaborate or extensive, unless you want it to be. Merely carving out a couple of hours once a week for an activity you like can provide the rejuvenation you need. A reliable family member or friend can fill in while you’re away, or contact Responsive Home Care for a trained, experienced caregiver to help.
  • Remind yourself that you know what is best. Family caregivers may find themselves surrounded by well-intentioned people who wish to offer advice. While their ideas may work well for other people, they may not be applicable in your situation. Listen respectfully to any advice offered and thank the individual for the idea, but then ultimately trust your judgment in making the ideal care decisions for your circumstances.
  • Take it easy on yourself. At the end of the day, you are human, and it’s inevitable to slip up from time to time. Resolve that this will be the year that you thoroughly rid yourself of any guilt, and in exchange remind yourself that you are doing the very best you can to help make life better for the person you love.

For help with caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and for some additional helpful resources, contact Responsive Home Care any time. We will be pleased to visit with you in your home at no cost to talk about the challenges you are facing and to provide creative solutions to help, such as:

  • Help with aggression, wandering, agitation, repetitive behaviors, sundowning, and more
  • Planning and preparing meals based on individual preferences
  • Providing engaging activities and conversations to keep both mind and body active
  • Support as needed with personal hygiene tasks, while cultivating independence
  • Transportation and accompaniment to appointments and outings
  • And much more

Call us at (954) 486-6440 for more information about our services and how a home health aide in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the nearby areas can help.