Reduce Family Caregiver Stress With These Tried and True Time Management Tips

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A woman who has learned how to reduce family caregiver stress smiles as she writes a note in her daily planner.

Reduce family caregiver stress by implementing these tips to more effectively manage your time.

How much extra time do you have on your hands? If you are like most family caregivers, carving out sufficient time to meet each day’s basic requirements could be hard enough. The idea of having regular intervals of downtime may seem unattainable.

Caregiving is definitely a time-intensive commitment. But what if there were steps you could take to reduce family caregiver stress and manage your time more effectively, allowing each day to run more smoothly and even providing you with time for yourself? It is not quite as far-fetched as it might seem! These suggestions are a good place to start.

  • Prioritize Tasks: Begin every day by determining the most important tasks. Be reasonable about what you can achieve, and set aside lower priority tasks that can wait for a less hectic day. Remember, it is okay to prioritize and postpone less urgent tasks to maintain a manageable workload during the day.
  • Break Down Tasks: Divide larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. This strategy makes it easier to allot time efficiently and helps prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. This helps make the workload more manageable and also allows for a sense of accomplishment while you complete each step of the process, reducing the overall stress of the task.
  • Take Breaks: Schedule regular breaks to recharge. Whether it’s a quick walk or just a moment of quiet reflection, self-care is vital for maintaining your well-being. Remember, taking care of yourself enables you to provide better care to others.
  • Delegate Responsibilities: Don’t hesitate to involve other family members, friends, and a professional caregiver in the caregiving process. Delegating tasks can provide you with much-needed support and prevent burnout.
  • Learn to Say No: Recognize your limits and be comfortable saying no when needed. Overcommitting can lead to fatigue and compromise the quality of care you provide. Understand your limitations and embrace the power of saying no when necessary. Prioritize your well-being to ensure sustained, high-quality caregiving.
  • Create a Schedule: Develop both a daily and weekly routine that incorporates your caregiving duties, work, and personal time. Design a schedule that features dedicated time for caregiving responsibilities, work commitments, and personal activities. Having a structured routine not only ensures you fulfill all of your responsibilities but also helps maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life.
  • Seek Community Support: Connect with local support groups or online communities for caregivers. Sharing experiences with others who can relate to your challenges can provide emotional support and valuable insights, creating a supportive network to navigate the complexities of caregiving.
  • Establish Boundaries: Set clear boundaries to distinguish your caregiving responsibilities from your personal life. Communicate these boundaries with friends and family, fostering understanding and support. This ensures a healthier balance between your personal life and your caregiving role.
  • Stay Organized: Keep essential information, including medical records and contact details, organized and easily accessible. Easy accessibility to this information reduces family caregiver stress and promotes seamless communication with healthcare professionals, ensuring that you are able to provide the most effective care for the person you love.
  • Utilize Technology: Explore caregiver apps and tools that can help streamline tasks, track appointments, and organize medications. Technology can be a powerful ally in managing caregiving responsibilities. Embrace the ease of technology and caregiver apps to simplify your responsibilities, giving you more time to focus on providing quality care.

One of the best strategies to better manage your time as a caregiver is by adding Responsive Home Care to your care plan. We are here to work with you to ensure the best care for someone you love, while you maintain a healthy life balance. Contact us at 954-486-6440 to learn more about our home care services in Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Plantation, and the surrounding areas.

Five Effective Ways to Relieve Holiday Stress for Caregivers

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A woman who knows how to relieve holiday stress for caregivers smiles and helps her elderly mother prepare holiday treats.

Learn how to relieve holiday stress for caregivers and enjoy all the fun and festivities of the season.

What do you wish for most this holiday season? Financial security? Good health for your loved ones? Peace on earth? What if you could relieve holiday stress for caregivers and simply enjoy the warmth and beauty of the season? What a gift that would be!

Caregiving can be overwhelming any time of the year, but the holiday season can send your stress level off the charts. There are ways, however, to alleviate holiday stress and truly enjoy this special time of year. Our care experts recommend the following small steps that can make a big difference.

Alter traditions. If you have always been the one to host large family holiday gatherings, consider passing the torch to another person. If the thought of lugging out each and every holiday decoration is overwhelming, choose several of your favorite items and leave the remainder in the attic this year. Find strategies to simplify and establish new traditions that place less pressure on you.

Downsize gifting. Searching for the perfect gift for everyone on your extended friends and family list can consume quite a lot of your holiday time (and money!). There are numerous fun ways to simplify the process. For instance, have each family member choose a name and purchase a gift for that person only. Then plan a potluck dinner with each person bringing a favorite dish and exchanging gifts.

Be honest and open. Forget about putting on a mask to cover up what’s really going on in your life. Let family and close friends in on the struggles your loved one is facing and how it is impacting you. Sharing from the heart with those you trust to listen and understand is an incredible relief in and of itself.

Intentionally focus on the positives. Gratitude is a great tool for changing your outlook and mood. Create a simple gratitude journal in which you record what you are most thankful for, and invest some time each day reading through and reflecting on your list, adding to it as new thankful thoughts arise.

Enlist help. Caregiving should never be a solo endeavor. Taking regular breaks for self-care benefits both the person in your care and yourself. Let family and friends know exactly what they can do to help, and then do not think twice about accepting that support. Our caregivers are always available to help as well!

How Can Home Care Help Relieve Holiday Stress for Caregivers?

Our caregivers are alleviating stress for families like yours each and every day—during the holiday season and throughout the year! Our services are highly customized to allow older adults and their loved ones to select the tasks they would like help with, while maintaining what they prefer to do themselves.

Contact Responsive Home Care at 954-486-6440 for a free consultation to find out how we can partner with you in caring for someone you love in Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Deerfield Beach, and the surrounding areas. Then take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy every precious moment with those you love!

Why Providing Care for Your Spouse Can Cause Resentment – And How to Overcome It

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A woman who knows that providing care for your spouse can cause resentment hugs her husband as they both look out the window.

Providing care for your spouse can open up a new realm of emotions you may not have expected.

You both promised to look after each other through better or worse, in sickness and in health. When these cherished sentiments are first spoken on your wedding day, it is difficult to imagine how it will feel to actually live them out when providing care for your spouse. It may come as a shock to you that anger, frustration, and resentment can go hand-in-hand with fulfilling your vows when caregiving for your spouse.

How Can I Resent Caring for the Person I Love the Most?

In a nutshell, providing care for your spouse is overwhelming, both physically and emotionally. You may feel:

  • Unappreciated and taken for granted
  • Concerned about your spouse’s prognosis
  • Frustrated from insufficient time for self-care
  • Stretched too thin
  • Angry or irritated for inexplicable reasons

All of these feelings are valid and completely normal, even if unexpected – and there are things you can do to overcome them while strengthening your relationship with your spouse.

How to Conquer Spousal Caregiving Resentment

Set and maintain boundaries. Remind yourself that you are human, and you cannot (and shouldn’t attempt to) do it all. Setting an unattainable bar for yourself as a caregiver will quickly result in depression, burnout, and a reduced quality of care for your spouse. Identify realistic expectations that are in line with your strengths and abilities, and bring in help for the rest.

Face your emotions. You might be trying to cover up how you feel to keep the peace, but it’s important to find a safe space to vent. Caregiving is stressful on many levels, and identifying a strong network of support is a must. Speak regularly with a trusted friend or family member, counselor, or spiritual guide.

Explore couples therapy. A professional marriage counselor can be helpful to both of you individually and as a couple. You will gain the tools you need to resolve disputes in a healthy way, to better understand each other’s perspective, to better manage feelings of resentment, and to improve communication. The therapist can also provide you with referrals to other helpful resources as appropriate.

Take care of YOU. If you think of self-care as selfish, think again. Taking care of yourself empowers you to take better care of your spouse. Carve out and prioritize time for pastimes you enjoy, socializing with friends and other family members, and stress-relieving activities: exercise, reading, journaling, listening to music, being outdoors.

Responsive Home Care is here to serve as your partner in care to help you restore a healthier life balance and to rediscover the joy of spending quality time with your spouse. Contact us at (954) 486-6440 to ask about our respite care services and to request a free in-home consultation to learn more about the many ways we can help. Our services are available in Fort Lauderdale, Lighthouse Point, Hollywood, and the surrounding areas.

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 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.

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.

Important Questions When Visiting Parents Over The Holidays

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Happy senior woman drinking coffee

Keep these questions in mind when visiting parents over the holiday season.

It’s been a while since you’ve been able to spend time with Mom. Now that the holiday season is here, you will have some quality time to catch up. Of course, you’ll want to make the most of this time with each other, but it’s also the perfect time to assess how she is really doing, and if there are any changes in her health that may have gone unnoticed through phone conversations and FaceTime.

To help you determine areas of possible concern to assess while visiting seniors in your family this year, we’ve put together a list of questions to answer when visiting seniors in your family this holiday season. Some of these questions you may wish to ask the senior outright, while others can be answered by evaluating the home environment and the person himself.

Financial/Elder Abuse

  • Has she provided anyone with personal information over the phone or internet?
  • Does the senior seem more timid or anxious than usual?
  • Has she cosigned for a loan for anyone?
  • Does she suddenly have a new “friendship” with someone whose motives may be questionable?
  • Is she communicating with strangers online?
  • Are there any changes in her banking activity?

Physical/Mental Health

  • Is she eating more or less than usual?
  • Is she actively engaged in enjoyable activities?
  • Do you notice any bruises or other injuries that could indicate a fall?
  • Is she having trouble falling or staying asleep?
  • Is she spending time with friends?
  • Has she gained or lost weight?
  • Does she seem happy and content?
  • Does she seem short of breath?
  • Does the senior seem to be moving more slowly and cautiously?
  • Is she stumbling or holding onto furniture or the wall to get around?

Home Maintenance

  • Is there clutter in the home that could pose a fall risk?
  • Are the bed linens being changed regularly?
  • Is the laundry clean and put away?
  • Are there any hazards you’re noticing, such as scorch marks on pans or the countertop that could indicate inattention to cooking?
  • Is the home cleaned to the senior’s typical standards?
  • Is the yard maintained?

Cognitive Functioning

  • Is she struggling to remember the names of familiar people or objects?
  • Is she misplacing items, only to find them in unexpected places, such as the car keys in the refrigerator?
  • Does the senior seem more forgetful or confused than usual?
  • Is she repeating questions or statements in conversations?
  • Are there pieces of mail and bills that have not been opened?
  • Are you noticing any unusual behaviors?

If you are in any way concerned about the safety or wellbeing of any loved ones while you’re visiting seniors in your family this year, professional home care services can help. Reach out to Responsive Home Care, the top home health agency in Hollywood, FL and the nearby areas, for more information.

Downsizing for Seniors with Dementia

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Learn the benefits of downsizing for seniors with dementia.

You’ve come to the realization that the family home is just way too much for your mother and father to take care of. A smaller home became available just around the corner from you that’s ideal: a lovely flower garden in the backyard, a bright, cheerful kitchen, and no stairs to navigate. Now it’s time to begin the downsizing process. The only problem? Mom has dementia.

It’s not uncommon for seniors with dementia to struggle with change. Leaving the familiarity of home and moving into a brand new one can increase feelings of agitation and anxiety, but there are strategies to help ease the transition.

  1. Pace yourself. It’s natural to want to rip the band aid off and make the downsizing process as quick as possible for seniors with dementia. However, a better approach in this situation is taking time to discuss the upcoming changes with the older adult, one step at a time. Keep a consistent and calm demeanor, and empower the person to maintain as much control over the required decisions as possible.
  2. Maintain memories. Take pictures and/or videos of some of the items being donated or discarded and use them to create a scrapbook for the older loved one. This helps aging loved ones to revisit the items anytime they would like, and can also be used to spark conversations and reminiscing after the move.
  3. Create a system. Donating and discarding seniors’ possessions are necessary parts of the downsizing process. Again, include the individual in the decision-making process to the greatest extent possible. There will probably be specific items the older adult can’t stand to part with, which can be placed into storage if the new living arrangement can’t accommodate them. If there are items the senior rarely uses or sees, however, it might be easiest to have those removed before involving the person in the process.
  4. Set up the new home yourself. Arrange the senior’s most loved furnishings and items of comfort in the new living environment before bringing them in. Include photographs of friends and family near the bed, so they can see them when they go to bed and first wake up. Then bring the senior loved one in, and help with rearranging anything they’d like adjusted. This process will lessen the anxiety that may occur for someone needing to unpack and figure out the best locations to place items in a brand new environment.

Our Alzheimer’s care team is thoroughly trained, experienced, and highly skilled, and we are available to help through the downsizing process and beyond for seniors with dementia. Reach out to us at (954) 486-6440 or online for more information about our caregiver services in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the nearby areas.

Are You Experiencing a Lack of Caregiver Appreciation?

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caregiver appreciation

Lack of caregiver appreciation can lead to burnout or depression.

As soon as you woke up this morning up until the end of an exhausting day, you have given your all to your older family member. You provided assistance with showering and dressing, prepared nutritious meals, cleaned the house, all while making certain a senior loved one was happily involved in enjoyable activities, made it to their 2:00 hair appointment, and picked up groceries and prescriptions afterwards. And while you are not doing any of these things for a pat on the back, a simple “thank you” would be nice – but is almost never offered as a sign of caregiver appreciation.

If you are feeling a lack of caregiver appreciation or completely unappreciated altogether, you’re not alone. This is a frequent occurrence in caregiving for a number of reasons, and if not addressed, can cause caregiver burnout or depression. These strategies can help.

  1. Learn the skill of self-appreciation. The work you are doing is extremely important, and you deserve to be rewarded for it. Choose something each week that you’re going to do for yourself for a job well done. It could be as simple as one hour spent reading on the porch swing or a dessert from your favorite bakery. You can also plan for larger rewards, such as a long weekend getaway, by engaging respite care services from a dependable care partner like Responsive Home Care.
  2. Try to understand their perspective. There are a number of reasons a senior may not be expressing gratitude for the work you are doing. Someone with dementia or another chronic condition could be fully focused on their own struggles or the day-to-day tasks close at hand which are typically now more challenging. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes can help you accept that a lack of verbal appreciation doesn’t automatically equate to true ungratefulness.
  3. Start modeling appreciative behavior. Let the senior see by example how good it feels to be appreciated by genuinely thanking them whenever the ability arises, no matter how small. If they fold and hang up the towel after their shower, clean off the table after lunch, or help with putting away groceries – be sure to thank them.

By providing home health care in Fort Lauderdale, FL and surrounding areas, we are always here to share in your caregiving duties, to alleviate stress and allow you plenty of time for self-care. Regularly scheduled time away is essential, and we’re here for as much or as little as you will need. While you’re taking care of yourself, we will help a senior you love with:

  • Companionship for conversations, games, puzzles, hobbies, exercise, etc.
  • Laundry and housekeeping
  • Meals
  • Medication reminders
  • Personal care (showers, baths, getting dressed, etc.)
  • Transportation to fun outings or appointments
  • And much more, according to each person’s unique needs

Reach out to Responsive Home Care for a complimentary in-home consultation and let us know exactly how we can help.

Is it Time To Consider Guardianship of an Elderly Parent?

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Learn when to think about petitioning for guardianship of an elderly parent.

In an ideal world, our family relationships would all be positive and helpful. We would manage transitional times cooperatively, smoothly, and with virtually no disagreement. As our parents grew older, it would be a seamless process to fulfill their needs today and their needs in the future. Read more

Ease Family Conflict with an Elder Mediator when Caring for Elderly Parents

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happy couple talking with elder mediatorWhen you need to work together in caring for elderly parents, even the closest of siblings may find themselves in conflict. Stress levels and emotions are, of course, running high. Add to this your past history and family dynamics, which have a tendency to resurface during stressful times, and it is easy to understand how challenging this stage in life could very well be for each of you.

The most frequent areas of contention among family members include money matters, differing viewpoints on medical treatments or living arrangements, and an unfair balance of tasks related to caregiving, just to mention a few.

On occasion, regardless of how hard you try, you and your family members are simply unable to arrive at an agreement on how to best care for aging parents. An impasse like this is actually quite typical, frequently stemming from challenging family dynamics and unresolved conflicts. Nonetheless, there is a remedy many families are unaware of which can be exceedingly helpful: enlisting assistance from an elder mediator.

An expert experienced in conflict resolution, an elder mediator provides an unbiased, third-party voice to family meetings. She or he can help defuse increased emotions and outbursts and steer the dialogue in a manner that leads to an outcome that all parties can accept.

Elder mediator Susanne Terry explains, “Most of the time siblings want what’s best for the parents. They just look at it in a different way. Our goal is to help them figure out what their common interests are, so they can work together to find solutions.”

Different from family therapy, which helps families work through issues little by little over an extended period of time, elder mediation is a targeted, condensed process that usually brings about an agreeable outcome in only a few sessions.

Elder mediators give siblings the chance to both offer input and listen respectfully to one another. The aim isn’t only to determine the most favorable outcome for the senior parents, but to help family members maintain good relationships with each other during the process.

When exploring elder mediation options, there are lots of questions you should ask:

  • What is your education, training, and background?
  • What amount of experience do you have in our specific situation?
  • Are you a member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) or other professional associations?
  • Exactly what are your fees?

To find an elder mediator in your area, visit APFM’s mediator directory. Once you and your siblings agree on the very best path forward in taking care of your aging parents, connect with Responsive Home Care. We will be pleased to provide a free in-home assessment to talk about exactly how we can help make sure all their care needs are completely met. Contact us any time to learn more.

 

When Cognitive Functioning Returns in the Final Stage of Dementia

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The return of cognitive functioning temporarily in the final stage of dementia can be an incredible gift to families.

Even when confusion and memory loss escalate during the final stage of dementia, there’s a fascinating and welcome reprieve that often occurs. Previously coined “terminal lucidity,” it is more frequently referred to now as “paradoxical lucidity.” It represents a sudden, short-term return of clarity to a nearly pre-dementia cognitive state. During this time period, the effects can cover anything from nonverbal but emotional connections to significant cognitive recovery.

For members of the family, it’s a gift to be treasured. It provides the opportunity for meaningful conversations and reminiscing, and also the mutual sharing of thoughts and feelings, if only for a brief period of time. For scientists, it means much more.

Dr. Basil Eldadah, supervisory medical officer at the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology at the US National Institute on Aging, sees the opportunities as remarkable. “It gives us some pause with regard to our current theories and understanding about the nature of dementia. We’ve seen enough examples of this to be reassured that dementia can be reversed – albeit temporarily, very transiently – nevertheless, it does reverse. And so the question then is how.”

Currently, there are six scientific studies underway to answer that very question, and also to gain more comprehensive insight into the condition and to examine future therapeutic approaches. Based on preliminary data from the studies, it’s clear that it’s an even more common phenomenon than previously realized. Dr. Sam Parnia, head researcher and critical care physician, pulmonologist, and associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center states, “If you talk to hospice nurses and palliative care doctors, they all know about this. But no one’s ever studied it properly because no one ever thought anyone would take it seriously enough. So what I wanted to do is to help move this into the scientific realm.”

Education for families caring for a senior loved one with dementia is also crucial. It’s important to be aware that this short-lived clarity may come about, allowing for the chance to reconnect with the senior loved one, while understanding that it isn’t indicative of improvement in his or her condition.

To get more dementia educational materials and care resources, get in touch with Responsive Home Care, the leaders of in home senior care in Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas. We are also always here to provide specialized in-home dementia care to make life the best it can be for anyone with dementia together with the families who love them, through services including:

  • Memory-stimulating games, conversations, activities, and reminiscing
  • Specialized, compassionate help with the distinct challenges of dementia, for example, wandering, aggression, sundowning, and so much more
  • Help with safe bathing and other personal care needs
  • Meals and household chores to allow family members to relish more high quality time with the older adult they love
  • And more

Contact us online or call us at (954) 486-6440 to discover the best possible quality of life for a person you love with dementia.