Help Prevent Senior Loneliness with This Simple Questionnaire

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Serious senior woman in her 90s, with eyes closed.

Responsive Home Care, providers of senior care in Hollywood, FL and surrounding areas provides tips to improve health by preventing senior loneliness.

With over 325 million people living in the United States alone, it’s difficult to imagine that loneliness would be so widespread. Nevertheless, over 50% of the elderly live alone, and more than a million of them are estimated to be chronically lonely. In reality, almost 1/2 of older adults studied stated that their primary source of company is the tv.

Being lonely may result in acute health concerns as well, reported to have as significant an impact as smoking cigarettes and being overweight, and can contribute to depression, hypertension, dementia, and also an earlier mortality rate than others who happen to be socially connected.

What are ways to ensure your senior loved ones avoid sinking into isolation? The Campaign to End Loneliness recommends using the following measurement tool. Check in with the older adults in your life to assess their answers to these three statements:

  1. I am content with my friendships and relationships.
  2. I have plenty of people I feel comfortable asking for help at any time.
  3. My relationships are as fulfilling as I would like them to be.

If loneliness is a problem for a loved one in your life, there are a number of things you can do to help:

  • Consult with your senior loved one’s neighbors, friends, and members of his or her religious organization in order to coordinate weekly visits.
  • Take advantage of technology, including Facetime and Skype, to allow the senior to be connected remotely.
  • Explore available activities and courses for seniors from the nearest community college, senior center, and gym.

It is also essential to eliminate clinical depression or any other health conditions as the underlying reason behind your loved one’s loneliness. A senior who’s isolating herself/himself on account of mental or physical conditions requires professional healthcare services to address the problem and receive relevant care.

One of the best ways to alleviate loneliness in seniors is through engaging the services of Responsive Home Care. Our caregiving companions spend quality time with senior loved ones through:

  • Friendly conversations
  • Engaging in fulfilling pastimes such as playing games, cards, exercise, hobbies, and favorite pursuits
  • Sharing mealtimes with each other
  • Providing the transportation and accompaniment necessary to help seniors stay active in the community around them
  • And much more

Contact us any time at 954-486-6440 for help in making certain that your senior loved one is socially active and experiencing life to the fullest!

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What to Do When an Elderly Loved One Has Kidney Failure

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Elderly Care Pembroke Pines FLOur kidneys are an important component of our bodies for a number of reasons, including the fact that they cleanse the body of harmful toxins by releasing them through our urine. When the kidneys are unable to perform their regular tasks due to kidney failure, it could lead to severe consequences, including death.

Knowing as much about this condition is the first step in helping your elderly parent get the help they need. If they live alone, you may want to consider hiring an elderly care provider to watch over them each day and contact their doctor immediately if they fear there is a problem with their kidneys.

Here is some information to help you and their caregiver navigate through how to care for someone with this condition.

Risk Factors

The first thing that can be done to understand kidney failure is to understand where the illness can come from. Here are several of the most common risk factors.

History of diabetes
Family history of kidney problems
Coping with high blood pressure
Overusing medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen

The Difference Between the Two Types of Kidney Failure

Acute kidney failure occurs when there is a sudden change to the function of the kidney. Some of the possible reasons behind getting this type of kidney failure are:

Bladder problems
Kidney stones or calcified materials, causing a blockage to the kidneys
Kidney infections
Damage to the blood vessels that lead to the kidneys
Protein or blood in the urine
Swelling of the extremities
Abnormal Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) test
Increased urge to urinate, which may also be extremely painful

Chronic kidney failure may be present if the elder experiences any of the following symptoms.

Frequent fatigue
Shortness of breath
Excessive need to urinate at night, yet secretes very little urine
Rashes on the skin as a result of impurities in the body that are building up with no way to escape
Increased thirst
Trouble managing their diabetes or high blood pressure
Acute kidney failure can usually heal on its own, but severe chronic kidney failure may result in the need for a kidney transplant.

Prevention

If you are concerned that your elderly loved one may develop this illness, try the following tips to prevent kidney failure from happening to them.

Eat the right foods. There are certain foods that are more difficult for the kidneys to manage. Talk to a dietician or the elder’s doctor to determine what foods will help your loved one with their condition.

Exercise. Regular exercise will prevent a wide range of chronic illnesses from occurring. In turn, the elder will be at a lower risk of kidney failure.

Manage other chronic health problems. By properly treating and taking care of current health problems, like diabetes and high blood pressure, your loved one may be able to prevent issues with their kidneys.

Source: http://www.eldercarelink.com/Other-Resources/Health/kidney-failure-in-the-elderly.htm

If you or an aging loved one are considering Hollywood, FL home health care services or care throughout the surrounding areas for provide companionship, compassion and motivation, please contact the caring staff at Responsive Home Care. Call today 954-486-6440.

What Are the Best Ways to Help Your Loved One Keep Her Mouth Healthy?

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Home Health Care Hollywood FL

Home Health Care Hollywood FL

Keeping your loved one’s mouth healthy can help her to stay healthy overall and continue to enjoy her life. If she’s having dental problems or pain, she might not want to eat, she might stop socializing, and her overall quality of life is greatly affected.

Brush and Floss Daily
Brushing and flossing has probably been a regular part of your loved one’s daily routine for a long time now. But health changes and potential memory issues could mean that she needs reminders now when she never did in the past. Your loved one might also stop brushing or flossing if she’s experiencing pain in her mouth. If you suspect that’s the case, you should check with her dentist right away.

Choose the Right Tools
The key to brushing and flossing being effective is to use the right tools. Make sure that your loved one has a soft-bristled brush that you replace every couple of months. Dental floss or other flossing tools are also essential. If your loved one has dentures or partial dentures, make sure that you keep cleaning products made for those appliances on hand.

Keep Regular Dental Appointments
Your loved one might feel as if now that she’s gotten to a certain stage of life, she doesn’t need to go to her dentist anymore. This belief is particularly strong with people who have dentures. The truth is that your loved one definitely still needs to see her dentist to make sure that there aren’t any health surprises in her mouth. Regular appointments also ensure that her dentures and partial dentures are still properly fitted.

Talk to Her Doctor about Medication Side Effects
Some medications can have side effects that impact your loved one’s oral health. They might cause dry mouth or problems with your loved one’s gums. It’s a good idea to talk to your loved one’s doctor about potential side effects with new medications before your loved one starts taking the medication. If you notice changes in her oral health, double check with her doctor about potential medication connections.

Deal with Changes Quickly
If you do notice changes to your loved one’s mouth, gums, and teeth, make sure that you address them quickly. Make an appointment with her dentist right away so that you can determine if there are other problems you need to know about.

Let your loved one’s elderly care providers know what her oral and dental care routines are in case they need to help her with them.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Health Care Services in Hollywood  FL to provide companionship, compassion and motivation, please contact the caring staff at Responsive Home Care. Call today 954-486-6440.

THIS ONE SIMPLE TEST COULD PREDICT BREAST CANCER RELAPSE

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Cancer survivors whose disease has gone into remission have so much to celebrate and be thankful for, and many are celebrating this October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But there may always remain a concern in the back of their minds: could the cancer return? For women who have survived breast cancer, there may at last be a way to put this fear to rest once and for all.

A simple blood test is showing great promise in predicting a relapse of breast cancer—as much as eight months in advance of it being detected by current imaging methods. And although the initial testing group was small, the prediction was accurate in an astounding 12 out of 15 women.

According to Dr. Nicholas Turner of the Institute of Cancer Research, lead author of the study, “We have shown how a simple blood test has the potential to accurately predict which patients will relapse from breast cancer, much earlier than we can currently.”

Although the test is not yet available to those outside of the study, the goal is to one day utilize this method to be able to individually tailor treatments, and hopefully bring us one step closer to eliminating breast cancer altogether.

THE REAL KEY TO IMPROVING BRAIN FUNCTION

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Have you been working hard on crosswords and other brain-bending puzzles or listening to lots of classical music as a way to improve your brain? Neuroscientists at the University of California say simply, “Stop it right now.” Their research shows that, while puzzles and classical music may improve a person’s concentration briefly, they play no role in long-term brain functionality.

So then what should you be doing to boost your brain? Exercise, and get a little sun. The study notes that rats who were exposed to different environments produced different brain-altering chemicals. Those that exercised less and were not exposed to sunlight showed no improvement in brain function, even when exposed to classical music, while those who got outside and exercised experienced noted brain function improvement.

Need more of a push to get out and get moving? Take a look at this humorous article about boosting brain power from the Huffington Post.