Caregiver Stress While family caregiving often is a rewarding and bonding experience, it also can be stressful and cause tension within families. A quarter of adults presently care for an aging parent or relative while taking care of their immediate family. Caregiverstress.com is an educational site designed to help family caregivers take care of themselves while taking care of their senior loved one. Visit this interactive caregiving Web site to complete an individual online stress assessment test and discover resources that can help you cope with the stress of caring for a senior. Read more Senior Emergency Kit Whether accompanying your loved one to a doctor's appointment or in response to a medical crisis, it's critical to have your loved one's medical information easily and quickly accessible. Home Instead Senior Care network worked with Humana Points of Caregiving® to create the Caring for Your Parents: Senior Emergency KitSM, an information management tool and website. This toolkit and other resources are part of the Answering the Call® program to help you be prepared for these situations. Read moreHelp for Alzheimer's Families Love and support from family members is hugely important to those living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. HelpForAlzheimersFamilies.com is a great resource for family members to find information that will help them fulfill their supportive role and help ensure their loved one receives the best care possible. Read moreReturning Home Thinking about the returning home process right from the start is one of the best things you can do for your senior loved one. Discharge is a key point in the recovery process. Planning ahead and preparing for a safe return home can mean the difference between readmission and a full recovery. In this program we offer you a number of resources, guidelines and tools to help you make your senior's transition home go smoothly and result in a successful recovery. Read more40-70 Rule Home Instead Senior Care established the 40/70 Rule, a public education campaign to help adult children address difficult conversations with their parents, such as driving, finances, independence, and even romance. The rule means that if you are 40, or your parents are 70, it's time to start talking about these trying topics. Read more50/50 Rule: Solving Family Conflict The 50/50 RuleSM: Solving Family Conflict programs and practical support services are offered to develop open discussions between adult siblings in an effort to help them improve communication skills, develop teamwork, make decisions together and divide the workload in caring for aging parents. Check out these tips and videos on how to share the care. Read moreStages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions Stages of Senior Care, written by Home Instead Senior Care co-founders Paul and Lori Hogan, is a practical guide that walks family caregivers through the complex world of senior care options. The book includes step-by-step instructions for every “stage” of the care process so readers can be confident in their decisions and assured that their senior loved one is getting the right care. Read moreStrength for the Moment: Inspiration for Caregivers Strength for the Moment combines personal caregiver stories with prayer, Bible Scriptures, caregiver quotes and a touch of humor to uplift caregivers’ spirits and bring God’s peace, hope and comfort to any caregiving situation. Visit the online community to share and receive encouragement, or order the book written by Home Instead Senior Care Co-Founder Lori Hogan. Read moreCooking Under Pressure Healthy aging is a goal we all share and good nutrition is the first line of defense for older adults who are striving to maintain their independence as they age. Now the Home Instead Senior Care Network is arming seniors and family caregivers with nutrition resources for healthy aging. Read more70/40 Rule 70/40 Rule® programs and emotional support services are offered to develop open discussions between families relating to providing care to parents and other various senior topics. Find tips to help bridge the communication gap between seniors and their boomer children. Read moreSalute to Senior Service One in five senior volunteers says it is the most important thing they do. Home Instead Senior Care took the opportunity to recognize the tireless efforts of seniors who volunteer and formed the Senior Heroes Contest. In the first year, there were over 1500 entries from across 64 states and provinces. View the 2012 winners. Read moreCraving Companionship The Craving CompanionshipSM program was created to help seniors stay connected socially and eat more nutritiously. The biggest mealtime challenge for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience including companionship. This program provides tips and practical advice to promote better eating habits and overall geriatric health. Read moreGet Mom Moving Growing frailty can be the beginning of a downward spiral, and loss of independence is at top of the list when seniors discuss their worries about aging. But there is some good news. While staying physically active may be a challenge for seniors, getting Mom (and Dad) moving can help prevent and even reverse signs of frailty, according to one of the nation’s foremost authorities and researchers of mobility, balance disorders, and falls in older adults. To learn more about reversing and preventing frailty related issues, visit our Get Mom Moving website.
Read more Cutting Corners Pinched by the economy, some older adults are putting themselves at risk. Evidence is mounting that older adults are cutting everyday expenses to keep up with the economic downturn. Local senior-care experts warn families to be on alert to make sure seniors aren't cutting too deeply. Read moreBreaking Point: Decoding the Problems of Seniors and Hoarding You enter your dad's home and can't believe the stacks of stuff that have accumulated on every flat surface: piles of newspapers and mail everywhere, the medicine cabinet overflowing with 10 years worth of hair spray (despite his being bald), heaps of dirty laundry on the bed so there is no place for him to sleep. You wonder how it got this bad. Read moreToo Close for Comfort? The growing trend of children caring for their elderly parents has prompted Home Instead Senior Care to launch "Too Close for Comfortsm" a public education campaign to guide families to the right choices for them. These pages and the resources they contain will help adult children and their senior loved ones answer the question: Should we or shouldn't we live together? Read moreBlue Mood Be Gone According to a 2006 University of Michigan study, nearly 60 percent of more than 500 seniors experience some form of loneliness. Emotional experiences of sadness, grief, response to loss, and temporary "blue" moods are normal, but persistent depression that interferes with a senior's ability to function is not. Read moreNight Fright During the day, Alzheimer's related dementia regularly sends elderly people into states of confusion. But at night, their situations worsen considerably. In the dark, they are terrified and often don't know where they are or whom they are with. The Home Instead Senior Care network has found that nighttime can be very frightening for seniors -- especially for those who live alone. Read moreGardens Brighten Seniors' Lives
Home Instead Senior Care teamed up with Rebecca's Garden star Rebecca Kolls for a public education campaign to bring the joys of gardening back to seniors. The initiative's primary component, a four-color gardening guide, includes simple problems with helpful tips for projects they can easily complete either by themselves or with family members or a caregiver. Read moreDepression in Seniors Can Lead to Illness, Diabetes A senior whose wife died last year after 55 years of marriage has been struggling with depression. His daughter is concerned that he will become ill, but he has assured her that everyone who loses a long-time spouse is depressed, and that she should just give him time. Read moreNew Resources Can Help Identify Depression in Seniors Home Instead Senior Care is finding that an increasing number of Baby Boomers and other grown children of seniors are looking for ways to help identify signs of depression in seniors. Depression is common and often undiagnosed afflication, but it is not a normal part of aging. Read moreRunning on Empty There are no easy answers about how to care for an elderly loved one on a typical day. A new survey shows the dramatic toll of stress on those who provide home care for older adults: 76 percent reported that their elderly loved one's needs are overwhelming, 91 percent said they have anxiety and irritability, 73 percent have disturbed sleep patterns, and 56 percent seem to become ill more frequently. Read moreUse It or Lose It New research found that mentally stimulating pursuits, like brain games, can help seniors ward off symptoms of dementia. Unfortunately, a deterrent for many seniors who would like to stay mentally active is a lack of companionship, particularly for older adults living alone. Home Instead's CAREGivers are specially trained to identify clients' interests and find ways to mentally engage them. Read MoreResearch: Red Wine Can Suppress Abnormal Cell Formation Aging is often considered a time of loss as seniors must give up some of what they may have enjoyed in their younger years. Wine may be one of those habits that to have gone by the wayside. But research has revealed that seniors don’t need to give everything up. Some things, in moderation, can actually be a benefit.Read More New Study Reveals Advantages of Senior Exercise Though many of us can empathize with these senior adults, Home Instead Senior Care has found that an increasing pool of data spells out the inevitable fact that exercise is vital to the good health of seniors. In fact, a recent study found that exercise rejuvenates muscle tissue in healthy seniors. Read MoreAlzheimer’s Disease a Growing Concern for Boomers It's one of the most devastating illnesses of our time to impact seniors and their loved ones. Alzheimer's disease can rob older adults of their pasts and futures. But help and hope are available for seniors suffering from Alzheimer's disease as well as their family caregivers.Read More Caregivers May Slow Alzheimer’s Decline Family caregivers play a crucial role in helping those with Alzheimer's disease remain safe at home. The stress on family caregivers who are caring for a loved one can be as devastating as the disease itself, which is why family caregivers must seek out support.Read More Seniors Should Heed Home Safety Cautions Most seniors enjoy keeping neat, clean houses. But as older adults become a bit less steady, they also can become less sure of their ability to continue cleaning. Home Instead Senior Care and the Home Safety Council compiled a list of safety tips for seniors. Read More'Tis the Season for Seniors to be Sneezin' Many common ailments afflict adults into their senior years, making them miserable and leaving their family caregivers at a loss to help. Assistance from medical professionals and support from non-medical caregiving professionals can provide a boost to family caregivers and relief to seniors.Read More Hip Surgery, Companionship, Help Seniors Do More Older adults may become discouraged when their bodies begin to wear out. Family caregivers, too, could feel the effects of these ailments as more of the care begins to fall on them. Family caregivers can encourage their loved ones to seek help and support from pain, no matter what their age.Read More Managing Arthritis Pain Possible with Help Arthritis is the leading cause of disability among Americans over the age of 15, according to the Arthritis Foundation. This condition is the cause of pain and distress for so many older adults. Family caregivers can help arthritis sufferers in many ways by knowing where to go for help. Read More Encourage Seniors to Pursue their Favorite Pastimes A recent lifestyle-interest survey found that active recreational pursuits have become favorite lifestyle interests for the over-55 crowd. While not all seniors are going to be inspired to undertake an afternoon of river rafting or hiking, knowing that many do might provide some much-needed encouragement for less-active older adults to resume some of the pursuits they used to enjoy. Read More | 