by trevor@addfuelfire.com | May 10, 2015 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
Hearing loss is one of the most common and most significant health challenges facing older adults. One in three people over the age of 65 and half of those over 85 have some degree of difficulty hearing.
This “invisible disability” can have major effects on a senior’s quality of life, on their relationships, and on their physical and mental health.
While hearing issues associated with aging cannot be cured, family members and caregivers can help in a number of ways.
- Start the conversation about hearing loss
An important step in addressing a loved one’s hearing problem is helping them recognize it. Often seniors don’t realize that they are hearing impaired.
Find a quiet distraction-free place to talk. Begin by sharing a desire for your loved one to enjoy social situations, and discuss safety concerns like the inability to hear a car horn, the smoke detector, or another loved one’s cries for help. Gently point out the tell-tale signs of hearing problems: keeping the TV and radio at excessive volume, asking people to repeat what they have said, and difficulty following a conversation in a noisy restaurant.
The chances are good that they will admit that they aren’t hearing like they once did.
- Change the way you communicate
The Centers for Disease Control offers several recommendations for talking with hearing-impaired seniors:
- Address the person face-to-face and speak clearly, articulating your words.
- Adjust the volume of your voice as necessary, but be careful not to shout, which makes understanding a message more difficult.
- When interacting in groups, ask others to take turns speaking. Overlapping conversations are tough to follow.
- Limit background noise. Most hearing-impaired individuals cannot hear speech over television, music, air conditioners and fans.
- Change your attitude
It’s easy for your patience to wear thin from constantly repeating yourself and raising your voice in order to be heard. This frustration can lead to negative feelings and to resentment that might further isolate the person suffering from hearing loss.
Remember, your loved one cannot control this situation and is likely just as irritated as you. Rather than getting angry or giving up, take a deep breath and try again.
- Be Conscious of Enabling
While a loving caregiver should be willing to work to make sure that a senior can understand, helping too much might allow them to avoid seeking help. If you find that you always have “be their ears,” encourage them to seek help.
- Encourage your loved one to see an audiologist: A doctor of audiology licensed in the state of Michigan will administer painless tests to determine the degree of hearing loss. He or she will screen for medical issues and related balance problems that could lead to debilitating falls. If the hearing loss is moderate to severe, the doctor is likely to prescribe a hearing aid.
- Invest in Assistive Technology
Hearing aids aren’t the only electronic devices that can improve your loved one’s ability to hear. Products like TV sound amplifiers, captioned telephones, and microphones can help older adults enjoy life and communicate with others.
Visual ‘flashing light” doorbells, phones and smoke detectors ensure that your loved one can function safely in their home.
Finally, if your loved one does purchase a hearing aid, you might suggest they consider a Bluetooth-equipped model that transmits from a TV, computer, and MP3 player directly to the device.
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Apr 24, 2015 | Caregiving, Uncategorized
Spring cleaning is a ritual many adult children and seniors tackle together every year. If you are a Michigan caregiver trying to encourage an older loved one to move to a senior living community this year, spring cleaning might also include downsizing.
The logistics of helping a parent or other senior loved one prepare for a move may be overwhelming. Helping them decide what to take with them to their new home and what to do with everything that is left can be a challenge. This is especially true of this generation of seniors because typically didn’t move a lot. Many have been in their same home for decades. Spending that much time in the same home often means they have accumulated a lot of possessions. Parting with them can be difficult.
Downsizing Tips for Michigan Seniors
Here are a few suggestions that can help you and the older adult you love downsize their home in preparation for a move to a senior living community:
- Plot the Layout: If you already know what senior living community your loved one will be moving to, ask the staff for a copy of the apartment’s floor plan. Make sure you have the dimensions for each room. It will help you figure out what furniture will fit and what will need to find a new home or be donated.
- Set Realistic Goals: Unless your aging parent or senior loved one is in the midst of a crisis and needs to move quickly, try to work on downsizing over a period of weeks or months. It will be less stressful for you and your senior loved one.
- Organizing and Sorting: When downsizing means sorting through a lot of old treasures and belongings, it can be tough to stay organized and on track. It is usually best to begin in the rooms where your senior loved one spends the least amount of time. Label boxes or bins with “Keep,” “To Determine,” “Donate,” “Family” and “Trash.” As you work your way through a room, place items in one of these five boxes.
- Document the Memories: If your older family member will be parting with some of their favorite belongings, create scrapbook or video as a keepsake. Include photos or video of how their home looked before you started downsizing, pictures of their favorite roses and any other special places around their home. It might also help to include photos or video of how the belongings they gave to family or friends look in their new home.
Our final piece of advice is to spend extra time preparing for the actual day of the move. Create a “Moving Day Survival Kit” full of the items you will need right away. Include valuables, important papers, and medications in the box or suitcase. It should also include toiletries, a coffee pot and supplies to make it, and personal care items. This should stay with you at all times on moving day and not given to the movers to transport.
Heritage Senior Communities is pleased to announce that our newest independent living community is open in Holland, Michigan. The Village at Appledorn West offers adults over the age of 55 one- and two-bedroom apartments. An assisted living community will also be opening on the campus later this spring.
Photo courtesy: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/3d-cardboard-boxes-photo-p258549
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Apr 10, 2015 | Caregiving, Uncategorized
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that can strike in adults as young as 30. Estimates are that nearly 60,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year. Because people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are often in the prime of their life, the burden it places on families can be considerable. The caregiving spouse often works outside the home and has young children to care for. Trying to provide assistance to a loved one with PD and juggle all of the family responsibilities alone can be difficult. Families often turn to senior living providers for help.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
PD is caused when the body stops producing the necessary amount of dopamine, the chemical required to keep messages between the brain and the body flowing. These relayed signals are what coordinate smooth muscle movements throughout the body.
When the body fails to produce the dopamine that it needs, the result is problems walking, speech issues, stiff muscles, movement disturbances, and hand tremors. While typically not fatal, these symptoms make self-care difficult for a person with Parkinson’s. Many are forced to rely on loved ones for assistance with even the most basic activities of daily living.
How Assisted Living Can Help People with Parkinson’s Disease
When the family caregiver needs a short-term break, respite care in an assisted living community might be the answer. The loved one with Parkinson’s disease can stay for a week or two so the caregiver has time to rest and renew.
Families who have a loved one living with Parkinson’s disease often find an assisted living community to be a good long-term solution as well. Their family member can maintain their privacy in an apartment or suite while still having caregivers nearby to help attend to personal care needs.
The physical environment of an assisted living community is also a plus for someone with physical impairments caused by Parkinson’s. The overall community design is intended to support independence and safety for adults with a variety of health conditions.
An assisted living community also offers adults with Parkinson’s disease:
- Assistance with laundry and housekeeping services.
- Personal care support including help bathing, dressing, and attending to personal hygiene.
- Healthy, well balanced meals.
- Medication reminders and assistance.
- Life enrichment activities and programs designed to meet the unique needs of adults with a variety of different health conditions. Family is also welcome to join in on these activities.
Because Parkinson’s often causes dementia in its final stages, finding a senior living community with staff experienced in working with people with memory loss is important. If the need for a memory care support does occur, the transition can be much easier in an already familiar environment.
If your Michigan loved one has Parkinson’s disease and you would like to learn more about respite care or assisted living, please call the Heritage Senior Community nearest you. Our caregivers will be happy to help answer your questions and make recommendations for managing their care.
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Mar 18, 2015 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
Dear Donna:
My father’s Alzheimer’s disease has progressed to the point where our family cannot keep him safe at home any longer. My mother, brother and I are just beginning to research dementia care programs available at the assisted living communities near his home in southeast Michigan. I am trying to develop a list of questions to ask when we call and visit each of these communities. Do you have any suggestions on what we should ask? We want to make sure we make the best decision possible for my Dad’s senior care.
Diane
Dear Diane:
It sounds like you are already on the right track by developing a list of questions that will help you get to know each memory care assisted living community a little better. Because Alzheimer’s disease presents unique challenges for caregivers, there are a few questions you definitely need to ask. Here are a few we recommend:
- What kind of training does the staff who works with Alzheimer’s residents receive?
- How often do they attend additional trainings to keep their skills updated?
- Is there a dedicated memory care section of the building? Is it secure?
- How does the community support each person’s physical limitations while still preserving their remaining abilities?
- Is the physical environment of the memory care program designed to support success for people with dementia? Is it clutter-free and calm? Are visual cues in place?
- Are meals adapted to meet the physical changes that are common with more advanced Alzheimer’s disease? (i.e. offering finger foods that don’t require the use of kitchen utensils.)
- Is a care plan developed for each resident? How often is it updated?
- Does the community offer physical activities that people with dementia care participate in?
- Does the Life Enrichment Director plan programs just for residents who have memory loss?
- Is there an emergency plan in place just in case a person with Alzheimer’s wanders away?
- How does the community safely manage medications?
I hope this list is helpful, Diane! If you would like to learn more about specialty dementia care and the features and benefits we offer at Heritage Senior Communities across Michigan, we invite you to call the community closest to your father to arrange a tour.
Donna
Photo Credit
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Mar 10, 2015 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
While the number of women living with Alzheimer’s disease continues to outnumber men, more men are moving to dementia care assisted living communities and at a faster rate. A study released in late 2014 examined the issues behind these statistics.
Agitation, Wandering and Aggression in Men with Alzheimer’s Disease
The research conducted by a national senior care placement company looked at memory care admissions from July of 2011 through June of 2014. It found that men are 27% more likely to require a dedicated dementia care program than their female counterparts. Men also moved to these communities at a 14% faster rate than women.
Two primary reasons seemed to lead families to search for a memory care program. Wandering and aggression were both behaviors adult children and caregiving spouses found too difficult to safely manage in their homes. The study reinforced what many Alzheimer’s experts already knew. Men have higher rates of both these challenging behaviors. They are 8% more likely to wander and 30% more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors than women with Alzheimer’s disease.
Potential Causes Wandering and Aggression in People with Alzheimer’s
While the cause of wandering and aggression still isn’t completely understood, experts believe there are some factors that may contribute to both:
- Too Much Stimulation: A noisy, overly busy environment can negatively impact someone with Alzheimer’s. Because the disease causes damage to the brain, people with Alzheimer’s have difficulty processing too much information at one time. The frustration it causes can trigger angry, aggressive outbursts.
- Exhaustion and Chronic Fatigue: Alzheimer’s disrupts a person’s sleep-wake cycle. It isn’t uncommon for someone living with the disease to have problems sleeping and to go several days without sleep. Even though they are physically exhausted, they are unable to sleep. It can result in stress, anxiety and aggression.
- Unmet Needs: The loss of verbal communication skills makes it difficult to know what a senior loved one living with Alzheimer’s needs. They may be hungry, thirsty or have to use the bathroom and be unable to communicate it. These unmet needs can produce episodes of wandering and aggressive behavior with their caregiver. Undiagnosed pain can also cause a similar reaction.
- Communication Problems: Having problems following a caregiver’s directions can increase anxiety and agitation. Because a person with Alzheimer’s disease likely has an impaired abstract thought process, they may not be able to perform tasks that require the use of some types of memory. Trying to do so can result in anger and frustration.
- Medication Side Effects: Older adults process medicine differently than younger people. They sometimes require smaller dosages or a different medication entirely. The same is true for a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Difficult behaviors may be the result of being overmedicated or an interaction between their medications.
To learn more about Aggression and Anger visit the Alzheimer’s Association resource center online. They share information and suggestions to help families manage challenges ranging from how to get someone with Alzheimer’s to eat to how to use visual cues to communicate.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Mar 2, 2015 | Caregiving, Uncategorized
As you are collecting the information you need to file your taxes or have your taxes prepared for you, one deduction you don’t want to overlook is the cost of senior care. If you help pay for an aging parent’s care, you may be entitled to a tax deduction for senior care or at least a portion of those expenses.
IRS Tax Rules for Caregivers
For a caregiver to receive a tax deduction, the person you are providing care for must be a spouse, dependent, or qualifying relative. A qualifying relative is a parent or stepparent, father-in-law or mother-in-law, or another person who was a member of your household all year long.
There are several additional qualifications that must be met:
- The person receiving care must be a S. citizen or resident of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.
- You must meet what is known as the 7.5% rule. It means you may only deduct medical expenses if they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. Note: this is the combined total of your medical expenses and those of your senior loved one.
- The relative must meet the gross income and the joint return test to be considered your dependent. It means they cannot have a gross income in excess of $3,700 nor can they file a joint return for next year. If your relative doesn’t qualify as a dependent because of these tests, you cannot claim a dependency deduction. You may still be able to claim their medical expenses though. Check with your tax advisor to be sure.
Caregiver Tax Resources
To help you better understand how the IRS views the costs associated with elder care, we’ve pulled together a few additional resources:
Because of the complexities associated with claiming an aging family member as a dependent or writing off the costs associated with their health care, we always recommend caregivers seek the advice of a professional tax advisor. One who is familiar with and experienced at working with family caregivers is best.
Our newest community, The Village of Appledorn West in Holland, is open! If you or an older loved one would like to tour our independent living apartments or learn more about our assisted living community that will open in the spring of 2015, please stop by or call us at (616) 846-4700
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