Golden Heart Senior Care in Walnut Creek is celebrating our 1 year anniversary! It has been a long journey, but we are very excited and proud to fully be in business for one whole year. It has been a very rewarding business to be a part of, and feel extremely grateful that we have created a family within the Golden Heart team. We care about what we do, and hope to continue to show our community that by giving back to our seniors.
Month: July 2020
What’s the Plan if Your Senior Falls?
The very best plan is to help your senior to avoid a fall completely, but realistically that isn’t the only plan to have. In case your senior does fall, you need to know what you should be doing as her caregiver to ensure that she’s alright and that she’s able to recover as well as possible.
Avoid Overreacting at First and Don’t Try to Help Her Up
The first moment after a fall, you may already be going into adrenaline overdrive, but that’s not helpful for your senior. Take a deep breath and do what you can to keep everybody as calm as possible. Something else that may not make sense at first is that you shouldn’t try to help your elderly family member up just yet. You need to follow the plan for best results.
Assess the Situation
You both need to take a moment here after your initial deep breaths and assess what’s going on. Is your elderly family member feeling extreme pain anywhere? Does she have wounds that are bleeding? Some of these situations dictate what happens next. For instance, if your elderly family member does have a wound, tend to it before she gets up. Help her to do a full-body scan and pay attention to any body parts she fell directly onto.
Put Something Solid Next to Her
If your senior doesn’t seem to require medical assistance, move something solid, like a chair, next to her. You may have to stand near the chair or item to help stabilize it. The purpose of the chair is to give her something to lean on and to support herself with as she tries getting up on her own. Brace the chair as your senior puts more of her weight against it and try to resist actively helping.
She Needs to Get up Herself, if Possible
It’s more important than you think for your senior to get up under her own power if she can. This is going to help to ensure that she’s not injured worse than either of you thought in that initial assessment. If your senior can’t get up at all on her own, it’s possible that she’s injured more severely and does need medical help.
Your senior’s doctor may want to see her after a fall. You should at least call the doctor’s office and determine what they want her to do so that you can help her with any next steps.
If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in San Ramon, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.
Welcoming our new summer marketing intern, Katie!
We are so excited to have Katie help us with our marketing this summer. She is going to be a senior at the University of Oregon where she is a double major in Advertising and Public Relations. With her help, we hope to continue to grow the Golden Heart Brand and expand our clientele.
Are There Solutions for Dry Eye?
Dry eye can be a subtle problem, but once your senior notices that her eyes aren’t feeling as comfortable as they usually do she may start to notice why. Here are some tips for managing dry eyes for your senior.
See What Her Doctor Has to Say
Your senior’s doctor is the best starting point if she’s experiencing dry eye. It’s possible that health issues or the medications she’s been prescribed to manage those health issues are contributing to her dry eye. Changes to her diet, like including more omega-3 fatty acids, could be something helpful. Her primary care physician may also recommend that she sees her eye doctor to cover all the bases. If dietary changes don’t help, eye drops or ointment may.
Hydration Always Matters
When considering dietary changes, one of the biggest things to look at is how much water your senior is taking in. If she’s dehydrated then parts of her body, like her eyes and her mouth, may be consistently dry. That can be uncomfortable and a big sign that she needs to drink more water. Sipping water throughout the day is the best approach, but it can also help to bump up her intake of foods that contain water.
Humidity Levels Can Make a Difference
It’s not just water levels inside your senior’s body that matter, though. The humidity level in her environment also matters. If the air is too dry, she’s likely to feel that in her skin and in her eyes. This is usually a problem in winter when heat is on more often, but it can also be an issue in the summer when air conditioners are running more frequently.
Sunglasses Really Can Help
The sun, and particularly UVB and UVA rays, can damage your senior’s eye and make them dry out. When your elderly family member is outside or is in a sunny location, sunglasses that are rated to block UVA and UVB rays can help to protect her eyes. She may also want to consider lenses that automatically darken to protect her eyes if she wears glasses all the time.
It’s tough to keep up with all of these variables for your senior completely on your own. Elderly care providers can make the job easier and they can be there for your senior when life is complicated. There’s a lot more that they can do for your senior, too, including offering much-needed companionship.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in Alamo, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.
Excited to be a part of the Rossmoor Community
Golden Heart Walnut Creek feels blessed to be accepted into the Rossmoor community. It is such a privilege to be able to be apart of this community and appreciate the generosity shown to us from our clients. We are thrilled to have another client from Rossmoor and love that they are referring us to their neighbors and friends. Thank you to the Rossmoor community for welcoming us with open arms and letting us be a part of their home!