Join the referral program! Receive 10% off your next billing cycle by referring a friend or family member. Discount applied after friend or family member joins the Golden Heart clientele. Call us today at 925-203-3039 to learn more or encourage your friend or family member to visit our website to request a free consultation. https://goldenheartwalnutcreek.com/
Month: April 2021
Memorial Day 2021
Memorial Day weekend is considered the unofficial start of summer but we want to give shout out to all those who have served our country. We hope everyone enjoys a safe day with your family and friends this weekend. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”— John F. Kennedy
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers on the Golden Heart Walnut Creek team and clients! These photos are just a few of the great moms we have helping you and your loved ones. To all the moms out there! We see you, we appreciate you and hope you have a bless day.
Fun Fact! It’s World Book Day!
World Book and Copyright Day is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. World Book Day was first celebrated on April 23, 1995, and continues to be recognized on that day.
Let’s celebrate this day together by sharing our list of favorite books!
Celebrate National Audubon Day with Your Parent on April 26
The National Audubon Society was created to protect birds and the places they live, feed, and breed today and in the future. They encourage support of our fine feathered friends through education, advocacy, and special events. While April 26 is its national day, as a caregiver for your senior parent, you can spend any day celebrating the birds in your neighborhood.
As a caregiver, you can use this special day to plan some fun time with your aging parent celebrating the birds in your area. Whether you live in a big city or out in the country, there are always birds that enrich the places we live and are worth celebrating and protecting. So, grab your binoculars and your parent and head out to find some birds on April 26.
- Go to the back yard. The easiest way to find some birds is often just opening the back door and heading out into the yard. If your parent has a home, or even an apartment with a balcony or patio, then he might have some birds right outside that he could get to know better. Often, those common birds that hang around backyards are the ones people know the least about. Help your parent spot some birds in his yard (if he has a bird feeder, it’ll attract even more varieties), then go inside and do some research on the birds you saw. As his caregiver, you can help him use the internet to look up the birds you saw, or you can purchase a birding book to try to find the birds you saw.
- Take a walk in the neighborhood. Spring is the time birds are building their nests and singing their songs each morning. If you can find the time, go for an early morning stroll around the neighborhood with your parent to see which birds you and your parent can spot flying around the trees and neighbor’s homes. You might be surprised by the wide variety of birds that frequent your area. If you’ve been kept inside due to COVID-19 restrictions, this can also be a perfect opportunity for your parent to reconnect with his neighbors. A caregiver from a home care agency can help your senior take regular walks when you are unable to assist.
- Visit a local park. If your park has trees and/or a body of water, birds are sure to be calling that park home. Bring your binoculars, your bird book and maybe even a portable chair to set out to watch the birds that visit the park. It’s fun to have a check list as well so that your parent can check off all the birds he’s lucky enough to spot. Don’t forget to bring the camera if your parent likes to take photos so he can capture them for future enjoyment by printing up his photos.
No matter how you decide to celebrate National Audubon Day with your parent, remember to bring the kids with as well so long as everyone can be safe. Bird watching is a great family-friendly activity that everyone can take part in together, building memories that will last a lifetime. When you can’t be there to take walks, a caregiver from a home care agency can ensure your senior loved one gets out in the fresh air and gets quality exercise.
If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in Pleasant Hill, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.
Selecting Caregivers
We seek out caring people who have a passion to help seniors live an empowered, independent life. We interview caregivers who are trained professionals, e.g. Certified Nursing Assistants, Directed Care Specialists, Certified Caregivers, Medical Assistants, Dietitians, Physical Therapy Technicians, etc. The interviews are intensive and designed to determine the caregivers’ areas of expertise, work ethic, character, and flexibility. We look for team players with strong ethics, and a high level of commitment to the frail aged. Visit our website to read more about how we select the right caregiver for you and your loved ones.
Take the next step!
From personal care, household, or companionship needs are compassionate caregivers are excited to meet those needs. Call us today! We enjoy providing a free consultation for you and your loved ones. Take the next step because one phone call can change everything.
What do caregivers do?
The next best thing to family is the Golden Heart caregivers and staff. We provide non-medical in-home care services to help our clients live safely in their own homes for as long as possible. We provide everything from companion care, to deep housecleaning and errands, to highly skilled personal care. Call us today. We want to hear what your greatest need is.
Join the family
Don’t do this season alone. Golden Heart Senior Care team is ready and excited to help you and you loved live a full independent life in the comfort of a home or a setting of their own choosing. Call us today. Let’s go into this new season together.
Common Symptoms of Cataracts
While it’s common for vision to change and even get worse as we get older, if your parent is complaining about his ability to see things as clear as before, it’s possible he may have the beginning of a cataract and may need the help of elder care. Most cataracts occur in individuals after they turn 60, so it is not uncommon for seniors to suffer from cataracts.
Cataracts occur when the proteins in the lens of your parent’s eye becomes thicker and less transparent. It can also change color and become more yellow as the proteins build up. When this happens, the discolored lens will become more difficult to see through and may create a cloud for your parent to try to view the world through. It can occur in just one eye or both and can even return once a cataract has been removed through surgery. If it’s extremely advanced, you or an elder care provider may even be able to see a cloudy film over your parent’s eye(s).
While cataracts aren’t painful, they do cause some common symptoms that your parent may be experiencing. They will change the way your parent sees the world. It may happen slowly at first so that your parent doesn’t realize his vision is changing, but over time, it’ll affect his vision enough that he won’t be able to ignore it. Here are the most common symptoms linked to cataracts.
It’s hard to see in the dark or at night.
One of the most common symptoms of a cataract is the difficulty of seeing at night. Your parent may have slowly stopped driving at night because he cannot see the lines on the road as well. If he has started asking you or his elder care provider to do most of his night-time driving, ask him what makes it difficult for him now. If it’s his inability to see, getting his eyes checked is a good first response.
Light sources start to have halos.
This symptom is another reason many people with cataracts stop driving at night. It’s hard to distinguish distance and speed when every headlight and streetlight has rays of light shooting out of it. While a cataract is not the only cause for this (scratched eyeglasses or even dirty windshields can have this affect), if your parent is noticing halos around light sources even when not wearing his glasses, he may have a cataract causing them.
He’s sensitive to light.
A cataract can cause your parent to struggle with bright sunshine or other intense sources of light. If your parent is consistently asking his elder care provider to dim the lights because they bother his eyes, add it to another reason to get his eyes examined.
Double or ghosted vision is more common. If your parent is seeing two of the same item, or if items kind of overlap and seem to have multiple images, a cataract may be to blame.
The world just isn’t as colorful as it was. Cataracts can cause colors to fade and be muted as the cataract creates a cloudy film for your parent to try to see the world from.
The world is so much better when we can see it clearly. If your parent is suffering from any of these symptoms, make an appointment with his eye doctor to see what steps you can take to improve his vision. An elder care provider can assist by taking your senior loved one to their various doctor appointments and provide support while they are there.