Golden Heart Walnut Creek just got brand new scrubs for our caregivers! Each scrub has a custom made Golden Heart logo embroidered on them. We are so excited to give them to each of our caregivers to wear them when they walk into work with our clients.
Author: Craig Bass
Healthier Meals Start With Meal Planning
Take out meals are becoming your parents’ normal routine. They have pizza one night and Chinese the next. Their doctors say it needs to stop. The high-sodium, high-sugar, high-fat meals are impacting their health.
You want to help them improve their diet, but it’s hard to come up with healthier meals that they can cook. They don’t like some of the meals you suggest. They’re worried about the added cost of healthier foods. How do you get them to stick to a healthy diet?
Plan Weekly Menus
Come up with weekly menus that match your parents’ dietary needs. Make sure each meal contains more vegetables and fruit than meats or starches. Keep side dishes to whole grains for the fiber. Beans are another good source of fiber. Round it out with a lean protein. Fish is ideal.
You can print free menu planners online that have the weekly menu on one side and a grocery list on the other. As you come up with meals they are interested in eating, jot down the ingredients they don’t have on hand. This way, you don’t forget anything when you do go shopping.
There are apps and online programs that help you with meal planning. Use them to find intriguing recipes, create shopping lists, and print out a menu plan.
Plan in Advance
Save time by prepping some items when you return with groceries. If you know three of the recipes for the week require diced onions, dice the onions in advance. When you go to cook the recipe, you can pull out a storage container with the onions and take as much as you need.
If you’re doing grilled chicken kebabs one night, you could freeze chicken cubes in their marinade. The chicken breast has time to soak up the marinade, which tastes better. Make enough for multiple recipes by purchasing the chicken breasts in bulk and packaging it separately.
Shop With Rewards and Coupons
Many grocery stores have rewards programs that offer discounts throughout the month. If your parents are worried about signing up and sharing their email, set up a spam email account. It’s an email they’ll have that they only use to sign up for free rewards programs.
As the store gets used to their frequent purchases, targeted savings start pouring in. They may find themselves getting $10 discounts on weekly grocery purchases or $5 off a $20 purchase from the produce department. Some stores even offer monthly freebies like a free package of oatmeal or a free yogurt.
Hire senior care services and help your parents with grocery shopping and meal preparation. Your mom and dad can have caregivers to assist them with menu planning, grocery lists, and shopping trips. Make arrangements by calling a senior care agency.
If you or an aging loved one is considering senior care in Pleasant Hill, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.
Golden Heart Senior Care in Walnut Creek Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary!
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.
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!
Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia: Know the Similarities and Differences
As your mom and dad age, you may notice their mood changes. They become agitated more easily. They’re forgetful. They have a harder time following instructions or doing things they’ve done hundreds of times before.
Anxiety, depression, and dementia can all share some symptoms, but they’re very different from one another. How can you tell them apart?
How Do Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia Differ, and How Are They Alike?
The differences between anxiety, depression, and dementia differ in several ways. Start with anxiety. Someone with anxiety may worry regularly. The level of worry may seem unusual and it often interferes with normal activities. Ignored, anxiety can on physical symptoms like a racing heart rate, difficulty breathing, hyperventilating, dizziness, numbness/tingling in the hands and feet, and chest pain.
Compare those common symptoms to depression. People with depression may also deal with anxiety, but it’s not always the case. Depression usually affects the appetite, creates feelings of guilt, makes it hard to think or concentrate, and causes mood swings and irritability. Depression interferes with sleep. It also makes you lose interest in things you used to love, such as favorite hobbies or going out with friends. Sometimes physical pain manifests as a symptom of depression.
Then, there’s dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. Confusion is a symptom, but it doesn’t come all at once. There’s a gradual decline. Dementia doesn’t cause someone to feel guilty. Depression and anxiety may occur as dementia progresses, but it’s not always the case. Physical pain isn’t related to Alzheimer’s. It’s tied to something else like a UTI or stress and tense muscles.
What If You’re Not Sure?
It can be hard to know if your parent’s confusion is related to dementia or depression. When you see any signs that make you wary, call the family doctor. Ask questions and get answers. If you’re not convinced, you can ask for a second opinion.
If it is dementia, treatments can help slow the progression of the different symptoms. If it’s depression or anxiety, there are medications or therapeutic treatments that help reduce the severity and symptoms.
Whether your mom and dad are dealing with anxiety, depression, or dementia, support is essential. All three can impact the ability to take care of yourself properly. With senior care services, your parents have companionship and assistance. Call a senior care agency to discuss how caregivers can help when mental abilities decline or mental health is impacted.
If you or an aging loved one is considering senior care in San Ramon, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.
What Can You Do about Nighttime Anxiety?
Anxiety in the middle of the night can be severe enough to keep your senior from sleeping or even severe enough to wake her up. Here are some possible solutions.
Make Sure Mobility Tools Are Accessible
Assistive devices and mobility tools are necessary items, of course, but they’re equally necessary at night. Part of your senior’s nighttime anxiety might be worry that she won’t have what she needs overnight when she needs it most. It can be a good idea to have duplicate mobility items available, like a second cane next to the bed where your senior can easily reach it. Make sure that those items are easy to access and that they don’t become a mobility hazard when they’re not in use.
Put Some Subtle Lighting to Work
Another frequent source of anxiety overnight is being unable to see what’s happening. Nightlights that aren’t very bright are a good idea, especially if they use motion sensing technology to slightly brighten the light when your senior moves closer to the nightlight. You may also want to consider putting a small but bright flashlight next to your senior’s bed. Use one that has a wide beam of light so that she can easily see where she’s going.
Investigate Which Noises Are Helping and Which Aren’t
For some people, noise is the problem. Either there’s too much of it, usually from outside, or the house becomes too silent. Using thicker, noise-dampening window treatments and rugs inside the house can help. Double-check that seals around windows and doors are also good, because that can be another spot where sound leaks in. If the problem is that her home is too quiet at night, your elderly family member might find that leaving a radio on or using a white noise machine is very helpful. A noise machine can also help to blot out sounds from outside.
Consider Overnight Help
Whether or not you and your senior live in the same home, overnight anxiety on your senior’s part may have some negative impacts on your own ability to sleep. If you live apart, she may call you at night, and that can be anxiety-inducing for you.
Hiring home care providers for overnight stays with your elderly family member can help her to feel safer and may be what you need to be able to sleep well. Home care providers can handle whatever your senior needs, and you know they’ll contact you for a true emergency.
If anxiety at night is a big problem for your senior, talk with her doctor. There may be more going on than either you or she are aware of and that can rule out medical causes.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Danville, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.
Five Ways Home Care Helps a Family After a Stroke
Each hour, it’s estimated that around 90 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke. A stroke can be mild or severe. Either way, therapies are needed to restore abilities like speech, mobility, and eating. If your mom or dad had a stroke, you’re going to sit down and talk about home care services. There are five ways home care will help.
Housekeeping
Vacuuming, mopping, dusting, putting away clutter, and wiping down counters are standard household chores. They’re also tedious. If you’re already busy preparing meals, spending time with your dad, running errands, or walking pets, finding time for housework is challenging.
Housekeeping is a popular home care service. Caregivers complete daily housekeeping for you, which leaves you time to take your dad to his therapy sessions.
Showers and Baths
After a severe stroke, your mom may be unable to shower independently. It may be uncomfortable for both of you at first. If you accidentally scrub too hard or turn the water too cold, it’s going to leave unpleasant memories.
Home care aides have the benefit of training and experience. They could handle the tasks that you’re less comfortable completing. That leaves you free to do things that are more enjoyable with your mom.
Toileting
Similar to showering, it can be hard helping a parent who has used a toilet or needs to change into new incontinence pants. You could let caregivers help with toileting instead. While a caregiver does that, you could focus on another task like paying the bills or doing the laundry.
Meals
If your dad cannot hold his arm or hand steady, eating a meal is challenging and can be messy. A caregiver can feed him for you. Caregivers can also pick up groceries, cook meals, and clean up the kitchen when he’s done.
Respite Care
Even families working together will run into obstacles. If someone picks up a cold or stomach bug, they should stay home and recuperate. You might have made a promise to your child that you can’t ignore. There may be too much for one person to do each day.
When you need a break for illness, appointments, or miscellaneous plans, respite care helps. A caregiver takes over for you. Your mom or dad isn’t left with a shortage of carers, and you don’t have to worry about others being overloaded.
Home care services are easy to schedule. It starts with a call to a home care specialist who will discuss your parent’s strengths and weaknesses. From there, you can choose the services that would benefit your parents and schedule caregivers.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Alamo, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.