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Tag: Companion Care at Home in Orinda CA

Six Benefits of Companion Care at Home for Isolated Seniors

Posted on by ltcep2023

Seniors tend to spend a lot of time alone, especially after experiencing life changes like retirement or health issues. They may have also experienced loss of people they love or mobility challenges that leave them feeling isolated and alone. Companion care at home is one solution families might consider to help seniors avoid loneliness and isolation.

Improved Mental Health

Home care providers who focus just on companionship help seniors to boost their mental well-being. Spending prolonged periods of time alone can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, so seniors need tools and support that helps them to feel valued and understood. Companion caregivers and seniors get to know each other well, getting comfortable with each other and sharing thoughts, concerns, and things that bring them happiness.

Increased Cognitive Stimulation

Spending time with other people is also an activity that supports cognitive stimulation for seniors. Talking with other people, engaging in activities, and having something to look forward to all boosts brain health. Seniors find new ways to remain curious and might be encouraged to learn more or explore new hobbies and ideas.

Healthier Habits

One surprising benefit of companion care at home is that seniors may be encouraged to stick with or adopt healthier habits. This can happen as seniors start to feel happier and more interested in general well-being. Seniors might go on walks with companion caregivers, for instance, or take up hobbies like yoga or meditation. Spending time with other people can also help seniors to get more excited about things like eating healthier meals and snacks.

Reduced Stress Levels

Social connections that are enjoyable help seniors to feel less stress overall, but they may not realize that there are chemical reactions in the body that explain why that’s true. Connecting with others helps to slow down cortisol production, for example. Cortisol is a hormone related to stress, so reducing those levels allows seniors to reduce the symptoms of stress they experience. Other chemicals like endorphins and oxytocin help boost mood and feel good as they get released, and spending time with others can help to release those chemicals.

Improved Sleep

Another surprising impact of companion care at home might be that seniors start to sleep better overall. This can happen for a variety of different reasons. First, if seniors are more active during the day they’re more likely to sleep better. But social connection can improve emotional wellness, which also helps seniors to rest better when they lie down to go to sleep. As they sleep better, their energy levels may also improve, helping them to feel better overall.

Improving social engagement has so many ripple effects that help aging adults to have a better overall quality of life. Companion care at home is one of the easiest ways for seniors to fill their time and reduce their loneliness and isolation. Companion caregivers help seniors to find the social support they need to reconnect with the world around them in a larger way. As aging adults experience these and other benefits, they may find that they enjoy life far more than they did in the past.

Reference
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place/aging-place-growing-older-home

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Orinda, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

What to Do When Your Senior is Suffering From Dementia

Posted on by Craig Bass
Companion Care at Home in Orinda CA
Companion Care at Home in Orinda CA

Providing love and care not only gives the patients suffering from dementia an assurance of being taken care of, but also provides peace of mind to their family. This enables the family members to spend more time to make memories with their loved ones in their final chapter of life. However, it is not at all easy to give proper care when your loved one is diagnosed with dementia. In dementia, resisting care and stubbornness are classic behaviors of the seniors- and these situations frequently get family members into hot water. Companion care at home can be an excellent survival tool for your senior and their family deal with the difficulties of dementia.

Communicating with your loved ones:

It is very important when handling a dementia patient to communicate in there way- not your way. There are several techniques for that which are discussed below.

Do not get involved in physical or verbal disagreements: Do not push, nag or yell at your loved ones, even though they are not in a logical state. It will only make things worse. Arguing can actually damage your relationship with your loved ones.

Consider preferences: Always try to be considerate about the choices of your loved ones and try to minimize the denying the agency of the patient whenever possible.

Communicate in simple terms: Try to ask simple questions and make simple statements. In dementia it is normal to lose your ability for verbal comprehension. So, keeping communication to small sentences and simple questions can make thing easier for your loved ones.

Focus on positives: As much as possible try to have positive conversations with your loved ones, so that the confidence of your senior can be maintained.

Listen: When your loved ones start talking then let them complete their thought, rather than interrupting them. Listening to the patients can be really helpful to ease their stress.

Empathetic behavior: Always act empathetically towards the patients. This will bond a new bond of trust and faith.

Consider companion care at home: Hiring professionals like companion care at home is a part of the process for the betterment of the situation for the patient- and for the family too.

Conclusion: What to Do When Your Senior is Suffering From Dementia

It is very natural that a senior would feel most comfortable around their family and known caregivers. They even feel safe in a familiar environment that leads them to express every side of themselves – including frustrations. But in case of dementia, sometimes adverse situations are also likely to occur due to the extreme difficulty of the disease. Behavioral disorder is a very common phenomena in these cases.

Companion care at home can make a difference for you and your loved ones both. Your senior may be frustrated and clinically ill, but loss of their independence and restrictions of their day to day routine can make them fragile on the inside- which requires healing too. Companion care at home can help resolve these issues and give your senior the help and independence they need while dealing with a difficult disease. Call us today and see how companion care at home can help you today!

Sources:

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care: Help for Family Caregivers


https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/special-issues/seniors/dealing-dementia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4032087/

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Orinda, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.