Safe Home Tips for Delaware County, Pennsylvania Seniors

This article provides simple ways to keep our aging loved ones safe at home.  Visit us at www.delawarepa.rightathome.net or www.ltcep.com/bakey for help in the Delaware County PA or New Castle County DE areas.

10 Easy Ways to Prevent Falls at Home

Safe home tips for seniors to prevent falls and accidents

By Gina Roberts-Grey

According to a new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about one in six Americans age 65 and older will suffer a fall in the next three months, with about a third of those people sustaining serious injuries, such as a broken hip. The critical takeaway point is that most of these falls are preventable.

About half of the tumbles that seniors experience occur in their homes. It only takes a few simple modifications and improvements to your home, however, to eliminate many of the common hazards that can cause such disabling, even fatal, falls. Armed with the pointers below, you (or a caregiver or family member), along with someone who’s handy with a few power tools, can accomplish these safety modifications over the course of a weekend. These adjustments can make your home safer for not only an older person, but also for everyone who steps inside — especially grandchildren who often fail to watch where they’re going!

Continue reading HERE.

Senior Memory Loss in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Understanding Memory Loss

What is memory loss?

Memory loss is something we all experience in life. We forget familiar names, we cannot remember where we left our wallets and purses the previous evening, and we can’t remember everything needed at the grocery store without having a list. This type of memory loss is perfectly normal and as we age, such mild forgetfulness may start happening more and more.

Continue reading HERE.  Visit us at www.delawarepa.rightathome.net or www.ltcep.com/bakey if you need help for an aging loved one in the Delaware County PA area.

The Elder Population is Growing in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Here is a great article showing where our population is heading in the near future.  Visit www.delawarepa.rightathome.net if you need help for an aging loved one in the Delaware County PA area.

World’s 65-and-older population to triple by 2050

The world’s 65-and-older population will triple by mid-century to 1 in 6 people, leaving the U.S. and other nations struggling to support the elderly.

The number of senior citizens has already jumped 23 percent since 2000 to 516 million, according to census estimates released on Tuesday. That’s more than double the growth rate for the general population.

Continue reading here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009372611_apusagingpopulation.html

Elder Care Issues – Having a Family Meeting in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Visit us at www.delawarepa.rightathome.net/ if you need help for an aging loved one in the Delaware County PA area.  Enjoy the following article!

In an ideal world, all family members would share the responsibilities in caring for their elderly parent (s) when that parent can no longer care of themselves or needs assistance in doing so. Unfortunately, in the real world, inner family conflicts, emotional and physical distance, or other interferences prevent such meetings from taking place. In the end, one or two members of the family are left with all of the responsibility and burden of long term care for their parents.

In our case, our family “meeting” involved emailing our brother who lives in Northern California and talking to him when he comes down to visit with his family. Though there are six of us in our family, unfortunately, not all six of us are fully on board with the situation. Why? Read the above paragraph again. You’ll probably find some similarities with your own family. If by chance, you are one of the lucky few who is able to gather all of the important figures together, you all have to come up with viable solutions to your parent or parents’ needs. Where do you start? What do you talk about?

First rule of thumb, don’t expect to have ANYTHING solved with 1,2 or 200 meetings. Circumstances change, people change, feelings change. The purpose of the meeting really, is to enlighten the others on the situation your parents are facing.

Prevent Senior Fraud in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Senior Fraud Prevention

“Seniors can make easy targets for fraud, whether it’s for unbelievable investment returns or fraudulent sweepstakes prizes. Fraud on seniors can happen by phone, mail, in person, or, less commonly, the Internet (because seniors are online in smaller numbers). It can happen to wealthy seniors, and those of limited means. According to the Federal Trade Commission, studies show con artists are more likely to target senior citizens than other age groups because they believe seniors are more susceptible to such scams. The FTC reports that fraudulent telemarketers direct from 56 to 80 percent of their calls at seniors. The need for senior fraud prevention has become greater than ever.”

Follow this link to read the rest of this very informative article.  If you have any questions or need help in the area, visit www.delawarepa.rightathome.net/.

Parents With Debt-Are Caregivers in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Responsible?

I’m sure many adult children of aging parents and caregivers think about this question a lot.  Recently, this article appeared at AgingCare.com, so I thought I would pass it on!  If you have any questions, please visit www.delawarepa.rightathome.net.

I was recently asked “Am I responsible for my parent’s debt? What if as a caregiver, I recently discovered that my father has several thousand of dollars of debt. Are parent debts transferable?”

Click HERE to read the full article:
http://www.agingcare.com/Featured-Stories/133807/Are-Caregivers-Responsible-for-Their-Parent-s-Debt-.htm?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=April+08%2c+2009&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2B-%2BApril+08%2c+2009

Common Caregiving Misconceptions in Delaware County, PA

Common Caregiving Misconceptions

Dispelling Caregiving Myths

Caregiving is an emotional subject which is likely the reason so many myths surround it. This article focuses on dispelling some of these caregiving myths. It’s a must-read for anyone currently involved in caregiving including those who are considering hiring or perhaps even becoming a caregiver. Below are some common myths related to caregiving:

Continue reading here: http://www.thehomecaredirectory.com/home_health_care/related_articles/common_caregiving_misconceptions/17/

If you need help with an aging loved one in the Delaware County PA or New Castle County DE areas, visit www.delawarepa.rightathome.net.

Caregiver Stress and Alzheimer’s in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Here is a great article I found that I wanted to share. The original article can be found at http://www.alzinfo.org/alzheimers-caregiving.asp#3.  If you have any questions, or need help please visit www.delawarepa.rightathome.net.

How can social support ease caregiver stress?

Two important contributors to caregiver stress are lack of social support and the caregiver’s assessment of the behavior of the patient with Alzheimer’s.

Social and family support. Caregivers who lack sufficient or appropriate social support from family and friends are often put under heightened stress. Family conflicts, isolation and loneliness further exacerbate the stress of caregivers. While social support may not affect the primary stress caused by the disease, it can change the caregiver’s response to the illness. Feeling supported by family and friends can improve psychological responses to stress and boost the caregiver’s sense of well-being.

The relentless downward course of Alzheimer’s disease can have devastating effects on the structure and functioning of the family as well. The person with Alzheimer’s gradually relinquishes his or her previous role in the family, and other family members must step in to fill the gaps. In addition, other family members may not recognize that a husband or wife who acts as a primary caregiver has now lost a major source of social support — the spouse on whom they previously relied.

Senior Stress in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Stress and the Elderly

Contrary to what we’ve been led to believe, senior living isn’t always the way it’s portrayed in glossy sales brochures and magazine advertisements. Rather than being a carefree period of life spent on the golf course and traveling around the world, for many of today’s seniors those “golden years” are incredibly stressful times.

What causes seniors so much stress? Change is a huge trigger for stress and seniors definitely experience plenty of change. It can be in the form of declining health, death of friends and loved ones, moving, a bad financial investment, and the list goes on. Here are some other reasons why senior living is stressful.

Continue reading here: http://www.thehomecaredirectory.com/home_health_care/related_articles/stress_and_the_elderly/13/

If you need help with an aging loved one in the Delaware County PA or New Castle County DE, visit www.delawarepa.rightathome.net.

Keeping Mom and Dad Safe at Home in Delaware County PA

This article provides a lot of information for keeping our aging parents safe at home.  If you need help with an aging loved one in the Delaware County PA or New Castle County DE areas, visit www.delawarepa.rightathome.net.

Keeping Mom and Dad Safe at Home

Generally, elderly parents want to remain living in their own home. However, remaining in the home becomes a concern when children see their parents slowing down, perhaps even having trouble with handling stairs and doing general daily activities. Yet, with parents’ mental and physical health currently not creating problems, there seems to be no imminent need to search out support services or other accommodations for aging parents.

This is now the time to evaluate the home to make it safe and secure for your loved ones — now and in the near future — in anticipation of aging disabilities that may occur. Help and support are available. The nation as a whole is more aware of elderly needs and services and products are becoming available at an outstanding pace.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states,

“Employment of personal and home care aides is projected to grow by 51 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The expected growth is due, in large part, to the projected rise in the number of elderly people, an age group that often has mounting health problems and that needs some assistance with daily activities.” Bureau of labor Statistics-Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition