Caregivers

Travel with Mobility Challenges

A Good Time Can Be Had By All Traveling with someone who has mobility challenges or a chronic health condition requires careful planning before leaving on a trip. To prevent problems during travel: Tell the  person’s primary care doctor about the  trip. Ask if there are  any  special care  needs to prepare in advance or [...]

Read the full article →

Body Mechanics—It’s All About YOU!

Your automobile and  other  important equipment work  based on mechanical principles. Each part is made to work  a certain way  and  to work  with specific  other parts. Your body is much the  same. Certain parts are  for certain activities and  perform best  when they are  used the  way  they were  intended. You have some  control [...]

Read the full article →

Physical Therapy

Use it or lose it… Physical therapy is part of the process of re-learning how to function after an  injury, illness, or period of inactivity. If muscles are  not  used, they can  shorten and  tighten, making joint  motion painful. What a Physical Therapist Does A physical therapist treats a patient to relieve pain and  help [...]

Read the full article →

Family Communication

The right words can make all the difference… Whether with our  own family, or in a professional caregiver relationship, we need  skills to communicate effectively. Tips for effective  communication: 1)  Assess the situation. Listen to every  member of the  family to figure out  what the  issue really is. Look for meaning and  emotions behind what [...]

Read the full article →

The Villages Senior Care: Hygiene – Clean Care is Safer Care

The dirtiest place in your house isn’t your bathroom—it’s your kitchen sink. Cleaner kitchen tips: Clear the sink of dishes and pans before washing hands, and use different towels to dry hands and cookware. Keep cutting boards free of nicks and grooves where bacteria can grow. Keep your refrigerator working properly, and on a cold [...]

Read the full article →

The Villages Senior Care: When Caregiving Ends

Family caregivers experience a range of emotions and stages in their lives when providing care for a loved one.  Several different resources cite levels of caregiving, and while some stages differ depending on the source, one fact remains constant – eventually, the caregiving will end. If you are caring for an elderly relative, the end [...]

Read the full article →

The Villages Senior Care: The Power of Touch and What It Means for the Elderly

Touch is perhaps the most powerful sense of all. From the moment we are born, before our eyes are open, a gentle touch calms us and lets us know someone cares. In the beginning stages of life, a nurturing touch helps create a bond that shapes us for the rest of our lives. Even though [...]

Read the full article →

Questions to Ask about New Medications

When patients receive a new medication prescription from their doctor it is important for them to have several questions answered before they leave the doctor’s office. AARP suggests patients should know the answers to the following questions. What is the name of this medication? What is it supposed to do? What are the side effects? [...]

Read the full article →

Combating Loneliness in Seniors

The very essence of being human means we exist within a social structure where we interact with others.  We talk, spend time together, laugh and sometimes cry together – but, there are times in life where interaction can become minimal.  Everyone experiences loneliness at one time or another and generally, these feelings do not last [...]

Read the full article →

Alzheimer’s Disease & Difficult Behavior: Hoarding and Clutter

Hoarding and Clutter In caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), some behaviors are more difficult to deal with than others. You must learn to cope with the behavior and to keep yourself from burnout. Your reaction depends on how you interpret the behavior. If you think of these behaviors as a way for the [...]

Read the full article →