Many adult children don’t think much about what to do when their parents can’t live alone any more until they are actually faced with the need to help them or move them into a place that is safe and secure. If you live in a different city or state from your aging parents, you may not be on hand to address sudden changes in their health or day-to-day needs. Whether it’s simply gathering information about your loved one’s care needs, or coordinating living and medical services, caregiving from a distance involves a substantial investment of resources, time, and preparation. Long-distance caregiving can take many forms. From afar, you might: Help with finances, money management, or bill paying
Due to the growing number of older adults living at home independently, it’s increasingly important to make sure they continue to stay safe at home. You and your elder loved ones should be aware of the many potential dangers that can be present in the home and prepare accordingly. Falls, burns, and poisonings are a few of the most common accidents involving older adults. To help prevent these accidents, here are a few tips to follow. Keep emergency numbers handy. Always keep a list of emergency numbers nearby the phone. Write the information legible and large enough so that it can be read easily when hurried or frightened. Important numbers to include are: 911, Poison control, close family m
Are you afraid to go to sleep at night because mom or dad might wander alone outside? Are you scared to go to the store with your autistic child because they might run off in a split second? One of the biggest concerns of caregivers who care for people with cognitive problems is how to prevent them from wandering. Wandering is a risk associated with many conditions, such as Autism, Down Syndrome, and the most common of them being dementia (which can result from Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, head injuries, and Parkinson’s disease). Diseases like dementia rob the person of the ability to recognize familiar places, faces, and understand certain situations. They may come to a point where they
Pneumonia vaccines help prevent developing pneumonia, a lung infection, commonly caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus. When the lungs become infected with this disease, breathing becomes very difficult. Although the vaccine cannot prevent all cases, it can lower your chances of catching the terrible disease. Even if a patient still contracts pneumonia from this germ, it can prevent complications from the pneumonia, such as requiring life support ventilation. Pneumonia vaccination is usually given to babies younger than two years old and to two groups of adults. First, those 65 and older are eligible for the vaccination, as we know that in senior individuals, the body’s defenses begin to
