May 2019 - Dementia Caring

As your loved ones grow older, their mental health and physical ability will gradually weaken as their bodies start to change due to the effects of ageing. The exact time that this happens can vary from person to person, but it’s generally something that could happen to anyone especially if they have started to develop symptoms of dementia or other conditions that could accelerate the ageing process.

That’s why it’s important to check up on your loved ones especially if they’ve had a history of poor health, have experienced issues in the past regarding their physical ability or generally don’t have anyone to look after them. So in this article, we’re going to discuss a couple of signs to look out for that could tell you that your loved ones are in need of home care support or more attention to help them stay healthy and connected to the rest of the world.

You’ve noticed that their home is in disarray

It’s a good idea to check up on your loved ones on a regular basis to ensure that they’re keeping up with current affairs and are able to sort out any concerns or issues they have. When you visit their home, it’s important to look out for as many signs as possible that could indicate that they’re having trouble keeping their home in order. Here are a few signs related to a house visit that you should keep an eye on.

Have you noticed any mail stacking up, unopened or ignored?
Are you noticing any funny smells coming from anywhere in the home?
Do you find that your loved one sleeps on the couch more than their bed which is upstairs?
Are both the fridge and pantry stocked up on food or is it lacking?
Have you noticed any kind of hobbies or interests that they could be getting involved in?
Do they have a way to communicate with others?
Are you noticing any mess in the house such as clothes laying around?
Are all of their appliances repaired and working?

These are just a couple of examples of things to look out for when you next visit your loved ones. Each of them could carry a different issue and, in some cases, may be a cause for concern.

For example, if mail is stacking up and being left alone, then it’s important to help them read through the letters and deal with any concerns that they may have. For instance, if it’s an unpaid bill then they could start to receive threatening phone calls from utility services that will hurt their mental state and could cause a lot of undue stress. This is where having a home carer is important because they’ll be able to sort out any outstanding issues for your loved one. However, there are also times when their financial situation could be caused by poor habits, potentially such as gambling, and it’s a good idea to help keep the issue under control.

Another potential thing to look out for is the food and supplies in their home. If you find that their pantry is empty and that the fridge is lacking, then it could be because your loved one is unable to go outside or has difficulty doing so. It may be due to social isolation which has caused them to be afraid of going outside, or it could be their mobility issues that are preventing them from heading out on their own. It could also be a heavy reliance on fast food and take outs due to stress or depression, and these are all important concerns that should be dealt with as soon as possible. Again, a home carer can help in this case by either helping your loved one do the shopping or even take them outside to walk the markets and stores for food.

In short, general home care and maintenance should be a big sign if your loved ones need home care support or not. If the home is in disarray and desperately needs a clean or restocking, then it’s a good idea to consider hiring a home carer or at least paying more regular visits so that you can help them live a more comfortable life.

They find it difficult to socialise due to their position or conditions

Most of us that grew up in the past few decades will know just how easy it is to stay in touch with loved ones and friends all over the world thanks to the internet, phone calls and messaging. However, as our senior loved ones grew up in much earlier generations, they likely don’t have the same amount of exposure to technology and, as a result, can’t take advantage of all the advances like smartphones, computers and tablets to stay in touch. This means that they could end up socially isolating themselves because they don’t have anyone to communicate with or they rarely get to speak to others. In fact, many elderly seniors consider TV and radio to be their main form of companionship.

This is where encouraging your loved ones to use technology can be helpful to ensure they stay connected with friends and family members, but it can still be challenging if you’re tasked with overseeing the learning process. This is where a home care expert can help not only teach your loved ones to use technology, but also provide social comfort so that they don’t feel isolated. Learning to use technology can be a huge benefit even if it can be quite difficult to grasp, but having a trained professional carer at their side will make it that much easier for your loved ones to stay in touch with the rest of the world.

A carer can also help to introduce your loved ones to the outside world. Whether it’s taking them to visit friends and family members or helping them get to a club or group meeting, hiring a carer is a fantastic way to ensure that they aren’t socially alienating themselves and have company at all times.

You’re worried about the changes (or lack of changes) in their appearance

The appearance of your loved ones can be a huge clue to how they’re doing in their everyday life. For instance, if you feel that your loved ones have gained or lost an excessive amount of weight in a short time, then it could be because they’re eating or cooking too much, that they’re not eating enough or that they’re falling into poor eating habits. If you feel that their weight has changed drastically and not for a good reason, then it’s best to ask them about their eating habits to see how you can help. This is much easier to handle with a carer at their side who can monitor what they’re eating, ensure that they’re getting all the nutrients they need and also help prevent them from falling into poor eating habits.

Other appearance clues can include how their hair looks, the clothes they’re wearing and also their general facial expression. Things like their clothing and physical appearance can usually come down to if they’re maintaining their hygiene care or if they’re able to wash their clothes comfortably without stressing their bodies. This is also where a carer can come in handy. Having someone who is able to help your loved one improve their appearance by doing their hair, helping to trim it if needed and also helping to pick out their clothes can greatly improve their appearance. A helping hand to wash the clothes can also ensure that they’re taking care of their appearance and hygiene.

Improving their appearance has more advantages than just looking better. It can help improve their self-esteem, their confidence and also make them more likely to head outside and take part in social situations. It’s a great way to help them stop alienating themselves from the rest of society, and being more concerned about their physical appearance (in terms of weight) can also help them achieve a healthier body.

You’ve noticed that your loved one is moving around less and has mobility issues

There are many different signs that will tell you that your loved one is in need of mobility assistance. It could be that they’re falling more often and potentially even being taken to hospital due to a fall, it could be that they’ve moved to a downstairs bedroom because they’re unable to climb the stairs on a regular basis, or it could be that they’re travelling to visit you less because they’re unable to walk as far without getting tired.

These are very common issues to develop over time, but there are many solutions to help remedy this. One is to ensure that there are supports installed around the home such as handles around areas like the toilet and wherever steps are involved. A rather expensive solution for traversing stairs would be to rely on a lift, but this needs to be installed professionally. For areas such as the bathroom, it’s important to consider switching current bathtubs and showers for more mobility-friendly options, such as a sit-down bath or a seating area in the shower. Lastly, for outdoor mobility, investing in a mobility solution can be a great way to encourage your loved ones to go outside more.

While these solutions are a great way to solve mobility problems, another all-in-one solution is to actually hire a home carer. This is because a home carer can solve many of the issues related to mobility, such as helping your loved ones around the home, helping them outside to meet with friends and family members, or even assisting them with mobility-related tasks such as cleaning, gardening and shopping. Most importantly, having another person around the home helps them ensure that your loved ones do not injure themselves should they fall over, slip in the bathroom or trip on something in their house.

In short, it’s having a home carer take care of your loved ones will provide plenty of security and safety when it comes to mobility. They’ll help ensure that mobility solutions for your loved ones are effective, and they’ll also relieve them of much of the stress that comes with coping with less mobility as they age.

Accidents or reports away from home

Accidents and reports can be very sudden, but if your loved ones are involved then it’s usually a wake-up call that something needs to be done in order to take better care of them. For example, if you’ve recently received a phone call that a loved one is in the hospital because they slipped at home or because they were in a car crash, then it can be difficult to trust them being on their own. Perhaps it’s the slowly declining motor skills or perhaps even slower reflexes that make it difficult for them to drive a vehicle. Whatever the case may be, any accidents and reports involving your senior loved ones should be taken very seriously.

However, you can’t always be expected to be there for them especially if you have your own family and career to worry about. While frequent visits are perfectly fine, you should consider hiring a home carer to look after them. If you get to know the carer, learn about their personality and slowly build up trust, then they’ll effectively be an honorary member of the family that will get to know your loved one and look after them. This will drastically reduce the possibility of a negative report such as a car accident or a fall at home, and it will give you peace of mind knowing that someone will always be looking out for your loved one.

Hopefully, this article has given you some good advice on when you should consider hiring a home carer for your loved ones to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Dementia can be a difficult condition to cope with, but there are many different ways to ease the symptoms and potentially even improve one’s condition if they deal with severe symptoms of a regular basis.

One of healthiest ways to cope with dementia symptoms is to take advantage of the benefits of physical activity. This is because regular physical activity is part of a healthy lifestyle and helps to maintain not just physical wellbeing, but also mental health. It can improve body strength, it can lead to a healthy heart and there are also secondary benefits that aren’t directly related to physical activity. For example, attending a gym or exercise group can help create more opportunities for social interaction. This can be a great benefit to the patient but also their home carers. This is because engaging in social and physical activities can improve one’s self-esteem, boost their mood and ultimately contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

So in this article, we’re going to talk about how physical activity can help, how to take advantage of the benefits and also give some cautionary advice before you start to convince yourself or a loved one with dementia to start exercising.

Physical activity isn’t suitable for everyone

Physical activity has many benefits, but it’s vital that you take your current physical condition into consideration before you start to exercise. Exercising too much can actually stress out your heart and cause pain or sickness, and it can also aggravate existing symptoms if you’re not careful. As a result, you should always contact a doctor or seek medical advice before starting any exercise so that you can get some solid advice on what types of exercise to perform, for how long and when you should stop. If you or a loved one with dementia is feeling unwell, breathless or sick after exercise, then you should stop immediately and speak with a doctor as soon as possible.

Physical activity may also be difficult if you’re already experiencing pains or difficulties with mobility. There are likely some smaller or less-stressful physical activities that can help you maintain a healthy body, but the exercises you should be performing will depend greatly on your range of mobility, your personal health conditions and the services you have access to.

In short, never push yourself to start doing physical activities because of the benefits it has when it comes to both your body and dementia symptoms. Instead, consult a doctor first and then a fitness professional that specialises in or has knowledge about conditions like dementia.

Understanding the benefits of exercise

There are many fantastic benefits to exercise when it comes to not just your overall health, but also your dementia.

For starters, regular exercise can improve your heart health and your blood vessels. This means that oxygen is carried around the body more easily, providing you with more oxygen and a reduced risk of high blood pressure and heart diseases. As you slowly exercise and gradually exert more physical force, you’ll start to build a healthier heart that can be pushed more and more for even further benefits.

You also reduce the risk of certain cancers such as breast and colon cancer. Exercise can also help protect you against the possibility of stroke and also type 2 diabetes. Osteoporosis (a bone-affecting disease that makes them brittle and weak) can also be avoided with regular physical activity.

Physical exercise will primarily help you build more strength and also maintain your muscles. Your flexibility will also be improved which means that your joints will work better. This gives you a bit more manoeuvrability which means you can perform tasks more efficiently and independently. From getting dressed yourself to lifting yourself out of the bath, these tasks are easier to perform with a stronger and more flexible body. More independence is never a bad thing especially if you want to regain more control over your life and not become too dependent on those around you.

Exercise will also help you work up an appetite in order to fuel your physical activity. This means that you’ll likely stick to a better meal plan with improved nutrition and eat more regular meals to keep your body healthy. This results in more energy to help you through the day and a healthier body thanks to better nutrition. If you’re having trouble getting to sleep at night, then expending more energy throughout the day can also help your body rest easily at night.

In addition to the physical benefits, we also have to talk about the mental benefits of exercise. One of the most life-changing benefits to expect from regular exercise is improved cognitive abilities. As many dementia-related symptoms stem from mental issues, improving your cognition can help to slow down your mental decline and also improve your memory. This means that you’ll be less forgetful and your mind will be more active, resulting in a healthier mental state that will improve your mood, self-esteem and confidence.

Lastly, we can also talk about the secondary benefits that aren’t necessarily linked directly to exercise. For instance, attending group meetings for exercise means that you’ll have more opportunities to meet people and talk with them. This helps to avoid feelings of isolation and regular interactions can help improve your confidence, self-esteem and even your mood. This can eventually lead to making more friends, having more reliable individuals to trust for safety purposes and also improves your social skills.

As you can see, physical activity has many primary benefits as well as secondary benefits that happen indirectly. Whether it’s your body’s physical state, mental health or even how you interact with others in the world, there are countless positive benefits that will help you improve your wellbeing and allow you to cope more easily with your dementia.

How do you get started with physical activity with dementia?

For starters, it’s important to visit a medical professional for some healthcare advice before you get started. Physical activity is a fantastic way to get healthier and there are many positive benefits, but you need to ensure that your body is capable of handling any physical stress that you plan to put it through.

This is especially important if it’s been a long time since you’ve participated in any kind of physical activity. If it’s simply because you’ve not paid attention to your physical health and thus didn’t do any exercise, then it’s best to start slow with a couple of basic exercises to help you get started. However, if you never exercised before due to a physical problem with your health, then you will need to consult a doctor to see what methods there are to help you get back on track so that you can start getting healthier again.

Conditions such as previous heart problems, high blood pressure or breathing issues can harm the effectiveness of your exercise. If you’re already getting dizzy and lightheaded from just walking more often or stretching, then it’s likely that you will need professional advice before you’re able to exercise more regularly. Physical conditions like bone and joint problems or balance issues may also get in the way of the physical activities that you plan to participate in. While these conditions shouldn’t stop you from completely doing any physical activities, they are important considerations and you absolutely need to speak to a professional before you end up overworking your body.

One way of ensuring that you’re in safe hands when exercising is to join a group. If you speak to your doctor then you’ll likely get recommendations on where to look for a local fitness group that is designed for those with dementia or challenging physical conditions that need more attention and care. You ideally don’t want to work with a personal trainer unless they’ve worked with people that have your conditions in the past. There’s also the option of following instructions or guides on the internet that are designed for light exercise with people that have dementia. However, we’d always suggest that you join a group session because there are more people to help you in the event that you experience a problem. Joining groups also helps you take advantage of the social aspect of exercise and gives you a place to communicate with others.

Getting started with physical activity if you have dementia typically involves speaking to your doctor to ensure that you’re capable of doing it without any issues, and also learning what potential risks are involved. However, the great thing to know is that as you gradually improve your body, you’ll find that you’ll be filled with energy, positive vibes and also a positive attitude. You’ll find that there are plenty of opportunities for you to use physical activity to also speak with others and engage in more social situations, and it will help you appreciate your body more so that you’ll start to care more about your nutritional intake.

Lighter exercise options for people with dementia

Perhaps you’re content with your social situation and have neighbours, friends and family members that help keep you from being alienated. Maybe you prefer not to join a group for exercise and would like to do something in private at home instead with your home carer or the occasional activity just to help ease you into more physical activity. Thankfully, there are also many lighter exercise options that don’t require you to attend group sessions and can be performed whenever you want.

A great example of this would be gardening. Gardening is a physical activity that can be performed in your own home and, in most cases, you won’t even realise that it’s a physical activity because you’ve got something else to focus on. You won’t just be looking at how many calories you’re burning or how much you’re sweating, but instead, you’ll focus on getting your garden sorted out, cleaned and growing beautifully. Gardening also has the advantage that it’s a great hobby that can help strengthen your mind and your body, while also improving your heart in a fun way.

For something more exotic, tai chi is a gentle Chinese martial art that mixes simple movements and breathing exercises to create a relaxing exercise experience. You shouldn’t expect to sweat it out and build muscles with tai chi, but instead, it focuses more on improving your mental health while also giving you a light workout. The western opposite to this would be yoga, a form of exercise that focuses a bit more on flexibility and weight loss than mindfulness and mental health. Ideally, you’ll want to mix the two of these to create a unique workout that will help increase your agility, flexibility, strength and mental health.

Lastly, there’s also the most basic form of physical activity we can think of; walking. Walking is often suitable for everyone, it can be a group activity, it’s free and doesn’t need a specialist to guide you, and there’s plenty of walking equipment choices that can help you should you have limited mobility. Group walks are a great way to enjoy a bit of light physical activity with your family or your dementia home carer, and it can be incorporated into anyone’s day. For instance, you could tell yourself that you’ll walk to the store a couple more times a day to pick up groceries, or you could walk around for longer with your dog. Walking can be combined with social activities and easily incorporated into your everyday commitments, making it one of the best choices for light physical activity.

Some final words

As you can see, exercise comes with many benefits for people with dementia, and it’s also very simple to take advantage as long as you’re careful about your limitations and physical abilities. We always recommend speaking to your dementia carer or a doctor before doing any kind of exercise for the purpose of getting healthier, but light activity such as walking or gardening are absolutely fine as long as you take care of your health and have someone to watch over you such as a carer or family members.

Dementia comes in many different forms and can affect a wide range of different people. This is why dementia care is an important component of general healthcare that can ensure that those affected by dementia-related diseases can get the help they need in order to live healthy lives despite the symptoms.

Thankfully, technology is starting to improve the lives of those who live with dementia at home. While home care services have traditionally been the go-to method to take care of those who are affected by dementia-related diseases, technological advances are now starting to make their way into our homes. They can offer dementia patients some relief and even assistance to make everyday life easier to cope with.

In this article, we’re going to talk about the many different ways that technology can and already has helped many people cope with their symptoms. We’ll also talk about a couple of growing technologies that will likely have a huge impact on how we cope with dementia in the future.

Why is technology so important for helping people with dementia?

For a long time, technology has provided us with many ways to live our lives in comfort. Whether it’s easing the stress of memorising something important like phone numbers or giving us the ability to purchase heavy goods online and have them conveniently delivered, technology has the ability to empower our lives. Technology has already greatly advanced the medical field and it’s only just getting started with dementia.

For those that live with dementia, home care is often the most common choice when it comes to coping with the symptoms. However, home care doesn’t offer independent living on the level that most people would prefer. While technology can’t yet provide a dementia patient with full independence, it’s slowly getting there and can certainly help provide practical solutions to home carers and family members.

Dementia-focused technology aims to provide people with ways to maintain their preferred lifestyle despite any symptoms of dementia that they’re facing. Assistive and enabling technologies can cover anything from a physical device to an online service that is accessed through the web. They’re often everyday items such as small devices with built-in technologies such as sensors and cameras that are designed to monitor patients while also providing them with assistance when possible.

Technology to help dementia patients stay connected

We’re already making great use of technology to help dementia patients stay connected to friends and family members. A common example that most people use is smartphones. Smartphone technology provides everyone with a way to stay in touch either through the use of text messaging, online communication or traditional voice calls. However, technology has advanced enough that smartphones are essentially small computers that can be fitted with sensors and voice-activated software to help someone coping with dementia to live a more comfortable life.

There are also many phones that stray away from the typical smartphone touchscreen design. These phones are designed to be used much like traditional phones and sport large tactile buttons and a clear display that makes it very easy to operate. While these can lack the features of a smartphone, they’re often still a great way to help a dementia patient stay in touch with loved ones through voice.

To take a step up, tablet devices are starting to become easier to use thanks to software advances and upgrades. They can be used easily as digital picture frames, video chat devices and even be used to browse the internet on a larger display instead of relying on a smartphone with a comparatively smaller screen. While tablet devices do have a lot of functionality, learning to use them is something that home care services can help their patients with.

In short, technology has given dementia patients many ways to stay in touch with not just their loved ones and close friends, but also stay in touch with communities through online social media platforms and message boards. This way they can keep up with their hobbies, watch relevant news on a convenient device and also install helpful apps that could help to monitor things such as their diet, budget and even lifestyle.

Technology provides dementia patients with more safety and security

Dementia carers and family members often find that they’re worried about the safety and security of those who have to cope with dementia. This is why many people find that it’s necessary to always have watchful eyes close to their loved ones that are struggling with dementia, but this can be taxing on others and rather time-consuming. Thankfully, technology has introduced many ways for us to take better care of our loved ones that are coping with dementia.

For instance, there are many sensors built into devices that can alert is when someone has a fall. These devices can automatically ring emergency personnel and family members when it triggers, and there are also GPS trackers that can be used to keep track of someone’s location. This means that if someone experiences a bout of dementia and decides to wander outside or down the street, the device can automatically pick this up and alert the relevant people. However, it’s not just about keeping track of your loved ones.

It’s also equally important to protect them from the home that they live in. Whether it’s certain appliances that aren’t completely safe to use or detectors that should be updated and maintained on a regular basis for more safety, it’s vital to look at the technologies that can help dementia patients live a more comfortable life and also give peace of mind to family members and carers. A good example of this is adding smoke detectors that will also alert family members and carers when they go off or ensuring that the bath doesn’t overflow by installing preventative measures and sensors. There are also devices that can automatically switch off to save energy and also ensure that no appliances are left on for long periods of time. These can even turn off gas-powered appliances such as a cooking range to ensure that the home and your loved one are both kept safe.

With so many great forms of technology helping to keep our loved ones safe, it’s easy to see just how important these advancements are. Although many of them will require installing new devices and teaching your loved ones how to use certain devices, they’re designed to be simple to use and will help ensure that your loved ones are kept safe at all times.

Technology helps dementia patients stick to routines and remember important notes

Dementia is often characterised by a difficult of remembering things. Whether it’s small bits of information such as phone numbers or meeting dates, it’s a challenging prospect for those coping with dementia to stick to routines and remember important information. This is where dementia care services can help; with someone else there to help remember important bits of information and routines, it makes coping with dementia a little easier.

However, technology can also help patients with dementia to remember important information and routines. Whether it’s taking medication at certain times of the day or even alarms to alert them of the different times of day, it can help to minimise stress and also encourage them to keep better track of meal times.

A simple example of this type of technology could be a special clock that can be downloaded onto smartphones or come as separate portable devices. These clocks could have alarm functionality which will ensure that the person coping with dementia remembers important dates and times throughout the day, and it can also show the date, week and month if necessary. These separate devices and smartphone apps are a great way to remind dementia patients of important things, but this type of functionality can also be added to everyday devices. For instance, a pill dispenser could actually be programmed to open at a specific time and alert the user that they should be taking medication. These are automatic once programmed correctly and will help ensure that people coping with dementia never forget to take their medication.

Clocks themselves can also be relatively customisable and advanced thanks to technology. Clocks can help to ensure a dementia patient sleeps well at night and helps them maintain a regular sleep schedule. These can simply be modified or set by a home carer or a relative and then activate automatically with a few simple controls should your loved one need to turn off the alarm or disable it temporarily.

To conclude, technology is a great way to make reminders and help dementia patients stick to routines. Due to the characteristic symptom of having a poor memory, dementia can make it difficult to follow an important routine and could even contribute to skipped medication or even dangerous side effects of medicine due to taking them too often.

Future technologies can help to predict changes as they happen

Thanks to the variety of sensors available on devices and also advances in artificial intelligence and learning algorithms, we may be able to start predicting changes and improvements in one’s dementia case. Sensors can be placed around the home or even on the body of the dementia patient to detect everything from their general health quality to their stride and physical body strength. This data can then be fed to an artificial intelligence that will help to determine if there are any changes to your loved one’s health. If it picks up something gradual such as a change in how they walk or their reaction time to certain things, then the data can be used to predict when changes will happen so that preparations can be made in advance.

Sensors can also monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate and temperature without having to be physically with the dementia patient and examining them. These sensors can then be set up to play alarms or alerts when something has gone wrong or when further assistance is needed in an emergency situation. These sensors will typically come in the form of a wristband, a smartphone or even cameras and built-in sensors in the home. By tracking all of this data, it can help to detect any issues before they develop into concerning problems.

These devices and technologies have the advantage that they typically don’t interfere with one’s life. Since the devices are small or don’t need to be “used” in order to collect that data, it won’t bother your loved ones and they can live their lives normally. Much of this information can also be submitted to medical professionals (if you choose to) so that they can compile it and use it in further research to develop better medical services and technologies for dementia patients.

Future AI-powered technologies may also even pave the way to voice-controlled robots that can interact with people living with dementia and also alert them of important things. This could include alerting them about taking medication, about the temperature of their body or even who’s knocking at the front door. These voice-controlled robots could play a very important role in how assistive technologies grow and could even become an effective assistant to use in conjunction with dementia home care specialists.

Some final words

Technology is constantly growing and thanks to all the data that has been collected and the advancements that are being made, it’s easy to see just how much of an impact technology can make on someone’s life to help them cope with dementia. Regardless of how severe the conditions are, there will likely always be some kind of technologies that can assist those with dementia.

Whether it’s for safety and security, to help establish or maintain a routine, or even to help stay in touch with loved ones, technology has helped many that have to cope with dementia to live more comfortable lives. While it’s likely not going to completely replace professional dementia home care, it will certainly assist in their lives and make certain tasks easier.

Month: May 2019

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