Staying Connected: Visiting a Loved One in Hospice

 

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It’s an incredibly difficult time when a loved one is in hospice care. While there may be miles between you and your cherished family member or friend, it doesn't mean that the connection you once had needs to come to an end. Visiting your loved one at the hospice can be an opportunity for comfort and solace during a very tough period of life. Read on for some helpful tips on how best to stay connected with your family member or friend who is receiving personalized medical care from skilled professionals.

• Plan your visit

It pays to plan to ensure a comfortable visit for everyone involved. Remind yourself that no two visits are the same and no amount of planning will help you predict exactly how things will go, but it's best not to surprise your loved one or their nurses when you arrive. Talk with them beforehand about any safety guidelines, visiting times that work best for both of you, and what your loved one needs from the visit. That way, you can use your time together for meaningful conversations instead of trying to figure out the details.

• Speak in a calm voice

Visiting a loved one in hospice can take you on an emotional rollercoaster, and when it's time to talk to them it helps to keep a calm, comforting voice. Doing so is not only important for providing comfort to the person you are visiting, but also it can help create a sense of peace in the hospice environment itself. Speaking in a gentle and casual tone will show your compassion and reverence for the situation at hand, allowing you and your loved one to have meaningful conversations that don't distract from the calming atmosphere of their care facility.

• Talk about fond memories

Despite the uncomfortable setting and painful reality of what is happening, many have found solace in sharing stories and laughter with their loved ones in hospice care. It allows both of you to take a break from the hardship, however temporarily, to focus on looking back and cherishing these moments that might otherwise be taken for granted. Even though some of these visits are heartbreakingly brief, they are ones that remain with you for life.

• Be mindful of the time

Visiting a loved one in hospice can be a hard and emotional experience, so it's important to be mindful of the time. Depending on how your loved one is feeling, it might not make sense to stay too long. If they seem tired or overwhelmed, ending your visit will allow them some much-needed rest. If possible, checking in with the staff at the hospice to get an understanding of their condition, as well as what activity is suitable for your visit, can help you make the most out of the time you spend together. When visiting the hospice, remember that kindness and respect from all parties are essential for creating a positive atmosphere.

• Don’t make promises about the next visit

When visiting your loved one in hospice care, it is important to not make promises about the timing of the next visit. Despite our best intentions, we don't know what the future holds in store for us and the patient in our care. Rather than creating expectations out of our control, focus on being in the moment with your patient by honoring their wishes in each sitting. Remember that every visit matters as your presence can be a source of great comfort. In-home hospice care is also a great option you can look into if you want to be with your loved one more often.

• Avoid certain topics

Visiting a loved one who is in hospice can be an emotional experience and it's important to keep the focus of your visit on the person receiving care. Avoid topics like medical information, long-term care planning, memorial services, and other end-of-life preparations as those are best discussed another time or with the healthcare team. Instead, focus on being present with your loved one and make sure to provide an engaging environment that is soothing, uplifting, comfortable, and calming. Spend quality time talking about memories or any favorite topics that carry special meaning for both of you. Make moments special by bringing pictures from home or playing music. And lastly, remember to bring comfort to yourself too; take the time you need when expressing your emotions during the visit.

Visiting a loved one in hospice is not always an easy thing, but it’s important to remember that it can be incredibly meaningful and special. No matter the relationship between you and your family member or friend—whether it’s close or distant—take some time out of your day to show them that you care deeply about them and are there to support them during this difficult journey. Giving someone in hospice love, comfort, and companionship can help improve their spirit and make them feel appreciated. And although the moment might be sad, try to cherish the remaining moments with your loved one by expressing how blessed you are for these final times together. After all, whether it is big or small, every little gesture counts when someone is facing such a heartbreaking experience.

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6 Reasons You Need to Consider Memory Care Facility for Dementia-Affected Family Members

Due to the negative connotation that comes with seeking help from an assisted living facility, families often wait too long and in turn puts their elderly parents at risk. The social stigma of “leaving” a loved one in a long-term elderly care facility definitely plays a role here. People often feel guilty as they perceive their decision to seek help from a senior care center as abandonment.

The truth, in most cases, is that families usually don’t have the time or the medical skillset to provide the long-term care required to keep the affected person safe. This is never so true as when people care for a member of the family suffering from dementia. Patients diagnosed with dementia need constant care as they can easily hurt themselves. For example, it’s highly common for a dementia patient to go outside and then forget their way back home. On a more daily basis, they can forget to take their medicine or have their meals.

While a general assisted care facility is geared towards the welfare of its senior members, memory care facilities are special homes for elderly patients suffering from Alzheimer’s or any other type of dementia. The decision to contact a memory care facility is completely personal as different families have different trigger points. It can be a single scary incident or the accumulation of stress put on by daily struggles trying to care for a senior patient with dementia. Whether you choose to go for a senior housing option that specializes in caring for dementia patients is completely yours. In this post, we talk about 6 reasons why you shouldn’t feel guilty about considering it as an option.

These Facilities Have Specially Trained Caregivers

Memory care facilities hire certified caregivers who are required to go through additional training to care for elderly dementia patients.

Memory Care Facilities Have a Special Lockdown System

Regular homes are equipped with locks that can be opened from the inside. This poses a grave risk for dementia patients as they can simply unlock the front door and get lost. Memory care homes have special magnetic locks that keep patients from wandering off, thus keeping them safe.

They are Usually Located in Residential Communities

Memory care facilities do not look like hospitals or nursing homes. They instead are typically located in regular neighborhoods. They often look like any other family homes to ensure the residents feel comfortable.

Patients Get 24-Hour Supervision and Medical Care

Balancing work and caring for a dementia patient is an uphill task for regular families. Unfortunately, a lot of times patients need 24-hour supervision as incidents may take place in the middle of the night. Memory care facilities have qualified staff members present 24X7 to attend any emergency situation.

They Have Several Programs to Keep the Residents Happy and Healthy

A memory care home is not just about housing a dementia patient. They often have social programs that involve all the residents. They also bring in volunteers from outside to interact with members and conduct fun activities. Families are often surprised by witnessing an overall improvement in the health and wellbeing of the person they admitted.

Daily Housekeeping and Laundry Facility to Ensure Proper Hygiene

Housekeeping staff at these facilities are tasked to maintain a certain degree of hygiene. This ensures members remain in a clean and healthy surrounding.

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Smart Tips to Help Seniors Take Control of Their Health

It’s never too late to practice habits that can keep you healthy in mind and body. If you’re a senior, committing to a healthy lifestyle can make a big difference, even if you lack mobility or suffer from a chronic condition. Improving your quality of life is about taking control of your physical and mental well-being, which can have very positive consequences for you and your loved ones. Here are a few tips to help put you on the right track.

Take Prevention Seriously

Prevention is the first step toward good health. Even if you’re uncomfortable about medical or dental appointments, be sure to schedule them so your healthcare providers can stay updated on your condition and, more importantly, so they can take steps if a new problem crops up. Many problems can be dealt with quite easily as long as they’re discovered early. Your dental health is connected to other parts of the body and can have a lasting effect on things like cardiovascular health, digestion, and even your mental and emotional health. In fact, there is a connection between depression and poor oral health, so seeing your dentist on a regular basis should be a healthcare priority. You may as well take advantage of dental care if it’s covered.

Work Your Brain

It’s essential for older adults to engage in activities that stimulate the brain and sharpen cognitive abilities, so choose something you enjoy and make a regular habit of it. If you’ve always loved doing crossword puzzles, make a goal of working on a new one every day. Once you’re retired, there may be time to read books you couldn’t get to during your working days. Or, you can ask friends to join you in learning a foreign language, which is one of the best ways to sharpen mental acuity. Whatever you choose, remember that consistent cognitive activity can help slow mental decline and make it easier to enjoy social interaction.

Make Time for Exercise

It’s also important to stay proactive about exercise, particularly indoors where you can work up a good sweat in a controlled environment. It’s important to have activities you can turn to when the weather is inclement. Anything that gets the blood flowing and the heart pumping is good for you. Whether you prefer senior-friendly exercises like swimming or walking, working on flexibility with stretching exercises, or doing strength training, physical activity should be a focal point of your personal health program because seniors who stay physically active spend 25 percent less time hurt or disabled than seniors who lead a more sedentary lifestyle. If necessary, turn to YouTube exercise videos or Wii games to ensure you’re getting the exercise you need.

Try CBD Oil

If you’re unable to exercise due to chronic pain, you might benefit from trying a natural solution. Research shows that cannabidiol (CBD) oil, derived from the cannabis plant, may provide relief from pain by reducing inflammation. It can also help treat multiple sclerosis and arthritis. If you’re considering taking CBD oil, it’s best to consult your doctor first. If you get the approval, read a comparison list of the best oils.

Healthy Diet

Your digestive system tends to change as you grow older, but that doesn’t mean vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and other high-fiber foods aren’t still important. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet helps preserve your digestive system, so shun empty calories and foods that are high in sodium and trans fats (some fat is good for you, such as nuts, fish, and olive oil). Also, remember to stay well-hydrated, especially when the weather turns hot.

Socialize

Social activity benefits seniors in a number of ways. It boosts self-esteem, instills a sense of belonging, aids cognitive functioning, and gives purpose and meaning to one’s life. The desire to maintain contact with other human beings doesn’t go away with age; the need to interact with others is as important as always. However, it’s important to be proactive about socialization because it can be easy to slip into an isolated lifestyle, so take part in activities with family and friends, volunteer, and considering joining an exercise or swim class.

A healthy lifestyle is crucial for seniors who want to continue to enjoy activities that have always made them happy. Emphasize prevention, exercise, and healthy cognition by seeing healthcare providers on a regular basis, getting enough physical activity, and keeping your mind active.

Image courtesy of Pexels

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How To Teach Your Kids The Value Of Elders In The Family

Living with your aging parents can be challenging, especially if you have kids. The biggest challenge is how you teach your kids that elders are essential in the family. Most people are taken this for granted, and most of the times, elders are neglected at home. Fortunately, there are personal assistance service where seniors can live in a home health care institution if the family is unable to take care of them. It is also an excellent option for big families who have limited space at home. But, in this article, we will tackle how parents can teach their kids regarding the elders in the family. So, let’s have these tips.

Be A Good Example

Nothing beats being an excellent example as they said, action speaks louder than words. It is how you treat your elders that matters. Your kids will look at how you treat them, and they are a great copycat of what you are doing. Therefore, observe how you are handling the elders at your home and then see how your kids handle them. You will never see a difference. Be careful with this, as if you are sending them the wrong message if you are mistreating your elders. The kids might think that it is normal so when you grow old then they will also do the same. So be a good example to the kids.

Show Them Love

Give your elders love that they need. Let them know that you are caring for them. Hug and kiss them very often and teach your kids too to give affection to your elders. Also, tell your elders to be dear to your kids so there will be a mutual feeling.

Insist To Respect The Adults

Make sure that your kids will respect the elders at home. Teach them at their young age to give respect to other people especially the older to them. Then, as mentioned earlier, be a good example. Do not let a moment in your life to shout on your elders, give them respect the way they deserve it.

Additional Read: The Return of Respect!

 

Teach Them Golden Values

Once in a day, sit down with your kids and spend time with them. Teach them to live with the golden rules and values. Let them know the consequences of being a bad kid and the rewards of being a good one. If you teach them young, then they will be living with these values.

 

Acknowledge Your Elder’s Accomplishments

Give admiration to your adults, praise them as much as you can. Show them that you care and your kids too. If they help in household chores, thank them or treat them. Make sure to appreciate every little thing that they do especially if these things are favorable to your kids such as taking care of them during the day.

You can either live with your elders at home or let them in a home health care institution. There are reputable and caring institutions that care like your home. You can find one, have a visit at this location and see their facility. If you decide to let them live in home health care, let your kids know about it and make them understand your reasons.

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Understanding Some of the Benefits of the Adaptive Clothing for Older Adults

Getting dressed and undressed on a daily basis is a common thing that we need to do. We get dresses up for different events in different ways. We return to home and opt for comfortable clothing. So, getting dressed up is a usual task that we perform on a daily basis. There is nothing unusual or surprising about it. However, for certain people dressing up on a daily basis could be a matter of discomfort. For example, a physically disabled person could face a problem when dressing up. Similarly, older adults or senior people could face some issues when getting dressed up. In order to get rid of the hassle of dressing for such people, adaptive clothing has been introduced.

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Adaptive clothing is a boon for senior and physically disabled people. This type of clothes is designed in a way so that it would not be uncomfortable to wear them. Anyone can wear them easily without facing any hassles. Nevertheless, senior persons would not have to be dependent on others in this regard anymore. They can easily wear clothes without being helped by others. It gives a great feeling and amazing self-esteem or self-confidence level to a person. In the following section, we shall know more about adaptive clothing and various benefits of this kind of clothing.

What Is Adaptive Clothing?

The concept of adaptive clothing is not new for society. It was introduced long back, but it took time for people to give attention to the matter. We find that normal people find no issues when it comes to buttoning or unbuttoning their shirts. But, physically challenged or weak people have to deal with a lot of trouble. They need help from others to button up their shirts or other clothing materials. Such dependency is always unwanted. Every person wants to be self-reliant. This is a basic nature of every human being.

This is why adaptive clothing has been introduced. With such clothing, people can become self-reliant. They do not have to depend on others to get dressed. This helps a person to boost his or her confidence level. A person can become morally strong when he realizes that he or she does not have to depend on others for clothing. Adaptive clothing has been designed to make the dressing as well as undressing easier. For example, some dresses have been exclusively designed for people in a wheelchair. There are dresses for old or senior people.

The Benefits of Adaptive Clothing

Adaptive clothing is beneficial from different aspects. Basically, this type of clothing was introduced to give more comfort to the people at the time of dressing or undressing. However, the benefits are noted beyond this primary motto of the introduction of adaptive clothing. These benefits are discussed in the following section of this article.

1. The Comfort Factor

For normal people, dressing up is a normal thing, and it is a matter of joy. For example, if you have to get ready for a party or some other events, you would definitely love to be dressed up in the coolest possible way. Proper dressing brings great confidence. When you know that you are looking good in a particular type of dress, your confidence, as well as personality, shall be appreciated by others. This confidence and joy of dressing come with great comfort that dresses can potentially deliver.

For disabled people or senior people, an orthodox dressing may not be a jovial thing. It brings a lot of discomfort for them. The discomfort starts right at the beginning stage when it comes to wearing the clothes. To make wearing the clothes easier and more comfortable experience, people opt for adaptive clothing. With such clothing, wearing as well as undressing the clothes will be an easier experience. It will fetch terrific comfort for the senior people.

2. Comfort in Carrying the Clothes

Not just wearing clothes, but carrying them is a matter of hassle for many people. In order to reduce the hassles, adaptive clothing can be suggested. Senior people do not feel comfortable in normal clothes. They need to find something that can be easier to carry. This is why adaptive clothing was introduced. It gives terrific comfort in wearing clothes. But, also, it ensures great feeling in carrying the clothes. As there is no discomfort factor, people can wear clothes for a long time without being itched about anything.

3. No Dependence on Others

Senior people have to depend on others when it comes to wearing clothes. This makes them mentally dissatisfied. Even if you love your old father and mother, you would definitely want that they remain self-reliant through their lifetime. When they are dependent on others when it comes to wearing the clothes, they get mentally feeble as well as old. To boost their morale and self-confidence level, adaptive clothing can be suggested. With such clothing, a person does not have to rely on others when it comes to dressing up or undressing. It brings a great feeling of joy or self-satisfaction in the minds of people.

4. No Hurting during Dressing

When wearing clothes, old people may end up hurting themselves, as their limbs or body organs become feeble. Thanks to the adaptive clothing, they can escape the pain of hurting themselves. They can wear clothes easily, and thus no injuries are caused due to muscle pulling or other reasons. When wearing clothes, disabled people may also hurt themselves. Adaptive clothing is a great alternative for them in place of regular clothing options. Not just senior and disabled people, adaptive clothing can also help hospital patients who are suffering from severe injuries.

At the conclusion note, it has to be stated that adaptive clothing is a revolution in the field of clothing. It is a great option for the senior people, as they find things difficult to deal with when it comes to wearing the orthodox clothes. They need simplified clothes that are easy to wear and simple carry. The similar thing can be sated for the people who face disability.

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