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Provide the Best Dementia Care by Creating a Calming Environment Agitation is amongst the more challenging effects of dementia, and can be extremely hard for family members to handle. The key is in taking steps to deal with agitation before it is felt and conveyed by the senior, which involves keeping track of what has initiated these feelings in the past, and establishing a home environment where those triggers are eliminated or reduced. These guidelines from our Windsor-Essex dementia care team can help:   Designate a place of retreat. When life begins to…

Caring for elders can overwhelm us Nicole Johnson, a memory therapy coach, works with a patient at Amy’s Helping Hands   For caregivers, worrying about an aging relative is stressful enough. Taking care of two loved ones kicks up that stress level rise significantly. This is the daily reality for Denise and her sister who are responsible for the care of two aging relatives. For them, caregiving took a difficult turn when both relatives needed additional help over a few days. With one having hip surgery and the other being transferred…

Caring for Aging Parents? Make Your Family Meetings More Effective with These Tips. “It takes a village” was never a more accurate statement than when caring for aging parents. It’s very important for that “village” to maintain effective, ongoing communication so that you can provide the very best care and ensure that everyone taking part in care is on the same page. It’s also essential for family caregivers to have the opportunity to express concerns and to come together to find resolutions, to share different perspectives, and also to continue to be proactive in preparing…

Create Your All-Star Care Team in 5 Steps What family caregivers often need most is sound advice, regular respite and an extra set of hands. Friends may scatter when one becomes the primary caregiver for a spouse or parent, and not everyone has siblings or other family members they can depend on to share the load. A carefully selected care team is a necessary complement to a loved one’s detailed care plan. Step 1: Draft a list of prospective team members Write down the name of each family member, friend or neighbor with whom you regularly…

Creating a Legacy for Your Parent A common regret of adult children who have lost their parents is the wish that they had asked and understood more about their own family history. This is particularly true for family caregivers, whose focus on the present is necessitated by the practical concerns of getting through the day. Making time to learn more about the past seems like a luxury for many caregivers. But taking that time may be beneficial to those we love and care for and provide an important opportunity to redefine and enhance…

The Difficult Emotions Every Family Caregiver Battles – and How to Let Them Go If you are feeling a bit discouraged in your role as caregiver, take heart; you’re in good company. Providing care help for a loved one is perhaps the most complex role we can hold: highly rewarding on the one hand, while simultaneously frustrating and ever-evolving, frequently resulting in feelings of doubt about whether we are up to the challenge and providing the most effective care.  It’s why a number of family caregivers struggle with some or all of these types of feelings:  Guilt: It…

7 Tips to Better Manage Dementia and Incontinence Dementia care calls for both empathy and creativity to deal with an assortment of complex behaviors and effects, and that’s particularly true with regards to incontinence, something that is extremely common in Alzheimer’s as well as other types of dementia. These tried-and-true approaches are generally successful in decreasing the effect of incontinence and preventing an escalation of emotions in someone you love with dementia. Choose your words carefully. Instead of talking about incontinence…

Summer Heat Safety for Seniors The warmer weather may finally be here, but too much heat is not safe for anyone. It is even riskier if you are older or have health problems. It is important to get relief from the heat quickly. If not, you might begin to feel confused or faint.  Older people can have a tough time dealing with heat and humidity. The temperature inside or outside does not have to reach 100°F (38°C) to put them at risk for a heat-related illness. Headache, confusion, dizziness, or nausea could be a sign of a heat-related…