Helping Seniors Overcome Anxiety Disorders

Excessive anxiety causes distress and interferes with daily activities of a person. However, its effects seem to double when it comes to seniors.  As many are already suffering from some sort of physical health problem, they often find it difficult to deal with stressful situations. Let us review what Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety are and how different treatments can help seniors overcome these disorders.

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD)

5-percent of the population experiences a generalized anxiety disorder during their lifetime. There also seems to be a genetic component. Symptoms of GAD are tight muscles, back pain, or headaches for which there might be no biological cause. Seniors suffering from GAD often feel restless, on edge, and are often irritated.

SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

Not all of us are that open to public conversations and might feel nervous or uneasy while talking to strangers. Seniors with a social anxiety disorder are often so terrified of social situations that they withdraw and refuse to participate in many social occasions. This may often be due to other problems that they are going through like hearing impairment, issues with incontinence, or embarrassment over using a walker or wheelchair.

TREATMENT

The elderly suffering from these disorders can be treated by a combination of talk therapies and medication. Prescribed drugs should be used cautiously and at lower doses in the elderly. A physician can prescribe some particularly effective medications such as Paxil®, Prozac®, and Zoloft®. Numerous studies have indicated that for a medication to be most effective, the patient should also be meeting on a regular basis with a skilled counselor, therapist, or social worker. Other patients can be treated with meditation, biofeedback, massage, and acupuncture.

In-home care providers are good at therapy talks and can help your senior loved one by talking to them and making them comfortable in having conversations related to their feelings. You can get in touch with Always Best Care to receive the best In-Home Care Services in East Bay, CA for your aging family member. For further inquiry, call (925) 210-0323.

How to Maintain a Healthy Weight Later in Life

In our later years, our metabolism rate slows down, and our body is unable to burn calories as fast it used to. This results in weight gain and several other health issues. To avoid that, it is important to either intake fewer calories or burn the extra off. Although it may seem a little challenging for many to maintain a healthy weight as your body is slowing down, staying fit and healthy isn’t hard if you eat right and exercise regularly.

To maintain a healthy weight, seniors can do the following:

• Do more physical activities daily. They may not be as high impact as when you were younger, but simply walking more or doing more around the house helps. It will keep your heart healthy and lower the risk of heart disease – even if you are underweight or overweight. You may also feel hungrier when you are more active.
•  If you want to gain weight, stick to healthy snacks every day, but avoid low-calorie snacks.
• Keep a diary of what you eat and how much you eat. This will help you know the portions you need for your body to be the weight you wish. It also helps show you if your diet has the right balance of all the four food groups so that you get proper nutrition.  
•  Consume low fat and oily foods to avoid excessive weight.  
• Consult your doctor if you feel you are unable to gain or lose weight to reach a healthy weight. 
• When dining out, make healthier choices. A sandwich comes with fries? Try a salad, soup or veggies as a substitute. If there are big portions, most restaurants allow you to take home left overs. Split your meal in half and have the rest for lunch the next day.
• Yes, this was already mentioned. But, to strengthen the point, regular physical activity is extremely good for seniors in most health conditions. Older adults above 65 years of age should be physically active as per their ability and health condition. Even those mobility challenged or in a wheelchair can often do a lot of stretching and move around while seated.

If you need Elder Care Assistance in East Bay, get in touch with Always Best Care. Their caregivers are properly trained, thoroughly screened, and insured to provide the highest and safest level of senior care. Always Best Care also has good relationships with senior resources, hospitals, and senior communities throughout the area. To learn more about them, call (925) 210-0323.

The Right Diet for Seniors

In old age, our body goes through a lot of changes. The bones get weaker, the digestion system does not function as well as it used to, muscle strength deteriorates, and the immunity system is weakened. The nutritional needs of individuals also change significantly as they age.

To maintain good health, seniors must eat carbohydrates, minerals, proteins, and vitamins in easy-to-digest small frequent meals every day. To avoid the ill-effects of free radicals in the body, vitamins E, C, and A, plus certain minerals are essential. It is important to eat the right types of foods to fulfill the requirement of nutrients in the body. If you are unsure what is right for you, speak with your doctor. Some medications may interact with certain foods, or you may have other restrictions.

A healthy diet for seniors should consist of the below.

• Include protein rich elements like beans and cheese made from low-fat milk in your daily meal. They help to repair worn-out cells and develop new tissues.
• Add seasonal fruits and vegetables in your diet. They not only work as antioxidants but also prevent constipation and other common problems of the body.
• To improve the cholesterol level in the blood, use mustard oil or olive oil in your cooking instead of corn or vegetable oils.  
•  Vegetable soups without thickening agents can be great for supper. They also make easy 6 small easy to digest meals and snacks throughout the day. Just watch the sodium level.
•  Avoid processed foods containing artificial colors and preservatives. 
• Eat potassium-rich foods such as bananas, mushrooms, peas, broccoli, fenugreek seeds, sweet limes, coconut water, and cumin seeds to maintain blood pressure, prevent water retention, and increase muscular flexibility. 
• Drink about 12 to 15 glasses of water to avoid the risk of dehydration and muscle density reduction in summer. 
• To keep the vital nutrients in the food, do not overcook it. It is also good to include granola, oats or porridge in your breakfast to get a sufficient amount of energy for the entire day.

If you are looking for professional Elder Care Assistance in Contra Costa County, get in touch with Always Best Care. Their compassionate and trained caregivers can help you with your physical, social, and emotional needs. For more information, call (925) 210-0323.

Safe Driving Tips for the Elderly

Driver safety calls for more than just understanding the traffic laws and road signs. As you get older, you are likely to have many physical changes which make certain actions, like braking or turning your head to look for the oncoming traffic, a little more challenging. Hence, it is important to know a few safe driving tips that can help avoid the risk of accidents.  

          
Some driving guidelines for the safety of seniors are:     

• Avoid driving during the peak hours of high traffic.
• Take less traveled roads, for instance, avoid major expressways during rush hour and take smaller highways.
• Try to avoid driving at night if you have poor vision.
• Raise the level of your seat to have a clearer vision of the road.
• To improve visibility, try to keep your mirrors, headlights, and windshields clean. 
• Stay alert and be aware of flashing lights of emergency vehicles if you have poor hearing. 
• Minimize any distracting noises, including cell phones, music, talk shows, or conversations of passengers inside the vehicle.
• Keep a proper distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you so that you could have a sufficient enough time to brake safely fast.    

It is also important to keep the accessories of your vehicle in a proper working condition to avoid any failure. 

If your health does not allow you to drive, you can always ask your children or other family members to help you with transportation. However, if they are unable to help, you can consider hiring a caregiver. Always Best Care is one of the leading providers of Senior Home Care Services in East Bay and has a team of well-trained and experienced caregivers. They are thoroughly screened and bonded before hiring. To learn more about Always Best Care and how they can meet your care needs, feel free to call them at (925) 210-0323.

Know-how of Home Care Services

Home care services are great! They help take care of your elderly loved ones in your absence. But before you hire a home care service provider for the older adults of your house, there are certain things that need to be taken care of. These can be:

• Accessibility: Your responsibilities do not end after you find a reliable home care services provider. You have to make sure that the home care is within your reach and can be visited quickly in case of an emergency.
• Isolation: You should ensure that the home care services do not keep your senior from community activities and friends. No one likes to be isolated after all.
• Medical condition: You should keep a note about the necessary elements related to the senior’s health condition, the list includes things like medicines, allergies,etc.

A reliable home care services provider takes care of the following things for you:

• Household maintenance: From shopping to housekeeping and from doing laundry to paying the bills, home care services do everything it takes to keep your older adult’s routine as smooth as possible.
• Transportation:Eventually, it becomes difficult for seniors to travel on public transport. These assistants can drive them across the city to drop them at their desired venue.
• Personal care: Many people need assistance in their daily chores, like bathing, dressing, and cooking. The workers make the seniors feel comfortable in their presence and assist them to remain as independent as possible.

There are a number of companies that provide Senior Home Care Services in East Bay, CA, and Always Best Care certainly is counted among the most preferred. Their experienced professionals make your elderly adults feel like family. You can learn more about the services they offer by calling them at (925) 210-0323.

Importance of a Diet Plan in the Life of a Senior

As one grows older, the body weakens, and it becomes prone to diseases like cancer, arthritis, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and many more. A healthy diet does not guarantee to keep you protected from these diseases but can cut down the risks by boosting the immunity system in the elderly. We tend to become so occupied that we often neglect the importance of a steady, healthy diet plan. Fast foods have replaced multiple meals in our routine, and that is why awareness needs to be promoted.

  

While a healthy diet is important for individuals within all age groups, for older adults, it has a more vital role to play. Once we attain our maximum bone density, the backward process starts, with the density of our bones decrease gradually over the years. This often leads to diseases like osteoporosis in seniors. Including food items, like dairy products that are rich sources of vitamin D and calcium, to your meals help in keeping bones intact. In addition, a few cardiovascular activities throughout the day help strengthen our bones. Coronary heart diseases can also be avoided by switching to a healthier lifestyle. Limiting fat intake of your beloved seniors can prolong their lives as saturated fats after a certain age become harder to digest and are more likely to accumulate in the blood vessels, hindering the flow of the blood. 

Again, a healthy diet plan does not guarantee health but makes a major contribution towards the mental and physical well being of an older adult. Senior Home Care Services in East Bay, CA, for the aging members of your family is something that should never be taken for granted. Always Best Care can assist you with creating a diet plan for your loved one while taking into consideration their condition and necessities to fortify their health! Get in touch with them today at (925) 210-0323.

How to Help Older Adults with Medication Management

As people age, they rely on a number of medications to stay fit and healthy. But, one of the biggest challenges that seniors and family members face is the managing the different drugs properly. Because of multiple requirements of each medication, such as take with food or take on an empty stomach, it can become a difficult task for seniors to remember to take the right dosage at the right time. Forgetting to take their medications or taking incorrect dosages can prove to be fatal or result in serious side effects. So, how can you help seniors with their medication management? Here are some tips you can consider.

• Keep a list – Create a complete list of all their medications, their dosage and frequency and provide it to your loved one. Update the list regularly and take it along when visiting each of their doctors. However, make sure your aging parent keeps the list same with him/her.
• Store properly – Make sure to store the medicines properly in a sealed box. Throw away the expired or unused medicines.
• Count the pills – Make sure to count the pills on regular basis. When visiting the doctor, calculate how many pills are left according to the prescription from the last visit. 

However, if the doctor prescribes any new medicine, stay with your loved one to see if there are any side effects. If anything concerns you, get in touch with their doctor immediately.  

However, if your loved one lives alone or you are unable to look after their medication use, you can consider hiring an experienced caregiver. An in-home care provider will assist your senior family member with their medication and also keep an eye on their health. 

If you are planning to hire an experienced Senior Care provider for your loved one in Contra Costa County,contact Always Best Care.

For more information, call (925) 210-0323.