3 Tips to Ensure That Your Elderly Loved One Is Eating Right

 

Being mindful of what one consumes as they age is of utmost importance. Here are some small but significant changes that are very likely to have a positive impact on your loved one’s overall health:

1. Reduce sodium intake

A lot of observations suggest that excessive consumption of sodium by seniors may lead to health problems such as water retention and high blood pressure. This doesn’t only slow you down but also causes potentially serious medical issues. You can consciously choose to season your food with spices such as garlic and natural herbs instead of salt to get the almost the same flavor without risking your health. 

2. Get rid of excessive sugar

It is no surprise that sugar is one of the major contributors to weight gain in people from all age groups. As we age, our body starts slowing down and this includes the metabolism as well, reducing our body’s ability of breaking down sugars as fast as it used to do and this is definitely a problem that deserves to be addressed. Instead of offering your seniors with sugary eatables, give them fruits. It will not only satisfy their craving for sweet but will also provide them with a wealth of additional nutrients.

3. Consume more vegetables

We all know that vegetables contain a high number of vitamins and minerals which benefit our cells and organs in a number of ways. When your body does not get enough vitamins and minerals, it slows down, resulting in you slowing down. These necessary nutrients can help keep your body moving and your mind sharp.

If you feel your loved one is struggling with a task as basic as meal preparation in their daily lives, you should consider hiring an in-home caregiver to make their lives easier. Hire the best in-home caregivers in East Bay from Always Best Care. Dial (925) 210-0323 to get started.

3 Situations in Which You Might Want to Consider In-Home Care for A Senior Loved One

Majority of seniors prefer in-home care over other options of senior care as it allows them to remain in the comfort of their home while having most of their needs covered. If you are confused between choosing senior living communities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and more for your loved one, here are some insights that might help make a better decision.

• There are a lot of seniors who are well capable of taking care of most of their daily needs but need help with activities such as laundry and home maintenance. A little assistance from an in-home care professional will allow them to function fairly well at home. You can go ahead with choosing in-home care if you wish to have your aging parents at home but are too busy to watch over them yourself.

• Senior couples wanting to stay together is quite normal but poses a challenge if the two of them require different levels of care. In situations like these, in-home care is a great option as a caregiver takes care of the seniors’ needs without having them shifted to a senior care facility, offering just the right level of care to each of them.

• A lot of us choose senior care facilities for our loved ones’ end of life care wanting to rather avoid the idea of dealing with death without even realizing that most seniors hope to spend their remaining lives in their home instead of an institution. In-home care gives them a chance of spending some quality time with their family before they breathe their last.

Get in touch with Always Best Care for the best home care services in East Bay as they are known for combining national strength and standards with local accessibility and personal services. Dial (925) 210-0323 for free consultation.

3 Ways in Which Elder Care Assistance Makes Lives Easier

 3 Ways in Which Elder Care Assistance Makes Lives Easier

Leaving the comfort of one’s home to move to an assisted living facility or an old age home is never a senior’s first choice and thanks to the changes that have recently taken place in the medical technology, all kinds of services such as nursing to medical management can be offered to the seniors without having to shift them to an external facility.

Some of the many ways in which professional elder care assistance can make yours as well as your loved one’s lives easier include but are not limited to:

1. Professional caregivers have been trained to deal with routine as well as critical situations with great ease and the experience is exactly what allows them to identify the needs of an older adult and deal with the situation accordingly.

2. It is a known fact that the communication and socialization of a senior is very likely to be affected if he is being taken care of by a family member. Hiring someone outside of the family will help your loved one maintain a healthier emotional state.

3. As far as your life is concerned, taking care of an older adult when you already have a lot of other things on your plate can be really difficult. Seeking help will save you both time as well as energy and by all means, is the right decision to make.

Always Best Care is known for combining national strength and standards with local accessibility and personal advice. Whether you need help handling legal or medical matters or just with ensuring caregivers are thoroughly screened, bonded, and trained to provide the safest and highest level of care. For more information on elder care in Contra Costa County, feel free to dial (925) 210-0323.

Did You Know This About Assisted Living Facilities?

Assisted Living Contra Costa County

Considered to be a middle point between living independently and in a nursing home, an assisted living facility, in fact, is a lot more than that. The full picture as far as assisted living facilities are concerned is a lot wider than that. Depending upon their structure, the services being offered, and the communities, assisted living facilities can be categorized as large apartment complexes, individual cottages, duplexes, triplexes, or fourplexes, converted homes or mansions, and many more.

One thing that remains common in all the aforementioned variations of assisted living facilities is the level of care and support that is being offered to the residents. The professionals at an assisted living facility put in their best efforts to ensure that the elderly continue to lead their lives with independence while receiving just the right assistance as and when needed to ensure their safety and well-being.

You can start off by selecting a package of services according to your loved one’s needs and the best part is, you can make necessary changes and adjustments as and when you like. Most of the reliable assisted living facilities in Contra Costa County offer services such as personal care, housekeeping, meals, transportation, social and lifestyle enhancement services, and a lot more. The whole concept behind assisted living facilities is to offer the right level of support to older adults without the having to compromise on their independence.

Always Best Care is known for combining national strength and standards with local accessibility and personal advice. Whether you need help handling legal or medical matters or just with ensuring caregivers are thoroughly screened, bonded, and trained to provide the safest and highest level of care. For more information on assisted living in Contra Costa County, feel free to dial (925) 210-0323.

Understanding the Deficiency of Vitamin B12 In Seniors Better

One of the most common mistakes seniors make is overlooking the deficiency of vitamins in their body until it starts causing significant health problems. A lot of older adults end up developing a serious deficiency of Vitamin B12. Also known as cobalamin, vitamin B12 is responsible for generating cell growth, boosting cognition, supporting bone health, and supporting the immune system.

The deficiency of cobalamin in your aging parents may lead to health issues including but not limited to anemia, neuropathy, and even cognitive impairment in extreme cases. Contrary to the popular belief that deficiency of vitamin B12 causes pernicious anemia, it is, in fact, the other way around. Some other problems vitamin B12 deficient seniors face include memory issues and waking difficulties.

Factors that make seniors more susceptible to deficiency of vitamin B12 are low levels of stomach acid, medications such as metformin, alcoholism, and other problems such as Crohn’s disease that cause poor absorption in the stomach or small intestine. As for the treatment with vitamin B12 supplements for seniors is concerned, the initial phase requires an intramuscular shot or oral vitamins. While intramuscular shots bypass any absorption problems in the stomach or intestine, high-dose oral supplements take longer to work and thus, are not ideal for correcting a deficiency. Oral supplements are mostly used to maintain the cobalamin levels.

The best thing about vitamin B12 treatment is that overdosing on this particular vitamin is extremely unlikely and hence, all the risks are eliminated. Even when the levels are high, it doesn’t really cause any kind of toxicity. The senior care services providers in East Bay from ABC can help you take better care of your senior loved ones and can even help you keep a check on your aging parents’ dietary needs.

Feel free to dial (925) 210-0323 and schedule a free consultation today.

7 Home Safety Tips for Seniors with Conditions Such as Dementia

 Seniors who have started wandering or experiencing significant symptoms of memory loss need to be supervised all the time. Some extra precautions you should consider taking while caring for an aging parent at home include but are not limited to -

1. Consider switching to appliances with auto-shutoff features or installing hidden gas valves and circuit breakers to ensure ovens, fireplaces, and stoves are not left alone.

2. All the drawers and cabinets containing things such as knives, cleaning supplies, and medications as well as garages or basements with harmful chemicals and machinery should be locked.

3. Use deadbolts on exterior doors to keep the seniors from wandering outside the house unsupervised.

4. Your loved one’s bedroom and bathroom should not have any locks as it will help avoid a situation where they may lock themselves inside accidentally and panic.

5. Try to have finger guards on garbage disposals or covering the switches with safety locks.

6. Lights and night lights should be easily accessible. This would help reduce any kind of disorientation at night.

7. Create clear paths and open areas to encourage independence and social interaction, which are two important needs for people with dementia, and other such conditions.

Being proactive when it comes to senior safety can go a long way. The best way to ensure if a surrounding is safe for your loved one to live in is getting a safety inspection done. The senior care experts with Always Best Care in Contra Costa County are also well capable of noticing risk factors a family member may not recognize and suggesting the required changes to address those factors. Schedule a free consultation with one of our experts. Dial (925) 210-0323 to get in touch and get started.

6 Ways to Prevent Pneumonia in Older Adults

 As is the case with most of the other infections, pneumonia too can lead to a greater risk for complications and even deaths in seniors. The most common symptoms of the disease include but are not limited to high fever, chills, productive cough with phlegm, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue. Adults 65 and older, people with a weakened immune system, patients recovering from surgery, and people with other respiratory conditions are more likely to be attacked by the infection.

Not many people understand that pneumonia can lead to complications such as bacteremia, pleurisy, lung abscess, and acute respiratory distress syndrome in older adults, and hence need to be prevented at all costs. Some of the most effective ways of preventing pneumonia in older adults are:

1. Make sure your aging parent gets the right type of pneumococcal vaccine at the right time.

2. Getting the annual flu shot regularly minimizes the risk of developing pneumonia as a complication of the flu in older adults.

3. Ensure that your seniors are practicing good hygiene by washing hands thoroughly before and after eating, preparing food, and after using the bathroom.

4. Encourage them to stay physically active and to consume a diet rich in vitamins and lean proteins.

5. If your aging parent has conditions such as asthma, COPD, diabetes, etc., make sure those are being managed properly.

6. If they are into smoking, encourage them to get in touch with their doctor for help with quitting this habit.

Considering the ongoing pandemic, being aware of your health conditions and handling them responsibly has become all the more important. The in-home caregivers at ABC in Contra Costa County can help you take better care of your aging parent. Feel free to dial (925) 210-0323 for more information.