Guest Post: Infographic on Respite Care

By Helen O'Keefe

Home Care Plus

Home Care Plus is a private home care company based in Ireland, providing both long-term and short-term care to people of all ages. Its services include home help (running errands, companionship, light household chores), personal care (hygiene, getting into and out of bed, moving around), 24-hour live-in care, respite care to allow volunteer carers some much-needed rest, and palliative care to focus on relieving the suffering of patients.

For more information about how Home Care Plus could help with respite care, please visit http://www.homecareplus.ie./palliative-care.

Guest Post: 5 Tips to Make Living with Arthritis Easier

By Patient Handling

Living with arthritis isn't easy, particularly for a busy caregiver. Whether you have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or another form of the condition, even the simplest of everyday tasks can be difficult and extremely painful to complete.

Thankfully, there are ways you can make your life more manageable if you suffer from arthritis, aside from any prescribed medications. To cope best, you may want to aim for a holistic approach to your health and avoid stress, as this causes arthritis to worsen due to increased tension (and inflammation) in the body.

Here are five ways people with arthritis can make their lives easier.

1. Daily Living Aids
The range of arthritic aids now available is vast. These daily living aids are designed specifically to assist people with arthritis to continue to do the tasks they are used to doing, without putting added pressure on joints. Arthritic living aids can be incorporated into all aspects of your daily routine. For instance, kitchen aids include adapted knives, eating utensils and a special tool to help you open jars. Other aids for the office, bathroom, car and garden can also be found.

2. Exercise
Mild to moderate exercise is now considered the best non-drug treatment for both pain reduction and improved movement in people with arthritis. Types of exercise you could include in your routine are:

• Range of motion/flexibility exercises, such as gentle stretching, to take joints through their full span;
• Aerobic/endurance exercise, such as walking, jogging, cycling or swimming, to increase stamina and strengthen the heart and lungs;
• Strengthening exercises, to help maintain and improve muscle strength, ultimately better supporting joints affected by arthritis; and
• Aquatic exercise, to help relieve the pressure of your weight on affected joints and assist with pain.

3. Relaxation Methods
Many people with arthritis report finding some relief via a variety of methods designed to promoted relaxation. These include having massages, putting aside regular time slots in which to rest and practice relaxation and/or breathing techniques, taking a course of acupuncture, trying Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) therapy or hypnosis.

4. Nutrition and Diet
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is important for everyone, but if you have arthritis, you may want to take extra care and eat appropriately from each of the five main food groups. This will ensure you have all the nutrients your body needs, as well as help you to maintain a healthy weight. Foods containing Omega-3 may help relieve inflammation, particularly in rheumatoid arthritis. If you are overweight, you will definitely benefit from losing a few pounds, as being too heavy increases the strain and stress on your joints.

5. Joint Care
With arthritis, it's especially important to be self-aware. Conserve energy by completing everyday tasks in ways that reduce stress. Listen for signals indicating your body needs rest and pace yourself. If you complete an activity and find yourself in pain for two hours, do a little less of that activity next time. Be aware of how you position your body. Avoid positions that increase stiffness or involve using a tight grip. Utilize your largest and strongest joints wherever possible (i.e., carry a bag with a strap across the shoulder and back, rather than carrying a bag).

Patient Handling, based in Australia, specializes in rehabilitation and daily care aids for both individuals and medical facilities.

Infographic: Understanding Chronic Conditions...Diabetes

By Danika Kimball

Recent reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 29 million people in the United States are living with diabetes. If current trends continue, an estimated 1 in 3 people will develop Type 2 diabetes by 2050. An additional 86 million adults are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, and without weight loss efforts 15 to 30 percent of these individuals will develop the condition within 5 years.

With the number of people diagnosed with diabetes expected to rise, it’s important that caregivers understand and know how to treat loved ones with the chronic condition. This infographic, courtesy of the College of Nursing at the University of Arizona, explores the different types of diabetes, their prevalence in the United States, as well as ways to prevent and treat the condition.

Guest Post: Elderly Depression: A Serious Public Health Concern

By Daniel Lewis

Depression is the state of a person feeling dejected, sad or anguished. It can cause a loss of self-esteem and leave someone feeling useless and unimportant. Many seniors are seriously affected by depression, according to surveys carried out by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Senior Depression and Illness

Out of the estimated 6 million elderly people living with depression in the United States, only about 10% have managed to get proper medical care. The impact of depression on the elderly can differ from that on younger generations. Studies have discovered a direct correlation between elderly depression and certain diseases. For example, heart attack has been linked with depression among the elderly in the U.S.

And, rates of depression are continuing to rise among those 65 and older, as people confront the loss of friends or a spouse, declining health, financial shortfalls and other challenges of growing older.

The way out of a depressive episode begins with the individual admitting that a problem exists. Unfortunately, overcoming the potential stigma of having a mental health issue can be too much for some. Statistics show that approximately one-fifth of suicides in the U.S. alone are among the elderly, with the majority of these deaths a result of untreated depression.

Complications Related to Depression

Insomnia is a common indicator of depression among the elderly. Many seniors don’t get enough physical activity in a day, and a sedentary lifestyle is known to contribute to a lack of sleep.

Withdrawing from friends and social interactions, as well as a loss of interest in activities that were once pleasurable, are other indicators of depression. Isolation further contributes to depression, and can lead to other health concerns. Over-consumption of alcohol, sometimes done to combat boredom or feelings of loss, can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Mixing alcohol and prescription medications can be fatal.

When depressed, seniors may have a lack of appetite. Over time, a decrease in body weight can allow the elder to become frail. This, in turn, leads to falls and fractures.

What Can You Do?

It is high time to start taking this disease seriously. If you’re noticing that your aging parent spends most their day inside, and they don’t interact with others like they once did, these are major red flags for depression.

First, urge your older loved one to consult with their physician; you may need to take them to the appointment and broach the subject. Medication may be necessary to get your loved one through this depressive episode.

Second, check on your loved one more frequently, if possible. Visiting with them, taking them out for walks or lending a hand with household chores could substantially lift their mood.

Third, make a point of helping them reach out to friends and other relatives. Having someone or something to look forward to can be life-changing for people of any age… especially seniors.

These small steps could make a big difference!

Daniel Lewis is interested in writing about health and fitness related issues. He has a deep knowledge at this field. He also writes for a site http://www.foresthc.com/ providing elder care homes and retirement villages.

Guest Post: Infographic to Better Understand Arthritis

By Helen O'Keefe
Home Care Plus

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints that causes intense pain and significantly inhibits a person’s mobility.

It is one of the most excruciating conditions that a person can suffer, and while there may be a perception that it is a disease exclusive to elderly people, the regrettable truth is that it affects people of all ages.

It is also frighteningly common – more than 1 out of every 5 American adults has been diagnosed with arthritis. That’s 52 million people, and it doesn’t count how many American children suffer from the condition.

Worse still, it is anticipated that this number will rise to 67 million in the next 15 years.

To the right, you will find both educational and practical information on some of the most common forms of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Each of these is explained in simple terms, with a series of likely causes and symptoms to help you identify which specific type is inflicting you.

The good news is that at least there are remedies for arthritis. These include losing weight, taking up non-strenuous exercises like yoga and swimming, and giving up smoking. 

If you, or sometime you love, is suffering from arthritis, we hope you find this infographic relevant and valuable. 






Home Care Plus is a private home care company based in Ireland, providing both long-term and short-term care to people of all ages. Its services include home help (running errands, companionship, light household chores), personal care (hygiene, getting into and out of bed, moving around), 24-hour live-in care, respite care to allow volunteer carers some much-needed rest, and palliative care to focus on relieving the suffering of patients.

For more information about Home Care Plus, please visit www.homecareplus.ie. You can also connect with the organization on Twitter (@Home_CarePlus).

Simple Ideas to Help Caregivers Get Active and Feel Better

Let’s explore some simple exercises for caregivers to get active.

In just 10-minute units, you can get out of that afternoon slump and start feeling better. Of course, check with your doctor to see what level and intensity of exercise is most appropriate for you. And don’t forget to cool down, and have a large glass of water after any physical exertion.

Here’s how it’s done. Health experts say we need to get 150 minutes or two-and-a-half hours of moderately intense exercise every week. That amounts to about 20 minutes a day. Why not try out some of the following, as recommended by the Harvard Women’s Health Watch? Or be creative, and line up your own favorite brief calorie burners. Keep in mind that some exercises require longer periods of time to gain the benefits.

1. Plant a garden (Calories burned in 10 minutes: 40 to 55). Digging, hoeing, weeding and carrying tools from house to garden really do burn calories. Also, consider this. It not only works the muscles and lifts the spirits, but a garden of fresh vegetables can provide the added benefit of promoting a healthy diet.

2. Walk the dog (Calories burned in 10 minutes: 40 to 50). Dogs make great exercise buddies, and dog owners are far more likely to meet the government’s physical activity recommendation than those who don’t have a dog. To gain maximum benefit, let your pet finish his “business,” before you start your exercise clock. And don’t forget: keep up a brisk pace to get the most out of dog walking.

3. Clean house (Calories burned in 10 minutes: 45 to 50). Housework may not be your idea of exercise, but you’d be surprised how using old-fashioned elbow grease can help you get fitter. Put aside the mechanical aids and go for the broom and mop. When washing the dishes, you can stand on one leg—then the other—to improve your balance. When you breathe deeply along with the exercise, you gain the additional benefit of relaxation.

4. Play with the children or grandchildren (Calories burned in 10 minutes: 40 to 60). Instead of passively reading a story or sitting on a park bench, try playing right along with the kids. Hide-and-seek, playing ball, pushing them on a swing and bustling around the park can be a bright spot in everyone’s day and get your heart rate going.

5. Walk the neighborhood (Calories burned in 10 minutes: 40 to 50). Nothing suits a busy caregiver better than moving outside for fresh air and sunshine. I guarantee it. You’ll feel rejuvenated and reinvigorated. You might want to plug in some music to give you an extra boost as you circle around your familiar territory.

6. Practice Yoga (Calories burned depend on the person and type of yoga; count on at least 100-plus per hour). When you talk with your friend about her yoga workout, she’ll rarely discuss weight loss or calorie burn. People flock to yoga for its mind/ body connection, the sense of oneness and ease you feel. It teaches us to listen to our bodies and naturally avoid unhealthy behaviors. That should be recommendation enough. Yoga need not be your sole means of exercise, though. If you have the time and motivation, try cycling, running or vigorous dancing. These burn a lot more calories per hour compared to yoga.

7. Swimming (Calories for one hour of laps: 476). If you can find a longer stretch of time during your day, you’ll discover swimming in your local pool to be an ideal exercise. It’s easy on the joints, strengthens your lungs and serves as a full-body, aerobic workout. What’s more, swimming is calming, counters daily stress and is especially refreshing during the warmer months of the year.

No matter your age, exercise helps keep your weight down and maintain good cardiovascular health.

Other reasons why you should get off the couch and try regular exercise include: (1) better overall health, (2) improved mood and (3) stronger bones. For older adults in particular, regular exercise reduces the risk of cognitive impairment and falling. If you can’t get out of the house or spend time away from your loved one, an exercise bike or mini stepper could be a lifesaver.

Start with those first steps: Get yourself in gear, and then stick with it!

Excerpt from The ABCs of Caregiving, Part 2: Essential Information for You and Your Family, available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com.

Is Happiness Possible for Caregivers?

Ask any caregiver about her flagging level of happiness, and she’ll probably say: "What happiness?" Take Pamela, for example. With a dying mother who needs care around the clock, a strained budget, two teenage children, and a demanding job—she’d likely tell you: "Happiness is just a mirage."

But should Pamela merely accept her lot in life? Or could she pursue happiness by shifting her perspective, drawing on wisdom of the heart? From this viewpoint, she can now embrace her intuition, inventiveness and resourcefulness to achieve the nearly impossible: Smooth conflict, ease tension, as well as cultivate generosity and love to overcome the daily grind and the adversities she faces.

Positive care strategies will begin to emerge when we allow the heart to be the driver. Some simple changes come to mind: seeking help outside the family, putting aside time for herself, recognizing that her well-being is the essential element in being a successful, enduring caregiver.

With an attitude of gratitude, the caregiver soon realizes that her energy is limited, and that "she can’t give away what she hasn’t got." She also understands from personal experience that "you have to fill up own cup first before you can fill another’s."

Here are a few affirmations to help restore and renew caregivers like Pamela.

Eight Strategies for Happier Living

1. Listen to your inner voice to assess what you’re willing and able to do, and to discard what feels like an overload. Work on being a problem-solver, not a problem-maker.

2. Keep a journal to document all your caregiving accomplishments on a daily basis, so that you can give with a full heart. Sharing photos, rubbing your loved one’s back and exchanging hugs can all flow from a loving heart. Scrubbing the kitchen floor to perfection, washing every last dish in the sink before you allow yourself to go to bed or insisting on creating elaborate meals are activities that you might consider letting go of for now. Find substitute interests that allow both you and your loved one to benefit.

3. Use heart-speak when you interact with your loved one. Terms of endearment, tender words and loving tones can ease that weight of duty, and lifts both of your spirits.

4. Bring your intention of giving care lovingly into every care act, whether it’s making a doctor’s appointment for your mother or driving your husband to his yoga class. Positive intention contributes to a relaxed physical state and peaceful mind.

5. Evaluate the pros and cons of your current job. Does this job work for me right now? If not, what could be done to make necessary changes to reduce my job-related physical and emotional pressures.

6. Look for inspiration wherever you can find it. Whether being with a circle of dear friends, taking a walk in the park, reading your favorite magazine, attending a religious service—any activity that energizes and empowers you—could be just the ticket to brightening your day.

7. Practice mindfulness, which means simply being aware of your bodily sensations, your thoughts, emotions, environment, relationships and overall life. Think of yourself as a witness to your own life, or see yourself as the lead actor in a fascinating movie: your life. Having some distance from your immediate situation can alter the picture immensely. Some experts advocate meditation to heighten this sense of awareness. Mindfulness can be the giant step in helping you achieve deep relaxation and stress reduction.

8. Cultivate compassion and kindness, not only for your loved one, but also for all living things. It’s amazing how differently you look at the world when you view people and human activity from a benevolent and sympathetic point of view. You can start with feeling compassionate, kind and loving with yourself. Praise yourself frequently over the course of the day, especially as you encounter and surmount challenges in caregiving.

Remember: Happiness is only a short attitude shift away.

Aging in Place (Part 2): The Village & Beyond

The Village

Two additional models have emerged as workable for those open to aging in community: the Village and Care Circles. The Village is designed for people who want to develop the kinds of supports for their old age that families used to provide (some still do), but which are increasingly rare for a variety of reasons.

Villages are sustained by members or their caregivers, who contribute financially, with costs depending on how extensive the level of services and number of members. For example, overall costs for members of a "typical" Village run about $80,000 for start-up expenditures and $20,000 to $200,000 to maintain it each year.

A group of Boston seniors in the Beacon Hill District initiated the first Village in 2001 to help one another live as long as possible in their neighborhood. Now the Beacon Hill Village is an independent, non-profit organization, governed by the members themselves and supported by members’ dues and external donations and grants. A host of "partners," including preferred providers, member volunteers and community services help its members to age in place and connect with their broader community.

Over a 13-year period, 140 established Villages have emerged with more than 200 on the way, with budgets ranging from $1,000 to $674,000, depending on the size of the membership.

Villages promise a higher quality of life by coordinating paid and volunteer elder services with a single phone call. The more developed Village provides a dense network of volunteer, agency and professional intervention that can sustain an older person and their caregivers over time. Services range from education on aging/caregiving issues and elder law to geriatric care and money management.

Preferred providers are vetted by the Village, who oversee the quality of services, and paid professionals are encouraged to offer discounts to members. Volunteers play a significant role in this project, as younger and healthy people "pay it forward" to bring various services to disabled seniors, helping them with chores, meals, home maintenance and other services. In turn, volunteers receive benefits or assistance in the future, especially gratifying for older volunteers. All Villages depend heavily upon trained volunteers, which can substantially reduce costs for members.

Care Circles

Another highly successful model for aging in place, the Care Circle, offers a more nurturing approach, operating on the principle of "a step forward in giving back." Initially, care circles were developed by the Australian government in the 1990s to reduce the Aborigine people’s social problems. Transplanted to North America, care circles have become a substitute for the extended family or small community for better addressing the needs of disabled and elderly persons.

Care circles are privately organized social networks of friends, family, neighbors and volunteers that help seniors experience round-the-clock attention through individualized care plans. Care circles work on the premise that shared lives and real relationships define the central values of aging in community.

These networks stress interdependence, not merely independence, among those in need. Multifaceted by design, care circles move beyond the delivery of services into a full-fledged model of care, support and shared lives, ultimately helping elders to maintain the life they desire in community with others. A few highlights of the care circle:

1) Operates in any neighborhood, larger community or care facility;
2) Embraces all age and income groups;
3) Aims to lessen the caregiver burden by offering hands-on assistance to caregivers working with ill and disabled seniors without cost (unless seeking professional or business assistance);
4) Addresses head-on the incredibly difficult role of middle-aged caregivers, the "sandwich generation," who are squeezed between the stresses of caring for both parents and children; and 
5) Recognizes the priorities established by the World Health Organization to influence the health and quality of life of older people, including transportation, social participation and connectivity.

To create your own care circle program, you can seek technical assistance from an organization, such as Lotsa Helping Hands, that will schedule medications, transportation, meal planning, and the like to fit the needs and lifestyle of the elderly person. Volunteers sign up through the website, and choose a specific assignment for assisting a needy person.

Numbers tell the story. Members of Lotsa Helping Hands have offered mutual help and care for seniors and their caregivers to more than 1.3 million members and 70,000 communities, successfully delivering 1,400,000 meals and a multitude of other services since its inception.

Volunteers sign up to help only one person at a time on a regimented, yet flexible, schedule. This ensures that no one volunteer will be saddled with excessive duties nor will the elderly person or their caregiver be swamped with surplus attendants. The one constant throughout the process of aging is change. Local care circle members’ roles and responsibilities will undoubtedly undergo transformation as a result of elderly persons’ changes in vision, hearing, physical stamina, sleep habits and nutritional needs.

Private companies that charge for setting up services, such as CareCircle SAP, have now entered the arena. The company works with both patient and family/friends to develop a care plan that will accommodate a variety of patient needs: visits, meals, housekeeping, transportation and chores, as well as assist with drug delivery or schedule medical and social services. The company offers a free app through iTunes that helps patients and their families find the best care practices from experts and caregivers around the world.

Aside from assembling health and welfare collaborators and expanding the circle of mutual support, both Villages and care circles offer a host of "little things" that people can do for each other. The goal is to make it easier for older people to stay in their home or care facility, and enjoy their time with family and friends. For many seniors, it can be an empowering experience.

Caregivers can gain a measure of freedom when they know it’s possible for their loved one to get a ride to the doctor, receive a hot meal or have a regular visitor. Volunteers can also help seniors make a home or life in a facility more comfortable and user friendly as the senior ages. It’s remarkable how relieved caregivers can be with a volunteer checking in on their loved one from time to time, especially if the caregiver is working or the senior is living alone.

Without doubt, these innovative programs—Eden Alternative, Green House Project, Villages and care circles—address the many issues of aging in place in our diverse communities across America.

Excerpt from The ABCs of Caregiving, Part 2: Essential Information for You and Your Family, available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com.

Understanding Aging in Place (Part 1)

When we hear the term, aging in place, we think of keeping our loved one in the comfort, convenience and safety of their own home, as opposed to a health care facility. What exactly does this encompass?

Aging in place implies that an older person, ideally with adequate assistance from a caregiver, can help maintain a full range of normal daily activities, including transportation, shopping, cooking, cleaning, home and garden maintenance, and a host of ordinary tasks that are taken for granted among younger, healthy people.

And a living situation that works at 70 years of age—when independence is less likely to be an issue—may not be the case for a frail 90-year-old still residing in the family home. Along with the older person’s caregiver, family, friends and neighbors can pitch in from time to time, but the optimal scenario requires a community effort to make aging in place a reality over the long term.

Aging in Community offers a more broad-based approach than the limited notion of staying in the family home or down-sized condo. Baby Boomers have watched their overtaxed parents struggle with aging by themselves, often isolated and lonely. Now these mid-lifers are seeking a more expansive model for their own aging, which embraces the idea of being "in community."

The newer model has two primary elements: staying active and involved as long as possible in their chosen home and reimagining existing care facilities. This could easily incorporate living in a long-term care facility—assisted living or skilled nursing—but without the trappings of an institutional setting, which are habitually overcrowded, understaffed, impersonal, and monotonous.

Eden Alternative 

Dr. Bill Thomas was primarily concerned with emotional well-being when he conceived of the Eden Alternative in the early 1990s as a way to alleviate the loneliness, helplessness and boredom that permeated the nursing home he operated in New York.

"What good is quality of medical care if your life is miserable?" he asked. Thomas’ original vision of the Eden Alternative focused on partnering with nursing homes to help them change their culture and environment to "create a habitat for human beings rather than facilities for the frail and elderly."

An Eden-certified nursing home moves away from the sterility of the long-term care environment toward creating a setting where personal care dominates and cohesive principles enliven both residents and staff. Eden homes aim to:

1) Create a home-like atmosphere;
2) Make a difference in elderly people’s lives;
3) Change the culture of care;
4) Train and support staff; and
5) Love, care, and live together as a family.

The Eden principles have been incorporated in pre-existing long-term facilities, where a menagerie of dogs, cats, birds and children (who may be part of an in-house daycare program) create appealing and warm living spaces. Happily, measurable medical benefits followed Thomas’ inventive approach. After two years, his first Eden facility had 50 percent fewer infections and 25 percent fewer deaths than a comparable non-Eden nursing home. Other studies show that even bedsores and dementia can be significantly reduced using the Eden Alternative.

Green House Project

Moving away from institutional settings, Thomas went on to develop another innovative method: The "Green House Project." Now, more than 100 homes have been built, starting with the idea of helping companies and individuals convert or build residential homes.

The Project’s primary goal is to provide high levels of care for persons who do not wish to be in a nursing home setting. Among other supporters, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has funded an innovative design, involving clusters of smaller "green" homes, built for six to ten senior residents, with outdoor space and gardens. Each resident has a private bath and bedroom, and has access to shared areas of the house at any time, enhancing sociability and autonomy, streamlining delivery of services and creating a homey environment.

Excerpt from The ABCs of Caregiving, Part 2: Essential Information for You and Your Family, available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com.