• Allergy medications, such as antihistamine and 1% hydrocortisone cream for mild allergic reactions. If you or a traveling companion has a history of severe allergic reaction, bring an epinephrine auto-injector (such as EpiPen).  (This is a prescription item, so if you don’t already have one, talk with your doctor.)
• Cold-symptom medications, including a decongestant and throat lozenges.
• Motion sickness medication.
• Pain relievers like acetaminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen.
• Antifungal and antibacterial ointments.
• Lubricating eye drops.
• First-aid items like adhesive bandages, gauze, an elastic bandage, antiseptic, tweezers, scissors, cotton-tipped applicators and a first-aid book.

Of course, your parents should check with their doctors to make sure any of the items above would be appropriate and safe for them.  It also might be a good idea to suggest an extra hand while they’re preparing for the trip.  Home Instead Senior Care Dallas provides CAREGivers to run errands and shop, along with many other at home duties.  Such assistance could be the extra boost they need as well as reassurance for you.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care Dallas call us at 972-239-3934.  To learn more, log on to:  http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/541695/

We have clients in their early eighties who are planning a vacation this summer or early fall, and their adult son is worried about their health and safety.  They’re in good shape, but because of their age, he is afraid that something could happen to them.  He asked if Dallas Home Instead had any suggestions for his parents to prepare?  

Traveling and seniors are synonymous. They enjoy traveling and enjoy themselves well into their 80s and even older.  So if you’re parents are healthy and willing to take precautions, they should be fine.  It might be a good idea, though, to ask them to check with their doctors before they hit the airport or road.

Here’s some information that you could pass along that might assist them and put your mind at ease.  It’s from a new report, Healthy Travel: A 10-Minute Consult from Harvard Medical School:

1. Prescription medications. Take at least a week’s supply in your carry-on (in case your luggage is lost). Anything beyond a week’s supply can be packed in your checked luggage.
2. Other prescription medications. Depending on your destination and personal medical history, consider asking your doctor about taking along antimalarial medications and an antibiotic for self-treatment of moderate to severe diarrhea.
3. Gastrointestinal medications, such as antidiarrheal medication (for example, bismuth subsalicylate or loperamide), a mild laxative and an antacid.

Return in a day to learn more travel tips for seniors and elders in Dallas. If you have questions about your loved one hitting the road, call Home Instead Senior Care office in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

If she, your mother, appears to be in good physical and mental health, she may be just bored.  Many older Americans become isolated and lose interest in socializing.  Too much time being alone at home can make them irritable and impatient.  We suggest that you encourage her to develop a routine of activities and projects.  Even a schedule that includes a few regular tasks and outings can occupy her time and give her something to think about.  

 Please visit us tomorrow when we continue the post on helping your senior stay active and occupied!

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care Dallas, call us at 972-239-3934.

Rising costs for gas and food are affecting senior nutrition programs across the country. Nearly 60 percent of the estimated 5,000 programs that belong to the Meals on Wheels Association of America have lost volunteers who can’t afford gas, said Enid A. Borden, president and CEO.

Nearly half the programs have eliminated routes or consolidated meal services, AARP Bulletin Today reports. Some 38 percent have switched to delivering frozen rather than hot meals, while about 30 percent are cutting personal visits from five days a week to one.

While most needs are still being met, advocates from California to New York worry that seniors will go hungry. They blame a nearly 20 percent increase in fuel and food prices over the past year, flat or reduced government funding, and an ailing economy that yields fewer donations.

“We’re in a crisis and it’s just getting worse and worse,” said Borden, who is urging Congress to increase money for senior nutrition programs by at least 10 percent. As these meal deliveries and related personal visits decrease in frequency, Home Instead Senior Care may find opportunities to provide companionship and meal services for these seniors.

To find out if your community needs help with senior nutrition programs, contact your local Meals on Wheels organization. Assisting with meal delivery programs is an easy way your staff can give back to your community.

Provides assisted living at home, elder care and senior live-in services for Dallas seniors and elders. Call us today for help at 972-239-3934.

The Facts about Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a non-contagious, lifelong skin disease that affects as many as 7.5 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.  About 10 to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints.

Early recognition, diagnosis and treatment of psoriatic arthritis can relieve pain and inflammation and possibly help prevent progressive joint involvement and damage. Without treatment, psoriatic arthritis can potentially be disabling and crippling. August is Psoriasis Awareness Month.  For more information, log on to the National Psoriasis Foundation at www.psoriasis.org.

The following statistics show that psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are common, life altering and often debilitating conditions.

Worldwide

Psoriasis affects an estimated 2-3 percent of the world’s population.

125 million people worldwide have psoriasis, according to the World Psoriasis Day consortium.
National health concern According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), between 5.8 and 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis. Studies have shown that between 10 percent and 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis.

Age of onset

Psoriasis often appears between the ages of 15 and 25, but can develop at any age. Psoriatic arthritis usually develops between the ages of 30 and 50, but it can develop at any time.

More information - alternative approaches for Psoriasis - visit Alternative Approaches & Treatments

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas – Call us today at 972-239-3934.

Regular walking helps elderly in Dallas remain independent 

Older adults who participate in a walking exercise program can decrease their risk of disability and increase their likelihood of maintaining independence by 41 percent, a University of Georgia study found. Establishing a walking routine with your aging relative is an easy way to help them stay independent longer. If you need help, call Home Instead Senior Care Dallas – our CAREGivers are available to spend companionship time with your loved one.

“In the past decade, researchers have focused on the benefits of strength training in maintaining independence, but until now we didn’t have good evidence using an objective performance measure that a walking program would improve physical functioning,” said study co-author M. Elaine Cress, Professor of Kinesiology and Researcher in the UGA Institute of Gerontology. “Our study found that walking offers tremendous health benefits that can help older adults stay independent.”

Study participants were assigned to either of two groups – a walking group that met three times a week for four months or a nutrition education control group. Researchers measured the aerobic capacity of participants using a treadmill test. While the control group saw a 9 percent decline in aerobic capacity over the four-month period, the walking group’s aerobic capacity increased by 19 percent. Physical function increased by 25 percent in the walking group, compared with a decline of 1 percent in the control group.

“We know that walking is good for you, but too many people still aren’t doing it,” said Trudy Moore-Harrison, lead study author. “This study shows that just walking on a regular basis can make a huge impact on quality of life.The study appears in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy.

Call us today for help at 972-239-3934.

We know its difficult to broach this subject with your parents, but you have to, no matter how uncomfortable. Home Instead Senior Care Dallas suggest these conversation starters, “There’s not much food around the place, what are you eating?” Pay attention to the tone you use. Try to say it in a humorous fashion. If this approach is not your style, be more straightforward: “Mom, I’m a bit concerned about whether you and Dad are eating enough.” Malnourishment can be a significant problem with older adults, and can be a sign of other issues that might need attention over and above finances.

If the evidence points to a financial issue, simply make an offer: “I know you’re pretty private about money, but you know that if you ever ran into problems I’d do what I could to help, right?” Sometimes, it’s easier to at least to start the discussion of emotional or private issues in a less personal communication medium. 

Some adult children, use the phone, or even state their concern in an e-mail. Once you’ve said what you want to talk to them, it’ll be a lot easier to bring it up in person.

Research shows us that 21% of family members list money as near the top of the list of challenging subjects to brong up with older adults.

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas – a great assisted living alternative in Dallas for seniors and elders. Call us today for help at 972-239-3934.

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas knows that our older adults can be among the most vulnerable victims when disasters strike.  And summer and early fall, the time when Mother Nature unleashes floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and fires are prime times for trouble. Call us today for help at 972-239-3934.

Dallas Home Instead’s CAREGivers can encourage families to talk with their senior loved ones and begin preparing for any kind of emergency that could threaten their health or safety.  The main thing to do right away is assess what the senior would need in the event of a disaster.  If someone requires additional assistance they should identify a team, a personal support network, such as neighbors, friends, relatives and professional caregivers who will help.

Dallas Seniors and their family caregivers should organize a plan around every place they might be during the day or week, such as a library or community center, when a disaster could strike. Communication after a disaster is another vital component of such a plan.  The local telephone lines often are overloaded in a disaster, but long-distance lines may be working.  Seniors should always have an out-of-town contact number available to call after a disaster to let someone know they are O.K.

For more information, please contact Home Instead Senior Care Dallas at 972-239-3934.

We, adult children of aging relatives, know it’s a challenge to talk with parents about certain topics. Most of us had that problem all our lives. 

Home Instead Senior Care and communication expert Jake Harwood, Ph.D., from the University of Arizona, give tips to help family caregivers communicate with their aging parents on sensitive subjects. If you’re 40 or your parents are 70, it’s time to:

• Start early, have the talk – don’t put it off till there’s an emergency situation.
• Start observing and gathering information carefully and thoughtfully about how your parents are caring for themselves. 
• Don’t reach a conclusion from a single observation and decide on the best solution until you have gathered information with an open mind and talked with your parents.
• Talk about it.
• Approach your parents with a conversation.
• Discuss what you see and observed. 
• Ask your parents what they think is going on. If your parents acknowledge the situation, ask what they think would be good solutions. If your parents don’t recognize a problem, use concrete examples to support your case.
• Talk with them sooner is always best.
• Talk sooner rather than later when a crisis has occurred. If you know your loved one has poor eyesight or has trouble driving at night, begin to address those issues before a problem arises.
• Don’t use baby talk with an older person. This can be humiliating for them.

When need help caring for an aging relative go to Home Instead Senior Care Dallas – 972-239-3934.

In the next upcoming blogs, we will be giving you, family members, tips on bridging the communications gap between families and aging parents. Home Instead Senior Care Dallas knows that dealing with aging relatives and parents are a challenge for most families, especially those living at a distance. 

Adult daughters and  sons come to us asking, “what do I say to my parents when she/he just hit a tree with the car?” And sometimes we hear, ”how do I know if mom or dad are taking their prescription medications properly?” 

Sensitive issues like these prompted Home Instead Senior Care Dallas to post on our blog a public education campaign that was designed to help family members bridge the communication gap on sensitive subjects with senior parents or relatives. 

It is based on original research both in the U.S. and Canada by Home Instead Senior Care Corporate. The research revealed that nearly 30% of adults in the U.S. have a major communication block with their parents. It stems from the continuation of the parent and child role. It’s difficult to get the conversation going because seniors still see their adult offspring as children.

Independence Issues such as continuing to live in their own home, is the most difficult topic for adult children to address with aging relatives. Parents’ want to remain independent at home. TThe next hardest topic to discuss is health (28 percent) and money (21 percent).

It’s the fact that families are still in a parent – child rather than a peer-to-peer role makes the conversations even more difficult.  Home Instead Senior Care has seen the resultant lack of communication lead to problems like misuse of medications, self neglect and accidents.

Adult children, because of their hesitancy to discuss these topics, usually wait until an emergency before talking to parents. We suggest having the talk early and often. Our goal with the “40-70” campaign is to provide practical ways for adult children to start talking with their parents now. 

Visit us tomorrow when we pick up the 40-70 conversation -

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas – 972-239-3934.