Live Free Home Health Care, LLC. - Bristol, New Hampshire

All posts within: private duty agencies

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Stress Management for Family Caregivers

Managing stress is all about taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management also involves changing the stressful situation when possible, changing reactions to the situation when it cannot be changed, taking care of your health, and making time for rest and relaxation.

While peaceful meditation, exercising and enjoyable activities are great outlets for stress relief, the greatest protection against stress is a strong support network for when times get rough. It’s important to allow others to help alleviate some of the responsibilities and pressures. With trusted friends, family members, and a caregiving team such as Live Free Home Health Care, life’s pressures will not seem as overwhelming.

Also seek out community support groups for caregivers:

 People meet in a given place each week or month.

 You get face-to-face contact and a chance to make new friends who live near you.

 The meetings get you out of the house, get you moving, provide a social outlet, and reduce feelings of isolation.

 Since the people in the support group are from your area, they'll be more familiar with local resources and issues.

For further information on care support, click here .

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to offer further guidance and home care options that can give you a well-deserved break. If you're looking for a partner in care in the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, contact us today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make your life a little easier.

Tags:   family caregivers, home care, in-home care providers, private duty agencies

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Need for Respite: Recognizing Caregiver Stress and the Effects of Overload

Family caregivers often find themselves running in emergency mode, and eventually the mind and body pay the price. Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. In fact, raised stress levels can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and can speed up the aging process.

Take this quick quiz to determine if you are in control of stress or if stress is controlling you:

 When I feel agitated, do I know how to quickly calm and soothe myself?

 Can I easily let go of my anger?

 Can I turn to others to help me calm down and feel better?

 When I come home at night, do I walk in the door feeling alert and relaxed?

 Am I seldom distracted or moody?

 Am I able to recognize upsets that others seem to be experiencing?

 When my energy is low, do I know how to boost it?

Feeling frazzled and overwhelmed is a key indicator that it’s time to take action to nurture your nervous system. You can protect yourself by learning the following signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects. When under pressure, behavior can present as:

 Talking too fast or too loud

 Yawning

 Fiddling and twitching, nail biting, grinding teeth, drumming fingers, pacing, etc.

 Bad moods: irritability, being critical, overly sensitive replies, anger and irrationality

 Making less realistic judgments

 Inability to concentrate

 Being more forgetful

 Making more mistakes

 Disorganization, confusion and worry

 Neglect of personal appearance and personal hygiene

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to offer further guidance and options that can give you a well-deserved break from caregiving responsibilities. If you're looking for a partner in home care in the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, contact us today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make your life a little easier.

Tags:   eldercare, family caregivers, home care, in-home care providers, private duty agencies

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

What is Respite Care?

Respite care may be the answer you have been looking for to get the rest and relaxation that you need from the daily caregiving grind. HELPGUIDE.org explains that respite care provides time off for family members who care for someone who is ill, injured or frail. Respite care can take place in an adult day center, the home of the care recipient, a residential setting such as an assisted living facility or nursing home, or even a vacation setting.

Effective, sustainable caregiving depends on meeting the caregiver's own needs for nurture, reassurance, support and periodic respite. Respite allows for relief from the daily responsibilities of caring for the care recipient and is essential for all caregivers, whether they work in a caregiving facility or at home with family members or close friends.

The following organizations provide useful information to caregivers on a variety of topics including respite:

• The Alzheimer’s Association: http://www.alz.org

• The Family Caregiver Alliance: http://www.caregiver.org

• The National Alliance for Caregiving: http://www.caregiving.org

• National Adult Day Services Association: http://www.nadsa.org

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to offer further guidance and options that can give you a well-deserved break. For further resources on respite care, click here .

If you're looking for a partner in home care in the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, contact us today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make your life a little easier.

Tags:   eldercare, family caregivers, home care, private duty agencies

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Conversation Starters: Care is Needed

Although it may seem difficult at first to set the wheels in motion, addressing that care is needed with aging loved ones can reduce worry and possibly prevent a serious emergency. Need suggestions to start a smooth discussion? Try these conversation openers:

· Share your concerns. Talk to your loved ones openly and honestly. Knowing that you're concerned about their health may give them the motivation they need to see a doctor or make other changes.

· Create a sense of planning. Approach a loved one with a sense of planning to find a solution rather than trying to enforce your predetermined decisions. Discuss what you have observed using concrete examples and ask your loved one what he or she thinks is going on. Then ask what he or she thinks would be a good solution.

· Address safety issues. Point out any potential safety issues around the home — then make a plan to address the problems.

· Encourage a regular medical checkup. Offer to schedule the visit yourself or to accompany the senior to the doctor — or to find someone else to attend the visit.

· Contact the doctor for guidance. If a loved one dismisses your concerns, you can try calling the doctor directly. You will need to sign a form verifying that you have your loved one’s permission to discuss his or her medical information with the doctor and his or her staff. Your insights may help the doctor understand what to look for during upcoming visits.

· Use a sense of caring. Remind the senior that you want to do what's best to promote his or her health and wellbeing, both today and in the months and years to come.

After the initial conversation, don’t expect that a decision will be reached instantly. It is important to give your loved one some time to absorb the information you share. It is equally as important to really listen to your loved one’s wishes and concerns. And, sometimes, even though you have the best intentions and only the safety of your loved one in mind, suggestions and help are not wanted. Be patient and unless the person is in danger of harming himself or herself, you cannot take any action that is unwanted.

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to help you determine the best plan of long-term care that will meet your loved one’s needs and maintain your loved one’s quality of life. If you're looking for a partner in care coordination in the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, call us today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make your life a little easier.

Tags:   communication tips, private duty agencies

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Home for the Holidays: Recognizing Care is Needed

Holiday visits sometimes greet family members with alarming signs that additional care or daily assistance is needed in the home of aging loved ones. With busy schedules or long distances separating families for much of the year, subtle (or not-so-subtle) indicators can easily be missed. This year, make holiday visits a time to evaluate the needs of elderly relatives, and encourage in-home care solutions that will enhance quality of life and ensure safety at home long after the holidays are over. Remember that checking for warning signs is not for the purposes of judgment or criticism; it’s a check for wellness, wellbeing and safety.

Right away, an unexpected disheveled appearance of a loved one may be noticed during a holiday visit. Failure to keep up with daily hygiene routines such as bathing, tooth brushing and other basic grooming could indicate health problems such as dementia, depression, or physical impairments. Inspect to see if clothes are clean and if the individual appears to be maintaining good grooming habits.

At the dinner table, appetites may appear to be healthy during the holidays, but noticeable weight loss without trying could be a sign that something’s wrong. For the elderly, weight loss could be related to many factors, including difficulty cooking or loss of taste or smell. Sometimes weight loss is a sign of a more serious underlying condition, such as malnutrition, dementia, depression, or even cancer.

Additionally, any big changes in the way things are done around the house could provide clues to health. For example, scorched pots could mean forgetting about food cooking on the stove. Neglected housework could be a sign of depression, dementia, or other problems. Check to see if the lights are working, the heat is on, the bathrooms are clean, or if clutter is blocking the walkways of the home.

But most importantly, during holiday gatherings, slow down and be sure to include elderly relatives in family traditions. After the holidays, if you’ve determined that additional care might be necessary for your loved ones, please do not hesitate to contact us at 603-217-0149. At Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire, we are here to help you determine the best plan of long-term care that will meet your loved one’s needs.

For further resources on recognizing care needs over the holidays, click here .

Tags:   better quality of life, caregiver tips, eldercare, holiday blues, home companion, private duty agencies

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Page 1 of 5 pages  1 2 3 >  Last »