Caring For The Elderly: Senior Illnesses And What They Mean To You

As we get older, we all become more susceptible to illnesses, diseases and ailments that may render us incapacitated in some way, shape or form. In some cases we may not even recover from them. It is a sad fact, but we will all eventually shake hands with the very thing that is going to kill us. However, that is not to say that all senior illnesses are incurable. In fact, there are very few that are untreatable. If you happen to be a caregiver and look after a senior on a daily basis, then there are various diseases that you may actually come into contact with and learn how to cope with via that individual. It can be difficult watching someone you care about succumb to illness at any age, but with seniors it is inevitable. A little bit of background knowledge can help to prepare you for the worst, so here is a quick guide to senior illnesses:

CANCER - Over two thirds of all seniors are affected by cancer at some point in their lives. Some forms of cancer are more common than others. Lung and breast cancer are the most common forms as found in seniors, but skin cancer also puts in an appearance in the top senior afflictions list. Cancer can be treated with great effect these days but the older the sufferer is, the more the odds of a full recovery are cut. After all, how many eighty years olds are strong enough to come through a course of chemotherapy? Any form of cancer must be caught early if a patient is to stand any chance of recovery so bodily abnormalities must be checked out by a medical professional as soon as they are discovered.

DEMENTIA - A high number of seniors also suffer from dementia. There are many forms of dementia, but they all stem from decreasing brain activity owing to degradation and resultant damage to the connections between the brain and nerve endings in the body. The cause of dementia is not known and there can be little done to effectively treat it, although some drugs do hols off the symptoms for a while. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's Disease, which is generally more potent than other versions of the illness. It can be extremely frustrating for sufferers because they gradually become more confused, although they will initially know what is happening to them. It may take anywhere between a few months to many years for the full symptoms to actually emerge, but when they do it is extremely unlikely that the sufferer will know who you are.

PARKINSON'S DISEASE - Again, this is a disease that affects the nerve cells leading to the brain and like, dementia, nobody knows exactly what is behind it. Whereas dementia will affect an individual mentally, Parkinson's primarily disables the body and then moves onto the mind. It may be apparent that a sufferer has the disease because of uncontrollable shaking, which is just as frustrating as the confusion associated with dementia. Again, there is no known cure and drugs only work for a limited time before symptoms can no longer be controlled.

DIABETES - More and more seniors are suffering with this disease as a result of their lifestyles and, primarily, their diets. As sugar and fat intake increases, the body rebels. However, diabetes is an age-old ailment that is caused by the body's inability to produce enough insulin to keep their blood sugar levels under control. It is incurable but can be treated either by diet or medication in tablet or injection form. It will not cause the death of an individual is treated correctly. However, particular attention has to be paid to wounds that diabetics have because they have a tendency to degenerate more quickly than those in non-diabetics. Amputation of limbs is also quite common as a result of the illness. It is therefore imperative that a diagnosis is swift and observations thereafter occur daily.

Caring For The Elderly: A Quick Guide To Hospice Care

It is a common belief in society that life goes full circle. You are born, live your life and then die, to put it quite morbidly, but in between you go full circle. Seniors often regress back to their childhood as they go further and further into old age because they may need the same amount of care in their final days as they did in their very first ones. As a result, the care you can give them, as caregivers and relatives, is no longer adequate. As they head into their final days, it may well be time to make a choice as to where they will spend them. A hospice is usually a popular option because of the level of specialist care they offer. This is your quick guide to hospices with a brief overview of the information that you may need to make up your mind.

A hospice is a specialist unit that is usually separated from a hospital. It has a much more friendly atmosphere, despite being a specialist care unit for those who are coming to their last days on this Earth. The staff are all highly trained, but are also employed for what they can bring to the hospice in terms of attitude and efficiency, The staff are a colourful combinations of nurses, doctors, counsellors, assistants and religious community leaders. In effect, they are there to provide for all of your needs in order to make sure that your relative is as comfortable as possible.

Regardless of whether you know how a hospice works or not, it is still an impossible decision to make when it comes to choosing. This is mainly because, despite caring for an elderly relative for a period of time, you still will not want to admit exactly what is going to happen, inevitably sooner rather than later. However, the set up of a hospice is designed to allay these fears and unwillingness to relinquish the controls to a certain extent. It is designed to fully support the family as well as the individual seniors who will go to stay there.

A fear that many carers and family members have is that their relative will be going into a hospice before he or she is ready to do so. However, if you are even considering it then it is most definitely the right time. After all, as the main caregiver, you will have witness the changes that have taken place within your relative over a period of time. It can be so heartbreaking to watch him or her turn into a completely different person as a result of old age and illness. By the time that they have reached the hospice stage, they are no longer the person that you once knew and loved, and the hospice can help you to let go and simply start to grieve.

Hospice care is unobtrusive and, to a certain extent, you could still continue to administer the care that you had been so used to. Staff are there to ensure that your elderly relative is as comfortable as possible, but are also there to help you and will completely understand your role up until that point. You just have to leave your elderly relative in the best hands possible. You did the best you could and there comes a time when you have to enjoy what little time you have left with the centre of your life up until that point.

As Fresh As A Daisy: The Basics Of Elderly Personal Hygiene

Personal hygiene is an essential part of every individual's daily routine. You get up, shower, clean your teeth, deodorise and repeat the same steps in the evening to make sure that you stay fresh all day long. Being personally hygienic can make you feel great. However, what if you were to be unable to fully look after yourself and nobody would actually carry out that routine for you? You would go into every day feeling dirty and that would only serve to induce depression and frustration. It is therefore important to establish a hygiene routine whilst caring for the elderly so that you don't miss anything out.

If you are responsible for washing the elderly person that you are caring for then you should pay attention to the routine that you are establishing and talk them through it the first few times so they know what to expect. This will not only build up trust, but may go some way to helping them relax. Many seniors are somewhat reluctant to let anyone administer their personal care, and understandably so. If you rely on someone to do everything for you then you are likely to feel as if you have lost all of the self-respect you had for yourself, as well as your dignity. It is exactly the same for seniors, regardless of illness and mental state, unless they are completely unaware of what is going on. Some seniors may even react angrily but again this is completely understandable. It may be unpleasant to experience verbal abuse, which you may just get in this situation, but if you put yourself in their shoes you will understand exactly where they are coming from.

If the senior in your care can be encouraged to maintain their personal hygiene and can be trusted then you should always allow them to administer their own personal care. Not only does this promote their independence, but is also gives them a sense of purpose. Even if they can only do one little thing for themselves then it is better than nothing!

The routine that you establish regarding a senior's personal hygiene should include all the basic elements that we include in our own daily routine. Showering, washing all of the nooks and crannies, deodorising and brushing teeth should always be the integral elements. This should take place every day. However, the routine can incorporate other things. For example, if the female senior in you care like to put on makeup to feel feminine then you should encourage it as far as possible in order to maintain her identity.

It is also worth noting that maintaining good personal hygiene for the elderly in your care will not only promote mental well-being, it will also promote physical health. If you are washing someone, then you are likely to note any lumps, bumps and bruises as well as any bodily changes that may spell trouble in the future. By noticing and noting changes in a care plan, you are creating a medical record that may lead to early diagnosis of illnesses. Also, if there is more than one carer performing the same role for the elderly people in your care, it may also alert them to any physical changes.

Personal hygiene is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of caring for the elderly. It can be a sensitive area but, if handled in the right way, it can also form a bond between you. As long as effective hygiene is maintained, the rest will fall into place as far as their appearance is concerned.

A Caregiver's Guide To Coping With Stress

Caring for the elderly, whether complete strangers or those related to you, can be extremely rewarding. The sense of satisfaction can be immense. However, the down side of caring is that it can be extremely frustrating and upsetting for all parties concerned, especially for the carer. Until you have actually been through it yourself you can never fully appreciate exactly how stressful it can be. It can bring out every possible negative emotion in you that you could ever think of and put you on the fast track to burnout. It is a full time occupation because you will find that it is all you ever think about, even when you are elsewhere. Therefore, it is extremely important to learn how to recognise the signs of stress and how to cope with it early on.

Caregivers can experience extreme stress over the course of their time as a carer for an elderly relative. The most upsetting thing is perhaps getting to know a person really well and then have him or her turn around and not recognise you anymore. It can be heartbreaking, but this may well happen to you. This is obviously an extreme example, but it can cause major stress on your part. There are other causes of stress when caring for the elderly as well. The list can include, but is not limited to, non-compliance with requests, violence, threatening or unreasonable behaviour, illness, confusion and then of course there is the amount of work that you will need to do in order to care for another individual on a full time basis. Even if you are not with that elderly person 24 hours a day, it is still hard to get away from the role. You will find that you constantly think about it and cannot switch off. It may even become the focus of your life until you learn how to deal with it.

It is important to recognise the symptoms. You may find that you are unable to eat, eat too much or suffer from a lack of sleep, even when you are extremely tired. You may become depressed and moody, or find yourself bursting into tear for no apparent reason other than you feel like it. You will almost certainly feel like you are running on empty but keep going even though you feel like you have no energy left at all. This will result in lethargy and snapping at those closest to you. Your frustrations may even be directed at the person you are caring for at the time. You will also find that you will see less of your friends and family because you don't have time to make the effort any more. In short, your life will revolve around the elderly person you care for but your moods will swing like a pendulum. When you get to that stage, it is time to do something about it!

As soon as you recognize that you have some of those symptoms you must start to take care of your own health because, if you are not mentally well, then you are not fully capable of looking after someone else. How you cope with this and solve the problem is up to you because everyone has different needs and different ways of relaxing. Some carers simply take a break. They go on holiday or take some time off and arrange for someone else to be around to relieve them for a bit. By doing this, you will not be worrying constantly and will be able to enjoy your time off. Other may seek advice from a counsellor so that they can discuss their frustrations and get them all out into the open. The reason they choose a professional is because they are paid not to judge. You may also be able to get home help in so that you can have more time to yourself during the day.

There is no way of avoiding the stress that caregivers are put under, but you have to take care of yourself first. That is the golden rule. Everyone needs a break, and caregivers are no different, so make sure that you get some time off before everything becomes too much.

A Beginner's Guide To Retirement Homes

There may come a time in every caregiver's life that you have to make a decision. If you are caring for a relative then you may well have to decide whether to register him or her with a retirement home with a view to procuring a room. If you have been caring for that relative at home for some time then it will be even more of a wrench to make that decision. You may well be unable to cope with the stresses and strains of it now, or the condition that your elderly relative may have worsened to the point that it is now impossible for the relative to remain at home. Either way, it is a difficult decision to make and you should do all of the necessary research to convince you that you are making the right decision. This article will provide you with a brief overview to help you make that decision.

There are various types of retirement home that are designed to cater for seniors in a variety of ways. General retirement homes can be split into two categories - residential and nursing. Nursing homes are designed for individuals that require better medical care. These are often the best choice for those suffering with the after effects of strokes and cancer, as well as catering for those with advanced forms of dementia. Residential homes are better for those who have milder forms of dementia and slight physical disabilities because they do not provide nursing care but do attempt to provide residents with a greater freedom. There are also specialist retirement homes that cater for specific illnesses if you are indeed looking for specialist care.

It can be difficult to choose a home for your loved one because of the sheer choice of retirement homes out there. Most are privately funded and have state of the art facilities so they are fully equipped to take care of any physical or medical complaints that they may have. As a result, it is hard to distinguish between them on paper alone and so visiting your short-listed homes may be a great idea, especially if you take your senior relative with you. You will able to choose between them if you sample the atmosphere and facilities yourself, and of course the reaction of your loved one may also play a big part in your decision. It is likely that they will initially appear happier during a visit to one than they are when visiting the others.

Before finalizing your decision, even if you do have one place in mind, you should always do your homework. You should look into the background of the home, how it is run and its health and safety credentials as well as asking around for feedback. Going into any situation blind is taking a huge risk, but would you really want your loved one to stay at a place that may flaunt health and safety provisions and could ultimately be damaging to their health?

Whatever you decide to do in the end, retirement homes can provide a safe and secure environment that will allow your loved one to live out his or her last days in peace with the best medical care available. It will also provide you with peace of mind. It can be a hard decision to make the first break but you have to ultimately do what is best for your loved one. If you can no longer cope as the primary carer then you should think of your health as well as considering what may be best for both of you in the long run.