Family Caregivers
Watch for These Top Signs of Elder Abuse
Learn the signs that could indicate elder abuse.
Providing the helping hand that empowers seniors to continue to be healthy, happy and independent is the intent of not only our professional senior care staff, but of each and every family caregiver who has ever helped care for a loved one. Because the health and happiness of older adults is so important to us, it’s essential that we discuss a topic that can be difficult for many of us to even look into – elder abuse.
The CDC reports that approximately 500,000 older individuals are neglected or abused annually in the U.S. Not only that, but numerous other elder abuse cases are presumed to go unreported each year, which is why it’s essential for family members to be familiar with possible abuse risks.
Below are some of the risk factors connected with elder abuse:
Dependence … Read More »
When Stress Impacts Alzheimer’s Care
Learn ways to ease stress when providing Alzheimer’s care for a loved one.
Some of the busiest people working today are providing Alzheimer’s care for a senior loved one, but that’s not all. Although Alzheimer’s caregivers have their hands full with that role alone, many also work long hours at full-time jobs, shuttle the kids to school and other activities, run errands and take care of the home, and prepare dinner for the family on top of their caregiving duties. When do they have time to just relax? When providing Alzheimer’s care, it can often feel like your day never ends, and stress and poor sleep can wear down your body as well as your mind. Caregiver burnout is a real and serious condition that can result in, among other things, physical health problems, depression, feelings of being isolated, … Read More »
Need Help Transferring a Senior from a Bed to a Wheelchair? Prevent Back Injury with These Tips.
The odds are certainly not in our favor: more than half of all caregivers are incurring injuries as a result of lifting or transferring an older adult. With so many family members providing care for senior loved ones, it’s imperative for them to learn proper lifting and transferring techniques, and Hired Hands Homecare, providing home care in Sonoma and the surrounding areas, is happy to share the following, which can both prevent back injury for a caregiver and protect the older adult from injury as well.
Follow the steps below carefully in the order they’re listed:
Place one foot on a footstool beside the bed (if the bed is low) to relieve pressure on your lower back.
Place the wheelchair as close as possible to the bed and perform a quick safety check on the wheelchair’s position. Make sure the brakes are locked … Read More »
Family Caregivers: Need a Resolution You’ll Actually Want to Keep? Try These!
New Year’s resolutions: we love to make them, and can’t help but break them. Perhaps you’ve been energized to eat better, lose those stubborn five pounds, quit a bad habit, or exercise more; but life has a way of interfering with our best intentions, and this is especially true for family members providing senior care for a loved one.
To make a real difference in quality of life for both yourself and the senior for whom you provide care, and to discover a New Year’s resolution you’ll actually want to adhere to in the months and years to come, try one of these suggestions, courtesy of Hired Hands Homecare:
Be thankful – to yourself. Recognize the tremendous selflessness required in caring for another, and make a point to treat yourself to regular, small rewards as a thank-you: a favorite treat from the … Read More »
