Resources to Help Seniors Who Have Few Relatives Nearby
May 24th, 2023aging in place, Alzheimer's Care, Caregiver Employment, Caregiver job, Caregiver Service, Companion Caregiver, Dementia Care, Elderly Care, Fall Activities for Seniors, Home Healthcare, In Home Care, Long Term Care, Retirement Plans for Seniors, Senior Care Services,
Resources to Help Seniors Who Have Few Relatives Nearby
Aging brings many challenges as well as joys. While it’s generally good fortune to have a long life, it’s even better if you have family nearby to offer help and companionship. Sometimes, seniors live far from family, though. In these cases, Polish Care Services suggests you make use of the following resources for managing daily life.
Maintaining a Social Life
Loneliness can be a risk factor for health issues, and we all need companionship. Here are some ideas to help seniors develop and maintain social connections.
- Consider volunteering. After all, seniors can and do contribute an enormous amount by tutoring, mentoring, helping prepare or distribute food to those in need, fundraising, assisting with tax preparation, or working the polls during elections.
- Take a class. Post-retirement is a wonderful time to pursue interests you may not have had time for while working. Whether it’s a non-credit history or language class at the local university, or a dance or crafting class at a community center, you’ll meet others with common interests and get to explore something you enjoy.
- Take a part-time job. Although not everyone is eager to return to the nine to five grind, sometimes working a few hours a week can enhance a senior’s life by providing social connections, as well as the satisfaction of contributing effort to an important cause.
- Join a church, mosque, temple, or other organization that supports your spiritual beliefs. If you’re already a member, look into getting more involved there. It’s a great way to get to know others who share your values.
Health and Wellness
Good health is important to people at every age, and there are always things a person can do to increase their chances of staying well.
- Join an exercise class. The connection between exercise and improved mental health has been documented increasingly over the past decade. Many forms of exercise are appropriate for seniors, ranging from swimming to no impact aerobics and gentle weight training.
- Consider a mind-body practice, such as tai chi, qi gong, yoga, or mindfulness walking. These disciplines can improve cognitive functioning as well balance, strength, range of motions, and stress relief.
- Get an exercise or healthy eating buddy. Having another person counting on you can help with motivation and increase fun, whether you’re cooking a healthy meal together or meeting for a walk.
- Laughter is good medicine. It can increase the release of endorphins, and alter serotonin and dopamine levels in the body. Whether it’s a funny movie, a cartoon in a magazine, a hilarious book, or a podcast, finding reasons to laugh can make life more healthy, as well as more fun. This is yet another activity best done with a buddy.
Financial Assistance is Available
Most people worry to some degree about running out of money, managing money, or calculating and paying taxes in a timely and accurate manner. There are many local, state, and federal programs to help with planning and managing financial concerns.
- Help with the cost of prescriptions can be found via the Extra Help program through Medicare in some states. Other states have their own programs.
- Seniors and all adults may experience stress when faced with financial and other types of decisions.
- The IRS sponsors free tax help clinics for seniors. These can be quite helpful since many seniors have complex situations involving pensions, IRAs, or pre-death insurance benefits. Having free help from an expert can make the challenge of tax preparation less daunting.
Use Technology to your Advantage
While it’s difficult to visit in person fr
equently, if you live a great distance from your loved one, the internet can be a great help. Using Google Meet, Webex, Zoom, or another online program you can be in touch with family members who live almost anywhere. The internet is also a good way to shop, learn, and connect with others.
- Take some time to make sure your loved one is comfortable using the internet. Sometimes technology classes for seniors can be helpful, as well as social opportunities.
- Click for info on a useful tool for combining digital documents for your loved one so that they’re easier to find.
- Having a weekly online call with your senior loved one is a great way to stay in touch, share family news, and monitor how they are doing. While “Zoom fatigue” is something that happens to people of all ages, there are ways to counter it.
- Although an online meeting is better than no connection, it’s important to supplement it with ordinary phone calls, letters via email or US mail, and the occasional in-person visit.
Although living near the senior you care about is the easiest way to stay in touch and be of help, there are many resources for those who are at a distance. Make sure that you keep your loved one in the loop when making decisions that will affect them, and take advantage of the many programs and options available.
For exceptional services for seniors, those with disabilities, and those needing comp
anionship, visit Polish Care Services today.
Credit: June Duncan
Types of Care Options for Seniors: Long Term Care Option
March 15th, 2023aging in place, Alzheimer's Care, Caregiver job, Dementia Care, Elderly Care, In Home Care, Long Term Care, Polish Care Services, Senior Care Services,
What is Long-Term Care?
Long-term care is comprised of a wide range of support services provided over an extended time period. Long-term care is not limited solely to the elderly. Forty three percent of individuals requiring long-term care are younger than 65 years old, this may also include disabled young adults. The majority of recipients of long-term care are 65 years of age and older.
Long-term care can be temporary or permanent. However, this depends upon the underlying reason for the care.
Temporary long-term care (weeks or months) may include:
- Recovery from an injury or illness
- Rehabilitation after a surgical procedure
- Rehabilitation after a hospital stay
- End of life medical services
Reason for permanent (on-going) long-term care (months and years) can include:
- Chronic medical conditions
- Chronic severe pain
- Need for supervision
- Permanent disabilities
- Need for assistance with activities of daily living
- Muscular impairment caused by Parkinson’s
- Cognitive impairment which may cause brain injury, Alzheimer’s or Dementia.
Long-term care need may be instantaneous, examples are, after a car accident, a heart attack or stroke. However, the care need increases gradually, as individuals age and become more frail or as disability or an illness worsens.
Although there are advanced studies, It is difficult to predict who will need long-term care and the duration of long-term care needs, there are several factors that increase the risk of the need for long-term care
- As individuals age, they become more frail
- Women generally live longer, and often need long-term care for a periods twice as long as men.
- An individual’s risk increases with poor diet and lack of exercise, lifestyle and habits,
- Health and family history also plays a vital role.
Categories and Levels of Long-Term Care
Most long-term care falls into the category of personal or custodial care, rather than medical or skilled care. Personal care provides assistance with what is generally referred to as activities of daily living and/or provides for the supervision of an individual who is cognitively impaired.
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) include the normal activities necessary to live at home. These personal care activities generally fall into four category types:
- Meal Preparation includes the planning and preparation of meals
- Household Chores includes routine tasks necessary for the upkeep of a home such as cleaning, laundry and yard maintenance
- Personal Hygiene includes bathing, grooming, dressing and toileting
- Errands and Transportation includes driving and shopping assistance
It’s easy to take being able to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) for granted until you or family member experiences a chronic or degenerative condition and can no longer accomplish these tasks alone.
There are four different levels or frequency of care Long-term care:
- Occasional assistance is performed a few times a month
- Minimal assistance may only be needed two to three times per week
- Significant assistance may be needed as often as five times per week
- Maximum assistance might be needed daily.
In-Home Care
Long-term care in the home is often provided by care providers or caregivers who may be enlisted to provide housekeeping, personal care and other functions to enhance the quality of life for the individual.
Long-Term Care Insurance
With the increasing costs of long-term care, long-term care insurance may be the best way to ensure as you or your loved one get older, your long-term care needs are met and your assets are protected.
Polish Care Services https://polishcareservices.com provides trained and experienced caregivers to assist seniors or disabled in their home or care facilities. Call 860-255-8278 to see how our Polish Care Services caregivers can assist you or your loved one. long term care insurance long term care insurance care options for seniors
How Seniors Can Handle Common Health Care Challenges
November 9th, 2022aging in place, Alzheimer's Care, Caregiver Employment, Caregiver job, Caregiver Service, Companion Caregiver, Dementia Care, Elderly Care, Fall Activities for Seniors, Hire CNA, Hire HHA, Hire PCA, Home Healthcare, In Home Care, Long Term Care, Outdoor Activities for Seniors, Polish Care Services, Senior Care Services, Spring Activities, Summer Activities for Seniors,
According to statistics, senior citizens use medical services far more frequently than younger people. Unfortunately, though, senior citizens often face major challenges as they navigate the health care system. Medical errors, inaccessible providers, and high costs of care are just a few of the most common problems. Seniors who want to address these challenges can do so through self-advocacy and education. Here are some tips from Polish Care Services to get you started!
Be Your Own Biggest Advocate
Self-advocacy is an important skill for every person, and it’s even more vital for seniors who are seeking medical care. You may hesitate to question a doctor’s opinion or feel timid about asking questions, but these are important steps to take toward handling your health care. If you struggle to advocate for yourself during medical appointments, consider asking a friend or family member to come with you to your next appointment.
Other ways that you can advocate for your health include reviewing your medical bills for errors, familiarizing yourself with your health insurance benefits, and maintaining your own copies of medical records. If you decide to keep your own records, you should ensure that you have copies of medical images, too, such as x-rays. You can keep all of these images in one file by uploading them with a free online tool, combining them, and downloading the file.
Remember that self-advocacy sometimes means that you must hold yourself accountable, too. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with work and feel as though you have no time to invest in physical activity. It doesn’t take much effort to commit to small changes, though, such as walking during a lunch break or taking the stairs rather than the elevator.
Consider All of Your Options
Seniors should never settle for subpar care. You may be tempted to do this, though, if you’ve been seeing the same medical provider for a while or if switching seems like it would be too much trouble. If you’re unsatisfied with the treatment you’re receiving, you need to consider whether it’s time to seek out a different doctor. Having a positive relationship with your health care provider can correlate to better health outcomes, so it’s worth investigating.
In other cases, you may not want to switch providers, but perhaps you do want to seek out a second opinion. Doing so is an effective way to advocate for your health and ensure that you are making informed decisions. To pursue a second opinion, ask your current provider for a referral, or simply search online for other doctors in your area.
As you’re wading through the challenges of the medical system, consider whether managing your own care is the best option. In some cases, it isn’t, and a senior living facility can alleviate the stress surrounding medical care.
Something else to consider: as you’ve probably already realized, these matters can be extremely complex, and jostling a great deal of paperwork and medical records can quickly become rather confusing. To keep things a bit more manageable, try combining your files whenever possible. If you’re not super tech-savvy, this is how you can add additional pages to your PDF with ease.
Seniors Can Care for Their Health Through Self-Advocacy
Despite a lifetime of experience and knowledge, it can still be difficult for seniors to advocate for themselves. It’s essential to do so when dealing with health care, though. Seniors can make progress towards self-advocacy and protect their health by maintaining their own medical records and investing in physical activity.
Polish Care Services provides a high quality of service, compassion and professionalism for cleaning, and caregivers that will meet or exceed expectations. Call 860-255-8278.
Credit: June Duncan
