For caregivers and their aging family members, the amount of time dedicated to personal care can become physically and emotionally taxing. The elderly are often embarrassed or upset that they have to begin to rely on others to carry out basic personal hygiene tasks, and as a result often do not request the help they need in order to stay completely sanitary. Below are some tips on how to keep your elderly loved ones on track when it comes to personal hygiene. Settle on a bathing schedule. Coming up with a bathing schedule together allows you to ensure that an elderly family member is maintaining proper standards of hygiene, while allowing them a degree of autonomy in the formation of that schedule. This will mean that you are not at odds when it comes to when and how your elderly family member is going to take a bath, shower, sponge…

One of, if not the, principal preoccupations of the human race is the fact that our time on this earth is finite. We are born into consciousness and spend a good part of our lives, especially while we are young, completely oblivious to the slow march of time. When the realization finally sets in that you have seen more sunsets than you are going to see, we can begin to feel morose, even morbid, about our own existence. Aging, however, does not have to be an unpleasant experience. It’s all about perspective. Below are five pieces of advice to help you overcome feelings of unhappiness about aging. Cultivate a positive mindset. The mere fact that we exist is a miracle. The fact that we exist in a time when we are able to experience and live through so much, thanks to incredible advancements in medicine and healthcare, is spectacular in…

When people get it older, character traits that have been present throughout their life, including anger, abusive language and general impatience—tend to become magnified. Aging is a difficult and unsettling process for many elderly people, especially if they feel that their friends, family and care-home employees don’t understand their emotional turmoil or are insensitive to the psychological stress that it puts them under. Below are some guidelines for dealing with angry, elderly family members. Handling anger. The best way to rationalize and deal with the anger experienced by elderly family members is to not take it personally. Pain and disease cloud judgment and we must approach their anger with empathy and a willingness to help. Cursing and abusive language. Verbal abuse and unpleasant language can make handling and caring for elderly family members complicated, especially where children are involved. One way to mitigate swearing is to distract elderly family members…

The recovery process is critical to the long-term health of anyone who has suffered a stroke. Rehabilitation and other care services must be properly administered in order to allow individuals to return to their daily living. The effects of a stroke can severely impact the person who has experienced the stroke and their loved ones. The recovery period can be long and many obstacles may arise along the way. Understanding the following three tips for an effective stroke recovery gives you the tools and resources you need to care for your loved one. Understand the Effects of a Stroke In order to ensure an effective stroke recovery, family members and caregivers must have an understanding of strokes and their impacts. A stroke occurs when the brain is unable to get the oxygen it needs to function. This typically occurs when blood flow is obstructed. It can lead to long-term damage…

There’s one thing to remember when considering what type of care to provide to a loved one: You have options. There are many care solutions that are available to meet a wide range of needs.