Today’s seniors are active and want to remain as youthful as possible for as long as possible. According to the Pew Research Center, over 55% of senior adults aged 65 and older have a home computer. How much that computer is used is up for debate. If you care for a senior and your goal is to help them stay active, socialize better, and become more involved in the community, increasing their online and tech skills is a good way to start. Understanding and utilizing technology will help seniors stay connected to the world and their families, and encourage them to be more productive. Computer based activities for seniors are both mentally stimulating and fun. Simple Computer Based Activities Facebook If your senior has any computer skills at all, signing up for Facebook is easy. In fact, seniors are the fastest growing demographic on Facebook. 62% of online adults 65…

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote “The Power of Positive Thinking” sixty-five years ago. There are over five million copies in print today because everyone, no matter their age, understands the value of thinking positive. Happiness is dependent to a large extent on thinking positive, and this is especially true when one becomes a senior. Aging has its own set of issues, fears and challenges. It can become easy to focus on the negative aspects of growing older, especially if someone is lonely, has a chronic illness or is in pain. Studies have shown that how a senior looks at life can truly affect their age expectancy. Those with a positive feeling about aging live 7.5 years longer than those that don’t. Exercise on its own only increases life expectancy by 3-4 years. Enter Home Care Services Using a home care service like C-Care Health Services can make all the difference…

We all slow down a bit as we age. Our older seniors can become more sedentary, but they, like everyone else, continue to need activity for both their minds and their bodies. It can be challenging to create recreational activities for seniors like a parent while we have our own responsibilities. In addition, many seniors are reluctant to try new things or venture out of their “comfort zone”. Senior care is both a blessing and a challenge! As a home caregiver, it is necessary to find that happy medium. Finding activities that your family member will participate in but enjoy as well can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Let’s look at five such recreational activities for seniors. Visit A Garden That garden could be in your own backyard or a formal garden where you live. If they are not completely mobile, the back yard would probably work better. If…

A lot of conflict can arise between people and their aging parents: this is entirely normal. When we consider that family caregivers often spend 18 hours per week caring for their parent (and potentially up to 87 hours a week for those with a parent who has dementia and is living in their home), there is a lot of time for arguments to arise. This is made much more complicated by a long line of history and unresolved conflicts, and by the role changes that occur when the caregiving roles are reversed. It can leave aging parents resistant to accept their loss of independence. You may be frightened to see your parents in this situation. While some arguments may be unavoidable, there are some ways to navigate this situation so as to limit conflict in the future. Be Willing to Compromise. Just because you are in a caregiving role, doesn’t…

The effects of a stroke vary for every individual and depend upon the type of the stroke, the location and severity of it. The most common side effects include hemiplegia or hemiparesis, (paralysis on one side of the body), changes in balance, vision and even speaking. Some may have difficulties swallowing. Personality changes can develop, including depression or anger. Caring for an elderly parent after they have suffered from a stroke can be very challenging, especially because every person’s recovery path is different and there isn’t always an easy set of guidelines to follow. Recovery requires a team of medical professionals from a variety of fields. Here are some of the things you can do: Educate Yourse. Knowledge is power and one of the best ways you can prepare yourself for this new role is to educate yourself about the type of stroke that your parent has suffered from. Indeed,…