Choices for Long-Term Care
Easing stress in caring for an elderly relative: it’s a family affair
Feeling all alone and overwhelmed is not unusual for family members who care for an elderly loved one. Often the majority of care falls on one person’s shoulders—and frequently that person is the eldest daughter or the adult child who lives closest to parents. Not surprisingly, 31% of those caregivers feel they’d like more help. About 25% feel some resentment toward other family members who don’t assist with care.
So just how can family caregivers approach other family members, especially siblings, in a way that will get them the help we need? The following approaches are some possibilities:
- Be specific: Give everyone a responsibility, such as inviting your elderly parent to dinner once a week, driving her or him to a medical appointment once a month, or calling once a week.
- Divide and conquer: Break down tasks and assign them according to everyone’s talents and skills. For instance, one sibling might pay bills, while another might spend one Sunday a month cooking several meals to be frozen.
- Communicate and share: Keep your siblings, other extended family members, or family friends in the loop about concerns and needs. They can’t help if they don’t know what you need. You may wish to set aside a specific time to do this each week or month.
- Be open to other effective care options: If you don’t have siblings (or even if you do), think about joining a support group, turning to friends or members of your faith community, or considering a professional home caregiver for assistance.
Another important step in easing stress, of course, is simply recognizing it. Sometimes, we can get so involved in providing care and fulfilling our other responsibilities that we don’t realize just how stressed we are. The “Caregiver StressMeter” is a short, interactive quiz that will help you determine your stress level. Once you’ve done that, you can decide which of the hints above you need to get the support you need:
Careful planning and choices are important for seniors considering retirement communities
While many people still have the idea that seniors often move from their hometowns and head to a retirement community in a warm part of the country, most prefer to stay put in the homes they’ve known for years. Often some home care assistance allows them to do this. However, it’s true that some seniors may decide to move to a retirement community—nearby or farther afield—because of recreational opportunities, the option of leaving most home maintenance and chores to others, or lifetime security.
If you have loved ones who are thinking about moving to a community designed for seniors, you can help them evaluate their 
options.
- First, what does each retirement community offer? Is there a continuum of options, beginning with residences for independent living, through apartments equipped for people who need some assistance, to a nursing home for those needing constant professional care?
- How convenient is the location, not only for the senior resident, but for family and friends who want to visit?
- How does your relative feel about living in a community that’s restricted to people of his or her own generation? For some, this is a welcome opportunity for socializing with those who share similar life experiences. Other seniors might miss social interactions with children and people of various ages.
- What amenities and services are most important to your elderly relative, and are these available in the retirement community?
- What are the specific overall costs, any additional fees, and contractual obligations? Both your relative and you need to be familiar and comfortable with the financial and legal implications.
Sitting down together to list and discuss questions and concerns, visits to potential communities, and taking time to weigh all the options can help both you and your elderly relative make the right decision about which retirement community will be best for the years ahead.
Senior Care is personal to us. Request information about our home care services in Northern Colorado, OR call us at 970-494-0289.
Community care centers give seniors social and intellectual stimulation
- senior home care,
- family caregiver,
- adult care center,
- exercise for seniors,
- Northern Colorado,
- family caregiving,
- social day care,
- nonmedical home care,
- intellectual stimulation for seniors,
- home care,
- health day care,
- dementia day care,
- community care center,
- senior center,
- senior care,
- social stimulation for seniors
Seniors living in their own homes or in a family caregiver’s home need opportunities for social contact, intellectual stimulation, and physical exercise. Professional non-medical home care is one option, as trained caregivers offer companionship, can play card and board games with a senior, and can accompany her or him on walks or during other activities. In addition, community care centers are available for day-time activities.
A range of care centers are available. In Northern Colorado, the Larimer County Office on Aging can give detailed information on community care centers near you: http://www.larimer.org/seniors/lcoa.htm.
In general, these are the types of care centers:
- Senior centers—for people over 55 who are in good health and can dine, exercise, take classes, learn new hobbies like pottery or painting, and go on outings with those of their own age.
- Adult-care centers (ACCs)—for seniors with age-related disabilities. Often these people are the ones who also have professional nonmedical home care, but may benefit from interacting with others. Health day care services at ACCs ensure seniors follow their prescribed therapies and take medications.
- Social day care—for seniors who are not independent enough for senior centers, but without serious handicaps.
There are also specific dementia day care services for people who have non-advanced Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. These not only provide appropriate activities and care for the senior, but give family members a needed break from caregiving.
Senior Care is personal to us. Request information about our home care services in Northern Colorado, OR call us at 970-494-0289.
Assisted living for seniors: what to look for and expect
While a lot of seniors would prefer to remain in their own homes—and many can for many years if they have family or professional caregiver support—for some the time comes to move to another living situation. Assisted living facilities (ALFs) are one option, which provide less constant supervision than nursing homes, but more support than a retirement community. Basically, staff members are present to assist only when help is needed.
If you and an elderly relative are considering an ALF, here is some information on what to expect from a facility:
- Most ALFs are apartment buildings, which offer one-bedroom or studio apartments.
- Some ALFs are affiliated with nursing homes or independent living communities. Others are freestanding.
- Apartments and other ALF areas are equipped with adaptive devices, like ramps and bathtub grab bars.
- 24-hour-a-day supervision is provided, in case there’s an urgent situation.
- Residents are free to come and go as they wish—although some ALFs do have sections for residents who have dementia and cannot leave their rooms often.
- Services such as meals, laundry, personal care, and transportation are provided.
- Staff members make sure residents take their medications.
If an ALF seems the right choice for your elderly family member, explore more than one and ask about the following:
- Costs, including what services are part of the monthly fee and what may be considered an “extra” service.
- Facilities and programs available to meet residents’ social, intellectual, emotional, cultural, spiritual, and physical activity needs.
- Whether the ALF can care for seniors who develop Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia.
A helpful source for more information about ALFs is the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). Its publication Guiding Principles for Assisted Living is especially useful for understanding what you should expect from an ALF.
Senior Care is personal to us. Request information about our home care services in Northern Colorado, OR call us at 970-494-0289.
Seniors’ caregivers need respite to relieve stress and prevent health problems
Caregiver stress is a very real problem, as any of us who have been family caregivers for elderly relatives know. Without relief from stress, we can end up with health problems of our own.
Approximately one-third of family caregivers report that they need more help. And according to the Department of Health and Human Services, about the same number of those caring for someone 65 or older say their own physical health is only fair to poor.
To stay healthy ourselves and continue to provide support to our relative, we caregivers have to have respite. Figuring out where to turn can be hard, especially as it takes a lot of time and energy to work, care for our own families, and look after an elderly relative. Here are some possibilities:
- Ask friends, neighbors, or other family members if they are able to provide some care and support, even if only for short blocks of time. Ask them to provide specific times. Then schedule those times in your daily planner.
- If your relative belongs to a church, synagogue, or other religious group, find out if they have programs or organizations that can help out.
- Visit the websites of the Foundation on Aging for Larimer County http://www.foundationonagingforlarimer.org/ and the Larimer County Office on Aging http://www.co.larimer.co.us/seniors/lcoa.htm. Both provide information on support services and contact information for more details.
- Think about hiring a professional nonmedical caregiver, who can spend a few hours a week or a day with your elderly relative.
Senior Care is personal to us. Request information about our home care services in Northern Colorado, OR call us at 970-494-0289.
