The winter holiday season has finally arrived. As we look forward to spending time with friends and family, shopping, and enjoying our favorite holiday meals, we also experience some shake-up in our routines. These changes are often more acutely felt by the elderly. Being prepared for the holidays will make your job as a family caregiver easier to manage. It will also ensure your loved one stays comfortable and content through what is often a chaotic time. Below are tips that will help you prepare for a joyful and comfortable holiday season: Encourage Healthy EatingIndulging in delicious dishes is one of the most sacred holiday traditions. Not only do these nostalgic flavors bring back marvelous memories, but they also bring the family together in a shared experience that shouldn’t be denied to seniors. It’s essential to keep an eye on balance throughout the holidays. Holiday meals are special occasions to look forward to, not to stretch out for days on end. In between those rich holiday meals, make sure your loved one has something light and nutritious within reach. They’ll feel better physically and have an easier time sticking to their doctor’s dietary guidelines. Make Exercising a Holiday RitualThe cooler winter months often lead us toward a more sedentary lifestyle, even as our calorie intake increases thanks to the holidays. While it’s normal to want to spend more cozy time indoors as the weather cools off, less movement can make us feel more sluggish. It can also trigger a spell of the holiday blues. Ensure your loved one benefits from exercise by making fun physical activities part of their holiday experience. For example, you could have the whole family bundle up and go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood after each family meal. Or, you can help your loved one get in the holiday spirit by doing a few laps around the mall while window shopping. Spending time in nature and watching the leaves change colors is also a great way to enjoy being active. Manage Gift-Related Financial StressMany seniors love to dote on their children and grandchildren with holiday gifts. Unfortunately, those on a fixed income often feel the financial strain as they struggle with the desire to be generous within their limited means. To minimize stress for all your family members, including seniors, suggest opting for a “Secret Santa” or “white elephant” gift exchange so everyone can experience the joy of giving without going over budget. Prevent Falls While Visiting FamilyThe last thing you want is for your loved one’s holiday joy to be marred by a dangerous fall. If they visit other family members this season, take time to practice fall prevention to make the home safe and accessible. This could include removing rugs that present a fall hazard and installing nightlights if the senior stays overnight. Take a BreakThe holidays can be a stressful, chaotic time, especially for those who are constantly on the go. As a family caregiver, it’s crucial to remain aware of your stress levels and take time off from your caregiving duties as needed.
One of the best ways to make your health and well-being a priority during this busy season is to book respite care visits from a professional elder care provider. Being proactive about meeting your own self-care needs will make this time of year much more enjoyable and give you the energy required to provide the quality of care your loved one deserves. For more information about in-home elder care services, please contact Visiting Angels Newton/Canton at 617-795-2727. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA has been providing high-caliber in-home care services for seniors and people with disabilities for over eighteen years. Countless families have benefited from our at-home living assistance, companion care, respite support, live-in and 24/7 home care, dementia and Alzheimer’s care, transitional aid, and private duty care services in Natick, Wellesley, Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Brookline, Canton, Watertown, Jamaica Plain, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Westwood, and neighboring communities. As a result of our exemplary home care service, Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has won the Best of Home Care Leader in Excellence Award; the Best of Home Care Provider of Choice Award; and the Best of Home Care Employer of Choice Award from the national client satisfaction survey firm, Home Care Pulse, for six years. We have been honored to receive the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work award for seven years and one of the 10 best places to work in Massachusetts in 2021 based on diversity and inclusion. Our dedicated and well-trained caregivers love their CNA jobs and HHA jobs.
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Senior adults who are starting to lose their vision often need the support and assistance of family caregivers to help them with their daily routines. But if you don’t have experience with vision loss or blindness, it can be challenging to know the best way to provide elder care for a loved one who has a visual impairment.
First, you need to notice signs of low vision. These may include
Suppose your senior is suffering from low vision. In that case, Visiting Angels Newton/Canton suggests the following in-home senior care strategies to help reduce the risk of injury for visually-impaired seniors and make day-to-day life easier to navigate. Senior Fall Prevention Helping seniors avoid falls is a crucial element of elderly care. But when a senior is visually impaired or legally blind, the risk of falls becomes much more significant. Family elder care providers need to be especially careful to reduce the risk of slipping, tripping, and falling around the home. If your loved one still has partial vision, there are steps you can take to make it easier for them to see their surroundings and avoid risky areas. Consider replacing lights around the home with higher-wattage fixtures and bulbs to make the space brighter. You may want to install new lights in dark areas or spots where your loved one is at a higher risk for fall or injury, such as stairs. You can also make stairs easier to see by applying brightly colored tape along the lip of each step. Think about eliminating tripping and slipping risks; This means getting rid of clutter, keeping cords out of the way, removing rugs that could be stumbled over, and applying a non-slip coating to tile floors. Consider encouraging your loved one to wear rubber-soled shoes with a firm grip. For more tips on avoiding falls, please review our Fall Prevention brochure. Using Vision Aids to Cope With Vision Loss In addition to keeping your loved one safe, providing elder care at home for a family member with vision loss also means keeping them happy and comfortable. Unfortunately, vision loss can make favorite activities and day-to-day living much more difficult. As a caregiver, you can help your loved one cope with visual impairment by accommodating their vision loss in day-to-day life. One of the simplest ways to do this is by helping them learn about possible vision aids. In addition, you can provide them with products that make it easier to cope with vision loss, such as books with oversized print or large screen TVs with high contrast images. Keeping their home organized will be helpful so that it’s easy for them to find items by memory or touch. In most cases, it is best to keep things in familiar places. But in some cases — like a cluttered cutlery drawer — it can be better to organize items so that your loved one can easily pick things out by touch. Elder Care for Vision Loss As an elder care provider, you might be called on to help with everyday tasks. Your loved one’s visual impairment might prevent them from being able to cook, clean their home, do laundry, or any number of other activities, as well as shopping and errands. If you can’t always be there for your loved one, you might consider professional elder care services. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton caregivers regularly work with visually impaired seniors, offering a helping hand and fresh set of eyes around the home. Our case managers are happily available to schedule a free in-home assessment to discuss options with you to find the right care plan for your loved one. Contact us today at 617–795–2727. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning home care agency providing high-caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our in-home senior care, respite care, elder companion care, live-in and 24-hour care, dementia and Alzheimer’s care, transitional aid, and in-home care services in Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Brookline, Canton, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Watertown, Wellesley, West Roxbury, Westwood, and neighboring communities. The non-medical care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a significant impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life. |
AuthorVisiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning in-home care agency that provides high quality home care to seniors and disabled adults in Greater Boston, MA. Archives
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