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How To Increase Engagement During Old Age in Miami
Posted by Scott Cantin in caregiving tips, elderly care, Senior Health | 0 comments
How to Keep Your Loved Ones Socially Connected As They Age in Miami
As your elderly loved ones have aged, it is likely that you have noticed some changes in their behavior. Living a well-rounded, active lifestyle is an important part of maintaining the good health of seniors. Getting enough emotional, physical, and intellectual stimulation can be difficult for seniors who live alone at home, which is why many Miami families choose to hire a professional caregiver to complete activities with seniors.
Here at Advancare, our team of caregivers understand how to engage seniors, whether that is mentally, physically, or emotionally. Here are some ways in which we do it, as well as why engaging seniors is so important.
Why Do Seniors Need to Stay Engaged During Old Age?
For the most part, active seniors are healthy seniors. People who remain connected with others and engaged with the world have been shown to be healthier physically. Seniors who exercise regularly have higher spirits, and exercise also has the benefit of getting them into social environments where they can interact with other seniors. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to get seniors out of the house or to participate in activities, which is where our caregivers enter the picture.
Different Channels of Engagement
When it comes to keeping your senior engaged, there is more than one method of doing so. Interaction and engagement come from multiple channels, including:
Online/Skype/Virtual: These days, virtual meetups are becoming increasingly common. Our caregivers can help get the technology set up so that your senior can communicate with loved ones virtually.
In the Community: Community engagement can occur from volunteering and participating in group meetups.
In Activities: Completing activities or playing games with friends or a caregiver can help a senior stay engaged socially and physically.
Our Caregivers Provide Creative Ways to Keep Your Loved Ones Engaged
Here are a few ways in which our team of qualified Miami caregivers keep your loved ones engaged.
- Outdoor activities: Even a simple activity such as going on a walk can do a lot to lift one’s spirits.
- Crafts and games: Crafts and games are both socially and intellectually engaging.
- Trivia: Helps with memory recall and brain stimulation
- Exercise: Working out has both physical and social benefits
- Friends and outings: Seniors can also utilize our incidental transportation service to go visit friends and loved ones.
Caregiver Responsibilities
The responsibility of the Advancare caregivers largely will depend on the needs of your loved one. If you think your senior needs more physical exercise, we will go on walks with them or engage in other physical activity. If intellectual stimulation is what is needed, then we will play games or do brain activities with them.
All of the caregivers at Advancare are the most committed, highly qualified, and carefully selected caregivers in the Miami area.
Get in Touch with Caregivers that Enhance Quality of Life for Your Loved Ones
No matter what type of engagement your loved ones require, the caregivers at Advancare are here to help. Simply give us a call at 305-441-9794 to get started with us.
Tips For Miami’s Seniors on Keeping Cool During Summer
Posted by Scott Cantin in caregiving tips, elderly care, Senior Care | 0 comments
Summertime in Miami brings blazing heat, bright sun, and uncomfortable humidity, three things that can cause heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke. While everybody should take precautions in the hot Miami summer, seniors face an especially high risk in inclement weather. According to a CDC report, 36 percent of heat-related deaths in the United States were among people over age 65, but there are ways to prevent heat-related illnesses and keep seniors cool.
Looking for home care services or companionship in the Greater Miami area?
Our professional caregivers have plenty of relevant experience keeping seniors cool in the hot Miami summer. Here are a few tips.
What is Heat Stroke and Why Are Seniors Susceptible?
Before going over our tips to stay cool, our senior care in Miami professionals think it’s important to share an overview of what heat stroke is. Heatstroke happens when the body overheats, typically to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If not treated, heat stroke can damage the brain, heart, kidneys, and muscles. The longer it takes to get treatment, the higher the risk for serious complications or even death.
While everybody can experience heat stroke to some degree, seniors are especially vulnerable. This is because their bodies do not adjust as well to sudden changes in temperature, chronic medical conditions can change their body responses to heat, and prescription medications can impair the body’s ability to regulate temperature or could actually prevent sweating.
Tips to Help Seniors Avoid the Heat
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- Encourage water intake: Remind your loved ones to drink water throughout the day. A body that is hydrated feels cooler and regulates temperature better. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
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- Understand their health conditions: Check with their doctor to find out if medications or treatments could increase the risk for heatstroke by affecting the way that their bodies regulate temperature.
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- Cool washcloth: If the senior is feeling hot, encourage them to place a cool washcloth on their back and a pan of cool water close by to periodically re-cool the towel.
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- Wear lightweight clothing: Convince them to wear as little clothing as possible and make clothes as light, breathable, and loose as possible.
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- Use solar curtains: Inexpensive solar curtains can play a large role in keeping your senior’s house cool during the hottest days by blocking out the sun.
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- Visit a public cooling center: If the house does not have air conditioning or if the system does not work well, a senior can stay cool by visiting a public cooling spot such as a senior center, library, coffee shop, or recreation center.
- Stay on the ground floor: Because heat rises, a house is cooler in the main level and the basement. Discourage them from spending too much time upstairs.
Miami’s Most Compassionate Caregivers
Our team of friendly in-home caregivers provides senior care services in Miami. We improve the lives of seniors by providing compassionate, one-on-one care in the comfort of their own homes.
If you would like additional tips on how to keep your loved ones cool during summer, call us today at (305) 441-9794.
10 Mother’s Day Activities For Seniors in Miami
Posted by Scott Cantin in caregiving tips | 0 comments
10 Mother’s Day Activities for Seniors
Tens of millions of adults in the United States are responsible for caring for seniors in their lives. While many people are happy to care for their senior family members and friends, some aren’t able to keep up with the demands for perfectly valid reasons, such as having to tend to their own children or maintaining a full-time job.
If you are in the Miami area, we can help!
If you need help caring for an older friend or family member, our Miami home care agency can help. Our team of qualified caregivers provides all levels of senior care, from occasional respite care to live-in care and all things in between and beyond. To learn more, contact Advancare now.
One of the things we do to ensure the seniors in our charge are well cared for is make sure they’re as active and engaged as possible. With Mother’s Day on the horizon, we thought it would be a good idea to share some ideas about things you can do to keep your mom active and engaged on her special day.
Remember, there’s no reason to wait for a holiday to do something with your mom. The activities listed below are things you can do with your mother any time.
Catch a Game
If your mom is a sports fan, consider taking her to a live game (when attending live sporting events comes back, of course). Even if you’re on a budget, you can still catch a game at a local school or you can watch a game on television while you enjoy your mom’s company.
People Watch
People watching is a fun activity regardless of a person’s age. Take your mother to a nearby park, mall or, another place where people tend to gather and exchange fictional backgrounds about the individuals the two of you observe.
Grab a Meal
Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days for restaurants in the U.S. Get in on this long-standing trend and take your mom out for a meal.
Stream a Show
Streaming shows isn’t reserved for the young. Choose a show your mom will enjoy and binge watch with her. If you don’t make it through the entire show, you’ll have good reason to visit your mom again so the two of you can wrap up the series over time.
Watch a Movie
If you can’t spend all day streaming a show on Mother’s Day, consider watching a movie with your mom instead.
Go Window Shopping
Like people watching, window shopping is a fun activity for people of all ages. Take your mom to a mall or a downtown area that has boutique shops and enjoy some window shopping.
Host a Happy Hour
Any activity that has “happy” in its name is bound to be a hit, right? With that in mind, host a happy hour you can enjoy with your mother and some of her closest friends–no alcohol required! If you’d prefer to not host a happy hour, consider hosting an afternoon tea as an alternative.
Listen to Some Tunes
Music is known to evoke memories for a lot of people, including individuals suffering from various types of dementia. Create a playlist that includes some of your mom’s favorite tunes and enjoy the stories she tells as each song plays in the background.
Play a Game
Does your mom have a competitive side? Challenge her to play a game like Monopoly or Yahtzee and see who’ll be declared the reigning champ.
Participate in a Hobby
If your mom has a hobby, consider participating in it with her on Mother’s Day. Whether it’s cooking, crocheting, gardening, or something else, your mother is sure to appreciate your interest in her hobby.
For more ideas about what you can do with your mom on Mother’s Day or to request information about our home care for the elderly, get in touch with Advancare today.
Tips on Long Distance Care
Posted by Scott Cantin in caregiver stress, caregiving, caregiving tips, depression, elderly care, home care, Senior Health | 0 comments
Tips for Long Distance Senior Care
Caring for far away loved ones can be quite the challenge. If you live far away from someone that you care about and they need constant attention, then check out some of these helpful long distance senior care tips. It is always important to understand how your loved one may feel about being cared for from a distance. The most crucial thing you can do is put yourself in their shoes and take into account how they feel about the situation. Your life will be affected, but theirs will be affected even more than yours. Always keep this in mind, even when caring from someone close by. These things are not always easy to deal with and it is important to remember what matters most to you and your loved one: being there for each other and loving one another.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Facts
Posted by Scott Cantin in Alzheimer's Disease, caregiving, caregiving tips, Dementia, depression, elderly care, home care, mental health, Senior Health | 0 comments
Understanding the Difference – Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease of the brain. It is the leading cause of dementia, which is a term for a group of symptoms including memory loss, impaired judgment, loss of language, and reduced motor skills. There is currently no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
Time Management and You
Posted by Scott Cantin in Alzheimer's Disease, caregiver stress, caregiving, caregiving tips, depression, home care, mental health, Senior Health | 0 comments
When our brains age, it may become tougher to remember things that you easily used to remember. To prevent this, there are many different things you can do to both strengthen your memory and improve your time management skills. Check out our previous post that focused on improving your mental health from a couple of weeks ago for some tips on how to keep your memory sharp. This week’s post focuses on time management and what you can do to improve it while bettering yourself.
New Advancements in Alzheimer’s Treatment
Posted by Scott Cantin in Alzheimer's Disease, caregiving, caregiving tips, Dementia, elderly care, health innovations, home care, injury recovery, mental health, Senior Health | 0 comments
There are many new advancements in the medical field every single day. Many of these advancements are extremely surprising to a lot of people. It can be quite exciting when someone finds a possible treatment that is not only effective, but also easy to obtain and relatively cheap. That is exactly what happened to Dr. Mary Newport and her husband, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Stay Sharp: Tips on Maintaining Mental Health
Posted by Scott Cantin in caregiving, caregiving tips, elderly care, home care, mental health, Senior Health | 0 comments
Being a healthy human being is not just about keeping your body in good shape. It also requires you to be sound mentally. In some ways, mental health can be more important than physical health. Also, if you are not sound mentally, then you may find it hard to even get into the physical exercises. There are many little things seniors, as well as the average person, can do to keep their minds sharp and focused. The brain is like a muscle, so it is important to keep it challenged and strong.
Strength and Weight Training for Seniors
Posted by Scott Cantin in caregiver stress, caregiving, caregiving tips, depression, elderly care, home care, Senior Health | 0 comments
This week, we will be focusing on weight training safety and techniques that are good for seniors. Some seniors, especially the ones that have been exercising consistently for a long period of time, may want to consider doing as much weight training as possible. Weight training is a great way to keep your muscles working and your blood flowing. Not only can it help your muscles, but it can also help your balance and coordination, so you can prevent a fall before it happens. Mixing weight training with cardio every week is a great way to balance out your routine.
Basic Safety Tips for the Active Senior
Posted by Scott Cantin in caregiving tips, elderly care, Senior Health | 0 comments
This week’s focus is staying safe while exercising. The first thing any senior citizen should do before exercising is to check with their doctor to see if he or she is healthy and fit enough to work out without getting hurt. Some people may have certain limitations that prevent them from being mobile in a safe manner. Your doctor will know for sure whether or not you can put the strain on your body that comes with even the simplest of exercises.
Exercising is considered by most professionals to be the best thing an elder can do to delay some of the side effects that come with aging. If it is done correctly and in a safe way, it can even add up to two or three years onto your lifespan. On top of improving overall general health, regular exercise can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent diabetes, depression, anxiety, and insomnia, as well as certain cancers. Balance and strength can also improve, lowering your risk for an accidental fall.
