TIPS for Family Caregivers

Sleep Deprived Family Caregiver            (Photo credit: soylentgreen23)

Family caregivers may be a spouse taking care of their husband or wife, or adult children caring for their parent(s).  Often times there is a debilitating illness  such as Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, disability due to stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis, physical handicaps and many other conditions.

The family caregiver may feel overwhelmed at times due to physical and mental stress, sleep deprivation, depression and even physical injury may result such as back injury.  The family caregiver needs to remember to take care of themselves too, for the sake of their own health and if they get sick, who will take care of their loved one.  Aids for daily living can help save the caregiver time and protect their back, frequently allowing the individual with a medical condition to function more independently.

1.   Take care of YOUR back.  Transfers from bed or wheelchair can require lifting, giving the caregiver an aching back at the least, and the possibility of a back injury.  Checkout transfer boards and gait belts for safer transfers

2.    Sleep deprivation.  This is a big one.  If your loved one has Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia, there may be frequent night awakenings causing the caregiver to be sleep deprived. When sleep deprived you are harming your own health, also possibly causing you to be more irritable and even to be more likely to make mistakes with medications, or have an accident while driving a vehicle.  Consider getting them out in the sunlight during the day, weather permitting, for a walk, or even just sitting on the porch or in the yard, this helps reset their Circadian clock and helps them feel more tired for a better night’s sleep, which will help you get a better night’s sleep.

3.   Getting Ready for Bed.  If getting your loved one ready for bed is difficult, then start earlier in the evening or even in the afternoon with the bathing and getting into the night clothes.  This way you will be less tired and more able to handle difficult situations.

4.   Assistive Clothing.  If getting your family member dressed and undressed is difficult consider assistive clothing – this is clothing designed to be easy-on-easy-off.

5.  Difficulty Getting To Sleep.  Getting to sleep can be difficult if there hasn’t been much activity during the day or if an Alzheimer’s patient. Play a soothing and restful CD or tape of rain, ocean waves or a brook to help lull your loved one to sleep, or help quiet them if agitated.

6.   Have a routine.  This keeps the day running more smoothly and everyone knows what to expect

7.   Ask family and friends for help.  Ask if they could occasionally take over for night duty once in awhile,  bring over a meal, take over for a couple of hours once in a while so you can run a personal errand or just come over for a visit to socialize and give you a mental break.  Tell them, they probably don’t know what you need – don’t be afraid to ask.

8.   Join a support group if only on-line.  This way you will have people sharing their experiences as caregivers and you will have people who understand what you are going through.

9.   Flu-Shots. Make sure both you and your loved one get a flu shot every fall – this will help prevent both you and them from a hospitalization.  There is a new influenza shot called FluZone High Dose which is stronger and may be better for those 65+, ask your doctor.

10.  Check out your local community organizations.  Ask what kind of help is available locally.   Also talk to a social worker – ask the doc to recommend one.  See what help is available through your local senior center.

11.  Take advantage of modern technology.  There are inexpensive warning notification products available to let you know if your loved one with dementia has wandered into an unsecure area or left the house.

12.  Feel more secure.  If there is a risk of falling out of bed consider buying adult safety bed rails.  Alzheimer’s and dementia patients may be at a higher risk.  But, sometimes certain medications can cause “night terrors” which may cause them to fall out of bed also.  Be sure there isn’t enough room for head entrapment, or too much space between the rail and bed that would allow body entrapment.

13.  Control the Stress.  If your loved one is hard of hearing and the tv is turned up really loud all day causing you or others in the household stress, consider getting your loved one a hearing aid, or at least a tv amplifying system with headphones that allows them to hear the tv at the volume they need, yet keeps the rest of the house or apartment quiet.

14.  Medications.  If there are a lot of prescribed medications, consider wearing an alarm watch or other reminder system that gives an alarm sound or vibrates to give you the reminders you need.  There are also pill containers that lock and have reminder alarms, or just set an alarm clock for the time of the next medication dose.

15.   Make it easy on yourself.  If your loved one has early Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia or just memory issues due to age and has trouble with the television such as changing the channel, or volume control and requires your assistance frequently during the day, consider tv remotes designed specifically to be senior friendly and very easy to use.  Two very easy brands are Flipper and Doro 321rc.  There are probably other brands available if you look.  This may keep you from having to manage the tv frequently during the day, saving you time and frustration.

Have You Heard About the New Test for Breast Cancer?

Image via Wikipedia

There is a new test in town that is used for screening for breast cancer, its name is the BT Test.  This is a blood test that is an additional option in the arsenel of breast screening – it is added to Mammograms, Ultra Sound, MRIs and physical exams to diagnose breast health.  No – it does not replace the Mammogram (even though many women wish it would).  Mammograms are still the gold-standard in initial breast cancer screening.  The BT Test does provide, however, an extra layer of information for your doctor, and helps give your doctor a more accurate picture of your breast health.

After your blood is drawn, a lab measures the blood sample for cancer-related proteins.  A score is then generated and given to your doctor – this puts the odds more in your favor of breast cancer being detected early, when used in addition to the Mammogram as a routine annual screening tool.

Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer in women – and as we all know early detection is essential for this and all cancers.  Ask your doctor if this test could be right for you, especially if you have a family history of breast cancer or carry the mutated BRCA gene.

 

Blueberries, the Super Food

Blueberries - Improves Memory Too!

Blueberries are called a Super Food because they are stock full of antioxidants, phytonutrients (“nutrient from a plant”), polyphenols and anthocyanins.  These are big words – but most importantly – they mean that blueberries can do remarkable things for your body especially your brain.

Blueberries are a low glycemic fruit – which means that when you eat blueberries you don’t get a quick spike in your blood sugar. Low glycemic foods help with weight control and diabetes and can actually lower glucose levels.  Whether on a low carbohydrate diet or not, we all need to eat some carbs in order to live – our brains need carbs for energy.  Blueberries fit in perfectly with a low carb diet because they are low glycemic.  The glycemic index of a carbohydrate shows how quickly its consumption increases blood sugar levels. Values range from 1 (the slowest) to 100 (the fastest, the index of pure glucose). Fructose, (the sugar in fruits) has little effect on blood sugar.

You’ve probably noticed that blueberries are richly colored – a deep dark blue.  Research studies have shown that fruits and vegetables with the darkest colors are usually the best for you.  This means their skins have those super nutrients with the big names.

Blueberries reduce oxidative stress and some research has suggested blueberries can help prevent the sagging skin and bags as we age.  Reducing oxidative stress as we age can also help improve mental behavior, including the kind seen in senility.  Oxidative stress has been shown to be related to aging, cancer and Alzheimers. Blueberries have been shown in studies to improve cognitive performance, and some studies have shown a relationship with improvements in Alzheimers, although these are inconclusive and need additional study.  Studies have shown that blueberry juice can increase verbal memory performance in those with mild cognitive (memory) impairment and motor function.

Blueberries also increase neuronal communication in the brain.  Dementia is an increasing problem in the US and blueberries have been shown to improve memory in the older adult which includes word list recall and improved pair associate learning.  Blueberries also help the brain neurons from degenerating.

Rat studies have shown (in age equivalent of 70 in humans ) an improvement in balance and coordination.  This could help older Americans with the dangerous problem of falling.

The foods we eat affect our biological age – the way we look and feel.  So eat your blueberries.  Some people eat blueberries raw with nothing on them.  My favorite ways of eating blueberries are:  About 1/2 cup of blueberries (washed first with fruit/veggie wash & rinsed) is about 40 calories, then sprinkle a packet of Splenda or other sweetener on top and 2 tablespoons of whipped cream.  The whipped cream (Original Reddi Wip) only adds total fat of 1g, and less than 1 gram of carbohydrate. You could use any kind of whipped cream, just take a look at the fat and carbohydrate content first.  Another delicious way is 1/2 cup of washed and rinsed blueberries, add slices of bananas to taste, 1 packet of artificial sweetener and the whipped cream.  You could also mix some raw blueberries into vanilla yogurt – adding more healthful benefits to the yogurt.  These are delicious, healthy snacks, and also have the benefit of fiber.

Benefits of Green Tea from Famous Cancer Center

M.D. Anderson is ranked #1 or #2 in the world. Now they have published more research on Green Tea. This kind of tea is used in places like Japan and China and other parts of the world. It is known for its health properties and has been researched in the U.S. for many years. Green Tea makes an excellent healthy addition to your diet – it can also be purchased in grocery stores in decaffeineated form. http://www.modernseniorproducts.com hopes you enjoy this article.

http://www2.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/2010/06/green-tea-and-cancer-the-research-continues.html

Dixie Carter of Designing Women died at age 70

This kind of surprised me.  To me 70 is the new 60 and when I see someone who looks like they take good care of themselves and they die at what I now consider a young age – I’m surprised.  What do you think, is 70 the new 60??