Caregiving Guidelines for Parkinson’s from Comfort Keepers San Jose

Mayo Clinic defines Parkinson’s disease as a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease that affects our senior loved ones. It is only second to the Alzheimer’s disease in this context.

As the number of seniors increasing so is the sufferers of Parkinson’s disease. Treatment can reduce the symptoms but there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. So, proper lifestyle management is the only solution to staying safe and continue with daily life. And home health caregivers from Comfort Keepers can render immense help and support to our senior loved ones who are suffering from Parkinson’s.

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease develop slowly. They are often unnoticed until it reaches severe stages. So, proper attention is necessary to detect the symptoms.

The symptoms also vary from person to person, however, starts to appear between the ages of 50 and 60. The major symptoms are:

●     Tremor or shaking of hands, legs and arms.

●     Stiff or aching muscles.

●     Slow and limited movement.

●     Muscle weakness, especially throat and face muscles

●     Difficulty while walking and maintaining balance.

●     Difficulty in speaking and writing

So, if you have senior adored one living among you keep be alert and keep an eye on them to discern any such symptoms. If so then take a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible and have a diagnosis.

And if you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease then you already know how important it is to look after them with great caution. As Parkinson's is directly connected with movement so it makes everyday life much difficult and even impossible at times. So, having professional help can make a huge lot of difference.

●     A professional in-home caregiver will not only be able to take care of your senior loved one’s daily essential tasks but they will be able to assist them with all the lifestyle changes and specific practices that are proven to help seniors with Parkinson’s stay more happy and comfortable.

●     With Parkinson’s having a healthy diet and doing daily physical exercise helps a lot in reducing the impact of the symptoms. A caregiver will be able to plan and prepare the dietary plan and the daily food menu for the best interest of the senior loved one. Besides, they will be able to direct, assist and motivate the seniors for having their daily physical exercise.

●     The possibility of sudden falls increases a lot with Parkinson’s. So, it becomes even more important to make you home fall-proof and to keep a cautious eye on your senior loved ones constantly. Both of these tasks can be achieved with a proficient home health senior caregiver.

●     In some severe cases daily essential tasks can become impossible for our senior loved ones to do without assistance. Tasks like bathing, grooming, eating and walking can become very troublesome at times. A caregiver will be able to help and support our senior loved ones with these daily life activities and can lead them to better health conditions.

●     Another thing that is important in this regard that anxiety and stress is one of the forces that increase the effect of symptoms in case of Parkinson’s disease. So, taking necessary steps to keep your senior loved ones relaxed and stress-free is task that you have to do. Even in this case having an expert caregiver who knows how to deal with such situations and knows how to direct the mental energies and movements within the senior minds with targeted activities can make all the difference.  

So, if you have a senior loved one who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease then do not delay in contacting Comfort Keepers San Jose and Silicon Valley office.

Planning for Your Retirement - Comfort Keepers Silicon Valley

Life in declining years poses unique situations and conditions to our lives. There arise unforeseen dangers and unwarranted mishaps without any prior notice. Moreover, in senior years one very naturally needs help and support from others. For these reasons planning for your declining years after your retirement is of superlative importance.

Most of the time our senior loved ones expect necessary help and support from their friends and family but there are almost a quarter of seniors living in the US who are single, widowed and childless, hence practically living alone without anybody to help. Another significant portion of our senior loved ones are living far away from their families due to various reasons hence they are also having to live alone.

For those seniors who have no one to seek help in their senior years, planning for retirement is even more crucial and has to be done with caution and urgency as long as they are able to make the plans and the necessary actions done or delegated.

So, we from Comfort Keepers San Jose ans Silicon Valley have these thoughts, ideas and guidelines to share with our senior loved ones who are still in a position to make plans for themselves and are able to take care of themselves; as soon the days may not remain the same as it is now!

Be Economic

Save money as much as you can for your senior years and for your days after retirement. Although you do not have friends and family to take care of you, you may be able to source help from professional services. According to a 2013 report, an estimated $470 billion dollars worth of senior care are currently rendered by family caregivers. So, for the seniors who are alone, professional help is the only choice.

Organize Your Assets

Make a list of all of your assets, bank accounts and other financial accounts like insurances, mortgages etc. and save it for future. Document your financial details like account names, IDs, passwords etc. Automate your financial distributions like paying bills and other disbursements and save the necessary automation information for future reference.

Prepare Your Financial Documents

Get in contact with a trusted attorney and prepare your will and other financial documents like living trust, health care proxy, or any other document that you may need as per the advice of your financial consultant and accountants.

Choose a Health Care Surrogate

This is especially important for seniors who are looking forward to living alone. You might be able to take actions and plan for your life right now but in future, there may arise some situations when your judgment and cognitive faculty may not work properly and you will need a trusted individual to make crucial health care decisions for you. So, find someone from your acquaintances and make him your health care surrogate.

Be Socially and Communally Active

Staying socially and communally active not only boosts your physical and mental health but also will help to gather support in your senior years. Get involved in various social or religious groups. Join volunteer groups and retirement communities. This way you will have lots of people to get connected with who will be able to help you in various ways after your retirement.

Select Retirement Community and Your Senior Care Provider

It is always a good idea to browse all the options beforehand. Select one that best suits you among the best retirement communities in your region and get connected with them. Or if you want to age in your own home then you should do the same with senior home health care service providers of your choice.

Create a List of Advisors and Keep their Contacts with You

Find all the expert advisors like accountants, financial advisors, legal attorneys and medical emergency professionals and make a list of them along with their contact details. This way you will be able to get help right when you need and in times of emergency.

Preparing Food for Seniors - Comfort Keepers Silicon Valley

In our declining years, our teeth become weaker or even start to fall forcing us to change our eating habits drastically. However, this does not necessarily mean that one can’t enjoy tasty, delicious and nutritious food items in senior years.

With a bit of knowledge and planning, you can very easily prepare easy to chew foods that are at the same time and healthy and tasty for your senior loved ones. Here we have brought to your some necessary knowledge in this regard from Comfort Keepers. Keep reading to know how you can prepare foods for your senior loved ones easily.

Fruit Preparations

Fruits can be a great source of energy and nutrition in senior years. Cut or slice fruits into small bite size pieces so that it becomes easier for our senior loved ones to consume. Mangoes, bananas, berries, peaches, melons, etc. are soft and easy to chew. You can also prepare mashed or pureed fruit items. Another preparation can be compote made of boiled fruit mix. You can boil the fruits in sugar mixed water.

Vegetable Preparations

Food items cooked with potatoes, squash or pumpkins can be easily made and had as a side dish. You just have to peel, boil and mash these vegetables to prepare nutritious food for your senior loved one. You can do the same with beans or peas. These are great for seniors who has a chewing problem. You just have to boil and steam properly. You may also use some of the crispy vegetables like carrots and broccoli if you cook these for a long time and keep the pieces small.

Meat Preparations

Many of you may think that having meat in senior years is impossible. But no! You can make meat items that you senior loved one will enjoy with bare gums or weak teeth quite easily. Shred boneless, skinless meat from well-roasted pork, chicken or beef. Just make sure to roast it slowly. You can add some minced meat into mashed potato or vegetables. Another option could be to hash shredded precooked meat with boiled potatoes.

Grain Preparations

You can make foods with cereals like oatmeal, rice and wheat cream for your senior loved ones. You just have to make it softer. Soft banana or blueberry muffins can be another option if your remove the top hard crust from it and cut it to bite size pieces. Another option can be a bit of overcooked pasta, barley or rice. Our seniors can very well have some delicious snacks made out of peanut butter sandwiches - just remove the hard crust from the sides of the bread. 

Hopefully, with these ideas, you will never feel at a loss while preparing foods for your senior loved ones who faces difficulty chewing. For any help and support regarding senior care and wellbeing do not hesitate to contact Comfort Keepers San Jose and Silicon Valley!