A stroke is a type of brain injury. Symptoms depend on the part of the brain that is affected. People who survive a stroke often have weakness on one side of the body or trouble with moving, talking, or thinking.

Most strokes are ischemic (is-KEE-mic) strokes. These are caused by reduced blood flow to the brain when blood vessels are blocked by a clot or become too narrow for blood to get through. Brain cells in the area die from lack of oxygen. In another type of stroke, called hemorrhagic (hem-or-AJ-ic) stroke, the blood vessel isn’t blocked; it bursts, and blood leaks into the brain, causing damage.

Strokes are more common in older people. Almost three-fourths of all strokes occur in people 65 years of age or over. However, a person of any age can have a stroke.

Recovering From Stroke

The process of recovering from a stroke usually includes treatment, spontaneous recovery, rehabilitation, and the return to community living. Because stroke survivors often have complex rehabilitation needs, progress and recovery are different for each person.

Treatment for stroke begins in a hospital with “acute care.” This first step includes helping the patient survive, preventing another stroke, and taking care of any other medical problems.

Spontaneous recovery happens naturally to most people. Soon after the stroke, some
abilities that have been lost usually start to come back. This process is quickest during the first few weeks, but it sometimes continues for a long time.

Rehabilitation is another part of treatment. It helps the person keep abilities and gain back lost abilities to become more independent. It usually begins while the patient is still in acute care. For many patients, it continues afterward, either as a formal rehabilitation program or as individual rehabilitation services. Many decisions about rehabilitation are made by the patient,
family, and hospital staff before discharge from acute care.

The last stage in stroke recovery begins with the person’s return to community living after acute care or rehabilitation. This stage can last for a lifetime as the stroke survivor and family learn to live with the effects of the stroke. This may include doing common tasks in new ways or making up for damage to or limits of one part of the body by greater activity of another.

Read more on Strokes: How Stroke Affects People

Get a Free Copy of Recovering After a Stroke: A Patient and Family Guide – courtesy of The StrokeCenter.org.

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Please call 905- 276-2273.

It’s a known fact that most seniors want to stay living in their own home for as long as they can, but in some cases, safety is an issue. However, there are several things that family members can put in place to make a home safe for their older loved ones. Being at home is a comforting thing for most aging adults, but being safe at home is the ultimate factor of their good health.

1.    If mobility is an issue, the layout of the home may have to be altered. This may sound like a huge project, but it can be as simple as rearranging furniture and changing doorways to allow for easy and safe access.

2.    Bathrooms often need to be updated or remodeled to help seniors at home. Installing shower handles and grip bars on the walls of the bathroom will help make the room safer. There should also be an anti-slip mat or grips on the bottom of the tub or shower to help prevent falls.

3.    Increase lighting. Falls at home are the leading causes of injuries for seniors. By increasing the amount of light in the home, seniors will be able to see things better and reduce their chances of falling.

4.    Remove all rugs or carpets from stairs and make sure a hand rail is installed.

5.    In addition to the physical safety at home, seniors need to be concerned over emotional safety. If they feel they are being harassed or targeted, there are many crime prevention programs that can help. These programs will monitor the home from the outside and can even offer discounts on security systems.

Please call Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga for a free in-home care assessment at 905- 276-2273.

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Please call 905- 276-2273.

Family caregiving can be stressful under any circumstances. But certain situations are hot-button triggers. These events can make the life of caregiving siblings more difficult and lead to family conflict. The 50-50 Rule program, developed by the Home Instead Senior Care® network, can help address these hot-button topics.

This guide is designed to help adult siblings and their aging parents deal with those sensitive situations that arise among brothers and sisters as their parents age and need assistance. The 50/50 Rule Guide for Family Caregivers.

1. Illness: A senior loved one who becomes ill or faces declining health can leave a family facing all sorts of potentially difficult issues.

2. Money: Money matters often complicate life for seniors as well as their adult children.

3. Inheritance: While some families contend with a lack of funds to provide care for their loved ones, others have the temptation of a family inheritance influencing their decisions.

4. Distance: While absence may make the heart grow fonder, it certainly doesn’t make life easier for a long-distance family caregiver.

5. Stress: Life is stressful and family caregiving oftentimes makes it more so. Adult caregivers who have started a new job, are raising children or caring for their own spouse can soon become overwhelmed when elderly family members need help. Often the primary family caregiver wants or needs more help from siblings, but isn’t getting it.

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga knows the stress that our public home care system is under and we can provide the professional care that our aging seniors need. Please call 905- 276-2273.

Call now for your free in-home care consultation: 905-276-2273 or 416-239-2200.

Everyone is home for the holidays. What could be better? Only problem is, sister Elaine can’t understand why Mom’s house isn’t all decked out as it used to be. And brother Bob has found a pile of unopened bills on the dresser. The holidays, when family is all together, are good times to assess if an older adult needs help. But take care not to ruin the fun or cause a family fight.

Don’t get into the topic when everyone is at the dinner table nor when they may have had too much holiday wine, advises Gail Hunt, President and CEO of the U.S.’s National Alliance for Caregiving.

“When talking with your siblings about your concerns for Mom and Dad, go out to lunch to have that discussion rather than right in the middle of the family festivities. Then approach a parent in a non-threatening way. Perhaps you’re in the kitchen making pies with Mom. You might ask, ‘I saw those bills on the dresser. Is there something I can do to help?’”

If you’re home for the holidays, keep an eye out for these red flags that might signal a senior needs help:

• Look in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. Has food spoiled because Mom can’t get to the grocery store? Does she have difficulty cleaning tight, cluttered places?
• Look over the grocery list. Has Dad’s declining health prompted him to purchase more convenience and junk foods, and neglect proper nutrition? Is he losing weight?
• Look on top of furniture and countertops. Accumulated dust and dirt may be a sign that household cleaning is becoming too difficult for your parents.
• Look up at fans and ceilings. Has the inability to lift her arms and climb stepstools prevented your loved one from cleaning soot and grime from high places? Caution seniors not to climb.
• Look to your parents’ neighbours and other close friends to find out about their daily routine. Are your seniors at home more, watching television and avoiding stimulating conversation and companionship?

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga knows the stress that our public home care system is under and we can provide the professional care that our aging seniors need. Please call 905- 276-2273.

Holidays are a great time to encourage family caregivers to check their senior loved ones for the signs of poor nutrition. Consider the top signs:

Loss of appetite: If a senior has always been a hearty eater but no longer eats as he or she used to, it’s time to find out why. Underlying illness could be the root cause.

Little to no interest in eating out: If a loved one has always enjoyed a favorite restaurant, but no longer shows interest, dig deeper to determine the problem.

Sudden weight fluctuation: A weight change – losing or gaining 10 pounds in six months – is another sign that something could be amiss.

You’ll learn more about nutrition from the educational video series on CaregiverStress.com. And remember, holiday meals don’t need to be boring.

To learn about other challenges senior loved ones could be facing, go to CaregiverStress.com website.

Many of the issues of aging can be solved by providing parents with the support they need to continue to maintain their independence. For more information and additional resources, please contact our office at 905- 276-2273.

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga knows the stress that our public home care system is under and we can provide the professional care that our aging seniors need. Please call 905- 276-2273.

Family caregivers dread bringing up elder care issues with their aging relatives. Discussing these sensitive subjects over the telephone is no way to deal with a senior loved one. That’s why trips home during the holidays often are ideal times to talk with an aging loved one. When you’re visiting during the holidays, check out some of the tips offered in the “40/70” Rule Booklet that help caregivers communicate with their aging parents on sensitive subjects:

Get started. If you’re 40 or your parents are 70, it’s time to start observing and gathering information carefully and thoughtfully. Don’t reach a conclusion from a single observation and decide on the best solution until you have gathered information with an open mind and talked with your parents.

Talk it out. Approach your parents with a conversation. Discuss what you’ve observed and ask your parents what they think is going on. If your parents acknowledge the situation, ask what they think would be good solutions. If your parents don’t recognize a problem, use concrete examples to support your case.

Sooner is best. Talk sooner rather than later when a crisis has occurred. If you know your loved one has poor eyesight or has trouble driving at night, begin to address those issues before a problem arises.

Forget the baby talk. Remember you are talking to an adult, not a child. Patronizing speech or baby talk will put older adults on the defensive and convey a lack of respect for them.

Maximize the independence. Always try to move toward solutions that provide the maximum amount of independence for the older person.

Look for answers that optimize strengths and compensate for problems. For instance, if your loved ones need help at home, look for tools that can help them maintain their strengths.

Ask for help. Many of the issues of aging can be solved by providing parents with the support they need to continue to maintain their independence.

Call your local Home Instead Senior Care office for home care services at 905- 276-2273.

Click here to check out local senior resources that can help in the New Braunfels area.

Check out: http://www.caregiverstress.com/category/helpful-tips-for-caregivers/caregiver-communication/40-70-rule/40-70-conversation-topics/

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga knows the stress that our public home care system is under and we can provide the professional care that our aging seniors need. Please call 905- 276-2273.

Home Instead Senior Care hosted the kickoff to their 3rd Be A Santa To A Senior Campaign in Mississauga, on November 4th. The program, in partnership with The Alzheimer’s Society, Shoppers Home Health Care and The Mississauga Seniors Center, will be collecting and distributing gifts to isolated and needy seniors in our community.

Stella Amber MP for Mississauga South joined everyone to help decorate the tree and kickoff the campaign. Participating nonprofit organizations in the local communities identify isolated and deserving seniors and provide those names to the local Home Instead Senior Care office in Mississauga. Christmas trees go up in stores, and other locations, that feature Be A Santa To A Senior paper ornaments with the first names only of the seniors, and their gift requests. Holiday shoppers pick up an ornament and buy the item(s) on the list and return them unwrapped to the store. For more information, visit www.beasantatoasenior.ca

Falls are the most common cause of injuries among people older than 65. Nearly half occur at home. They are one of the leading causes of preventable injury. Among senior citizens, a fall typically leads to an emergency-room visit, hospitalization, admission to a long-term care home and, ultimately, a downward spiral to death. The following story is a cautionary tale for the boomer generation.

Attend our FREE Home Safety Webinar for Mississauga Family Caregivers.

The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates one in three people older than 65 will fall at least once a year, a rate that increases to one in two for people over the age of 80. This means about 1.3 million Canadian seniors will fall this year. In 2006, almost half of all injury-related deaths among seniors in Canada were caused by falls.

Toronto Rehab Director of Research, Geoff Fernie, explains the different virtual labs that deal with research on how people fall.  Toronto Star Watch the fall video click here.

The morning newspaper usually lay on the stone stoop of Jean Campbell’s bungalow, nestled in the tall trees of Lawrence Park. But on this frigid February day in 2000, it landed below the two short steps on the flagstone walkway.

Impeccably dressed in a knee-length skirt and freshly pressed blouse, she stepped briskly down the stairs in her slippers. She didn’t see the patch of black ice and pitched forward onto the cold walkway. Instinctively, her arms shot out — but Campbell was 84 years of age, and her arms could not cushion her landing.

Snap. Snap. Both wrists broke.

But in that moment, everything began to change. It was the first in a series of falls that would chip away at the energetic woman’s health and confidence.

“A fall can be the beginning of the end, which it was for my mother,” says her daughter, Anne Stephens, a nurse who has dedicated much of her 20-year career to geriatrics and fall prevention. “Every fall made it worse and she got frailer and frailer.”

At least one senior in Ontario visits an emergency department every 10 minutes because of a fall; every 30 minutes at least one is admitted to hospital, according to a 2007 report by the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre.

If the problem of falls isn’t addressed it will get worse. Seniors are our fastest-growing population: By 2031 they will represent 24 per cent of the population and cost $4.4 billion for injuries related to falls.

Attend our FREE Home Safety Webinar for Mississauga Family Caregivers.

Read the full story on The Star.

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga knows the stress that our public home care system is under and we can provide the professional care that our aging seniors need. Please call 905- 276-2273.

The holidays are a good time for family caregivers returning to Mississauga to tune into the signs that an older family member may need extra help to remain safe at home.

To learn more about those signs, register for the free Home for the Holidays web conference, moderated by a representative from the Home Instead Senior Care network.

The hour-long web conference will be available in Canada, and offered on Monday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. To register, go to Family Education at Caregiverstress.com.

“It’s easy for busy family caregivers to overlook the subtle signs that a senior loved one needs assistance,” said Greg Bechard, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office in Mississauga. “But during the holidays, when many return to their childhood homes, the difference between your last visit and now can highlight those red flags.”

The web conference will be moderated by Director of Strategic Alliances Mary Alexander of Home Instead, Inc., the franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network. Alexander is a family caregiver and a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA).

“Signs of potential trouble can be evident in a senior’s home – such as spoiled food in the refrigerator and piles of unpaid bills – or personal indicators such as episodes of confusion or dirty and unkempt clothing,” Bechard said.

Countering senior resistance to assistance can be a challenge. President and CEO of the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), Suzanne Mintz adds, “Family caregivers must recognize that their parents are adults and – unless there are cognitive or emotional problems – they can make their own decisions. We do not and should not become our parents’ parents. We must remember we will always be their children.”

The web conference will feature information about countering senior resistance to assistance as well as resources that can help family caregivers and senior care professionals.  To register, go to Family Education at Caregiverstress.com.

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga knows the stress that our public home care system is under and we can provide the professional care that our aging seniors need. Please call 905- 276-2273.