There are only a few days left to enter the I Will Remember for You contest. All entries must be submitted by Tuesday, January 31st, by 11:59pm EST.

Capturing and preserving memories for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias can happen in a number of ways. It might entail turning on a favorite 1940s big band hit, spreading photos out on the coffee table, intentionally creating a list of questions to ask, and sitting down in the living room together to record the thoughts your loved one shares. Or, reminiscing might occur more spontaneously during a family gathering—make sure you have a notepad or video camera handy!

To accommodate your family member’s cognitive ability level and make sharing memories in any situation a positive, meaningful experience, keep the following considerations in mind:

Do involve other family members; Don’t put the person with Alzheimer’s on the spot.

Do share your own thoughts as they relate to the memories your loved one shares; Don’t monopolize the conversation.

Do ask specific, personal questions; Don’t interrogate.

Do focus on general memories and emotions; Don’t focus on exact facts and details.

For more Alzheimer’s Conversation Tips

The goal is to give your family member with dementia the opportunity to share cherished memories with the people he or she loves. You don’t need to record a precise journalistic account of the person’s life.

Activities to capture and preserve memories with your family member living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias should focus on what that person can and wants to remember. You can help to minimize frustration by paying attention to your loved one’s limitations and adapting opportunities for reminiscing accordingly.

Story Starters for a Winning Entry

How has Alzheimer’s impacted you?

How do you and your family cope with Alzheimer’s?

Why are memories important to your family?

Why do you deserve to win this family reunion?

Enter to win at Help for Alzheimer’s Families

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

Canadian adults who find themselves providing care to an aging parent, can become overwhelmed. Having children of your own and caring for aging parents, is very stressful. Here are some things to consider when feeling overwhelmed with the care responsibilities.

1. A recent survey has revealed that 69% of Canadians between the ages of 43 and 63 have a living parent and one third of these people are providing care to them.
2. While having multiple responsibilities may seem overwhelming, there are ways for caregivers to effectively manage their responsibilities. Identifying how others can help with care and assigning different responsibilities to other family members can be helpful.
3. Social service support is also available. This will help the caregiver and will allow them to have more time to spend with their own children while still ensuring the well being of the aging parent.
4. When the caregiving is done in your own home, things can get overwhelming, however, having other family members in the home can be beneficial because they can also help with the care, even the children can be involved in caring for Grandma.

Please Call Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga, if you need extra elder care help at home. Call 905-276.2273.

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

Senior volunteers are making a difference each day in local churches, community organizations, neighborhoods, senior centers and health care organizations. In total, these unsung heroes are making a bigger impact than ever as local budgets evaporate and community needs escalate. For many of these seniors, helping others defines who they are in their retirement years.

In response, Home Instead Senior Care has announced the launch of Salute to Senior Service(SM) program (www.SalutetoSeniorService.com) to honour the many volunteer contributions that older adults make to this nation. This program, which launched on January 15, 2012, includes a search for the country’s most outstanding Senior Hero(SM) in each state and culminates with the selection of a national Salute to Senior Service winner during Older Americans Month in May. State Senior Hero(SM) winners will receive plaques and their stories on the www.SalutetoSeniorService.com site. In addition, $5,000 will be donated to the national winner’s nonprofit charity of choice.

Between January 15 and March 12, 2012, entries can be submitted to nominate seniors 65 and older who volunteer at least 15 hours a month, making a positive impact on their communities through volunteerism. Stories can be submitted online at www.SalutetoSeniorService.com.

“Not only are senior volunteers changing their communities, but they are also changing the face of aging,” said Jeff Huber, President and Chief Operating Officer of Home Instead Senior Care. “Volunteer opportunities for older adults should not diminish because of age and, by all accounts, don’t. Home Instead is thrilled to be able to take this opportunity to recognize and showcase their important contributions.”

About half of U.S. seniors (52 percent) volunteer their time through unpaid community service, according to research conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care network. Nearly 20 percent (one in five) of senior volunteers surveyed started volunteering when they reached the traditional age of retirement – 65 or older. Furthermore, 20 percent of seniors who volunteer say that their community service is the most important thing they do. Seniors who volunteer give an average of 15 hours a month in unpaid service.

Seven in 10 seniors (70 percent) who volunteer indicate they plan on volunteering “forever.” This percentage is slightly higher for senior volunteers who suffer from chronic health problems. In fact, managing chronic conditions and maintaining health are important motivations. Three-fourths of senior volunteers surveyed (75 percent) who have chronic conditions say that staying active through volunteering helps them manage these conditions. But the benefits go much deeper. According to Home Instead Senior Care network research, 95 percent of senior volunteers feel that seniors who volunteer are healthier and happier than seniors who do not. Volunteering enables seniors to develop and maintain important social connections, learn more skills, and pursue new interests.

“We know from our work with seniors that the more active an individual the more likely that he or she will continue to remain independent while aging. Those who find a way to give back, even if they have their own aches and pains and need help, realize many benefits,” shared Huber.

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

Just a century ago, you could expect to live until age 50. That’s it. It was “end of the road,” not “over the hill” as we call it today. But thanks to advances in health care and overall standards of living since 1900, the current average life expectancy has risen to 78.4 in the U.S. and 81.5 in Canada, according to the CIA World Factbook. Today, many seniors even live into their 90s or past 100—a feat of healthy, purposeful living that other older adults can model with guidance from senior healthcare professionals.

It makes sense. Seniors who stay healthy live longer. But how can you help seniors maintain good health when the odds of developing dementia, diabetes, heart disease, some form of cancer, or a host of other ailments are against them? Some answers might come from the Greek island of Ikaria where a remarkable one in three natives reach 90 years of age.

According to an AARP The Magazine article called “Live More Good Years,” researchers discovered that, compared to Americans over 90, Ikaria’s 90-plus population experienced 20 percent fewer incidents of cancer, half the rate of heart disease, one-ninth the rate of diabetes and virtually no Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.

To encourage similar habits to help North American older adults add years to their life. Advise seniors to eat meals incorporating whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish, and herbal teas to add important vitamins, antioxidants and complex carbohydrates to their diets. Seniors will also benefit from scheduling walks or daily exercises, naps, and opportunities for social interaction and religious practices into their day. Adopting a carefree attitude about time may not translate as well to our culture of hectic schedules and tight deadlines, but look for ways to reduce stress by demonstrating patience with seniors who might take longer to complete tasks.

Another approach to increasing lifespan takes into consideration not only the good behaviors to adopt, but also which behaviors to avoid. A recent CDC report boils the secret to longevity down into four key habits:

•Do exercise regularly
•Do eat a healthy diet
•Don’t smoke
•Don’t drink alcohol excessively

If your loved one needs help and assistance in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, call Mississauga Home Instead Senior Care at 905- 276-2273. Our CAREGivers are available to help your senior stay healthy.

Visit Caregiverstress.com for more information on healthy aging.

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

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.1 million people 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease. They likely will lose one of their most treasured possessions: memories. The “I Will Remember for You Family Reunion Giveaway” contest recently launched by the Home Instead Senor Care® network can help those families keep their memories alive.

Submit a story in either written or video format about your experience with a family member living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias for a chance to win a family reunion – go to Remember for Alzheimer’s.

Essays and videos need to:

Share how Alzheimer’s has impacted your life.

Talk about the role that memories and remembering have played in your family, especially with regard to your family member who now has or had Alzheimer’s.

Share specific stories or examples of how you and your family members cope or coped with challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.

Tell why you deserve to win this family reunion.

Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST Jan. 31, 2012. Three finalists will be notified by a judge’s panel by Feb. 15, 2012. Online voting to select the grand prize winner will occur from March 28 through June 30, 2012.

The Mississauga local Home Instead Senior Care office can provide valuable information about Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and support to seniors – call us at 905- 276-2273.

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

Home Instead Senior Care® network research reveals that volunteering is a magic bullet of sorts to keep seniors mentally and physically engaged in the world around them, making a difference in the lives of others as well as benefiting their own Salute to Senior Service.

Other benefits that the senior volunteer survey respondents identified include:

I want to help others – 99 percent

I want to make a difference in my community – 99 percent

I want to provide assistance to causes I care about – 99 percent

I feel like my volunteer contributions are appreciated – 98 percent

I enjoy volunteering with my friends – 93 percent I want to socialize and meet new people – 92 percent

I want to share my talents, skills and experience – 90 percent

I enjoy learning new skills – 89 percent I have more time now – 86 percent I want to occupy my free time – 84 percent

Home Instead CAREGivers in Mississauga are available to help your senior loved ones continue to pursue their passions by providing non-medical assistance at home – call us for more information 905- 276-2273.

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

Roles that senior volunteers play have evolved over the years, according to Dr. Erwin Tan, director of Senior Corps, who serves as the expert U.S. source for the Home Instead Senior Care® network’s Salute to Senior Service program. The program, which kicked off in January 2012, includes a search for the most outstanding senior volunteer in each state and Canadian province (except Quebec) and culminates with the selection of a national Salute to Senior Service winner in May in the U.S. and in June in Canada.

• As seniors’ lifestyles and longevity have evolved over time so, too, is the desire for new kinds of volunteer activities, Dr. Tan said. In a highly technological world, the “new senior” has different interests than those of the past. Seniors are being encouraged to volunteer for a cause or an activity in which they are interested or for which they feel passionate.

• According to Home Instead Senior Care network research, 95 percent of senior volunteers feel that seniors who volunteer are healthier and happier than those seniors who do not.

• Check out more benefits from volunteering opportunities as well as information about how to make a deserving senior 65 and older who volunteers at least 15 hours a month a Senior Hero – SalutetoSeniorService.com.

• State and Canadian provincial (except Quebec) winners will receive plaques and their story on the SalutetoSeniorService.com website. A gift of $5,000 will be donated to the national winner’s favorite nonprofit charity.

Help us recognize outstanding senior volunteers who make a difference in their community. Nominees have a chance to win $5,000 for their favorite volunteer organization. Please share volunteer stories from your community and nominate a senior for Salute to Senior Service.

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

There are nearly 100,000 emergency hospitalizations each year for adverse drug events that involve U.S. senior citizens, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Of the thousands of medications available to patients, a small group of blood thinners and diabetes medications caused two-thirds of the emergency hospitalizations, the report said.

Four medications, used alone or together, accounted for two-thirds of the emergency hospitalizations:

33 percent, or 33,171 emergency hospitalizations, involved warfarin, a medication used to prevent blood clots.

14 percent involved insulins. Insulin injections are used to control blood sugar in people who have diabetes.

13 percent involved antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin or clopidogrel, which prevent platelets, or pieces of blood cells from clumping together to start a clot.

11 percent involved diabetes medications that are taken by mouth, called oral hypoglycemic agents.

Our CAREGivers at Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga ON can serve as a second set of eyes and ears for your senior loved one(s) while providing non-medical services that can help track medications and doctors’ appointments. Contact us at 905- 276-2273.

For more information about how to prepare for an emergency – refer to www.SeniorEmergencyKit.com.

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

Rehabilitation After Stroke

Some people do not need rehabilitation after a stroke because the stroke was mild or they have fully recovered. Others may be too disabled to participate. However, many patients can be helped by rehabilitation. Hospital staff will help the patient and family decide about rehabilitation and choose the right services or program.

There are several kinds of rehabilitation programs:

Home Instead Senior Care can provide supplemental CAREGiver services that help stroke patients recover quickly. Our CAREGivers can assist patients in the following programs located in Mississauga ON. We can be reached at 905- 276-2273.

Hospital programs – These programs can be provided by special rehabilitation hospitals or by rehabilitation units in acute care hospitals. Complete rehabilitation services are available. The patient stays in the hospital during rehabilitation. An organized team of specially trained professionals provides the therapy. Hospital programs are usually more intense than other programs and require more effort from the patient.

Nursing facility (nursing home) programs – As in hospital programs, the person stays at the facility during rehabilitation. Nursing facility programs are very different from each other, so it is important to get specific information about each one. Some provide a complete range of rehabilitation services; others provide only limited services.

Outpatient programs – Allow a patient who lives at home to get a full range of services by visiting a hospital outpatient department, outpatient rehabilitation facility, or day hospital program.

Home-based programs – The patient can live at home and receive rehabilitation services from visiting professionals. An important advantage of home programs is that patients learn skills in the same place where they will use them.

Learn more about Choosing Best Stroke Program.

***If you are seeking home care services for loved ones who have had a slight stroke call 905- 276-2273.

Get Your Free Stroke Information Guide.

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