Home Instead Senior Care developed a website to help family caregivers make sure their aging loved one are eating nutritiously. These tips and more are on the www.mealsandcompanionship.com website. Please check it out. This site is designed for anyone who is caring for an elderly person be it a parent, other relative or friend. You will learn why proper nutrition is important and what can happen if your senior loved one doesn’t have good eating habits; simple ways to help your senior loved one shop for good food and eat right; as well as ideas for specific dietary and health concerns.
Nutritious meals are important, but many seniors want to relive a time around the dinner table when they are sharing their lives with the people they love most. Maintaining good nutrition for older adults can be a challenge because many seniors no longer can cook for themselves. What’s more, illnesses and medications can affect their appetites. Companionship is one way to help keep seniors interested in good nutrition.
Senior Challenges to Eating Healthy Meals:
1. Grocery shopping for one
2. Lack of mealtime companionship
3. Cooking for one
4. Eating nutritious meals
5. Eating three meals a day
6. High expense of cooking for one
7. Loss of appetite
8. Relying too much on convenience food
9. Eating too little food
10. Eating too much food
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 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.
Nutritious meals are important, but many seniors want to relive a time around the dinner table when they are sharing their lives with the people they love most. Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga has developed the Craving Companionship program to help older adults who live alone. About 37 per cent of the population 75+ lives alone* according to a Canadian study.
The study reveals:
An overwhelming majority of seniors (88%) say that having someone to share their meals makes those times more satisfying.
More than one-half (53%) say their mealtimes are more satisfying if they have someone prepare their meals for them.
Nearly one-half of seniors who live alone have at least four warning signs of poor nutritional health, according to Home Instead Senior Care® network research. The signs and their incidence rates:
Eating alone most of the time (76%)
Taking three or more different medications a day (67%)
Having an illness/condition that prompted a diet change (39%)
Eating few fruits, vegetables or milk products (36%)
Having a tooth or mouth problems that make it hard to eat (29%)
Having lost of gained 10 pounds in the last 6 months without wanting to (28%)
Lack of companionship is the biggest mealtime challenge for seniors and the Craving Companionship program offers tips and practical advice to encourage companionship and easy, healthy meals. The program also encourages family caregivers to revive mealtimes for isolated and lonely seniors.
It’s dinnertime. Do you know what’s on the menu at your mom or dad’s house? If a senior is home alone, chances are he or she might not be eating a healthy meal at all.
According to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network, lack of companionship is the biggest mealtime challenge for seniors.*
That’s why the local Home Instead Senior Care office in Mississauga has launched the Craving Companionship SM program. The program offers family caregivers tips and practical advice to encourage companionship and easy healthy meals.
Craving Companionship also features a recipe contest promote if speech is given during contest entry period of July 15 to September 15, 2011 that encourages family caregivers to dig into the family recipe box to find that favourite dish, and prepare and share a meal with their senior loved one.
Selected contest recipes and stories will be posted online as well as in the Homemade MemoriesSM Cookbook, which will be available for purchase in time for the 2011 holiday season. Proceeds will go to the non-profit Home Instead Senior Care Foundation to benefit North American seniors.
For more details about the program including recipe contest guidelines and prizes, visit www.mealsandcompanionship.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.
Loneliness — it’s one of the most serious obstacles to good nutrition that your senior loved one could face. Approximately 37 percent of Canada’s 75-plus population – 1.8 million people – lives alone, according to the 2006 Canadian Census. These seniors face significant socialization challenges, particularly when it comes to lack of shared mealtime experiences.
“There is no question that having meals with other people in a group setting is preferable to eating alone,” said Carol Greenwood, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at Baycrest. “Seniors who eat alone often have an underlying isolation and depression and lack of social engagement. This leads to low quality of life and a more rapid decline as they age.”
The far-reaching impact of loneliness prompted the Home Instead Senior Care® network to conduct a first-of-its-kind study to measure mealtime routines, challenges and preferences of seniors age 75 plus who live by themselves in their own homes or apartments.
This comprehensive study, which involved 400 interviews, provides evidence that increased opportunities for seniors to share meals with others will promote nutritional and emotional well-being. Key findings include:
Nearly one-half of seniors who live alone have at least four warning signs of poor nutritional health.
One in five seniors says he or she sometimes or most of the time feels lonely when eating alone.
Seventy-six percent of these seniors eat alone most of the time.
One of the biggest mealtime challenges for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience, including lack of companionship.
Mealtimes last two-and-a-half times longer when seniors who live alone share meals with others compared with when they eat alone.
A majority of seniors who live alone say they eat more nutritiously and the food actually tastes better when eating with others.
Eighty-six percent of seniors who live alone say they wish their families shared more meals together.
The most common obstacles preventing these seniors from sharing more meals with others are that they don’t drive and that their family and friends don’t have enough time.
As a result of this study, the Home Instead Senior Care network has launched the Craving Companionship public education program to encourage extended families to bring back the family meal for the benefit of their seniors, especially those who live alone.
For more information, visit www.mealsandcompanionship.com. The program includes a variety of resources including recipes and tips to help family caregivers make the most of mealtimes.
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 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.
Research conducted for Home Instead Senior Care reveals 10 mealtime challenges for older adults. The following percentages refer to the number of seniors who believe these are challenges for older people living alone. We have noted tips for how to make the most of mealtimes after each issue.
1. Grocery Shopping (79%) – Transportation can be a big issues for seniors. Contact Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga or encourage your loved one to participate in neighbourhood support systems when possible.
2. Lack of companionship during mealtimes (75%). If you can’t be there to dine with a loved one regularly, look for alternatives such as friends or neighbours.
3. Cooking for one (74%). Freeze most any type of leftovers including sliced and seeded fruit by placing it in plastic containers or freezer bags.
4. Eating nutritious meals (65%). Buy fresh when possible including fruits and vegetables.
5. Eating three meals a day (65%) . So many seniors are on prescription medications that must be taken with or without food. Coordinate the food plan with the medication plan.
6. High expense of cooking for one (64%). Encourage shared meals when possible.
7. Loss of appetite (60%). Help older adults make mealtimes an event, which can make dining more appealing.
8. Relying too much on convenience food (57%). Encourage your older adult to meet with a nutritionist or talk with the doctor to learn how to read labels.
9. Eating too little food (47%). Plan a trip to a favourite restaurant for a special dish. If lack of food is an ongoing problem, check with your senior’s doctor.
10 Eating too much food (38%). The bigger issue is eating too much of the wrong types of food. If you’re helping an older loved one with a shopping list or with grocery shopping, encourage healthier choices.
Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga and Etobicoke has designed a Senior Emergency Card and will be distributing them at their presentation with tips and suggestions on handling this emergency.
Come join us on June 28, 2001 at 7pm at:
VILLAGE OF HUMBER HEIGHTS
2245 Lawrence Avenue West
Toronto [Etobicoke], ON
M9P 3W3
RSVP Home Instead Senior Care, Etobicoke at 416-239-2200.
Book early to guarantee your seat. Light refreshments will be provided.
How medication problems can hurt older adults
Seniors and family caregivers should look for warning signs that would indicate a problem with a medication. “When there is a change in medication, you should watch for changes in behaviour,” said Pronica Janikowski, Professional Development Coordinator of the Canadian Society of Consultant Pharmacists. “The person may be confused or dizzy and this can lead to a fall. Sometimes changes in medication can also make them drowsy, so if they are suddenly sleeping all the time or experiencing a change in appetite, it could be a sign to watch for.”
Medication-related problems can cause, aggravate or contribute to common and costly geriatric problems including:
Confusion
Delirium/hallucinations
Depression
Dizziness
Falls
Incontinence
Insomnia
Loss of coordination
Malnutrition/dehydration
Memory loss
Psychiatric problems
In the lives of seniors, these issues can then lead to decreased quality of life, emergency room and doctor visits and hospitalizations, hip fractures, loss of independence and even death.
For more information about how a Home Instead CAREGiverSM can keep seniors safe at home, visit www.SeniorEmergencyKit.com and contact your local Home Instead Senior Care® office. To find a Home Instead Senior Care office near you, visit www.homeinstead.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.
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.
Symptoms of Improper Medication Dosage
It can be nerve wracking to be a caregiver when you are worrying about your parents’ health issues. There are a number of symptoms that arise if something is wrong and one of the most common health issues is improper medication dosage. If your loved one is getting the wrong dosage they may experience the following symptoms:
Medication related problems can lead to numerous health and life altering consequences. Staying on top of medication dosage is vital. If your loved one has experienced any of the symptoms above they could be at risk of:
• Hip fractures.
• Death.
• Hospitalizations.
• Loss of independence.
• Decreased quality of life.
• Doctor / Emergency Room visits.
If you require more information about caregiving there are a number of resources available on the web. To learn about medication mismanagement and its warning signs, read this article on CaregiverStress.com.
During the winter months, most seniors are not as physically active as they should be. By doing some simple indoor exercises, seniors can maintain their fitness levels, make sure muscles stay strong and remain flexible and improve overall health. These exercises are not strenuous and only take a few minutes each day, but they benefits are amazing. Below are some suggestions for seniors regarding indoor exercising in the winter.
1. To help with flexibility, seniors should circle their arms. This will stretch the upper body. Another thing to do for flexibility is to sit with one knee straight out. Pump the ankle up and down, which will stretch the leg muscles. Do this with both legs.
2. Maintaining strength is important for all seniors. Small knee bends while standing at the kitchen counter will help improve and maintain leg strength. Sit to stand exercises will also help with the legs and hip muscles. While standing, gentle raise up on the toes to stretch and strengthen the calves. Marching in place will also provide exercise to help with leg strength.
3. Balance exercises can help seniors maintain and even improve their sense of balance. This can be done by balancing on one leg. Make sure to be standing next to something that can be grabbed if there is loss of balance. Tap steps include moving one foot forward, to the side, to the rear and back to the starting position. Repeat with the other foot.
4. Build endurance by staying active. Walk as often as possible and keep being physical.
The winter is one of the worst times of year for seniors. This is when many seniors experience falls and injuries from slipping on snow or ice. It is also a time that seniors get ill because of extreme temperatures and the failure to face the weather appropriately. The following list provides some great tips that will help keep seniors safe during the winter.
1. Make sure to protect seniors from the cold. Watch weather reports and plan ahead. Seniors should dress in layers of clothing so they stay warm outside but can easily remove clothing when indoors. Always wear a hat to prevent the loss of body heat and use gloves to protect the hands. Many seniors suffer from arthritis and the pain gets worse when exposed to the cold, so dressing appropriately is important.
2. Keep the inside of the home warm. While it may cost more, it is important to maintain a warm temperature. Be sure all air leaks have been sealed and that the home is well insulated.
3. Keep all walkways and driveways around the home free of snow and ice. Seniors should take breaks often when removing snow. Use a lightweight shovel and try to push snow instead of lifting.
4. Be sure to take precautions when driving. Drive slowly when the weather is bad. Again, watch the weather andprepare ahead. If there will be a storm, try to avoid being on the roads.
5. Wearing non-skid boots and using canes while walking will help to reduce the chances of falling.
6. When out walking, be sure to wear clothes that are highly visible.
As a senior, if you become sick and have to go for medical help, one of the worst things is having to wait at a walk-in clinic. ClinicBook is a new tool that is available to seniors and their caregivers that will help locate the closest clinic with the shortest waiting time. In many cases, seniors have no choice but to go to a clinic, so being able to find one that will quickly attend to the medical issues at hand is very important. Below is some additional information on ClinicBook and some other benefits it can offer.
1. In addition to helping locate the closest clinic in a time of need, ClinicBook can be helpful in booking appointments with other medical professionals. This is a great thing for caregivers, allowing them to have a fast and organized way to make necessary appointments.
2. ClinicBook will also help caregivers find the earliest appointment for emergencies, such as a dental emergency. Instead of having to be on the phone with multiple offices, ClinicBook takes away that hassle and provides the information quickly.
3. One of the great things about ClinicBook is that doctors and other medical professionals do not have to change how they do things. ClinicBook taps into the clinic management software that is already being used, making this one of the recommended options for caregivers.
