Rhode Island

Sleep doesn’t come easily to many older adults, stress, medication and other factors can all contribute to insomnia and the inability to get a good quality of sleep.  Not only can lack of sleep make seniors less alert and often in poor spirits, it can affect their ability to be productive during their day. Try these tips to ensure that you can sleep for a more productive day in older adulthood, that way your quality of life is optimal during all of the years that you’ve got left!

1. Get the right amount of sleep for your body – everyone needs a different amount of sleep, make sure you get enough to feel well rested, whether it’s 5 hours or 10 hours

2. Regulate your sleep schedule – go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday in order to ensure that your body falls into a regular routine

3. Talk to your doctor about medications – if you’re having trouble sleeping, speak to your doctors about medications that might cause insomnia  and see if there are better alternatives

4. Try relaxing activities – yoga, meditation and other relaxing activities can reduce physical and emotional stress to help ensure a better night’s sleep

5. Set the stage – make sure that your room is dark and quiet, and ensure that it’s an environment even more conducive to sleep by keeping other activities, like watching TV, out of the room!

Via: WorkingCaregiver.com – “The Secrets to a 36 Hour Day”

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Breast cancer awareness month is often focused upon women, but 1% of breast cancer cases actually do occur in men. It’s a bit of a sensitive topic for many men, but it’s important to have an understanding of the risk factors as men fail to recognize breast cancer, resulting in medical attention only being sought much later in the progression of the disease, meaning, that the results can be grave. Here are the risk factors of breast cancer in men; if you fall into any of these categories, talk to your doctor and learn about breast cancer screening.

1. Age – senior men aged 60 to 70  are most often diagnosed with breast cancer

2. Family history – 20% of men with breast cancer have a history of breast cancer in their family, either in other male relatives or women

3. Liver disease – men who have liver disease often have lower levels of androgens and higher levels of estrogen that can increase the chance of breast cancer

4. Estrogen treatmen – estrogen treatment can feed breast cancer, and therefore puts men at a higher risk

5. BRCA2 gene mutations – it’s a gene that can pass from generation to generation that increases the likelihood of breast cancer. In women it’s the BRCA1 gene that carries breast cancer

6. Klinefelter’s syndrome – men with this syndrome have two C chromosomes in addition to one Y chromosome  (men should have one X; the female gene and one Y)

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Approaching your retirement, the last thing you want to think about is how you’ll manage your finances. But this is a situation many boomer women face when on their own for the first time in their lives, and it can result in financial disaster. Here are some tips for effective financial management that boomer women can follow to securing their financial future:

1. Let go of the idea that it’s too late – you might feel that as you approach your senior years, it’s too late to get yourself out of any financial mess you’ve made or learn new methods when it comes to managing your finances. When it comes to financial planning, it’s never too late to start!

2. Learn about money – this may sound obvious, but start doing your homework and research about all things finance. Learn about investment options, about financing available, about interest rates, and about anything that’s likely to apply to your situation before you even make your next move. Books and the internet are both great resources

3. Talk to a financial planner – you can hire a personal money adviser or speak to one that’s already available to you at your Rhode Island bank (although someone independent might be more impartial) in order to keep you informed and help you make financial decisions

4. Support yourself – if you don’t have the means to save, invest or pay off debts, you might need to get a job. Find something you love, but ensure you have a set goal for earnings that will help you reach your financial goals

5. Pay off debts – don’t put it off, find a way to start paying off credit cards and loans right away

6. Save and invest – put money away every month without fail, every little bit will help you reach your financial goals and bring financial security

Via: Let Life In

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Planning a vacation, especially in your retirement shouldn’t be stressful, but with no much going into it, there is the potential for it to be overwhelming. Enjoy the planning process as much as you intend to enjoy your vacation can be possible with the right resources, so check out the following travel websites:

1. Kayak – in order to find the lowest price fare available for their destination of choice, seniors can browse flights at this website. This is also a way for seniors to read about the various destinations and traveller reviews to make a decision about their trip. This saves the hassle of having to check fares and flight times at multiple airlines, and seniors can book directly with this travel site or use it simply as a resource

2. Away –if you’re travelling at a destination you’ve never been to, it’s hard to know what there is to do there, and leaving it until your arrival can require you to be perhaps more impulsive than you’d like. Seniors can login to Away and browse the destination they’re travelling to in order to find activities. This resource can also be used before a destination is settled on to help determine where to go!

3. Hotwire – when seniors are planning a trip ahead of time, they can setup to receive email alerts when there are sales on trips to a destination they’re considering, and prices are available for flights, accommodations and all aspects of travel

4. Orbitz – seniors who are thinking about taking a cruise or a different kid of trip, can look at Orbitz before booking to compare prices and also receive travel insurance

Via: Associated Content

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

A variety of physical problems seem to signify older adulthood, and often the solution is to medicate seniors for them, resulting in a serious drug cocktail. There is a better way sometimes, and that’s trying a more natural approach of therapeutic touch and massage. Of course, this approach is best administered by a professional in order to bring the ultimate benefits which include the following:

1. It can improve the mobility of seniors who otherwise find it too challenging or painful

2. Can help seniors to relax, addressing stress and sleep issues like insomnia that are also prevalent in seniors, effecting their overall health and well-being

3. Increases circulation in the limbs and joints, improving lubrication which can help to prevent the progression of diseases like arthritis

4. Flexibility, coordination, strength and posture are all improved when massage is applied to seniors

5. Wounds heal faster with the power of touch

6. Respiration and digestion are both stimulated with overall helps to improve the health of seniors

7. Respiration can be improved with touch and massage, and energy levels are boosted

Sources:

3. EZine Articles 

4. Associated Content 

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

For many seniors, the emotional burden that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis can be as bad as fighting the physical effects of the disease itself. But, it is possible to overcome both, and all seniors can cope with the emotional aspects of a breast cancer diagnosis with a positive attitude and a few other techniques:

1. Communicate with loved ones – while you might not want to worry the important people in your life, talk about what you’re facing, and let them lend you their support

2. Maintain an intimate relationship – if you have a spouse or partner, maintaining physical intimacy can be beneficial to your emotional well-being and ensure your spouse doesn’t begin to treat you differently

3. Keep track of your disease – by tracking your symptoms and presenting them to your medical doctor, you can feel like you’re taking control over the disease, which gives you a sense of power. Also keep track of visits in a log, save results of tests and receipts

4. Seek professional support – having the support of friends and family isn’t enough, find a support group of people who are dealing with similar struggles and talk to a counsellor, spiritual advisor or other professional

5. Educate yourself – keep yourself informed every step of the way. Do your own research and empower yourself

6. Have a backup plan – with an unpredictable disease, you need to be prepared for anything.  Don’t dwell on the worst case scenario, but plan for it

Via: About.com 

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

If you are a woman in her 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, you’re probably an old pro when it comes to having mammograms done; or at least you should be if you started having screening done in your 40’s when it’s recommended. But for those who have put off breast cancer screening out of fear or lack of knowledge, it’s time to set the record straight for breast cancer awareness month so you take control over your health.

What you can expect during a mammogram:

1. When dressing the day of the mammogram, avoid applying deodorant, talcum powder, or any other heavily scented items that can be irritating to others, or that could affect the imaging. Also wear a 2 piece outfit.

2. When arriving at the imaging office, you will be asked for copies of previous mammograms, if they do not have them already, and will also ask you to fill out a form with your medical records

3. Upon going into have the mammogram done, you will be asked to remove jewellery and clothing that can interfere with the procedure, including your shirt and bra, and any other clothing you have on above the waist

4. To prepare for the mammogram itself, one breast at a time will be placed on an imaging cassette and will be compressed with a paddle so that the maximum amount of breast tissue is visible on the image

5. The image will be taken and then the process will be repeated with the other breast

6. The images will be examined, not for results but to ensure they are effective. Typically, you will be allowed to get dressed and wait to find out if you are able to leave, or if more images are needed

7. The images and results will be returned for your doctor for review

Sources:

1. About.com 

2. Imaginis 

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Not all of us are fortunate enough to have our grandchildren living right around the corner; some of us have to travel long distances just to be able to spend some time with the youngest generation in our family, and for those of us, it can be hard to make a real impression. Maintaining that connection is so important, so here are some tips for older adults who find themselves grandparenting from a distance:

1. Take advantage of technology – email and social networking sites can allow families to remain connected. Post pictures, videos and share stories using sites like Facebook or others that can help keep grandparents and grandchildren up to date on what’s happening in each other’s lives.

2. Create fun long-distance games – to stay connected, grandparents can try fun long-distance games that let their grandchildren know they’re loved and being thought about. Create personalized crossword puzzles or word searches, send them a jar of M&Ms to countdown to the next visit, or play long-distance hide and seek, having someone hide items around the house and then giving the clues to their grandchildren over the phone.

3. Make a point to get together – it’s hard to bring families together, and easy for too much time to pass between visits. Family reunions that bring grandchildren together with their grandparents should happen at least once a year no matter what!

Sources:

1. Let Life In 

2. FamBooks 

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

A cruise ship has all of the elements that seniors look for in their retirement, but a cruise vacation is only temporary and going on multiple cruises on an annual basis can become extremely pricey. As an alternative, there are communities on the water that offer full-time living that maintains a cruising lifestyle on the Residential Cruise Line. It’s a pricey lifestyle with the sale of on-board suites ranging from $2 to $10 Million, but one that can satisfy the dreams of seniors looking to live a life at sea. Here are some tips for living on the water:

1. Pack products for seasickness – although large cruise ships do offer stability, be prepared for rough seas and before going aboard, talk to your doctor about medications or products that can help with sea sickness.

2. Pack wisely – remember, you might not have as much space for your wardrobe, so choose key items for your cruise ship suite, and make sure you have something for every occasion.

3. Think about how much you’ll be there – you can purchase a property that’s just for you on a floating community or choose one that’s shared if you still intend on staying at a primary residence for part of the year.

4. If it seems pricey, think about what you’d spend on travel – if you plan on taking trips annually, those costs can add up. Think about what you’ll spend annually, and remember, by investing in a property like this, your travel costs are virtually always covered and it tours the high seas worldwide.

Via: TrendHunter

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Sometimes simple gestures are what mean the most, so for breast cancer awareness month support a survivor in the fight against breast cancer with a gift that lends your support by showing you care and also supports a good cause. Here are some ideas for great breast cancer awareness gifts:

1. Breast cancer awareness t-shirts: you don’t need to participate an event with giveaways to receive a breast cancer awareness t-shirt. Buy one for a friend or loved one to honor their fight against breast cancer. T-shirts are available that take a light-hearted perspective to the disease and others are sentimental. Choose something that you know will mean the most to the recipient, although the gesture in itself will have the greatest meaning

2. Ribbon magnets – buying a magnet for someone who has survived breast cancer can allow them to put it on their fridge and be reminded everyday that their fight against the disease is appreciated by the people who love them. Even those who are still going through the fight will fight harder to survive if they know they are supported

3. Coffee Cups for breast cancer awareness – coffee cups can be used year-round, and like magnets, can remind recipients about the fight they’ve undergone and let them know that there’s someone to help them contribute to awareness and support towards a cure

4. Lapel pin – unlike other clothing items for breast cancer awareness, a lapel pin can be worn with any dress code, including office wear. If you purchase a lapel pin for someone who has gone through the fight against breast cancer, they can wear the accessory to show their support everywhere they go

Via: Associated Content

Image: giftsforyounow.com

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.