Rhode Island

Younger generations sometimes mock seniors for being frugal – but they don’t understand what it’s like living on a limited income, with no full-time employment and paycheck to help make ends meet through retirement. For seniors, stretching every dollar just a little bit further is crucial for survival; especially during an economic downturn, and especially now with the holidays, and more expenses, appearing just around the corner:

1. Talk to a professional – talking to a financial planner, either by using a service or speaking with one provided by a local branch of your bank can help you make sure you plan to meet your financial goals and needs. For example, they can help you get on track saving for future medical or care needs.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – if you’re struggling to cover your basic needs then your local Area Agency on Aging can connect you with resources that can help

3. Find ways to reduce utility costs – keep blinds down and windows and doors closed to preserve optimal temperatures for your house

4. Walk, don’t drive – taking a car or public transportation can be more costly, so walk when possible and benefit your health and your wallet

5. Never make fast financial decisions – always ask for a second opinion before making decisions

6. Grow your own produce – plant a garden in your yard, a family member’s garden, or in a community plot to grow your own produce and cut down on food costs

7. Buy healthy items – convenient, pre-prepared items might be fast and easy, but they are less healthy and often  more expensive

8. Buy generic – generic brands are less expensive, purchase them for foods and for your medications

9. Carpool – it’s more fun to travel places with company anyways; share transportation costs by carpooling!

10. Plan to stay at home – aging in place is the more desirable option for most seniors, and it can be more cost-effective too

Via: Home Instead Senior Care

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.

Every second counts when you’re a family caregiver, especially when you’re one of many who also has a career and a family and household to care for. No task needs to take any longer than it should, and one thing that you can cut down on to find more time is your reading. Getting through necessary documents that will improve your skills and knowledge as a caregiver might not be something you can cut out of your day, but you can cut out the time it takes!

1. Learn active reading – often when reading our minds drift away and we’re not totally engaged in what’s in front of us on the pages. Try to more actively engage your mind by taking notes, doodling keywords or underlining key words in passages. This will also help to engage your memory

2. Try a reading software – software programs like EyeQ teach you how to physically read faster by helping you learn how to move your eyes back and forth more quickly when reading

3. Try a technique called Photoreading – if you’re reading for the sake of gathering specific information alone from a document, you can increase your reading speed with this technique which teaches you to focus on what you want to get out of the book or document

Sources:

1. Gaia

2. Nina Potter

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.

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.

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.

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.

With 1 in 3 women suffering from some form of bladder weakness in older adulthood, it comes as somewhat of a surprise that seniors in the workplace try so hard to mask a problem that they consider embarrassing, and perhaps a sign of weakness. Rhode Island seniors who have not yet retired make every effort to ensure that their urinary incontinence does not effect their ability to perform their job, and this is possible with a few simple tips, including learning control and purchasing the right products to help.

1) Get the right pads – menstrual pads are not designed the same as pads for incontinence, get some good quality absorbent pads that can also help to control odor. These will come in handy during a long, important meeting when you can’t escape to the bathroom
2) Practice odor prevention – some incontinence products release a pleasant odor when in contact with fluid, or you can buy sprays to help control the effects of incontinence
3) Use a tampon – for women, tampons also put pressure on the urethra which can also help to control leaks that come with incontinence
4) Watch what you drink – despite the need to remain hydrated, during a long meeting, avoid drinking too much water or coffee, otherwise you’ll have a full bladder and might leak when you stand
5) Consider your wardrobe – choosing darker colored suits for the office will help to mask the presence of fluid
6) Do kegels – to strengthen bladder muscles, regularly contract the muscles you’d use to stop the flow of urine
7) Train your bladder – try to slowly increase the time between bathroom visits until you can go between 3-4 hours between trips
8. Use a pessary – most common to help bladder weakness after pregnancy, a pessary can help to control incontinence
9) Use deep breathing – when you feel the urge to go, practice deep breathing for 5 minutes until the need passes.
10)  Tighten the pelvic muscles – when you’re going to laugh or cough, tighten the pelvic muscles to prevent leakage

Sources:

1. Web MD
2. Wikipedia

Image Source: pro.corbis.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.

Having had pets all of my life, I couldn’t imagine not having them around me on a daily basis – not even in older adulthood when it can become increasingly more difficult to care for yourself, little less a demanding pet like a dog. But while there might be challenges, I don’t think that would stop me from having a furry companion in my home as a senior, because it’s a time of life when companionship is needed more than ever. Fortunately, I think that it’s even more of a realistic reality for seniors to keep pets today, and will be even more so in the future with the availability of pet technologies that can make pet care more simple and convenient for older adults.

• Hyrdosurge – an all-in-one dog bathing system that automatically suds with shampoo, combs and rinses. It’s a device that can be attached to any faucet, and it resembles the end of a garden hose. This can help seniors who face physical strain when struggling to restrain a pet and fumble with multiple bathing devices and products
• GoDogGo – every dog needs exercise, but throwing a ball can be physically laborious for seniors, so this is a product that automatically shoots out tennis balls to entertain and exercise a dog
• Komfort Climate-Controlled Pet Carrier – you’re never supposed to leave a pet in the hot car, but when out and running errands with pets, seniors are able to leave their pets in the climate controlled pet carriers. They adjust the temperature of the carrier if the car temperature is too hot or too cold
• The Haptic Creature – for those seniors who really can’t have a living pet, there’s a robotic version that provides the same therapeutic benefits, as the pet responds to touch and sound just like a real animal

Sources:

1. Forbes

Image Source: pro.corbis.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.

Q – My dad was diagnosed with verbal apraxia following a series of strokes. We have already implemented some tips that a doctor gave us to help us to communicate with him and vice versa, but I’m wondering if there are any treatment options available in Rhode Island that can help improve the condition or communication techniques in general?

A – Many of the techniques that are used do work on improving communication techniques, not so much from the family’s perspective, but from that of the senior’s. They might not be able to regain their speech with these conditions, but can potentially learn to communicate more effectively so they aren’t relegated to a life of silence. Many seniors who require treatment for aphasia or apraxia receive treatment from a speech or communication pathologist. Your local Area Agency on Aging in Rhode Island can help point you towards the appropriate resources if your doctor is unable to.

Sources:

1. Stroke Association
2. The Aphasia Institute
3. Orange Blossom Farm
4. About

Image Source: pro.corbis.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.

One of the best ways that Rhode Island seniors can fend off stress, is to maintain a strong support network of close friends and family who they can go to when they feel stressed, or when they just need to relax and kick back. But maintaining a strong support network takes work too. Take the following test to determine if your senior is maintaining a strong support network, and if it’s serving its ultimate purpose of reducing stress and providing support.

• His/her support network provides a sense of belonging which reduces loneliness and stress

• His/her support network provides a sense of self-worth

• His/her support network provides security, because the individuals look out for the senior’s well-being

• There is regular communication with all friends and family members in the senior’s support network

• No member of the support network causes him/her additional, unneeded stress

• He/she tells the support network how much they’re appreciated, and these feelings and gestures are reciprocated

• Mutual support is provided by everyone in the support network; he/she expects support from friends and family, but provides the same courtesy by listening and providing support

Sources: www.sccgov.org

1. Mayo Clinic
2. The American Institute of Stress

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.

Everyone feels stress on occasion, but learning to cope with it using effective strategies is necessary to get over the hurdles. Here are some tried and true techniques, recommended by family caregivers on how they reduce their own stress and that experienced by their elderly care recipients in Rhode Island.

“I don’t allow myself to ever get overwhelmed by stress. When I encounter a situation that causes anxiety, I take a step back, and use deep breathing techniques learned from practicing yoga. While it’s not always possible to walk away from a stressful situation, especially when caring for an elderly loved one, by practicing this method of stress management, I find things don’t affect me as much”

- Marilyn, 58

“I find that my elderly mother is often plagued by anxiety, and with so much change and uncertainty in her life, I can’t blame her. I find the best cure for stress to help make sure my mother doesn’t become too overwhelmed is to keep her engaged in social activities. By connecting with friends and family, she staves off loneliness and has more positive feelings about stressful situations.”

- Sandra, 45

“When I started practicing yoga in Rhode Island when I reached middle age, I was initially reluctant because I no longer had the flexibility I had in my 20’s. After realizing just how beneficial the relaxation techniques and physical activity was for my stress level, I encouraged my elderly mother to give a senior yoga class a try. She had concerns about her level of physical fitness, just as I had; but with modified poses and supportive apparatuses to help with the exercise, she’s experiencing the benefits too!”

- Michelle, 52

Sources:

1. American Institute of Stress

2. About

Image: www.prlog.org

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.