Hopefully, the majority of your holiday shopping is done. If you're having a hard time thinking of ideas for your elderly loved ones, you've come to the right place. Shopping for an elderly individual can be difficult. We've compiled some of the best ideas we've come across so far.
1. Basic Necessities
For some seniors, shopping can be difficult, and as a result they can run out of basic goods. Put together a collection of paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner and soap for them. They'll be grateful because they'll have to make one less trip to the store!
2. Blankets and Throws
You can never underestimate a good blanket - especially during the winter.
3. Gift Cards
There are a variety of gift cards that you can get an elderly loved one. Gift cards to pharmacies can be a great option because it will help them with prescription costs. Gift cards to different restaurants can be a wonderful excuse for your elderly loved one to get out of the house and treat themselves to a meal. If you think your senior wouldn't want to do an activity alone, you can buy a gift card to the movies for them and a friend.
4. Adaptive Tools
Whether it is a reacher-grabber or an OXO can opener, tools that have been modified to address the needs of seniors are always a great gift. It will make tasks easier for your loved one and help them around the house.
5. Photo Album/Scrapbooking Material
This is a perfect present for any seniors who want to organize their photos and focus on their family history. You can offer to help them put the photo album together and learn more about their past and life.
6. Books or an eReader
Has your elderly loved one read all of the classics? What about newer books If your elderly loved one has trouble with reading, you could get them an eReader with adjustable font size.
7. Puzzles and Games
This is a great present because it will keep your elderly loved one's mind engaged, and it will also offer them an opportunity to socialize with friends.
8. Donate to Charity
If your elderly loved one truly does not want any gifts, you can donate to a charity for them. You can make a donation to a local charity under their name or find a more hands on charity. For example, Heiffer International offers a wonderful program in which you can buy an animal for a community.
9. Your Help
Offer to help your elderly loved one with something. For example, offer to clean their house for them or offer to take their clothes to the drycleaner for them. Helping with extra errands is always a nice treat!
10. Your Company
Spend time with your elderly loved one! This might be the most valuable gift on the list.
Have any other ideas? Post them below in the comments section!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Music Therapy for the Elderly
According to the American Music Therapy Association, Music Therapy is defined as the following:
“Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”
Music is something that isn’t always thought of in a clinical sense, but the benefits of music therapy can be incredible. Music therapy can be especially helpful in the senior citizen population.
For the elderly, music therapy can help in numerous ways. In 2012 a YouTube video of an elderly man named Henry went viral on YouTube. At the beginning of the video, he was unresponsive, but with the aid of a set of headphones and some music he became animated and responsive. This served as a reminder that music therapy is an incredible tool when working with the elderly.
Here are some of the things that music therapy can do:
• Listening to music will help to ease anxiety in older patients.
• Lyric writing and singing can help with the expression of different emotions and feelings.
• Music can help strengthen the immune system.
• Listening to music releases dopamine, which is associated with pleasure.
• It is incredibly helpful for individuals who are non-verbal. Music crosses all communication barriers, so it can be especially helpful with individuals who have suffered a stroke or are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
• For older patients, music is linked with memories, so it can stimulate memories, increase awareness and initiate emotional responses.
If you know of an elderly individual who may benefit from music therapy, you can reach out to a local music therapist. Additionally, you could sit with your elderly loved one and make a playlist of different songs they enjoy. You can spend time listening to the music with your elderly loved one and both reap the benefits of music!
For more information on music therapy, you can visit these websites:
CNN Health: When patients have ‘music emergencies’
NPR: For Elders With Dementia, Musical Awakenings
American Music Therapy Association
“Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”
Music is something that isn’t always thought of in a clinical sense, but the benefits of music therapy can be incredible. Music therapy can be especially helpful in the senior citizen population.
For the elderly, music therapy can help in numerous ways. In 2012 a YouTube video of an elderly man named Henry went viral on YouTube. At the beginning of the video, he was unresponsive, but with the aid of a set of headphones and some music he became animated and responsive. This served as a reminder that music therapy is an incredible tool when working with the elderly.
Here are some of the things that music therapy can do:
• Listening to music will help to ease anxiety in older patients.
• Lyric writing and singing can help with the expression of different emotions and feelings.
• Music can help strengthen the immune system.
• Listening to music releases dopamine, which is associated with pleasure.
• It is incredibly helpful for individuals who are non-verbal. Music crosses all communication barriers, so it can be especially helpful with individuals who have suffered a stroke or are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
• For older patients, music is linked with memories, so it can stimulate memories, increase awareness and initiate emotional responses.
If you know of an elderly individual who may benefit from music therapy, you can reach out to a local music therapist. Additionally, you could sit with your elderly loved one and make a playlist of different songs they enjoy. You can spend time listening to the music with your elderly loved one and both reap the benefits of music!
For more information on music therapy, you can visit these websites:
CNN Health: When patients have ‘music emergencies’
NPR: For Elders With Dementia, Musical Awakenings
American Music Therapy Association
Monday, November 4, 2013
Pet Therapy for the Elderly
It’s universally accepted that pets bring joy to everyone. For the elderly, they can be an incredible resource for healing, and there is scientific evidence to support that they can have a direct impact on quality of life. Whether it is a Bernese Mountain dog or a small rabbit, these furry creatures each bring their own unique health benefits to individuals.
Here are some ways in which pets can help seniors:
• Pet therapy has been shown to increase mood and decrease feelings of depression in elderly patients.
• Petting an animal has been associated with decreased blood pressure and lowered cholesterol levels.
• Pet owners are less likely to die of heart related illness than individuals who don’t own a pet.
• Regular interaction with an animal will also help to decrease feelings of loneliness in the elderly.
• Elderly will take better care of themselves when they have a pet that is dependent upon them.
• Working with animals provides an opportunity for increased physical activity. For example, taking a dog on a short stroll will increase cardiovascular activity and contribute to overall well-being.
• The act of petting an animal will help to increase mobility and dexterity.
• For individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia, it has been shown that interaction with animals helps to decrease agitation.
The list of benefits goes on and on, but it is clear that interaction with animals can bring a lot to elderly individuals. If you know of a senior who you think will benefit from a pet, bring it up to them or their family. If it doesn’t seem that they would be able to care for a pet, you can look to your community for pet therapy programs.
For more information on the benefits of pet therapy, you can visit the following websites:
Everyday Health: How Animal Therapy Helps Dementia Patients
Love to Know Senior Citizens: Pet Therapy
Here are some ways in which pets can help seniors:
• Pet therapy has been shown to increase mood and decrease feelings of depression in elderly patients.
• Petting an animal has been associated with decreased blood pressure and lowered cholesterol levels.
• Pet owners are less likely to die of heart related illness than individuals who don’t own a pet.
• Regular interaction with an animal will also help to decrease feelings of loneliness in the elderly.
• Elderly will take better care of themselves when they have a pet that is dependent upon them.
• Working with animals provides an opportunity for increased physical activity. For example, taking a dog on a short stroll will increase cardiovascular activity and contribute to overall well-being.
• The act of petting an animal will help to increase mobility and dexterity.
• For individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia, it has been shown that interaction with animals helps to decrease agitation.
The list of benefits goes on and on, but it is clear that interaction with animals can bring a lot to elderly individuals. If you know of a senior who you think will benefit from a pet, bring it up to them or their family. If it doesn’t seem that they would be able to care for a pet, you can look to your community for pet therapy programs.
For more information on the benefits of pet therapy, you can visit the following websites:
Everyday Health: How Animal Therapy Helps Dementia Patients
Love to Know Senior Citizens: Pet Therapy
Friday, October 18, 2013
Elder Health Update: Celiac Awareness Month
Did you know that October is Celiac Awareness month? More
importantly, did you know that Celiac Disease can be a serious problem in older
adults? In a study published by Annals of Medicine researchers
found that there was a change in gluten tolerance with age. They found that
people in their 60s and 70s were being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, even
though they had been consuming gluten without any complications their entire
life.
For the elderly, Celiac Disease can pose a serious problem.
When an individual with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity consumes gluten, a
protein found in wheat barley and rye, their body has an autoimmune response to
the protein. This autoimmune response causes a wide variety of symptoms, some
of which include gastrointestinal distress. For the elderly, this can be
especially troubling because some of the symptoms such as joint pain can be
misdiagnosed.
Fortunately, a gluten free diet will help to alleviate the
symptoms brought on by Celiac Disease. You can read more about the study by clicking
here.
Friday, October 11, 2013
2013 Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease
Long Term Solutions recently participated in the Boston/Cambridge Walk to End Alzheimer’s! Our team walked six miles to increase awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and to raise money and support for Alzheimer’s research. Here is a photo of Team LTS before the walk. You can look at more pictures by visiting our Facebook page.
Friday, September 27, 2013
LTS Caregivers and Their Stories
Here at Long Term Solutions, we support caregivers and we are caregivers. Many LTS employees are the primary caregivers for an ailing or aging loved one. They have first-hand experience with caregiving, and know what about the different emotions involved with caregiving.They've experienced the joys that come with caregiving, and they've also endured the hardships. Meet four of our employees below. Click on their names to read their full stories.
Click here to meet Brenda.
"What I really love about working on the administrative side of Long Term Solutions is that at the end of the day I know the work we do is helping someone," explained Brenda. "At the other end of the phone or on the other end of the assessment is someone who we’re helping. There’s a person behind every claim number." Caregiving is something Brenda has been doing full-time since 2000, and, because of this, she is really able to relate to the adult caregivers she talks to on the phone every day.'"
Click here to meet Karen.
"The greatest joy is watching him smile, when he smiles," said Karen about her father-in-law. "I tell my husband – I just live for that."
Laughter is one thing about caregiving that brings joy to Karen. Another is taking her father-in-law out to eat fried clams at Red Wing Diner just down the street from her house. The third is having conversations with him.
Click here to meet Debbie.
"Where’s the nurse?" demanded a young and visibly stressed doctor. Debbie was in a hospital room with her mother and two other nurses. Her mother had developed the flu and pneumonia simultaneously, and they were at the ER for the second time.
"No, where’s the nurse? The family member who is a nurse," he insisted.
The nurses looked at each other, confused. Debbie was the nurse he was referring to, but she remained silent.
Click here to meet Nancy.
"She was just sobbing. She walked down the hall of her nursing home and told every nurse and patient ‘my husband has died… did you know my husband died?'" remembers Nancy. Nancy and her brother had just told their mother that their father and her husband had died. Nancy's mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease five years ago, and her husband had been the primary caregiver for almost four years. But in September 2011 he fell ill and within four months Nancy lost him to renal failure.
Click here to meet Brenda.
"What I really love about working on the administrative side of Long Term Solutions is that at the end of the day I know the work we do is helping someone," explained Brenda. "At the other end of the phone or on the other end of the assessment is someone who we’re helping. There’s a person behind every claim number." Caregiving is something Brenda has been doing full-time since 2000, and, because of this, she is really able to relate to the adult caregivers she talks to on the phone every day.'"
Click here to meet Karen.
"The greatest joy is watching him smile, when he smiles," said Karen about her father-in-law. "I tell my husband – I just live for that."
Laughter is one thing about caregiving that brings joy to Karen. Another is taking her father-in-law out to eat fried clams at Red Wing Diner just down the street from her house. The third is having conversations with him.
Click here to meet Debbie.
"Where’s the nurse?" demanded a young and visibly stressed doctor. Debbie was in a hospital room with her mother and two other nurses. Her mother had developed the flu and pneumonia simultaneously, and they were at the ER for the second time.
"No, where’s the nurse? The family member who is a nurse," he insisted.
The nurses looked at each other, confused. Debbie was the nurse he was referring to, but she remained silent.
Click here to meet Nancy.
"She was just sobbing. She walked down the hall of her nursing home and told every nurse and patient ‘my husband has died… did you know my husband died?'" remembers Nancy. Nancy and her brother had just told their mother that their father and her husband had died. Nancy's mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease five years ago, and her husband had been the primary caregiver for almost four years. But in September 2011 he fell ill and within four months Nancy lost him to renal failure.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Alzheimer’s Disease
This month, Long Term Solutions will be participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This will be the third year that we’re participating, and it’s a cause that we are very passionate about. Alzheimer’s disease is the most commonly diagnosed form of dementia. In 2006, there were 26.6 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This number is expected to be 1 in 85 by 2050.
Alzheimer’s disease can only be definitively diagnosed post-mortem. There are two characteristic markers that signal Alzheimer’s disease: plaques and tangles. Plaque is a build-up of beta-amyloid protein fragments, and these accumulate in the brain between nerve cells. The tangles are created when another protein, tau, twists together and creates these clumps or tangles. With Alzheimer’s disease, these develop in the parts of the brain that are crucial for memory. Eventually, the nerve cells in the brain die off and then cause the typical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
What are some of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s? Here are ten early signs, from the Alzheimer’s Association:
- Is the individual experiencing memory loss that impacts their day to day life?
- Are they having issues solving problems? Are they having difficulty solving problems?
- Does it seem like the individual is experiencing difficulty with routine tasks that they used to be able to do?
- One key symptom is being unable to conceptualize the date and the time.
- Does it seem like they are having issues with visual images and spatial relationships?
- Are they having problems with new words? Are they having trouble reading or writing?
- Do they frequently lose things? Are they unable to retrace their steps?
- Does it seem like they have been making poor decisions? Does their judgment seem sound?
- Have they been avoiding social activities?
- Lastly, have you noticed changes in mood and personality?
All of these can signal cognitive changes in older adults. If you recognize these symptoms in an individual, you should contact their primary physician immediately.
You can visit the Long Term Solutions team page by clicking here.
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