Vacationing with your Elderly Loved Ones

With all of the major holidays over, it’s likely that you’ll be traveling with your elderly loved ones. Traveling with the elderly can seem like a daunting task, but there are two things to remember: plan ahead and allow yourself extra time.

Plan ahead! Call the airport, train station, or bus station before you and your elderly depart. Find out what information they’ll need to get through security, what things they can and can’t bring with them, and any additional physician documentation you may need. Don’t wait until the last minute to pack, and set up a packing scheduling for your elderly loved ones. It’s never a good idea to rush through packing.

Secondly, figure out how much time you think it will take you and your elderly loved one to get from your home to your seats on the plane, train or bus. Now, take that number, and add at least an hour. Chances are, you will hit some sort of obstacle. There may be a large line at the airport, you could forget your tickets and have to get them reprinted, or there may just be traffic getting to your location. Rushing will only make your traveling experience more stressful, so give yourself a break with extra time.

Here are some great resources for you to look at before setting out on your journey:

AgingCare.com: Traveling with the Elderly

New York Times: Flying Tips for Older Passengers

USA Today: Travel Tips for the Elderly

Finding the Flu Shot

As we discussed in our previous post, the flu virus is incredibly serious for the elderly. The elderly are especially susceptible to the flu, and they can develop serious complications if they contract it. Furthermore, for elderly people with pre-existing conditions, the flu can be an incredibly dangerous virus to come in contact with because of conditions can develop as a result of it.

You can find a flu vaccine clinic through Flu Near You:  https://flunearyou.org/

Flu Outbreak is Incredibly Dangerous for the Elderly

In Massachusetts, the Mayor of Boston has declared the flu outbreak a public health emergency. According to the release, there have been 700 cases of the flu since October. This is ten times the number of individuals diagnosed with the flu at this time last year. Sadly, the release goes on to say that all four of the individuals who have passed away because of the flu were elderly.

For the elderly population, the flu is incredibly dangerous. Often times, senior communities and elder care facilities will have to quarantine their residents during an outbreak. The reason the flu is so dangerous is because they are at a much higher risk for flu related complications. Anyone over 65 is considered in the high risk category because the immune system weakens with age. Additionally, individuals with chronic illnesses are also considered to be at a higher risk for complications. Many elderly individuals are also dealing with chronic illnesses, so this puts many of them at an incredibly high risk. When these high risk individuals develop the flu, it can result in serious complications such as:

 - Pneumonia
- Bronchitis
- Respiratory infections
- Respiratory failure
- Death

The best defense against the flu is the vaccine. Encourage anyone you know who is over 65 to get the vaccine. Additionally, early recognition of flu symptoms in any elderly loved ones is one of the best ways to prevent complications. If your elderly loved one starts complaining of the following symptoms, they may be developing the flu.

 - Fever
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle aches
- Sore throat

If your elderly loved one starts experiencing these symptoms, contact their doctor immediately. Aside from complications from the flu, colds in general can cause dehydration. Be sure to keep your elderly loved one hydrated with drinks and nutritious soups.

If you are a caregiver or interact with any elderly on a regular basis, be sure to follow several precautions to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from the flu.

- Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly
- Keep your hands away from your face, especially your eyes, nose and mouth
- Cover your moth when coughing
- Avoid any friends who may be suffering from the flu

If you want more information about the flu, take a look at the CDC’s website dedicated to the Seasonal Flu: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Happy New Year, from Long Term Solutions

With the New Year comes new resolutions, and we think that one of the most important things a caregiver can do is to commit more time to themselves. If you are a caregiver, resolve to spend five minutes a day to yourself. You don't have to resolve to journal more, commit to working out more, but just dedicate five minutes to yourself. This act will help you remember your own needs in caregiving, and it will help tremendously with caregiver burnout.

That being said, we would like to wish all of our friends, family, and all of our supports a very Happy New Year!

Shopping Guide for the Elderly

Thinking of gift ideas can be incredibly challenging, and it’s even more difficult when shopping for the elderly. They have almost everything they need, and, in some cases, they have too much of what they need and their home is cluttered! However, there are a lot of new technologies that are senior friendly, and there are innovative items out there that can help your elderly loved one with daily tasks. In addition to that, there are some traditional gifts that are great for seniors!

If you’re senior is adept with technology, here are some gift ideas for them:

· You could get your elderly loved on an eReader. With an eReader, they can adjust the size of the font, which is helpful for anyone with impairedvision. In addition to that, most eReaders are backlit and light-weight, so they are great for reading before bed.

· A tablet is also a great option for a senior. There are a lot of applications they can download such as medication reminders, fun brain exercises, and most of the social media applications can help them keep in touch with their family.

· A digital picture frame preloaded with pictures of you and your family can be a treasure to an elderly person.

· A Ninteno Wii is a wonderful option for an active senior. They have fun games that can be downloaded and it’s a great way to get your senior up and moving.

Adaptive equipment can make a wonderful gift for the elderly. Here are some ideas:

· A magnifying glass can come in handy for a senior with failing vision.

· OXO has a wide range of options for adaptive kitchen equipment. If your elderly loved one still loves to cook, consider purchasing them some good grip items.

· A grabber-reachercan be a great tool for seniors who have trouble bending down or raising their arms. It can help them grab things in hard to reach places.

Here are some traditional gifts that your elderly loved one will appreciate:

· Slippers and socks are always a great present, and they can be great for seniors whose feet can often become chilly. Non-skid socks are a great gift for seniors who like to wear them around the house.

· Mittens, gloves and hats are good gifts for the same reason – elderly often find their hands becoming chilly.

· In addition to that, blankets and throws are always a good addition to a seniors home.

If you’re all out of ideas, a giftcard can be a great present. You can get a giftcard to the grocery store, the gas station, or their favorite restaurant. Another great idea is to buy a giftcard for the pharmacy that your elderly loved one shops at. They can use this towards prescriptions and medications, which add up quickly!

Preparing Your Elderly Loved One for the Winter

Every year, we write about winter safety for the elderly. Why? It’s an incredibly important topic, for a couple of reasons. First, the harsh storms and cold weather associated with winter can be very dangerous for the elderly. Secondly, there is a lot of preparation work that needs to be done in and around the home to prepare for winter. This work can be physically taxing and difficult for the elderly, and they may not be able to complete it before winter sets in.

Tips for keeping outside walkways safe and clear: 

 • To avoid falls, put canisters full of kitty litter, sand, salt and gravel at the top of each set of outside stairs. This way, your elderly loved one can easily throw the mixture over any icy patches.

• Contact your elderly loved one’s neighbors. If you can’t be there following a snow storm, have their phone numbers handy and ask them to check on your senior. In addition, pay the neighbor’s son to shovel your ailing or aging loved one’s walkways after a storm.

• Go through your elderly loved one’s home and check all outside railings. Make sure that they are sturdy and that your elderly loved one can easily grab on to on them while walking on anything slippery.

Tips for preparing the house for winter:

• Give your elderly loved one extra blankets, scarves, hats and mittens. This way, if the heat goes out they will still remain warm.

• Check carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and replace any old batteries.

• Have a professional check the heating system in your elderly loved one’s home. In addition to that, clear any clutter away from heating vents to prevent fires.

General safety tips:

• Stock up on non-perishable goods, and have at least a few gallons of water in an easily accessibly place.

• Make sure that all batteries in flashlights have been replaced, and make sure that candles and matches are easily accessible.

• Lastly, ensure that your elderly loved one has an extra prescription of any necessary medications available in case they get snowed in.

The most important thing to remember is to stay in constant communication with your ailing or aging loved one!

Why is caregiving especially important to employers during the holidays?

As we’ve discussed before, it’s nearly impossible to separate work life and personal life – especially when you are a caregiver. This becomes even more apparent during the holidays. For caregivers, this time of the year can be especially stressful. For employers, this translates into lost productivity, absenteeism and decreased profits as caregivers face emotional upset, stress and physical exhaustion.

Emotional Upset

How does it affect caregivers? Any caregiver can tell you that they’ve experienced guilt, and this can become worse during the holidays. Many caregivers experience guilt about disrupting the schedule of their ailing or aging loved one, not spending enough time with their family, and guilt about taking time to themselves. In addition to that, family events can bring up sadness and old wounds. Having all family members in one spot can remind people of how much has changed, and cause them to wish for the “good old days.” The holidays can be a very emotional time for caregivers.

How does it affect businesses? The caregivers who are feeling all of these difficult emotions need to feel supported by their employers during this difficult time. In an unsupported work environment, caregivers can easily feel overwhelmed, and this can result in absenteeism.

Stress

How does it affect caregivers? With holidays, there seems to be a never-ending list of to-do’s. For caregivers, this can be an issue because many caregivers have a strict schedule that they follow while providing care for their ailing or aging loved one. This schedule helps them to fulfill all of their caregiving responsibilities as well as their responsibilities to their employer, their family, and their friends. The holidays quickly interrupt to this schedule. These disruptions in this schedule cause stress for the caregiver and for the person they are providing care for.

How does it affect businesses? Employers are impacted because these high stress levels can result in presenteeism. Presenteeism is when an employee is physically at work, but they are not working at their highest potential. This is common among caregiver employees because they have an incredible amount of stress in all aspects of their life. Caring for somebody can be incredibly difficult, and during the holidays this stress is increased.

Physical Exhaustion

How does this affect caregivers? With all of the commitments around the holidays, caregivers can become physically exhausted. It’s exhausting for caregivers to maintain their responsibilities to their ailing or aging loved one, their employer and their family.

How does this affect businesses? Once again, this physical exhaustion can result in abseenteeism and presenteeism.

What can employers do? Employers can support their employees with programs such as WeCare+. At Long Term Solutions, we know how to work with caregivers and we are experts in eldercare. We will work with any caregiver employees you have and help them develop a plan of care and support them during their time as a caregiver. To learn more about WeCare+, visit our website by clicking here.