Christmas is a busy time for most people as they rush to get everything organised. During this rush period elderly individuals often get over-looked and forgotten about. It is important to remember that Christmas can often be a lonely and depressing time for the elderly. Here are some tips to help make this time happy and hassle free for the elderly individuals you know:

1. Spend time with them. Elderly individuals are often lonely due to the fact they have little interaction with others during the day. Many elderly people just enjoy conversing with others, and you stopping by just to chat can make their day.

2. Take a small gift. Everyone enjoys receiving a gift and the elderly are no different. Why not make a small gift, such as cooking some Christmas treats. They will appreciate the home made touch and it will show you care.

3. Help decorate their house or care room. Many elderly still love Christmas decorations but due to their physical limitations are unable to put them up themselves. Helping do this will bring some Christmas cheer and will be a nice bonding experience. Don’t forget to help take them down after the festivities!

4. Take them along to your Christmas activities. It is often difficult for the elderly to get around and often do not like going by themselves. If you are attending Christmas activities, such as the local carols by candlelight or your child’s school Christmas play, or even driving around the local neighbourhood to see the Christmas lights – offer to take them with you.

5. Assist with Christmas shopping. One of the best ways to help an elderly individual during the lead up to Christmas is to help them with their Christmas shopping. Almost all elderly people have family that they will exchange gifts with, thus they will need to do some shopping. This can often be an intimidating and frightening experience due to the crowds and the traffic. You can make their Christmas shopping experience pleasant by offering to take them and helping them out.

Aged Care Connect have provided helpful guidelines to aid you in the difficult and stressful search of finding an aged care facility for a parent, spouse or friend.

There are a few rules that you should follow to make the process simpler.

Location
No single factor is more important to quality of care and quality of life of a resident than visits by family members.  Visits can be the high point of the day or week for the resident. So, make it as easy as possible for family members and friends to visit.

Get references
Ask the facility to provide the names of family members of residents so you can ask them about the care provided in the facility and the staff’s responsiveness when the resident or relatives raise concerns.

Talk to the nursing home administrator or nursing staff
Ask staff how care plans are developed for residents and how they respond to concerns expressed by family members. Tour the facilityTry not to be impressed by a fancy lobby or depressed by an older, more rundown facility. What matters most is the quality of care and the interactions between staff and residents.

See what you pick up about how well residents are attended to and whether they are treated with respect. Investigate the quality of the food service. Eating is both a necessity and a pleasure that continues even when we’re unable to enjoy much else.

How do families choose between aged care homes?
Most families begin the process of finding the right aged care home after they have the copy of the aged care assessment from the ACAT.

The selection of the aged care home is important and will have a major impact upon your relative and upon the families peace of mind.

Final word of warning – Stories from well meaning friends and neighbours
Be wary of stories from friends and neighbours who have good intentions, but may not  fully understand the current status of the aged care home.

The Alzheimer’s Association in the US have provided 10 signs to help you recognise that Alzheimer’s Disease might becoming a problem for an elderly person in your care.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s is memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting important dates or events; asking for the same information over and over; relying on memory aides or family members for things they used to handle on their own.

2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
Some people may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. They may have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. They may have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than they did before.

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
People with Alzheimer’s often find it hard to complete daily tasks. Sometimes, people may have trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules of a favorite game.

4. Confusion with time or place
People with Alzheimer’s can lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time. They may have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately. Sometimes they may forget forget where they are or how they got there.

5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
For some people, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer’s. They may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining colour or contrast.

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
People with Alzheimer’s may have trouble following or joining a conversation. They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue or they may repeat themselves. They may struggle with vocabulary, have problems finding the right word or call things by the wrong name.

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places. They may lose things and be unable to go back over their steps to find them again. Sometimes, they may accuse others of stealing. This may occur more frequently over time.

8. Decreased or poor judgment
People with Alzheimer’s may experience changes in judgment or decision-making. For example, they may use poor judgment when dealing with money, giving large amounts to telemarketers. They may pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean.

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
A person with Alzheimer’s may start to remove themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports. They may have trouble keeping up with a favourite sports team or remembering how to complete a favourite hobby. They may also avoid being social because of the changes they have experienced.

10. Changes in mood and personality
The mood and personalities of people with Alzheimer’s can change. They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.

Caring for elderly spouse presents difficult challenges. It is extremely important to ensure your loved one is properly cared for, but it is equally important to look after yourself.

Looking after a loved one is a stressful and strenuous process and sometimes it can all become too much. It is important to constantly evaluate your situation and assess if the current situation is best for the both of you. Care giver stress have provided some hints to help you gauge if spousal caregiving has become too risky for you:

• Missing or delaying your own doctor appointments
• Ignoring your own health problems or symptoms
• Not eating a healthy diet for lack of time Overusing tobacco and alcohol when you feel stressed
• Giving up exercise habits for lack of time
• Losing sleep Losing connections with friends for lack of time to socialize
• Bottling up feelings of anger and frustration and then being surprised by angry, even violent, outbursts directed at your spouse, other family members, co-workers – even strangers
• Feeling sad, down, depressed or hopeless
• Loss of energy
• Lacking interest in things that used to give you (and your spouse) pleasure
• Feeling resentful toward your spouse
• Blaming your spouse for the situation
• Feeling that people ask more of you than they should
• Feeling like caregiving has affected family relationships in a negative way
• Feeling annoyed by other family members who don’t help out or who criticize your care

If you are experiencing a number of these signs, it is important to get support. Sometimes even the most resourceful person needs to ask for help from other family members or outside professionals or sources. It is important to take care of yourself, while taking care of someone else.

Home Instead Senior Care and Rebecca Kolls, star of television show Rebecca’s Garden have provided some helpful hints to help seniors continue to enjoy gardening.

This dual-effort public-education campaign has sought to bring back gardening joys to seniors who have difficulty maintaining gardens, or who have given up gardening altogether due to health or age concerns. The initiative’s primary feature, a four-color gardening guide, includes lots of helpful tips and several fun, simple projects seniors can easily complete – either independently or with their families or caregivers.

Kolls, whose grandparents originally inspired her interest in gardening, credits gardens with supplying not only food and beauty, but also improved mental and physical well-being.

“There’s a nurturing aspect in gardening where you take a seed and coddle it,” Kolls said. “Seniors have given up child rearing, so gardening gives them baby plants and seedlings again. It’s a new way of caring for something.”

“We often hear our CAREGivers speak of their clients who love to care for plants and flowers, and how they see it enriching those clients’ lives,” said Home Instead Senior Care CEO Paul Hogan. “Many of our CAREGivers enjoy gardening as well, and are thrilled to help seniors enjoy gardening and plant projects.”

Another great thing about gardening as a senior activity is that it is timeless. “The beauty of the garden, if done well, will provide four seasons of color. While seniors in warmer climates can garden year-round, those in cold-weather climates should not despair,” Kolls said. “In the winter, snow catches in seed heads, and birds find refuge in shrubbery and feed off seeds from the cone flowers. So no matter where you live, there’s alwayssomething growing in the garden.”

One Container; Many Opportunities

A little creative thinking and some assistance from families or caregivers helps ensure that seniors can continue to enjoy the types of gardening they love. “Imagine growing almost everything for a recipe in one container,” Kolls said. “What a great gift idea!”

She suggests the following projects to get you started:

• Try a pizza garden! (If your senior isn’t a pizza fan, he or she might enjoy growing one for grandchildren.) Whiskey barrels work well for growing tomatoes, but can be expensive. A plastic laundry basket with holes cut in the bottom for drainage will work just as well. Plant a Roma tomato in the center, onions along the sides of the tomato and basil around the edge of the container.
• A twist on the pizza garden concept: a fresh salsa garden! It’s similar to a pizza garden, only with tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and cilantro.
• A one-pot vegetable garden is always a hit! Take three bamboo poles and make a teepee in the center of the pot. Plant beans at the base of each bamboo pole, and fill the horizontal space around the pot with carrots, beets or other favorite root vegetables (make sure your pot is at least 10 to 12 inches deep.)

Rebecca’s Senior Gardening Tips

Check out these handy tidbits on how to help the seniors achieve gardening success:

1. Herbs grow anywhere and are great for seasoning. Kitchen herb gardens are wonderful for seniors. The more you pinch and pick the herbs, such as basil, parsley and chives, the more vigorous they grow.
2. Think height, filler and spiller. When you’re creating flowerpots, consider height, filler and spiller. Plant a variety that will grow at least twice as tall as the container; fill in with plants that will grow to no more than half of the height of the taller plants, and then plant a variety that will cascade over the pot.
3. When it comes to annuals, pack them in. When you create flowerpots, pack your annuals in because they will become root-bound and grow up and over the pots. You’ll get drama and a beautiful arrangement, according to Kolls.
4. Look for equipment that can make the job easier. There are many wonderful tools available that can make gardening easier for anyone including seniors. According to Kolls, Bud-Eze tools, which can be found on the Internet, are a good option, as are bionic gloves. In addition, the Arthritis Foundation has a product and services directory for senior gardeners and others with mobility problems.
5. Garden right outside your front door or back door. Container gardening allows seniors access to flowers or vegetables in one pot and also gives them the height that helps make gardening easier for them.
6. Team with others to garden. If a senior can’t garden anymore, enlist the help of others who might enjoy sharing the work and the produce or flowers from the garden.

Many older people continue to wear ill fitting shoes contributing to pain and trauma in the feet and toes. Aged carer has provided some helpful hints for buying shoes for the elderly.

Ageing feet
Our feet get bigger with age but many people buy shoes that don’t fit properly. Wearing shoes that are too narrow or illsuited to the condition of the feet increase the risk of falls and discomfort from bunions and calluses.

If you are buying shoes for a family member, make sure they fit comfortably on the spot and are appropriate for the kind of activity intended. It can help to get the feet measured and shoes properly fitted by a professional.

Shoes need to be of sufficient length and width. Some people may need to wear special orthoses (inserts) or a custom made shoe to fit misshapen feet. People with hammertoe for instance will need a shoe with enough toe room. If a loved one has diabetes take special care when choosing a shoe, watch out for inside seams that could cause pressure or friction on the feet.

For people in residential care, ask a local shoe shop if they can visit an aged care home or take a tracing of your family member’s foot for some indication of shoe size, take it with you to avoid too many return visits.

Tips for finding shoes for ageing feet

• Feet can swell during the day so shop for shoes when feet are their largest (end of day)
• Shoes should not need “breaking in” they should fit comfortably from the start
• Ensure the toes don’t touch the end of the shoe, allow a 1cm gap from the longest toe
• Choose rubber soles for extra cushioning
• Ensure shoes are wide and deep enough to prevent heel slip
• Lace up, buckles or Velcro should hold the heel in place Velcro straps can be easier for arthritic hands
• Slip on shoes can encourage the toes to ‘claw’ at the shoe to keep it on leading to discomfort, corns and calluses
• Look for shoes with soft leather uppers
• Ensure shoes protect the feet from injury
• Ask your podiatrist about specific lace techniques to prevent heel slip

Aged Carer has written an article to help you understand who will be responsible for looking after elderly patients in a nursing home.

Many health care professionals will be involved in the care of a resident in a nursing home. Understanding how the aged care home operates, who provides care and who to go to when you have a problem are important in ensuring your relative gets quality care.

Aged care homes are classified as low- level care or high- level care. The nursing staff employed in an aged care home will have various levels of nursing experience.

In some low- level aged care homes a registered nurse will be ‘on call’ in case of an emergency. Always ask the aged care home how many qualified nursing staff actually work on the floor as opposed to being ‘on call’.

Personal care workers who work in low-level care need easy access to qualified nursing staff either an endorsed enrolled nurse or preferably a registered nurse at all times. Keeping up to date on your loved one’s health will be much easier if you understand the roles and experience of key nursing home staff.

Personal care workers
Out of all care staff Personal Care Workers (PCW’s) or Assistants in Nursing (AIN’s) spend the most time with your loved one. Nursing home staff should preferably have their Certificate 111 in Aged Care Work.

PCW’s assist your loved one on a daily basis with personal hygiene, mobility, meals and social interaction. In some nursing homes PCW’s can assist older people with self medication (Taking medication from a Webster Pack).

PCW’s can vary in nursing experience and skills. A good aged care home will organise its staff into nursing teams taking into account every staff member’s knowledge and capabilities.

On occasions nursing home staff will be replaced by agency nurses. Don’t expect agency nurses to know a great deal about your loved one’s care routine or medical history.

If a nursing home is having to rely on agency staff on a regular basis it is generally not a good indicator of continuation of care. 

Registered nurses (RN)
Registered nurses (RN’s) working in residential care are generally university trained with special skills in geriatric, palliative and dementia care.

The number of registered nurses on duty at any time in an aged care home can vary. A registered nurse will direct and supervise PCW’s and ensure a resident is receiving proper care according to their nursing care plan.

On a daily basis a registered nurse will assess your family member’s health, provide physical and technical nursing care and manage medications.

The registered nurse will make sure your loved one receives treatment as prescribed by a doctor. They may also organise other health care professionals to be involved in the care of your family member.

If you are concerned about your family member’s health or you have a problem with nursing home staff, the registered nurse in charge is the person to speak to.

Family should be kept up to date regularly by the registered nurse and informed of any changes in a family member’s health. This includes information such as changes to medication, problems with mobility, nutrition and any recent falls or skin tears.

Director of Nursing (DON)
The Director of Nursing or DON is in charge of the day to day management and administration of a residential care facility.

All aged care homes must be accredited in order to receive government funding. The DON ensures the aged care home meets a set of 44 expected outcomes relating to the care provided to its residents.

You can ask a DON about the aged care homes current accreditation status. An aged care home with three years accreditation shows compliance with the 44 expected standards aged care homes are expected to meet.

An aged care home that focuses on quality assurance and a culture of continuous improvement will be more responsive to the care needs of its residents and more likely to deliver a quality service.

The DON largely drives this culture and will strive to deliver quality care to its residents on an ongoing basis.

When choosing an aged care home ensure you arrange a meeting with the DON. Is the DON approachable? How does the DON interact with residents and staff?

Ask the DON about the nursing homes current accreditation status and how the aged care home handles complaints. Is the DON open to discussing your concerns?

Question the DON about staff turnover. How does the aged care home look after the needs of its staff? What levels of experience do they have? Do you provide opportunities for ongoing education and promotion? How do you reward your staff?

If you are choosing an aged care home take the time to observe the nursing care staff. Nursing staff that are happy and respected will work hard to ensure your family member receives the care they deserve.

About.com have written an article to help people gain and maintain control over the limitations imposed by arthritis.

People living with arthritis are often dismayed by how much the disease steals from their lives. If you or someone you care for has arthritis, physical limitations caused by chronic pain, chronic fatigue, stress and more can narrow your world and interrupt living a “normal life.”

With arthritis, energy is consumed just trying to accomplish ordinary tasks and usual daily activities. Your focus may be limited to just “getting through the day.”

Arthritis starts to take control of your life, rather than you taking control of the disease.

How can you better manage your illness?
What modifications can you make to your lifestyle to make living with arthritis easier?
What actions can you take to gain and maintain control over the limitations imposed by arthritis?

1 – Stay Positive
Arthritis is an unpredictable disease, as is the future. Accepting new realities and redefining life within the limitations imposed by disease is important for people with arthritis. Positive attributes can help you manage life with chronic arthritis.

2 – Trust Your Doctor
Doctors play an essential role in the treatment of arthritis. Choosing a doctor is one of the most critical decisions you make when it comes to your condition. It is imperative that your needs are being met. Find a compassionate, communicative doctor you can trust.

3 – Accept Your Situation
Don’t fight the fact that you have arthritis or that your condition changes your life. Don’t deny that you have the disease, nor underestimate its impact. Once you accept that you have a chronic illness and that it is a part of your life for the rest of your life, the decisions you make will be better for you and will ultimately improve your life. You must internalize the acceptance — feel it, don’t just say it.

4 – Set Realistic Goals
Set realistic goals for yourself. Through reflection and contemplation, you can assess what you are not happy with and work to change those circumstances. Be sensitive to your innermost feelings. You can focus and begin to make necessary changes in your life.

5 – Be Informed
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis, it’s important to learn all that you can about the disease. The importance of knowledge and understanding your health condition cannot be overstated. Stay informed — subscribe to our newsletter.

6 – Protect Your Joints
Joint protection can reduce stress on arthritic joints and decrease pain. There are several joint protection principles which, if followed, will help to conserve energy and preserve joint function.

7 – Manage Your Medications
When your doctor hands you a new prescription, it becomes your responsibility to know what the medication is for, how to take it, and what possible side effects might occur. Medication errors have many causes, but usually have one thing in common — they could have been prevented.

8 – Keep Active
The benefits of exercise as part of a treatment program for managing arthritis are well-known and documented. Despite the known benefits, many people with arthritis avoid exercising regularly.

9 – Watch Your Weight
Being overweight, even just moderately, impacts weight-bearing joints and can increase joint pain. As you walk, your hips, knees, and ankles bear three to five times your total body weight. For every pound you’re overweight, the equivalent of three to five pounds worth of added pressure is added to each knee as you walk. The flip side of that is good news: losing just 10 pounds causes 30 to 50 pounds of extra stress to be relieved from the joints.

10 – Seek Mutual Support
Arthritis not only affects people who have the disease, it impacts the people around them, especially family and friends. People living with arthritis and those who have loved ones with the disease can gain insight and draw inspiration from others facing similar challenges. You can share your advice and experiences, offer mutual support, ask questions, and encourage others in our online arthritis forum community.