While providing elderly home care, would you know how to identify
depression in your elderly loved one? Do you know the warning signs of
senior depression? If you answered no to one or both of these
questions, you are not alone. Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, down in the dumps, or feeling blah. The
common signs of depression can include:

1. Trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping
2. Dramatic change in appetite, often with weight loss or gain
3. Fatigue, lack of energy
4. Feelings of worthlessness
5. Difficulty concentrating
6. Agitation, restlessness, or irritability
7. Withdrawal from once enjoyed activities
8. Feelings of hopelessness or helplessness
9. Recurring thoughts of death or suicide

Depression among seniors is harder to identify than depression among younger adults. Younger adults, and even children, more readily express feelings of sadness or depression that their senior counterparts.
Caregivers providing personal home care and family members of seniors
may not recognize the signs of depression. And if seniors are less
likely to express such feelings, the situation can prove to have
devastating results. Geriatric suicide is a growing concern. Suicide among the elderly is more common that any other age group. One reason for this, is that depression among seniors is often mistaken for other age related problems, or the aging process in general. But remember, depression is not a normal part of aging.
Many seniors are from an era where seeking help for mental health issues carries a negative stigma of being “crazy”. It is important, therefore, for family members and those providing senior in home care to be aware that their senior loved one is less likely to share feelings of depression, and less likely to seek treatment. Seniors often face loneliness, isolation, and grief over the death of a spouse. If you notice signs of depression in your aging loved one, try to reach out and talk about it with them. If you are the caregiver providing personal home care and notice signs of depression, share your concerns with the family members. If the senior is unwilling or unable to open up and share her thoughts, and the depression persists, it’s important
to speak to a medical professional.

Finding care for a parent can present a laundry list of challenges. Perhaps you are suddenly faced with a crisis that requires you to find care for a parent that has become ill, taken a fall, or has become increasingly more confused or forgetful. Where do you begin to find care for a parent?

The first question to answer is what kind of help is needed? Do you need to locate services for short term services such as help following surgery or a rehab center? Or is your parent’s need more long term such as live-in home care following a stroke, or Alzheimer’s? The very first step is to take a deep breath, relax, and make sure you take care of yourself. Without this, you can’t be an effective caregiver.

Regardless of the services your parent needs, you will need to have some general information in order to proceed. Examples of information needed include your parent’s date of birth, social security number, doctor(s) names and numbers, pharmacy name and number, access to or copies of insurance/medicare card(s), and benefits handbooks.

Make a list of all medications your parent is taking, including dosage and frequency. Be sure to include not only prescription medications but over-the-counter drugs such as

aspirin and vitamins. It’s also helpful to create and maintain a list of major illnesses, medical conditions and surgeries. Bring this info with you to all appointments.

Gather family members to discuss your parent’s needs. This meeting is a good opportunity for all family members to express their concerns and facilitate decision making. Be sure your parent’s doctors know who should be the designated contact person.

Find out if your parent has his or her legal documents in order. Has someone been designated to make health care decisions in case your parent is unable to? Has your parent expressed his/her desires for end of live care? These may be difficult topics to broach but can save a great deal of heartache and family turmoil down the road. Some of the documents you want your parent to prepare are a Will, Durable Power of Attorney for finances, and Durable Power of Attorney for health care, and a Living Will. An elder law attorney can help you prepare these documents if they aren’t already done.

You may also find is useful to do a little research on senior care services available. Examples include senior in home care, assisted living, adult day care or long term care. As co-workers, friends and family what are the best around. This will benefit you to familiarize yourself with available services, and will allow your parent a range of options down the road. Gathering information on these services is still useful, even if you are only dealing with a short term crisis. If your parent needs services such as home care or assisted living immediately, you may want to consider hiring a geriatric care manager. This is someone who is licensed and trained in the needs and services related to the geriatric population.

The bottom line advice, become involved. If you are involved in the affairs and care of a parent, you will feel better knowing you are the best caregiver possible because you have done your homework and can advocate with confidence. And don’t forget to take care of yourself!

Sometimes it’s difficult to know when it’s time for you to be thinking about senior in home care for your parent(s). These thirteen signs can be a guideline for you when making that difficult decision.

1. Changes in eating habits or loss of appetite.

2. Spoiled or outdated food in the refrigerator.

3. Difficulty walking, unsteady gait,falls.

4. Poor grooming/personal hygiene.

5.Memory loss, forgetfulness, confusion.

6. Mishandled medications.

7. Persistent fatigue/lack of energy.

8. Personality changes, irritability, mood changes.

9. Diminished driving skills, near misses, accidents.

10. Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed.

11. Reluctance to socialize.

12. Difficulty concentrating, poor judgement.

13. Unopened mail, past due bills, mishandled finances.

14. Poor home maintenance, unsafe conditions.

If you notice several of these warning signs, it may be time to consider some changes. Your options could include an assisted living facility, or perhaps assisted living in home from a home health care agency.

Sitting down and initiating a discussion with your elderly parents about needing some personal home care can be uncomfortalbe. Many families avoid such conversations about aging, end of life, and finances because they view these topics as private matters. The following tips provide communications strategies that might help with the dialogue of care for parents.

1. Start discussions early-it’s much easier to have these discussions while your parents can be a part of the decision making process, rather than you having to do it for them because of illness or injury.

2. Go in prepared-don’t be surprised to learn that your parents have already thought about the need for personal home care someday. Create a game plan to present to your parents, include siblings and other pertinent relatives, and gather necessary information to share on senior in home care.

3. Explain your purpose-let your parents know you are concerned about them and that your goal is to help them. Your parents will be more responsive to elderly home care if they participate in the dec isions.

4. Take one step at a time-don’t overwhelm your parents by trying to solve too many problems at once. Change comes slowly to many seniors. Tackle the big problems first. Accepting the fact that they need help may take some for your parents to accept.

5. It’s ok to agree to disagree-if your parent’s don’t initially agree with your idea for senior in home care, don’t push too hard. Unless their immediate health or safety are an issue, their wishes should prevail.

6. Don’t give up-if you run into extreme resistance to personal home care on your first attempt…keep trying. Leave some literature for them to read. Be patient and approach the subject again once they’ve had time to disgest the idea.

Locating appropriate senior assistance for your elderly loved one can be a daunting task. This can be especially true when you are not familiar with your care and housing options. It can be overwhelming when you hear senior care related terms such as sub-acute care, independent living, assisted living, residential care, or continuing care facility.

Understanding the variety of senior care options and related terminology can ease your way as you navigate your way. The following are some of the common terms and service options you may encounter and want to become familiar with.

Adult Day Care/Medical Day Care-a protective environment for seniors needing a structured program. Adult day care services vary from custodial care, offering stimulating activities for independent seniors along with meals, to an adult medical day care setting which provides activities to seniors with medical needs. Seniors are usually brought to an adult day care program in the morning and leave in the evening. Often times, transportation to and from the center are available.

Assisted Living- is a combination of housing and personal health support services for seniors. Such services usually include:

• Private or semi-private apartment
• Emergency call system
• Daily meals served in a common dining area
• Recreational and social activities
• Transportation
• Personal care assistance
• Staff available 24 hours
• Laundry and housekeeping services
• Secure unit for memory impaired residents (at some assisted living communities)

Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)- a community that offers multiple levels of assistance to seniors. Levels of care range from independent living apartments, assisted living and nursing home care. A CCRC provides a continuum of housing and health care options on one central campus. Seniors who opt for CCRC living usually sign a long term contract such as the length of the resident’s life. The benefit of this type of care is that it can provide peace of mind that housing and medical assistance will continue to be provided at one site as needs increase.

Home Care- also known as senior in home care or home health care. This type of service provides a range of services that include assistance activities of daily living such as bathing, toileting, dressing, and ambulation. Home care can also include meal preparation, light housekeeping and laundry services. In-home care can be provided for a few hours per day or on a 24 hour basis.

Nursing-Convalescent Home/Skilled Nursing Facility- for those with a need for more acute care, a nursing home provides patients with 24 hours care. This type of facility is generally for patients that will require skilled care ongoing. This type of facility provides medical supervision, rehabilitation as well as bathing, toileting, dressing, and assistance with ambulation.

Finding elderly in home care can be very stress full not only for the senior  in need of care, but also for their familiy. Caregivers are expected to be strong and healthy, but what happens if the caregiver gets sick? As the the director of a business that assists families to find care for their loved ones, I can always tell when a caregiver who is calling is at a breaking point and in desperate need of senior in home care. Their voices are very stressed and they are almost in a panic. Often, as they describe their situation, I can hear the tears welling up inside of them. Unfortunately, some people wait too long and the stress of being a caregiver has already taken its toll, but it does not have to be that way.
If you are the primary caregiver of a person with Alzheimer’s,dementia,or other serious illness, you need to be very careful not to let the situation overwhelm you. While this sounds easier said than done, there are steps you can take to prevent burnout. Here are a few points that can help.
1.Look for help. Allow others to help and don’t feel that you have to be the one to do everything. There are numerous ways to get help for your loved one depending on your needs,location and financial situation. Here are a few:
a. Contact the Office on Aging and ask about respite programs. Most counties have programs that will pay for a limited number of hours of home care services, free of charge. These types of programs are designed to give you a break and allow you to get out of the house.
b. If your loved one qualifies for Medicaid, there may be programs available which would pay for either home care or adult day care services.
c. If your loved one has a serious illness, consider using hospice. You don’t have to wait until the illness is at the ends stages to get help.
d.Ask relative or close friends to help you out.
2.Get some exercise. Exercise can help you reduce stress, keep your body strong, strengthen your immune system and simply make you feel good. Some of the best exercises are walking or biking. These are easy to do, get your heart rate into the aerobic zone, burn calories and give you a chance to clear your head. Some excellent mind/body exercises include yoga, tai chi and Qi gong. Make time to exercise and you will reap the rewards.
3.Eat well.Like exercise, eating a well balanced diet helps you feel good, helps avoid being sick and gives you the energy you need to be a caregiver.
4.Learn relaxation techniques.Deep breathing, meditation and some of the mind/body exercises mentioned above can be tremendously helpful. An easy breathing technique is to inhale through your nose for a count of four,filling your belly with air, not your chest.Hold your breath for a count of seven and then exhale through your mouth for a count of eight.This can really help calm the nerves when practiced regularly.
5.Get an adequate amount of sleep.The fastest way to get run down is never getting enough sleep. If you find you are caring for your loved one at night, try to hire a person for overnight if this is possible. If you have siblings, ask them to chip in financially if they are not able to share some of the actual hands-on care.
While it can be very difficult to do many of the suggestions listed above, you must understant that if you get run down and sick, the problem is greatly magnified. You must be firm in demanding time to care for yourself and most importantly, you must not feel guilty. You are doing a great and honorable thing by being a caregiver, but it must not completely take over your life.
If you don’t know where to turn, consider hiring a professional geriatric care manager. While they can be a bit costly, it is often money well spent, as their years of experience are focused on helping seniors and their families when in need.