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Here’s how an at-home nurse can help elderly patients manage depression.

Many seniors are not going to come right out and tell their home caregiver they are depressed, but there are warning signs that can identify depression. Here is a look at what to look out for and how to deal with seniors who are experiencing depression.

 

The Causes

Seniors who have recently suffered some sort of injury and those who are dealing with a chronic illness are prone to bouts of depression. The fact that illness or injury has affected a senior means that their independence has also been affected. This can be tough to contend with.

There are other causes of depression, such as the death of a loved one, the onset of retirement, or a change in living arrangements. Whatever the exact cause, the one commonality is that there is some kind of change in the senior’s life. A good caregiver will be able to recognize a cause.

The Signs

Some signs of depression in seniors are obvious, while others are a bit more subtle. A change to one’s eating or sleeping habits are both indicators that depression may exist. While some seniors may have always been very opinionated, showing more irritability is another strong indicator.

An experienced caregiver knows it’s best to look for changes in a senior’s routine, and that they could appear in a wide array of areas. Seniors who suddenly stop being active or show a different side to their personality could be suffering from depression. It is important to be on the lookout for these signs as it could be just as serious as a physical ailment.

The Treatment

The first signs of depression should be relayed to a senior’s primary care physician. They will have more answers than family members. Once the doctor makes the determination that there is depression, treatment methods will be recommended. Those methods could range from counseling to medication.

Sometimes, simply talking about their problems can help seniors. Part of the treatment process includes acknowledging that there is a problem. A senior caregiver should know that he/she is not expected to cure all those depression problems. However, recognizing the symptoms and understanding the causes can help out a great deal moving forward.

Helping Hands Nursing Service is ready to refer a team of professionals trained and experienced to help seniors improve their quality of life. Families can look forward to less stress and more peace of mind by hiring an experienced elderly care specialist from Helping Hands Nursing Service.

When a patient is released early from a hospital stay, it is usually a positive occurrence. However, many families are often unprepared for this event and have no post-hospital plan in place. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, coming up with a care plan is not always at the top of everyone’s to-do list.

That is okay. There is a solution that can solve this issue and that solution comes with hiring a professional nursing service or elderly caregiver. Now, that does not mean you will need to hire a nurse who will come in and conduct daily diagnoses and treatments. It means that you could use a helping hand to ease you through this transitional time.

Hiring a home care specialist means having someone to assist with daily duties that include meal preparation, shopping and transportation. It is basically a way to ease the overall burden of running a household while taking care of someone who is fresh out of the hospital.

One of the mistakes people make when transitioning someone back into the home after a hospital stay is neglecting the amount of supervision they will need. Most times, those individuals are not as capable as they were prior to their hospital stay. While the physical conditions of each person vary, it generally takes seniors more time to return to their old form. And what was once considered simple tasks may not be so simple anymore.

Another oversight many people make is ignoring the new symptoms that a recently-discharged patient may have. There needs to be reasonable expectations set for their recovery time. Doctors can usually explain these expectations before the actual discharge, and it is important to heed those words.

Hospital stays come with around-the-clock care as nurses are always within earshot. Back in the home, immediate attention is not always readily available. Now, that does not mean a 24-hour nursing care aid is necessary upon every hospital discharge. However, having a home caregiver around for a few hours a day can provide a smoother transition back to normal residential living.

Many times, home care services are a big part of the recovery process and something everyone should consider when being released from the hospital. It could be a very helpful step on the road to recovery.

Helping Hands Nursing Service can provide a professional home caregiver to ease your transition back to your home following an early hospital release. Top quality home caregiving in Shelby, NC is only a phone call away.

Caregivers come into someone’s home and immediately play a major role. This can lead to many positive results for seniors as well as their family members. Here are some things to look for in a successful senior caregiver.

Communication of Expectations

Home nursing care can be a broad subject, so it is important for caregivers to know exactly what is expected of them. If an older person has an accident, falls asleep, or refuses to eat, caretakers should know exactly how to respond. That does not come without communication and exploring any possible scenarios with the family.

A Smiling Senior

There is tremendous value in a smile. Family members who are able to see their elderly loved ones smile at the end of a day also find themselves reaping the benefits. Family members who come home to find their elderly loved ones just starting at a television tend to carry around some guilt and they can also lay blame to ineffective caregiving.

A Lot of Questions

Good caretakers ask lots of questions. How else are they going to get to know the best way to care for each client? Every client is different and there is no universal approach that an elderly care specialist can use on every senior. Getting to know a senior’s likes, dislikes, preferences and how their daily life operates is key to doing a successful job.

No Cell Phone Addicts

Nothing screams more inept than a caregiver who stares at their cell phone all day. Senior caregivers are not hired to entertain themselves, but to look after someone else. That cannot happen if their sights are constantly focused on their phones.

Capable Listeners

Good caretakers are good listeners. They also know not to correct elderly clients who may be experiencing a bit of memory loss. Doing so is not always productive and could bring about frustration for the seniors. Letting seniors talk for a while is a benefit in itself.

Activity Enthusiasts

Just because people are older it does not mean they should be confined to sitting on a couch or lying in bed all day. Seniors can still do things and great caregivers will encourage them to engage in some type of activity. That could include simple things like cooking, walking, dancing or even scrapbooking. There is no reason a caregiver should not have some things lined up for seniors to do.

Helping Hands Nursing Service prides itself on its excellence when it comes to home care services. Staffed with trained and experienced nursing aid specialists, Helping Hands can help usher in a better life for seniors and their families.

Being a caregiver can take its toll on families and loved ones. But those who are the recipients of elderly care are not the only ones that experience health issues. Family members who act as a senior caregiver can see their own health decline.

Multiple studies have shown that those who care for a family member or loved one, with an ailing physical condition, experience symptoms of their own. Those symptoms include anxiety, stress, depression and a low state of emotional well-being. Just as elderly and sick patients need support, so do caregivers.

There is a level of attachment that comes with caring for someone and when a person’s condition weakens, the angst is often felt by the caregiver as well. There is both a physiological and physical strain that can develop over the course of time. Because of those effects, caregiving has been labeled a major public health issue.

This can not only be damaging to the caregiver, but it can affect the person being cared for as well. That means family caregivers have more influence than they may believe. So while it may seem more economical for families to take care of their loved ones, it can be damaging to everyone involved.

This kind of research and discovery has led to the evolution of the home care profession. A professional caregiver is trained to deal with these situations, which will help the recipients of senior care as well as their families.

There has even been the introduction of a term called Caregiver Stress Syndrome. Even those with the biggest of hearts face the possibilities of neglecting themselves while acting as a senior caregiver.

The good news is there is relief in sight for those who are stressed and burdened with caring for a family member or loved one. Home nursing care has evolved to provide a better life for seniors and their families. Some people may tend to believe that entrusting someone else with the care of a family member shows a lack of concern. However, it is just the opposite. Hiring a home nursing aid has proven to enhance the well-being of entire families.

If you or a loved one are in need of home care services, Helping Hands Nursing Service has a solution for you. With a trained registry of senior care specialists, the stress and worry that comes with taking care of a loved one can quickly become a thing of the past.

Social media has no age limit or requirement. Anyone of any age can enjoy all the benefits social media has to offer by utilizing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. Here is a look at how social media can benefit seniors in elderly care.

Reconnect with Old Friends

Facebook has become a way for friends to reconnect and to find out just how someone from your past is doing. It is also relatively simple to operate and navigate. Seniors could find former classmates, friends, co-workers and more. The immensity of pictures on Facebook is also an added bonus.

Enhance Communication with Younger Relatives

The younger generation seems to live online as social media has become such a huge part of their existence. When an elderly person becomes involved with social media, it allows for a better connection with their younger relatives, who are more prone to communicate on social media nowadays.

Health Tips

Social media is packed with health tips, practices and advice for seniors. Being able to utilize social media will allow seniors to get in touch with more of what is going on in with their health. There is an abundance of valuable information on healthy senior living and things seniors can do to improve their health.

Make New Friends

There are other seniors out there also utilizing social media. This is a way for seniors to connect, talk and share stories. Not all seniors are mingling with new people outside of the house, but social media gives them a chance to make new friends all over the world.

Stay Updated With Family

Family photos, daily excursions and all their latest happenings are usually posted to social media right away. This will allow seniors to follow everything that is going on in the lives of family members. It will also allow seniors to enjoy those moments as they happen.

Online Discounts and Deals

If you hang around long enough on social media, you are bound to find a few deals. Seniors can take advantage of online discounts and coupons which are often a result of using social media on a regular basis.

When you are in search of an elderly caregiver service, contact the team of professionals at Helping Hands Nursing Referral Service. Providing top quality home care referrals, we can provide your loved one with an experienced senior caregiver who can improve the life of your entire family.

Helping Hands Nursing Service is more than a business that provides top quality senior care. That fact is evidenced by more than just a mission statement. The Helping Hands team continues to stay active in the community, promoting the kind of good will that has become synonymous with the company.

One of the recent community outreach programs involved registering participants at the Medical Screening Bus for the Mission Camp at the Cleveland County Fair, which took place in Shelby, NC. This was not just a way to help seniors medically, but also a way to show the importance of regular medical screening.

Around the holidays, the Helping Hands team participated in numerous themed tree decorations within senior living communities in the Shelby area. It is just one more example of a way to bring together people for a positive experience.

Much of this community involvement is the brainchild of Helping Hands owner Ruth Huffstetler. Her efforts have been able to create more than just a business, but a proud pillar of the community.

She also makes media appearances and recently appeared as a guest on a local radio show discussing Home Health vs Home Care and why caregivers are so prone to failing health. That served as one more chance for Ruth to share some of her valuable insight on the topic of elderly care.

Ruth was also proud to usher in Helping Hands’ 40th anniversary last year. That would not have been achievable without being so involved in the community. That involvement also includes charity events as Helping Hands also donated its time as part of the past American Legion World Series. Those efforts also helped contribute to an overall team effort for charity within the city of Shelby, NC.

Home care is all about people and what better way to reach people than by staying involved in the community. Ruth and the Helping Hands team provides more than just referrals for elderly caregivers, but professionals who truly enjoy helping other people. That is the true definition of community, one that Helping Hands lives and breathes every day.

If you or a loved one are in need of home nursing care, Helping Hands Nursing Service has a solution for you. A home caregiver can ease the burden on your whole family and provide some much-needed peace of mind. Contact Helping Hands Nursing Service today for the best home care service in North Carolina.

Taking care of a loved one, who is getting older, can become quite stressful. There is a lot that goes into caring for an elderly family member, and it can quickly become an overwhelming task. Hiring a senior caregiver can ease the burdens on families and here is a look at how it will help combat the following difficulties that come with taking care of a loved one.

Awareness
There are so many devices and services available to elderly citizens. There are home modifications that can make a home more senior friendly. This also comes in handy when there is some sort of handicap. However, many people are unaware of all these services and devices, but it is common knowledge among elderly caregivers.

Patience
Around-the-clock caregiving is too much to ask of any one individual. When caregiving becomes a full-time job for a family member, patience can wear thin. Having a professional home care specialist to help out, will lessen the loved one’s responsibilities. This will lead to more patience, and a better use of the time spent with an elderly family member.

Rest
A lack of sleep can lead to a variety of problems. Caring for a loved one without any assistance could mean late nights and early mornings. A good night’s sleep will do wonders for someone’s mood, health and state of mind. Hiring a nursing aid will help family members get some much-needed and well-deserved rest.

Exercise
Family members caring for a loved one often find themselves tired and drained. With some assistance, they can finally summon enough energy to get back into some regular form of exercise, which will lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Stress
Caring for a loved one generally places a lot more stress on that caretaker, even if it is inadvertent. Stress could ultimately affect the relationship between the caregiver and their loved one. So many responsibilities occupy the caregiver’s time, there is no time to just be a loved one. Most people have a hard time dealing with stress, and one way to overcome stress in caregiving is to hire a home caregiver. Lowering stress levels will also lessen the chance of resentment towards that elderly family member.

When it comes time to hire a senior care specialist, call on the professionals at Helping Hands Nursing Service, Inc. With decades of experience, Helping Hands Nursing Service will take away the difficulty that comes with taking care of a loved one and help enhance the quality of life for entire families.

Every senior caregiver is eventually going to encounter a client who is undergoing some form of therapy. It is important to know there are different kinds of therapy for seniors. Physical therapy and occupational therapy both serve different purposes and functions.

Physical therapy treats some type of physical injury. This form of therapy does not just deal with injuries that result from an accident or fall. Physical therapy also treats individuals who have suffered some kind of illness, such as a stroke. The goal of physical therapy is to create a routine that is aimed at returning the patient to their condition prior to suffering an illness or experiencing an accident.

Physical therapy often makes use of exercise equipment in an effort to build up the affected area of injury. Elderly people often receive physical therapy after breaking a bone, suffering a stroke, or experience Osteoporosis.

Occupational therapy is a bit different in that it helps seniors who have experienced permanent loss in a certain area due to an accident or illness. Stroke victims can lose sensation in certain areas of their body, which forces them to readjust the way they live their daily lives. The impairments among those who undergo occupational therapy are permanent. This form of therapy is a way to help them adjust to life with that impairment.

Occupational therapists find solutions in devices and contraptions that help make life easier for patients. Their aim is to enhance the ways seniors can still live independently.

Knowing the differences between these two types of therapy is key for an elderly care specialist. Furthermore, there could be consequences for seniors who do not follow through with their respective therapies. Future falls, risk of infection, and a reduction in the quality of life are all potential consequences.

A home caregiver may be asked to assist with some in-home activities that are part of a senior’s individual therapy plan. Those activities can be very important as they can help seniors maintain their independence, which is a primary function of an effective senior care specialist.

Helping Hands Nursing Service will refer experienced home nursing aids who can help improve the quality of life for your loved one. When help is needed, call on a service with years of experience as Helping Hands Nursing Service is ready to provide you with home nursing care at its finest.