Time constraints can often lead to stress. If you are currently feeling overwhelmed, here are some tips to accomplish what needs to be done:

•    Develop a schedule. Plan how much time you are going to dedicate to a project each day.
•    Have realistic goals. Approach your tasks systematically.
•    Be in an environment that allows you to function at your best.
•    Ask for help if you are overwhelmed.
•    Establish priorities.
•    Take a break when you need one.

Time Wasting

There are a number of negative behaviors you may engage in that produce stress including:
•    Time juggling: This is when you take on too much at once and are unable to complete everything you have to do.
•    Workaholism: If you spend hours working you often ignore time-saving techniques and end up being counterproductive.
•    Perfectionism: Perfectionists want everything to be perfect and will spend hours polishing something. This often takes away from your sense of accomplishment since you never think anything is good enough.
•    Procrastination: By consistently putting off your work, you leave it all to the last minute. This often means a poor end result and an increase in stress.
•    Yesism: This is the inability to say no. Like time jugglers, you often overbook yourself but it is in fear of disappointing others.

Source: HealthwellnessPlans.org

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

It’s dinnertime. Do you know what’s on the menu at your mom or dad’s house? If a senior is home alone, chances are he or she might not be eating a healthy meal at all.

According to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care^® network, lack of companionship is the biggest mealtime challenge for seniors.

That’s why the local Home Instead Senior Care office in Boston has launched the Craving Companionship ^SM program. The program offers family caregivers tips and practical advice to encourage companionship and easy healthy meals.

Craving Companionship also features a recipe contest promote if speech is given during contest entry period of July 15 to September 15, 2011 that encourages family caregivers to dig into the family recipe box to find that favourite dish, and prepare and share a meal with their senior loved one.

Selected contest recipes and stories will be posted online as well as in the Homemade Memories^SM Cookbook, which will be available for purchase in time for the 2011 holiday season. Proceeds will go to the non-profit Home Instead Senior Care Foundation to benefit North American seniors.

For more details about the program including recipe contest guidelines and prizes, visit www.mealsandcompanionship.com.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

10 Senior Mealtime Challenges

Research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care^® network reveals 10 mealtime challenges for older adults. The following percentages refer to the number of seniors who believe these are challenges for older people who live alone. After each are tips for how to make the most of mealtimes, from the Home Instead Senior Care network.

1. Grocery shopping for one (79 percent) 

2. Lack of companionship during mealtimes (75 percent) 

3. Cooking for one (74 percent) 

4. Eating nutritious meals (65 percent) 

5. Eating three meals a day (65 percent)

6. High expense of cooking for one (64 percent)

7. Loss of appetite (60 percent) 

8. Relying too much on convenience food (57 percent) 

9. Eating too little food (47 percent) 

10. Eating too much food (38 percent) 

Learn about the Home Instead Senior Care Craving Companionship^SM program at www.mealsandcompanionship.com.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network revealed that lack of companionship is the biggest mealtime challenge for seniors. That’s why the Home Instead Senior Care network launched the Craving Companionship^SM program, geared to promoting healthy aging by helping seniors eat nutritiously and stay connected socially. The program also encourages the revival of family mealtimes for the benefit of isolated seniors. This research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care^® network reveals 10 mealtime challenges for older adults. The following tips tell us how to make the most of mealtimes, from the Home Instead Senior Care network.

1. Tip: Transportation can be a big issue for seniors. Contact the local Home Instead Senior Care office, or encourage your loved one to engage neighbourhood support systems when possible.

2. Tip: If you can’t be there to dine with a loved one regularly, look for alternative options such as friends and neighbours. Check out special activities at community centers, churches and senior centers as well as Home Instead Senior Care resources.

3. Tip: Freeze most any type of leftovers including sliced and seeded fruit by placing it in plastic containers or freezer bags. Buy your senior healthier low-sodium dinners for one.

4. Tip: Buy fresh, when possible, or frozen foods including fruits and vegetables. Frequent affordable farmer’s markets in season. Your older loved one may enjoy perusing the racks of produce.  If your senior is able, help plant a garden.

5. Tip: So many seniors are on prescription medications that must be taken with or without food. Coordinate the food plan with the medication plan. “Remember, Dad, to take this pill when you’re eating oatmeal for breakfast.”

6. Tip: Encourage shared meals when possible – your older loved one will get the benefit of reduced costs of meals as well as companionship.

7. Tip: Help older adults make mealtimes an event, which can make dining more appealing. Pull out a favourite recipe, help that older adult prepare a meal, get out the good dishes and decorate the table with real or artificial flowers

8. Tip: Encourage your older adult to meet with a nutritionist or talk with the doctor to learn how to read labels. So many older adults don’t know the foods that are good and bad for them.

9. Tip: Plan a trip to a favourite restaurant for a special dish. If lack of food is an ongoing problem, check with your senior’s doctor to learn about supplemental products that could ensure an older adult was getting the proper nutrition.

10. Tip: The bigger issue is eating too much of the wrong types of food. If you’re helping an older loved one with a shopping list or grocery shopping, encourage healthier choices.

Learn about the Home Instead Senior Care Craving Companionship^SM program at www.mealsandcompanionship.com.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Some of the best ways to prepare for the safety and comfort of aging relatives is to think ahead and put in place a plan long before your loved ones need help. Fall prevention begins with proactive thinking. Don’t find yourself waiting till an accident happens to do a home safety audit, instead look for potential hazards during your next visit. Many times, families wait till after an accident has occurred and it’s the older adults who suffer most. Family caregivers need to think proactively and anticipate potential dangers to seniors by installing safety equipment, removing tripping hazards, and evaluating the day-to-day tasks that are difficult for an aging loved one to do independently.

As caregivers and concerned family members, it is our job to help plan for our aging relative’s future; by arming ourselves with knowledge and thinking proactively, we can ensure that they receive quality caring throughout their elder years.

Here are additional things to look for when checking on an aging loved one’s safety at home:

• Assess their driving skills. Even though they have been driving for many years, it may no longer be safe for them to continue.
• Make sure they are getting proper nutrition.  If your loved one can no longer prepare nutritious meals, arrange for food to be delivered.
• Check on finances. They can become forgetful and neglect to pay bills on time.
• Watch for balance problems. Watch how they walk and go up and down stairs.
• Consider buying them a medical alert device.
• Make note of changes in their memory. Try to talk about recent events to see what they recall.
• Make sure they are not forgetting to take their medications.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

Seniors and Skin Hunger

Skin hunger is actually the deprivation of touch. Many seniors are affected by this because a vast majority of society contains members who will not openly touch an elderly person. This can cause many emotional problems for seniors and leave them touch deprived. The following list contains some more information on skin hunger and seniors.

1.    Touch is directly related to how people feel and think. When seniors do not experience being touched, they may begin to feel isolated and depressed.

2.    Many seniors will get a pet to fill the void of human touch. This has been a benefit for many seniors. Not only does the pet ease the skin hunger, but it can also boost spirits and elevate moods in senior patients.

3.    There are many reasons society is now touch deprived. These include the increased use of technology, disconnected lifestyles, the media and a litigious society.

4.    Healing is often increased by the power of touch. When seniors lack this, they may take longer to recover from illness and surgeries.

5.    Many people do not realize how important physical touch is to the elderly. It is important for these individuals to have human touch on a regular basis. This is often difficult when seniors live alone and become isolated and it is also a problem for seniors with mobility issues who cannot get out and about.

Source: Everything2.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Safety for Aging Seniors at Home in Boston – Fire Safety Check

Here is a checklist for seniors to follow – these are important fire safety tips:

· Check to make sure smoke detectors are working properly.

· When smoking, make sure the contents in the ashtray are cool before you throw them away.

· Pay close attention to pots and pans when you are cooking.

· Keep an eye out for electrical problems. Look closely at extension cords and check for frayed wires or damaged outlets.

· Do not place anything flammable next to ovens, water heaters, stoves, and fireplaces.

· Keep matches and lighters in a safe place.

· Know where the exits are in the senior’s home.

· Know what to do in case of a fire. Have an escape plan in place.

· Keep in mind the senior’s special needs.

Finally, do not use electric blankets in the winter. They can be fire hazards. You could put a warm bottle in the bed for a few minutes before getting in.

Above all else, in case of a fire, stay calm. This could save the lives of you and your senior living in Boston.

The Statistics We Need to Change

• People between 65 and 74 are nearly twice as likely to die in a home fire as the rest of the population.
• People between 75 and 84 are nearly four times as likely to die in a fire.
• People ages 85 and older are more than five times as likely to die in a fire.

Q. My 83 year old mother helps care for my dad, age 86. His health is failing so he does not get out of the house much.  As a result, my mom is at home more too.  She is stronger than my dad and still in good health.  How can I encourage her to go out more with friends and to develop hobbies – but not neglect him?

You’ve identified one very important aspect of family caregiving that too many people overlook.  Spousal and family caregivers suffer from poor health because they neglect their own.  If your mother plans to continue having good health and be a support for her husband, she needs to continue enjoying her favorite pastimes. This is a crucial part of her routine.

Tips to share with your mom:

• Set aside a little time each day to talk with friends.  Even if she can’t go out, suggest that she call them on the telephone to chat, if just for a few minutes. 
• How about establishing a weekly movie night with a friend?  If she can’t go out every week, suggest she host the movie at her house!
• What family caregivers often need most is help.  According to a recent Harris Interactive survey conducted for Home Instead Senior Care, 31 percent of family caregivers admitted they would like more help with caregiving.

Coping with Caregiving

If your Mom feels overwhelmed at times caring for your Dad, here are more tips to share with her:

•    Develop a schedule. Plan how much time you are going to dedicate to a project each day.
•    Have realistic goals. Approach your tasks systematically.
•    Be in an environment that allows you to function at your best.
•    Ask for help if you are overwhelmed.
•    Establish priorities.
•    Take a break when you need one.

And if loneliness is the issue, why not help your Mom connect with others who could share her life.  Home Instead Senior Care could help.  Our CAREGivers serve as companions to older adults and can also assist around the home.  Many are seniors themselves and could provide the support your Mom.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.