Boston

One in five seniors say she or he sometimes, if not all the time feels lonely at mealtimes. Because seniors crave companionship during mealtimes; Home Instead Senior Care launched the Craving Companionship 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. that special dish Mom used to make? Chances are she or your dad does too. And what they may miss even more is enjoying that dish with you.

A study that was conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network revealed that lack of companionship is the biggest mealtime challenge for seniors. In the United States, approximately 40 percent of the population age 75 and older – 6.7 million people – live alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Craving Companionship offers family caregivers tips and practical advice to encourage companionship and easy, healthy meals that can make life less stressful for seniors and their loved ones. As part of the program, the Homemade Memories Recipe Contest, which runs from July 15 to September 15, 2011, provides an incentive for family caregivers to retrieve that favorite family recipe, and prepare and share that dish with their senior loved one.

The submission period has ended and it’s now time for everyone to come out and vote for their favorite recipe. While you’re there selecting your favorite recipe, you’ll also be getting tons of new, tasty ideas for your own family.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 Visa Gift Card they can use towards helping them make new “homemade memories” with their senior loved ones. All 50 recipe contest winners will be published both online and in the Homemade Memories Cookbook. Proceeds from sales of the cookbook will go to the non-profit Home Instead Senior Care Foundation, which makes grants that help improve the lives of North American Seniors.

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

You’ve just walked out of your mother’s latest doctor’s appointment and your head is spinning. The doctor wants to change the dosage on two medications, stop a third, and start a new fourth medication. Some of the medications need to be taken on an empty stomach and some with food. Some medicines your mother should take twice a day and some just in the evening. Keeping it all straight is making your head ache.

Even more importantly, however, is what can happen if your mother’s medications are not tracked properly. On average, seniors ages 85 and older take 34 prescriptions, including refills, per year, according to the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). And adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or noncompliance are responsible for 28 percent of all hospitalizations of the elderly, the organization reports.

The Home Instead Senior Care^® network recognizes the importance of medication tracking. That’s why we offer medication reminders as one of our foundational services to introduce an information management toolkit and the Caring for Your Parents: Senior Emergency Kit^SM website at www.SeniorEmergencyKit.com.

These resources include checklists and worksheets for medications, conditions, allergies, doctors, health advisors and important documents. They provide you with a single place to store your senior loved one’s important information so you can easily find it when you need it most.

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

Adult Children ask Home Instead Senior Care: Do you think all hospitals are the same or should we shop around? What can we do to help with our aging parent’s recovery?

Family caregivers whose aging relatives are going into the hospital should do their research to ensure a senior loved one is getting the best possible care because not all hospitals are the same. Help at home after an older adult returns from the hospital should be a consideration as well.

Patients have on average a 52 percent lower chance of dying at the nation’s top-rated hospitals compared with the lowest-rated hospitals in the 12^th annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, issued by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The study examined nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. The study looks at trends in mortality and complication rates, and provides the foundation for HealthGrades’ quality ratings of procedures and diagnoses at each individual hospital.

Overall, in-hospital, risk-adjusted mortality at the nation’s hospitals improved, on average, 10.99 percent from 2006 through 2008. However, the largest annual study of patient outcomes at each of the nation’s 5,000 non-federal hospitals found a wide gap in quality between the nation’s best hospitals and all others.

According to the study, while patients at highly rated hospitals have a 52 percent lower chance of dying compared with the U.S. hospital average, a quality chasm has persisted for the last decade even as mortality rates, in general, have declined.

It will be to your loved one’s benefit to do your homework about hospitals.  To learn more go to Hospital Can Make a Difference for Senior Loved One.

For more information about the study and to check the ratings of a hospital near your mom, go to http://www.healthgrades.com/cms/ratings-and-awards/2010-Fall-Ratings-Announcement.aspx.

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

Thirty-three percent of current seniors have accidents each year. The annual number of hip fractures alone is 350,000. But, Baby Boomers are healthier and more active than previous generations. More than 70 percent report good mental and physical health, but precisely because they are more active. Boomers have more accidents than previous generations. Biking, running, skiing and other activities send Boomers to the emergency room far more frequently than previous generations.

And despite the overall good health of their generation, 30 percent of Boomers are already suffering from debilitating health issues that are usually associated with old age, such as Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis.

Arthritis is the most common condition that affects seniors. Another emerging area of concern is obesity. In 2002, 30 percent of Boomers were reported as obese. That number is expected to grow to 42 percent by 2025. Obesity makes daily activities much more difficult and increases the likelihood of other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke.

Most Common Conditions Impacting Seniors:

10% General Dementia
3% Parkinson’s Disease
12% Orthopedic Condition
12% Depression
12% Alzheimer’s Disease
30% Multiple Sclerosis
12% Arthiritis
23% Other

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

Summer heat can play havoc on aging bodies, especially on days when the temperature and humidity rises. It is important to take steps to make sure that older adults remain safe. U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) warns us that when the body is unable to cool itself by sweating, several heat-induced illnesses such as heat stress or heat exhaustion and the more severe heat stroke can occur, and can result in death.

Family members and the elderly need to prepare thoroughly before spending time outdoors during the summer heat. You need to make sure safety precautions are taken for the aging senior’s care during these blistering hot summer months. Heat can affect health, and exposure to extreme heat. Help your aging loved one be safe, healthy and comfortable. Here is useful information from the U.S. Department of Labor listing facts about heat exhaustion and how to protect yourself and the elderly.

Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion

• Headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting.
• Weakness and moist skin.
• Mood changes such as irritability or confusion.
• Upset stomach or vomiting.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

• Dry, hot skin with no sweating.
• Mental confusion or losing consciousness.
• Seizures or convulsions.

What to Do for Heat-Related Illness

Call 911 (or local emergency number) at once.
While waiting for help to arrive:

• Move the worker to a cool, shaded area.
• Loosen or remove heavy clothing.
• Provide cool drinking water.
• Fan and mist the person with water.”

For more information:

U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
http://www.osha.gov
(800) 321-OSHA

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.

Home Instead Senior Care developed a website to help family caregivers make sure their aging loved one are eating nutritiously. These tips and more are on the www.mealsandcompanionship.com website. Please check it out. This site is designed for anyone who is caring for an elderly person be it a parent, other relative or friend. You will learn why proper nutrition is important and what can happen if your senior loved one doesn’t have good eating habits; simple ways to help your senior loved one shop for good food and eat right; as well as ideas for specific dietary and health concerns.

Nutritious meals are important, but many seniors want to relive a time around the dinner table when they are sharing their lives with the people they love most. Maintaining good nutrition for older adults can be a challenge because many seniors no longer can cook for themselves. What’s more, illnesses and medications can affect their appetites. Companionship is one way to help keep seniors interested in good nutrition.

Senior Challenges to Eating Healthy Meals:

1. Grocery shopping for one
2. Lack of mealtime companionship
3. Cooking for one
4. Eating nutritious meals
5. Eating three meals a day

Seniors Need Good Nutrition

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.