A Final Grammy Award

 If you're a regular follower of our posts, or a fan of Glen Campbell, you'll recall our article about his struggles with Alzheimer's and the making of his last album. You can read it again and view the video clip by clicking on this link.  It's both a sad and heartwarming story, and well worth reading.

  A song from that album has earned Glen Campbell what is likely to be his final Grammy Award.  "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," is a bittersweet tune which he co-wrote with Julian Raymond for the 2014 documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me.  That documentary outlined the affects Alzheimer's has had on both himself and his family.  You can read more about this recent award online in this Rolling Stone article. 
  As the inevitable progress of Alzheimer's cannot be stopped, Glen is now forced to reside in a memory care facility.  The Grammy Award is a fitting tribute to a very talented entertainer.
  If you have a friend or loved one that is struggling with this disease, and would like to know more about unique in-home care in this situation, give us a call.  We provide specialized staff training to make dealing with Alzheimer's as easy as possible.  We can be reached at 704-909-7958, or visit our website at www.LKNHomeCare.com.

Bringing useful news to educate our clients is one more way that Home Helpers has been making life easier for over a decade.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.  And as always, you can find us on our website,  Facebook and Google+!
 

Changes, and actions to take...

Many of us traveled home for the holidays to visit Mom and Dad. This time spent together comes once a year and is a special time, filled with holiday excitement and cheer. But, did you notice signs that something may be slightly off?

Here's a starting point for evaluating what you're seeing:

-    Changed eating habits, resulting in losing weight, having no appetite, or missing meals.
-    Neglected personal hygiene, including wearing dirty clothes and having body odor, bad breath, neglected nails and teeth, or sores on the skin.
-    Neglected their home, with a noticeable change in cleanliness and sanitation.
-    Exhibited inappropriate behavior, such as being unusually loud, quiet, paranoid, or agitated, or making phone calls at all hours.
-    Changed relationship patterns, causing friends and neighbors to express concerns.
-    Decreased or stopped participating in activities that were once important to them, such as bridge or a book club, dining with friends, or attending religious services.
-    Exhibited forgetfulness, resulting in unopened mail, piling of newspapers, not filling their prescriptions, or missing appointments.
-    Mishandled finances, such as not paying bills, losing money, paying bills twice or more, or hiding money. Made unusual purchases, such as buying more than one subscription to the same magazine, entering an unusually large number of contests, or increasing purchases from television advertisements.

Now What?
  We all want our parents to remain in their home for as long as possible, and most people feel this way.  In fact, 89% of seniors say the ability to age in place – or live independently and remain in one’s home – is very important, but more than half of those surveyed (53%) are concerned with their ability to do so.
  If a large distance separates you from your aging loved one, or if you don’t have the chance to spend time with them as often as you’d like, hiring an in-home caregiver can ensure that they receive the daily care they need. A little extra help with housework, cooking and errands may be all that the senior in your life needs, or they could need a more intensive care plan that includes personal care.  Whatever the needs, Home Helpers can provide solutions to keeping your loved one happy, healthy and at home.  Call us today.  We'll be happy to talk work with you through these challenges.

Bringing useful news to educate our clients is one more way that Home Helpers has been making life easier for over a decade.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.  And as always, you can find us on our website,  Facebook and Google+!

Beneficial activities for the Alzheimer's sufferer

Coming up with daily activities for an Alzheimer's sufferer may feel like an uphill battle. One of the biggest stumbling blocks people have is avoiding over-stimulating actions that can frustrate the individual too much. There are numerous benefits to get a patient with Alzheimer’s to use their mind more frequently. Playing strategic games such as chess can be incredibly beneficial. Below are additional suggestions that should be considered:

1: Reminiscing:  Another great activity for Alzheimer’s patients is reminiscing. Talk about things that you did in your past and begin asking questions of the Alzheimer’s patient. They may not be able to remember certain things, and sometimes their memories may clouded, but that’s okay. Redirect them to memories they can recall. That can actually open the door to things they haven’t thought about, memories they haven’t held onto in many years.

2: Arts & Crafts:  Putting together scrapbooks can be a fun pastime that forces the individual to use their brain, concentrate, and even inspire memories to come to the surface. Quilting or painting can be incredibly beneficial. Reading aloud or even talking about books that they read together can be a great way to spend some time.

3: Music:  Encouraging the Alzheimer’s patient to sing, regardless of whether they can hold a note or not, is good because it brings oxygen to the brain. You can also look to incorporate dance routines when coming up with certain types of music.  You may also want to sit down and suggest writing songs.

Bringing useful news to educate our clients is one more way that Home Helpers has been making life easier for over a decade.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.  And as always, you can find us on our website,  Facebook and Google+!

New Developments in the Treatment of Alzheimer's

After years of setbacks, Alzheimer's researchers are sounding optimistic again. The reason: a brain protein called tau. At this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington, D.C., there are more than 100 papers on tau, which is responsible for the tangles that form in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. In the past, tau has received less attention than another protein called amyloid beta, which causes the sticky plaques associated with Alzheimer's.

This toxic tau, known as a tau oligomer, occurs not only in Alzheimer's patients but also in people with traumatic brain injury.  New research suggests that treating Alzheimer's will require drugs that affect both tau and amyloid, and perhaps other factors that are less well understood.  It's because of this new research that new tools for treating alzheimer's are coming available.

We'll keep you posted as news of these developments unfold.

Bringing useful news to educate our clients is one more way that Home Helpers has been making life easier for over a decade.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.  And as always, you can find us on our website,  Facebook and Google+!

Tips To Reduce The Risk of Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease.

As with most diseases, two factors that most affect the likelihood of Alzheimer's & dementia are diet and activity. This shouldn't be a surprise. After all, your body is a result of what you do or don’t do to it. The following are tips for helping your body prevent dementia...

  1.  Keep your mind fit just like you do with your body. Challenge yourself mentally; learn a new language, learn to play a musical instrument, do brain games. Exercise your brain!
  2.  Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. Studies indicate that consumption of fruit and veggie juices was linked to lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease.
  3. Eat berries! The antioxidants provide protection against the formation of free radicals and amyloid plaques in the brain.
  4.  Consume plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. They are found in fish such as salmon and mackerel. Omega-3s have been shown to help reduce Alzheimer’s progress.
  5.  Eat foods high in folic acid or use supplements that supply this.
  6.  Grape skins contain molecules able to protect brain cells from oxidative stress.
  7.  A Mediterranean-style diet has been linked to lower incidences of Alzheimer’s disease.
  8.  Keep your blood pressure under control.
  9.  Keep up an active social life and a strong social network of friends.  Get out and socialize!

Recent studies indicate that coconut oil may have positive effects on delaying Alzheimer’s symptoms.  Even if coconut oil can’t prevent this disease, it will help your skin stay smooth and is a healthy source of fat!  For help with daily activities such as cooking, bathing and dressing, consider hiring an in home care service. The quick video below can help you to better understand and deal with Alzheimer's disease...


Bringing useful news to educate our clients is one more way that Home Helpers has been making life easier for over a decade.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.  And as always, you can find us on our website,  Facebook and Google+!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

While everyone is sitting around the dinner table at the Thanksgiving family gathering, a likely topic of conversation to come up is the care needs of your of someone in your family.  Particularly, a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, and the recurring thoughts will focus around how he/she is doing, how might they need more help with, how they don't seem to be improving, what was the latest "episode," etc.  Do you recognize this conversation?

 Beyond casual conversation, consider taking advantage of a free care consultation, provided by our office.  Doing this with other family members is always a plus, as it allows everyone to ask questions, or hear other ideas that they may not have considered.

We will gladly talk with all of you about your loved one's care needs, and help you determine a care plan that works best for your entire family.  We may even be able to assist you with alternatives that you may not have considered, and options that can cut the long term care costs dramatically.  Making Life Easier is what we do, not just for the care recipient, but for all of the family.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.