Knowing the risks can help a person in home senior care feel more in control (and thereby calmer) about what they can do to help themselves avoid a certain fate. Education will also ensure that family members can follow the same rules as well to help keep them out of risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Obviously there’s nothing to be done about family history or just the natural progression of time, so instead here are some action items that anyone can make for the New Year. Changing the habits in a health care home can be hard, though if people start small now then the efforts can pay dividends in the future.
Eating Better and Exercising More
This piece of advice is everywhere for a variety of reasons, however it’s emphasized so much since it’s that important. Added the repetition has a chance to work its way into the public’s mind for hopefully easier adoption. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose by cutting out the fat and empty calories and the right in home health agency can make this happen. A diet that would serve to decrease the chances for dementia would include whole grains, lean protein and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Dementia has been linked to high blood pressure and diabetes, so the excess salt, sugar and cholesterol also need to be removed. For those caregivers providing dementia home health, they know how difficult it can be to convince people to make tough choices. Clinical trials showed animal subjects to be much more at risk when they had especially high cholesterol, so the threat for those in aged care services can be very real if they’re overweight.
Home Precautions
Head trauma can also be the contributing factor in dementia for those in respite care services. Lasting brain damage will trump a blemish-free family history and decades of challenging puzzles to keep brains sharp and active. This is incredibly scary considering it just takes one misstep out of the many that people may take every day, and it’s also instantaneous. However, there’s nothing to be done by living in fear either. Instead, those in dementia home care should just take as many precautions around the home, and even outside. Items like non-slip shoes, safety bars, properly adjusted and calibrated canes and walkers can all be stop a potentially damaging fall. Senior in dementia care can help set an environment up for success, and even just having these types of measures visible to the person can be a sharp reminder to be careful regardless of what they’re doing.
Additional Tips
Those receiving home health services shouldn’t smoke, and should have an active social life while receiving constant intellectual stimulation. Doing this can prevent depression which is a common link to dementia. A proper health care home should address both the mental and physical needs of the elderly person, which goes far beyond just basic care services. Warding off dementia will improve the quality of life for both caretaker and charge immeasurably, so taking the proper precautions and keeping up the research is an imperative.
Select Home Care in Westlake Village is a leader in offering premier 24 hour care, hospice care, dementia home care, and companionship cares for seniors. Trusted by healthcare professionals, Select Home Care serves a vital role in helping people live more independent lives outside of institutions and keeping them closer to their families. For more information on the risk of dementia for seniors or about Select Home Care’s senior care services please call 800-993-1657 or visit selecthomecare.com.
