Helping seniors remain in their homes safely and comfortably is our mission at Home Instead Senior Care Austin. We moved for several reasons:

Home Care Austin:

• Gives more useful tips
• Home care savings
• Home care packages to help you save
• A national connection of senior service providers
• Home care videos
• Home care podcasts
• and much more to help better guide you to caring for an aging parent or relative in Austin, Texas.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin appreciates our readership and hope you join us at Home Care Austin on Carebuzz.com.

Thank you for your loyalty and trusting us with your elder loved one’s care!

Austin seniors are choosing to return to college. They love going back to school because it allows them to meet people with similar interests. A recent AP article says. “Many of them call each other outside the ‘classroom’ to chat and check up on each other.”

As the nation’s population grows older, experts say programs like University Without Walls in New York help engage seniors’ minds and expand their social network by giving them something stimulating to do; factors helpful in diminishing the onset of depression, dementia and other ailments.

A recent Associated Press article focuses on DOROT University Without Walls, which has about 500 people enrolled for the fall semester in a telephone-based educational program for homebound seniors.

The curriculum includes more than 250 courses ranging from understanding feng shui and poetry writing to discussions on moral, ethical and philosophical issues and a discourse on women of the progressive era. Other class topics include Internet surfing, medicine and money management. Classes are taught by professionals in the areas of art, history, science and medicine who often volunteer their time.

The program was started in 1989 by DOROT, a New York-based senior services agency that partners with some of New York City’s major medical and cultural institutions in offering the classes.

A family member’s story:

It wasn’t until my mother was in her mid 70’s that I began to wonder if it was safe for her to be living alone. While I knew this day would come at some point, I hadn’t worried too much about her when my father was still alive; once they retired they fell into a routine that worked from them to manage their daily duties and remaining safe and healthy.

My sister and I began to notice a change in my mother after the death of my father a few years earlier; naturally for a period she withdrew from many of her social activities and started to neglect her diet and the maintenance of her household to get through the mourning period.

We became concerned, when after a couple of years, it didn’t seem like things were looking up for her; she still wasn’t attempting to take back control of her life. My mother had always been so worried about keeping her home spotless, I can remember as a child being scolded if one ornament was put out of place, or if I didn’t make my bed first thing in the morning.

So it was such a drastic change to see spoiled food sitting in the fridge, dust gathering on shelves and counters, and magazines and books stashed under the furniture. I began to stop by her house more often to try and give her a hand; I made sure that she had a well-stocked fridge of nutritious foods, and occasionally tidied up the home.

Being at her place more often also allowed me to keep an eye on things, and I realized she had been neglecting more that I initially thought; I checked the dates on her medications and compared them to the number of pills in the bottles, unfortunately I found that she wasn’t taking them on schedule.

I also found a stack of unopened mail on her counter under a pile of flyers and catalogues; it looked like some of it had been there for weeks, meaning she might not have been paying her bills on time. I knew it was time to get someone to help my mother around the house and keep track of things, since it was getting to be too much for her. I was still working full time and couldn’t do it on my own, so I called in reinforcements.

A friend had recommended Home Instead Senior Care, so I contacted them. They helped mom during the week and I would come over on the weekends when I wasn’t working. Now I can rest assured that her house is clean; she’s getting regular, healthy meals; her mail is being opened and her bills paid; and most importantly, she has someone to remind her to take her medications. These days my mother is more than just getting by, she’s well cared for, healthy and content.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

Caregiving and Alzheimers in Austin TX. Are you seeking home care or non medical home care in Austin?

This week we are very focused on Alzheimer’s, as it has been the main topic around our Home Instead Austin office due to the Memory Walk that we participated in Saturday. I will write more on that later, but for now, I thought it would be helpful to let caregivers in on some tips that can be helpful when caring for a client with Alzheimer’s.

• Try to plan activities around the part of the day when your client is at his/ her best.
• Always keep a safe environment. Remove anything that could hurt them.
• Keep activities simple and familiar.
• Keeping up an exercise routine, along with good nutrition is important!
• Label items and drawers so that the client will know where they put things.
• Try to create a sense of accomplishment for the client when they complete any activities.
• Most importantly, take care of your needs and make sure that you get plenty of rest. You are not helping the client if you are not feeling well, so be good to yourself!

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be challenging, hopefully with these tips, and a positive attitude, the experience will be rewarding for both you, and the client.

Michelle Kosusnik, Recruiter/ Retention Coordinator/Blog Contributor
Home Instead Senior Care Austin, Texas

Obesity in and elder’s life does not make a substantial difference to the risks of death among older people, but it is a major contributor to increased disability in later life, according to a study from Peninsula Medical School in England. It’s like “a ticking time bomb”.

Research study shows that 4,000 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging who were 65 and older  -  the higher an older person’s Body Mass Index, the more likely he or she was to develop mobility problems or to develop difficulty carrying out everyday tasks. 

It is important research because a growing proportion of the population is aged 65 and older are overweight. In fact, in most developed countries, middle-aged and elderly adults are more likely to be obese than people in any other age group.

The research team recommends older people talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional about their weight, and take their advice regarding slimming down if they are overweight.

The findings are significant, as increasing numbers of older people and higher levels of being overweight will put an immense strain on health and social services.

Following, from the National Institute on Aging, are tips for healthy aging:

1. Eat a balanced diet.
2. Exercise regularly.
3. Get regular check-ups.
4. Don’t smoke. It’s never too late to quit.
5. Practice safety habits at home to prevent falls and fractures.
6. Always wear your seatbelt when traveling.
7. Avoid overexposure to the sun and the cold.
8. If you drink, moderation is the key.  And when you drink, let someone else drive.
9. Keep personal and financial records in order to simplify budgeting and investing.     
10. Keep a positive attitude toward life.  Do things that make you happy.

Austin Seniors – make these tips a priority in your life.  There are many benefits you receive from exercise.

Another important component to healthy aging is companionship and socialization.  If you don’t participate in many activities in Austin with family or friends, please try to change that. 

Consider hiring a companion from Home Instead Senior Care Austin.  We match our CAREGivers with our senior clients of similar interests to accompany them on many of the pursuits that they enjoy, and to help them discover new adventures.  Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

While it’s normal for seniors to occasionally have sleep problems, seniors who experience sleep pattern changes that last for longer than two weeks should see a doctor, the American Geriatrics Society says.

“Generally for optimal function, the body and mind need about eight hours of sleep each night,” said Dr. Charles Cefalu, a member of the American Geriatrics Society. Because sleep affects everyone differently, he said seniors shouldn’t count the hours of sleep they get to determine if it’s right for them, but should take note of how they feel the next day.

Common signs of a sleep disorder may include excessive snoring, frequent waking through the night, morning headaches, being tired but having trouble falling asleep, loss of appetite, and not feeling rested in the morning, HealthDay News reports.

Cefalu offers these tips to help seniors get a good night’s sleep:

• Maintain a sleep schedule with consistent sleeping and waking hours.
• Don’t consume caffeinated beverages and foods after 2 p.m.
• Eat a light dinner earlier in the evening to help prevent restless sleep.
• Get rid of unnecessary light in the bedroom. Even light from a digital clock or TV can disrupt sleep cycles, so try turning the clock away from the bed and refrain from falling asleep with the TV on.
• Exercise for 30 to 40 minutes per day, three or four days each week.  This will help promote a more restful sleep.
• Do not take long naps during the day if you have trouble falling asleep at night.

Home Care for Austin Seniors – (512) 347-9207.

Women who don’t smoke, maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthful diet and exercise regularly significantly reduce their risk from dying from any cause, and particularly from cancer and heart disease, a Harvard School of Public Health study found. 

A number of studies have shown associations between individual lifestyle factors and risk of chronic diseases, but few have looked at how a combination of lifestyle factors might influence mortality. 

“Our findings suggest that the combination of lifestyle factors has a substantially larger impact on survival than any single factor,” said Rob van Dam, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, who led the study. “Clearly, avoiding smoking is of major importance for health, but regular physical activity, a healthy diet and weight management can result in large additional health benefits. Even modest lifestyle changes, such as 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity (e.g., brisk walking) per day significantly reduced risk of premature death.”

Researchers analyzed data from 77,782 women participating in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-based Nurses’ Health Study. They looked at participants’ responses to questionnaires about lifestyle and health conditions over a 24-year period, beginning in 1980. During the follow-up, 8,882 deaths were recorded. Researchers estimated that 55 percent of deaths from all causes, 44 percent of cancer mortality and 72 percent of cardiovascular mortality could have been prevented if participants had never smoked, engaged in regular physical activity, avoided becoming overweight and ate a healthy diet.

For more information, see the Harvard University press release.  This study is further evidence of the importance of helping clients exercise and eat healthy meals.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin – 512-347-9207.

Read Michelle’s orginal story by clicking here. It is posted in this blog on September 18th.

We are offering a FREE 10 minute telephone interview, with one of our Home Instead Senior Care consultants, to families needing information and advice on “should aging parent choose home care personal services or go to an assisted living facility”.  Please call Michelle Kosusnik at (512) 347-9207 or email michellek@homeinstead.com.

The year 2008 has been a very positive year for me. The best part of 2008 has been my new job at Home Instead as a Recruiter. When I came on board here, I felt as if everything was coming full circle. Time has passed since I lost dad, and now after much grieving, I have learned to savor life.

I appreciate every moment with my kids, my friends, fiancé, and co-workers. I love my job, and I feel grateful that I have been able to share my experience with all of you through this blog. Thank you for reading, and I hope that if anyone has an experience similar to mine, that you are able to gain something from what I have talked about.

Everyone has a different path, and the choices you make are personal. Just remember that whatever you choose for your parent, that you look at the big picture, and know that you can have a clear conscious with your decisions. The love you have for your parents is precious, and every moment is a treasure. I know that is how I will always think of the time I had for me and dad.

In loving memory of James Robert Funderburk
March 17, 1942- March 09, 2006

Read Michelle’s orginal story by clicking here. It is posted in this blog on September 18th.

We are offering a FREE 10 minute telephone interview, with one of our Home Instead Senior Care consultants, to families needing information and advice on “should aging parent choose home care personal services or go to an assisted living facility”.  Please call Michelle Kosusnik at (512) 347-9207 or email michellek@homeinstead.com.

Click here to listen… 

Austin Seniors biggest fear is losing their independence.  That independence is often lost, however, because seniors don’t reach out for help.  It’s up to their adult children to recognize the signs.   

In January 2006, I took dad to the doctor because he wasn’t feeling well. The doctor advised me to take dad to the hospital immediately because his oxygen level was extremely low. After dad was admitted and they ran a series of tests, they informed me that dad had experienced another mild stroke.

He stayed in the hospital for about 10 days. When he was about to be released, the doctors and social workers were giving me lots of pamphlets and information about Nursing Homes. I presented this to Dad. He looked at me in a way that he never had before, it was a look of desperation.

He said, “Michelle, PLEASE do not let them take me to a nursing home! I do NOT want to die there. Let me go home”. At that moment I knew this would be our last trip to the hospital. I told them to let me take him home, and that we had care givers in place to help us. On March 9, 2006, Dad passed away peacefully at home.