Professional Elder Care Supports Family Caregivers

 If you provide care for a loved one living with age-related challenges or disabilities, you’re not alone. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP, around 44 million Americans act as family caregivers.

While such a considerable portion of the population is involved in providing unpaid assistance for those they love, these individuals rarely have the support they require to maintain their health and well-being. That’s why it’s crucial for family caregivers to have access to reliable, high-quality elder care services they can reach out to for assistance.

Many people view elder care as being primarily beneficial for older adults who need support with necessary activities of daily living. However, professional care providers also work to promote family caregivers’ well-being by giving them respite from their duties, relief from worry, and time to focus on their own self-care.

At Visiting Angels Newton/Canton, we’re proud to offer in-home care services that support elderly adults and any family members or close friends who are involved in their care.

The Emotional, Physical, and Mental Demands of Being a Caregiver

Caring for a loved one can be demanding on many levels. For example, if your loved one requires support with getting out of bed, bathing, or general mobility, you may feel physically exhausted. Rather than using free time to cook yourself a healthy meal, get some exercise, or socialize with friends, you may find you no longer have the energy to do the kinds of activities that once brought you joy.

Caregiving is also mentally exhausting, which is especially challenging for those helping a loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or a memory disorder. Family caregivers are responsible for ensuring they’re loved one is keeping up with their medication schedules and attending the appropriate doctors’ appointments or therapies. It’s also up to you to keep your loved one mentally stimulated and engaged in conversation. Having to be “on” all the time can leave you feeling burned out.

Finally, family caregivers must also deal with a range of emotions that often arise when assisting a loved one with age-related challenges. Although you may wish you could focus on making memories and spending precious time with your loved one, it’s almost impossible to maintain the relationship you once had while also managing their care needs.

It is easy to become frustrated or angry when your loved one refuses care or pushes back on your caregiving style. After all, they may not be prepared for this kind of role reversal. It can also be heart-wrenching to see them struggle with daily living activities that once came naturally to them.

How Senior Home Care Services Help Family Caregivers

In-home elder care can make the responsibility of caring for a loved one so much more manageable. It’s totally up to you which tasks you want the home caregiver to handle and how often you want them to visit. You can choose to continue meeting some of your loved one’s age-related needs or concentrate on being the caring son, daughter, or grandchild you’ve always been.

From transportation to doctors’ appointments to medication reminders, mobility assistance, and dignified support with personal care, our team at Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can offer the assistance required to help older adults age in place. This means we can easily step in to deliver care while you’re on an extended vacation, or we can take over the management of your loved one’s care requirements completely.

You can also have a professional care provider visit for a few hours each week to give you a much-needed break from your duties. Doing so will give you the gratification of participating in your loved one’s care while ensuring you can maintain a balanced lifestyle. Visits can be scheduled around your work and social life, and you can build a flexible plan of care based on both your needs and the needs of your loved one.

When to Seek Professional Assistance

It’s never too early to get started with a professional care provider. Even if you feel your loved one’s needs are manageable for the moment, they could change significantly without warning. Helping your loved one become familiar with their caregiver and establishing a regular schedule will make the transition to professional in-home support manageable and more comfortable for everyone.

Still unsure of whether it’s time to get started with professional elder care? Here are some signs of stress that could indicate your responsibilities are having a negative impact on your health and well-being:

• Feeling overwhelmed
• Constant worry or anxiety
• Often feeling overtired or exhausted
• Inability to adopt a regular sleep schedule
• Significant weight changes
• Frequent headaches or body aches
• Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy

If you’re interested in more information about how in-home care can help your senior loved ones, contact us today.

Providing Safe, High-Quality Care the Elderly Deserve

The healthy and safety of our clients and caregivers are our priority. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton follows and adheres to the latest health and safety guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite the challenges associated with COVID-19, in-home caregivers fulfill Visiting Angels’ mission of partnering with families to provide essential at home living assistance for older adults.

Visiting Angels’ in-home caregivers continue to be homecare heroes on the frontlines, taking necessary steps to protect elderly loved ones and themselves, following regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning local home care agency providing high caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our in-home dementia care, Alzheimer’s care, respite care, live-in and 24-hour care, companion care, transitional aid, and in-home care services in Brookline and Boston area neighborhoods, including Canton, Dedham, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Stoughton, Upper Back Bay, Watertown, Wellesley, West Roxbury, Westwood, and neighboring communities.

Understanding the Stages of Memory Loss

When making care decisions for a family member who is showing signs of memory loss, dementia or Alzheimer’s, it’s vital to understand the stages that they may go through. By having a better understanding of the changes in behavior and abilities, you can choose the most effective course of action for your loved one’s treatment and care with the help of doctors and caregivers.

Alzheimer’s and dementia place a heavy burden on family and friends. The Alzheimer’s Association states that, in 2017, 16.1 million family members and friends provided 18.4 billion hours of unpaid care to people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, at a value of over $232 billion. Plus, the slow progression through the stages by the patient leads to long-term care duties for the unpaid Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Association says that 86 percent have provided care for at least the past year, and half have been providing care for four or more years. Depending on the severity of the memory loss of the senior, families often seek help from home care services, ranging from a little respite care to 24-hour home care assistance.

The following stages are based on the Reisberg Scale, developed by Dr. Barry Reisberg of New York University. Ultimately, the stage of dementia will be determined by a doctor through the use of tests and examinations. To help make the phases more relatable, we’ll outline some real-world scenarios to go with the more clinical definitions.

Stage 1: Normal/No Impairment

There are no outward signs of memory loss or dementia, and your loved one’s behavior and mood have not changed.

“Laura is still keeping a full calendar, from volunteering at the local hospital to meeting her friends for lunch a few times a week. She’s sharp as a tack, too. She’s started working on digital photography courses and picked it right up.”

Stage 2: Very Mild/Normal Aged Forgetfulness

The second stage of dementia is mostly one that the person subjectively notices happening to themselves. Typical examples would be someone thinking they don’t remember names as well as they used to, or temporarily forgetting where their keys are more often. If someone seems to be in stage 2, some studies have shown that they may progress more rapidly through the following stages.

“Paul feels that he’s more forgetful when it comes to places and names, but that it’s not affecting him at work. He’s getting older, so it’s probably just typical stuff for someone his age.”

Stage 3: Mild Cognitive Impairment

In this stage, changes begin to be noticeable by friends and family. The person can probably get through their daily routine, but a range of symptoms can be observed. There can be higher levels of forgetfulness and memory loss, including more repetitive questions from the person. More complex activities that involve planning and organizations can become challenging, which can be particularly worrisome when it comes to staying on top of medications. There can also be a loss of concentration, higher levels of anxiety, and overall confusion.

Stage 3 is where initial Alzheimer’s testing typically occurs, so be sure to encourage family members to be tested.

“Jackie is starting to worry me because she’s still trying to do everything she’s used to doing, but she has trouble with her memory. I can also tell that she gets frustrated when she notices it happening.”

Stage 4: Moderate Dementia

For people in this stage, tasks like cooking, shopping and cleaning are very hard to accomplish without assistance. Issues with memory loss and forgetfulness intensify and should be very apparent to casual acquaintances. Proper speech and “finding the right words” can be a challenge as well.

There can also be noticeable psychological changes, most often seen in withdrawal from social situations. Usually, this is a state of denial where the subject knows their mental facilities are in decline but don’t want to admit it, even to themselves. Rather than engage in a conversation and forget a name, or try to order from a menu and misspeak, they will avoid the situation.

This stage is also named mild Alzheimer’s disease, and diagnoses in this stage are often very accurate.

“I’m glad Les has his family close by because he’s been in decline the last few months. It has to be hard on them to assist in more and more activities, especially as he seems to be more and more withdrawn.”

Stage 5: Moderately Severe Dementia

When a person enters this stage of dementia, they typically need frequent assistance to make it through their daily activities. There is often an inability to recall necessary, deeply ingrained information, such as phone numbers, home address, or schools attended.

Someone in stage 5 would have great difficulty living an independent life. They may need living assistance in a variety of areas, from picking the proper clothes for the weather to eating regular, healthy meals to handling basic tasks like paying a bill.

“When I saw Mari the other day, she was wearing short sleeves even though it was 40 degrees outside. I’ve also noticed her not being able to recall her home address, which makes me glad she has someone coming to provide in-home care every day.”

Stage 6: Severe Dementia

In stage 6, having full-time care is a must for most patients. They often need help to dress, bathe or use the bathroom. Things that seem as simple as flushing the toilet will be forgotten, leading to cleanliness and sanitary issues within the house.

The memory loss can also manifest itself in the person wandering or getting lost and forgetting the names of family members. A breakdown of speaking ability can often occur later in this stage, making it harder for family members and home caregivers to meet the needs of the person. Emotional and behavioral changes can be quite troubling in this stage as well, as those who have severe dementia can be increasingly paranoid and hostile.

“John’s family seemed very distraught when discussing his current condition with me. They’re so worried about his behavior that they’re cutting back on visits from friends to see him. Plus, he’s at a stage where things that would be very embarrassing are routinely happening, and they want to protect people’s good memories of him.”

Stage 7: Very Severe Dementia

Stage 7 is the final stage of dementia and patients require full-time care. Moving, eating, talking can be nearly impossible for some people, so even trained professional caregivers can find themselves taxed by the needs of the patient.

Symptoms of this stage often include a loss of the ability to speak and communicate, a loss of awareness for people and surroundings, and the failure of motor control, which can lead to an inability to control facial expressions.

“It’s troubling to visit Doris these days as there isn’t much of her personality or even physical state left that you would recognize. Thankfully, she has very patient and caring people looking after her who are trying to make her final days as good as they can be.”

Conclusion

If you can identify symptoms from any of the stages outlined above in your loved ones, please reach out to their primary caregiver to begin the process of testing. Early detection can be instrumental in managing the progression of the disease and also give you time to plan the approach to caregiving that is right for your family, whether it’s assisted living, friends and family, or in-home care by HHAs and CNAs.

About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning local home care agency providing high caliber in-home care services to elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our dementia home care, Alzheimer’s care, companion care, respite support, transitional aid, and senior home care services in Needham, Dedham, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Wellesley, Newton, Canton, Westwood, Watertown, Natick, Stoughton, Roslindale, Norwood, and nearby towns. While non-medical in nature, the care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a significant impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life.

Differences between Dementia Care and Regular Home Care

If your elderly loved one is showing signs of dementia, he or she may need more than regular elderly home care services.  A high quality home care agency will do a thorough assessment of individual needs to design a customized home care plan for each client. But still, it is important for you to understand the different types of care available.  Home care needs are different for healthy seniors vs those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

Regular Home Care Services

​Regular in-home care is intended for individuals who require assistance with certain tasks but are able to maintain some independence.  A home caregiver provides help with activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing, and with household chores like light housecleaning, grocery shopping, and meal preparation. This type of care might also provide medication management and transportation to medical appointments. Regular home care may be appropriate for someone in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, but as the disease progresses, more specialized care is needed.

​Dementia Home Care Services

Dementia home care is tailored to the challenges related to the different types of dementia and the changing needs through the progression of the disease. Dementia caregivers are familiar with the stages of the disease, common behaviors, and safety issues related to dementia as well as how to handle erratic moods and behavior. Care plans focus on the specific needs of an individual with dementia, including likes, dislikes, and personality. Dementia care incorporates activities designed to stimulate memory such as looking at family photo albums or listening to music, doing art projects, or reading. Using social media technologies to engage social with friends and family, eating a brain-healthy diet and physical exercise are also ways to help seniors with dementia live at home longer.

In early stage dementia care, the caregiver may need to provide simple memory assistance such as appointment reminders, organization, and money management along with regular home care services.

In middle stage dementia care, it is important for a person with dementia to follow a structured schedule to reduce the stress and anxiety. Individuals may also need increased assistance with dressing and feeding themselves.

In late stage dementia care, individuals typically need 24-hour care to cope with extreme confusion, inability to process information, and difficulty communicating verbally.

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton offers 24-hour home care as well as live-in and live-out homecare for the elderly with dementia. For more homecare information, please call 617-795-2727.