Portland Home Care for Elders – Aging Parent’s Concerns – Portland OR

Guardian Angel Caregivers provides live-in and elder home care for seniors in Portland, Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland –

Please call us at 503 -698-2020. Email info@guardianangelhelp.com.

In our post today, we offer tips and tools for talking with aging parents about concerns most familiy members have. Another issues that adult children have is determining whether aging parent’s safety is at risk. If your mom or dad doesn’t want to talk about the safety issues that concern you, here are several ideas for ways to handle the critical conversation.

This list is taken from a free report by Lynn Coon who is offers this report in full at Lynn Coon Counseling. In this report, you will find a list of the many care options available to your parents along with a brief description and the pros and cons of each option in my opinion. This information is valuable for adult children who are faced with caring for an elder and long term planning for them.

How to Start the Talk with Aging Parents About Critical Concerns for them: 

Give some thought to the emotional response your concerns may bring up. Often, when adult children with aging parents are scared or worried they begin to make demands. They tell their parents what to do. Lynn Coon encourages you to step back from your emotions and identify your concerns. This increases the
chance of a having a successful conversation with your parent(s). Write down what’s going through your head when you think about the situation and what you think needs to be done. Then write these reasons down, starting with the word, “because.”

Guardian Angel Caregivers will give more tips on having Critical Conversations with Aging Parents in our upcoming posts in this blog. We thank Lynn Coon, Counseling, MS, in Portland Oregon for agreeing to add her insights to our Elder Care & Senior Home Care blog.

Portland OR Senior Health Tips – When to Call Doctor – Elder Home Care in Portland

When to Call Your Doctor in Portland, OR – Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon call us for home care help at 503-698-2020.

Any ordinary doctor will tell you, most everyone complains about the same things. This list reveals what those things are that bug us – as well as how to tell if you really will need to get a hold of your physician.

1. Inexplicable Loss of Weight – When to Call: When combined with a lack of sleep and motivation, it could be a sign of depression. If you feel unusually parched or are urinating often, it could be a sign of diabetes. If you feel any bouts of upper-abdominal pain, you could be experiencing a stomach ulcer.

2. Consistent Cough – When to Call: If you’ve recently had the flu or any other respiratory sickness and the cough hasn’t improved afterwards, your lungs may be inflamed. Get checked out for pneumonia.

3. A Spreading Rash – When to Call: If your rash appears quickly and swells around your mouth or face, whether or not its accompanied by hives, you may be going into anaphylactic shock, which is a life threatening allergic reaction, most likely to medication, food, or a bug bite. Get to a hospital emergency room immediately.

4. Massive Headaches – When to Call: If your eyes lose focus, you see double, can’t see out your peripheral, have trouble walking, or you feel nauseous (or you vomit), it’s possible you have a tumor. If you would describe your headache as like “nothing else you’ve ever felt,” then it’s also possible you’ve had a minor stroke or aneurysm and you should seek medical attention immediately.

5. Chest Pain – When to Call: If your chest pain spreads to your arms, shoulders or back along with a feeling of nausea, perspiration or fatigue, you could be having a heart attack. If the pain is slow, pressing and heavy and arrives after physical activity or strong emotional moments but leaves after some peace and quiet, it could be angina, one of the many signs of arteriosclerosis (when your arteries harden). Regardless, seek medical attention immediately.

Whether or not you should call your doctor usually depends on the accompanying symptoms. Any sign that your condition is worsening and you should always call your doctor.

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon  – 503-698-2020

Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland and more – Email Guardian Angel Caregivers info@guardianangelhelp.com

Portland Senior’s & Elder’s Home Care Help – Preventing Falls at Home

Preventing Senior Falls at home in Portland OR – Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon – please call us 503-698-2020.

About 25% the population over the age 65 often requires treatment for fall injuries. They are the leading cause of injury for people in that age group. You might be asking, “what can I do, an average senior, to protect myself from a fall?

Guardian Angel Home Care Help offers these suggestions when preparing your home for safety:

• Keep Your Home Safe. The majority of falls occur at home. We suggest making your home fall proof by  eliminating the trip hazards. You will want to make sure your throw rugs have the non slip backing pads or under pads. Keep your stairwells and hallways well-lit and eliminate all clutter that is stored in their walk ways. Equip bathrooms, bathtubs and shower stalls with securely attached grab bars and use non skid mats or treads to help prevent slips and falls.
• Stay Active. Maintaining an active lifestyle is your best way to reduce risks in all areas of your life, including health, not just falling. Physical activity that you maintain, keeps muscles strong, maintains bone density, keeps you limber and flexible, and adds a good sense of balance. Walking, gardening and stretching exercises are all good ways to help maintain optimum body mechanics no matter what your age.
• Live Healthy. By maintaining a daily well-balanced diet, and by limiting your consumption of alcohol, which can interact with medications. Be sure you get regular health checkups with you doctor. This also can assist you in avoiding falls. These will all contribute to eliminating other health problems that could keep you down.

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon – We specialize in Live-in Home Health Care in Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland – please call us 503-698-2020.

Elder & Senior Topics for Discussions with Adult Children – Home Care in Portland OR

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon – 503-698-2020

In our post yesterday, we talked about sensitive topics of aging relatives… especially topics that address living independently. How do adult children bring up sensitive subjects with aging parents if you’ve never had to before until now? How do you begin a conversation with mom or dad about the possible ramifications of disease that will affect his or her lifestyle? And/or how do you bring up the topic of losing the privilege to drive with your aging relative?

Aging relatives in a similar situation like these might begin the conversation with family themselves (hopefully).  If this does not occur, then think about their personal circumstances the subjects or topics to address. For example, if your grandmother cannot see very well, then transportation might be at the top of your issue list.  And your goal might be to resolve this situation, rather than dealing with multiple issues at one time or during one visit. 

Timing is an important element. Give your parents time to think about the concern.  To gain receptivity from your dad or mom, begin a conversation with, “Let’s figure out a plan for how you can get around town if you no longer feel safe driving.” Just make sure to broach these conversations with care.  And it’s crucial to begin such discussions assuming “if” rather than “when.”

Just because one is old does not mean they cannot continue to drive safely.  So the amount of discussion that occurs should be based on their personal circumstances. The worst you can do as an adult child is  assume to wait to have the talk until an accident or emergency occurs.

Begin the talk and keep talking with your parents. The more you do, the more open they become to sharing their fears and concerns with you. At that point, they are trusting that you will allow them to give input to what they want and “how” they want to live independently. Good communication also is vital to helping families know when it’s time to seek additional resources.  Both adult children and their loved ones can benefit from outside help, such as the type provided by professionals like Guardian Angels Help in Portland.  But your have to bring up these tough topics and talk about them.

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon – Specializing in Live-in Home Health Care in Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland – please call us 503-698-2020.

Sensitive Topics & Conversations with Aging Parents – Live In Home Care Portland

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon – Specializing in Live-in Home Health Care in Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland – please call us 503-698-2020.

When it comes to discussing the problems of aging with parents in Portland, family members and adult children are usually left speechless.  What can an adult daughter say to her dad when he’s hit a tree with his car? Or how does that same adult child ask her dad he’s taking his medications?  And how do adult siblings approach their parents about needing more help at home?

Many of us face such issues and questions and find it very difficult to bring it up. So, how do we?

Research has revealed that nearly a third of adults have major communication obstacles with parents. We believe that obstacle is created out of the relationship we have with aging relatives. And it seems that most adult children are seen by their older parents as still children – not necessarily young but nevertheless children. And they have a hard time getting past that parent – child relationship, still treating their offspring like children.

Adult children, when asked what if the toughest issue to bring up with aging parents is independence and continuing to live in their own homes.  Most aging seniors and elders desire to remain independent and this brings up 2 other difficult topics; health and money.

If adult children and aging parents could develop a peer to peer relationship, this would make these conversations easier to have. Since most families do not have peer to peer conversations, the results lead to misuse of medications, self-neglect, and accidents.

Unfortunately, families don’t move past this obstacle until it’s too late. Often what occurs, is an emergency before talking to parents.  Guardian Angels Help Portland suggests practical ways for adult children to start talking with their parents now. 

Visit us again tomorrow when add tips and suggestions on how to bring up critical conversations and topics with your aging relative.

If you need help caring for an elder or senior in Portland OR, go to Guardian Angel Help or call us 503-698-2020.

Is Memory Loss Normal for Elders in Portland – Home Care Help Portland OR Area

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon – Specializing in Live-in Home Health Care in Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland – please call us 503-698-2020.

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon Area knows that it means more than everything to your aging loved one to continue living independently at home. And as the adult child, we know you understand it’s their biggest wish. That’s why Guardian Angel Help in the Portland Area offers 24/7 care so we can be there when you can’t be.

Many family members of elders in Portland ask us.. is memory loss normal?

Memory loss is not a normal part of the aging process. This is the message that seniors, spouces, children and loved ones need to remember. As research shows that the ability to pay attention and concentrate decreases with age, and senior moments or word finding difficulties are common, it is not normal for memory to worsen with age. This can, in fact, be a sign of a more serious problem.

Experts in memory loss says aging slows down the process of taking in new information. People don’t forget, but may begin to learn differently. Learning can be improved through such healthy living measures as:

• Proper exercise
• Eating a balanced meal
• Getting enough sleep
• Reducing stress

 Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon suggest that seniors become aware of what can adversely affect attention and concentration and find ways to eliminate these stressors from their lives. This may mean getting treatment for:

• Depression
• Reducing alcohol consumption
• Recognizing medication misuse
• Rsing herbal supplements with caution

 In addtion to following helpful hints:

• Writing things down
• Organizing important things
• Planning ahead
• Exercising the brain can help – crossword puzzles or number games

Regular brain exercises can increase learning and help reduce senior moments. Just like our bodies, our brains require regular care and maintenance. This is particularly true when we get older.

Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon – helping seniors and elders in Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland – 503-698-2020.

Elder Home Care in Portland, Senior Care, Companionship Portland West Hills

Welcome to our informational & educational blog sponsored by Guardian Angel Help in Portland Oregon, if you need help in your home or an aging relative wants to stay safely and live comfortably at home, please call us 503-698-2020.

If you have a private concern, please email me, Steve Miller, owner of Guardian Angel Help in Portland. Email info@guardianangelhelp.com.

When seniors or others need assistance with their daily living needs, home is the most comfortable and convenient place to receive care. Serving Portland West Hills, East Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Boring, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Downtown Portland and more.

We provide non-medical caregivers for companion and homemaker services to seniors, those recovering from surgery, new and expectant mothers, and others. Options include 24 hour live-in care or hourly care.

Guardian Angel caregives are compassionate and dependable. They give Portand seniors and elders optimal care and assistance, helping make their lives easier. You Portland senior is able to live safely at home and to retain independence. If you are a working family member and family caregiver, you gain peace of mind knowing your loved one is safe at home in Portland.

All of our caregivers are carefully screened, bonded and insured so you can trust you are getting the best possible assistance. If needed, our agency also provides services to individuals who may reside in an assisted living facility or nursing home.

Guardian Angel Help – call us today 503-698-2020.