5 Signs it’s time for your loved one to move into assisted living

Has mom stopped gardening? Is dad struggling to get out of his favorite chair? These changes may seem like the natural progression of aging, but they may also be signs it’s time for your loved one to move into assisted living.

Pay attention to little things. As parents age, their mobility and flexibility will change, and as a result their safety can be at risk. Often times, they will keep quiet about some of the changes, as they don’t want to admit to needing help and they are comfortable at home. As our parents become older, it is important to notice the little things about their physical and cognitive behavior in order to help them make the tough decisions about their well being.

You may have concerns, but unsure when it is time to enlist help. These 5 warning signs are strong indicators your loved one might need to move into assisted living:

Difficulty moving around

If your loved one has trouble getting in and out of their chair or bed or you fear they may be at risk for falling, it might be time to look into moving them.

Declining personal care

Does your loved one’s house have a strong urine odor, or have you noticed that their clothes are wrinkled and their hair unkempt? As parents age, these tasks can be difficult to keep up with and they may need assistance from caregivers.

Safety issues at home

When you visit your parents, check if their home seems cluttered. Look in the kitchen to see if there are any fire dangers or signs of fire damage. For example: are stove knobs charred? Pot bottoms singed badly or thrown out? Do any potholders have burned edges? Accidental house fires are common for older people living alone.

Increase in health issues and needs

A senior’s health can be severely impacted by a failure to properly take prescribed medications or by mixing up medicine. Read bottles to make sure medications are not expired. This can also be a sign your loved one is not keeping their regular doctor’s appointments.

Social activities decrease

Has your parent shown disinterest in hobbies they use to love, or withdrawn from friends? Do they seem lonely or depressed and rarely leave the house?

If your loved one shows any of these signs, it might be time to sit down with them and discuss options for assisted living care. For more information on assisted living please feel free to contact our care manager.

Questions to Ask When Choosing an Assisted Living Community

Choosing an assisted living community for your mom or dad will be one of the most important decisions you make. There are several options available for senior care, the key is finding the right fit for your family. Assisted living communities offer a variety of benefits.

Before you begin the search, it is important to evaluate your loved one’s financial, physical, and lifestyle needs. Once you have narrowed your list to the assisted living communities you would like to tour, ask to talk to the care manager and caregivers to learn more about the community and the people.

Here are the top 10 questions you want to ask:

What is your staff-to-resident ratio?
What kind of experience and training does the staff have?
How many staff members are on duty overnight? Do you have a nurse on staff 24/7?
What types of residents and disabilities does your staff have experience with?
What types of apartments/rooms are available and what are the monthly costs?
What safety measures are in place to protect residents?
What services, programs and activities are available? (i.e. health and wellness programs, memory care activities, transportation services)
What are the overall costs and contract policies?
What services are included monthly fees and what services are considered additional?
If my loved one is away from the facility for an extended period of time, (in the hospital or temporarily in a nursing home) what fees continue to apply?

As you tour the community with the care manager, note if the community is well-maintained and feels inviting. Also, pay attention to how the staff and residents interact with each other, and try to gauge how they appear emotionally. Are they happy and comfortable, or do they seem on edge? These observations will give you more insight about the community and the well being of its residents.

Warning signs of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

A popular misconception about aging is that senior moments are common and considered a normal part of getting older. While an occasional senior moment can be expected, if your loved one is frequently having difficulty with his or her memory it may be a warning sign of dementia or the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dementia is a group of symptoms that affect mental tasks like memory and reasoning. This impairment interferes with a person’s ability to do things which he or she was previously able to do. Alzheimer’s, on the other hand, is a progressive disease of the brain that slowly impairs memory and cognitive function.

Memory loss is the main warning sign for both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but there are others you should watch for:

If your loved one has two or more of the following symptoms it may be considered dementia:

Memory loss that interrupts daily life
Difficulty speaking or writing
Loss of focus and inability to pay attention
Decreased or poor judgment
Trouble understanding visual images and recognizing spatial relationships

Alzheimer’s disease shares similar signs to dementia, although there are a few others to be aware of that may present themselves in varying degrees:

Challenges planning or solving problems
Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
Confusion with time or place
Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
Withdrawal from work or social activities
Changes in mood and personality

If your loved one exhibits any of these signs, consult his or her doctor for diagnosis and to learn more about treatment options.

*Source: Alzheimer’s Association

Meet Kristie Chadwick

IMG_Kristie Chadwick2 low res (1) — Kristie Chadwick

Paradise Living Centers warmly welcomes, Kristie Chadwick, our new Care Manager. Kristie joined our team in May.

Q: What made you choose a career in senior care?

A: I actually started out training horses and spent many years in Europe and the U.S, training with Olympians. Training horses takes a toll the body, so as I got older, I began thinking about what else I may want to do. My experience as a trainer gave me an opportunity to get involved in pet therapy. My passion for working with others and providing care led me to make the career change. Six years ago, I accepted a position as the Activities Director for an assisted care community.

Q: What do you enjoy most about working in an assisted living community?

A: Well, I started out as the Activities Director for Ventana Winds Assisted Living and Memory Care in Sun City. There I loved working with residents and knew I found the right career path for me. I also spent two years at Encore Senior Living in Paradise Valley working as the Community Relations Coordinator. I found my passion working with seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s and helping their families cope. I became involved with the Alzheimer’s Association’s dementia division and participated in several of their Walk to End Alzheimer’s events.

Q: In your current role as Care Manager, what do you do for PLC residents and families?

A: I do quite a bit to make sure things run smoothly in our community! To start off each day, I oversee daily monitoring of residential care and ensure that our wonderful staff is engaging our residents during daily programs and activities. I also meet with residents’ families and make certain that their expectations are met, especially those coping with loved ones suffering from dementia.

Q: Outside of work, are you involved in any organizations?

A: Oh yes, a handful of them! I like to stay up to date in my industry to benefit our residents as much as I can. I am a member of the Alzheimer’s Association, Arizona Assisted Living Homes Association, Nursing Care Institution Administrators and the Assisted Living Association of America. I am also a part of the fundraising committee for Justa Center, which is a resource center for homeless people over the age of 55.

Q: What is your long-term vision for Paradise Living Centers?

A: I hope to expand our community and diversify our programs! I want our residents to be in a home that will meet their particular needs.

Paradise Living Centers Open House Welcomes the Community

On Thursday, May 15, Paradise Living Centers opened its doors to those interested in learning more about residential assisted living and touring our beautifully remodeled home. We had a great turnout at the Open House and Meet the Team event. Kristie Chadwick, our new director welcomed guests and was warmly welcomed by Memory Care professionals, representatives from the Paradise Valley police station, and others in the senior care industry.

Kristie greeted guests and gave them a tour of our newly decorated house.

The tour ended on our new backyard patio. Landscaping will be finished in the next few months.

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were served as guests from the assisted care industry socialized.

More than 30 guests attended the open house.

Paradise Living Centers and Kristie Chadwick would like to thank everyone who came to the event and welcome her in her new position.

New Beginnings Start with a New Look

Set in scenic Paradise Valley, Paradise Living Centers has a beautiful 5,200 square foot assisted living home with space for 10 residents. We recently finished a complete remodel and added a couple’s suite to our interior. Work is now underway in our front and back yard landscaping and patios. Plans include a new patio, garden, outdoor seating areas, and a barbeque.

Our bright spacious rooms feature crown modeling, new paint and flooring, 10 foot ceilings, large windows and new furniture. Each room is elegantly furnished, offering a variety of inviting gathering places for residents to enjoy. A large entertainment room features a comfortable seating and a large flat screen TV where residents can gather for movie nights, meals and activities. We also have a beautifully decorated living room with sofas, tables and chairs, providing a great space for families to visit their loved ones. Each resident has their own newly remodeled bathroom; and while the bedrooms come furnished, you are welcome to bring your own.

We want our residents to feel at home. Understanding the move to residential assisted living is not always an easy one. Our goal is to make the transition as easy and comfortable as possible.

To get a look at our new décor and finishes you can take a video tour, look at our photo gallery or contact us to book a tour.

To learn new information and happenings about Paradise Living Centers and gain helpful tips and information on senior living, visit our blog every couple of weeks for new posts.

Tech Products for Seniors

We wrote a blog post last October about Seniors and Social Media, and discussed the benefits of creating a Facebook account. Using social media to reconnect and stay in touch with family members can be a great tool but not all tech products or tools are geared toward an older demographic. Also bear in mind, many seniors are private about their personal life, unlike younger generations, so Facebook is not always the best platform for them; we’ve all seen that Geico ad!

Senior-centric tech products are few and far between, but we have come across a few that are worth checking out. See what may help you stay connected to your loved ones who are living independently or in an assisted living facility.

grandPad:

Creators of this device say that this is a simple senior tablet that is easy to use and extremely secure. The company founder developed the product as a solution for staying in touch with older family members. The device and app are designed so that “Mom” never misses a memory. It digitally connects your loved one to their friends and family and has large text and colorful icons that make it easy to use. It also includes many customizable features, providing the ability to share information through the grandPad Companion App, Facebook or Instagram.

Clarity Products:

These smart communications devices were designed with seniors in mind to help them live a more engaged life. Seniors between the ages of 64 to 75 predominantly suffer from hearing loss. The sound level on Clarity’s calling devices is amplified to help reduce the frustration of communicating when suffering from a hearing impairment. The company offers a variety of cell phones as well as corded and cordless landline telephones.

Lively Smartwatch:

Think of this device as a Fitbit that not only monitors steps, it tells time and sends reminders and alerts. Wearable technology is not an entirely new concept, but as technology advances so does the ability of such devices. The Lively Smartwatch reminds the wearer when to take medications, monitors food and drink intake and has a button that alerts a ‘Lively’ agent of a potentially life-threatening situation. The watch is designed to be easy to use and gives peace of mind to those that have loved ones living independently.

It can be difficult to introduce a new technology to seniors, but taking the time to explain the benefits of a device might be a good first step to change their way of thinking. Learning how to use something new may be met with resistance, but with encouragement it can be enriching.

At Paradise Living Centers we are focused on providing families with the best care possible, and committed to enriching our residents’ lives.

A Guide to Post Stroke Caregiving

According to The Internet Stroke Center, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 795,000 people suffering a stroke each year. The effects of a stroke vary depending on the type of stroke and the location and severity of brain injury. Depending on the stroke, recovery can take up to two years. Strokes often happen with little to no warning so it can be shocking when a loved one experiences a stroke and you are thrown into the role of caregiver. The subsequent tips offer advice to help you manage your loved one’s return home following a stroke:

Educate yourself. The best way to make sure you are offering your loved one the best care possible is to learn about their condition and prognosis. Spend time with their physician before you leave the hospital to resolve any unanswered questions or concerns. Ask what medications your loved one has been prescribed and make sure you understand the side effects.
Modify your home. It might be necessary to make modifications around your home to ensure your loved one’s safety. Minimizing clutter around the house, removing area rugs and positioning furniture against walls or in corners are all ways to minimize your loved one’s risk of falling. Adding grab bars or seats to showers and bathtubs, or moving a bedroom to a different floor in order to avoid stairs are additional ways to facilitate safety in your home.
Monitor your loved one’s behavior. Thirty to 50 percent of stroke survivors suffer from depression, says Web MD, and this can impede recovery. Your loved one may be struggling with the various losses brought on by stroke, but it is important to make sure that they are staying positive and not getting bogged down by focusing on the negative.
Understand the risk factors for a second stroke: The National Stroke Association states that 1 in 4 stroke survivors will experience a second stroke within their lifetime, but that 80 percent of these secondary strokes can be prevented by lifestyle changes. Aid your loved one in lowering their risk by encouraging exercise and a healthy diet. Managing conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol can also significantly lower their risk of a second stroke.

After your loved one has experienced a stroke, you may be left feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to jump into your role as caregiver. To give your loved one the best care possible, utilize available resources and consult with their physician so that you feel knowledgeable and comfortable about the recovery process. Don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way, and remember that your loved one will appreciate everything that you are doing to assist them.

Fighting Fit: The 4 Best Exercises for Seniors

Keeping physically active as an older adult is extremely important to your overall health and well-being. Exercising puts a spring in your step, both physically and emotionally, while keeping many diseases at bay, including dementia.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends four types of exercise for seniors to help retain independence and combat health issues through the aging process.

Strength training:

Lifting weights or doing light weight repetitions helps keep both weight and blood sugar in check, builds muscle and helps increase metabolism. In addition, strength training can help reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic illnesses, such as arthritis. Incorporating 30 minutes of strength training into your routine as little as twice a week, can have a positive impact on your ability to perform everyday activities like climbing stairs or carrying groceries. Remember to alternate muscle groups, as the same muscles should not be fatigued two days in a row. It is also important that you control your breathing during exercise and use smooth steady movements.

Balance exercises:

According to the NIH, U.S. hospitals have 300,000 admissions for broken hips each year, many of them seniors falling and resulting in fractures. Balance exercises help build muscle, which helps prevent falls, while increasing the ability to rise from a chair and walk. The body’s balance system promotes cooperation between the brain, nervous system, muscles and bones which ultimately increases strength and stability. Practiced daily, balancing exercises will generate positive results.

Stretching exercises:

Stretching exercises alone will not improve strength or endurance. However, stretching gives you more freedom of movement and flexibility, allowing you to be more active in your senior years. It is important to warm up with light walking or arm pumping before going into a stretch. Stretching should be done daily to effectively improve flexibility.

Endurance/Cardio exercises:

Build up your endurance gradually, starting with as little as 5 minutes of cardio at a time. As your endurance improves you can increase the time. Cardio exercises include any activity that increases your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. Walking or even raking leaves is considered an endurance activity.

It’s never too late to improve your health, even if you’ve had an inactive lifestyle for quite some time. Aging should not mean that you have to lose strength or ability to do everyday tasks. Chair bound seniors face greater challenges, but there are chair aerobics to increase range of motion, improve muscle tone and stimulate your cardiovascular health. Before taking part in any exercise routine, it is recommended that you first consult your physician.

Healthy living is a key component of Paradise Living Centers’ philosophy. Learn more about our healthy living practices here.