PersonCare - Official Blog

The Caregiver’s Voice

Bob Finnie — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:57:52 +0000

A very informational website for caregivers, www.thecaregiversvoice.com, has a great program to acknowledge the special work of a caregiver each month. The caregiver of the month award goes to a person nominated by someone who knows the valuable time and effort provided by the caregiver. See the latest award winner highlighted at www.thecaregiversvoice.com.

PersonCare.net has joined the award process with a gift to the winner each month. The monthly winner gets to choose one gift from these four options: A Cool Medicine Bag, Beautiful Flowers DVD, Wheelchair Bag, or a Medical Info Tri-fold Pocket Book. These are just a few of the helpful products for caregivers and loved ones at www.PersonCare.net.

Top Ten Senior List To Know For The Holidays

Bob Finnie — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:51:22 +0000

When you go home during the holidays don’t just bring Santa’s list. Here is a more important list for senior parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, other relatives and close friends:

Medications – what types, how often and are they being taken?
Car Travel – what is their driving ability, do they know their way and do they need help entering and exiting the car?
Vision – can they read the paper, can they see the road and are they using their glasses?
Medical Info – where is it, do they have necessary information together and who to call?
Walking – can they move around on their own, are they using anything to help them and do their shoes fit?
Hearing – do they hear what you say, can they hear at a distance and are they using any aids?
Memory – are they repeating themselves, do they forget what you just said and have they had a memory screening?
Exercise – what do they do for their brain, for their body and their spirit?
Home – are the throw rugs gone, are everyday items easily accessible and what happens if they fall?
Future – what to do if their health changes, or their spouse passes away and what about the Advance Health Care Directive?

Knowledge is power. And what you don’t know could hurt the people you care about. Take time this holiday season to learn more. And before your visit home, make a visit to Gifts For Seniors.

Special holiday happiness from PersonCare.net.

November 15 is National Memory Screening Day

Bob Finnie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:49:30 +0000

This day is a great time to establish a baseline for your memory to compare it to memory screenings in the future. Similar to what is done when an athlete has a concussion. Medical staff compare now with a pre-concussion screening. This comparison is critical to the proper diagnosis. A baseline memory screening works like this.

Or take advantage of the screening if you are experiencing any of the dementia warning signs like personality changes, trouble finding words or misplacing familiar items. Find a free memory screening site in your area at Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. Sign up for the screening online.

Also, find memory care helpful products at www.PersonCare.net.

National Physical Therapy Month

Bob Finnie — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:53:43 +0000

October is the time for celebration of all physical therapists. They are helpful for improving mobility and motion, avoiding surgery, and eliminating pain. Physical therapists want to prevent or treat conditions affecting daily activities. See how physical therapists follow their motto of bringing motion to life.

If you are looking for help with daily activities, you can find a physical therapist in your local area. If you need a helpful product for daily activites, www.PersonCare.net is a great place to find a solution.

Women’s Health and Fitness Day

Bob Finnie — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:29:46 +0000

September 28 is National Women’s Health and Fitness Day. This day is the largest health promotion for women. Groups across the country will focus on women’s health at senior centers, hospitals, recreation departments, retirement communities and many more places. Learn more about the smart health choices you can make and the best physical activity at Women’s Health and Fitness Day.

Learn about helpful products for senior’s exercising at www. PersonCare.net.

Falls Prevention

Bob Finnie — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:25:57 +0000

The first day of fall is a great reminder of the importance of falls prevention. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, one in three adults age 65 and older falls each year. Injuries such as head trauma and hip fractures are common. For this age group, falls are the leading cause of injury death.

The CDC recommends the following ways to prevent falls:

1. Exercise regularly.
2. Review medications with your doctor.
3. Get a regular eye exam.
4. Make homes safer through improved lighting, adding grab bars and railings, and reducing tripping hazards.

Make it safer for your loved ones with helpful falls prevention products at www.PersonCare.net.

World Alzheimer’s Day

Bob Finnie — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:26:31 +0000

September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day. Go purple to show your support for raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. See how the end of Alzheimer’s starts with you.

Alzheimer’s Disease International has started the I CAN! I WILL! Library for people throughout the world to speak out about Alzheimer’s and related disorders. It is time to erase the stigmas associated with dementia. Learn more at I CAN! I WILL!

And find helpful products for memory care for you, your family and your friends at www.PersonCare.net.

Remember Grandparents

Bob Finnie — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:55:29 +0000

Grandparents Day is September 11 and it is a good reminder to give some thought to the grandparents in your life, past and present. Make a call. Make a visit. (Even make a visit to their gravesite.) Keep the ties to your past.

While your making that call or visit, be sure to check on how they are doing physically and mentally. Is their living environment safe for them? Look around because helpful products are only a click away.

And have they completed an Advance Health Care Directive? Don’t be afraid to ask. This one reminder could be the best thing you can do for your grandparents on their day or any day.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day September 2

Bob Finnie — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:28:09 +0000

The fourth most frequent cause of death in women in the US is ovarian cancer. Since ovarian cancer has been called the silent killer and the disease that whispers, more attention has come from the medical community to this cancer. Primary symptoms from recent studies include bloating, abdominal pain, feeling full quickly when eating, and urinary urgency or frequency. The American Cancer Society estimates 14,000 women die from ovarian cancer each year. The Mayo Clinic has excellent information to help learn about ovarian cancer.

The entire month of September is for Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Friday, September 2 is a dedicated day to wear teal in a show of support.

Read A Bittersweet Season

Bob Finnie — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:46:22 +0000

Family caregivers need to read A Bittersweet Season Caring for Our Aging Parents – and Ourselves by Jane Gross. The journalist who started The New York Times healthcare blog, The New Old Age, Jane takes the reader through the caregiving for her mother with her brother and every other resource she came across. Her mother had moved from New York to Florida, but with declining health needed to move back up north. Challenges started with the actual move back and continued with having to find new doctors and the right place for care to be given. Jane learned the value of geriatric care managers, doctors who take medicare covered patients, private duty aides and the distribution of tasks with her brother.

The challenges increased as her mother’s health decreased. As her 88 year old mother’s savings ran out (great discussion on legally moving money to children) and she became ”a welfare queen” by going on Medicaid, Jane learned of the many layers of the healthcare system. Throughout the 300+ page book she has many statistics and expert sources for support and comments on the challenges a family caregiver is up against. And Jane and her journalist brother are highly educated coming from a self described upper middle class family. They did not know what they did not know!

So get the book, bring along a pen and notebook and write down what you need to know tomorrow or next month or even a few years from now. You may even learn a little about yourself and your parents along the way. If you become caregiver smart and learn what VSED stands for (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking), the book time will make the caregiving time easier and more special.