The Big C: Caring for Terminally Ill Loved Ones

It may seem like the end of the world when a loved one gets diagnosed with cancer, especially when the illness is at the terminalstage. During this difficult time, the best one can do is provide a dying loved one with the proper end of life care that also takes into account the family’s emotional and moral welfare. This matter often requires the expertise of an assisted living specialist.

Some cancer specialists note several signs that the final phase is not too far away. These include gradual loss of weight and muscle structure, a lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities, and a repeated insistence to stay in bed. In many cases, patients are not inclined to see so many people.

To ease a loved one’s woes, the assigned carer can be tasked to change bed sheets at least twice a week, adjust the patient’s position, and ensure that any medication is administered on time. As terminally ill patients have cool limbs, it is best to massage them with warm water to boost circulation.

Losing a loved one to the Big C is no doubt a harrowing experience for any family. However, being able to look after their needs to the very end helps ease the pain.

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3 Signs Your Parents Need Home Assistance

No dutiful son or daughter would think twice about enlisting home assistance services for one’s aging parents. After all, their parents took care of them until they were ready to become adults and vital members of society. Certain instances, in particular, warrant third-party senior care services.

Frequent accidents at home

You can design a home to be more senior-friendly, but you can’t make it entirely accident-proof. For instance, your elderly mom or dad may be simply reaching for the cereal box in the cupboard atop the kitchen counter but doesn’t notice the messy rug on the floor, thus tripping on it as a result. For seniors who have weak bones, these accidents pose hazards like bone fractures and concussions.

Personal hygiene challenges

When you were a kid, your parents always reminded you about the importance of good hygiene. This time around, it’s your turn to make sure they maintain optimum personal hygiene. If one or both parents are unable to take a bath properly or dress without much difficulty because of physical conditions like arthritis, it may be time to consider home assistance services.

Age-related diseases

Aging parents are no longer in the peak of their health and are, thus, prone to illnesses. If your parent has been diagnosed with a rather serious age-related disease like Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, or kidney failure, then you’ll want to provide only the best senior care.

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Home Health Care for Dementia Patients

When people talk of Alzheimer’s, they usually associate it with senility, irritability, and impaired intelligence. The condition has become quite prevalent, with as many as 5.2 million cases in America diagnosed so far in 2014. However, Alzheimer’s is just one type of dementia, and Alzheimer cases make up only 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases.

Dementia describes a condition that hampers a person’s intellectual functions, resulting in a loss of memory, language, speaking skills, and cognition. It is caused by a variety of factors, ranging from genetics, physical trauma, or existing mental problems, to seemingly-unrelated diseases like HIV.  Aside from Alzheimer’s, dementia is also present in people with Huntington’s and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: ailments that result in personality changes rather than decreased intelligence.

Because dementia comes in many forms, its treatment can be quite challenging for caregivers. Reliable providers of professional home health care understand this difficulty, and are aware that dementia is, in many cases, a degenerative and irreversible disease.

In instances like these, comfort keepers lend a hand by being supportive companions to their patients in day-to-day activities, and ensuring the patients get their medications on time. Therapies like memory books, aromatherapy, and physical activities may also help patients cope with their condition, but these have to be carried out under the supervision of reliable health experts. 

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