by Linda Melbardis | Nov 14, 2016 | Uncategorized
November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time when all Americans are encouraged to acknowledge and pay tribute to those individuals who look after their elderly family members, friends and neighbors. As someone who has been caring for seniors for almost 20 years at Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, Colorado, I am always happy to recognize those who take care of others, especially the elderly. Children often sacrifice quite a bit when their parents become elderly. Some even go so far as to quit their jobs and move their parents into their homes to give them the love, care and support they need. Others spend some of their well-earned financial resources to provide for different types of accommodations, such as those offered by Country Home, an assisted living facility located in a country setting in Elbert County. I believe the quality of life is always better when family members and friends are involved in the care of elderly loved ones. As the owner of Country Home Assisted Living, I encourage family members and friends to come and visit at our quaint residence. Better yet, they are also welcome to take their loved ones out for a drive, a meal or an outing. I love seeing families together, and the joy that their relationship brings to the younger and older generations. These times that are spent together will also create many memories that will be cherished long into the future. So, whether you are caring for your loved one in your home, or in retirement community or assisted living facility, take time out of each week or month to...
by Linda Melbardis | Oct 28, 2016 | Articles
Dehydration can create health issues for people of all ages, but it can be especially serious for the elderly. And it can often be hard to detect, despite the fact that dehydration can have such a big impact on someone’s health. Proper hydration allows people to regulate their temperature through sweating, eliminate bodily waste and maintain blood pressure. When people are dehydrated – or losing more water than they take in – they can become confused, weak and even develop tract infections or pneumonia. In fact, dehydration and the delayed diagnosis of it has made it one of the 10 most frequent diagnoses for admitting people for Medicare hospitalizations, according to the Health Care Financing Administration. The Causes of Dehydration So let’s look at several of the causes for elderly dehydration: Medications – Some medications taken by seniors are diuretics, while other cause patients to sweat. Both of these can be dehydrating. Decreased kidney function – As people age, their bodies lose kidney function, which means they are less likely to conserve fluid. Decreased thirst – The sense of thirst decreases as people age. Elderly individuals don’t think about drinking water or other fluids. Also, it’s harder for them to get up and get a drink when they are thirsty. Or, they don’t want to have to get up to go to the bathroom. Key Indicators of Dehydration Now that we’ve discussed some of the top causes, let’s look at some of the key indicators of dehydration. These are signs that we monitor daily at Country Home Assisted Living in Parker. They include confusion, dizziness or headaches, difficulty walking, dry...
by Linda Melbardis | Sep 13, 2016 | Articles
If you find yourself caring for aging parents, it’s important to take care of yourself and implement ways to reduce your stress. It’s hard to avoid stress – even if your parent is in an assisted living facility like Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, CO. The emotions you feel as your parent ages and struggles with declining health can easily take a toll on you. In a continuation of my series on caring for aging parents, let’s look at some key actions you can take to reduce your burden and handle your stress. 1. Practice self-care. As they say when going through safety procedures on airplanes, take care of yourself first and then look after your children or others with you. The same is true here. When you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t last long in your efforts to properly take care of others. Self-care can come in many forms, but it almost always includes getting exercise, proper nutrition and sleep. It’s also important to mention that it’s okay to take some time for yourself on a regular basis. Do at least one thing for yourself on a daily basis, whether it’s going to a fitness class, watching your favorite TV show or reading a novel. When you put yourself first, even for just an hour, you’ll feel much better when you are back at your caregiver duties. 2. Delegate. People are always offering to help, but caregivers often fail to accept these offers. Instead of turning help down, start saying “YES!” Yes, you can pick my sister up at the airport. Yes, you can stop in weekly...
by Linda Melbardis | Aug 17, 2016 | Uncategorized
Children who find themselves caring for their aging parents often can lose track of their own situation. They may be meticulously watching their parent(s)’s finances while neglecting their own. They also may consider quitting or cutting back on hours worked in order to find time to be a good caregiver. In this continuation of my series on caring for aging parents and as the owner of an assisted living facility in Parker, Colorado, let me offer the following tips… 1. Look at your finances and your budget in several ways. First, make a care-giving budget. By this I mean, put together a comprehensive look at your options and what you could be spending on care-giving. That could be anything from giving up your job to take over this time-consuming task, to finding an assisted living facility that provides health care and other support. If you quit your job or cut back on hours worked, you’ll also need to take into account the benefits offered by your job, such as health insurance and retirement plans, which could be costly to replace. You also should look at your future and whether quitting a job could damage your prospects of finding work in later years. In this review, don’t forget to include your parent(s)’s resources and how they might come into play. Second, maintain your own budget. Track your income and expenses, and pay off your debt and bills. If time is becoming an issue, consider auto-pay for some of your bills. That way, they won’t be overlooked and go unpaid, resulting in needless late payment or interest charges. 2. Save for...
by Linda Melbardis | Jun 6, 2015 | Recipes
Golden Beets are a great source of nutrition for seniors, and here is Linda’s wonderful recipe: 8 medium size golden beets Arugula leaves to taste (Note: Arugula has a strong peppery flavor-use sparingly) Vanilla Balsamic vinegar (I buy mine from a speciality shop) This is a very tasty and easy dish. Boil the beets whole, cool and peel. Slice and add the Arugula leaves, mix with the Balsamic vinegar....
