by admin | Dec 19, 2018 | Uncategorized
The holidays are a time of celebration we all look forward to spending with friends and family. This time of year is for making memories and cherishing time spent with those you love. As you prep your menu, deck the halls, and plan activities for your holiday gathering, be sure to put special consideration into how to keep your aging loved ones comfortable. Here are some helpful holiday etiquette tips from Aging Care Solutions. Don’t take offense. Sensory deficits — such as loss of taste buds — are common for older adults. Don’t take offense to commentary such as “it doesn’t taste like it used to,” from the senior citizens at your table. Older adults may lose up to half of their taste buds, so foods they once loved may not taste as they remember. Keep salt, pepper and extra condiments on the table so your older guests can add spices to their food as needed. Consider noise levels. Hearing loss is also common among aging adults. The more people and background noise at your holiday gathering, the more difficult it will be for older adults to hear conversations. Turn off the holiday music, place children at a table in the next room and consider using paper plates and plastic utensils to cut down clinking and clatter. Seating older adults with their backs against a wall can also help to maximize the sounds of conversation. Keep an eye on the temperature. Maintaining an ideal body temperature can be difficult for senior adults. Keep a sweater or shawl handy, or an afghan folded on the sofa so your guests can... read more
by admin | Oct 24, 2018 | Blog
Loneliness is a common struggle seniors face, and one that has more than an emotional impact. Loneliness and isolation can also affect cognitive and physical health.
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by admin | Aug 25, 2018 | Blog
We don’t need to see the latest romance movie to understand that long-distance relationships often do not work. Thankfully, there are some things families can do to make a long-distance caregiving relationship work
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by admin | Jun 20, 2018 | Blog
June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and each year on the longest day of the year — the summer solstice on June 21 — the Alzheimer’s Association promotes The Longest Day events around the nation and across the globe. The Longest Day is all about love for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and raising funds and awareness to help end Alzheimer’s. Did you know that more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today? By the year 2050, this number could rise as high as 16 million, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Together, with the Alzheimer’s Association, you can help raise awareness for care and support while advancing research toward finding a cure. Why June 21? The duration of the sunrise-to-sunset event on the longest day of the year symbolizes the challenging journey faced by those living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Teams are encouraged to turn their passions and hobbies into unique experiences they can share with others as they participate in The Longest Day to honor those living with the disease. Here’s how you can participate: Select an activity you love. Do something you love — or honor a caregiver, someone living with Alzheimer’s, or someone you’ve lost by selecting his or her favorite hobby. Pick a way to participate. Start or join a team, host an event, or register as an individual. Choose the way that works best for you! Learn more here. Raise money to move the cause forward. To advance research and provide care and support, each participant is... read more
by admin | May 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
At The Cottages, we strive to provide the very best care to our residents. To that end, education and training for our staff is essential. When we opened our new building in Round Rock in 2011, we began the TULIPS Parkinson’s certification training for our staff. The TULIPS certification — Time, Understanding, Live Quality, Increased Awareness, Pills on Time and Support — assures our families that our staff have a better understanding of Parkinson’s Disease, and are able to provide the best care for their loved ones. Parkinson’s Disease is a chronic, progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Second to Alzheimer’s, it is the most common neurodegenerative disease in America. Most Americans living with Parkinson’s are 60-years-old or older and risk increases with age, though early onset of the disease (40 years or younger) occurs in five to 10 percent of Parkinson’s patients. Parkinson’s is also related to dementia in that, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 50 to 80 percent of those with Parkinson’s Disease eventually experience dementia as their disease progresses. The average time from onset of Parkinson’s to the development of dementia is about 10 years. Symptoms of dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease include: Changes in memory, concentration and judgment Difficulty interpreting visual information Muffled speech Depression Irritability and anxiety Sleep disturbances Hallucinations and delusions Each year, The Cottages works with a home health agency to provide TULIPS training to staff who have not already received their certification. It is a one-hour inservice for staff and includes a test upon completion. The training covers basic knowledge of the disease, including risk factors and... read more
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