Can Your Children Help with Caring for an Elderly loved One in Troy, MO?

Caring for our parents can be difficult, especially when we still have our own children at home. This situation, however, could have it's bright side. Take a minute to read the following article and find out how.

Children can have role in caregiving

Overcoming Depression for Caregivers of the Elderly from Troy, MO

Research from Yale University shows that nearly one-third of people caring for terminally ill loved ones suffer from depression, according to.

Caregivers often overlook their own needs while taking care of their loved one making them vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

12 Depression Busters for Caregivers gives the caregiver 12 tips to help protect them from anxiety and depression as they care for a loved one.

Holidays and Caregiving from Comfort Keepers Elderly Care in Troy, MO

The holidays can be stressful enough as it is. If you are caring for children and an elderly relative the just the thought of the upcoming holidays could leave you hoping they'll cancel them on account of snow or something. Here's an article I found that has some good tips on how to make it less stressful for everyone concerned.

Making Holidays Easier for Caregivers of Aging Adults

Having the "Money Talk" from Comfort Keepers Elder Care in Troy, MO

I think for some people having the "money talk" with their elderly parents is almost as uncomfortable as having a "sex talk" with them. If you wait until you need to know, it may be too late. Understanding your loved ones finances may turn out to be a big help in a crisis. Read the following article to find out more.

Discuss finances, final wishes with elderly parents

Eating Right Helps Control Diabetes from Comfort Keepers Elderly Care in Troy, MO

The complications of diabetes can be devasting and are the result of poor blood sugar control. The major factor in controlling blood sugar is, of course, diet. Everyone knows that the diabetic can't have sugar, but it's more complicated than that. If you find yourself taking care of a diabetic loved one, you need to know the ins and outs of the diabetic diet.

The first most important thing is to follow your loved ones doctor's advice. The doctor can point you in the right direction and perhaps tell you where to go for more information.

Here are a few sites for menu planning and recipes to get you started:

American Diabetes Association: Meal Planning

From the Mayo Clinic: Diabetes meal plan recipes

And more recipes: Diabetic Living

And here's the best part, following this diet can help you and your other family members eat healthier, too. So you don't have to make your diabetic loved one feel left out by serving them something different than the rest of the family

Explaining Your Elderly Parents Alzheimer's to Your Children from Comfort Keepers Senior Care in Troy, MO

It's hard enough taking care of an ageing parent while you still have young children at home, but have you considered the effect it may be having on your children and all the unasked questions they have? My sons were teenagers when my mother-in-law moved in with us. They were a big help with her even though she usually confused them with each other or someone else.

Even though she was their step-grandmother and they had only a few years history with her it still affected them. It was easier because they were older, but how should we explain what's happening with Grandmom? The article I've linked to below has some advice for those of us dealing with this situation.


When a grandparent has Alzheimer's: helping your kids understand

Helping Your Elderly Parent Through a Health Care Crisis in Troy, MO

You can do quite a bit for your parent who is going through a health crisis to help make it easier for them. I have spent many hours with clients in ERs, hospitals, rehabs and nursing homes. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of how a family members actions and reactions can affect their loved ones. In this article Helping Your Parent Cope can help you the next time you have to deal with your parent being hospitalized.

Long Distance Caregiving from Comfort Keepers Senior Care in Troy, MO

Living a thousand miles away from my elderly parents I can identify with the woman telling the story about her aging loved ones in this article. It's not always feasible or desirable to move your senior loved one closer to you or for you to move closer to them. Keeping in touch by telephone and trying to solve the problems long distance can be very stressful and traveling back and forth can get very expensive. If you are caring for a loved one from a distance an agency such as Comfort Keepers can help. An agency such as ours can be your eyes and ears. We can help with most of the things you aren't able to do from a distance. Making sure your loved ones are eating, taking their meds and getting to doctor appointments. We will also be able to let you know if there are other problems that need to be addressed.

Is caring for the elderly the same as caring for children in Troy, MO?

Of course it isn't although many people speak of the elderly as childish or going through a second childhood. Many people with dementia can seem very child like also but it's still not the same thing. Read the following article for ten ways that senior care and child care are different.

Caring for Parents Versus Caring for Children: 10 Ways They Differ

Caregiving Misconceptions from Comfort Keepers Elderly Care in Troy, MO

There are many misconceptions about caregiving floating around, such as that it is detrimental to the caregiver or that adult children don't want to be bothered with caring for their elderly parents. The following article sorts out these and others.

Common Caregiving Misconceptions

Keeping Track of Senior Care Paperwork in Troy, MO

Things can get complicated when we take over the affairs of our elderly parents. In my work I have seen children struggle with piles of financial papers, doctor's bills, pharmacy receipt's and more. Keeping track of all of this accumulation of papers can be a nightmare. The following article describes a system to keep their paperwork under control.

Taming the Paperwork Monster

Recognizing the Joys of Elder Care in Troy, MO

There are many challenges when we care for our elderly parents but don't forget that there are also positive things coming out of it also. Please take the time to read the following article.



Recognizing the Joys Beyond the Challenges

Overcoming Caregiver Depression from Comfort Keepers Senior Care in Troy, MO

Caregiving for an elderly relative can lead to depression unless you take steps to take care of yourself. The slide show in the following link gives you 12 great ideas to avoid caregiver depression.

12 Depression Busters for Caregivers

We can help in the St. Louis, St Charles or Lincoln County, Missouri Area. Call 314-288-0054.

A Love Triangle with Mom Courtesy of Comfort Keepers Senior Care in Troy, MO

I just watched this ABC Primetime show on the internet and couldn't help thinking how much these people needed to hire an in-home caregiver like we provide here at Comfort Keepers.

About six years ago I had my mother-in-law come to stay with us. She had been recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's and although it was only a month before a stroke took her away from us, I can understand somewhat what these people are feeling. I knew very little about Alzheimer's back then, like the people in this story and that made it even more difficult.

If you have the time it's worth watching.

Love Triangle: Aging Mother Intrudes
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Let Me Introduce Myself

In 1955, I was born right at the heart of the baby boom. My name is Debra Smith and I am writing this blog to help myself and others who are faced or will soon be faced with caring for our elderly parents. Although we may want to be there for our parents when they need us, time and/or distance may make it difficult to do so.

I work for a company that does in-home care for the elderly, Comfort Keepers Senior and Elderly Care in Troy, MO, and have six and a half years of experience in caring for other peoples' parents. This hasn't made it any easier to think about the potential of having to take care of my own parents.

I live a thousand miles from my parents, have a full time job and still have my youngest in college. If something were to suddenly happen to one of my parents it would be difficult to just drop everything and fly back home for any length of time. I know that the first thing I would consider, in the event they needed more help, would be in-home care such as my company provides here in Missouri. The goal should be to keep our parents safe in their own homes among familiar surroundings for as long as possible, in-home care can help us accomplish this goal.

So whether you live close or far, have kids still at home or are empty-nesters, work full time, part time or not at all please take a minute to follow this blog. I am going to be discussing issues concerning our parents and adding links to articles and resources that can help.Please take a minute also, to visit our website

Comfort Keepers Senior and Elderly Care in Troy, MO
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