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4 Tips to Help Older Adults Stay Active Indoors in the Winter
This winter will be an atypical one in many ways due to the COVID-19 surge limiting our ability to get outside, along with the usual concerns of cold and flu season and severe weather. However, even during more traditional winters than this one, the temptation to stay in bed and hibernate like bears until the warm weather comes back is hard to overcome. After all, when “the weather outside is frightful,” what’s better than relaxing in front of a delightful fire?
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Caring for Your Older Loved One’s Pet
When the loved one we are providing care for has a pet, chances are we will provide care for their pet as well. While this can add to the time we spend and amount of tasks we manage as caregivers, it can also provide us opportunities for self-care and a way to begin difficult discussions with a loved one.
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Parkinson’s Disease: Recognizing Your Loved One’s Symptoms and Receiving a Diagnosis
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, more than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s Disease, and around 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year. Although it is the second most common degenerative neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s, many people are unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms, or confuse them for parts of the natural aging process. If we are caring for an older loved one, it’s important to recognize and understand Parkinson’s so we know when to begin seeking a diagnosis and how to better manage a loved one’s symptoms and care.
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Social Isolation and the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed some normal family traditions this year. Not being with family and friends over the holidays may exacerbate feelings of social isolation and depression among older adults. Tamar Cooper, LISW-S, LICDC-CS, Associate Director of Behavioral Health Services, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, and Kerstin Yoder, MSSA LISWS, Social Worker/Mental Health Day Treatment Group Facilitator, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, share some tips for helping a loved one cope when you can’t be together, and learn how to help yourself let go of feelings of guilt you may be experiencing at this time.
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Caregiving, the Holidays and COVID
The COVID pandemic roller coaster has been operating since March, forcing us onto the ride and refusing to let us off. We have made adjustments: we restrict our outings into the community, wear masks when we do go out, maintain 6 feet distance and wash our hands until they turn red. We have been forced to accept that the pandemic is as much about loss as it is about health. And while we got used to a little taste of “normalcy” during the warmer months, just as the holiday season approaches, we are again asked to limit our travel and minimize contact with others. Now, rather than anticipating gatherings with friends and family, we must instead ask ourselves: “Should I?”, “Can I?” and “How can I possibly face another loss?”
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