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7 Benefits of Multi-Generational Housing | Caring Senior Service

It is becoming more common for families to share homes with relatives — particularly for elderly parents to live with their adult children. Some families are even buying larger lots or bigger homes that can provide independent living space for aging parents. In fact, approximately 20% of Americans live in a household with at least 2 generations. This trend is due, in large part, to the loss of independence and declining health that we all experience as we age. However, there are many other reasons behind multigenerational living. Let’s explore some of the benefits of multigenerational housing.    Types of Multigenerational Households   A multigenerational household can come ...

Senior Care

Preserving Memories: Capturing a Senior’s Legacy

Everyone has a story to tell — and seniors have collected a lot of stories over the years. These stories matter because they are a link to the past. A senior’s stories can connect generations, describe history, and teach life lessons. But our aging loved ones won’t be around forever to tell their tales, which is why it’s important to record these memories now and preserve them for future generations. Let’s explore how you can capture a senior’s legacy.    Questions to Ask Recording memories typically starts with a conversation about the past. And to get that conversation going, here are some questions you can ask your loved ones.  W hat was it like where ...

Senior Care

What to Expect from Cataract Surgery | Caring Senior Service

About 4 million Americans undergo cataract surgery each year. And most of these surgeries are performed on seniors. This surgery helps improve vision by removing cataracts that form in the eye. As you or a loved one prepares for this type of surgery, it’s helpful to know what to expect. What Is a Cataract?   A cataract is clouding within the lens of the eye. In a healthy eye, the lens is clear. However, as we age, the proteins in the eye start to break down and clump together. The body loses its ability to clear these proteins, and they form a cloudy area — or cataract.    Cataracts may not impact your vision at first, but they can significantly impair vision over tim ...

Senior Care

Keeping Senior Eyes Healthy

Vision changes are a normal part of growing older. Some vision changes are easily tackled with small interventions, like eye drops for mildly dry eyes or an increased glasses prescription for eyes that are a bit strained while reading. But there are other, more serious eye changes that can signify eye disease, and seniors and their loved ones should be mindful of any new eye symptoms they experience.  In this post, we’re providing some key information about senior eye health, including preventative and proactive measures to keep eyes in good health, a list of some of the eye conditions that most commonly affect seniors, as well as some suggested aids and interventions for seniors who ar ...

Senior Care

Most Common Shoulder Injuries in Seniors | Caring Senior Service

Shoulder pain in the elderly is fairly common. As we age, our joints can become stiff, inflamed, and painful due to the wear and tear of everyday life. However, there are specific shoulder conditions and injuries can cause severe shoulder pain. These conditions include fractures tendonitis, arthritis, and frozen shoulder. Let’s dive into each of these shoulder conditions.   Anatomy of the Shoulder   Before we begin, let’s briefly review the anatomy of the shoulder. We typically just think about the ball-and-socket joint, but the shoulder complex is much larger. The shoulder is actually made up of 4 joints.   Glenohumeral joint: The ball-and-socket joint that connects our ...

Senior Care

The Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors

October is Physical Therapy Month! According to the American Physical Therapy Association, the month of October presents “an annual opportunity to raise awareness about the benefits of physical therapy.” At Mavencare, we’re particularly interested in how physical therapy - sometimes also called physiotherapy - benefits seniors and their unique needs.  In this post, we’ll cover what physical therapy is, why and when it’s good for seniors, and the important role physical therapy can play in building a home care plan that will help your senior loved one stay in their own home for the long term. What is physical therapy? According to the University of Toronto Physical Therapy pr ...

Senior Care

9 Natural Ways to Manage Arthritis | Caring Senior Service

Arthritis can strike at any age. While the pain may be bearable early on, symptoms such as joint pain and stiffness can progressively get worse and even interfere with your ability to live life to the fullest. While there are medical treatments available, you may want to explore natural remedies to help you stay active and manage your symptoms. Here are some natural treatments for arthritis pain. 1. Do Tai Chi This senior-friendly exercise program has ancient roots, and it is one of the best low-impact workouts for joints. As seniors slowly bend and move their arms and legs, the muscles and tendons surrounding the joints are gently stretched. This can help relieve arthritis pain an ...

Senior Care

Signs You Need a Joint Replacement | Caring Senior Service

While we all experience aches and pains as we get older, pain or stiffness in joints could signal something more severe. Worn out joints may actually need to be replaced through surgery. Joint replacement surgery involves removing the damaged joint and replacing it with a synthetic one made of metal or ceramic pieces. Joints that are most commonly replaced are hips, knees, and shoulders. However, there are many other joints that could be eligible for a replacement.   As you consider your options to address joint problems, you may want to review these warning signs that it is time for a joint replacement.   Warning Signs of a Joint Replacement   Persistent Pain   One major sign ...

Senior Care

Activities and Advice for Self-Isolating Seniors and Their Families

Many of us are spending a lot more time at home these days in order to keep both ourselves and other members of our communities safe from contracting COVID-19, and to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , adults over sixty-five years of age are “at a higher risk for severe illness.” Because of this, public health authorities are asking seniors to stay home to protect themselves.  Those of us who are not in high-risk groups can leave our homes briefly to go for walks, get groceries, and pick up other essential supplies, but these short breaks from the same rooms and walls are not necessarily available to se ...

Senior Care

5 Reasons Respite Care Benefits Seniors

We’ve talked before on the blog about the importance of respite care for family caregivers. But respite isn’t just beneficial for caregivers - it’s good for seniors, too. In this post, you’ll find the top five reasons that respite is great for both seniors and their caregivers.  1. The Best Care Comes From Caregivers Who Are Cared For Seniors receive better care from caregivers who care for themselves, too. Caregiver burnout is serious, and someone who is experiencing symptoms of burnout like intrusive thoughts, mood swings, depression or anxiety, and physical manifestations of stress is unlikely to be able to provide care to the best of their ability.  If you’re experi ...

Senior Care