Caregiving and Mental Health |
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Caring for a loved one strains even the most resilient people. If you're a caregiver, take steps to preserve your own mental health and well-being
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A caregiver is anyone who provides help to another person in need, such as an ill spouse or part... |
How to Grieve Together When You Cannot Be Together |
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When someone has died, our first instinct is to rally around the family and friends closest to the deceased, offering comfort, bringing food and giving support of every kind. We depend on the formal structure a funeral or memorial service provides, finding solace in each other’s presence as... |
World Alzheimers Day 2021 |
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Each year more awareness is raised around the world in September for World Alzheimer’s Day. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of this vital campaign, and the global effort to continue to build awareness and end the stigma.
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While the awareness this year is concentr... |
14 Exercises for Seniors to Improve Strength and Balance |
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Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and death for senior citizens. However, you don’t have to fall prey to slips and falls. By exercising, you can improve your balance and your strength, so you can stand tall and feel more confident when walking.
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Choice Dementia Comes to Nanoose Bay |
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We are pleased to announce that we have expanded our operations to Nanoose Bay and the surrounding areas.
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We know that taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia can be hard, and we want to help. We believe that it is i... |
Home Care and COVID-19 Vaccination Program |
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Early this week an update on the vaccination effort for home care workers was provided by Jen Lyle, CEO, SafeCare BC.
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Based on SafeCare ... |
Celebrating our Care Givers |
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Today is to honour those who do for others over and over with a smile and kind heart!
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To my teams who I honour ever chance I get for their outstanding serv... |
Dementia and COVID - Valentine's Day 2021 |
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When you love someone who has Alzheimer’s or a related Dementia, holidays and celebrations can sometimes be difficult, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Especially this year, with COVID still keeping many of us away from our loved ones, it can be incredibly hard.
&nbs... |
The Sandwich Generation - The Day Laughter Becomes Harder |
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Statistics Canada says that one in four Canadians, over 780,000 people are caregivers for family members or friends who require assistance related to long-term physical or mental disabilities, including Alzheime... |
The Cost of COVID Restrictions on Seniors with Dementia |
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The safety protocols put in place to keep seniors and those with Dementia safe from COVID-19 have resulted in some life-altering impacts.
As a result of no longer being able to interact with family, the emotional suffering and in may cases limited mental and physical stimul... |
COVID Update - EI, CERB and CEWS |
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Here is some important information we wanted to share from our accountant Parm.
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Update on some of the programs that the government has announced or changed.
For CEWS (Wage subsidy) – attached i... |
A Dementia Poem for COVID |
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This beautiful and heart-wrenching poem was shared by Jane, whose mother is in a care home and whom she cannot visit, on the Alzheimers UK website.
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I’m losing my mum to Covid
I’m losing my mum to Covid,
but not as you m... |
Bringing Your Loved One with Dementia Home |
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Have you gotten to the point where you just want to bring your loved one home and take care of them? I’m hearing this more and more!
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I know from experience that when you made the de... |
CareGiver Health Checkin |
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Are you seeing changes in personality, mood or behaviours of your loved one?
Are you concerned with these changes?
Are you worried ... |
The Umbrella of Dementia |
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When someone is talking about Dementia, they could be talking about a number of dementia-related diseases. The Umbrella of Dementia is an easy way to understand some of the diseases that make up Dementia.
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Your loved one's happiness is important to us |
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Your loved one’s happiness is important to us, making connections with your loved one is our goal, it isn’t just about health care. We establish a holistic plan which includes mind, body, soul, and happiness. Whether it’s a little help around the ho... |
Taking Care of our Seniors |
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Each year, Isobel Mackenzie, BC’s Seniors Advocate makes a statement on BC Seniors’ week, but this years is much different that in the past.
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Photo Cr... |
Celebrating BC Seniors Week with Social Distancing |
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BC Seniors Week starts on Monday, June 1, 2020. While in the past there have been several senior-friendly live events that were put on by the various municipalities, this year most things have gone virtual.
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Photo Credit: Claire Moore - Art in Motio... |
Mother's Day in the Age of Social Distancing |
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This is a Mother's Day as no other for most of us.
How can we communicate what we want our mothers to know for her special day?
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I’ve a list of ideas here that could serve whether your Mother is at her home or in ... |
We Will Support Your Family During the Pandemic |
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Have you recently removed your loved one from a care home to your home?
Getting the help you need starts with a call for a free consultation.
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At Choice Dementia Services, our care model has always been that,&nb... |
Funding Review: A Million Reasons to Care |
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The Office of the Seniors Advocate has released their Funding Review of Contracted Long-Term Care in B.C. report for 2020.
This report brings home the importance of taking time to do your due diligence when considering placing a loved one in a care home. As in other area... |
Honouring World Alzheimer's month and specifically World Alzheimer's Day |
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We are learning more and more about Alzheimer’s Disease and related Dementias, but it is believed by some that even with the research and information available, some countries still don’t have an understanding of the impact it has on society.
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Th... |
If I get Dementia |
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By Rachael Wonderlin
If I get dementia, I want my friends and family to embrace my reality.
If ... |
$50-million allocated to National Strategy on Dementia |
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The Federal government announced its intention to release $50-million over 5 years to develop a National Strategy on Dementia. The goal of this strategy is to promote healthy living, thereby hoping to reduce the occurrence of dementia and promoting early diagnosis. As well, eliminating ... |
Honouring Mother's Day When Dementia is Present |
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Mother’s Day is being celebrated this Sunday but if your Mom has been afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease or a related Dementia, this can be a hard day for all concerned. While it may be difficult to communicate with her now, we pulled together some tips that can help.
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Top Tips from Our Family CareGivers |
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This month's top insights from CareGivers like you:
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"Your loved one's laundry is done and put away but your own is sitting in a pile (or, if you're lucky, in the dryer)."– dee1963
Caregiving when you h... |
The Importance of Being a Healthier Caregiver |
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It is vital that we maintain our own health and wellbeing while caring for another.
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Photo credit: Bruno Aguirre via Unsplash
There are several things we can do to stay healthy, Re-Charge, Re-Connect, Re-Fresh and avoid burn out.
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Understanding and Minimizing Sundowner's Syndrome |
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The long list of symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia often includes baffling mood and behavior changes. One particularly disruptive side effect of these conditions affects some patients at a certain time each day. Known as Sundowner’s sy... |
Halloween Safety Tips for those with Alzheimer's |
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Halloween can be a very frightening time for those with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.
Here are a few things you can do, or be aware of, as a caregiver, during this spooky season:
1. Limit the amount of Halloween decorations or changes to the hom... |
Thanksgiving and Dementia - Tips for a Thankful time together |
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We understand how a family get together can seem more complicated and in some cases daunting, especially when your loved on has Alzheimer’s or a related Dementia.
Here are a few tips you could do to make your gathering an experience all will enjoy!
Reduce the number of ... |
Keeping Your Loved One With Alzheimer's Safe in Their Home |
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Home safety, with respect to those who have Alzheimer's or a related Dementia, is something that shouldn't be ignored.
In our last blog post called "Home Safety and Dementia" we talked about a few quick changes that can be made to help ease the confusio... |
Home Safety and Dementia |
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This is the first in a series of blog posts about how you can help keep your loved one with Alzheimer's or a related Dementia, safe in their own home.
Things that seems so simple in the past, can now become very concerning.
People with dementia o... |
Bad Behavior - Strange Obsessions |
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Saving tissues, worrying if it’s time to take their meds, constantly picking at their skin, hypochondria…these types of obsessive behaviors disrupt the daily lives of elderly parents and their caregivers. Obsession is sometimes related to an addictive personality, or a pas... |
Bad Behavior - Paranoia and Hallucination in Elderly |
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Paranoia and hallucinations in the elderly can take many forms, from accusing family members of stealing, seeing people who aren't there or believing someone is trying to murder them.
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Photo by Stefano Pollio on Unsplash
What to do if your loved on... |
10 Requests from an Alzheimer's Patient |
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Please be patient with me.
I am the helpless victim of a brain disease.
Talk to me.
Even though I cannot always answer.
Be kind to me.
Each day of my life is a desperate struggle.
Consider my feelings.
They are still very ... |
Bad Behavior - Swearing, Offensive Language & Inappropriate Comments |
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When a normally loving father or mother is suddenly using the worst profanities, using offensive language or saying inappropriate things, family members are baffled as to why…and what to do about it.
We've heard stories about parents who used to be mild-mannered, prop... |
Bad Behavior - Refusing to Shower |
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The issue of elders who were once reasonably clean refusing to take showers, wear fresh clothes and take care of personal hygiene is one that is far more common than most people think - and it's very frustrating for caregivers.
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Bad Behavior - Is Your Elderly Parent Turning on You? |
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Sometimes, elderly parents turn on the child that is trying so hard to take care of them and the result is abuse of the caregiver. Stories of mental, emotional, even physical abuse to the adult child are all-to-common.
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Photo by CloudVisual on Unsplash
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What's Causing Bad Behavior in Seniors in the form of Rage, Anger, and Yelling? |
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Age and illness can intensify longstanding personality traits in some unpleasant ways: An irritable person may become enraged, an impatient person demanding and impossible to please. Unfortunately, the person taking care of the elderly parent is often the target.
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When Elders Don't Accept Outside Caregivers in the Home |
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When my Aunt had in home care, she liked a couple of the caregivers, she thought one was okay, and barely tolerated two others. I wasn't always there to witness her behavior, but I'd say that the caregivers were not particularly thrilled with her, either. Yet they did their job.
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Tax Implications for Caregivers or Loved Ones of Someone with a Disability |
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So many changes have come into place over the last tax year that we wanted to pull out some information that will affect our audience. If you have a loved one with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or a disability and you also provide care for this person, there are some things you n... |
Is the Change in Bathing Habits Due to Memory Loss, Confusion or Fear or the Combination of? |
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If your elder has dementia, then you may have a more difficult situation on your hands. People can think they have just showered, but in reality that was last week. Or, they can become confused when they begin the process, and rather than tell someone they are confused, they just avoid... |
Did You Know that Alzheimer's Qualifies for the Disability Tax Credit! |
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The important item here is that you must have the form completed by the Doctor or Nurse Practitioner and that will take time - start the processes NOW!
If you’re living with a medical disability you can receive up to $40,000 in tax credits from the Canadian government. In ... |
Burning More Calories Associated with Reduced Alzheimer's Risk |
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Whether people jog, swim, garden or dance, physically active older persons have larger gray matter volume in key brain areas responsible for memory and cognition, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UCLA.
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Common Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease |
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Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.
Its signature brain pattern is low activity (blood flow) in the posterior cingulate gyrus, parietal lobes and temporal lobes. In later stages of Alzheimer’s, the low activity often extends into other ... |
NEW YEARS BLESSING |
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May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected.
May your soul calm, console, and renew you.
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20 Questions that Help Explain Why People with Dementia Get Agitated and Physically Aggressive |
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I've come across these questions that you can ask yourself to help you understand why people with dementia and Alzheimer's frequently get agitated and aggressive. I invite you to read through the questions and take a moment to answer them... you may be surprised by the fee... |
10 WAYS TO CALM A SITUATION |
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When people feel trapped and terrified, they get agitated, anxious, and sometimes aggressive.
It's normal behaviour for human beings to lash out when they feel threatened, whether they have dementia or not.
Unfortunately, many p... |
Halloween is becoming more popular than ever! |
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Many of us celebrate the day for many weeks prior putting up decorations, getting into costumes - some scary some not. We may understand that the decorations that laugh eerily and the scary costumes are all in fun; however, it's also good to remember those in the famil... |
Dementia in the Family |
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I wrote this for you, because I am not only the owner of Choice Dementia I’ve been where you are.
My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2001 and at the beginning it wasn’t too bad at all. At first it was just a word here or there then it went on to not be... |
Risk Factors for Dementia That You Might Not Know About |
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If we can arm ourselves with information and being aware of potential risk factors for developing dementia, we might be able to reduce the onset of this disease.
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In a recent piece on the Global News it was shared that there are 9... |
Knowledge is Power - A Case for Cognition-Based Screening |
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(Image) Knowledge is power, and obtaining knowledge early can make it all the more powerful. In the case of dementia, early detection can mean early intervention and early protection, which is why researchers are now looking at cognition-based screening as a preemptive tool for staving off the ef... |
Recipes To Keep Your Loved Ones Hydrated With Fruits & Vegetable |
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Strawberries and Coconut Water(Image)
Ingredients
To make 2 Strawberry Mock tails combine:
• 1 cup (250ml) of fresh coconut water
• 1 cup (250 ml) strawberries hulled and sliced
• 3 T of sugar syrup or agave nectar
Directions
1. To mak... |
How to Keep Loved Ones from Dehydration |
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For many, the long-awaited summer months suggest family picnics, cool drinks on the porch, and lazy afternoons at the beach. But, as temperatures soar, warm weather activities can increase the risk for another staple of summer: dehydration. Not getting enough fluids, or electrolytes especially wh... |
Wishing all of you incredible women the happiest of Mother's Days |
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From those you love and care for most it is a wonderful tribute and their honour to give you, their primary caregiver, their gratitude.
I'm sure you will hear:
I LOVE YOU Thank you
You are the best ... |
What to get the person with dementia for Christmas? |
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Kids get toys. Spouses drop hints about the gifts they hope to find under the tree. But what to give a friend or family member with dementia?
Even if shortterm memory is spotty, chances are they still remember the fun of unwrapping... |
How We Communicate with a Loved One with Dementia Can Make for a Joyous Day for All! |
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I own a HomeCare company in in Vancouver, and most of our clients have some form of dementia. Last week, one of our clients, who I will call Mr. Jeanes, called to cancel his caregiver for the following day:
“I feel like I am doing better, Cyn, and I just want to see if I... |
BC Seniors DO Deserve Better |
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A particularly poignant video is appearing on television and social media that shares the frustration and the reality our BC seniors and their families in British Columbia are experiencing.
The system into which we put our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers can no longer offer ... |
Dementia, Income Tax and Disability Tax Credit |
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This may be a month that we all wish we could avoid - INCOME TAX - yikes!
Did you know that someone that has been diagnosed with dementia can apply for the Disability Tax Credit?
It's true...anyone who has been diagnosed with a dementia of any kind, includi... |
Focusing on Dementia Care in Canada |
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(Image) I am honoured to be among some amazing speakers who will be sharing their expertise around Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care, during Insight Information’s Western Canada Conference on Dementia Care, taking place on March 3 -4, 2016 in Vancouver, BC.
Based on forecasts shared ... |
