• Senior Services Clark Vancouver, WA and Community Involvement

    Building your community, whether it is the community within your living facility or the wider community we are talking about, is a win-win situation. The community you support, supports you. Participating and contributing to your community will be rewarding, challenging and invigorating. Here are some suggestions about how you can help. Participate in your local government on whatever level you feel comfortable. Your experience and skills are needed in your community. Manage a food drive. You can help supply your local food pantry or provide food and supplies for distant communities in need. Either way you are providing a huge service to the many people around the world who experience hunger every day. Organize a community garden. It’s a great way to create a feeling of belonging and neighborhood connection. Planting, watering and nurturing a community garden is a sure way to foster community togetherness. Consider volunteering at a school, hospital, senior center or animal shelter. You can make a […]

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  • Senior Advisors Vancouver, WA Assist Families

    When you are caring for an elderly parent there is often the complication of disagreement between family members about how things should be handled. It is very common for the adult children of older parents to hold differing opinions about how their care should be managed. These conflicts can be constructive if they lead to more effective communication between family members, or they lead to a more unified purpose, or increase the collaboration among family members. These things can come about if people can move from talking about what they want to why they want it. If everyone can begin to discuss what their motivation is, the conversation is more likely to move toward a satisfying solution. The first step to take in resolving a conflict is to clarify everyone’s position. This includes spelling out not only what they want, but also why they want it. Then you need to discuss everyone’s positions, opinions, and interests thoroughly. Do this with […]

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  • Senior Advisors Vancouver, WA Help With Assisted Living Selection

    After you have made the big decision to move to assisted living, you will face the task of choosing which facility is the right one for you. A big consideration will be the location of the home. It’s so important that you select a location that you will be happy with over time. A Caring Heart Senior Advisors Vancouver, WA is here to help with this big decision. Think about what it’s most important to you to have nearby. You may want to live somewhere new and enjoy exciting new things to see and do. Perhaps there’s somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, a climate that seems more inviting. However, most seniors prefer to stay in the area where they currently live. The vast majority of seniors want to have family and friends close by, and to live in a familiar area. They want to stay as close to “home” as possible, and be able to keep going to the […]

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  • Gift Ideas From Senior Advisors Vancouver, WA

    As the holiday season is upon us once again, our thoughts turn to family. A Caring Heart Senior Advisers Vancouver WA offer some gift ideas for the seniors in your life. Often the best gift you can give them is your time and attention. Here we will explore some ideas for spending time with your loved ones and maybe even creating some new memories to be recalled in the future. When spending time with your older loved one, showing an interest in their past can spark forgotten memories that you may have never heard. You can start by helping them gather special mementos and pictures from times gone by. You can listen to the stories associated with these keepsakes, and then you may want to help them create a scrapbook or a journal. You can write down the story around the photo or the item. You will no doubt be amazed by the stories of where they have been and […]

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  • Communicating With Senior Advisors Vancouver, WA

    As senior advisors in Vancouver, WA we see several different kinds of communication disorders that can affect seniors. Understanding the symptoms of these speech, language and hearing problems can help seniors receive the treatment they need as soon as possible. The most common communication problem is hearing loss, which affects more than 10 million seniors in the U.S., and is usually age-related hearing loss. This loss of hearing happens gradually, and usually begins with difficulty hearing high frequency sounds such as voices. Symptoms include problems hearing in noisy environments, ringing in the ears, and voices sounding muffled. The primary treatment for this condition is hearing aids. Aphasia is an impairment of language ability. The major causes of aphasia are stroke and head injury. Symptoms may include the inability to understand language, the inability to form or pronounce words, and the inability to read or write. Aphasia presents differently in different people and is usually treated by a team of experts […]

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  • Eating Healthy Meals At Elder Care Facilities Vancouver, WA

    Proper nutrition is so important for our senior family members for maintaining their health, and enabling their medications to work effectively. But sometimes our elders don’t eat nutritious food or eat enough food to support good health. According to the National Institute on Aging, there are some  reasons why they don’t eat properly. One of the most common reasons for a lessening of appetite is that as we age our senses of smell and taste are often reduced. This affects the experience of eating by making food smell and taste less appealing. Similarly, a reduction in vision can also affect the appetite, because much of food’s appeal is in its appearance. Some medications have side effects that can cause a loss of appetite, cause food to taste bad or to have no flavor. If this is the case, talk to your doctor about possibly substituting a different medication or prescribing another medication to counteract the side effects. Some older […]

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  • Adult Family Homes Vancouver, WA: The Gatekeeper Program

    The Gatekeeper Program is a community outreach program whose purpose is to identify, refer and treat older adults who are in need of mental health, health and/or social services. Often the first person to recognize that a senior’s health is failing or they are in some kind of danger, is not a family member, but a community member, what is called a non-traditional referral source. It’s someone who comes into contact with seniors during their everyday work activities. It could be anyone- mail carriers, meter readers, bank tellers, apartment managers, store clerks, restaurant employees, and many others. Gatekeepers help improve the lives of seniors throughout our community, including in assisted living settings and adult family homes Vancouver, WA. The Gatekeeper model was created in 1978 in Spokane, WA. There are now Gatekeeper programs in communities all across the country. The goal is for people in each community to become aware of the early signs or changes in the behavior of […]

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  • Adult Family Homes Vancouver, WA: Challenge Your Brain

    Experts say if you want to keep your brain sharp, you need to use it. Here are some easy ways to keep your brain nimble in Adult Family Homes of Vancouver, WA. Some of these ideas are simple, some will take more planning, but all are worth the effort. Take a walk, by yourself, with a friend, or your dog. Walking for just 20 minutes a day can lower blood sugar. Play video games. Wii and Nintendo DS offer many games and brain teasers that can help build new neural connections, increase reaction time and boost memory skills. Try something that is a stretch for you. Learn a skill in an area that you don’t think of as a strength for you. If you are more comfortable with numbers, learn to draw. If language is your strength, try some logic puzzles. When you’re listening to someone telling a story, really pay attention to the details. Get a mental picture of […]

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  • Maintain A Healthy Brain In Adult Family Homes Vancouver, WA

    The foods you eat can play a big role in how your brain ages through the years. Here are some easy and healthy suggestions for improving your odds of maintaining healthy brain function into your later years. Before you reach for that candy bar, consider eating some almonds and blueberries instead. They can lower blood sugar and provide omega-3s and antioxidants to keep your brain healthy. Another good nut to eat is walnuts. You can put them on your salad, or use walnut oil in your salad dressing. Walnuts are also rich in omega-3s, which can decrease brain inflammation, a precursor to many cognitive problems. It also keeps oxygen-rich blood flowing to your brain. There are some types of tea that are recommended for maintaining brain function. Gotu Kola tea, made from an ayurvedic herb, and used for centuries in India, helps regulate dopamine, the brain chemical that increases pleasurable feelings and has been shown to improve memory and focus. […]

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  • Moving To Assisted Living Clark County, WA

    When it’s time to leave your old home and move to a new one, it can be a very emotional time. Seniors may find moving especially difficult. Their moves are often preceded by some kind of life change. It may be a health condition, loss of a family member, financial circumstances, or a need for more support. A move, even one that is by choice, is a huge change. And change can be stressful. The old house may have been home to the senior for a long time, and it holds many memories. It may be where they raised a family and created a community over many years. This transition will be a lot of work, both physical and emotional. However, the process can be eased with planning, organizing and plenty of help from family and friends. Organizing experts recommend sorting your belongings ahead to time into piles to “keep”- those things you will take with you into the new […]

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