For most of us, it’s often preferable to be able to age in our own homes where we know the layout and feel comfortable. Doing this safely means making a few home modifications to ensure that your elderly parents can stay in their own home without complications and continue living independently. 1. Simple bathroom modifications You don’t have to make big adjustments to the bathroom to make it a safer place for ageing parents to be. For example, a waterproof seat in the shower helps to reduce the potential for a fall on a wet surface. A raised toilet seat and grab handles on the wal ..read more

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are often thought of as two different things, when in fact the term “dementia” covers a range of diseases that affect the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Read below to find out more about other common types of dementia… What is Dementia? As mentioned above, the term “dementia” can sometimes be used to describe the symptoms a person is presenting with, while the cause of said symptoms can be a specific form of dementia. The most common symptoms of dementia include memory loss (which is often a very early symptom), difficulty ..read more

The topic of palliative care can be particularly tricky to navigate for everyone involved. We all hope our loved ones will get better but unfortunately, we sometimes have to prepare for the worst. At such an emotional time, it can understandably be hard to know what to do and when to do it. In this blog post, we explore all the common questions family and friends have and offer information on when palliative care might be the best option. What is palliative care? If your parent or loved one has been told that they may not get better, end-of-life care and support services (also known as pa ..read more

Summer can be a particularly damaging time for skin, especially for an elderly person. While you’re probably already thinking about sun creams, did you know that your skin also needs help from within? If you haven’t already, it’s not too late to start incorporating a few extra summer foods to help protect your skin. Let’s have a look at some food that can help to keep your skin healthy during the summer (and even winter). What to eat to protect your skin in Summer Lemons Lemons are excellent sources of calcium, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium which help to improve the appearanc ..read more

There are various feelings we have when we think about home care for a loved one. These feelings often lead to some common misconceptions about home care among both those who need the care and the relatives who may be sourcing the care. These are the 5 common misconceptions about home care. 1. Carers are unskilled Carers come from a range of backgrounds, often as a choice to change careers later in life. These people might have been engineers, nurses, or business owners. There are also younger carers who are starting out and wish to create a career in health and social care, and s ..read more

Older people have generally lived an interesting life, they have lived through many changes and experienced all of life’s ups and downs. Conversing with an older person, be that a relative or someone you are caring for, can open up a world of interesting facts, stories and wisdom. Spending more time with elderly relatives, finding out how they coped, what they did and what lessons they learned in their life, can teach you some valuable life skills. Adapting to change The changes our older generation have been through, means they had to adapt quickly. Just as we have to today, alth ..read more

Understanding nutrition and dementia: why nutrition is important Following a dementia diagnosis, it’s important to learn everything that you can about learning to live with dementia. There are many things that you can do to delay progression, as well as ensuring that you live a good quality of life. It’s vital to get regular exercise, as well as eating properly so that you get the right nutrition. In this article, we will look at why nutrition is important for people with dementia. Why diet for dementia is important Your brain needs the right fuel to keep it functioning properly ..read more

Helpful tips for making easy foods for dementia patients Mealtimes are a time for you and the family to chat about the day, and enjoy some time together while also enjoying your food. Mealtimes can however become difficult for people living with dementia and this can mean that mealtimes can become stressful and unenjoyable occasions. Don’t worry, there are strategies you can use for making mealtimes easier for dementia patients. Mealtimes are a good way to help someone with dementia to keep track of time, so ensuring that you are consistent with timings as much as you can will help you ke ..read more

How to prevent your elderly relative being scammed How to prevent your elderly relative from being scammed It’s horrifying to think that there are people out there who prey on elderly and vulnerable people in our society. Unfortunately, over 53% of people aged 65 and over have been targeted by fraudsters. This means it’s likely that an elderly relative of yours could be at risk of a scam. One thing you can do to help prevent your elderly relative from being scammed is to teach them about scamming, what to be aware of and how to prevent it from happening. Scams can come from people who are ..read more

It’s a fact for everyone that physical ability and mental wellbeing can start to decline with age which makes living independently more difficult. You may have noticed changes in an elderly relative the last time you visited or, if you’re currently a carer, you might be struggling to cope. When it comes to looking for home care, or live in care, for elderly relatives, the cost and stress of the process can seem prohibitive. However, there is help available. What kind of home care support is available? There are different types of homecare support depending on the individual needs of yo ..read more