Free and Unbiased Information Blog Focused on Helping The Aging

Amada Senior Care is built upon six core values: 1) Compassionate and Charitable, 2) Competitively driven to be the best, 3) Urgency in all things, 4) Entrepreneurial farmer mentality, 5) Confidently humble, and 6) Grateful. What this means is that Amada Senior Care partners with, hires, and promotes those who demonstrate these traits. What this time of pandemic has taught us is that we might have our core values in the wrong order. First in our hearts is Grateful. As an organization, from each franchise office led by independent owners around the country to every employee supporting them at the corporate level—we are incredibly grateful . We are grateful to be able to serve senior clients, their families, our caregivers and staff, and others during this time and to be counted on as an essential resource in our communities. We are grateful to all of our partners in the healthcare industry who trust us to help them support their senior clients in achieving the best outcomes in their

By definition, intergenerational relationships, as the name indicates, refers to the dynamics and the relationship between ageing parents, their adult children and grandchildren (and great-grandchildren when applicable). Over the years, we have been witness to many such happy and large families where three or even four generations of the family live a fulfilled and mutually beneficial life. In India, this was the norm, even a few years ago, until young adults started moving out for better education and job opportunities. However, it’s still a prevalent norm, one that is beneficial for all generations. It is remarkable to observe the atmosphere of love, care and respect that are generated from intergenerational relationships. Ageing parents , armed with their experiences, offer a pragmatic and practical view of life and offer solutions to their adult children. The adult children, in turn, step in when the aging parents’ activities are restricted by health or mobility. The adult child

There is a note of humble awe in her voice as Kelly Fehr, the owner of Amada Senior Care of Nashville, recalls the final hours in hospice care that caregiver Jill Murray spent with their longtime senior client, Margie. “On the day of her death as Margie was unresponsive and being cared for at home with hospice, I watched as Jill spoke with a gentle voice, moistening her lips and brushing her hair,” Kelly said. “We sang songs, said prayers and told Margie how much we loved her. She passed later that night. We cried together, a lot.” When families undergo the end of a senior loved one’s life, hospice is where they usually do it with the help of caregivers like Jill. In our culture, we tend to fear death. Our fear can transfer to the people who are in the process of dying. Hospice, or the homes where terminally ill seniors go to live the rest of their lives, can be a breeding ground for this infectious fear unless we avert it and cultivate comfort, as Jill did for Margie. Families who

November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to honor the estimated 41.8 million American adults who are caregivers for an elderly, ill or disabled loved one. More of them—about 24 percent—are caring for two or more loved ones (up from 18 percent in 2015), according to the Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 Report co-authored by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. As the senior population grows, and the need for in-home care increases as well—nearly four in 10 seniors have at least one disability—these unpaid caregivers provide an estimated 37 billion hours of informal care every year to family members, friends and neighbors. Though caring for a loved one can be rewarding in several ways, the demands placed on family caregivers often lead to stress and burnout . This is most common for those in the sandwich generation—middle-aged adults caring for an aging parent while also still supporting their own children. Though caregiving is a labor of love, it can be physically and

The festive season is all about making your loved ones feel cherished, and one of the ways of doing so is by gifting them something! With growing age, one’s needs change and it’s always better to give someone what they require. Let’s take a look at 5 unique gifts that will make sure that your elders are well-taken care of, even after the festive season! Smartwatch/Fitness Bands : Elders are often inclined towards spending their time doing yoga, light exercises, or taking morning-evening walks. A smartwatch or a fitness band is a medium through which they can not only track their daily steps and heart rate , it also tells them how many calories they have burnt , how many kilometers they have walked, etc. Additionally, some high-end smartwatches and fitness bands send distress signals to selected people if the person wearing it has fallen or if their heart rate is irregular. This feature makes a smartwatch or a fitness band a perfect gift for helping your elders keep a track of their

Any festival is incomplete without the heartfelt blessings from elders , especially a festival as widely celebrated as Diwali. But since the onset of the pandemic, life, the way we knew it has changed beyond measure. In the age where every touch makes people grab their sanitizer and disinfectant wipes — what COVID-19 related precautions, we should take while visiting elders during Diwali? Keep the crowd to the minimum While Diwali is a festival of meeting family and friends, crowd management is still a key to safe celebrations for your elders. Try calling relatives in batches rather than all at once. This gives you enough time to sanitize the normal touchpoints. Connect virtually Even though it’s one of the biggest festivals of the year, we need to understand that the risk of COVID-19 is still at large. Organize a virtual meet-up for the family members and friends who stay far away, if they have been ill or have traveled recently. You could use a range of video calling-based app

Do you have a plan to pay for long-term care (LTC) services? Long-term care insurance (LTCi) helps protect a policyholder’s income and assets against the financial risk of an LTC event. While people may think policyholders benefit the most, LTCi can protect the whole family. November is Long-Term Care Insurance Awareness Month, a reminder of the importance to educate yourself and your family . Just what is LTCi? Notes online resource LTCNews: “ Long-term care insurance pays for care when a person requires help with daily activities, including skilled, semi-skilled, and homemaker services due to an illness, accident, or the impact of aging. LTC insurance also covers supervision due to cognitive decline.” LTCi benefits policyholders in many ways, including the following: LTCi Protects Your Hard-Earned Income & Assets It’s no surprise that LTCi services are expensive. According to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey , in 2020 the median cost to live in an assisted living facility i

Eating healthy becomes especially important as one age. With passing years, aging leads to multiple changes in the body, including nutritional deficiencies, decreased quality of life, and poor health outcomes. Good nutrition through a balanced diet is recommended at one age but what are some specific things senior adults need to keep in mind for a healthy life. Let’s begin with the basic— these are the fundamental basic nutrients one should include in their diet: Carbohydrate-rich foods like brown rice, sweet potatoes Protein-rich foods like meats, beans, and lentils At least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables Apart from the staples, a senior adult’s daily diet should be a mix of the below nutrients- Omega-3 Fatty Acid Rich Foods Especially important for senior adults , Omega-3 Fatty Acid helps prevent inflammation, rheumatoid, arthritis, heart disease and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s . More so, it also slows down the progression of Macular Degeneration which leads to po