Celebrating Grandparents' Day with Your Senior

The calendar is marked with multiple holidays that are meant to celebrate the various people in your life. Mother's Day and Father's Day are two of the most popular, but there are many other designated dates upon which to voice your appreciation for your loved ones. Eldercare professionals know that Grandparents' Day, is a wonderful time to recognize your seniors and all that they do for you and your family.

Understanding Your Relationship with Your Loved One
Celebrating Grandparents' Day is a wonderful way to show your love for your seniors. But the truth is that every elderly individual will not appreciate the same recognition on this holiday. Some love large gatherings with family and friends, and they will enjoy a party that allows them to socialize with loved ones and spend the evening eating, talking, and enjoying one another's company. Others may prefer a more intimate gathering with just a few people, or even one on one time during which they can spend a quality afternoon with a particularly important family member.

Understanding the dynamic of your relationship between yourself and your senior will help you to determine the best way to mark this important day. Make sure that you tailor your method of celebration to what your loved one will enjoy, not to what you want, as it is their day, after all.

Activities to Build Relationships and Have Fun
Whether you opt for a large party or a small gathering, Grandparents' Day is a wonderful time to mark and strengthen familial relationships. Having the right activities planned is crucial, so put some thought into how to best honor these bonds. The professionals of eldercare, Always Best Care Burlington-Greensboro remarks, know that there are several different ways to celebrate your seniors' lives that will help other family members to better appreciate them.

Senior care providers encourage families to engage in the activities that their grandparents love on this special occasion, from simply sitting around talking to going for a walk to visiting a favorite park to hosting a dinner for friends and family. Additionally, listening to your senior talk about their childhood and your family's roots can help build stronger relationships and strengthen familial bonds.

Act FAST: Understanding the Signs of a Stroke

A stroke is an event during which the blood supply is cut off from the brain, either due to a blood clot or a hemorrhage. As you might imagine, this is a very traumatic and dangerous experience—one that can lead to severe damage to the brain and even death. As such, eldercare professionals encourage you to understand the signs of stroke and to act quickly if you believe that your senior is suffering from this event. When it comes to eldercare, Always Best Care of Burlington knows that it can be difficult to remember all of the symptoms of conditions that your loved one could develop. Luckily, the signs of stroke are easy to commit to memory, as they spell out the word "fast." The National Stroke Association explains:1

• Face: If your senior's smile droops on one side, this may be a sign of a stroke. 
• Arms: When your senior raises both arms out parallel to the floor, they may be suffering from a stroke if one arm does not stay level and, instead, angles down to one side. 
• Speech: A stroke often results in slurred speech, or the inability to use the right words to convey ideas. Ask your loved one to speak and, if they have difficulty, seek medical assistance immediately. 
• Time: Getting your senior into the care of a trained and experienced doctor is key in preventing lasting damage from being caused by a stroke. The sooner you call 911 the better your loved one's odds of recovery. 

In addition to these symptoms there are other warning signs of stroke, including:

• Numbness of the extremities or face
• Weakness of the extremities or face
• Confusion 
• Difficulty understanding
• Vision impairment
• Dizziness
• Loss of coordination
• Loss of balance
• Severe headache

Senior care professionals urge you to familiarize yourself with these symptoms and make certain that, should any of them appear in your loved one, you help your senior access the attention of a medical professional immediately. A stroke is a scary and disorienting experience, for both individuals who are suffering from them and their loved ones who witness it. As such, try to stay calm and get your senior the help they need as quickly as possible.
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1 http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=symp

Checklist for Doctor's Checkups for Your Senior

One of the most important responsibilities of family members who are taking care of their elderly loved ones is to ensure that they have access to the healthcare that they need to keep their quality of life as high as possible. Scheduling regular checkups at the doctor's office is part of a comprehensive healthcare plan; however, it is important that you understand just what your loved one needs in terms of screenings and preventative measures at each of these checkups, as some may require your senior to visit different kinds of doctors (i.e. OB/GYNs or urologists). A leader in eldercare, Always Best Care Burlington-Greensboro has offered the following list of services that your loved one should receive at various times throughout the year.

• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccination
• Pneumococcal vaccination
• Zostavax vaccination
• Flu vaccination
• Mammogram (for women)
• Pap test/cervical cancer screening (for women)
• Prostate cancer screening (for men)
• Colorectal cancer screening (method depends upon doctor recommendation)
• Cholesterol screening
• Glaucoma screening
• Hearing screening
• Vision screening
• Osteoporosis screening

Annual physical examination
These are the basic tests that eldercare professionals encourage your senior to undergo regularly; however, there are other things to take into consideration when your elderly loved one visits the doctor. The following are some of the topics you may consider bringing up to ensure that your senior has the highest quality of life possible.

• Nutrition: Ask your loved one's doctor if they have any dietary recommendations based upon your senior's medical history and current state. For instance, they may need to reduce sodium intake or increase consumption of foods that are high in fiber. 
• Physical activity: Exercise is important at every stage of life, and seniors need to stay physically active to remain as healthy as possible. Ask the doctor if your elderly loved one needs to gain or lose weight and what kind of physical activity is appropriate for their health level. 

Eldercare professionals know that it can be difficult to manage your senior's healthcare, but by knowing what your loved one needs you can better navigate the complexities of the healthcare system.