Category Archives: caregiving and workplace

New Jersey Home Care for Seniors – Memory Loss Help

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New Jersey Expert Home Care in Somerville, Red Bank, Lakewood, Hackettstown, Ridgewood, Princeton, Trenton, Flemington, Morristown, Wayne helping your loved ones when memory loss is an issue.  Call us at 800-848-2336.

We are your Live-In Home Care Specialist in New Jersey.  Since 1985 we’ve been providing Live-In Home Care in the Tri-State Area. Expert Home Care knows that it means everything to aging seniors to live independently at home. Most adult children understand this wish. That’s why Expert Home Care in NJ offers 24/7 care so we can be there when you cannot be.

Today our topic is memory loss. There’s a bit of confusion around memory loss – is it Alzheimer’s, or dementia? Most often, we are asked, “Is memory loss normal?”

Memory loss is not a normal part of the aging process. this is the message that seniors, spouses, children and loved ones need to remember. As research shows that the ability to pay attention and concentrate decreases with age, and senior moments or word finding difficulties are common, it is not normal for memory to worsen with age. This can, in fact, be a sign of a more serious problem.

Experts in memory loss says aging slows down the process of taking in new information. People don’t forget, but may begin to learn differently. Learning can be improved through such healthy living measures as:

  • Proper exercise
  • Eating a balanced meal
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Reducing stress

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care suggest that seniors become aware of what can adversely affect attention and concentration and find ways to eliminate these stressors from their lives.

This may mean getting treatment for:

  • Depression
  • Reducing alcohol consumption
  • Recognizing medication misuse
  • Using herbal supplements with caution

We suggest the following helpful hints: 

  • Writing things down
  • Organizing important things
  • Planning ahead
  • Exercising the brain - doing crossword puzzles or number games

Regular brain exercises can increase learning and help reduce senior moments. Just like our bodies, our brains require regular care and maintenance. This is particularly true when we get older.

Do you believe you’re experiencing memory loss as you age? What do you do to help diminish or control “forgeting things and dates”? Share with us your story and tips by leaving a comment below. Thank you. 

For help with caring for a loved one living with memory loss, call the Live-in Home Care Specialist at 800-848-2336. New Jersey Expert Senior & Elder Home Care.

Caregiving for a loved one and the workplace

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Most of the care provided to an older adult is from an informal network of family and friends, rather than a paid or formal network. The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP reported in 2004 that the estimated number of caregivers in the US was 44 million people. That translates into nearly 21% of all US households providing care for an adult family member.  Many of these people work part-time or full-time hours and may also still have child-rearing responsibilities on top of this. The people in this group have come to be known as the “sandwich generation”, because they are often “sandwiched” in between taking care of the kids and mom and/or dad as well. The costs of this are far reaching from emotional, physical and of course financial.

The cost to US businesses from this is very significant, almost 34 billion annually.  This happens from workers having to leave work early, take time off,  and deal with interruptions which all leads to less productivity which effects on the bottom line.  Employers are doing what they can to help their employees with these issues more than ever. This assistance includes help such as resource and referral programs which include local services like home care which may include hourly help or live in help. If an employee is having an issue they can go to their employee or HR department and asked to be referred to a home care agency. There are also workshops and support groups as well as long-term care insurance coverage.

This trend is going to continue for several decades with people living longer due to better medicine and more healthy lifestyles.