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Being far away from an elder loved one can be difficult. However, as a leading provider of senior living homes, we know from experience that there are ways to make the most of the situation and maintain a strong relationship. Ultimately, planning and persistence are key.
 

Great Ways to Stay Connected to an Elder

Living an hour or more away from a loved one makes staying mentally and emotionally connected with them much more challenging. Use these strategies to bridge the divide:

• • Space your visits wisely. If you have a limited amount of time and/or funds for visiting your loved one, be sure to space out those visits. Exhausting your budget too quickly can cause long gaps without a visit, which neither you nor the elder will enjoy.
  • Make the most of your time together. While you will surely want to enjoy some unstructured time with your loved one, having a plan for many of the things you want to accomplish during a visit will help ensure that you meet both their needs and yours.
  • Leverage technology. Phone calls, text messages and video chat sessions can’t replace a hug and sharing a meal together. However, connecting through technology certainly beats not connecting at all. Be sure to take some time during an in-person visit to ensure that your loved one has the necessary technology. Also, be sure they know how to use it. You want them to be able to communicate with you easily and enjoyably.
  • Write letters. Most elders will tell you that they love receiving letters from family and friends. There’s just something about knowing that the words on the paper were carefully and lovingly chosen and that the person took the time to write and mail the note.
  • Find the right senior living community. Working with a senior living homes provider where caregivers are truly connected with residents is ideal. That way staff can help you stay informed about your loved one’s condition if the elder can’t or doesn’t want to engage in conversation on the phone or online. A quick call with the staff member can help put your mind at ease.
  • Stay informed. You may not talk with your loved one about all the activities at their community. But, simply knowing more about what goes on there can help you feel closer to the person. Remembering and mentioning that, “Today is grandma’s painting class,” can spark happy conversations and fond memories with your family.

   

  Supporting Strong Relationships is Our Top Priority

  At Green House Homes, our senior living homes are designed around the idea that caring relationships are essential to a happy life. That’s why we do all we can to enable and support strong connections among all stakeholders—elders, fellow residents, staff and family members. This approach and our real-home settings make our communities a very unique elder care option.

  

  It’s safe to say that most elders and their loved ones are aware of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently, they tend to be on the lookout for their symptoms. That is wise because while the conditions can’t be cured, early diagnosis allows for better care. However, other medical issues produce symptoms that appear to be signs of dementia. This can cause a number of problems, including the delay of treatment for the actual illness. At our community for senior living in Loveland, CO, we are quick to report any cognitive decline we see in residents to them or their loved ones.

  Unexpected Causes of Cognitive Problems

  Some of the medical conditions (and treatments) that can cause an elder to display dementia-like symptoms include:

  • • Certain prescription drugs can cause confusion, memory loss, irritability, low energy and other symptoms, especially if the dosage is incorrect.
    • Depression does more than make people feel sad. It can have a negative impact on memory, focus and sleep. It may also cause a person to avoid social interaction.  
    • If the thyroid is producing too much or too little of the hormones it is responsible for, the condition can have a negative impact on how the body uses food. This can affect an elder’s mental and emotional health.
    • Poorly managed or unmanaged diabetes can allow a person to go into a state called hypoglycemia in which the blood sugar is too low. This state can cause impaired coordination and difficulty in completing even simple tasks.  
    • Repeated interruptions in breathing while sleeping, often caused by airway issues, can deprive the brain of oxygen and cause behavior that looks like dementia.
    • Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a tick that introduces a certain kind of bacteria into the body. The disease can affect short-term memory and cause a person to feel somewhat “disconnected” from the world around them.
    • Low levels of B12 make it hard for the body to produce enough red blood cells and nerve fibers. This can cause confusion and disorientation.
       
      

  Always Get a Medical Professional’s Opinion

  At Green House Homes, our innovative approach to senior living in Loveland, CO creates close-knit communities. There, people—staff and residents—care for one another and pay attention to changes in mental and physical health. One thing we’ve learned in the process is that when people notice unusual symptoms in themselves or others, they should avoid making assumptions. Instead, they should get input from a medical professional. Encouraging residents to address health changes promptly is important. And, it’s just one of the ways we help them live their happiest, healthiest lives.

   

  

  Ask anyone who has a regular journaling practice. They will tell you there is something very therapeutic about getting your thoughts down on paper. In fact, as a leader in elder care in Loveland, CO, we have seen the many benefits keeping a journal provides not only to seniors but to their families as well.

  All it Takes is Pen and Paper

  One of the great things about journaling is that it’s something you can do anytime, anywhere. And whether you write in your journal every day or just when the mood strikes you, you’ll find there are many advantages. Journaling can help you:

  • Sharpen your recall of important events. Many people find that if they simply jot down down a few key details about an event, reading those notes later can bring the entire episode back vividly to mind.
  • Purge negative thoughts and emotions. We’ve all had the experience of wrestling with a negative thought or emotion that we just can’t get out of our head. Often writing about our feelings helps us examine, understand and move past them.
  • Outline your goals and plans. At Green House Homes, we encourage our residents to be continually challenging themselves and growing. Having a written set of goals and a plan for achieving them is very helpful.
  • Express yourself creatively. In addition to the prose they put into their journal, many people will write poems, doodle or draw pictures. That creative expression is enjoyable in the moment and also fun to look back on later.
  • Sleep better. Often recalling things that happened today or looking ahead to what will happen tomorrow can make it hard to drift off to sleep. Writing those thoughts down can be very relaxing and help prepare your mind for sleep.
  • Share your thoughts with future generations. Providing your loved ones, including those yet to be born, with a way to put themselves in your shoes and see life from your perspective is a wonderful gift. And, it’s a gift that will keep giving to each person who becomes the keeper of your journal.

   

  Recording Your Unique Experiences

  The Green House Homes real-home model of elder care is centered around the idea of genuine connection and meaningful experiences. Journaling is a great way to save and cherish those experiences even as you look ahead to new ones. Consequently, that simple practice can have a profound impact on your quality of life and your enjoyment of our unique skilled nursing community.

  

  You love an elder in your life. But, caring for them can get more difficult as they age and have more time-consuming needs. This is especially true if you are also providing care for others in your life. And, you need to address your own physical, mental and emotional requirements. Ultimately it may make sense to turn to a provider of skilled nursing care in Loveland, CO.

  Signs You May Need to Consider a Skilled Nursing Facility for Your Loved One

  How will you know when you’ve reached your limit as a caregiver? When would make sense for your elder to transition into a real-home skilled nursing environment? There are a number of emotions and behaviors you will begin to see in yourself. For example, you may become argumentative or quick to anger. Or, you might start to experience feelings of sadness and despair and find yourself becoming tearful easily.

  As providing care consumes more of your time, you may lose interest in hobbies and activities you used to enjoy as they now create stress since you watch the clock knowing your assistance will be needed soon. Consequently, you may withdraw from social activities and find friendships being stressed.

  Caregiver overload can also result in physical symptoms. For example, you may suffer from a lack of appetite and as a result have unintended weight loss. You might also find yourself sleeping too little or too much. And, these factors and your high stress level can make you more susceptible to colds and other illnesses.

  As these signs begin to appear, it’s important to find a way to resolve the issues so that your relationship with your loved one stays positive and you remain healthy and happy.

  A New Lease on Life

  Making the transition into Green House Homes at Mirasol can be a blessing. Our unique form of skilled nursing in Loveland, CO, can give you and the elder you care for a new lease on life. Not only will their needs be met by warm and attentive care professionals in a real-home setting, the social interactions they have with other residents will help them stay interested and engaged in life. And, as a contributing member of their household, they’ll feel both challenged and rewarded as they help ensure that the house operates effectively. Our person-directed, relationship-based care model emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy and continuing growth as the basis of a meaningful life.

  One of the best ways for elders to stay interested in, and engaged with, the world around them is to be creative. Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” And, it certainly does require some effort to find the time and energy for creativity in some cases. But, as elder care professionals know from their time with residents, that effort is rewarded many times over in the joy and connection that creative seniors feel.

  The Tremendous Benefits of Creative Expression

  Creativity produces a whole host of benefits, from the cellular level to the societal level. They include:

  • Tuning up the connections between brain cells. Creative expression causes the firing of many different kinds of neurons in the brain, including those associated with memory. “Where did I place that last brush stroke? Where was I thinking I’d place the next one?” This mental exercise can help fend off cognitive decline.
  • Relieving mood and sleep disorders. Challenging the brain with creating a masterpiece or learning a new art form keeps the mind fully engaged. And that engagement temporarily replaces negative feelings with positive ones, which can elevate an elder’s mood, and, by extension, help them sleep better.
  • Creating a sense of accomplishment. Completing a creative endeavor produces feelings of triumph and satisfaction that can have a positive impact on an elder’s outlook today and beyond.
  • Forming friendships with others. One of the best ways to bond with someone else is through shared interests. When a person gets to work at the potter’s wheel near yours, you know you’ve found a kindred spirit.
  • Increasing the ability to endure hardship. Having a creative hobby to take refuge in during difficult times can make all the difference to an elder in terms of their ability to cope.
  • Encouraging others. Seeing the shawl an elder has crocheted, the wood statue they’ve carved, or the painting they’ve completed can get the creative juices flowing for another person, thereby having a positive influence on their life.

   

  A Variety of Artistic Options

  While painting and sculpting often come to mind when someone mentions creativity, there are many, many other ways that elders can express themselves. For example, adult coloring books have become quite popular. And, floral arranging is a fun and challenging artistic pursuit. Knitting itemsthat are then given to people in need produces the powerful one-two punch of creativity and generosity. And making music is a great way to express yourself.

  An Environment that Encourages Engagement

  At Green House Homes at Mirasol, our real-home setting and supportive staff make it easy for elders to pursue their interests. Whether individually or in groups, these creative activities help put a smile on their face and joy in their heart.