This is an excerpt from the HCPro book, The CNA Training Solution, Second Edition.

Click here to download the guide.

Visits with your parents provide an opportunity not only to spend quality time together, but to check their health to determine if they need extra help. Observe how they behave over the course of your visit and watch for the following warning signs that they may need additional assistance.

1. Are they experiencing balance problems?
Balance problems could be an early sign of dementia, bad joints or an inner ear infection. A fall could break their hip, and complications from a broken hip can be fatal. Watch their alcohol drinking habits, and find out if any of their medications could cause dizziness. If a parent or elderly loved one is walking unsteadily, insist they see a doctor.

2. Have they lost a lot of weight?
Look in their pantry and refrigerator to make sure they have nutritious food on hand. You can also suggest Meals-on-Wheels, a community program that brings a nutritious dinner to elders for a very reasonable price. If eating isn’t the issue, suggest they get a complete physical to see what’s going on.

3. Do they seem depressed?
If your parents are sleeping too much, have no interest in former hobbies they once loved, no appetite or no interest in anything at all, they may be suffering from depression. Ask a friend or neighbor about your parents’ moods when you aren’t there. Someone who sees them frequently may have a better sense of things.

Talk to them about their options

Often, elders won’t disclose they are having trouble because they fear they’ll have to move into a nursing home. So let them know there are other assistance options, such as in-home care agencies or personal medical alarms.

When you visit, don’t try to change everything right away. Just get a feel for what is going on and note what needs to be done to keep your parents or elders safe. Let them know you love them and want to help them stay in their home, and they’ll be more likely to cooperate.

Middle aged adults might experience a decline in brain function if they are sleeping less than 6 hours a day or more than 8 hours. The mental decline is apt to be equivalent to being 4 to 7 years OLDER.

Trying to always do more in a given 24 hour day is causing people to sacrifice sleep to ensure they complete everything that is expected of them.

The study  by the University  College London Medical School cites that women who slept 7 hours a night have the highest score for every cognitive measure followed by those who had six hours.

However, less than 6 hours or more than 8 were associated with lower cognitive scores.

Sleep provides the body with its daily need for restitution and recovery.  It is not yet clear in studies why 7 hours appears to be optimal for the majority of people.

Four ways to manage stress triggers

Managing the demands of your workday and home life may seem impossible when you are in the burnout zone, but it’s important to restore balance in your professional and personal life.

In “Overworked, Overwhelmed and Underpaid,” Barajas talks about people who have a “dual-centric” outlook. These people assign the same priority to their work and home lives, and, according to a 2002 survey from the Families and Work Institute, they experience less stress. Barajas suggests four strategies to help workers strike this dual-centric balance.

1. Set strict boundaries between work and the rest of your life. Barajas says it’s important to define where the line is between home and work. “When dual-centric people are at work, they focus on work. When they leave the workplace, however, they leave it behind completely. They rarely take work home in the evenings, and they do not make themselves available for work questions or communications outside of working hours.”

2. Focus on whatever you are doing in the moment. “Being physically present does little good unless you are mentally and emotionally present as well,” Barajas advises. “When you put your full attention on whatever you are doing and are physically, mentally and emotionally present, you will find that you can give, and gain, the most from the task or relationship.”

3. Take time for rest and recovery. It’s great to be able to meet or exceed goals at work, but it’s important to remember that in the long term, taking care of yourself is an investment that pays off professionally as well as personally. Barajas suggests that workers create an atmosphere where this can happen. “Give yourself permission to spend time doing whatever helps you renew your energy, even if it’s doing nothing at all,” he writes.

4. Be clear about your priorities. “When you feel overworked, the reality is that you have lost track of your priorities,” Barajas says. “You must get clear about what’s important to you. One of the best ways to do so is to create a life blueprint of your goals, roles, values and key relationships. When you design a blueprint and live it to the best of your ability, you’ll feel less stress and more fulfillment — not just on the job, but your life as a whole.”

Patrick Erwin is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Engaging in activities that involve socializing and simply walking at least 30 minutes, three times a week are proven ways to improve your well-being.

People who regularly interact socially tend to be healthier, physically and mentally, than those who become socially isolated. Artistic activities such as arts and crafts help people relax, keep an alert mind, improve fine motor skills, and improve memory.

Activities prevent loneliness, and promote choice and independence. They improve motor skills, social skills, thinking ability, behavior, and communication ability.

I always go to www.alz.org for tips on any kind of help I need for caring for dementia patients. I encourage you to subscribe to their seasonal newsletters. They are filled with GREAT info.

Here are 4 tips from page 6 of the Spring 2010 issue:
1. Plan more active days. Take a walk in the afternoon instead of letting her nap. Someone who naps throughout the day isn’t going to be able to sleep through the night. Slow the pace towards bedtime. Establish calm in the household if possible. Dim the lights.

2. Monitor diet. Restrict sweets and caffeine to the morning hours. Serve dinner early, and offer only a light snack or meal before bedtime.

3. Seek medical advice. Don’t suffer in silence. Describe your loved one’s behaviors and ask the doctor for help. He or she might be able to prescribe a sleep aide to help her relax for sleeping.

4. Change sleeping arrangements. Try a different bedroom or a favorite sofa or recliner. Partially light the room to reduce agitation that occurs when it is dark or feels unfamiliar.

Remember, that nighttime restlessness usually doesn’t last forever. In the meantime, be sure your home is safe if your mother gets up and wanders at night. Restrict access to certain rooms, use tall safety gates between rooms and consider door monitors on outside doors to alert you to her wandering.

When she is alert and upset, approach her in a calm manner. Find out if there is something she needs or if she thinks she is looking for someone. Gently remind her of the time of day. Avoid arguing or asking for explanations. Offer reassurance that everything is all right and everyone is safe. Distract to another activity or walk with her to another room in the home that she might prefer. Call the Alzheimer’s HelpLIne 800-273-2555 for more assistance. From Sheryl O’Neal, Care For Life, Elder Consultant

Mom is 85 years old. She likes living in her own home, the same home she has lived in for 50 years.  You live miles away or work full time and can’t visit as often as you would like.  And,  when you do visit, you wonder how she is really doing on her own.  She loves living at home, and you want her to be able to stay there.  She has told you of her wish to live there as long as possible, but you have doubts because you see signs of decline. What should you do when you notice changes related to nutrition?
There are five things that can cause elderly people to fail.  These are nutrition, medicine, hygiene, unaddressed medical problems, and safety issues. Our caregivers help the elderly remain at home by offering solutions to these 5 problems. This month we will talk about the need for proper Nutrition.

• Nearly half of older Americans do not get enough sound nutrition or enough fluids in their daily diet.

• Reasons may include physical disabilities, isolation, poverty, mental impairment or not having good nutritional habits.

• Meal Preparation and grocery shopping might now be impossible or they have no interest in doing either activity.

• Health problems caused by poor nutrition are anemia, constipation or other intestinal issues, dehydration, weakness, lethargy or loss of mental sharpness.

• Many who live alone miss the socialization of dining with others and would just rather not eat at all.

What should you do when you notice changes related to nutrition?
Care For Life caregivers will help with grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking & socialization in the Charleston SC and surrounding areas.