5 TIPS FOR RELATIVES OF OLDER ADULTS

Hello,

We blogged about 5 Tips for Would-be seniors, 5 tips for Elders Caregivers, we will now write about 5 tips for relatives of older adults.

We use RELATIVES to refer to family and friends of an older adult.

1. Make Financial Plan

What are the financial requirements of your older adult(s)?

Make a financial plan if you are responsible for an older adult. Some relatives are lucky to have the older adult save for such a time as old age, others, have to contribute or be solely responsible for the welfare of their older relative.

Make plans that cover the basic, recurrent care of the elder.

Read: 5 Tips for Elder Caregivers

• Regular Communication

Communicating regularly helps older adults create memories and can slow down mental challenges.

Even if all your conversations with them are not light hearted, do not underestimate the benefits of regular interaction with the elderly.

• Engage Them In Some Mental and Physical Exercises.

This gives you the opportunity to ascertain their mental state and helps them exercise their minds. Engaging in mental exercises such as cards and board games helps put their minds to use.

There is a need to engage them in light exercises that would keep them fit even in their old age. In doing this, care must be taken to ensure that they do not engage in strenuous exercise that could cause strain or injury. Examples of light exercises are stretch, taking a walk, taking Pilates, massages, mindfulness, etc.

Read: 5 Tips for Would-be Seniors

• Elder-Proof the House.

Just like our parents child-proofed the house when we were toddlers, we need to do the same for them now that they are aging.

Little falls and accidents can become a serious problem and lead to different complications. Make changes that will assist them in their daily living.

• Get Necessary Trained Help.

This may mean engaging the services of a medical expert or someone to help run some errands, accompany them when they go out or even, remind them of their recommended daily activities and daily medications.

These tips are not exhaustive, you are welcome to add more tips in the comments section.

P.S: We use the older adult interchangeably with seniors, Elders, Elderly.

Love,

AZELDERS.

5 TIPS FOR CAREGIVERS

Hello,

We blogged about Who an older person is, 5 Tips for Would-be seniors, 5 tips for relatives of older adults, we will now write about 5 tips for Caregivers.

We use Caregiver to refer to those who look after older adults.                                                                                  

Some tips for taking care of elderly ones includes;

1. Learn To Be Patient

 In one of my experiences with an elderly person, he dressed in exercise gear to go for a walk but wanted to wear shoes (the type that screams office) also. He was adamant about his preference for footwear. It was not as funny as it seems now.

Resist the urge to get into a confrontation with an elder, do not become abusive or make snide comments, neither should you mock them.

Caring for an elder in my opinion may be as intensive as caring for a toddler. It is important for people who cannot be patient to stay away from seniors and vulnerable people generally.

• Get Training

Caring for any human being is not something that should be assumed to be possible without adequate training.

 And No, being family does not automatically translate to being in the best position to care for your loved ones. If this was the case, Mothers will be in the best position to birth their babies and handle the babies without any training on caring for the baby, latching properly e.t.c.

The moment you make a decision to give care to the elderly around you should be the exact moment you get training in caregiving because there is a lot to what is required than what you already know.

Read: 5 Tips for Would-be Seniors

• Try to be Helpful all the Time

Always try to be helpful all the time. It is easy to get tired of assisting the elderly with cleaning up after them but remember that as a caregiver, you signed up to do just that.

Always go the extra mile for the elderly. Do not get upset at opportunities to assist further.

• Listen to the Elders you care for

Another quality of good caregivers in addition to patience is that they are great listeners. They listen to both verbal and non-verbal communication.

Older adults have stories and a wealth of experience to share when they find an audience or if they feel particularly chatty, listen to them. Also, watch for more than what the elder is saying.

If a chatty senior does not chat the whole day, a good caregiver should pick up on that and check to see that the senior is doing well.

Read: Who is an Older Person?

• Put them First

It is easy to do what you want regardless of the needs and feelings of the elderly as we may feel they cannot hold us accountable for our actions.

A good caregiver would put the needs of the elder above their personal comfort. This is not to encourage caregivers to put themselves in danger.

For instance, a violent elder should be attended by a professional that can provide the help he needs.

Putting them first may mean, putting television channels they prefer to watch instead of your preference, it may also mean making healthy meals instead of the fastest meal.

These tips are not exhaustive, you are welcome to add more tips in the comments section.

P.S: We use older adults interchangeably with seniors, Elders, Elderly.

Love,

AZELDERS.

5 TIPS FOR WOULD-BE SENIORS

Hello,

We have blogged about Who an older person is, 5 tips for relatives of older adults, 5 Tips for Caregivers, we will now write 5 Tips for about to be seniors.

We use “would-be seniors” to refer to those who are still vibrant, would not be classified as aged but are not many years away from being seniors. In age terms, they would be around 45years to 59 years old.

• Make Financial Plans

 As the saying goes, make hay when the sun shines. It is best to prepare ahead by ensuring that we make savings for our upkeep. As we grow older, we will require money to be able to meet our needs at a time we may already be retired.

Read: Who is an Older Person?

If we save ahead, we don’t feel the financial burden when an eventual need arises.

• Take Care of your Health

We may think it is still possible to eat as we like without restriction and our body may still be a little forgiving for how we treat it but it is not wise to keep mistreating it.

It is important to form habits that will be sustainable health wise.

We should also undergo periodic medical tests to be certain of our health status.

• Build a Habit of Regular Exercise.

As our muscles and joints begin to get weak, there is a need to engage them in exercises that would keep them fit even in our old age. The same thing with our minds, we need to continue to engage ourselves and others with a view to keep fit mentally.

Be disciplined enough to develop a plan and stick to it.

• Make your house a safe space.

As we get older and more prone to falls and accidents, we should make our house a space that remains safe well into old age.

It is better to redesign to our taste and safety needs than have someone else redesign the house compulsorily after we have suffered a few adverse effects of not ensuring our space is safe.

• Never Stop Learning.

I have observed in a lot of older adults in developing countries that there is usually a time in later years when they have reserved for rest and rest alone.

They spend their youth trying to be comfortable at old age OR maybe even trying to survive the competitive youthful period and when they feel they have gotten to the age of retirement, they let go and just rest.

Sleeping throughout the day, just staying indoors for weeks, not reading a book in months etc.

For every one of these cases, I observed a rapid onset of aging and a sharp decline in mental prowess. I have not made any scientific studies so I would not be sure if the early onset of aging necessitated the period of “rest”, or the period of “rest” triggered the early onset of aging.

Regardless, my advice will be that even though it is okay to “rest”, but it is not okay to do nothing especially if you have led a busy life earlier. Build in activities, talk to people frequently and never stop learning.

These tips are not exhaustive, you are welcome to add more tips in the comments section.

P.S: We use the word older adult is used interchangeably with seniors, Elders, Elderly.

Love,

AZELDERS.

Who is an Older Person?

What if we refer to an older person as a senior citizen?

It would also interest you that such a person can be referred to as an elderly person.

When we consider who an elderly person is, a lot of criteria come to mind. The answer to this question varies with different individuals.

The average person believes that for a person to be addressed as an older adult, he/she would be over the age of 60.

Another factor besides age is the physical and mental state of an individual, this sends a signal to the family members and friends that the person in question is either getting old or is old.

Those signs include the wrinkles on the person’s flesh and their mental capacity which at this point has changed drastically compared to how it used to be.

In the workplace, most organizations state 60 years to 70 years as the retirement age. At this stage in a person’s life, their productivity may begin to diminish.

Some individuals within this age bracket are exempted from compulsory retirement if they can still function optimally without posing a risk to themselves and the organization.

Let us discuss older adults by classing them into four categories.

First Class (Older adults between the ages of 45 years to 59 years)

The majority of people in this class still call themselves “youthful” and are still vibrant.

Only a few people in this group start to experience aging. The signs of aging when noticed at this age are described as “early-onset”.

For example, a few women in this age bracket are known to experience menopause. Men may experience balding.

Second Class (Older adults between the ages of 60 years to 75 years)

At this stage, older adults may begin to experience certain changes in their lives such as not being able to perform certain activities to which they have been used over the years.

A few in this age bracket still find themselves very active and don’t consider themselves as being old.

Third Class (The second stage is between the ages of 76 years to 85 years)

This is the stage where older adults begin to need assistance. At this stage, it is rare to find someone who hasn’t started experiencing some changes either physically or mentally in their body.

These changes may be physical or mental. People of this age group usually start experiencing shrinkage in their flesh and changes in their bone structure.

Most times, they also witness changes in their strength, capacity, and inability to stand for so long. These changes also vary with individuals, depending on the nature of their activities when they were much younger.

Fourth Class (This category fall under any age above the 86 years)

Older adults in this class need more attention than ever before because old age brings about diminished abilities.

Older adults may require support for walking, seeing, chewing, and remembering.

Their physical and mental conditions require constant checkups to ensure that their quality of life does not take a turn for worse.

As stated earlier, the concept of an elderly person varies depending on geography and culture.

However, we at Azelders consider anyone who notices signs of aging in themselves as an older adult, for us, this may start at the age of 45.