Are Your Loved Ones Victims of Senior Bullying?

Senior BullyingNowadays, everyone is talking about bullying and how to stop it. When we were children, bullies were everywhere and seemed to get away with everything; but we’re a zero-tolerance society now when it comes to bullying. However perhaps there’s some other, less apparent sort of bullying still occurring – that of trying to play the parent to our aging parents, thus overstepping some unwritten boundaries; in some cases, to the point of senior bullying. After all, even if our parents’ choices are different than ours, their choices should still be respected as much as is possible, with safety in mind.

Sometimes it can be hard to know where the line in the sand is between being a helpful care provider for parents and taking over for them in areas they can safely manage on their own. And added into the mix are often unresolved issues from childhood that can resurface – feelings of resentment and bitterness that may find their way into an adult’s caretaking decisions.

To illustrate, there are various areas of contention that often arise between senior parents and their grown children:

  • Medical related decision making
  • Planning for end of life
  • Recommended safety modifications
  • Knowing when to stop driving
  • Managing finances

These tips can help diffuse sticky decision-making situations more respectfully and effectively:

  • Try negotiating a safer alternative for a worry like driving, such as driving only in the daylight and only on short, local trips.
  • Start with small suggestions that may be more tolerable to seniors, such as adding no-slip strips to the bathtub, moving cords away from walkways or taping down rugs.
  • Try not to compromise safety, while also keeping a senior’s wishes in mind. Ask for the senior’s input without speaking down to him or her, and you’re more likely to work together for a successful outcome.
  • Put yourself in the older adult’s shoes. Consider what it would be like to be in a similar situation and how you would want to be treated if the tables were turned.
  • However, if there are safety or health concerns, do not hesitate to contact the senior’s physician or a social worker.

And keep in mind that typically, serious discussions such as these are often better received in the presence of a trusted healthcare professional or religious clergy member or through an objective third party. Want more tips to help make tough discussions with older adults go more smoothly, and avoid the possibility of senior bullying? Contact Endeavor Home Care’s Scottsdale home care experts at 480-535-6800 for trusted, professional assistance in keeping your older loved ones safe, while allowing them to remain as independent as possible where they’re most comfortable – at home.

Breaking the Darkness with a New Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy Option

New Alzheimer’s Disease TherapyScientists are shedding new light on treatments to potentially have an impact on Alzheimer’s disease: light therapy. The benefits of light are only just starting to be tapped, and already are exhibiting some intriguing and encouraging results.

For instance, MIT analysts are experimenting with a form of flickering light Alzheimer’s disease therapy, in which the visual cortex of mice is exhibiting a short-term decrease in beta amyloid plaques. And even though there’s no indication as of yet on how this will correlate to human studies, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.

An additional study with really positive results in seniors with Alzheimer’s is exposure to light which has a blue tint , which is thought to help normalize the body’s circadian rhythm – bringing about better sleeping patterns. Mariana Figueiro of the Lighting Research Center at the New York Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, along with geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Guerman Ermolenko, tested the effects of blue light on patients with Alzheimer’s who were having trouble sleeping at night. The seniors were exposed to blue light during the day. After the treatment, in each case, the patients were able to sleep through the night.

Oddly enough, the thinking behind these outcomes comes from the concept that the blue light imitates the blue sky, encouraging our circadian rhythm to be in wake-up mode, and that it may also increase our levels of melatonin through evening – resulting in more wakefulness during the daytime and a more restful night’s sleep.

Something to be aware of: a few Alzheimer’s patients have become over-stimulated by being exposed to blue light. It is necessary to attentively monitor seniors’ responses, and increase yellow light accordingly in the event that unwanted side effects are noticed.

At Endeavor Home Care, as we keep an eye on further Alzheimer’s disease treatment developments, we’re aiding those with dementia, along with the families who care for them, with a selection of individualized Arizona dementia care services to improve quality of life. Endeavor’s caregivers are thoughtfully trained in dementia care and learn the unique approach required to gently encourage someone with Alzheimer’s. We work hard to ensure seniors are safe and living life to their highest potential at all times. Contact us at 480-535-6800 to learn more.