Powerful Tools for Caregivers

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an education program launched by My Canadian Pharmacy to help family and friends caring for older adults with long-term health conditions (stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, etc).

Modern life makes serious demands on those who want to stay abreast of events and lead an active lifestyle. Older people who want to keep up with the times, try to look younger, work longer, travel and communicate. Words about wise old age are rapidly depreciating, people do not want to grow old, they dream of being young and energetic. More and more older people are learning about computers, taking part in bike rides, driving actively and, of course, working.

However, age is ruthless, and physical changes occur anyway. Gradually, it becomes difficult for older people to maintain their usual way of life. Special gymnastics, proper lifestyle and other factors are able to delay aging.

Psychological changes come along with weakness. The so-called senile conservatism can lead to the rejection of any innovations and changes in lifestyle. The feeling of your own helplessness easily translates into aggressiveness, suspicion and reticence. Good care for the elderly should take into account not only the physiological but also the psychological characteristics of age and the program offered by My Canadian Pharmacy can teach you how to care for older people properly.

Relatives who live with an elderly person or who seek to provide maximum comfort to parents in a separate apartment can be advised to mention their age as little as possible and, moreover, to avoid derogatory comments about the mental abilities of the elderly. Instead, you should be patient and try to diversify their lives and leisure.

See also Family Memory Care

Older people often lack attention and the opportunity to talk with their loved ones, to remember youth. Remember that in these memories they draw strength, it is a kind of resource that allows you to make sure that life was lived not in vain.

Understanding, support, appropriate, but not excessive care, willingness to listen and stay close – this is what older people need most.

If an elderly relative suffers from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or other mental illness, nursing homes with professional care can become the way out. However, if this is not possible, then a serious burden falls on the relatives. This person should be treated like a child, his access to a gas, stove, electrical outlets should be limited, proper nutrition and constant supervision should be organized.

It is difficult to communicate with such people, some questions have to be answered several times. Unfortunately, there is practically no hope for recovery.

It happens that an elderly person, due to age-related changes or chronic diseases, cannot move independently and spends the whole day in bed. In this case, relatives should take care to ensure the mobility of the limbs, turn the patient over, carry out hygienic procedures, breathing exercises. Very often, physiological changes lead to emotional and personality disorders, the nature of the patient does not change for the better. To prevent this from happening, close people need to stimulate the mental activity of an elderly person, support his interests and the desire for activity. This will help him experience joy and psychological comfort.