How to Reduce Senior Risk of Cancer

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on August 27, 2015

It’s never too late to help your loved one walk down a healthier path and reduce his or her risk of cancer. The staff at Anchorage Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of senior home care, recommends these steps your loved one can take to help keep cancer away. Stop Using Tobacco Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Seniors should be reminded it is never too late to quit tobacco, as kicking the habit yields immediate rewards like improved blood pressure, circulation, and lung function. A variety of safe, FDA-approved replacement medications such as nicotine gums, lozenges, and patches can help alleviate nicotine withdrawal symptoms and a counselor can help jumpstart a…

5 Reasons Why Maintaining a Healthy Weight Is Important for Seniors

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on August 20, 2015

One of the challenges your senior loved one may face is maintaining his or her ideal weight. Whether he or she needs to shed excess pounds or pack them on, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight will help your loved one avoid some serious health risks. Here are just a few reasons why it is important for your loved one to maintain a healthy weight, brought to you by the senior care professionals at Home Care Assistance of Anchorage. 1. Obesity Can Lead to the Development of Diabetes Although your loved one’s advanced age already increases his or her risk of diabetes, being overweight or obese amplifies the risk even more. In fact, along with an inactive lifestyle, having a…

How Elderly with Alzheimer’s Can Benefit from Home Care

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on August 13, 2015

For many seniors with Alzheimer’s, daily life can become challenging, making it difficult for them to continue living safely and independently at home. If your elderly loved one has this memory condition, he or she may find that the professional in-home assistance of a caregiver can make his or her daily routine more manageable. Read on for four reasons that Anchorage home care experts suggest home care for seniors with Alzheimer’s. 1. Safe Environment Safety is a major concern for those with Alzheimer’s, and constant care is often required during the later stages of the disease. For many families, an Anchorage Alzheimer’s caregiver is a good option, providing around-the-clock availability and safety monitoring to ensure your loved one stays safe. Caregivers…

Best Ways to Incorporate Calcium in Senior Diets

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on August 6, 2015

Even if your elderly loved one does not have lactose-intolerance, he or she may find it difficult to eat enough calcium-rich foods. To help protect your loved one from calcium deficiencies and other related conditions, the senior care experts at Anchorage Home Care Assistance suggest incorporating the following calcium-rich meals in your elderly loved one’s diet. 1. Cream Sauce Pasta with reduced-fat cream sauce is an easy way to incorporate osteoporosis-fighting calcium in senior diets. A condition in which a person’s bones become very brittle, osteoporosis is at the root of many senior fractures. To reduce the amount of sugar in a single dish, choose whole-wheat pasta, which has a lower glycemic index and is less likely to raise blood sugar…

Bathing Safety Tips for Seniors

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on July 30, 2015

Water combined with slippery surfaces make bathrooms the number one room in the home for falls. To help protect your aging loved one from slips and other accidents while showering, you may consider taking certain safety measures. Read on for four senior safety tips for bathing, presented by Anchorage Home Care Assistance. 1. Install Grab Bars Bathing is particularly dangerous for seniors with limited mobility. To help seniors who have difficult navigating the bathroom, install grab bars inside and outside the bathtub or shower and near the toilet that seniors can hold onto as they move in and out of the tub or when moving from a sitting to standing position. The grab bars should be screwed into wall studs…

5 Ways to Improve Blood Circulation in the Elderly

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on July 23, 2015

As a result of certain age-related conditions, many seniors have poor blood circulation. If your elderly loved one experiences the symptoms of a weak circulatory system, including cold or discolored extremities, beginning an exercise regimen or making other lifestyle changes may help. At Anchorage Home Care Assistance, our senior care experts suggest the following five strategies to promote a healthy circulatory system. 1. Start Walking Daily walks are one of the best ways to promote healthy circulation. When seniors are sedentary for extended periods, blood may pool in the legs, ankles, and feet, which can hamper circulation. Walking requires the leg muscles work and makes the veins begin pumping more blood from the lower extremities back to the heart. If…

4 Films from 2015 for an Elderly Population

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on July 16, 2015

While sometimes it can be difficult to find movies that your senior loved one will like, this summer, Hollywood has a handful of new films that every demographic will love. Give your elderly loved one a reason to head to his or her local cinema with this list of new movie releases. Presented by a leading provider of senior home care, Anchorage families count on, here is a list of current films that will appeal to an elderly audience. 1. Love and Mercy Love and Mercy is a biographical film about Brian Wilson, the front man of the popular 60s band, The Beach Boys. This film delves into Wilson’s struggles with creativity and mental psychosis as the band evolves into a worldwide…

3 Ways to Soothe Sundowners

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on July 9, 2015

If your elderly loved one develops dementia or Alzheimer’s, he or she may experience Sundowner’s Syndrome, a condition where the hours around sunset make your loved one agitated, restless, or aggressive. While these tips may not help all seniors with Sundowner’s, Anchorage senior home care experts suggest trying the following methods for soothing sundowning symptoms. 1. Exercise Sundowner’s is often associated with nighttime agitation and difficulty sleeping. These symptoms can be alleviated by light exercise every day, providing a release for nervous energy, producing endorphins that boost mood, and increasing overall health and stamina. With assistance from your loved one’s Alzheimer’s or dementia caregiver in Anchorage, encourage your loved one go on short walks, do some easy stretches, or even…

What’s the Connection Between Melanoma and Parkinson’s Disease?

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on June 25, 2015

According to new research, people with Parkinson’s are at a higher risk of melanoma. Anchorage home care experts from Home Care Assistance present the following information to help families and caregivers understand the connection between Parkinson’s disease and melanoma. What is Melanoma? Malignant melanoma is a rare and very dangerous form of skin cancer that is treatable if detected in the early stages but can be fatal if it progresses undiagnosed. Melanoma usually presents as a mole, particularly one that is unevenly shaped, does not look like other moles on the body, or has uneven coloring. What’s the Link to Parkinson’s Disease? While the relationship between skin cancer and Parkinson’s is not well known or understood, studies show that Parkinson’s may make…

Best Father’s Day Presents for Seniors

By Rob Buck, 9:00 am on June 18, 2015

One of the challenges of Father’s Day is finding a present that will show your elderly father that you care. At Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of high-quality senior home care Anchorage families can count on, our caregivers have picked up some wonderful Father’s Day gift ideas over the years. If you’re trying to find a gift that will delight your aging father, read on for a few recommendations. Tablets and Cellphones A tablet with Skype capabilities or a prepaid cellphone can be two gifts rolled in one. You guys can enjoy one another’s company while you teach him the basics of his new tablet or cellphone. Start a text message conversation or Skype session with a loved one…

Blog Throughout Anchorage, Alaska

Blog