Newbie Caregiver Guide to Different Types of Elder Care Facilities and Services

Guide to Different Types of Senior Care Facilities. 

Respite Care or Skilled Nursing Care--What is the Difference?

Are you a new caregiver? Are you a bit overwhelmed by the many different types of elder care facilities and services you see advertised?

You aren't alone. Even seasoned caregivers sometimes get confused when it comes time to choose the most appropriate place for their elderly loved one.

In this guide, I hope to clarify the basics of the many types of senior care options available to you. From here, you can choose to research the most relevant services for your individual situation.

Happy Easter From Elder Care Issues

May everyone have a wonderful holiday filled with fun, chocolate and precious memories to cherish. 

Don't forget to include the elderly, and always remember...you can never take too many photos. 

Happy Easter!

Is Telehealth the Solution for Rural Caregivers?

Telehealth is a growing trend in modern healthcare. This form of remote medical care could soon improve the lives of thousands of elders and caregivers.


Isolation is not a new issue for caregivers. With the majority of caregiving responsibilities falling on one person, it can quickly lead to problems. Sadly, not all caregivers have access to respite care, home health aides, and other means of temporary relief.


What does this do?

Managing Healthcare for Your Elderly Parent

When you take on the role of caregiver, managing a senior's healthcare becomes a full-time job. 

If your elderly relative can't make decisions for themselves, then you may be doing everything from scheduling appointments to making sure that two prescriptions are safe to take together.


Getting organized from the beginning can help make these new responsibilities less stressful. But before you get in too deep, here are some things to consider and some tips.

Helpful Terminology for New Caregivers

A helpful guide to caregiving terms and abbreviations. 

Have you just taken over the role of family caregiver? If so, you may soon find yourself bombarded with hundreds of unfamiliar words and confusing terms.


If you aren't a medical professional, then you can be quickly overwhelmed with you see these words  appear on paperwork. (and there will be a lot of paperwork).


The following guide won't make you an expert overnight, but it will give you a quick introduction to some of the most common terms you will hear and read as a caregiver:

5 Things That Can Cause Poor Appetite In Seniors

Having less appetite as a person ages can be normal. Food may not be as appealing, and the body needs fewer calories.


Decreased appetite can be abnormal though if it begins suddenly, if it leads to rapid weight loss, if it causes or if it causes other health problems. A sudden and unusual change in eating habits could be a sign of an underlying issue, such as dental problems or declining cognition (forgetting when the last meal was eaten or not recognizing hunger pains.


An abrupt change in a person's eating habits should be brought to the attention of a doctor. However, there may be a non-health related reason for low appetite too. Here are five reasons why a senior may be eating less:

Healthy Eating Tips for Seniors (Guest Post)

In a fitness-conscious world, it is hard to ignore the food and drink that we put into our bodies. A well-balanced diet should consist of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains. Everyone, young and old, should be consider the following healthy eating tips to enjoy a happy and healthy 2016!

Caregiver Burnout-Are You At Risk?

If you provide care for an elderly loved one, then you are at risk for caregiver burnout. The act of caregiving for another person full-time can take a huge emotional, mental, and physical toll on providers, and no one is automatically immune. 


If you are wondering if what you are feeling is normal stress or the beginnings of a full-blown burnout, you should learn the signs and take action. 

Signs of Caregiver Burnout

Denture Care, How to Clean Someone Else's Icky Teeth

Do you know what they DON'T tell you before you come a care aide or a caregiver? They don't tell you that at some point, you may have to hold someone's teeth in your hands. 

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Its vaguely mentioned in the "personal grooming" section. It doesn't really highlight the joy you feel the first time someone plops a set of dentures in your hand right after they've eaten a bowl of chili. Or, (ick) spinach. 


Luckily, I was no stranger to dentures, and really, they don't bother me.  Some people really do freak out at the thought of touching them, though. 


It WAS strange to have to clean them for the first time, but it is an important part of caregiving that shouldn't be overlooked, and hopefully this guide will help you feel more comfortable about taking on this task.  

Blog Makeover!

I'm not sure if its good practice or not to change a blog's theme too often. What I do know is that the last header I used on here was beginning to give me the heebie-jeebies. It looked too clinical and depressing. 


I also felt like it gave the wrong impression of this blog. It made the site feel as though it were part of a business. Whereas I fully support senior care business and services, that isn't what ECI is. Elder Care Issues is just a helpful (I hope) blog for caregivers, seniors, and care providers to enjoy. 


And I do believe in enjoying caregiving. It has its bad moments, it can be a long, stressful, difficult journey for many...but it comes with more than its fair share of rewards too. It also comes with laughter, which is why I try to sprinkle the content on here with some humor on occasion. 


No matter which stage of caregiving you are in, or what you role you play, I hope the new theme can lighten your mood a bit when you visit. Life is too short, (and so is the caregiving journey) for us to look at impersonal, melancholy websites.