How to Share Senior Caregiving Without Causing a Family Divide

 January 18, 2018 by Dean Bellefeuille

Top rated home care Syracuse NY

Do you recall how hard it could be when you were young to learn the concept of sharing with your brothers and sisters? Even though the importance of thinking about others’ feelings, and also being fair, was impressed upon us early on, it can still be a hurdle to lessen sibling squabbles when it comes to complicated decisions we confront in adulthood – such as the right way to fairly divide caregiving requirements for our aging parents. (more…)


Syracuse Dementia Care Tips: When He Is Not Aware of His Dementia

 January 11, 2018 by Dean Bellefeuille

dementia care

“I do NOT have Alzheimer’s disease! There isn’t anything wrong with me!”

If you’ve ever heard a friend or family member with dementia frustratingly communicate this or perhaps a very similar sentiment, it’s possible you have believed that individual was merely in denial and not willing to accept a tough diagnosis. The truth is, however, that oftentimes people who have dementia are experiencing anosognosia – an unawareness of their impairment. (more…)


Attention Syracuse Seniors: Giving Up the Car Keys May Be Bad for Health

 January 6, 2018 by Dean Bellefeuille

Syracuse Elderly Care

It is among the more tricky decisions we must confront in later years, and a remarkably delicate subject for adult children to initiate with their elder parents: surrendering the car keys. Driving a vehicle, while supplying an inherent sense of freedom and independence, can become significantly unsafe due to a number of conditions linked to growing older. And giving up that independence for safety’s sake can feel defeating. (more…)


Can Senior Health Care Go Overboard?

 December 21, 2017 by Dean Bellefeuille

senior health care

Most of us desire the most effective senior health care for our loved ones, but is it possible that on occasion, less is the most beneficial? As reported by a recent study published in Plos One by Dr. Martin Makary, professor of surgery and health policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a full 21% of medical care we receive is irrelevant – which means that millions of people put through various treatments, screenings and scans are obtaining little if any benefit. And these unwarranted senior health care services come at a cost: as much as $210 billion annually, as revealed by the National Academy of Medicine. (more…)


Be Sure to Check Your Senior Safety List Twice This Holiday Season

 December 14, 2017 by Dean Bellefeuille

senior safety

Living across the country from family makes it complicated to pay a visit to our older loved ones as often as we would like, but when the holiday season is here, families make an extra effort for time together – making it the perfect time to review a senior’s safety and wellbeing. There are many warning signs about senior safety that aren’t observed in weekly telephone conversations, emails, or even through Skype, but which often become very clear when the family gathers together for the holidays. (more…)


Caring for the Caregiver: Why Staying Social Is Important for Your Health

 November 21, 2017 by Dean Bellefeuille

Caring for the Caregiver

Let’s be genuine: providing care for an elderly family member is often tiring, stressful, and isolating. When caregiving requirements advance, particularly if a long-term disease such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease is at play, family care providers may feel as if they’re in over their heads, and getting through the standard elements of the daytime – showering, cooking food, running errands – can seem to be a hurdle too great to leap. Caring for the caregiver sadly often falls to the bottom of the to-do list and can lead to caregiver isolation. (more…)


Overcome Sibling Squabbles When Caring for Aging Parents

 November 14, 2017 by Dean Bellefeuille

Caring for Aging Parents - lafayette home health

Although we’d prefer to turn a blind eye to it, family friction happens to be common in some form for most of us, and during a time of crisis when caring for aging parents, is usually aggravated. After levels of stress are elevated, it’s common to look for a target to serve as an outlet for those emotions; and unfortunately, that target is often those we’ve shared probably the most with over a lifetime: our brothers and sisters. (more…)


We Can ALL Help Make a Difference in Alzheimer’s Research

 November 7, 2017 by Dean Bellefeuille

Alzheimer's research - syracuse alzheimer's care

The field of Alzheimer’s research is expanding, and today there’s a way all of us could actually help bring about the finding of a cure. With an online game, Stall Catchers, many people are dedicating time and energy going through slides of mouse brains to help researchers in establishing the effectiveness of addressing cerebral blood circulation issues to reverse loss of memory. (more…)


Exercising After 50: What You Need to Know

 October 18, 2017 by Dean Bellefeuille

exercising after 50 - bridgeport home health

Aging involves adjusting to a great many changes, and how we take care of our bodies is among the most meaningful ones. We realize the necessity of staying physically active, but may not realize that the old tried-and-true exercise techniques we’ve long practiced must be changed after age fifty, because of a rise in injuries, pain in muscles and joints, and all-around fatigue. If you’re exercising after 50, and you should be, use these tips:

  • Resistance over cardio exercise. Although cardio exercise is definitely still crucial for heart health, strength training is extremely important to combat the natural decline in bone density and muscle mass. A recent study also associated weight training with increased memory, even when performed just once weekly for as few as 20 minutes. The objective is to perform twelve repetitions of each set of resistance exercises several times each week, raising the resistance level when it gets easier to perform the exercises.
  • Make sure you warm up. As a result of decreased elasticity in tendons that takes place later in life, warm-ups are very important. Stretching out the muscles you are preparing to exercise, as well as a full body warm-up with mild cardio exercise such as a walk on the treadmill, is recommended, at least 2 or 3 times each week. Benefits include improved flexibility, elevated heart rate and body temperature and better preparation for the muscles that are about to be exercised.
  • Change over to interval training. It is recommended that interval training – high intensity exercise alternated with easier “rest” periods – produces a better benefit when compared with a steady exercise pace to burn more calories and to boost oxygen consumption.
  • Increase rest days. Per Dr. David W. Kruse of the Hoag Orthopedic Institute, “You need to focus more on recovery after 50. Tissue recovery takes more time and more effort to support that recovery.” This might mean a couple of days in between workouts. Pay attention to any kind of aching experienced and the impact it’s having on your following workout to discover the right time period to rest in between.

Don’t forget to consult with your physician for personal recommendations on beneficial exercise regimens, and if you’ve a client or loved one who needs support in supplying the motivation, guidance, and transportation necessary to adhere to a workout program and boost health, contact At Home Independent Living at 315-579-4663. Our professional Bridgeport home health care team is experienced in helping older persons improve health and overall wellbeing, and we help to make exercising after 50, and any other activities, more fulfilling.