by Irish Referral Agency | Mar 20, 2021 | News
All too often, older patients get released from the hospital and are fully eligible for help at home but refuse it. The reasons for this vary, but often it gets down to privacy or pride. Seniors see their homes as sanctums. They don’t want strangers invading their...
by Irish Referral Agency | Mar 10, 2021 | News
Given that 118,000,000 people in the US have a “smart speaker” the next part of this paragraph is probably be rendered unnecessary, but it is important to set up the conversation. Amazon Echo is a voice-activated and controlled smart speaker that uses a virtual...
by Irish Referral Agency | Feb 28, 2021 | News
Caregiving can be an all-consuming, and occasionally a thankless task. Those for whom you care are inherently net takers, though not usually intentionally selfish. In the end, however, the caregiver gives more and gets less. In many cases that makes the caregiver...
by Irish Referral Agency | Feb 20, 2021 | News
When you consider the challenges of growing older, a variety of unhappy situations can come to mind. Loneliness as we have less exposure to family and friends is one. Less activity may lead to feeling less self-worth. A life of responsibility becoming one of...
by Irish Referral Agency | Jan 30, 2021 | News
Pressure ulcers, more commonly called “bed sores”, represent a preventable and treatable issue for seniors, but caregivers must be vigilant to monitor for the potential of this malady. Further, these wounds can happen in places other than beds. They can...
by Irish Referral Agency | Jan 20, 2021 | News
Even as the vaccine is now available to an increasing number of seniors, logical protections are still in place that have kept seniors isolated over the past year. The psychological distress that has been a by-product of isolation due to necessary social distancing...
by Irish Referral Agency | Jan 10, 2021 | News
In a previous column we talked about the challenges of being a long-distance caregiver. The subject matter dealt with knowing as much as possible when the caregiver is not local. One key component that should be added to the list of things a long-distance caregiver...
by Irish Referral Agency | Dec 30, 2020 | News
Caregiving in-person can be physically exhausting. Caregiving long distance can be mentally tortuous. When you are responsible for a loved one (or feel you should be) and you cannot see first-hand what the situation is, it can be very stressful. You may call and your...
by Irish Referral Agency | Dec 20, 2020 | News
When a family caregiver is called upon to help with an elderly loved one, occasionally he or she runs into an unexpected situation – hoarding. Hoarding is relatively common among the elderly and tends to get worse with advancing age. Clutter and unsanitary...
by Irish Referral Agency | Dec 10, 2020 | News
As a society, we quickly recognize overt prejudice. Disparaging comments about skin color, national origin and religion are patently unacceptable. Yet, seemingly innocuous comments to the elderly about their age do not raise much indignation. Being referred to as an...
