For the Family

National Family Caregivers Month has been spearheaded by the Caregiver Action Network since 1994 and formally recognized since 1997, when President Clinton signed the first annual NFC Month Presidential Proclamation.

NFC Month recognizes the more than 40 million caregivers taking care of aging parents, sick spouses, or other loved ones with illness or disability. Caregivers spend an average of 13 days every month on caregiving activities, equivalent to an economic value of $500 billion in unpaid services—three times more than annual Medicaid spending on long-term care. However, because it’s a labor of love, this hard work goes largely unseen and unrecognized for most of the year.

“Family caregivers have an immeasurable impact on the lives of those they assist, but their hours are long and their work is hard. Many put their own lives on hold to lift up someone close to them,” President Barack Obama said in his National Family Caregiver Month Proclamation in 2012. “National Family Caregivers Month is a time to reflect on the compassion and dedication that family caregivers embody every day.”

According to the Caregiver Action Network, November is our opportunity to celebrate the efforts of family caregivers, increase our support, raise awareness for caregiver issues, and educate caregivers about self-identification. The 2019 theme for NFC Month is #BeCareCurious. This theme encourages caregivers to be proactive and engaged when it comes to their loved one’s care, whether that’s in the doctor’s office, in the hospital, or at home.

This month, make an extra effort to #BeCareCurious about:

  • Your Loved One’s Goals: Having hard conversations about treatment goals in the face of a serious disease is challenging for everyone involved, but these discussions are necessary to ensure your loved one is receiving the care they really want.
  • Treatment Options: If your loved one isn’t responding well to their current treatment, ask their doctor about other options. When you’re not feeling well, it can be hard to be your own advocate. That’s why they’re lucky to have you in the room with them.
  • Research: The internet is a great resource for understanding the basics of a loved one’s condition, but it can also be a mess of conflicting and inaccurate advice. Don’t stop at Google. Follow up with your loved one’s doctors to get the full picture.
  • The Care Plan: After a loved one is discharged from the hospital, most of the follow-up care will happen at home. Make sure you understand what they will need in the weeks to come. Ask questions about medications, care procedures, and future appointments.
  • Coverage: Be vocal when it comes to insurance coverage and do your research to fully understand the ins and outs of your loved one’s plan. This will make life easier for you and will help avoid any expensive surprises.

Acting as a family caregiver is not an easy job. It adds stress and complication to your life no matter how willingly and lovingly the care is given. But as they say, knowledge is power. The more you know about your loved one’s goals, needs, and situation, the more confident and capable you’ll feel as their caregiver.

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Did you know? April is Stress Awareness Month.

The feeling of stress can oftentimes derail our lives. If we get too stressed, we have a hard time concentrating on other things in life, many times the important parts of our lives like, overall happiness and joy.

Especially as a senior, life can seem stressful. Whether you may be stressed about an upcoming move to a senior living community or other factors that can cause stress, it’s important to take the time for yourself to rest and relax.

Here are five ways for seniors to de-stress:

1. Start a new hobby:

While this may seem a bit odd, activities that keep you busy but also encourage socialization can greatly reduce stress. Whether you want to start a book club in your community, pick up a new card game or grab a friend and start a garden (indoor or out!), you’ll quickly realize focusing your thoughts elsewhere is just a simple way to reduce your stress. 

2. Exercise:

Improving your overall physical health is one of the best ways to improve your mental health. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and improve your mood.

You don’t have to pound the pavement to enjoy the benefits of exercise. Especially during the summertime when heatstroke and dehydration are greater concerns, low-impact activities can be a great option for seniors looking to get in their daily steps or 30 minutes of cardio. Here you can find four low-impact activities you can enjoy outside.

3. Learn to meditate:

Meditation is a great way to focus on being present and pay attention to your breathing. It’s one of the simplest ways to reduce stress.

To start meditating, pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, relax your body. It might seem easy enough, but meditation—based on traditional Buddhist practices—requires you to be completely alone with your thoughts, and can actually take some time to “train your brain” to stop wandering. Get A Beginner’s Guide to Mindfulness Meditation here.

Now that you have three ways you can start to de-stress, which will you choose? They all are great for finding ways to remove the stress from your life and begin to enjoy it!

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When you or a loved one is planning to move to a senior living community, there are a lot of factors that go into your decision. From financial planning and personal preferences to health and wellness needs, this decision can feel stressful.

Let us walk you through five very important items to go over in order to get yourself or a loved one ready to move into a senior community.

  1. Community Decision: Look into communities that you or your loved one would feel most at home. If you’re located in Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin or Nebraska, maybe American Baptist Homes is the place for you. Our goal is to promote an active, engaged and independent lifestyle amongst residents, ensuring that their safety and comfort is top of mind. Check out our communities here!

See Our Communities Here

  1. Financial Information: At ABHM, we are always open and honest about our financials with you. See more about how your money will be used here at ABHM. Read more about our financial information below.

See Financial Information Here

  1. Services Needed: It’s vital to talk to you or your loved one’s doctor and see what type of senior living community you or they would need. Whether it’s an independent living community or if an assisted living community is necessary, it will help to know this before you move.

See Living Decision Guides Here

  1. Personal Preferences: All communities are different. It’s always a good idea to look into a community’s mission statement and make sure it aligns with your personal preferences, goals and needs.

Read Our Mission Statement

  1. Downsizing Tips: One of the hardest parts of moving for a senior sometimes, is the idea of downsizing and getting rid of some of their items—it’s an emotional process. Parting with some seemingly unimportant items can be hard. Learn more on how to help your loved one downsize below.

The Lowdown on Downsizing

At American Baptist Homes of the Midwest, we want your move to a senior living community to be as seamless and simple as possible. We are here for you. We have been providing senior healthcare services throughout our Midwest senior living communities for over 85 years.

If you’re interested in learning more about one of our many senior living communities and the lifestyle services and care provided, please contact us at 952-941-3175.

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Brr! Are you feeling extra cold this winter? We sure are.

It can feel extremely hard to feel motivated to find fun activities to participate in during the winter months. It always seems easier to snuggle up in a blanket. But, it’s imperative for your mental, physical and emotional health to stay busy—especially through the winter when we’re already short on Vitamin D.

Continue reading 10 Ways for Seniors to Stay Busy Indoors this Winter

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Our Decision Guides are designed to help you make good decisions for your future or that of a loved one. There are many factors to consider — financial security, ongoing healthcare, and overall safety and well-being. Our guides offer many answers, however as you go through this process please feel free to contact us anytime should you require more information.

Continue reading Living Decision Guides for You

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