» needs aging parents

6 Ways to Protect your Family from the Flu

6 Ways to Protect your Family from the Flu

To some, the fall season is a time to decorate their homes with pumpkins and Halloween lights, to others it is about the leaves falling in their yards, raking leaves and drinking cider by the fire. The colder weather also brings to mind longer indoor hours and the ‘cold or flu season’.

What do you do to protect yourself and your family and your aging loved ones during this season?

You may have heard of the flu shots and the pills that may protect you from flu bugs. What about preventative measures that mom or grandma ordered years ago? Even the doctors and nurses may have given you some simple ways to stay away from the flu of the season.

Here are 6 ways:

Wash your hands. Sounds simple…but many of us forget this instruction. Wash your hands before handling food, eating, touching your eyes, nose or face. Frequent hand washing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer can take away the germs. Mayo Clinic has an article on hand washing dos and don’ts.
Keep your hands away from your face…children like to touch their eyes and nose. Sometimes adults do it as well. Germs spread easily through our nose, eyes and mouth. It is a habit that most of us are not aware of.
Get plenty of rest. Lack of sleep affects millions of Americans and it is linked to many types of diseases including heart diseases, diabetes and depression. Sleep deprivation will also cause us to be less alert and weaken our immune system. Make sure your family gets plenty of rest to increase immunity and fight the flu bug easily.
Eat a well balanced meal. Our busyness and over scheduled lives can lead to more fast foods and TV dinners which may result in an imbalanced meal. Fresh home cooked meals that incorporate the 6 food groups are the best remedy for a good healthy life. The groups are fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meats and beans, nuts and seeds, grain which includes bread, rice and pasta, milk products and fats. Please check out New York Times’ article on balanced diet.
Vitamin D. For most of us in North America, the colder months means less exposure to sunshine, which is the natural way of getting Vitamin D. We need to add to our diet, Vitamin D supplement or foods that are rich in Vitamin D like fortified milk, fish and eggs. Vitamin D is known to prevent several autoimmune diseases.
Drink plenty of water and exercise. Our body needs constant rehydration to flush out impurities. Imagine your body without water is like a toilet without water to flush the ‘junk’. An adult needs about 8 oz of water per day. Exercise and constant body movement are known to produce natural virus killing cells. Take a walk or join a local gym to keep your body healthy.

Caregivers, mothers, grandmothers, children, grandpa, fathers… we all need to take care of our own body before we can take care of our loved ones. Remember when you are on an airplane, and the flight attendant comes with safety instruction about the air mask? They instruct you to put the air mask on yourself before helping your child.

Likewise, take care of your health and take natural preventative measures and help your family do the same.

Please contact us for more information keepingintouchservices@gmail.com or call 1800-788-1280.

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly parents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today. If you’d like to learn more about Diana and how she helps elderly clients through Keeping in Touch Solutions, check out her website at www.keepingintouchsolutions.com.

No Comments

Summer and Your Aging Parents

We are in the heat of summer. Most families have children home from colleges and schools…a time to have short or long trips and also a time to just enjoy the great outdoor. How about aging parents and grandparents?

What are your aging parents up to during the summer months? Most of our elderly parents and neighbors are living in older homes probably by themselves without the luxury of visits from children and grandchildren. They may be living in the heat without a proper working air condition system or their budget may not allow the convenience of an air condition unit.

How can children of aging parents or neighbor’s to the elderly help prevent them from heat stroke or dehydration?

Here are three simple tips to help you care for your aging parents and enjoy the summer:

Air conditioning unit: Older homes usually do not have a central air conditioning system. The most economical air conditioning units are the removable units installed on windows. Visit your aging parents and find out what their needs are for cooling.

The window units are the easiest to install especially if they have double hung windows. Most importantly, know the square footage of the room that you want to install the unit before you set out to buy one.

According to Good House Keeping Magazine, air conditioners use British Thermal Units (BTUs) which refers to the cooling power of the air conditioner. Generally, a 500 square feet space needs a 12,000 BTU unit.

Window units are cheaper than whole house air conditioning. You may be able to get one for less than $500. This simple solution can prevent heat stroke this summer.

Liquid intake: Summer is a time we sweat most and dehydration might occur more frequently. According to WebMD, dehydration occurs when the loss of body fluids, mostly water, exceeds the amount that is taken in.

The lack of water intake may result in palpitations, confusion, weakness or dizziness.

There are many studies on how much liquid is enough for the body. Will 8 cups a day be enough for our aging parents? WebMD has this to say:

Approximately 80% of our water intake comes from drinking water and other beverages, and the other 20% comes from food. Assuming these percentages are accurate for most of us, the recommended amount of beverages, including water, would be approximately 9 cups for women and 12.5 cups for men.(Includes the liquid from fruits and vegetables).

Have your elderly parents forgotten their needed liquid intake? Do you have someone who calls them when you are busy with work and children?

Vehicle maintenance: Your elderly parents’ vehicle may also face challenges during the summer months. With the heat, comes the need for a proper working cooling unit for their vehicle. When was the last time they got it checked?

Can you imagine your aging parents driving in a hot afternoon to your Uncle Joe’s house 50 miles away and the vehicle’s air conditioning stops working?

This situation happens…a little help from you on the car maintenance comes a long way for their comfort and safety.

We, at Keeping in Touch Solutions, can help you keep in touch with your aging parents when you can’t. We fill in the gap. Are your aging parents in need of someone to keep in touch with them daily?

We’re here for you. Please call us to find out our services at 1800-788-1280 or visit us at Keeping in Touch Solutions.

Let us know what you like about this article by placing a comment.

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly parents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today. If you’d like to learn more about Diana and how she helps elderly clients through Keeping in Touch Solutions, check out her website at www.keepingintouchsolutions.com.