Recognizing Warning Signs Over The Holidays That Care Is Needed
Next week your Thanksgiving gathering may be one of the few times during the year when the whole family comes together under one roof. It's a great opportunity for siblings and parents to discuss critical family issues and take a sincere look at their senior family member(s) health, finances, and potential needs. Below is a list of "10 warning signs" to help families and older Americans determine if help is needed. Any one of the behaviors listed below may indicate the need for additional action. Ultimately, the elder family member's physician should be consulted regarding any physical or psychological behavioral changes.
Has Your Family Member...
- Changed eating habits within the last year resulting in weight loss, having no appetite, or missed meals?
- Neglected personal hygiene resulting in wearing dirty clothes, body odor, bad breath, neglected nails and teeth, sores on the skin?
- Neglected their home so it is not as clean or sanitary as you remember growing up?
- Exhibited inappropriate behavior by being unusually loud or quiet, paranoid, agitated, making phone calls at all hours?
- Changed relationship patterns such that friends and neighbors have expressed concerns?
- Had physical problems such as burns or injury marks resulting from general weakness, forgetfulness, or possible misuse of alcohol or prescribed medications?
- Decreased or stopped participating in activities that were previously important to them such as bridge or a book club, dining with friends, or attending religious services?
- Exhibited forgetfulness resulting in unopened mail, piling newspapers, not filling their prescriptions, or missed appointments?
- Mishandled finances such as not paying bills, losing money, paying bills twice or more, or hiding money?
- Made unusual purchases such as buying more than one magazine subscription of the same magazine, entered an unusual amount of contests, increased usage of purchasing from television advertisements?
If any of these signs are noted, bring them to the attention of your loved one's physician and consider additional care in the home. Visiting Angels of Pikesville provides in-home care assistance such as meal preparation, hygiene assistance, medication reminders, bathing assistance, and so much more.
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MedsMASH Explains The Dominoes of Medication - How To Avoid the Tipping Point
Why do people experience a sudden decline in their health, often around a hospitalization? How can you resolve the problem that led to the hospitalization without delirium or other confusion?
What are the steps to follow in order to prevent sudden confusion in the hospital?
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Mahjongg 101 - Learn about the game's history and how to play
Many still think of Mahjongg as a
game
played by groups of old ladies who share
gossip as they slam their tiles onto the table. It's true that Mahjongg was popular in the 1920s and again in the 1960s when American women threw Mahjongg parties, decorating their homes with paper lanterns, dressing up in Chinese-style clothing and maybe even serving a
Chinese dinner
. But, eventually, Mahjongg fell out of favor.
Mahjongg is commonly played with four players and a set of 144 tiles marked with Chinese characters and symbols for circles, bamboo, wind, flowers, seasons and dragons. Each player starts by receiving 13 tiles. Players then draw and discard tiles until they complete a hand using a 14th drawn tile and then form groups of matching or READ MORE HERE
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