Managing diabetes as a senior aging in place requires them to be super proactive but this can be hard when they are living alone and struggling with memory problems. Elder care providers can help your loved one manage their diabetes, be proactive, and help them prevent complications from happening as they age at home. Diabetes is not the end of the world but if it is not properly managed a senior can experience terrible health problems and it can lead to loss of limbs and even death in extreme cases. That is why it is so crucial your loved one takes these health conditions seriously.

Here are a few things your loved one can do to manage their diabetes every day with the help of elder care.

Focus on Eating a Balanced Diet

Elder Care Hunterdon NJ – Easy Daily Tips to Manage Diabetes

Everything starts with your diet and this is true for managing diabetes as well. Seniors are more likely to develop diabetes due to age-related changes, such as reduced insulin sensitivity and an increased likelihood of being overweight or physically inactive. One of the best things a senior can do to manage weight, diabetes, and everything else is to eat healthy. This means your loved one should be eating tons of fresh foods, low sugar, high protein options. If they need help cooking diabetic-friendly dishes, this is something that elder care may be able to help them with. Family and friends can encourage seniors to eat better and make wiser choices as they age in place.

Monitor Blood Sugar a Few Times a Day

Your loved one needs to monitor their blood sugar every single day and this will help them focus on what to eat and when to eat. A senior may have a machine that pricks their blood to read their blood sugar or they may have a device that is connected to a tablet or phone app to view their blood sugar. If your loved one needs help remembering when to check their blood sugar, elder care can help with friendly reminders and even get your loved one on a routine that tells them when to check their blood sugar. When a senior is consistent they are more likely to remember to do something and this is a task that is extremely important to do every day.

Remember to Drink Fluids

Drinking plenty of water is essential for managing diabetes because dehydration can raise blood sugar levels. A senior should try at least 6-8 glasses of water daily to support overall health and glucose regulation. This can feel like a lot and not all seniors remember to drink fluids regularly. Elder care can help remind your loved one to drink more water and they can ensure that there is always something to drink and it is easily accessible for a senior. This can be a huge help when seniors need to focus on staying hydrated and managing their diabetes and blood sugar levels.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Elder Care Services in Hunterdon NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today.

Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Most cataracts occur simply because we get older. It’s estimated that more than half of those over 80 will have a cataract at some point. This condition that occurs on the lens of the eye is caused by the proteins that break down the lens of the eye. These cataracts can happen to one eye or both and they can occur on several different areas of the eye lens. Cataracts can appear on the cortex, the nucleus, and/or the thin membrane that covers the lens, creating several cloudy areas on the lens. Having home care providers available to assist seniors when their vision is impaired can be important for their safety.

When do Cataracts Occur

Home Care Essex County NJ – Cataract Risks and Symptoms

For many people, cataracts start in their 40s-60s, but they don’t cause any symptoms so the person doesn’t know it. Even if it’s seen by your loved one’s optometrist or ophthalmologist during a routine eye exam, they will often recommend waiting until any action is taken if the cataract is not currently causing any sight concerns.

What Increases the Risk of Cataracts

While age is the main risk factor for getting cataracts, and the one that you’re loved one can’t do anything about, several other factors may increase their risk of developing a cataract.

• Health conditions like diabetes or high blood sugar
• Exposure to tobacco smoke by either being a smoker or living with one
• Extreme alcohol consumption
• Exposure to chemicals and pesticides
• Using corticoids to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis
• Family history of cataracts

Cataract Symptoms

Regular eye exams will spot cataracts before your loved one has any symptoms but if your loved one doesn’t have regular eye exams, he might experience some of these symptoms.

• Halos and streaks appear around light sources, creating a glare that makes night vision especially difficult.
• Colors that start to look less vivid. The world may look like the color is fading out of it. The deep, rich color of the world is hard to see.
• Bright light like the sun or car head beams at night can hurt the eyes, making your loved one look away with discomfort.
• Vision that is blurry, cloudy, or foggy.
• Near-sightedness that gets worse.

Cataracts are not painful in and of themselves but can cause discomfort when viewing bright lights by making the eyes much more sensitive than normal.

Home Care Can Help

If your loved one currently has cataracts and is waiting for treatment, the most difficult thing he might find that he can’t do anymore is to drive at night. Driving at night gets more difficult as a person gets older for several reasons, but when cataracts are added to those conditions, it can become dangerous for your loved one to drive at night or even at times of the day when the sun is glaring into the window. During winter months, that can mean driving is almost impossible all of the time.

A home care provider can step in and help with transportation until your loved one can drive safely again. A home care provider is a great resource for rides to appointments, events, and everyday errands. They will bring your loved one where he needs to go and home again safely.

If your loved one needs surgery, a home care team can also be a great resource when he is recovering from his surgery as well.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Care Services in Essex County NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today.

Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Maintaining physical activity becomes more crucial for general health and well-being as the years pass by. Getting out of bed and moving about daily can have a big impact on seniors’ emotional, mental, and physical well-being. However, many seniors deal with issues that make moving around challenging. To ensure that they stay active and healthy in the comfort of their own homes, home health care services are essential in supporting and encouraging mobility.

Home Health Care Warren NJ – How Home Health Care Can Help with Mobility for Seniors

The Advantages of Senior Mobility for Their Physical Well-Being

For some seniors, it might be tempting to simply lay in bed all day, especially if they struggle with physical pain. However, getting up consistently and moving throughout the day is much better for their health.

Home health care is there to encourage them to get up and get moving on those days when it might be harder than others. In doing so, seniors can enjoy the following benefits:

Better Circulation: Being physically active regularly lowers the risk of blood clots and enhances cardiovascular health in general by maintaining healthy blood flow.

Flexibility and Muscle Strength: Exercise keeps muscles strong and flexible, both of which are necessary for maintaining balance and avoiding falls.

Bone Health: By strengthening bones, weight-bearing workouts lower the incidence of fractures and osteoporosis.

Digestive Health: Exercising can help avoid constipation and other gastrointestinal problems by promoting digestion.

The Advantages of Senior Mobility for Their Mental Wellness

Just like their physical health, seniors can enjoy enhanced mental health by getting out of bed and doing their best to get around. There’s something about checking the boxes on their to-do list that gives them a sense of pride, and that sense of pride improves their moods.

Mood Enhancement: Engaging in physical exercise releases endorphins, which can elevate mood and lessen signs of anxiety and despair.

Cognitive Function: Research has demonstrated that regular exercise improves cognitive function, which may postpone the onset of dementia and other cognitive deficits.

The Advantages of Senior Mobility for Their Emotional Health

Seniors can also enjoy better emotional health if they create a routine with home health that encourages them to get out of bed and get moving. Plus, putting one foot in front of the other gives them more confidence to continue aging in place.

Sense of Independence: A senior’s self-assurance and sense of independence can increase when they can walk around on their own.

Social Interaction: Engaging in physical activity frequently leads to social interactions, which are important for mental well-being and can lessen feelings of isolation and loneliness.

How Can Home Health Care Help with Mobility?

Home health care includes a variety of services that support general health and mobility, to assist seniors in the comfort of their own homes. For instance, they can create customized exercise routines that enhance flexibility, strength, and balance.

Home health care might also work with loved ones to conduct a home assessment that ensures safety for seniors in the home. This might include suggesting modifications, such as handrails in the bathroom or extra lighting in dark hallways. In turn, these changes increase seniors’ confidence and reduce their risk of falling.

Perhaps the most important positive aspect of having home health care by their side is the support seniors receive regarding their daily living, which includes tasks like dressing, bathing, and getting from bed to a chair.

Ultimately, continued mobility is essential for seniors and home health care offers much-needed encouragement and support to help them with this.

Sources: https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/maintaining-mobility-and-preventing-disability-are-key-living-independently-we-age

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Health Care Services in Warren NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today.

Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, is a serious and progressive lung disease. That means it worsens gradually over time, causing increased symptoms and difficulty with daily life. There is also no cure for COPD. When seniors with COPD reach the later stages of the disease, they tend to face some very difficult challenges. COPD patients experience frequent exacerbations, reduced mobility, increased breathlessness, and other issues. Home health care services offer a lot of support for aging adults with COPD.

Home Health Care Morris Count NJ – How Does Home Health Care Support Seniors with End-stage COPD?

Coordination of Care

Navigating end-stage COPD often means that seniors are dealing with a variety of different healthcare providers, therapists, and other specialists. It can be overwhelming. Home health care can help them to keep all of this straight and coordinate care. They can help to make sure that treatment plans all work together for the best results possible.

Respiratory Therapy

Seniors with COPD often need respiratory therapy to breathe more comfortably and manage other symptoms. Respiratory therapy starts with assessing lung function and then using breathing exercises and other techniques to help COPD patients improve lung capacity and reduce breathing problems.

Medication Management

COPD patients often take a variety of different types of medications, including inhalers or nebulized medications, to control COPD symptoms and other health issues. Home health care providers can help seniors with COPD to take their medications properly and when they should. They can also stay alert for side effects and other issues that make medications less effective.

Oxygen Treatments

Oxygen therapies are another form of treatment that end-stage COPD patients often need. Oxygen therapy helps to maintain optimal oxygen levels in the blood, which is difficult with COPD. Home health care providers can help seniors with oxygen therapy, including setting up oxygen equipment properly, monitoring oxygen saturation levels, and offering other support.

Symptom Management

End-stage COPD can bring with it a variety of symptoms that are upsetting and exhausting. Chronic coughing, wheezing, fatigue, and chest pain are all possible symptoms seniors with end-stage COPD experience. Home care providers can help seniors with COPD to use techniques that help them to manage those symptoms effectively.

Assistance with ADLs

Daily life is more complicated for people with end-stage COPD. Taking care of light household tasks, meal preparation, laundry, and even personal care tasks are all much more demanding of energy and oxygen than people realize. Home care services can help seniors manage these tasks while conserving as much of their energy as they can.

Emotional Support

Life with end-stage COPD can be depressing and emotionally challenging for COPD patients and their family caregivers. Home health care providers understand how COPD affects patients on an emotional level and can offer the emotional support they need. They also offer companionship, which can be difficult for seniors with COPD to keep up with in other ways.

Home health care can address a variety of concerns that seniors with end-stage COPD face. Beyond managing symptoms and healthcare needs, they can also help seniors feel heard while they’re dealing with such a complicated illness.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Health Care Services in Morris County NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today.

Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Respiratory diseases like COPD, emphysema, lung cancer, and asthma affect millions of seniors. When seniors are aging in place they may struggle to manage the symptoms of respiratory disease, especially in the summer when the weather is hot and humid. Seniors who have trouble breathing should have home care providers that can help them with chores, monitor their supplemental oxygen, and do their shopping or errands for them so that seniors don’t need to go out.

High humidity can make it difficult for seniors to breathe if they have a chronic respiratory disease or if they struggle with allergies. All over the country cities and towns are experiencing record heat and humidity levels.

Seniors who are trying to manage a respiratory condition and make it through the humid summer should try these things:

Home Care Berkeley Heights NJ – How Seniors With Respiratory Problems Can Manage During Humid Weather

Stay Indoors During Peak Humidity

Seniors with respiratory disease should void going outdoors during times of the day when humidity levels are highest, typically in the late afternoon or early evening. Instead, schedule outdoor activities during the cooler and less humid parts of the day, such as early morning or late evening.

Use Air Conditioning

Keep the living space cool and comfortable by using air conditioning. Air conditioners can help reduce indoor humidity levels and provide a more breathable environment for seniors with respiratory disease. Seniors that don’t have central air conditioning may want to consider having it installed. But a window air conditioning can help keep a senior’s home cool. Home care can help seniors install window units if necessary.

Use a Dehumidifier

Seniors who have breathing problems should consider using a dehumidifier in the home to reduce excess moisture from the air. A dehumidifier can be particularly beneficial in areas with high humidity levels. The average home should have a humidity level that is 50% or lower to help seniors breathe.

Stay Hydrated

Seniors that have respiratory illnesses must stay well-hydrated, especially in humid weather. Drinking enough water can help thin mucus and make it easier to clear the airways.

Avoid Triggers

Humid weather can worsen respiratory symptoms. Triggers can make it even tougher for seniors to breathe indoors. Seniors should try to avoid exposure to smoke, strong odors, and other irritants that can irritate their lungs or make it tough to breathe.

Practice Controlled Breathing

Engaging in breathing exercises, such as pursed-lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, can help seniors manage their breathlessness in humid weather. These techniques can improve oxygen exchange and reduce the feeling of breathlessness.

Use Portable Oxygen

For seniors who require supplemental oxygen, it’s essential to use their prescribed portable oxygen device as directed by their healthcare provider, especially in humid weather when breathing may be more challenging. Seniors who are finding it tough to breathe this summer because of the humidity should talk to their doctor about getting put on supplemental oxygen.

Keep Medications Handy

Seniors with COPD or other respiratory illnesses should always have their rescue inhaler and other prescribed medications readily available, particularly when going outdoors in humid conditions. Quick access to medications can be crucial in managing sudden breathing difficulties.

Make Indoor Air Quality Improvements

Ensuring good indoor air quality can make a significant difference for seniors with COPD. Use air purifiers with HEPA filters to remove allergens and airborne irritants that may worsen respiratory symptoms.

Sources: https://www.healthinaging.org/a-z-topic/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disorder-copd
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679
https://www.healthline.com/health/copd/age-of-onset

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Care Services in Berkeley Heights NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today.

Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Mental health is just as big of a concern for seniors and their families as physical health. Studies show that seniors have a high risk of social isolation. Being socially isolated and not having friends or family to depend on can cause seniors to develop mental health issues like depression. According to some studies as high as 5% of the senior population could be chronically depressed. And nearly a quarter of seniors are experiencing social isolation at any given time. One of the best things seniors can do to protect their mental health is to get companion care at home services. With statistics like that, it’s easy to see why seniors and their families are starting to make mental health more of a priority.

Aging in place is something that is important to many seniors. But seniors who are aging in place need to take steps like these to safeguard their mental health and prevent loneliness:

Get Companion Care At Home

When seniors have companion care they will spend time with a care provider on a set schedule. That gives seniors the regular social interaction they need to lower their risk of illnesses like depression.

Companion Care at Home Warren NJ – Things Seniors Can Do To Protect Their Mental Health

Spending time with a care provider can include all kinds of activities like:

• Going for walks
• Going out to eat
• Sharing meals at home
• Trying new activities
• Taking a class
• Visiting a museum
• Going to the senior center
• Exploring local attractions
• Talking and sharing feelings
• And much more.

Get Professional Help

Seniors who are struggling with their mental health can benefit from professional mental health care like counseling or talking with a social worker. There are many seniors that are leery of professional mental health. But with some encouragement from friends and family seniors are more likely to be open to the idea of getting professional counseling.

Volunteer

Volunteering can provide seniors with a sense of purpose as well as the vital social connection they need. When seniors volunteer they can make friends, build a social support network, and feel good about themselves again. There are lots of national and local charities and groups that rely on volunteers. Volunteer Match can match seniors with local groups looking for volunteers.

Stay Connected To Family And Friends

Staying connected to family and friends can be difficult for seniors. When their adult children live far away seniors often won’t reach out too often because they don’t want to bother their children. And if friends have moved away seniors may not know how to get in touch with them now. Social media can be a lifeline for seniors who want to keep their social connections strong. By using social media seniors can check in often with family members who live far away. And they can search for friends from the past.

It’s also important to note that seniors who have recently lost a spouse or partner that they were with for many years may socially isolate themselves in their grief. If you have a senior loved one dealing with a recent loss reach out and check on them often.

Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html
https://ncoa.org/article/navigating-social-isolation-and-loneliness-as-an-older-adult
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2752489/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/loneliness-and-social-isolation-tips-staying-connected
https://www.cdc.gov/aging/depression/index.html

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Companion Care at Home Services in Warren NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today.

Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Your mom was in the hospital and learned she’s experiencing malnutrition. Her medical team wants to get her to make the right food choices to avoid rehospitalization and improve her health. They recommend post-hospital care services.

Post-Hospital Care Scotch Plains NJ-Learn More About the Benefits of Post-Hospital Care for Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a problem in adults, especially older adults where it can lead to disability, hospitalization, and medical problems. One in ten older adults does not eat enough, which is known as undernutrition. When a person eats too much, it’s another type of malnutrition. People may eat too much of certain items and get more nutrients than is necessary or even safe. Over-nutrition is tied to health issues arthritis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Around 33% of older adults experience this type of malnutrition.

What should your family expect?

She May Have a Feeding Tube

If your mom was malnourished and underweight, her doctors may have her use a feeding tube to ensure she’s getting enough calories and nutrients. A home health care nurse can help with the feedings she needs at home. Nurses can also check and clean feeding tubes to ensure there are no clogs or other problems.

Nurses Can Administer IV Medications and Infusions at Your Mom’s Home

Depending on your mom’s situation, she might be on antibiotics to beat an infection caused by a weakened immune system. If her blood tests found her potassium, sodium, iron, or other minerals were low, she may be on IV fluids or getting iron infusions to correct them.

When your mom is on the right path, she may no longer need these infusions and medications. Her nurse can remove the IV line and work with her doctor to adjust medications and nutritional supplements without your mom needing to return to the hospital.

Post-Hospital Are Aides Can Teach Her How to Make Appropriate Meals

If your mom has diabetes, her doctors may recommend having a dietitian come to your mom’s house to teach her what she should and shouldn’t eat. She may need to learn how to portion her meals properly and how to make nutritionally-balanced meals.

Make sure you’re part of those sessions. If you’re going to be cooking for your mom, you and post-hospital care providers need to be available to learn the same things your mom is learning.

She Needs to Follow Her Doctor’s Orders

After she’s released from the hospital, your mom needs to do what her doctor recommends going forward. If she needs to take vitamin supplements, make sure she does. If she is supposed to exercise more, get her up and active.

It may help to have her work with a physical therapist if her post-hospital care plan is to gain strength and lose weight through exercise. A physical therapist helps her build muscle, balance, and stamina.

Always start with a conversation with your mom’s medical team. Find out what she needs to do and ask how post-hospital care can help her meet those goals.

Sources: https://www.healthinaging.org/a-z-topic/nutrition/basic-facts#

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Post-Hospital Care Services in Scotch Plains NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Seniors often have chronic illnesses because as people age, their bodies are more prone to developing illnesses due to weakened immune systems and other age-related issues. A chronic illness can vary; it might be cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. All of these can impact a senior’s mental health, and it’s crucial to make it a focus as your loved one ages. But not all seniors know how to focus on mental health. If your loved one has a home care provider, they could work on this together.

Here are some ways your loved one can focus on mental health while battling a chronic illness.

Add Activities To Your Loved One’s Calendar

Home Care Bernardsville NJ – Focusing On Mental Health While Battling Chronic Illnesses

One of the best things about having a home care provider is they can help your senior loved one manage their calendars and daily routines. A senior should fit in feel-good activities in their daily or weekly schedule. This might be something they enjoy, like water aerobics, painting classes, or even music lessons. This will help your loved one improve their mental health and even ease other symptoms of chronic illnesses.

Take Small Steps

Small steps make a big difference when it comes to mental health, but big steps can seem intimidating. Instead of trying to set a huge goal, focus on breaking it up. Start small. A senior can start doing a hobby one day a week or establish a routine with a 5-minute meditation time each morning. When they have a good handle on adding the small steps to their routine, they may want to add more!

Rely On Others Such as Home Care Aides

When a senior is battling a chronic condition and aging in place alone, it can be nearly impossible to focus on mental health and self-care. This is because they may not want to feel like a burden or know who to ask for help. When a senior can rely on their loved ones, network, or people like home care, it can make their daily lives easier, allowing them to focus on their mental health more. For example, if a senior knows they can rely on home care for transportation, they won’t need to limit the number of feel-good hobbies they do, and when they can rely on family to help around the house to do chores, it can be a huge relief for them. Ensure your loved one knows they can ask for help and be there for them!

Focus on Self-Compassion

Self-compassion can help seniors to cultivate a positive attitude and outlook, allowing them to enjoy life more fully. When a senior lacks this compassion, it can be easier to beat themselves up over the things they may not be able to control. This is especially true if they are struggling with a chronic illness. One of the best ways to do this is to start to practice gratitude each day. This is something simple that can be added into a routine but make a huge difference in a senior’s mental health. It allows them to take the time to be grateful for what their bodies can do, what their minds can do, and be grateful for the people who help them the most.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Care Services in Bernardsville NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

It’s estimated that as many as 3 million Americans experience pressure sores each year. Often, they occur in people who are bedridden for one reason or another or are confined to a wheelchair. Your dad’s stroke resulted in the need for a wheelchair, and you’ve found he has pressure sores. It’s time to arrange home health care services to help get them taken care of and learn why they happen and how to keep them from happening again.

What Is a Pressure Sore?

Home Health Care Somerset County NJ – Keep Pressure Sores From Worsening With Home Health Care

A pressure sore, commonly referred to as a bedsore, occurs when pressure pushes against the skin cells and fatty tissue continuously and reduces blood flow to that area. The tissue isn’t getting enough oxygen and dies.

Often, pressure sores are prevalent in areas where they’re compressed against a mattress, wheelchair, or chair for long periods, such as heels, buttocks, or hips. The key to preventing pressure sores is by shifting position regularly. But, if your dad is in a wheelchair throughout the day, shifting around isn’t easy to manage. He needs help doing this.

Pressure sores can become infected. Infections need to be carefully treated until they’re fully healed. Even after they heal, the skin has already been damaged and scar tissue is delicate and may reopen easily. Prevention of pressure sores is optimal.

Tips for Avoiding Pressure Sores

If your dad is in his wheelchair from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed, he needs to be shifted regularly. Consider moving him from a wheelchair to an armchair and back every few hours. Invest in a wheelchair cushion that’s designed to prevent pressure sores.

If he’s in bed all day, turn him from his back to his right or left side every couple of hours. A mattress topper with a gel/memory foam mixture that has some give can help ease some of the pressure on his pressure points.

When you or a paid caregiver bathes your dad, apply a skin moisturizer that helps soothe the skin. If any irritated areas are visible, take care of them immediately with barrier creams. If they are open or showing signs of infection, medical care is needed. Home health care providers should be called for wound care services.

Prevent Infection Through Proper Wound Care

Home health care nurses are experts in wound care. When your dad has pressure sores, they must be carefully cleaned and bandaged to lower the risk of infection. He also needs to have his position adjusted more often to ensure they don’t keep happening.

Talk to our home health care agency about wound care. Get your dad’s pressure sores carefully tended to and healed up. Then, learn how to prevent them from happening again.

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557868/

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Health Care Services in Somerset County NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Just about everyone has a mole, or two, or ten. Moles usually develop when we are young and occur when pigment cells in the skin grow in clusters. They usually fade around the age of 40, but a new mole after the age of 60 might be something you should be concerned about if you or your loved one’s personal care at home provider have noticed a new mole on your elderly loved one.

Personal Care at Home New Providence NJ – When to be Concerned about a Mole

Common moles are flat or raised patches of discolored skin, usually darker than the person’s original skin color. They can be smooth or rough, have hair growing out of them or not, but are usually symmetrical and one color. They can appear anywhere on the bottom but generally disappear over the years.

Atypical moles are the moles that you might be concerned about if your loved one has had one recently develop. They can develop slowly over the years or seem to appear overnight. Since they also can appear anywhere on the body, it’s important to have someone like a personal care at home provider do occasional back and shoulder checks for moles, especially if your family has a history of skin cancer.

Some signs that a mole may be melanoma are:

It’s multi-colored. A mole that suddenly changes colors or has a mottled look because of multiple color variations is not a common mole.

It’s not symmetrical. Common moles are round or oval, with smoother edges. An atypical mole has uneven edges and really isn’t even a shape – it’s more of a blob or a patch.

It’s larger than normal. Moles can vary in size from small to medium, but a very large mole may need to be examined, especially if it is new or if it has recently grown into that size.

It’s itchy or scabby. Most moles don’t bother us at all. They’re simply a part of our skin. An atypical mole may be itchy or scaly. It might bleed when scratched or develop a scab that won’t heal.

It’s painful. If the mole is painful to the touch, it could be atypical.

There are indicators that might cause your loved one to be more likely to develop melanoma and an atypical mole. If your loved one has any of these, mole checks should occur regularly and anything new that pops up should be examined as quickly as possible for a diagnosis.

Mole risk factors include:

• Lifelong exposure to lots of sun, especially unprotected.
• Having red or blond hair and/or a fair complexion.
• Having lots of moles or freckles since birth.
• Has had multiple severe sunburns that blistered and peeled.
• Has had skin cancer or a family history of skin cancer.

Your loved one’s doctor will do a mole check during his yearly exams but if you, your loved one, or a senior home care provider notice any new changes to his moles in between visits, you should have him go in as soon as possible for review.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Personal Care at Home Services in New Providence NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.