Caregiver’s Guide to Senior Health

Caregiver’s Guide to Senior Health

Abby McCoy, RN, BSN

Updated

Reviewed by NursingEducation Staff

As they age, older adults often need more help with daily tasks. Some may just need help with a grocery run now and then, while others may need assistance bathing, eating, and getting around the house. When seniors begin to lose their ability to care for themselves, the importance of caregiving in senior health cannot be overstated.

One out of every five Americans are caregivers. With the baby boomer generation entering older adulthood, many more people will become caregivers for their older adult loved ones in the coming years. Serving as a caregiver can offer many rewards, but also comes with a litany of challenges.

Whether you have just started your caregiving journey, or you have been on this path for years, it can be tricky to understand your role as a senior caregiver. You work hard to care for your loved one and it’s easy to blow past your personal boundaries and get burned out. Your health is important, too, and we want to give you all the tools you need to keep you both thriving.

Essential Medical Knowledge for Senior Caregivers

Aging isn’t a thin, stark line that you cross on a certain birthday; it’s a continuum of perpetual change from the moment you enter the world to the moment you leave it. Generally, though, after the age of 60, our bodies are starting to show a little more wear and tear. Let’s take a look at the most common health conditions in seniors, how to manage their medications, and how to respond in an emergency situation.

Common Health Conditions in Seniors

Health conditions of all types can crop up anytime in anyone but certain medical issues are more common in seniors, according to the National Council on Aging:

You can help the seniors in your life manage these conditions and their symptoms with medication, lifestyle changes, and other treatments prescribed by their healthcare providers.

Managing Medications for Seniors

Seniors are often asked to take handfuls of medications each day. Many medications require multiple doses per day, and all at different times. Some should be taken first thing in the morning before breakfast, others three times per day, and still others only on certain days of the week.

Other medications are labeled “take as needed” and can be sprinkled throughout the day as symptoms arise. All these medications and their varied instructions can be confusing for even the sharpest senior, and one big way you can help is to assist in organizing their various pills.

“Keep an updated list of medications and any potential side effects to discuss with your healthcare team. Use a pill box for medications to have clear information about what medications have been taken,” says Dr. Liudmila Schafer, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

You can help your loved one fill their pill box or you can complete that task for them. Medication alarms and verbal reminders can help a senior get the medication they need when they need it. Timing and correct dosage of medications is very important to ensure these medications work correctly.

Pro Tip: Many pharmacies now offer daily pill packets – packets of medications labeled with the time of day they should be taken. You can ask your senior’s pharmacy if they offer this option.

Recognizing and Responding to Emergencies

As a senior caregiver, you must be able to recognize life-threatening medical emergencies. Some of the most common and serious health emergencies in seniors include stroke, heart attack, breathing problems, and uncontrolled bleeding.

Symptoms to watch for include:

This list is not exhaustive – trust your gut. If your loved one doesn’t look right, call a healthcare provider. If you notice any of the above symptoms in a senior, take them to the emergency room right away or call 911. Stay calm, wait by their side, and help will be there soon.

Promoting Physical Health in Seniors

Most days, your older loved one can implement strategies to prevent emergent medical situations and stay healthy. Keeping up with good health habits can help stave off worsening or impending health conditions.

Encouraging Regular Exercise

The need for regular exercise never goes away. Even older adults can benefit from getting that heart pumping and lifting some weights. Exercise can delay disease, improve symptoms, and lessen aches and pains. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends older adults (over 65):

Low-impact exercises promote physical health, says Schafer. “These exercises are easy on the joints and can help improve strength, flexibility, and balance—activities such as brisk walking, swimming, or yoga.”

Older adults don’t need to bench press 100 lbs – they can carry light weights while they walk or watch TV. “Even 5 minutes of exercise or sitting in a chair and [doing] arm and leg exercise still improves health,” Schafer says. Every little bit helps.

Pro Tip: Soup cans weigh a little less than a pound and offer lighter weight-lifting options for seniors just getting started. Plus, many older adults already have cans of soup or beans in the pantry.

Navigating Dietary Needs for Seniors

Older adults have different dietary needs and restrictions depending on their overall health and diagnosed medical conditions. For example, those with heart disease or heart failure will likely be encouraged to follow a low-salt diet (less than 1,500mg per day) for heart health. You can shop with (or for) your older adult loved one to help them find products with 5% or less of their daily salt goal.

Pro Tip: Take the salt shaker off the table and out of the kitchen and replace it with other seasoning options like Mrs. Dash.

In another example, older adults with diabetes have to limit their carbohydrates and sugars to help keep their blood sugar as stable as possible. The American Diabetes Association has some helpful tips for shopping, cooking, and calculating how much you can eat without disrupting your blood sugar levels too much.

It’s not all about restrictions, though – seniors need good nutrition for energy, healing, and overall wellness. A healthy diet with a balance of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water plays an important role in keeping seniors at their best.

Ensuring Regular Health Checkups

Senior health can get complex – fast – and your loved one’s healthcare providers are a key resource in managing their health. Encourage the senior you care for to see their primary healthcare provider on a regular basis (at least annually) and help them follow all recommendations, including visiting specialists.

These visits, though time-consuming, can offer valuable insights and catch health problems early when they are easier to treat. They can also provide some educational backup to things you’ve been explaining for months or years. Doctor appointments can be a whirlwind for anyone, and most people forget one or ten things said in an exam room. When you attend these visits with a senior, you can help keep track of all the details.

Maintaining Mental Health in Seniors

Older adults often enter their senior years with preexisting mental health challenges. In addition, new living situations, physical impairments, and new medical diagnoses can add to their mental health burden.

Understanding Mental Health Challenges in Seniors

Seniors can have any number of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, grief, bereavement, or even substance abuse, says Schafer. “Sleep problems like insomnia become more common. Also, feelings of loneliness can affect older adults more.”

While the stigma that comes with mental health diagnoses is gradually lessening, many older adults grew up in a time where words like “depression” and “anxiety” were put on par with insanity and had a lot of shame and ridicule attached to them. As a result, seniors may be hesitant to admit any mental health difficulties.

Tips for Promoting Mental Wellness

You can promote mental wellness for the seniors in your life by encouraging open talk about how they are feeling. If they don’t feel comfortable sharing with you, you can offer to set up an appointment with a counselor.

Many mental health professionals now offer telehealth options, so patients can receive counseling without having to arrange transportation. Schafer also suggests seniors find a mental health accountability partner to check in on one another’s emotional well-being on a regular basis.

Even if an older adult doesn’t want to speak with anyone about their mental health, they can incorporate these tips to promote overall mental wellness:

Coping with Seniors’ Behavioral Changes

Sometimes an older adult’s medical diagnoses can result in behavioral changes. For example, with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, typically kind, soft-spoken older adults can become short-tempered, irritable, and even aggressive.

When you’re facing a situation like this, it can feel frightening and isolating but try to remember it’s not them talking. The person you care for is still in there, and when they lash out, it is their illness causing them to behave that way. Here are some tips for speaking with someone who is displaying upsetting behavior:

You’ll continually get used to what works for your loved one, which may change on a regular basis. It can be tough to stay calm and fend off frustration, but we’ll give you some tips for how to cope as a caregiver below.

Pro Tip: If you start to get overwhelmed when dealing with upsetting behaviors, take a 2-minute break in another room.

Facilitating Social Health in Seniors

Social connection can improve your health in many ways. Though everyone may thrive on different levels of social interaction, research has shown at least some time spent with others provides a health boost for seniors.

The Importance of Social Interaction for Seniors

Social interaction with others has many physical and mental health benefits, according to the CDC. For adults of all ages, it can:

Social isolation doesn’t just lead to loneliness. “[It can] contribute to cognitive decline and a higher risk of developing mental health disorders and worsening physical stamina,” Schafer says.

One large study review published in 2020 in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that social isolation in seniors is correlated with:

Fostering Successful Social Interactions for Seniors

Helping seniors become more social works best when you set them up for success. For example, a video call offers a simple, cost-effective social opportunity, but not if the senior doesn’t feel comfortable using a tablet.

If you sign up a senior for a puzzle club every Tuesday night, but they have no transportation, the idea and benefits will fizzle. If you want to help your loved one have more successful social interactions, help them remove barriers like unfamiliar technology and transportation restrictions. Seniors may not always ask for help when they need it. The more hurdles you can knock down, the higher their chance of social success.

Pro Tip: Offer to drive your loved one to a restaurant to meet friends or stay close by to help troubleshoot while they FaceTime a grandchild. 

Engaging Seniors in Social Activities

No matter what an older adult is into, there is likely a group nearby who enjoys the same thing. Schafer recommends staying connected with family and friends and finding opportunities for social interaction by:

More active social affairs (within reason) can also improve senior mobility and lower the risk of falls, Schafer says.

Caregiver’s Guide to Managing Senior Living Environment

As humans age, they lose muscle mass. The transition from a fully independent middle-aged adult to an increasingly frail older adult is often a long one. You can help your older loved one stay independent longer with the following tips and techniques.

Adapting the Living Environment for Senior Safety

“Falls can be a significant concern for older adults,” cautions Schafer. “Remove tripping hazards from your home, use handrails and grab bars, and consider balance exercises to reduce the risk of falls.”

Tripping hazards can be anything from loose items on the floor to a favorite rug. Try to ensure the transitions from room to room are clear of anything that could cause a stumble. You can find most home modifications like grab bars at your local hardware store.

Pro Tip: The Better Business Bureau can help you find a handyman if you need assistance installing equipment. 

Using Assistive Devices and Technology

Seniors can maintain independence much longer these days with technological advances. Tried-and-true assistive devices can be found at your local pharmacy or general store. These include:

These options work well, but here are some newer helpful gadgets for seniors:

These are only the tip of the iceberg: more products are available for different medical needs. Older adults can speak to their healthcare provider about options tailored to them.

Organizing Transportation for Seniors

Access to healthcare is a basic human right, but so many seniors can’t see their provider because of transportation issues. If you are not able to attend every visit with them, many medicare advantage plans offer free transportation to appointments. You can call the customer service number for your senior’s plan to ask about free rides. If not, you can call a good ol’ taxi cab or try a ride share like Uber or Lyft.

Pro Tip: If possible, try to group appointments together. That way, if you’re taking them, you only have to take one day off of work rather than several afternoons. 

Caregiver Self-Care and Stress Management

The role of a caregiver can be both physically and emotionally taxing. If, as a caregiver, you make self-care a priority, you can avoid burnout and give your older adult loved one the care they need.

Identifying Caregiver Burnout

How do you know when you’re starting to get burned out? According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, caregiver burnout can cause these symptoms:

If left unchecked, these symptoms can even lead to abuse or neglect of the person in your care. But don’t despair – we have some strategies you can use to prevent and banish burnout.

Strategies for Effective Stress Management

If you make self-care a regular part of your routine, you can help stave off the stress that can come with a caregiving role. Schafer recommends these techniques to avoid burnout:

Pro Tip: Noise-canceling headphones can help shut out upsetting verbal behaviors and offer a few moments of peace. Turn on ocean waves or calming music to soothe yourself.

Seeking Support: When to Engage Professional Services

Sometimes self-care doesn’t cut it, and burnout and overwhelm creep in. You never need to feel guilty about this – your health matters, too! You can connect with local social workers or organizations built around caregiver support, suggests Schafer. Many of these are listed at the bottom of this article.

You can also meet with a counselor on a regular basis to provide emotional support, validate your feelings, encourage boundary-setting, and brainstorm coping techniques specific to you. If you don’t know where to go for help, your primary healthcare provider or even an urgent care provider can get you started.

Legal and Financial Aspects of Senior Care

Seniors’ financial and legal needs and issues can be complex, and it’s important to understand how to navigate these waters. All older adults have legal and financial rights, and below we’ll give you the basics and point you to additional resources.

Understanding Legal Rights and Responsibilities of Seniors

Seniors can be easy prey for financial exploitation, and you can help them stay safe by checking in with them about their money, helping them with financial decisions, and even obtaining a financial power of attorney (POA).

American adults over the age of 65 are entitled to Social Security income and medical benefits through Medicare. If an older adult needs legal assistance, they can find it through one of these organizations:

If you suspect your older adult loved one is experiencing financial, emotional, or physical abuse, you can contact the National Center on Elder Abuse or the National Domestic Violence Hotline to report it.

Managing the Financial Aspects of Senior Care

As your loved one ages, they may need assistance in managing their finances. It’s important to have this conversation early, before any cognitive decline begins. With their permission, you can become a power-of-attorney to assist in paying their bills and managing their finances. A financial planner can help you and your loved one understand their financial standing and what the future looks like with their current income and savings.

Pro Tip: If an older adult needs financial assistance, they can turn to the National Council on Aging for benefits they may not know about, like food, housing, utilities, and transportation.

Additional Resources For Caregivers

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