Caring for your aging loved ones is never easy, and no one looks forward to putting them into a nursing home. But there comes a point where the situation – depression, forgetfulness or worse – dictates our decision making.

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It’s important to remember that your situation is not entirely unique and help is abundant and accessible. U.S. News & World Report broke down the initial steps to ensure you’re putting your loved ones in the best possible situation. To start, they recommend you:

Arrange an evaluation
Add your own insights
Look to your community for help
Consider hiring a professional

Get all the information you need and what to do next by reading the full article.

Moving your a senior loved one from their home can be a challenging process. You want to ensure a smooth transition that tends to their health, finances, logistics and, of course, comfort and peace of mind.

These six elderly moving tips from A Place For Mom can make it easier:

Communication: It can be a tough conversation to have, but give them time to grieve the change and talk about where they are moving.

Effective planning: Before sorting and organizing your loved one’s stuff, it will help to have a visual of what they’re getting into.

Help from relatives: Not only will it help the workload, but enlisting your family will provide your senior parents with additional support and encouragement.

Organization: These moves usually involve downsizing, but it’s okay to save the little things that hold memories. It helps to categorize objects as you go through them.

Cleaning: After moving the items out of the house, it’ll need to me cleaned. It’s better to take care of maintenance issues all at once, rather than later when you’re selling the house.

A game plan: A smooth moving plan often requires professional help.

Read the full article here.

Being a caregiver is not an easy task, no matter the needs or level of dependence of the individual receiving care. Putting someone else’s needs before yours isn’t always easy or fun, but coupled with the knowledge that you made someone’s life easier and better, can be incredibly rewarding.

According to The Caregiver Space, here’s what it takes to be a caregiver:

Empathy
Problem solving
Patience
Communication skills
Positivity

Read the full article here.

Have you ever head of the Aid and Attendance and Housebound Improved Pension? If not, you’re not alone. But if you’re a veteran (or caring for one), you should prob read on.

This Department of Veterans Affairs benefit, also known as A&A, can cover the costs of caregivers in the home (including sons and daughters who are paid to be caregivers, though not spouses) or be used for assisted living or a nursing home.

To qualify, a veteran need not have suffered a service-related injury. He or she only had to have clocked at least one day of his or her 90-day minimum military service during a time of war and need caregiving for activities of daily living.

Read the full article here.

Between work and family demands, stress placed upon a person taking care of elderly parents may affect the caregiver’s physical and mental health. In fact, caregiver-related stress increases mortality rate by a shocking 63 percent compared to a peer who may not have these pressures in their life. A caregiver always wants to provide for their elderly relative to the best of their ability, but you have to be at your best self in order to do so.

Caregiver stress may manifest itself in some of the following ways:

Depression
Loss of concentration
Insomnia
Susceptibility to cold and flu

You cannot provide optimal care for someone if you are not well yourself. This stress can be controlled by prioritizing your health, creating a routine and asking for help when you need it.

You should be able to identify any of these 10 signs of caregiver stress within yourself and utilize these strategies to control the symptoms.

Read the full article here.

Emeritus Senior Living, the country’s largest assisted living company, has crafted detailed plans to respond to PBS Frontline and ProPublica’s investigation of the company and the assisted living industry.

Saying the report could lead to... click here to read the entire article.