Silver Aged Care

Balance Exercises

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

How can we improve our balance while we ar at home? Take a look at these simple balance exercises

Dementia Awareness Month

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Dementia Awareness Month runs from 1 September to 30 September every year

The purpose of Dementia Awareness Month is to encourage people to become dementia-aware, have a better understanding of what it is like for a person to live with dementia, and ultimately be encouraged to create communities where people with dementia are to live a high quality of life with meaning, purpose and value

What is dementia?

Dementia describes a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain. It is not one specific disease. Dementia affects thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Brain function is affected enough to interfere with the person’s normal social or working life.

Who gets dementia?

Most people with dementia are older, but it is important to remember that not all older people get dementia. It is not a normal part of ageing. Dementia can happen to anybody, but it is more common after the age of 65 years. People in their 40s and 50s can also have dementia.

What causes dementia?

There are many different forms of dementia and each has its own causes. The most common types of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Fronto Temporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), Huntington’s disease, Alcohol related dementia (Korsakoff’s syndrome) and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common dementia, accounting for 50-70% of all dementias, so understanding the disease is important.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, which over time will worsen and eventually cause death.

In the early stages, a person with Alzheimer’s will show mild forgetfulness and problems with planning and organising.

As the disease progresses, the person’s condition will deteriorate and they will need assistance to perform most daily tasks.

Eventually they will be immobile and confined to bed.

The brain sends and receives messages via billions of brain cells called neurotransmitters, and these chemicals help the neurons to communicate their messages to each other.

Neurons have different tasks depending on their position within the brain.

In Alzheimer’s disease, this process of neuron communication is interrupted. The interruption is caused by plaques and tangles in the brain, so communication between the neurons is increasingly impaired, resulting in damage to the brain

Is it dementia?

There are a number of conditions that produce symptoms similar to dementia. These include some vitamin and hormone deficiencies, depression, medication clashes or over-medication, infections and brain tumours. It is essential that a medical diagnosis is obtained at an early stage when symptoms first appear, to ensure that a person who has a treatable condition is diagnosed and treated correctly. If the symptoms are caused by dementia, an early diagnosis will mean early access to support, information, and medication should it be available.

Can dementia be inherited?

This will depend on the cause of the dementia, so it is important to have a firm medical diagnosis. If you are concerned about the risk of inheriting dementia, consult your doctor to speak to a counsellor. Most cases of dementia are not inherited.

What are the early signs of dementia?

The early signs of dementia are very subtle and vague and may not be immediately obvious. Some common symptoms may include:

Progressive and frequent memory loss
Confusion
Personality change
Apathy and withdrawal
Loss of ability to perform everyday tasks

What can be done to help?

At present there is no prevention or cure for most forms of dementia. However, some medications have been found to reduce some symptoms. Support is vital for people with dementia. The help of families, friends and carers can make a positive difference to managing the condition.

China's ageing trends

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Data from the World Bank shows the ageing trends of China compared to other countries. What can we learn about how China will age?

Case Study - Appropriate levels of support

Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Margaret’s mother Gloria was 74 years old and lived alone in her own home. She was suffering from both knee pain and arthritis on hands, becoming more fragile in general, and became more dependent on others to care for her daily needs. Being the only child, Margaret was spending more and more time and energy going over to her mother’s house to care for her. Margaret herself as working mum and raising two little kids, felt that this was becoming too stressful and burdensome despite how much she cared and wanted to help mum.

One day, she realised that she needed more help and without knowing what other options were available, conceded that her mother might need to go to a nursing home. The next day, she called a local nursing home to make an appointment for potential accommodation for mum.

A placement manager who was in charge of the entry admission process and waiting list at that nursing home had an interview with them. It is the first time that Gloria and Margaret were looking for aged care services thus they seemed very anxious and nervous when arrived. They attended a tour program provided by that particular nursing home. It was a good opportunity for them to observe the services offered including personal care, activities, and environment before they made a decision. Gloria mentioned that she particularly liked hairdresser visits twice a month and the open gardens that her great-grandchildren could play in when they visited. However the nursing home was costly.

Thankfully, they also learned about other services which might be able to help them evaluate what is appropriate for them such as ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team). ACAT can perform an assessment of individual needs and recommend eligible services – home care, community services or assisted living, etc. After explanation, they were happy to leave mum’s name on the waiting list of the nursing home and went back to seek ACAT review.

When they returned home, Margaret arranged for the home care provider to come visit them. The home care provider assessed her income and needs and recommended a home care package with senior caregiver visiting three times a week. Later they called back to inform the manager at nursing home to take Gloria’s name off from the waiting list as they preferred the home care option.

A senior caregiver assisted for her needs of personal hygiene, cooking and access to social activities. In addition to the ongoing senior caregiver services, they also had some one time home modification services done. They installed grab bars in her bathroom and hand rails at the steps near main entry which helped her unsteady gait, preventing the risk of falling at home and most importantly maintain her independence.

Margaret and Gloria were very happy to receive the right service support for their specific needs. If you, like Margaret, are looking for support in making decisions related to caring for parents and are asking questions such as:

How can I continue to care for my parents at home?
When is the right time for my parents to go to a nursing home?
What other support is available to help my parents?

Please contact us. We can help you make make decisions to best care for your parents and family.

Falls Prevention

Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0000

How do we best care for seniors living at home? One things to consider is preventing falls. Watch the short video below for more information.

About Us

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Company Summary

Silver Aged Care aims to promote high quality, holistic senior care services in China. We can support families, communities, and the senior care industry through senior caregiver training and development, senior care consulting, senior care startup assistance, networking with international senior care services, and senior care related research services.

Company Background

Ningxia Silver Aged Care was registered in October 2016 as a wholly owned foreign enterprise.

Grace Heo - Gerontologist

Even before receiving her master’s in gerontology in 1997 at the University of Sydney, Australia, Grace (Yang) Heo had been working in the area of senior care in Sydney, Australia. In 1996, Grace was invited and recognized by the South Korean president as one of the prominent South Koreans living abroad who have made outstanding contributions to the world. She has also been a keynote speaker at Korean conferences and also annually gives lectures on senior care in universities in South Korea. She has also started her own aged care consulting company in Australia in 2008.

In her 25+ years of experience, she has held a wide variety of positions in geriatric care from nursing to directing senior care facilities. Her creativity, extensive experience, and knowledge have enabled her to adapt current senior care systems for improved care. In 2014, she came as a foreign expert to Yinchuan not only to oversee the distinct design, construction, and management of the Helan #2 nursing home but also to significantly contribute to increase the quality of senior care in Yinchuan. Her excellence and passion to enhance senior care systems has served her well to be an excellent senior care consultant.

Contact Us

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Home Senior Care Consulting Services

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Currently we are providing home senior care consulting services. Our foreign senior care expert can provide assistance in helping families and communities to figure out how to help seniors age well in their own homes. This may include changes to the home environment, changes in daily activities, training in best senior care practices, or the use of specialized senior care products. Let our experience and knowledge of the latest global senior care research help you make the best decisions for your family and community.