A question is how you can play electric guitar for beginners. Many people see that studying to play ibanez instruments can be a very rewarding achievement. Furthermore, when you’re learning to play you can have lots of fun within the process.

Nonetheless, if you really need to accelerate your learning time there are some fundamental things you should ponder about. When inexperienced persons are attempting to learn how to play an electrical guitar, their foremost priority must be buying a great electric guitar.

You must figure out how much you need to spend towards your instrument. Additionally, you will want to include all of the accessories that come with this instrument such as the straps and pedals.

More importantly you have to think about what type of amps you are going to use. You should use solid amps or tube amps, which will certainly influence the tone of your electric guitar.

It is a good idea to check out every part to find the correct instrument for you. Moreover, if money is a problem then getting a used electrical guitar will do exactly fine. Finding the correct instrument for you is one of the most essential aspects of your studying curve.

After getting the suitable guitar it’s time to leap into the training. You can do considered one of two issues in the case of lessons. You may both try to teach your self using various sources accessible comparable to on-line courses or books, or you possibly can go for professional guitar lessons.

Rookies learning tips on how to play electrical guitar must concentrate on studying scales and chords. The easiest way to learn and master that is by means of constant observe so your fingers will turn into more adapt.

Furthermore, to hurry up your learning curve you should take heed to as much music as you can and analyze the music as you are hearing. By listening and analyzing music you will get a greater awareness about tones and chords.

Finally, if you’re occupied with the way to play electric guitar for novices you must look into on-line courses. By utilizing online programs you’ll spend time at home learning on a daily basis.

With a web-based course it’s also possible to record your lessons and play them again to see the way you’re progressing. High-quality online programs offers you step by step instruction to speed up your learning curve and provide you with tools.

Even though acoustic and classical guitars are excellent, there’s just something about flawlessly playing on an electric that simply shouts cool. It happens to be no shock that so many teen boys desire to learn to play ibanez instruments, look at how easily the rock stars acquire the girls!
Keep in mind, the greatest manner to be trained to play guitar is to ask any and all questions that you are not able to get clarified. You might bump into a great deal of guitarists in your journey and when something seems notable, ask them to show you how they do it. On no account stop learning and practicing, and in no time you might be wowing the crowds similar to a rock legend!

As a parent your first responsibility is to support and promote the emotional , intellectual and physical well being of your child. Unfortunately most parents don’t really know what to do. Parenting classes are not widely taught. So the first thing that is needed is educated parents. Without educating yourself you will have a hard time helping your child develop into a normal emotionally healthy member of society.

Parenting has taken some hits in recent years because we seemed to have gotten away from the basics. In most cases parents are not completely at fault. Times have really changed and our family dynamics have changed with it. Today parenting management guides are readily available that deal with today’s new challenges.

Our goal here is to give you the parent or caregiver some very basic healthy emotional habits to allow you to raise a happy child. Below are six basic healthy habits you should try and implement into your everyday life. Make notes on each one how you can implement these healthy habits into your daily routine.

Emotional Security

You should help protect your child’s psyche by providing a safe loving environment. Provide an environment with a sense of being loved, needed, and welcomed. Throw in a little encouragement on a regular bases.

Emotional Development

Show by example compassion and empathy for the sick, weaker and older. If you still have grandparents available, include them in your children’s activity when ever possible.

Physical Security

Physical security is exactly what it means, the safety of a child’s body and life. In addition, it is providing food, shelter, clothes etc. Show your child you care about their security by warning them of dangers in their world and the bigger world.

Physical Development

Children develop physical habits from, their parents, their mentors and other children. Provide the opportunity for appropriate conditions for physical exercise. Children need physical activity to develop normally.

Intellectual Security

It is important your child’s mind can develop without prejudices. Develop a habit of listening openly to your child’s ideas. Guide their thoughts with respect and dignity. Don’t be afraid to correct with facts or principles

Intellectual Development

Supply a safe and secure environment for learning. This will include all the mistakes the learning process requires. Discuss the learning mistakes your child makes openly and fairly, always encouraging them to keep learning.

A child’s work is called Play. A child’s play will include all three areas of development, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Parenting healthy habits allows your child to participate in all three areas equally.

If you can get into these healthy habits with your child you will soon have a happy child, that develops naturally and normally. You need to educate yourself and have a great parenting management guide or reference book handy. Remember, these healthy habits will be an ongoing and implemented throughout your child’s life.

Defiant Oppositional Disorder staff understands the difficulty you may be going through. If you want to help yourself and your child now. Learn More Healthy Habits Happy Child and visit Defiant Oppositional Disorder Help

In the toddler years (around the age of two, the child is becoming more and more his own person. He is expressing anger and frustration when his needs are not met, much as he did as an infant, with a hungry tummy or a wet diaper. The difference is that he is maturing and is able to react to what he does not want. This is very normal behavior. The question arises as to whether he is reacting to a real discomfort or something soothing that he does not need or is not good for the child.

As the child becomes more independent, he learns what he wants and when he wants it. This does not mean the child knows what is best for him at any given time. There are a number of methods parents have learned that are tried and true methods to resolve the tantrum in the toddler tantrum age.

The frustrations which ignite a tantrum are often unfulfilled “wants” of the moment; He must do this or he can’t do that, or have that. When the authoritative parent or teacher says “no”, the tantrum develops.

It can help early on in the young childhood years to eliminate the tantrum by distracting the child from his distress; try offering to hold his hand and go read a book, to pick out a pretty red shirt, or to eat a bite of fruit. Many times, this interesting (but positive) distraction will quell the tantrum.

Tantrums can also be prevented by proper rest and feeding. We all know the cranky feeling we ourselves can get when we try to keep going and going. If nap or lunch time for your little one is imminent, delay that trip to the supermarket. Have meals on a regular basis followed by a rest time, nap, or time out. Delay longer outings for when the child is well fed and rested. Your child will be more cooperative and take more interest in his surroundings and of course, be less irritable and less subject to tantrums.

Should the temper tantrum be unavoidable and occur, ignoring the behavior may be your best solution. Do not give in to the child’s whims and thus reinforce the intolerable behavior. If possible, isolate the child as soon as possible but keep a close eye on him. He will wear himself out and soon tire of the behavior. He is not able to reason with at this early age but he is old enough to not reinforce negative behavior. In your child’s best interest, train him early that unreasonable behavior will not result in rewards.

To sum up the temper tantrum; try to avoid the tantrum by having your child fed well on a regular schedule and followed by a rest period. Do not tire the child. When the temper tantrum does present itself, allow the emotions to cry themselves out but not by giving in to the child’s desire.

With patience and keeping a regular schedule, these “terrible two’s” tantrums can become a positive learning experience for both parent and child.

Should one feel that one’s own parenting procedures are not producing results consult with your physician for reassurance about the child’s behavior. Reading a professional’s advice on handling temper tantrums in toddlers will give you ideas and methods for handling the tantrum and living through this period in your youngster’s life.

Defiant Oppositional Disorder staff understands the difficulty you may be going through. If you want to help yourself and your child now. Learn More Tantrums ? Toddlers and visit Defiant Oppositional Disorder

Affordability is clearly one of the main issues influencing those purchasing their first property. In recent times interest rates have taken a massive fall, falling from rates of more than 9 precent to less than 6 percent in under a year. Consequently house prices have also fallen between 10 to 15 percent in the present market, all in all meaning that buyers joining the market now will have mortgage repayments around 30 percent lower than if they bought the same home two years earlier.

However, in recent times interest rates have begun to increase and more recently there are rumours of house prices evening out. Property activity is up 40% on last year (though off a low base) and first time buyers are finding greater competition out there on entry level properties.

Housing experts are still declaring it to be a buyer’s market, and estimate that it will remain so for some time. They also suggest that first time buyers will continue to struggle to locate the right home at an affordable price. One thing for sure in the current housing market is that no first home buyer will find themselves a good buy if they sit on their thumbs for too long. Being proactive in the market, making appointments to check out open homes and making yourself available to good real estate agents is the only way to get the ball rolling. And as soon as you find a good property option, you need to be open to negotiation. Be bold, make an offer, and get yourself in the game, because you never know how much a current owner may be willing to negotiate on price until you try your luck.

The other main element of affordability is interest rates. There is a lot of contradictory information out there on interest rates, which drives panic each time mortgage rates rise.

To make sense of interest rates I’d encourage you to think about the big picture. Inflation is ultimately what will drive interest rates up. With that considered, we see no substantial inflation pressure in our economy. The Government doesn’t have a lot of cash to throw around, we’re in the midst of a big economic downturn, we have growing unemployment, export prices and tourism are in decline, and banks have more rigid lending policies. All of this means housing prices will not go anywhere any time soon.

If there is a risk of mortgage rates rising, it is since banks are in the midst of a term deposit price battle that is escalating their funding costs. As a consequence we might even witness short-term mortgage rates rise somewhat in the near future.

That does not mean you should dash in and fix for five years! New Zealand’s elevated long-term rates have been driven up too far already by more demand than supply. Investors just aren’t happy locking their funds in for 5 years in this turbulent world. In other words long-term rates have a huge “risk premium” associated with them rather than an expectation that rates will rapidly rise.

Ask anybody with some financial nous and a good understanding of the market and they will no doubt explain that there is absolutely no call to leap into long-term fixed rates. The only reason you might like to fix is if you like having the certainty that a fixed rate offers, but in that case it’s still a good idea to fix for a short term and then see where the market ends up.

My view is that the best bang for your buck is currently the 12 month rate at 5.50%. The 2 year fixed rate at 6.50% suggests that the 1 year rate needs to rise to 7.50% in a year’s time for that to be good value. Normally, long-term rates are overpriced in relation to short term rates. Basically you will pay a reduced amount of interest over the next three to five years using successive short term fixed rates than you would at current long-term rates.

If you’re the type of homeowner who’d rather ’set and forget’ and lock in to a long term rate now instead of worrying about it every 12 months or so, make sure you set an interest rate of 8 percent for your monthly repayments base. Doing this will see that any rates rise in the future will not affect your repayments.

If you’re left a little bewildered as a first time buyer by interest rates, it is important to take every percentage point seriously. While the difference between 5.5 percent and 6 percent may not seem like a great deal on paper, in reality paying an average of .5 percent less over the entirety of a $330,000 mortgage will be equal to savings of more than $80,000 in interest. Can you think of better ways you’d like to spend that $80,000? If your answer is yes, invest a little time in discussing your financial situation and having your concerns answers by a good financial advisor. Not only will they be able to talk you through interest rates and how they impact your mortgage, but they’ll also be able to direct you to ways to being debt free and mortgage free faster.

Have you heard of the old saying, you can’t see the forest for the trees? Well, putting all your attention into interest rates and borrowing costs is like starring at just two trees and not appreciating the vastness of the forest. While they’re certainly important, try not to get caught up in one or two details too much. Consider the bigger picture and remember that just being able to join the market and secure a great deal will allow you to make money in the long term.

Especially good news for first time buyers is that if you have no other debts you may be able to get approval to borrow as much as 95 percent. That could allow you to buy the perfect house before the end of the month! You never know when you could stumble across a fantastic buy and potential first home, so speak to some prospective lenders now to discuss pre-approval and help you into the housing market even faster.

John Bolton is one of New Zealand?s leading experts on property finance, particularly mortgages and interest rate risk management. His business, Squirrel Mortgages, helps New Zealanders buy over $10m of property every month.

The primary reason for this is that the number of overweight children and teens is increasing so quickly each year. In the years between 1976 and 1980, only 7 percent of all children, ages 6 -11 were likely to be obese.

By 2004, this number of obese children had more than doubled to a staggering 17 percent!

Today, at least one of every four children is overweight; some studies have it as one in three. Teens don’t fare any better because overweight children often learn eating patterns that then become a part of their lives.

These lifestyle choices follow them into their adolescence, making it very difficult to shed the pounds gained in childhood.

In 2010, it is estimated that 50 percent of the children in America are overweight, according to Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

What are The Health Risks of Obesity?

Diabetes, stemming from childhood obesity used to be a rare occurrence, and doctors were shocked when the first cases linked to weight gain started showing up.

These were treated as isolated cases, until more and more doctors saw an alarming pattern of both type 2 diabetes, and even heart problems in children, and both are increasing.

Unlike the genetic and/or inherited form of diabetes, type 2 diabetes is thought to be entirely preventable if weight is kept under control.

Early signs of heart problems, in children?

That too, was very rare, but now plaque is starting to build up in the arteries of overweight children and teens, putting them at risk from these very serious medical conditions, and possibly even death.

What Causes Childhood and Teen Obesity?

There is no single factor that can be said, causes adolescent obesity or even childhood obesity, for that matter.

However, modern lifestyles have made weight gain much easier.

Instead of sitting down at the dinner table and having a family meal, many children today are given fast foods and high-fat choices.

Other items contain empty calories, including sodas. Even these foods and drinks might not be a problem if children and teens took part in regular sports, and if families made a point of being active together.

The Stigma of Adolescent Obesity

Once the teen years begin, being overweight can be a source of enormous stress, especially when cultural role models on television or magazine covers are unrealistically thin.

Oftentimes it doesn’t even take until the teen years for the pain to start.

Studies have shown that children as young as 3 years old have been taunted and even bullied by their peers.

Cruel behavior towards obese adolescents often goes beyond bullying, it can even cause teens to have thoughts of suicide, and even raise their blood pressure to dangerously high levels.

For some teens, being overweight increases their risk of death medically, as well as attempts on their own life.

Peer pressure is tremendous.

How to Prevent Childhood and Teen Obesity

Drastic measures and crash diets, more often than not will do little to help children or teens to learn lifelong healthy eating habits.

Restricted diets can often seem like punishment, especially to younger children, but eliminating most all junk foods (occasional treats are okay) and making sure healthier options are available in the home can go a long way in helping to reduce childhood and adolescent obesity.

Often, doctors will prescribe dietary guidelines only if a child or teen is morbidly obese and appears to be in impending physical danger.

Instead, gradual lifestyle changes, with slow but steady weight loss is a better way to lose the weight. Starting out slow really works well for introducing various forms of exercise into the routine as well.

Rather than taking a long hike or ride, becoming physically exhausted and vowing never to try it again, families should try biking or other forms of fun physical activities for fifteen minutes or so, or just spend time taking short walks around the neighborhood at first.

Television can be turned off during dinner, and both children and teens should be encouraged to help plan and even to cook meals, making it fun to learn the how’s and why’s of healthy eating can really help.

Adolescent obesity, it can be prevented if you start practicing healthy eating and lifestyle habits early on, and it can be helped even if you’re late to start.

They can do it, they just need our help and a lot of us could use it too!

Art Cook, editor of health-stories.org has a strong desire in helping people realize better health, in both body and mind. You can read more about the Dangers of Obesity here.

A Few Alzheimers Caregiver Tips and Memories to Consider….

My family and I would like to share a few of our past memories, as well as pass along a few alzheimers caregiver tips we’ve learned along the way.

There are some simple things that you can do to make dealing with alzheimers a little easier for them and for yourself as well.

Alzheimers patients will often get either very sad or very angry, and even mean at times, due to feelings of frustration that they experience when certain things don’t make sense to them.

-In order to help make sure mom or dad does not become this way or just too overwhelmed, it’s often best to limit their choices, keep them as simple as possible.

For example, if you’re helping mom get dressed, don’t give her a lot of outfits to choose from, depending on their stage of alzheimers, you may even want to make the choice for them rather than asking them what they would like to wear.

-Also, it’s often best when dealing with alzheimers, to speak to them slowly, using sentences that are very straightforward and easy for them to understand, as the ability to understand this is often quite diminished.

-Be as patient as possible, it can be hard, but remember they’re not trying to drive you crazy they can’t help it.

Mom used to wash the dishes, and she would use so much soap that often you could still taste it in the glasses.

To solve this problem, we would thin out the detergent with water, rather than taking the job away – she just needed to feel useful!

-Because folks with alzheimers often have a tendency to wander, it is very important to keep an eye open, because like a child they can be there one minute and gone the next.

-Try to be sure that the doors of the home remain locked at all times. (yes, when you’re home) This will help ensure their safety by making it more difficult for them to wander off on their own.

Our mom always wanted to “go home” and she did wander off a few times before we learned. We were very fortunate to have good neighbors that watched her for us as well and brought her back home safely.

When Dealing with Alzheimers Becomes Too Hard

Unfortunately since alzheimers is a very progressive disease, there will come a time when you no longer feel you can deal with alzheimers and effectively manage your loved ones daily care and ever demanding needs.

When this happens, and it will, you’ll want to look into placing your mom or dad in a facility that is properly staffed and specifically prepared in dealing with alzheimers patients. -This is important, as not all are.

It is not uncommon for sons and daughters dealing with alzheimers victims to feel extremely guilty when the time finally comes to place their parent in a facility due to the progression of the stages of alzheimers.

I know it was tough for my siblings and myself. The day we dropped her off, she cried (so did we), and when the time came for us to leave, she asked us where we were going, and why she could not come with us, it was hard

…it really tore us up.

However, you have to keep in mind you are only doing what you must do, and what is in their best interest. It is actually an act of love to your mom or dad to make decisions on their behalf that will ensure they receive the very best treatment possible.

On our very first visit after dropping her off, we wanted to take her for a ride for breakfast -she didn’t want to go, she wanted to stay with her new friends.

-You cannot imagine how good that made us all feel!

If you feel guilty about your decision, or just find that you need to talk to someone, you really should seek out a local support group in your area for people who have a parent with alzheimers, it can be a godsend.

Some Final Thoughts

Appreciate them while they are still with you, they’ll be gone soon enough.

-Mom always had chapped lips, and somewhat mysteriously she always managed to get lipstick on the cuffs of her blouses? It turns out she was putting lipstick on her fingernails, and applying nail polish to her lips!

We remember these funny things she did, it kept us sane at the time, and the love she never failed to show us …we’ll never forget you ma!

Art Cook, editor of health-stories.org has a strong desire in helping people realize better health, in body and mind, and has extended personal family oriented research experience in the health and fitness field. You can read more about Alzheimers Diagnosis here.

At 12 months

At this age, a normal child is expected to imitate people involved in his play. An autistic child instead, doesn’t interact with other children. He/she prefers to do things alone and even gets irritated when his/her things are touched or if he is bothered. This is why ‘having their own world’ is the best description of autism in toddlers. Signs that 1-year-olds choose their mother or usual caregiver especially when feeding is clear. An autistic toddler doesn’t have that kind of attachment even to these supposed to be ‘trusted’ individuals. Hugs are very seldom given by them, causing much frustration to the mother or parents. Normal children can also identify pictures when image is being named. For autistic children, they do not identify or even respond to such activity. Eye contact is very minimal for them. The usual speech patterns are also delayed. Single words that are hallmarks of this age may not be evident to autistic children.

At 24 months

Children are likely to be more sociable at this age, eagerness in the company of other children their age are expected. However, with autism, these children may demonstrate otherwise. Recognition of names with familiar objects and persons are evident in normal development-this may not be present with autistic tots. Simple instructions are not followed. The child cannot use simple phrases even so complete very easy sentences. Typical 2-year-olds can walk alone, begins to run, and can go and down the stairs with support and can kick a ball. With autism, these tasks are rather clumsy. An autistic child may stumble several times when attempting to walk. Body shaking and hand flapping are observed.

At 36 months

Autistic children still have very limited social interaction. By autism in toddlers, signs of disinterest in the environment would mean more frequent tantrums than what usual kids throw. They do not understand the concept of ‘mine’, ‘his/hers’. Instead, they are contained in the concept of ‘mine’ alone. Games may still be solitary when at this age, group play is anticipated. Play may mean constant lining up of toys. They have a tendency to be engrossed on staring at certain objects, steady or spinning, for a long period of time. Affection is not openly given. They stay aloof to their environment. In communication, they are stuck at only speaking one to three words when at this age; more complex sentences should be learned. When being called at, they don’t seem to react even when called by their name.

Anthony Ezail Travis is a professional writer and researcher about parenting. Autism now affects 1 in every 100 child and is now the fastest growing developmental disability in children. Visit AUTISM IN TODDLERS - SIGNS and give your autistic child a brighter future.

Lack of social interaction. Autistic children are mostly contained in their ‘own’ world. They prefer to do things on their own, thus obviously avoiding contact with their parents, playmates, and other people. In cases when they do interact with children their age, it is very minimal and seldom-and in other cases inappropriate. They usually don’t smile when being smiled at. They have very little eye contact or none at all, but instead, looks past through you or stare off blankly into space. Daily routines are not followed; they are often stuck with one activity in a certain period of time. With autism in toddlers, signs of altered social interaction are very relevant in raising concern. It is at this age that the child is expected to slowly create bonds with other children in addition to family members.

Motor functions are exaggerated. This is very common in autism in toddlers. Signs of unusual trembling of the body and flapping of arms are evident when the child is too excited. While tantrums are most often expected in children, with autism in toddlers, signs of tantrums are a more common sighting especially when the child is upset.

Communication and sensory perception are altered. They usually don’t seem to recognize when being called at or when spoken to. Speech may be delayed or completely missing. When the child does speak though, it is very limited and at oftentimes inappropriate. He/she cannot talk easily. They seem to repeat themselves in an effort to convey their message. When spoken to, they have slow comprehension skills. At times they may seem to be deaf. They also have difficulty in displaying proper facial expressions and gestures. Visually, they may seem fixated on a certain object or have the need to constantly stare at spinning objects. Conversation wise, they usually use memorized scripts rather than establishing a meaningful dialogue.

Presence of any of these symptoms may not necessarily mean your child has autism. Parents who had a normal child prior are most likely to spot these atypical behaviors with their next child. It is highly recommended that you consult your pediatrician when consistency of the above mentioned are manifested. In Autism in toddlers, signs and symptoms detection is a great help in getting your child the earliest treatment possible to prevent impairment caused by this disorder. There are a good number of children with autism who recovered fairly or even completely from the disorder as they grow up. The role of the guardian is essential in the progress of the child towards a normal development. Commitment is definitely key to pursuing a cure for the child. Parents should wholeheartedly support the special needs of the child both professionally and emotionally.

Anthony Ezail Travis is a professional writer and researcher about parenting. Autism now affects 1 in every 100 child and is now the fastest growing developmental disability in children. Visit AUTISM IN TODDLERS - SIGNS and give your autistic child a brighter future.

While visiting Disneyland, consider staying at the Polynesian Resort. This unique hotel features tiki d?cor, which is fun for kids and adults alike. Tiki d?cor has been popular on the mainland since the 1940’s, and the Polynesian Resort offers a beautiful take on this decorating style. Each room has a Hawaiian tiki motif, with wooden tikis and bamboo accents. Because the resort was originally built in the 1960’s, it also has a retro feel, although it has been updated several times since then. You’ll feel like you are staying in an island in the South Pacific without ever leaving the mainland.

The resort is not built in a high-rise building, but instead it has several intimate two- or three-story buildings scattered over the grounds. The area of the Polynesian resort features dense vegetation; even after you step outside the room you’ll still feel like you are in an island paradise. These grounds include white sandy beaches complete with hammocks and lounge chairs. There are several Polynesian restaurants in the resort, so you can even sample some traditional island fare. For adults, there is also a traditionally-styled tiki bar.

Once you get to the park, make sure that you stop at Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. One of the more unique attractions in Disneyland, it is a theater featuring Polynesian characters and wildlife. There are over 150 animatronic characters that come to life during the sixteen minute ride. In fact, this attraction was the first to feature Disney’s audio-animatronic system. It opened in 1963 in Adventureland, and has long been one of the more popular attractions in the park. The show is “hosted” by four singing macaws, and also features other tropical birds, tiki totems and masks, flowers, and drummers. Animatronic Hawaiian tiki gods are located around the perimeter, each telling their own story. There is also a version of the Enchanted Tiki Room at Tokyo Disneyland, as well as one at Disney World.

When visiting Disneyland, be sure to learn about the tiki culture you get the chance to experience in the Polynesian Resort and the Enchanted Tiki Room. Tiki culture is built around distinctive wooden or stone figures with large, flat heads in proportion to their bodies. These statues play an integral part in the d?cor of both the Polynesian Resort and the Enchanted Tiki Room. You’ll also see other d?cor choices that have been popular parts of tiki d?cor in the U.S., including bamboo, dried grass, and thatched roofs.

Royal Tiki’s beautiful range of Tiki are hand-carved on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. Also check for current specials on a Tiki hut mask

In this series of articles, we will explore different approaches to providing care for an aging relative as well as the rewards and challenges that each bring.

How do you quantify the need for assistance?

Often the changes in one’s well-being can be so gradual and subtle that it’s like watching the grass grow. Doctors and other professionals use a term called “ADLs” that translates to “Activities of Daily Living”. These are the things that we do for ourselves every day. Our ability to perform functions such as eating, dressing, getting in and out of bed are all practical measures of our ability to live independently. As we age or suffer from injury or disease, our ability to perform these functions on our own may be impacted. So one way to measure someone’s need for assistance is to make note of which of these they are experiencing difficulty with and to what degree. When one or more of these can no longer be performed on their own, it’s time for help. That’s not to say that assistance can’t be offered when many ADLs have become so difficult as to have an overall negative impact on their lives.

It’s important to remember that people can often be too proud to tell us that they need help. That’s why it’s important to keep your eyes open for clues to a family member’s functional decline. Such clues could include:

- Changes in appearance

- Changes in eating habits or food preferences

- Absence from social, family and community functions

- Aversion to bathing

These behaviors can also be indicative of other issues. In any case, if you see these clues or have other reasons to suspect that there may be a need for assistance, it may well be enough to warrant spending the weekend with Mom and Dad to see how they are doing in their home environment.

Observe your family members as they go about their ADLs. Do they do the same things they used to? Do they do those things with the ease they once did? For instance, do they heat up microwave meals rather than cooking as they used to? Ask questions to get to the root cause for their actions to help determine what has changed that has made the prepackaged meals more desirable than fresh meals.

Make note of the ADLs that show impact and the degree to which they seem to be impaired. If the degree of impairment doesn’t warrant additional help, make a commitment to come back for another weekend to spend time with your family and to observe and assess any changes.

Watch this space in coming weeks for as we discuss options for providing care including providing the care yourself, hiring others into the home and moving the family member to another location.

Joe Tirio is a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors? and the President of Monarch Senior Care, Inc., a member of The Senior’s Choice senior care network, Monarch Senior Care, located in McHenry County Illinois, provides in-home senior care services to the residents of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can reach Monarch at 888 672 7060 or at Care@MonarchSeniorCare.com

Joe Tirio is a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors? and President of Monarch Senior Care located in McHenry County Illinois and provides in-home senior care services to Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can reach Monarch at 888 672 7060 or at Care@MonarchSeniorCare.com

Joe Tirio is a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors? and President of Monarch Senior Care located in McHenry County Illinois and provides in-home senior care services to Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can reach Monarch at 888 672 7060 or at Care@MonarchSeniorCare.com and at http://MonarchSeniorCare.com