Category: Parenting

Caring for an aging parent with a health issue is never easy. It can become quite overwhelming with constant challenges along the way that can take a toll both physically and mentally. Moreover, it weighs down on other family members as well.

Knowing that most health problems, especially Alzheimer’s and dementia, progress in time, many families consider assisted living as a possibility. At some point, caregiving becomes a burden too heavy to bear and the cost of paying it too high. What is crucial in this process is recognizing when is the right time for your beloved parent to join an aged care facility.

According to experts, the following are typical signs that the time has come for assisted living arrangements.

Escalating care needs

If your parent is still in the early stages of their illness, your first step should be getting the paperwork in order. Before things escalate and your parent’s cognitive functions become compromised, it’s important you all plan ahead before it comes to making the critical decisions.

Next, you need to evaluate the current situation you’re in. Ask yourself whether you can handle your parent’s care needs, both physically and mentally, or the health of both of you is at risk. If the answer is positive, you should consider the option of assisted living.

This should be a joint family decision and before you make your final choice, do the research so you can pick the best place possible. Visit the communities before choosing and be sure they offer proper medical support and amenities suitable for patients with the needs your parent has. For instance, at Mark Moran Vaucluse retirement living residents will receive individualized care, 24-hour medical support, a life free of concerns and financial security. Set in gorgeous surroundings with panoramic views of the ocean on side and gardens and the city skyline on the other, residents are always in close contact with the healing powers on nature and sunlight.

Behavioral changes

Behavioral changes commonly accompany dementia and this is particularly hard on the caregivers as it causes more pain and even resentment. Sundowners syndrome is very characteristic of Alzheimer’s patients where they become very agitated as the day progresses. It can disrupt the family routine and take quite a heavy toll on the caregivers. Wandering becomes much greater and frequent so the probability of falls and injuries increases. When it gets to this state, it’s time to consider placing your parent to an assisted living facility.

Caregiver stress

Watching a parent lose their health can never be easy. For children, this means they lose the parent twice – first to the disease, then again when they pass. It’s hard not to ask yourself if you’ve done all you could have so it’s normal to feel anxious when you decide it’s time to move your parent away.

It’s almost inevitable to feel stressed and the usual symptoms are disabling anxiety, avoidance behavior, depression, and hypervigilance. These symptoms do not only come from the pressure of taking care of your ill parent, but also from the disruption to the normal daily routine. When you spend most of your time caregiving, eating and sleeping patterns are disrupted and your health will suffer.

As a caregiver, it’s hard to find enough time for your loved ones, let alone yourself. However, staying healthy is one of the most important things you need to do in order to provide the care and support your parent needs. Therefore, find a way to rest and recuperate and seek out the help and support from professional counselors and therapy groups, if necessary.

Assisted living is a great choice to help your parents. But it’s never too bad to have an extra dose of safety. By using wandering tracking watches you will feel more relaxed knowing your parents are where they should be. 

The bottom line is that as a human being, there’s only so much you can do without compromising your health, so make sure you do your research and evaluate all your options before making the important decision of placing your loved one in an assisted living community.

Being a mom is probably one of the most fulfilling things in the world, but even with a toddler running around, you need to have some me time that you’ll dedicate to yourself. Staying fit as a busy mom might seem difficult at first, but with some time-management, you also can look good and have time for your kids at the same time. Here are some essentials on how to achieve your body goals and still spend some quality time with your family:

1. Be organized

Managing your time while having kids should be an Olympic discipline, no kidding. Since you’re probably too busy to fit exercise into your schedule, the best option is to manage your time carefully. Planning your day ahead can be very useful, so get yourself a daily planner notebook or find a to-do-list app. That way, you can know when you have some time off to spend on working out. Instead of being stressed, make sure your day is planned, so you’ll be able to exercise without feeling stressed. If you’re someone who likes to be more spontaneous, you don’t need to plan everything in advance, but at least make sure you have the most important tasks written down. That’s how you can keep track of everything you’ve done. Try to find at least 30 minutes during the day when you can work out.

2. Remember that movement also counts

If you don’t have enough time or money to go to the gym, remember that any type of body movement is considered exercise. Running around your kids still burns calories, and carrying your toddler around can help you tone your arms. Don’t feel overwhelmed if you can’t afford to go to the gym, try walking instead of driving, playing rough-and-tumble with kids and spending time outdoors as much as you can. Kids love being physically active, so going for a swim is a great way to have fun with your children and also stay fit. In some countries, such as Australia, women work out more than men, and being a mother should never stop you from staying in shape. A lot of women use motherhood as an excuse, instead of finding a way to do both.

3. Ask for help

Many mothers feel like they have to do everything by themselves, instead of admitting that asking for help is normal. Even if you’re not one of them, if you think that your family and work duties are stopping you from staying fit, then maybe you should consider asking someone to give you a hand. That can be your partner, friend or a babysitter. There’s nothing wrong with going away for an hour and spending time on your physical well-being. It’s no longer that difficult to get affordable activity clothes. For example, finding comfortable gym wear in Australia has never been easier, and with some effort, you can look gorgeous and feel fit while raising your little ones at the same time!

4. Do it at home

For some, working out at home might feel normal, but others like to leave the house. If you find going to and from the gym time-consuming, then you might want to consider exercising at home. It can be convenient for busy moms like you, since that way you can be more flexible. Whether you prefer Pilates or a treadmill, working out at home will give you all the privacy and you can also watch the kids. Even better, bribe them with a cartoon marathon, so you can work out in peace. Home exercising can have many benefits, so if you’re still uncertain, there’s no better place to start than your own home! You can even take breaks to go and check on your children. Home workouts are convenient for working moms because they cost next to nothing and you can do them whenever you want.

 

So, staying fit isn’t something you should live and breathe, especially if you have children demanding your attention, but exercising occasionally is definitely recommended. Use every chance to move your body. That also includes dancing with your kids to the music you love the most!

Struggling financially could be really tough for everyone. It could, however, be extraordinarily stressful in the case of a single parent who is juggling with his finances, parenting, and work all on his own. If you are a single parent, you seem to be responsible for the smooth functioning of your household and happy life for your family especially, your kids. As you are running the show without a partner, you would be solely responsible for your family’s destiny. We know that many individuals are compelled to live with a huge trauma of financial concerns for years before they start seeking debt relief options and effective debt solutions.

https://www.forbes.com presents some mind-boggling statistics to prove that the United States is actually, plagued with debts. “Average credit card debt for indebted households is now at $16,048, and average student loan debt surged over $37,000 last year. The average loan for a new car is over $30,000 and nearly 69 months long, and Americans owe an average of $196,014 on their mortgages according to Experian.”

We know that slow to almost the flat growth rate of income has definitely, not been able to keep up the pace with the ever-increasing costs of living during the last decade and that has compelled several individuals to depend largely on credit cards and some other effective means of credit for getting by. Since credit has been relatively easier to acquire particularly, during the past two years as lenders and banks have actually, eased some of the lending practices. However, now the debt issue would be further aggravated.

“Americans are in a borrowing mood, and their total tab for consumer debt could reach a record $4 trillion by the end of 2018. Americans owe more than 26 percent of their annual income to this debt. That’s up from 22 percent in 2010. It’s also higher than debt levels during the mid-2000s when credit availability soared” as per https://www.cnbc.com.

One of the worst affected groups is single parents, as far as this ever-increasing credit card debt issue is concerned. Leading a life with just one income could prove to be difficult and full of hardships if you need to bear the cost of bringing up kids. Kids are certainly a costly proposition and no doubt about that. Single dads or moms need to take care of both the basic requirements such as food, shelter, and clothing and also, the finer requirements such as school supplies, medical expenses, and costs associated with extracurricular activities every month.

We know that when you do not have adequate money for making ends meet, several single moms and dads would be depending largely on credit cards for getting by throughout the month. Without radical modifications in the overall lifestyle or a substantial increase in the income, things could culminate in insolvency eventually. However, here are some simple but effective money-related strategies so that they could help you stay away from overpowering debts. Visit toptenreviews.com for perfect debt management and relief solutions.

Generate a Realistic Budget

Most Americans are not used to having a budget and many of them have no idea about ways to create a proper monthly budget. Most people in the United States only love to go on spending money and paying the bills and that is precisely the way they get by throughout the month until the month end. The fortunate ones have ample amount to get through the entire month without any monetary hassles. However, many of them would surely encounter a major shortfall of cash compelling them to use credit cards to make all the payments whenever bills are generated. Americans need to realize that chalking out a budget is a wise step and is not such a difficult task.

You must understand that you have access to a fantastic array of resources and even if you have no knowledge or experience in creating a personalized budget, you could easily go about creating one with the help of effective budgeting tools online. Chalking out a monthly household budget would imply allocation of your portions of income to specific expenses and ensuring that you stick to the budget every month.

You must not dedicate more than 30 percent of your income towards housing since that may lead to financial shortfall or crisis eventually. If you clearly make a comprehensive list of all your present financial obligations and compare them to precisely your net income, you could understand exactly where you are going overboard and overspending. You could even calculate how much shortfall is there in terms of your income to run your family comfortably.

Make Your Bill Payments Timely

You need to stay updated on your bills. You simply remember that if you fall behind on your credit card repayments it may trigger some serious repercussions.

Remember lenders would surely be reporting late payments and the entry would show on your credit report so your credit score could be hurt or damaged. Moreover, lenders tend to be less forgiving and quite strict in terms of late payments. They would be charging really stiff penalty fees on account of late payments. It is important to take some proactive measures if you are failing to pay your monthly bills as per the already scheduled due date. You could request lenders to shift the due date to a more convenient or favorable time every month. Moreover, it is best to pay off all your bills that charge the highest penalties for late payment on a top priority basis.

Get Rid of Unnecessary or Frivolous Spending

You need to evaluate your spending. Go through meticulously all your bills every month. It is the best time to reassess your spending habits and identify effective ways of eliminating expensive and unnecessary expenses. Go through your phone or cable bills and identify areas where you could reduce your monthly payments every month. Start doing some cost-cutting every day and consider lifestyle modifications.

Conclusion

You must follow the above strategies to stay out of overpowering debts. You must consider making certain lifestyle alterations as a single parent and run your house accordingly. You could avoid drinking the costly morning coffee or consider opting out from all sorts of eating out temptations. Try to reduce small expenses that seem quite insignificant as compared to your day-to-day existence. Manage your finances well to stay out of debts.

In the event that you are a single parent, then you must already be aware of the fact that it is really difficult to maintain financial security. For single parents, the pressures are manifold. Taking care of a child means added expenses and pressures. The tensions will be even more if you have to support more than one child. There are different types of expenses involved, apart from your own personal expenses you would also have to look after the interests of your children. A lot of single parents take loans to help themselves with their finances. But later on, they find it not easy to repay the loans. In this article, you will learn about some loans that you can take to help repay your bad credits and lower your debts.

The problems of single parents

A single parent will be more than likely to require help with financing than the married couples. Two people are earning for married couples, which means that the income is more and the expenses also get shared. However, single parents can often find it really difficult to have their loans approved, especially if these apply for unsecured personal loans. The reason for this is that financial hardship will tend to cause really bad credits for the single parent and this would scare the lenders away. But there are some lenders still, who would be more than willing to give out loans regardless of any bad credit. These loans can be customized and tailored with a lot of flexible terms which would be beneficial for a lot of single parents.

Some general solutions that are usually not suggested

Single parents who have unfortunately got involved in some debt problems or problems with credits and are in dire need of some urgent financing will tend to be using a lot of financial products which are really not meant to help in solving such problems. Getting the balance transferred in your credit card would really be a prime example in this issue. The balance transfer is typically designed to do product migration and not for providing emergency financing. Hence, as a result of all this, even if you get a special promotional period on offer, but the terms that will be on your outstanding debt after the end of the promotional period will be really difficult to bear with.

Also, a very popular and common form of an alternative that people use is taking home equity loans. It is altogether easier to get qualified for getting approval for the secured loans when you got low credit scores. However, the terms that are on this consolidation loans and the home equity loans would really not be beneficial for you. And in addition to this, the debts would be completely secured now, and that would mean that you would be risking a lot, like losing out on your property to the lender, in the event you fail or miss to make your monthly payment.

The conditions that single parents face with bad credit loan

Do you know what the main problem with single parents is when it is about taking loans? It is their income. With couples, they can add both their incomes in order to be qualified for the loan approvals, but with single parents, it is not so. They will have to be completely on their own. Thus, the core issue that becomes a problem and an obstacle to the loan approval for regular loans would be the extra limitations to the bad credits: one single income but extremely high expenses. The answer to this is also quite simple. You must design the loan with a lot of affordable payment schemes so that there is little impact on singular and limited income.

Hence, the bad credit loans get tailored specifically for the single parent. To ensure that the right effect in low monthly installments which the parent can easily pay off, the lender would be extending the schedule of the payment that would be determining the consequentially minor yet easy to bear loan installment. However, it can still be not enough for a long time as the borrower would be running into some cash emergency at one time or the other, and then, can fail to make the payments on time at certain stages. It is for this reason that lenders will be adding to the loans the unique ability to even interrupt the repayment for some time period. It is understood that the interests would still be generating. However, the next payments would still be agreed upon to have settled some months later.

Some solutions for flexible refinancing

One of the extra and additional features that you have with the bad credit loans is that they can get refinanced if the borrower makes a request for it. This request can be made at absolutely any point during the schedule of the repayment, particularly if the payments have become too much onerous and difficult for the borrower to be able to afford.

These schemes are designed specially to ensure that the borrower remains up to date, and constant with their payments and their credit also remains unaffected. In fact, the credit score will improve with time when the monthly repayments get recorded in their credit history. The options for refinancing will be aimed at protecting the repayments of the loans from any defaults in order to help in the recovery of the credits processes.

You need to go through various debt consolidation reviews first before you decide to take a debt consolidation loan to help you repay your personal loans.

Conclusion

For a single parent, life is hard. The difficulties that have to encounter are manifold. One of the worst difficulties that a single parent can face is with maintaining financial independence and remaining free from financial worries and remaining financially secure. Taking a bad credit loan can help single parents. Hopefully, the information mentioned in this article will have helped you.

As a single parent, it can be quite difficult to manage your personal finances. This can be more so if you have more than one child to support. There are a number of different expenses that you would have to bear with, like the schooling costs of the child, regular food expenses, paying the babysitter or a nurse if it is a young child, and so on. The problem gets more in the vent that you have a debt to pay. A lot of single parents take loans to support their families. But when you cannot pay these loans on time, then it can become quite a crisis. In this article, you will learn about several tips that can help you to reduce your expenses as well as gradually come out of any debt.

Getting over the debt

It will not be of much importance if you owe too much debt. But you can still start now and repay the debts. You should understand that you are not the only person who feels overwhelmed with debts and that you are not the only one to be under debt. On average, Americans have around $90,000 in debt. People have around sixteen thousand dollars in credit card debts alone. The average car loan is around $27,000. Student loans can reach up to $27,000. For a single parent, it can be incredibly difficult to pay all these alone.  If you have student loans consider debt consolidation or refinancing. By comparing student loan refinance rates you’ll be able to choose the most affordable for you and pay off your debt sooner.

But before you start to pay off your debts, it is important that you do some preparatory work first. These are some of the things that you should do, also you can find more info here https://www.sofi.com/private-student-loans/:

1. Tally the expenses up

It can become impossible to repay all the debts that you owe unless you first know where to start from. It can be understood that you would be initially hesitant to tally your expenses, but it should be done at the earliest. You should be honest with yourself. Get all the credit card bills that you have, along with your student loan expenses, your personal loans, home loans, and all of them up. It is essential that you combine the amounts that you owe so that you understand how much money you must pay back.

2. Create a new budget

You will have to create a budget now. A budget will allow checking how much money you would be able to spare to repay your debts. If you see that the money does not amount to too much, then you need not worry because you are just starting out. You can find out a lot of different ways by which you can cut down on your expenses as well as also get additional income to repay your debts.

3. Chalk out a plan

You must chalk out a plan to repay your debts. You have two basic ways to repay your loans either in the form of a debt snowball or as a debt avalanche. In a debt snowball, you must list all the debts that you have in a specific order from the smallest to the largest amount. You must try to repay the smallest loan first all the while making some payments to repay the other debts. Once you have paid that small debt off, you can move on to paying the next small one. In a debt avalanche, you would be again listing all the debts you have, but this time in an order with the highest interest first and the lowest one at the bottom. You would be trying to repay the debts that have the highest interests first and make some minimum payment for your other debts. In this payment method, you would save more money in the end. You should take a decision about the way you want to repay your loans.

4. Have some emergency funds in place

Before you start to pay your debts off, it is vital that you have around a thousand dollars as your emergency funds.

Set aside Some money strictly for emergencies purposes. This will keep you from relying on various forms of debt in case something crucial comes up. And let’s be real, we know that emergencies come up that require money more often than not. You must try and save at least a thousand dollars when you make the payments for your debts.

5. Do not use the credit card any longer

Credit cards can be really irritating as they can easily rake up your debts. The interest rates of credit cards are also quite high, and you can take a lot of years in paying the bills. In the event that your credit cards have got you into any debt, then you must not use them anymore. You ought to destroy them quickly. Do not use your credit card as your funds for emergency situations.

6. Look at your debts like the emergency that it is

Debts can hold you back from plenty of different things. When you have a debt, you would be unable to increase your savings. It will also not allow you to be independent financially. There can be situations like when your child is sick; you would be unable to take a break from work as you have got no savings but there are lots of debts to be repaid. Although you do not like your job, you would still have to work. Thus, you must look t your debt like it is an emergency which you must repay as quickly as you can.

You can visit nationaldebtrelief.com in order to learn about more innovative ways by which you can successfully pay off your debts.

Conclusion

For a single parent, it can be quite difficult to repay debts. Life can be extremely difficult. But when you have some debt management plans the process will become easier. Before you repay your debts, you should prepare yourself for the ordeal first. Hopefully, the information mentioned in this article will have helped you.