Elder Care

Home care services provide valuable assistance for the elderly in the comfort of their own homes. Though home care assures the comfort, security and familiarity of one’s own home, it is also equally important to find and hire the right home care provider to fit the needs of the elderly. Due to their age and decreased strength, the elderly are less able to care for themselves or may have certain diagnosed illnesses that require them to seek home care services.

The services that home care providers offer depends on the needs of their elderly clients. Home care services may provide skilled care which is coordinated with the client’s doctors. Skilled home care services for the elderly deploy certified health care professionals such as nurses and therapists to provide care for the clients in their homes at all times. These healthcare providers may also include medical services such a...

Making the decision to move a loved one to a nursing home facility is among the most difficult decisions we may ever face. If you follow the suggestions listed your chance of finding a quality placement will be increased.

1) DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Every nursing home is inspected by a state agency. The inspection is very intense and comprehensive. Everything from the dietary needs of the residence to the medical care of residents is examined. The state survey MUST be available to the public. It is also available online in many states. Regardless how beautiful the facility may be do not place a loved one until you have studied their state survey findings.

2) USE YOUR NOSE

Do not accept bad odors as being inescapable in a nursing home setting. If you detect the smell of urine or an overall impression of unsanitary conditions walk back out of the door. That ...

Over involvement is a serious sign of burn out.

When you are over involved, you begin to look at the person you provide care for as a series of tasks that need to be performed, rather than, thinking, "What can I do to help them?" You may be in trouble if you can't separate your feelings of anxiety from that person.

A good indication of this would be cringing when you hear then walking, or you think to yourself, "what now?"

Another indication is if you find yourself doing personal care tasks in a brisk and rough manor.

You may begin to spend as much time as possible in the other room, so you don't have to even look at the person you are providing care for.

Or perhaps,you find yourself muttering nasty words, or thoughts under your breath, while providing care.

I know from talking to other caregivers that these feelings are real. These feelings are...

BODY AND SOUL - KEEPING IT TOGETHER!

LET'S START WITH THE BODY . . .

It is said that the first thing a man does when he wakes in the morning is to look out of the window to see how the weather has changed overnight, and the first thing a women does on waking is to look in the mirror to see what the night has done to her face. Enough said

… but if your look in the mirror is followed by 'Oh, my God … I could do with a face-lift, etc.etc.' (don't worry, we've all been there) before you start layering on more make-up and deciding to embark yet again on another diet/exercise regime (which will probably have been forgotten anyway by the weekend), let's stop wishing, and start by trying to make the best of what we have got.

We may not be able to recapture the healthy glow of youth, but we may be able to inject a little sparkle by giving as much thought to the inside o...

1. Don’t begrudge spending money on your own comfort, health and quality of life. You deserve it! AND FOR THE OVER-60’S - The government’s annual fuel allowance of £200 is meant to be used for our warmth and comfort, and to ease the worry of the increased heating bill. The Winter Fuel Payments Help line is 0845 9 151515 If you are receiving a disability or income-related benefit, you may be able to claim a grant of up to £2,500 for insulation and heating improvements. Call Home Energy Efficiency Scheme 0800 952 0600. If you receive disability and income-related benefits you can claim Cold Weather Payments if the temperature falls below 00 C for 7 consecutive days. There is also the Staywarm scheme. For a fixed charge you can use as much gas or electricity as you need. 0800 1 694 694 Finally, if you are unable to pay your winter fuel bill, in the first instance contact you...

Although our focus is on elder care options it is important to remember that life-changing conditions that threaten independent living are not limited to the elderly. People of any age can experience challenging conditions due to illness or injury that interfere with normal activities of daily living. When a decline in function renders a person unable to live independently, there are many care options to consider in regards to the kind of care they’ll receive and who will provide it.

It is my desire that the following summary of care options will be helpful to those needing care.

Hospitals

Hospitals usually keep patients with acute medical conditions until the acute condition is resolved. However, this is not always long enough to allow the patient to become independent and safe enough to return home.

Hospitals serve an important function by saving the lives of...

Many elderly people face a difficult choice in their later years, as their ability to tackle the stairs in their houses becomes more difficult. Do they sell the houses they love and move into a bungalow or sheltered accommodation or do they convert their dining room to a bedroom and live downstairs, assuming they have a bathroom on the ground floor. Of course, there is a third option, which is to provide safe and secure access to their upstairs facilities by using installing a stairlift.

The purchase of a stairlift is quite a daunting prospect since it is something that you have probably never done before and will never do again. What should you look for in a stairlift and do you understand all of the facilities available and which ones are most important to you? There is also the cost factor, how much do you pay to get peace of mind and should you consider second-hand or recond...

Senior independent living is basically a residential living setting for senior adults, that may or may not offer hospitality or supportive services. Here, the senior adult is allowed to lead an independent lifestyle with minimal or no extra assistance. Senior independent living also includes rental-assisted or market-rate apartments wherein the resident has a choice of whether or not to participate in the facility’s services or programs.

Most of the senior independent living communities are designed around activities. There are pools, bike and walking paths, and exercise facilities for the senior citizens. There are also services like spas, beauty shops, chapels and a library for the use of the senior residents. They have the option of cooking and dining in their own homes, or eating in community dining areas or restaurants. However, most of the senior independent living homes ...

Entering her second year as a widow, my dear friend Rachael was past the several stages of grief and closing that chapter of her life; not an easy task but necessary for anyone who has survival instincts. She began dating again and I couldn’t have been happier for her. Sam was like a brother in a sense; a long time friend from our college days. At first it was dinner and theater tickets but soon developed into weekends at his Lake house.

Post menopausal, it didn’t occur to Rachael to consider condoms. And in retrospect, she would not have asked Sam about his sexual activities – there were things our generation didn’t talk about. Therefore when her physician put her through a battery of tests because of her complaints regarding sudden weight loss and fatigue, she was shocked when she tested positive for HIV.

How does this happen at age 64, she wanted to know. But it’s...

Independent living aids are products that are used to help senior citizens or disabled people in their day-to-day activities. Some of the aids are talking products, writing guides, hearing aids, and low vision aids, among others.

For those who are visually impaired, there are independent living low-vision aids that help them lead a normal life. There are canes to help in walking, Braille products for them to enjoy reading, talking cooking gadgets to help in cooking, large-print books, and lots of other independent living aids. There are also baking gadgets and kitchen appliances, like a black-and-white cutting board that contrasts with the color of the food being cut, that help in making the kitchen safe for the visually impaired. These accessories are not only helpful for the visually impaired, but also for the elderly too. There are also independent living reaching aids like a...

Independent living communities are designed for those seniors who are active, healthy and able to live their lives without others’ assistance. These communities consist of homes, condominiums, apartments and mobile homes for residents to maintain an independent lifestyle. However, there are some communities that offer only minimal services like building and ground maintenance, plus security. These are no different from residential enclaves, except for the age restriction to those over 55 years of age.

Independent living communities generally provide safety and security, with easy access to a local community of banks, shops, theaters and doctors. There usually are medical services available on an as-needed basis, wherein the resident receives higher Medicare and insurance reimbursement. There is no minimal requirement for meals that are served here; you participate when desired ...

Independent living is a way of helping senior citizens live on their own, or helping children in foster-care work toward self-determination, self-respect and equal opportunities in life. Independent living is not defined as a means of living on one’s own; it has to mainly do with self-determination and the opportunity to pursue a stipulated course of action. They have the freedom to fail, and to learn from failure. To the people with mental impairments, independent living means has an opportunity to be self-sufficient.

There are many independent living communities that help people with disabilities establish independent lives. These independent living communities differ from other service organizations in that in these communities, the inhabitants are taught to become self-sufficient to earn money for their day-to-day life. As the name implies, they are taught to be independent,...

A very sad topic, but one that we all have to deal with; Aging parents.

It’s amazing how time flies, and before you know it, we are all grown up, and we give our parents advise, we tell them what to do and the amazing thing that they listen, and most even comply. Another amazing component that we consider ourselves children while our parents are alive, and only become real adults when they pass.

I was always very proud of having the youngest parents around. Both of my parents got married and had me when they were barely eighteen. It was wonderful growing up with young parents, as it is wonderful to have them still pretty young next to me and my children.

Most of my friends are not as fortunate, their parents are much older, and years do take their toll. It’s hard for me to see how they struggle by taking care of their parents, while balancing their own lives. I...

During the 2005 Atlantic tropical hurricane season we saw in the city of New Orleans that when the levee broke and Elder Care facility was flooded and people in the hospice died from drowning. The people who ran the elder care hall had contacted the families in advance and asked them if they wanted their loved once moved. Moving means people From the elder care hall or hospice could be put in life-threatening risk.

We also saw where a bus blew up when an oxygen bottle ruptured on a bus and caught fire. There are often conflicts in elder care safety issues during mandatory hurricane evacuations or non-mandatory hurricane evacuations and all of these must be considered sometimes it is better to batten down hatches rather than trying to move people who are physically not in a good health position to be moved.

Then there are many instances were elder care customers were mov...

Stair lifts provide more than just a means of getting from the downstairs floor of a house to the upstairs – they also represent mobility and independence to an ageing generation.

As time goes by, it is only natural that we find certain everyday activities, such as climbing the stairs, becoming increasingly difficult. For someone with limited mobility due to injury, disability or chronic diseases such as arthritis and angina installing a stair lift is a low-cost common sense solution.

And with today’s advanced technology nearly every home can be fitted with a stair lift, even if it has a curved staircase. Before you go ahead and purchase your stair lift make sure you use a professional and approved company with experience in this field.

Here is a quick and easy stair lift buying guide:

-- If you are unsure about what kind of stair lift is suitable for your home...