Home Care for All In Need
Apr 23rd
When most of us think of home care aides, we think of a nurse who cares for the elderly. But home care is not exclusive to only seniors. Home health aides and companions also assist people who are disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired.
Families with a loved one who has a kind of permanent or even temporary disability may not be able to provide the around the clock care that is necessary. The family may need to continue to work full time which can leave the patient alone and attended for long periods of time. Having a home care aide attend the patient while the family cannot is a great relief.
Other reasons may require family caregivers to request the services of a home care provider as well. Family caregivers often experience stress, fatigue, and even worsening health issues that can hinder their ability to provide the best care for their loved one. Instead of ignoring their delapitating health at the risk of not being about to care for their loved one, family caregivers can greatly benefit themselves by handing over caregiving responsibilities to professional caregivers. In other words, professional in home caregivers can provide much needed respite for family caregivers. Whether the home care aide is only providing a temporary respite or anongoing part of the caregiving team, their assistance can make a huge diffence in the health and well-being of the entire family.
If you are a family caregiver who can use the assistance of a home care aide, you are at the right place. Better Living Home Care can help you find a compatible caregiver in your area for live-in caregiving or hourly caregiving. We have caregivers who can assist you when you need them most, providing respite for you and excellent care for your loved one. Remember, you are not alone. Help is simply a phone call or email away. Contact Better Living Home Care today!
How to Talk to Parents About Assisted Living
Apr 23rd
NPR’s Talk of the Nation airs a 30 min. segment about how to help elderly family members overcome their resistant to move into a nursing home facility even after their health deteriorates.
What Caregivers Can Do for Themselves
Jan 12th
If you’re a caregiver of a family member and find that the stress and strain of caregiving is taking a toll on your physical and mental health, you can take many steps to reducing health risks. Whatever step you take first toward managing long-term stress doesn’t matter. What is important is taking that first step. The next step will be easier and so on.
Carol Levine, director of the Families and Health Care Project at the United Hospital Fund in New York, offers the following steps toward healthier living with long-term caregiver stress:
- Take stock of your strengths and acknowledge your limits. Recognize what you’re doing well can help you deal with the aspects of caregiving you find most troubling.
- Analyze the sources of your stress. Is it th edeteriorating health of your family member, financial issues, isolation, comteting family or work responsibilities, dealing with bureaucracies, or lack of time for yourself?
- Take a problem-solving approach to each source of stress. What can be done to ease that particular strain?
- Enlist others in the solution. Depending on the problem, seek the support of another family member, a trusted friend, social worker, physician, nurse, therapist, home care aide, financial adviser, lawyer, or religious leader. Some solutions will be temporary or incomplete; accept that and move forward.
- Follow a diet and exercise program that is feasible and satisying.
- Learn some breathing techniques to use when you feel tired or overwhelmed. “Take a deep breath” is always good advise for any reason; it gets oxygen to your brain.
- Try to find an outlet for your won interests, creativity, and individuality. You had a life before caregiving; what were the things you liked to do? Try to find a way to do them again, even in a limited way. What were the tings you always wanted to do? Try to find a way to start. There will be a life after caregiving, and these activities will help you then as well as now.
- Develop your spiritual side, whether that is through prayer, meditation, nature, art, literature, msic or whatever takes your thoughts to a different plane.
It is hard to put such plans into action. But every small step makes a big difference.
Parkinson’s Disease Knows No Barriers
Oct 14th
It is impossible (as of today) to predict who will get Parkinson’s disease. Medical researchers still do not fully understand the causes of Parkinson’s. A combination of health factors both genetic and environmental may be the culprits. Men and women can be afflicted with Parkinson’s. The disease seems to know no social or geographic boundaries. Research results regarding whether certain ethnic groups or regions of the world are more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease are difficult to interpret in light of regional and ethnic variations in access to health care, perceptions of illness, and mortality. At this time it seems all people have the same chances of falling victim to Parkinson’s disease.
Even age does not seem to be a good enough indicator as there is a wide variation. In very few cases, Parkinson’s has developed in individuals before the age of 20 and others not until after age 90. Many people over the age of 50 are most often afflicted by Parkinson’s. The average age of onset is 60. As physicians become more adapt at watching for and distinguishing signs of Parkinson’s disease, more cases of “early-onset” are being discovered. Most “early onset” is estimated to develop between the ages of 30 and 50 with an estimated 5 to 10 percent of known patients under the age of 40.
Signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be attributed to other causes such as aging, exhaustion, stress, progressive supranuclear palsy, and the use of certain drugs. Since many other diseases have similar features, diagnosing the disease can be difficult. Neurological examination and sometimes brain scans can aide in making a precise diagnosis. Consult your neurologist for a neuropsychological consultation if you suspect certain signs of those related to Parkinson’s.
Home Health Care Defined
Oct 14th
Home health care and home care represent services that promote health, provide assistants with essential daily living, or offer medical advice. These services are usually provided by professional health care personnel. The skills and responsibilities of home care personnel vary, but all have one thing in common – making it possible for care recipients to remain safe at home, in an environment that provides them with independence, familiarity, and comfort. Home care recipients include the disabled, mentally disabled, ill, and elderly. Home health care providers include:
Homemakers – provide personal services such as toileting, dressing, and bathing.
Companions – provide essential skills such as making meals, light cleaning, transportation, as well as mental stimulation.
Registered Nurses – provide skilled medical care, including monitoring vital signs, dressing wounds, and teaching family caregivers how to use complicated equipment.
Caregivers – can be professional aids or family members who provide much of the same services as homemakers and companions.
Therapists – provide rehabilitation care to restore or maintain speech, motor, and cognitive skills.
Home Health Care Guidance
When considering whether home care is right for you or your loved one, there are several things you need to consider and know before making your choice.
- Are there any objections to home health care? There are many care recipients who object to the idea of home care. If you encounter opposition try to understand what issues may be the cause of the refusal. It is important for all involved to understand and be comfortable with the idea of letting someone else take on the tasks you’ve been doing yourself.
- Define your needs. What will be the home care provider’s tasks? Answering this question will tell you what type of home health care personnel you need.
- Find out what monetary assistance you may qualify for. When all parties agree and you understand the type of care needed, the next question is how much will the care cost and if the cost is covered by insurance and/or government programs. Review your insurance benefits and look into state funded programs. The sad truth is that most home care costs will have to be paid by you so make sure you can afford the services.
Dementia in Parkinson’s Disease
Oct 13th
Cognitive changes such as dementia are common in Parkinson’s disease. For most of us “dementia” is a very scary word, so I’d like to make clear that although such a cognitive impairment is common, not all those with Parkinson’s necessarily experience dementia. Parkinson’s disease dementia is less likely in early onset disease, tremor onset patients, and where significant depression is absent. However, because patients with Parkinson’s disease are about six times more likely to suffer from dementia than those without Parkinson’s, it is a good idea to pay close attention and watch for signs of dementia, as some medical treatment may be needed. Therefore, a clear understanding of what “dementia” is will follow.
What Dementia Is:
Dementia is a disturbance in intellectual function that interferes greatly with essential aspects of life and progressively worsens over time. The typical profile of Parkinson’s disease dementia consists of:
declining ability to reason,
slowed mental processing,
dramatic lapses in memory,
worsening visual-spatial construction
and trouble maintaining attention.
The various types of dementias that can occur in patients with Parkinson’s may overlap and co-occur, making them hard to distinguish. Neurological exams and neuropsychological assessments may help pinpoint and ascertain the different dementias. Conventional segmentation has divided dementia into two types: cortical and subcortical. Cortical dementia is typically found with Alzheimer’s disease and characterized by profound memory problems early on. Subcortical dementia is a slowing of cognitive processing, forgetfulness, apathy, and retrieval difficulties early on.
When watching for signs of Parkinson’s disease dementia, it is appropriate to worry, but try not to become alarmed. Cognitive changes do not automatically suggest the onset of dementia. If you are suspicious of certain behaviors, consult your neurologist for a neuropsychological consultation. It is painless, detailed, and can uncover factors that may be the cause of cognitive changes.
Choose the Right Home Health Care Agency
Oct 13th
Home health care agencies are a valuable resource of respite care, assistance, and knowledge. Home care is designed to meet various needs. Since home health care is a service that ranges from professional medical assistance to personal aide, not all home care agencies offer the same services. Once you have a good understanding of your needs, it’s time to start searching for a home care agency that meets all the services you require. Below is a list of questions you can ask home health care agencies as you determine which one is right for you.
Questions to Ask Home Care Agencies
- How long has the home care agency serviced your community?
- Are caregiver references available?
- Does the home care agency perform background checks on their caregivers?
- Does the home care agency provide an assessment or consultation to determine if home health care is appropriate for the care recipient?
- Do you have the flexibility to change caregivers if there is a lack of compatibility or if the care recipient’s health care needs change?
- How does the home care agency choose their caregivers?
- Does the home care agency meet all of your caregiving needs?
- Can you receive literature explaining the home care agency’s services, fees, and conditions?
- Will the home care agency include the care recipient and family when developing a care plan?
- Can the home care agency offer help to coordinate and assist the family by filling in around job schedules, travel plans, or other responsibilities?
- Can the home care agency ensure recipient confidentiality?
- Does the home care agency offer payment plan options?
- What resources does the agency provide to help you get financial assistance, if needed?
- How does the home care agency staff respond to your first (and second) call?
- What is the home care agency’s procedure for resolving complaints?
- How soon can you receive home health care services?
- What are the responsibilities and procedures of the emergency home care agency and caregiver in case of an emergency?
When you have found a home health care agency that is reliable and suits your needs, be sure to monitor the care provided. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor any questions you have regarding the care you are receiving.
If you have any questions regarding home health care, contact A Better Living Home Care. We have a caring staff and qualified caregivers who are ready to assist you with your needs.