Discover Peace of Mind™
As the demand for caregivers continues growing, we are delighted to learn about Missouri’s plan to supply more caregivers with the proper training and education to enter the field. MoHealthWINs is a state-wide grant program to improve the education of students in health-related disciplines and provide continuing education for the health care workforce.
The term home health care embodies a wide range of services that are provided to allow elderly, ill, disabled or recovering individuals to remain in the independence of home. Services can fall anywhere between skilled nursing care to transportation and light housekeeping. Care can range from short weekly visits to around-the-clock 24-hour care.
More than ever, seniors are spending their golden years in the comfort of home. This is largely due to the availability of 24-hour care – full-time in-home assistance and supervision to individuals who would otherwise need to move into an assisted living facility.
While a holiday gathering may not be the best time to address concerns (such as dementia, incontinence or the ability to manage medications), it is important that they are not ignored. By waiting too long, or avoiding the topics completely, you risk your loved one becoming too confused to make informed decisions and be included in the process.
Health care workers, more than the general public, face many workplace risk factors for substance abuse disorders. Among these factors are access, stress, lack of education and attitude.
As more and more baby boomers find themselves caring for aging parents, it is as crucial as ever to understand the process and legal accountabilities of hiring a caregiver. There are many home care services to meet the growing demand. Accordingly, contractual arrangements and employment policies also vary greatly.
In Missouri, among other states, home care workers provide care to clients who are either restricted to their home or have chosen to receive care at home. When long hours are involved, one way many agencies provide this care is by utilizing the caregiver companionship services exemption.
When choosing a home care company, you should be looking at the caregivers who they employ. The person you talk to on the phone or at a trade show may do and say all of the right things, but how do you know your loved one will receive the best care.
Choosing quality care for aging relatives can be one of the most important decisions any of us will make. We want our loved ones to be comfortable but also safe and well cared for. Senior home care services can be the answer for many consumers. These services allow seniors to stay comfortably in their own homes but also provide for qualified professionals to visit regularly to ensure quality care. There are five important questions anyone should answer before hiring a service:
Finding resources in your community can be a challenging task. Ask a family member caring for a loved one, and they will tell you there are times they feel as though the chips have been stacked against them and they just needed help. As a home care provider, Seniors Home Care regularly helps seniors in the community connect with reliable resources in a attempt to improve the quality of live for seniors in need.
At Seniors Home Care we empower our caregivers and staff by providing ongoing training programs. This information is also helpful to family caregivers who may have noticed a loved one's weight loss.
Summer, and Summer heat waves pose a very real danger to the elderly. Normally, our body controls and regulates elevated temperature by allowing heat loss through the skin and by evaporation.
John, age 85, is receiving home care after a recent fall and fracture of the hip. Over the last year since his wifes death, he has experienced a large weight loss. Johns doctor feels that the weigh loss contributed towards his fall and something needs to be done. John admits to not having the appetite he used to when his wife was alive, "She used to make me a snack every night before bed. I always knew that she cared."
It never ceases to prove out the frailty of some elders!! Start listening to your parents, co-workers, neighbors, or friends any time they relay a story regarding an elder that is hospitalized.
As spring makes its slow crawl into our lives, I start to think about those warm days to come. I am reminded of a conversation I normally have with my grandmother about drinking water and staying hydrated.
I have previously blogged on Heart Disease and it's prevalence in the elderly. As a Registered Nurse working in the private duty home health care field, I too often see seniors who suffer from the effects of heart attacks, strokes and other heart related conditions.
Respite care can be defined as a short or long term break from caregiving responsibilities for caregivers or family members. Caregivers and family members regularly deal with situations including caring for children or adults with disabilities, or chronic or terminal illnesses.
I recently spent some time with one of my favorite clients. Cela is 90 yrs old and full of life—a real fireball. Cela was a classical violinist whose concert career took her all over the world.
An area of concern that I get asked about the most is finding someone to give the caregiver a break to care for the elderly. More commonly, this was called respite care.
When I am talking with our clients, they tell me that trust is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome. Trust is huge. How does a family know if a caregiver is going to steal money from a wallet, know what to do in the home or not be on their cell phone the whole time?
When you look for home care services, you are really looking for someone you can trust. At Seniors Home Care we understand.
I'm concerned that my mother/father has not bathed lately? How can I tell?
For the answer to this one, I went to a nurse here at Seniors Home Care, Alice Endy. Alice says that this question comes up frequently. Family members are concerned with the hygiene of their loved one, but sometimes feel uncomfortable asking the question.
Today's elders are living longer and have more disposable income. More and more of them are traveling regularly, many by car. Unfortunately, statistics show that this group also has one of the highest accident rates.
According to the National Institute on Aging, about 600,000 people 70 and older stop driving each year. AARP surveys show that a third of older non-drivers complain of feeling isolated from other people, compared to 19 percent of older adults that still drive.