Most seniors want to age at home for as long as possible. Still, seniors living with chronic health conditions or physical and emotional limitations may need 24-hour living assistance at home. This constant care is likely to be impossible for families to manage and sustain. One option is to move in with a family member. Another option is to move them to an assisted living facility. A third option is full-time or 24-hour in-home care, where professional caregivers provide 24/7 assistance — day and night — in the comfort of their own home. Why Some Seniors May Need 24-Hour Home CarePoor eyesight, memory loss, mobility issues, and deteriorating health are some of the things that can make simple everyday tasks challenging and frustrating for older adults. Professional one-on-one caregivers from Visiting Angels can handle these daily responsibilities and offer safety, support, and companionship. Here are some advantages of round-the-clock care: SafetyProfessional home caregivers from Visiting Angels are trained to identify tripping and accident risks and other potential household hazards for seniors. They can act as your eyes and ears to monitor and protect your loved one. Reliable care at a reasonable costNursing homes and other facilities for the elderly can be costly. Knowing you’re getting reliable, affordable home care is a cost-effective advantage of a 24/7 live-in home care aide. Support from friends and familyWhen your loved one is comfortable in their home, they can welcome and entertain family and friends. Visitors can come when they want, unlike nursing homes with permanent visiting hours. This flexibility enables more people to spend quality time with senior loved ones. Personalized care & lifestyle maintenanceWhen seniors move into a nursing home, many things change — a new room, surroundings, people, and schedules. All of these transitions can disorient and upset the elderly. In-home caregivers will ensure the care they need without disrupting their routine. A one-on-one support system enables a high level of personal care for seniors. Meals, activities, and other requests can be tailored to your loved one’s preferences. A home caregiver can tackle light everyday chores and keep the house clean and orderly according to your loved one’s wishes. They can also help with day-to-day transportation to and from doctor appointments, grocery store visits, and other out-of-home activities. Meaningful companionshipIn addition to physical assistance, a 24-hour professional caregiver offers emotional support and one-to-one companion care. A 24-hour home care aide provides seniors with an acquaintance they can rely on and prevent loneliness. Respite for family caregiversMany family caregivers can become overwhelmed when supporting an elderly loved one and may benefit from respite care service. 24-hour care service can provide families a brief break by offering a helping hand with household responsibilities. Families can rest easy knowing there is always a considerate, competent professional taking care of their loved ones.
Visiting Angels’ 24-hour home caregivers provide dedicated and compassionate care for seniors, keeping them safe and comfortable while giving you peace of mind. Take the first step to learn more through a complimentary home care assessment. During a Visiting Angels’ in-home care assessment, we’ll meet with you and your loved one to determine how 24-hour care can deliver the best outcome. Our Select Your Caregiver® program enables you to choose your loved one’s caregiver(s). Thanks to our in-depth care assessments, we’ll suggest caregiver matches that closely meet your needs, making it easy to select the proper care professional for your loved one. To learn more, please contact us at 617–795–2727. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA has been providing high-caliber in-home care services for seniors and people with disabilities for over eighteen years. Countless families have benefited from our private duty care, companion care, respite support, dementia and Alzheimer’s care, live-in and 24/7 home care, transitional aid, and home care services in Watertown, Brookline, Natick, Wellesley, Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Canton, Jamaica Plain, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Westwood, and neighboring communities. As a result of our exemplary home care service, Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has won the Best of Home Care Leader in Excellence Award; the Best of Home Care Provider of Choice Award; and the Best of Home Care Employer of Choice Award from the national client satisfaction survey firm, Home Care Pulse, for six years. We have been honored to receive the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work award for seven years and one of the ten best places to work in Massachusetts in 2021 based on diversity and inclusion. Our dedicated and well-trained caregivers love their HHA jobs and CNA jobs. Helping Senior Loved Ones with Dementia
If you provide care for elderly loved ones with dementia, you most likely have witnessed their battle with memory loss and other cognitive limitations. It can be heart-wrenching to hear them forget family members and friends, fail to recall recent events, or talk about deceased loved ones who they believe are still alive. You may be feeling helpless and discouraged, but there are strategies you can use to reduce stress, circumvent confusion, and maintain a healthy relationship with your aging loved one. 5 Ways to Cope with Dementia and Confusion Dementia can cause your elderly loved ones to say outlandish things or become befuddled when out in public. You may feel embarrassed as they clumsily interact with neighbors, talk to store owners, or even chat with strangers. Dealing with loved ones exhibiting dementia-related behavior, in private and public, can be disturbing. The following tips can help you manage tricky interactions caused by your senior’s illness: Step into their reality Seniors with dementia can find it hard to keep track of reality and memory or imagination. If you pull seniors with dementia into the “real world” by correcting them, you can sometimes cause more confusion, stress, fear, or even anger — which only worsens their symptoms. Experts recommend, whenever possible, that you affirm and join your loved one’s reality. If your senior occasionally speaks as though they live in the past, keep the conversation going without correcting them as long as it is not causing them harm. For example, if your senior thinks it’s Saturday, but it’s Wednesday, there is no need to correct them – just let it go. Use distractions and diversions Experts encourage using situational distractions to help people with dementia stay calm and avoid worsening symptoms. For example, if telling your senior you are taking them for a medical checkup causes distress, you may tell them, instead, that you are going on a trip to the park and will stop for a doctor’s appointment on your way back. You may also choose to distract your senior from topics that cause stress or if you find they are stuck repeating themselves. Changing the subject to the weather or asking them to assist with a simple task can help diffuse the situation. Assistance folding laundry or watering plants can help to shift their focus. Some people may feel guilty about using therapeutic distractions or diversions, and that is perfectly normal. Just remember the goal is to make your loved one feel comfortable and find a balance that works for both of you. Use brief explanations and gentle corrections Sometimes, you may have to correct a confused senior. In situations like this, do so as gently and briefly as possible. Reduce confusion and other negative emotions by phrasing your corrections as suggestions. For example, you could say, “Why don’t we take a walk together?” instead of, “I can’t let you go out alone because you’ll get lost or fall.” Be sure to use simple words and phrases that your loved one will recognize. Physical reminders, such as photographs, can also help gently reorient a senior with dementia when necessary. Respond to feelings, not words Ask yourself what emotion might be behind your loved one’s words. If they are lashing out, perhaps it’s because they are afraid. In this case, you can reassure them that everything is okay and perhaps offer them a hug or hold their hand. It is important to respond calmly at all times. Take care of yourself Although following these tips can help reduce stress for you and your senior, caring for a senior with dementia can still be very demanding. Remember that taking care of yourself is essential to avoid caregiver burnout. If you find yourself hurt by comments your senior has made, try to remind yourself they aren’t doing it on purpose. If you need additional support in caring for your elderly loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or memory loss problems, consider hiring a Visiting Angels caregiver. We have partnered with leading dementia specialists to develop a series of dementia care certification programs. Basic dementia care training is available to all Visiting Angels caregivers, and many home health aides are certified in advanced dementia care protocols. Our Visiting Angels care coordinators are available to discuss your loved one’s needs during a free care consultation. Contact us today! About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning local home care agency providing high-caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our in-home senior care, respite care, elder companion care, live-in and 24-hour care, dementia and Alzheimer's care, transitional aid, and at-home living assistance services in Stoughton, Brookline, Canton, Dedham, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Watertown, Wellesley, West Roxbury, Westwood, and neighboring communities. The non-medical care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a significant impact on your loved one's happiness and quality of life. Caring for Senior Parents With Different Needs
As loved ones grow older, they begin to need additional care at home. You may feel overwhelmed and sometimes discouraged about providing for them appropriately — especially if they have different care needs. You might look to a live-in senior care facility as an option, but these facilities may separate your parents to address their individual care requirements. For a couple who has spent decades together, this sudden separation can be emotionally distressing and could lead to increased feelings of depression and social isolation. In-Home Senior Care Can Help Both Parents To help your senior parents age in place safely, comfortably—and together--Visiting Angels Newton/Canton offers a range of personalized programs to match each parent’s home care needs, including:
Get the Right Home Care Services for Both Parents Helping your senior parents age together safely and comfortably at home can be challenging, especially when each spouse has different care needs. If you need help finding the right at-home living assistance for each parent without separating them, Visiting Angels Newton/Canton’s senior home care is your best solution. Our care coordinators can provide a free home care consultation to discuss the best services and programs to help your senior parents with their personalized home care needs. If you're interested in more information about how in-home care can help your senior loved ones, contact us at 617-795-2727. Providing Safe, High-Quality Care the Elderly DeserveAt Visiting Angels Newton/Canton, our priority remains its caregivers' health and safety and the elderly clients they serve every day. As an award-winning home care agency in Greater Boston, Visiting Angels Newton/Canton follows and adheres to the latest health and safety guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite the challenges associated with COVID-19, in-home caregivers fulfill Visiting Angels’ mission of partnering with families to provide essential at-home living assistance for older adults. Visiting Angels’ in-home caregivers continue to be homecare heroes on the frontlines, taking necessary steps to protect elderly loved ones and themselves and doing whatever it takes to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you have a loved one who could benefit from elderly care services at home, call Visiting Angels Newton/Canton today to schedule a free in-home consultation. A care manager will work with you to choose the best fit for your family member and you. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning local home care agency providing high-caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our in-home dementia care, Alzheimer's care, respite care, live-in and 24-hour care, companion care, transitional aid, and in-home care services in Norwood and Boston area neighborhoods, including Brookline, Canton, Dedham, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Stoughton, Upper Back Bay, Watertown, Wellesley, West Roxbury, Westwood, and neighboring communities. |
AuthorVisiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning in-home care agency that provides high quality home care to seniors and disabled adults in Greater Boston, MA. Archives
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