they will always live.”Your Mom and Dad may be enjoying their golden years, but as time goes on, issues may naturally arise. Maybe Mom has a slow-progressing eye condition and is gradually losing her independence. Alternatively, Dad has begun to forget the names of you and your siblings randomly. Which may be a sign he is experiencing the early stages of dementia. It is natural to become anxious and concerned when you start to notice these changes. Your instinct may be to step in and care for your parent. However, you can't neglect balancing other needs: a full-time job, children, and family. Self-care can quickly become an occasional priority as you are trying to juggle your personal life simultaneously while helping your aging loved one. Too many pressures can cause you to burn out both emotionally and financially. It is essential to understand Mom or Dad’s conditions as their needs evolve. It is nearly impossible to gauge the level of care your loved one will need, even if you have become their primary caregiver. The natural aging process can expose your parent to a range of health issues, and certain conditions may remain undiagnosed until there is an injury or illness. Maybe you’ve thought about asking your parent to move in with you. However, most elderly would like to age in place and maintain their independence. Per a joint report by the Home Care Association of America and Global Coalition on Aging: “Nine out of ten Americans 65 and older want to stay at home for as long as possible, and 80 percent think their current home is where they will always live.” Technology is not EnoughYou may think using smart telehealth devices or installing a home-monitoring system is the answer. However, stand-alone technology can hardly replace the expertise of a trained professional such as an HHA or CNA who has cared for older adults just like your parents. Even if you’re seeing Mom and Dad on a regular basis, it doesn’t mean you can manage the care alone. For instance, severe mood swings may not manifest in an elderly until sundown, a time when you’re likely to feel drained from a long day. During moments of irritability and high-agitation, your parent can’t depend on a digital health device to restore a sense of calm; however, a trained, professional caregiver can be a calming presence, and be your eyes and ears for Mom and Dad when you can’t be there. Emotional Safety and Physical SecurityA quality home care provider can address safety before it's too late. For example, if your parent is losing balance, your mom’s professional caregiver has been trained to “fall-proof” the home. Further, this person can serve as a human firewall. Lonely seniors become easy prey for fraudsters. An unsuspecting elderly adult is a target for scam artists. Make sure your elderly loved one doesn’t end up a victim. Every day, scammers are trying to gather personal information and are banking on confused seniors to give it to them. Fraudsters may try to engage a lonely senior who is hungry for more interaction. It’s just another scenario where a caregiver can mitigate potential harm for your loved one. Professional Care after a Hospital VisitIf your mom or dad was recently discharged from the hospital, it is imperative to provide specific care to help prevent costly readmission. Quality in-home care services can dramatically reduce the chances of your loved one relapsing or getting re-injured. Around-the-clock care for the first month after hospital discharge is always recommended. Elderly adults have a much lower chance of recovery if they are re-hospitalized in this 30-day window, which is why reducing hospital readmissions is crucial. Will you be around to ensure your parent strictly adheres to a doctor’s discharge care plan? If not, you can rely on a professional caregiver to follow the medical directive and care plan, keeping your loved one safe and out of the hospital. What about if the doctor assigns Mom or Dad a meal plan? Will you be there to prepare the recommended foods for your parent? Professional caregivers will prepare nutritious meals for your loved one as part of their routine. It is no secret that early detection is the key to better health outcomes. While caregivers are not medical professionals, they do possess the education and experience necessary to recognize initial signs of dementia, Alzheimer's or symptoms of depression. They can be your eyes and ears while working extra hard to foster a positive attitude in your loved one. A home care provider is an objective third-party who takes a measured approach. Should there be a problem, you won't lose precious time before addressing the issue. Hire a Caregiver from a Reputable Homecare AgencyNo doubt you wish to hire a caregiver that you can trust to care for your loved one. That means professional skills, experience, and an attitude of respect and compassion towards the elderly. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has an outstanding team of caregivers who are CNA or HHA certified. Each has at least three years’ professional experience in the field of home care services. Caregivers must pass an extensive home care exam and are interviewed at length by two Case Managers. Our new Caregivers complete a full orientation training which includes a specialized dementia care program. We provide continuous support with events, training, and awards. We even take care to assign caregivers that fits the personality traits of our clients to ensure the best outcome. 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 elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our dementia home care, Alzheimer's care, companion care, respite support, transitional aid, and elder home care services in Needham, Dedham, Canton, Stoughton, Newton, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Wellesley, Westwood, Watertown, Natick, Roslindale, Norwood, and nearby towns. While non-medical in nature, the care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a positive impact on your loved one's happiness and quality of life. Call us at 617-795-2727 for information or visit our website at https://visitingangels.com/newton.
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Clutter can be one of the first signs that your loved one needs help. If you visit your loved one, who normally has the house in near-mint condition, and the house looks unkempt, it is a sign that something may not be right. You may have to play detective and interpret the clues. Seniors don’t always ask for the help they need, so you can’t wait for him or her to make the first move. If you think your loved one is struggling, it might be time to consider getting them support. Clutter poses a significant risk to aging seniors living alone at home because they often have underlying health issues that can make them more prone to falling. When you consider poor eyesight, a misplaced item on the floor in a walkway can become a fall risk. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in seniors; they lead to severe injuries, like hip fractures, broken bones and brain injuries. If your loved one falls once, the risk of future falls double, and the possible health complications increase with each fall. Clutter could be a sign of underlying health problems as well. Clutter can be a sign that your loved one isn’t able to handle day-to-day housework anymore. Your parents may be reaching an age where their muscles and skeleton weaken; or they may have arthritis, which can affect dexterity. Often, seniors can be too proud to ask for help, or in denial that they need assistance. This may be because they don’t want to be a burden on family or friends, or because they fear that a change in routine might lead to a loss of privacy and independence. Clutter may also be an early sign of dementia, e.g. when your loved one is missing steps in their usual daily routine, like forgetting to vacuum or clear up after dinner. Other similar signs include not carrying out basic personal hygiene or forgetting to pay bills. We all forget things, misplace car keys or mix up names, but regular occurrences, particularly in an older person, could be a warning. If you suspect your loved one is exhibiting signs of dementia, contact their physician. A decline in the cleanliness of your loved one’s home could also be due to depression or mental fatigue. As they age, they don’t produce the same levels of chemicals like serotonin that help balance moods. Physical problems, like loss of mobility, can cause them to become isolated and loneliness can be a prime cause of depression. Boredom can be a factor and seniors also face many issues that can be upsetting, like the loss of friends and loved ones, and facing their own mortality. As with dementia, if a general malaise and lack of effort around the home is accompanied by other signs of depression, like weight loss, sudden mood changes and trouble sleeping, it may be wise to contact a medical professional. Maybe friends and family could help your loved one with housework if needed, but remember, this may be a long-term commitment. Of course, you can pick up after your loved one, but that may not address the underlying causes of the clutter in their home. A professional home caregiver from Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can help your family member with housework, either by carrying out tasks that they physically can’t manage or by offering gentle reminders of the tasks still to be done. If your loved one is determined to live at home as mental faculties wane, professional home care can help tremendously. If the clutter in your loved one’s home does become evidence of a deeper problem, a professional caregiver from Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can help with those conditions, too. If your loved one is in the early stages of dementia, a caregiver can help them keep up with daily routines and offer stimulation to help to slow the advance of the disease, while watching for signs of the condition deteriorating. If your loved one is depressed, a professional caregiver can help with activities and socializing, either by offering companionship or by enabling interaction with other seniors. Whatever the reason for the clutter in your loved one’s home, the time to act on it is now. It may be indicative of underlying problems that must be addressed. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton understands that each client has unique needs. Therefore, we design a personalized home care plan for each client, based on the results of an initial in-home consultation by one of our case managers. Then we carefully choose the right caregiver for the client, considering factors such as technical skills, personality traits, and experience. Our home care aides are professional, experienced and always treat clients with respect and dignity. They are trained with the use of Hoyer lifts, gait belt or other transfer equipment. We are on call 24/7 at 617-795-2727, always ready to provide help to your loved one. And, we have a large pool of back-up caregivers. Your loved one will not be alone if your regular caregiver cannot provide service due to unexpected circumstances. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has won the Best of Home Care Provider of Choice, Leader in Excellence and Employer of Choice from Home Care Pulse for years. Our quality is recognized! If you loved one needs senior home care assistance in Needham, Dedham, Canton, Watertown, Brookline, Wellesley, and nearby areas, please call us at 617-795-2727 for a free consultation. There’s nothing like a mother’s love. Whether she was making your school lunch, giving you a pep talk after a disappointment, acting as your biggest cheerleader, or spoiling your kids, Mom was always there for you. Perhaps that’s why it is so difficult for grown children to accept the fact that they are not always able to take care of an aging mother themselves. In a perfect world, you would be able to take care of your aging parent in your home or theirs, relying only on family to help you. But the reality is that caring for an aging or ill parent is a full-time job that can take a toll on the caregiver; add to that the demands of raising a family, working, and other responsibilities, and chances are you’ll need a little assistance along the way. That’s where Visiting Angels come in. A national network of franchised non-medical senior homecare agencies, the company provides senior homecare to help elderly and older adults continue to live in their homes. These caring, experienced home caregiversprovide up to 24-hour care in the comfort of the client’s own home. Unlike most elderly care service agencies that assign staff and schedule appointments with little input from their clients, Visiting Angels representatives begin by meeting with potential clients in order to get to know them. They also talk with involved family members, and when necessary, a person’s physician or social worker in order to develop an individualized program to manage the particular daily needs of each care recipient. Clients participate in selecting their own caregivers, and the client and her family have the final say in the selection process, ensuring that the match will be a good one. You can be confident that your caregiver is qualified and has excellent references. “Character counts,” says Richard Bitner, of Visiting Angels. “We build relationships with families and hire only experienced caregivers who pass a rigorous screening process.” “The families schedule is our schedule”. The company also emphasizes the intangible traits of the caregiver, such as a caring personality. Many of the company’s caregivers are former hospital staff who have grown tired of budget cuts taking over healthcare and who appreciate the opportunity to do one-on-one personal care. “We want our clients to look forward to a visit by their caregiver,” says Bitner. “That’s why the client is in complete control from start to finish.” After the caregiver has been placed in your home, the company continues its personalized contact through telephone check-in and home visits to make sure you and your caregiver are a good match. Although Visiting Angels are non-medical caregivers, they can provide a vital link in patient care. In cases where seniors are coming home from the hospital or a nursing home, the agency will consult with doctors, nursing home staff, social workers, physical therapists, and of course, the family, to establish each client’s personalized needs. In addition, although Visiting Angels do not dispense drugs, they can help monitor whether the patient is taking their medication. Because caregivers have access to a great deal of health information about their clients, Visiting Angels is one of very few national non-medical senior homecare providers to be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). “Such information is very sensitive, and all of our clients deserve the protection that HIPAA compliancy can provide,” says Bitner. Many families request we take their Mother’s to their Doctor for scheduled appointments, so we can keep the family in the loop. In addition to offering joyful companionship, Visiting Angels will also do light housekeeping, run errands, prepare meals or do shopping — other ways they can provide a respite for families dealing with the care of a loved one. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton senior homecare agency provides high quality in-home care services to seniors and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our dementia home care service, Alzheimer’s care, companion care, elderly care, respite support, transitional aid, and elder home care services in Wellesley, Newton, Needham, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Canton, Westwood, Dedham, Watertown, Natick, Stoughton, Roslindale, Norwood and nearby towns . While non-medical in nature, the care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a big impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life. Call us today at 617-795-2727 for more information! |
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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