One of the options, that many people have taken, is to place their elderly loved ones in a nursing home. This can have a negative impact on the elderly family member; being displaced from their home can upset the balance of their lives and lead to depression. The House Government Reform Committee Special Investigation Division found that in a three year period, from 1999 to 2001, that 9,000 instances of elderly abuse, and neglect were reported.

Most claims cited neglect as the reason for complaint, unsanitary conditions, bed sores going untreated, and deficient hygienic practices. Some of the reports were much more severe. Physical, and sexual abuse were found in a smaller number of cases. These reports cause grave concern for those who are considering a nursing home for their elderly family members. While the findings do not mean that all nursing homes are bad, it does give family members cause for concern.

Another option that people are seeking out more frequently is home health care. A caregiver can provide individual service to an elderly family member, in the comfort of their own home. This allows them some level of freedom that a nursing home would lack, and does not cut them off from the rest of the world.

The elderly family member also has free contact with other members of the family, in cases where neglect, or some other offense may occur. For more and more seniors, home care is making their life easier, and families can form a relationship with the caregiver, allowing them to know that their loved one is being taken care of. Choosing a caregiver as opposed to a nursing home may be a much more comfortable solution to the problems that come up concerning an elderly family member.

Almost 87% of these falls occurred in people using walkers, while 13% involved the use of a cane. The CDC has urged caregivers, and people working in the home care industry to educated themselves, as well as their clients, on the topic of mobility aid safety precautions. There are a few simple guidelines that can help home care workers help keep their clients safe.

Maintaining a clear walking path through the home is one of the most important things that can be done to help keep mobility impaired people safe. Caregivers should always make sure that walking paths are clear of clutter, and electrical cords which may cause a fall. Keeping the room well lit will also help protect people using mobility aids.

Caregivers should also check the mobility aid for any cracks, or damage, which may create a fall hazard. Many walkers have a certain weight capacity, ensuring that the user meets these requirements will help keep them safe. Some walkers have folding pieces, which allow for easy storage, but can provide a fall hazard if they are not correctly locked in place. A walker should never be used to climb stairs, or escalators, so a caregiver should try to find ways around these obstacles.

For home care clients who use canes, it is always recommended that they use the cane on their strongest side, as that side will be supporting most of their weight. When ascending stairs on a cane a person should lead with their strong leg, while descending they should lead with the weaker leg. Make sure that adjustable canes are set to the correct height, to help further protect clients.

Educating both caregivers, and clients in the proper safety precautions can help significantly reduce the number of falling accidents suffered by those who have impaired mobility.

Social Interaction

By staying at home instead, you can have the same social life you have always had. There are no visiting times within your own home so family and friends can come and go as they please. If you feel like preparing a dinner then you can do so in your own kitchen and invite guests over. There is no reason to lose sight of your social circle.

Finance Management

If you are choosing to live in your own home then there will be no need to sell it and go through the lengthy and sometimes difficult sales period. This can be very troublesome for the elder and family due to the economic situation in your country and concerns over fluctuating market values.Why sell a home to only then move into a different one?

Freedom

If you choose to stay at home instead then you will have more freedom. Care homes, due to the amount of people they have to look after, are very regimented and timings play an important part of the daily routine. At home you can eat when you want, get up when you want – in fact your life is your own.

Mental Well-being

Many people can not handle such a drastic change in circumstances, such as moving into a care home, so late in life. The change in the sights, sounds and smells, all the new faces, rules and regulations, etc, can all be overwhelming to the strongest person.

Better Health Care

It is an obvious fact that if you choose to stay at home instead and receive individual care then you will be under a better umbrella of care, on a one-to-one basis, than if you were at a care home mixed in with a group of people, all with different ailments and needs, etc. A caregiver is your own private medical team who knows you and your conditions, your likes and dislikes, someone who becomes a friend.

Please let us know if this is the highly specialized kind of service your require.

Apart from the services already mention there are other tasks that could be perform by the caregivers:

• Assisting the client in daily routines such as bathing, or any other hygienic need.
• House chores such as cooking or cleaning.
• Help the elderly to run errands or doing them in their behalf.

Do not confuse home health care with home care services. Even though they might seem like the same type of services, home health services includes a medical aspect that set these two similar programs apart. Home health care programs come with various certified and trained medical professionals who are obviously qualified to assist the client in medical aspects. Home health services are only provided by nurses or therapists and these services can be hired by public or private health departments and home health care agencies which are allowed to provide their services by the state they operate in.

Even though caregivers can actually provide assistance concerning cooking, bathing or running errands under no circumstance are they allowed to offer medical support because they are not certified or train to do so. In many occasions both, home health care agencies and home care agencies will complement each other to meet the client’s need. In other occasions the family will decide to hire this services on a freelance basis, in which case the family should do a thoroughly background check to make sure the applicant meets the requirements and expectations of the family.

What does the agency do when an employee is absent?

If the caregiver is absents from his/her work it is important to know what the agency is going to do about it. Make sure to find out if the absent caregiver will be replace for another one or would the agency wait until the caregiver is back.

How long has the home health care agency been in business in the community?

The period of time an agency has been in business will either indicate a good or a bad performance. New agencies have not got the chance to accumulate enough feedback so for you to decide whether it is a good agency or a bad one.

Does the agency create a plan for each client’s care?

Tailored plans for each client shows the interest of the agency to meet each client’s needs, showing the individuality of each case as unique. On the other hand, agencies that do not follow a specific plan for each client might overlook important aspects that should have been taken into account which can have negative results in the care of the elderly person.

Does the agency have a current license to operate in their state or city?

This is an issue that is not commonly taken into account but still a very important piece of information to investigate. People might think that only because an agency is operating as such it is a certified one. In some cases agencies might have had a license to operate as such but due to some complications it might no longer have one. Making sure the agency your are planning to hire has got a license is a key point to make your decision.

How does the agency handle liability issues?

If a client under the care of a caregiver suffers an injury whether it was an accident or intended. Is the agency responsible for it? Agencies which state full responsibility in black and white are more selective when it comes to hire and train employees.

This issue is also very common in elderly communities and home care situations around the world. Even though this group concerns grown ups in the developed world their bodies and minds are in decay like the third world children we see on TV. There are several reasons why this condition might develop, among them: depression, undernourishment or disease.

If we compare our bodies to a plant and take into account that no matter a what stage the plant is at it will need water, sunlight, attention and fresh air. So why should we believe that because we reached an adult stage we no longer need nourishing. All the things we need to thrive will help us to remain healthy and sane. The following points are ways caregivers can help seniors who are receiving home care to keep nourish.

Balanced diet

A poor diet can keep the body from getting essential nutrients. Making sure the elderly person eats a balanced diet will help them remain healthier. If the former is not possible the doctor can prescribe food supplements and vitamins to fill in the gaps.

Communication and Interaction

Elderly people should be able to do things they enjoy doing. Keep in touch with family members and friends or even to start up a hobby will make them feel happy. Establish a good communication system, by listening to them when they speak, asking questions to find out about their likes, dislikes, needs or even fears will help them to feel better.

Activities

Visit landmarks or shopping venues, going for walks to the local parks are good ideas for outings. Find out about easy but fun exercises elderly people can practice at home. Promote activities and exercises every time possible.

If you are going through the effort to keep a loved on at home with home care services like ours, it is obviously better to make their time at home more enjoyable.

Medications

For elderly people with serious health conditions, the medications that they are taking can sometimes be the difference between life and death. For this reason, it is especially important to have on hand all of the medication they may need before embarking on an extended trip. If possible, a backup supply of each medication should be taken, packed in a separate location from the regular supply. This way, if luggage is lost or misplaced, caregivers will still have one set of the medication on hand. It is also prudent to investigate how easily it will be in the destination location to get prescriptions replaced and refilled, if the need should arise.

Medical Equipment

Medical equipment such as glucose meters, heart monitors, and oxygen tanks should be thoroughly inspected by a qualified professional for any problems before being taken on an extended trip. An adequate supply of necessary accessories to this equipment, such as tubing, cords, and test strips should also be ready accessible. When receiving home health care it is easy to build up a huge range of vital equipment, so suitable transport needs to be considered as well.

Physician contact information

When traveling any distance with a person who is under a doctor’s care, it is always prudent to have detailed contact information for their health care professional in the event of an emergency while out of town. If possible, this information should also include any colleagues of an elderly patient’s regular doctor who may be practicing in the travel destination. Having this information handy travel can go a long way in providing peace of mind to the caregiver travel companions.

Medical history and information

A brief, but detailed medical history should always be on the list of things to pack when traveling with an elderly person. The history should include, of course, a complete list of medications they are taking, but also any known food or drug allergies and the name and extent of any medical conditions that they are currently under a doctor’s care for.

Taking a vacation, even whist receiving home health care, is vital to rejuvenating oneself both mentally and physically.

One way of adding variety to our time spent receiving home health care  is by keeping abreast of new technology. Trying to learn and become comfortable with all the gadgets available on the market today can be overwhelming to some people – especially those in the elderly age bracket. Computers and electronic devices can often seem like more trouble than they are worth. However, computers can offer a wide array of mental health benefits to people of all ages and can be especially helpful to the aged population. Here are some ways that being computer literate can greatly improve the mental health of an elderly person.

Learning opportunities

Computers bring the world to our fingertips. With a few keystrokes, we can easily transport ourselves to places and into cultures that we might not experience otherwise. Learning about new people, places, and things is a great way to keep the mind healthy and active.

Staying informed and involved

News travels fast and this has never been more true than in the age of the Internet. The websites of local and national media outlets are continuously updated with new and important information regarding current events. Keeping abreast of what’s going on in the world around them can be very helpful in keeping the elderly from feeling isolated, which often leads to depression.

Keeping in contact with family and friends

Computerized mail, also known as e-mail, allows us to instantly send letters and pictures to anyone anywhere in the world within seconds. For elderly people who may be living far away from their family and friends, e-mail is a great way of keeping in touch with their loved ones when it would be difficult for them to do otherwise.

Games and entertainment

Computers can also provide the elderly with games and activities that challenge all of their mental skills at once. Right brain thinking, left brain thinking, short and long term memory recollection, strategic planning, and utilizing deductive reasoning are just some of the ways that playing computer games can exercise the mind while keeping us entertained.

If you would like more information on home health care and how we ourselves use computers to give you an excellent service why not contact us for a chat.

Sleep is an essential need that the body cannot function without. In fact, animal studies have shown that rats that have a normal lifespan of two to three years die within weeks once their bodies are deprived of sleep. The precursors to death were an abnormal metabolism and sores on their body. Sleep deprivation’s toll on the human body is quite different – so we thought it would make for an interesting home health care article.

Sleep deprivation in humans has been linked to a decreased metabolism rate in the brain, a compromised immune system, and an upset of hormones in the body. In addition to these side effects, sleep deprivation can also cause the body’s central nervous system to malfunction, resulting in impaired memory and judgment, an inability to function, and in some cases – hallucinations.

Sleep allows the body to restore itself and the energy that it burned the previous day. Sleep also allows the body to maintain and regulate the hormones in our brains that control cognitive function and social interactions as well as to repair and rebuild injured cells. Without it, all aspects of our bodies and minds begin to deteriorate.

The elderly population could be more susceptible to the effects of sleep deprivation than most people because the side effects mimic common ailments often associated with advanced age. Because these conditions may already be present in the elderly, sleep deprivation exacerbates them. Like with any other medical condition or ailment, this sector of the population is less able to recover from the adverse effects lack of sleep may bring.

Here are some simple techniques that caregivers of the elderly can incorporate into their daily routines to help their elderly charges get the rest they need.

• Avoid heavy meals near bedtime.
• Avoid mentally and visually stimulating activities two hours before bedtime. Stimulation hinders the body’s ability to shut down so that it can rest.
• A warm bath before bed has shown to greatly improve the quality of sleep a person experiences.
• Reduce caffeine intake. Caffeine found in coffee and soft drinks is a stimulant that can prevent the body from slipping into mode that is conducive to sleep.

If any of the tips above seem too dificult for you then our caregivers can assist you during a home health care visit.  Please contact us to review the large variety of home health care services we provide.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that elderly people who remain socially active are far less likely to develop memory loss than their peers who are not socially active. Further, the researchers also found that socially active elders who do develop memory loss develop it at a slower rate than their peers who are not socially active.

In addition to maintaining and improving cognitive function, being socially active can ward off other common maladies of old age, such as depression. Depression often creeps in when moods and self esteem are low, usually due to isolation compounded by other life changing events. Being in the company of people with whom they feel a connection and that they enjoy can remedy some of these ill feelings before they have a chance to have any adverse effects.

If an elderly loved one doesn’t already have a circle of friends with whom they are able to socialize, there are many opportunities for elderly individuals to meet new people in their communities. Here are some of the ways that caregivers and family members of elderly loved ones can help them find an appropriate social setting.

Churches

If an elderly loved one is not active in a local church, visiting one can be a good way of meeting new and interesting people with whom to connect. Since most religious services offer side classes grouped by age, it is more likely they will be in the company of people their own age with whom they may share common interests.

Senior activity centers

Most communities have some kind of activity center for the aged population. These centers generally offer a variety of ways for the elderly to interact with their peers, such as art classes, games, field trips, and exercise programs.

Social service organizations

Many social service organizations are geared toward meeting the needs of the elderly sector of society. Social workers employed by these organizations can be a fountain of information for caregivers and family members who are looking for age appropriate activities for their loved one.

By using our home care services here at Hearts at Home Senior Care our staff can help your loved one get to these social areas.  Or if the home care is needed due to a lack of mobility then the caregiver can help to organize visits from friends and family.