Key Documents to Include in Your Estate Plan

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By the Phoenix area lawyers at Mushkatel, Robbins & Becker PLLC.

Estate PlanningThe older you get, the more important it is that you create an estate plan that addresses everything from distribution of your assets to expression of your health care wishes.

For those who have yet to form an end-of-life plan, here are a few important Arizona estate planning documents that you should consider creating as soon as possible:

Health Care Powers of Attorney

If you cannot make decisions about your health care towards the end of your life due to a tragic accident or because of a disease or illness, having a health care power of attorney will be important. A health care power of attorney is a legal document that allows you to appoint another person to make those critical health care decisions on your behalf.

Financial Powers of Attorney

Just like a health care power of attorney, a financial power of attorney allows you to appoint another person to make important decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated. In this case, the person you appoint will have the power to manage your financial affairs such as paying your bills.

Living Will

A living will is a document that allows you to express your health care wishes to doctors should you ever become incapacitated to the point that you are unable to communicate those wishes. Also known as an advance directive, a living will can address your feelings about pain medications, life-saving measures, life support, surgeries and more.

Last Will & Testament

A last will and testament is a document that dictates what will happen to your possessions and other assets when you die. It also names an executor, who is the person responsible for distributing your estate upon your death. If you die without a will, your estate will be distributed by the Arizona laws of intestate succession and not according to your wishes.

Do I Need an Estate Plan?

You are not legally required to create an estate plan. However, in practical terms, you should engage in estate planning. If you do not have an estate plan, you will have no control over what happens to you and your assets as you approach the end of your life.

When a person falls ill or dies without an estate plan, the person places a very large burden on the shoulders of their loved ones. This can lead to guilt, stress, and disputes between members of the family.

In all cases, it is always best to make these decisions yourself in advance. Express your wishes to all members of your family and put those wishes into writing. You must also make sure that all of your documents are legally valid.

Do I Need an Arizona Estate Planning Attorney?

Just like there is no requirement to create an estate plan, there is no requirement to work with an attorney. However, creating an estate plan can be very difficult, especially from a legal and tax perspective. For this reason, most people choose to work with an experienced estate planning attorney who can guide them through the process.

IN-HOME CARE FOR SENIORS WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE

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Elder Home Care

Parkinson’s disease brings unique challenges. This neuro-degenerative disease is progressive in nature and affects both body and mind. It’s often necessary to contract with a senior in home care agency that offers specialized services administered by caregivers who have been highly trained to work with these patients. In the beginning stages of Parkinson’s disease, the signs and symptoms may only be a minor inconvenience. As the disease progresses, the individual will require a more intense level of senior in home care.

For example, patients with Parkinson’s typically need assistance with personal care tasks, such as bathing, grooming, and dressing. In the latter stages of the disease, these individuals might require reminders to use the toilet. In-home care can even help with the mental and emotional challenges of Parkinson’s disease. A specially trained caregiver can support patients and their families as they seek to adapt to the psychological challenges of this chronic disease.

At Endeavor In-Home Senior Care, you’ll find specialized home care in Mesa and the nearby areas for those with Parkinson’s disease. Our in home care agency in Mesa, AZ, can be reached at (877) 584-6162.

THE RISK OF POST-SURGICAL INFECTIONS

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Every surgery carries some risks, including the risk of infections. The risk of an infection is particularly high while a patient is still in the hospital, but a surgical site infection can also occur in the home. If you or a loved one is recovering from surgery, consider arranging for in-home assistance. These services allow the patient to focus on his or her healing.

Hear more about preventing infections by watching this video. You’ll learn how the surgical team will maintain a sterile environment in the operating room and you’ll get some tips on preventing infections after the procedure.

After a surgery, it can be helpful to have home care assistance from a qualified caregiver. Call Endeavor Senior In Home Care at (877) 584-6162 to arrange for home care assistance near Phoenix, AZ, and be sure to ask us about our senior in home care services.

Ways to Help Seniors Achieve Their Life Goals

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Senior care“One day…”

At Endeavor Home Care, we’re sure you can imagine a lot of interesting ways to conclude that thought – perhaps with activities and adventures you’ve always dreamed of pursuing, but just haven’t had a chance to turn into reality. But what about older loved ones? Don’t the seniors in your life still have dreams, aspirations, and hopes for the future as well?

Everybody has some sort of a bucket list, and older loved ones are no exception. If a senior you care for seems unwilling or unable to dream up ideas to live life to the fullest, try these suggestions to stimulate his or her wishful thinking:

  • Visit the town where he or she was born and raised
  • Volunteer with a favorite charity
  • Try a new hobby, such as scrapbooking or painting
  • Create a legacy to pass down through writing memoirs
  • Learn something new, such as a foreign language or musical instrument
  • Adopt a new pet

It is important to consider that the things should be ones the senior is interested in, not just activities you feel he or she should try regardless of what he or she would like to do. Endeavor Home Care can help get a bucket list conversation started with your senior loved one, and then devise plans with you to fulfill those wishes. Give us a call at (480) 535-6800 for more senior care tips, or for hands-on assistance with turning “one day” into today.

DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT HOSPICE CARE

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Elder Home Care AZ

If your loved one is already receiving senior in home care services, then you probably already have a clear idea of the benefits of having a professional caregiver attend to your loved one’s needs. Toward the end of life, your loved one may need additional services from a local hospice program. Your in home care provider can partner with the hospice program to ensure that all of your loved one’s needs are met.

Myth: Choosing hospice care is equivalent to giving up hope.

Many families delay seeking hospice care for as long as possible because it’s widely considered that choosing hospice means giving up hope that the patient will recover. Later, families often regret that they didn’t choose hospice sooner. The mission of hospice programs is to help the individual achieve quality of life despite a terminal diagnosis. Hospice programs also greatly assist family members by connecting them with much-needed resources like hospice support services and spiritual care providers.

Myth: Hospice care must be delivered in a hospital.

Many hospice patients receive care within the comfort of their own homes, although some hospice programs do operate out of hospitals or long-term care facilities. Often, the families choose to continue receiving senior in home care services along with the hospice services to better meet the needs of their loved one and the whole family.

Myth: Hospice care is only appropriate for seniors.

Seniors toward the end of life do comprise a significant percentage of hospice patients. However, hospice care is appropriate for anyone who has received a terminal diagnosis.

Myth: Choosing hospice means that the end is imminent.

When a patient enters into hospice care, he or she has received a terminal diagnosis for which a cure is unlikely. Hospice patients typically have a life expectancy of six months or less. However, there is simply no way for a doctor to truly know how long a patient has. Some patients are in hospice care for a matter of days, while others receive care for years.

If you’re looking for hospice care in Mesa, AZ and the surrounding communities, reach out to Endeavor In Home Care today. We work in partnership with a handpicked group of hospice organizations in Arizona, providing services such as transportation, light housekeeping, companionship, and meal preparation, and much more. To discuss your loved one’s in-home or hospice care needs in Mesa, AZ, reach out today at (877) 584-6162.

MAINTAINING COMMUNICATION WITH A LOVED ONE WITH MEMORY LOSS

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Elder Home Care services

Communication is an integral part of the human experience. It is vital for quality of life and for maintaining self-identity, yet it’s not uncommon for individuals to experience communication deficits as they grow older, especially when memory loss is an issue. Senior in home care services can help you meet your loved one’s basic needs, allowing you to focus on the quality of your visits with him or her. While visiting, try a few simple tricks to improve communication despite your loved one’s Alzheimer’s or other form of dementia.

Preparing to Communicate

It’s important to avoid letting stressors influence your communication with your loved one. Spend a few minutes taking deep breaths and calming down if something is troubling you. When you’re ready, make sure your loved one is focusing on you. You may need to eliminate distractions, such as by turning off the radio or television. Make eye contact with your loved one before you speak.

Speaking Clearly

It’s best to use short, simple sentences and to avoid any sort of complexity. If you’re asking questions, for example, ask only one question at a time. If you need to repeat your words, be sure to repeat the exact same words you previously used. Speak slowly and calmly, pausing briefly after each sentence to help your loved one process the information.

Listening Carefully

Give your loved one plenty of time to respond when you are finished speaking. Pay attention to non-verbal cues when trying to interpret speech, such as your loved one’s facial expression and body language. If your loved one says something that you know to be untrue, avoid contradicting him or her because this will only cause anxiety. Let your loved one express his or her feelings without trying to interject false humor or joviality into the conversation; it’s all right and even beneficial for your loved one to express sad feelings. Listening respectfully shows your loved one that you care.

Endeavor In-Home Senior Care is the leading provider of senior in home care services for families in Mesa, AZ. In addition to our companion care, post-operative care, and hospice support services, our rigorously screened caregivers also provide specialized dementia and Alzheimer’s care. If your loved one could benefit from some extra help to maintain independence in his or her own home, call our senior in home care agency at (877) 584-6162.

Senior Care Services in Arizona Help Seniors Avoid Re-Hospitalizations

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Senior Care Services in Arizona Picture this scenario: your elderly mother, who lives alone in Arizona, suffered a fall, fractured her arm and ankle, and is now being released from the hospital. Leafing through her discharge papers reveals the need for medications, physical therapy, medical follow-up in several weeks, and a number of other senior care services that will be needed as well as symptoms to watch for that could warrant a return to the E/R.

With a family of six to care for and a full-time job, is it possible to also make sure she sticks to her doctor’s orders and can avoid another fall before she has even recovered from the last fall? Increasingly more often, family members are donning the role of caregiver for their senior parents – as many as 44 million and expanding, according to the AARP. And following a hospitalization, the level of senior care services provided often needs to be stepped up in order to ensure safety and prevent re-hospitalizations. Check out these bits of advice to help adult children keep their elderly family members safer during recovery after a hospital stay:

  • Investigate to get more information. Be sure to ask your family member’s medical team whatever amount of questions necessary to help you better understand how to provide excellent senior care, including who to call for help and warning signs to watch for that could indicate a potential problem.
  • Keep your own care in mind as well. Caregiving can be stressful, and can affect a caregiver’s own health. Make sure to eat a balanced diet, get plenty of rest, and take time for activities you enjoy.
  • Make connections. Adult children often feel the need to do everything on their own, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to have a list of helpful resources in Arizona available: friends, extended family, neighbors, even a caregiver support group.

Endeavor Home Care would welcome the chance to help as well. We’re here to help keep seniors safe with our trusted senior care services in Arizona, and to make sure they’re recovering and thriving following hospitalizations. We’re just a phone call away and can be a vital component to providing care to supplement family help. Contact us at 480-535-6800 to learn more.

THE ROLE OF SLEEP AND EXERCISE IN MAINTAINING A HEALTHY MEMORY

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Maintaining a healthy memory as one grows older is a concern for many seniors, given the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. A growing body of research suggests that sleep and exercise play an integral role in supporting brain health. Since exercising can be challenging for some seniors with mobility impairments, a caregiver from a senior in home care agency can lend a helping hand.

Watch this video to hear more about these studies. You’ll learn that the quality of sleep is just as important as the length of sleep for protecting the brain against changes associated with dementia. You’ll also hear from an expert on the types of exercise that can prove most beneficial for seniors.

Here at Endeavor In-Home Senior Care, the safety and well-being of our clients are our top priorities, which is why our caregivers assist seniors with mobility and exercise. If you or a loved one requires senior in home care in the Phoenix, AZ area, you can contact our home care assistance agency at (877) 584-6162.

How Home Care Assistance Helps Caregivers Begin to Let Go of Guilt

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Home Care AssistanceThere’s no emotional rollercoaster quite like the one ridden by family members providing care for an aging or chronically ill loved one. In our experience with home care assistance, there’s hardly an emotion that does NOT come into play at some point during caregiving – and sometimes, the majority of those emotions can happen all within the span of a day. Perhaps one of the most difficult feelings to manage, however, is guilt; feeling as though you should be doing more for your loved one and less for yourself.

When suffering under the weight of caregiver guilt, follow these 3 manageable tips:

  • Avoid isolation. Talking about your feelings with a trusted friend, family member, or professional counselor is crucial to see the situation from an objective perspective and to release the burden of carrying those feelings alone.
  • Write it down. Keeping track of your thoughts and feelings in a journal is therapeutic in and of itself, but also provides the benefit of being able to read back over your writings and learn from your experiences. Be sure to document ALL of your thoughts and feelings, but don’t forget the positive comments, in order to lift your spirits on the more tiresome days.
  • Take sound advice. While well-meaning friends and family may have lots of input on how you should or should not be feeling, nothing beats the advice of someone who’s walked a mile in your shoes. Finding a support group of other family caregivers, particularly if their loved one shares a similar diagnosis, can make a world of difference.

For more resources on providing the best possible home care assistance for your senior loved one, or to explore the option of in-home respite care, call Endeavor Home Care at 480-535-6800, or fill out our quick and easy online contact form.

How Families Can Deal With Disagreements About Elderly Care

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Elder Care

There is no such thing as the “perfect family”; to some extent, all families experience some degree of dysfunction. Unfortunately, when one or two elderly parents need an increasing level of care, dysfunction that had been buried for years often rises to the surface and creates problems among siblings and other family members, including disagreements about elderly care. To deal appropriately with the challenges of arranging for senior in home care, it’s necessary for families to set aside past differences and to speak honestly about present-day challenges.

How Can You Overcome Disagreements About Elderly Care?

Discuss the Challenges Openly

Disagreements often arise from misinformation. One classic example occurs when one sibling carries the burden of caring for the aging parents, while the other siblings or other family members assume that the caregiving tasks are minimal and easily managed. It’s often up to the primary family caregiver to help other family members to fully understand the challenges. A family meeting may be in order, during which the family caregiver ought to provide examples of challenges and let the other family members know how often these challenges arise.

Agreeing on a Course of Action

Once everyone is on the same page regarding the current situation, it’s often easier to work toward an agreement about what ought to be done. Quite often, family caregivers find that as their loved one’s care needs increase, the caregiver’s capacity to meet these needs declines. The family caregiver should clearly explain that he or she is no longer capable of providing this level of care and that to maintain the aging parents’ independence, senior in home care services are necessary.

Share Updates Regularly

Senior in home care lifts the burden from families, which allows them to focus on the quality of the relationship with the aging parents. If other family members live far away or are otherwise unable to visit regularly, the family member who does regularly visit and keep in contact with the agency caregiver should share regular updates with the others. This can be as simple as a weekly e-mail that lets other family members know that mom and dad are doing well.

When your aging loved one requires home care assistance in the Phoenix, AZ area, your family can trust Endeavor In-Home Senior Care. Our compassionate caregivers provide a comprehensive array of senior in home care services, including specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Call (877) 584-6162 with any questions you may have.