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Your Homecare Agency and You: Super Heroes

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homecare agency

The homecare agency depends upon your help and proper hearing and vision tests to keep your loved one happy and well.

You check in on your elderly loved on regularly, and you have arranged for  live-in care through a homecare agency. He loves the aide who fixes his meals, reads with him and takes him on outings and to appointments. You are confident he is taking his medications correctly and is well cared-for. Lately, though, you have noticed he seems confused when you take him out to eat or to other family get-togethers and you wonder if perhaps he needs a higher level of care. One question may give you the answer. Has your loved one had a vision and hearing evaluation recently? The homecare agency depends upon your help to keep your loved one happy and well. Together you are the superheroes that do what your loved one cannot do for himself.

Nearly half of all people 75 years old and over have some degree of Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss. It is a gradual, progressive condition that affects both ears equally. The hearing loss may be more acute in crowds, and your loved one cannot communicate if he doesn’t hear the conversations. Hearing aids can greatly increase the hearing of most individuals, though they may have to be adjusted as the loss increases.  Vision, too, may change as we age. People over 65 are three times more likely than younger people to have impaired vision. Glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts are the greatest causes of vision loss in the elderly, and yet we sometimes forget to have our elderly loved ones examined regularly to make sure they are seeing and hearing well. The homecare agency depends upon your help to keep your loved one happy and well. If you believe your loved one cannot afford to get hearing aids or glasses, you can go to the website healthfinder.gov to find assistance programs.

Because we depend upon all our senses to keep us in touch with our environment, even minimal loss of vision and sight can disorient us. Hearing loss can affect balance and coordination, making  loved ones fearful of going outside. Studies show that losing those senses can also lead to cognitive difficulties, depression and anxiety.

So, the confusion your elderly loved one exhibits at family gatherings may be the result of poor hearing or sight. He may not be able to tell you what he is experiencing, and that is why regular examinations are important to your loved one’s quality of life. You have taken the step of getting live-in care to assure he is well cared for and has companionship; regular vision and hearing tests will assure you that he has the highest quality of life you can provide.

For more information on how you can help keep your loved one happy and healthy, contact us.

The Benefits of Senior Home Healthcare Services

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Senior citizens face many challenges that often include needing assistance with the things they once took for granted. Simple tasks become difficult to perform and even preparing meals can become a challenge as you age. If you have a loved one who needs help with daily activities but who values their independence, home healthcare may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

home healthcare services

Home healthcare services can help your senior loved one with a variety of daily activities, from cooking meals to taking medication.

Many seniors don’t want to leave the home they spent years working for to live in an assisted care facility, which is understandable. You work hard all of your life to make your house a home and it’s difficult to leave. However, as we age, many people have disabilities that prevent you from doing everyday tasks like cooking or cleaning, which is necessary for your health and well-being. Home care services can help.

Home Healthcare Provides a Variety of Services

One of the great things about home healthcare services is that you can choose from a wide variety of options, which allow you to cater to the specific needs of the elderly person. For example, some elders need help preparing meals and taking medication correctly. Skipping doses or doubling up could have serious health complications, so it’s vital someone is there to help.

Some seniors need medical aide administered by a professional and there are qualified nurses available to provide this type of service. Checking vital signs and monitoring patients are part of the job and these professionals also have CPR and first aid training.

Home care services also offers personal care that includes helping the patient bathe, get dressed and move from one room to another along with transportation to doctor’s appointments and other places they need to go. Some seniors have disabilities that prevent them from doing housework or cooking meals and these services are also available.

Regardless of what your specific situation is, home care can provide the services needed for your loved ones to maintain a certain amount of independence, so they can continue to live in their own home.

Home Healthcare Offers Companionship

Some seniors may not say much but they need companionship just like everyone else and that is another benefit home healthcare provides. While these professionals are taking care of their needs, they are also giving them someone to talk to throughout the day.

Even if you have an elderly parent or other relative living with you, home healthcare can still be beneficial. You can’t always be there to provide the care they need but with these services, you don’t have to worry about your loved one because you know they will be well cared for when you’re away.

Here at Endeavor Home Care, we offer quality care for your loved ones and we provide service to the Scottsdale, Arizona, Phoenix and surrounding cities. Contact us to learn more about the services we offer and our mission to provide the best in-home care for seniors in the area.

Providing Care at Home Can Be Fun

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Something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment or for something entirely different. The only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

care at home

Caring for a senior is certainly hard work, but that shouldn’t prevent you both from having fun, too.

This quote is from Thefuntheory.com website and applies to everyone.

No one ever makes reference to the daily care at home given to the elderly as “fun”. As we all agree, work is not fun but making work “fun” is possible.

When a professional in-home care provider arrives, there is usually a set of duties planned to get completed during that shift. No time for fun here, or is there?

As a family member providing home care for your loved one, you wear your no-nonsense hat to work. But does that mean no fun allowed?

Making duties a little more interesting and fun will benefit both you and the person needing the care. You’ve heard the saying “Time flies when you’re having fun”. You can put that to the test.

You may have an uncooperative recipient of your services and fun might just bring them around. A smile, a chuckle or a full roar of laughter can change the environment you work in and your client lives in. Yes, it may take a few extra minutes but it will be a benefit.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Bathing

  • Lay out 4 towels and 4 matching washcloths of different colors on the bed. Pick a color and let your client find that color and the matching washcloth. That will be your color for the day.
  • Place a few hairbrushes and combs in a container short enough for them to stand on end and be visible. Have your client pick out either all the combs or brushes.
  • Keep 3 or 4 toothbrushes in the holder. Let the client pick out the color of the day or their favorite color. Give them a cup to spittle in over the sink and laugh when they miss.

Dressing

  • Lay out a few pairs of socks and unmatch them. Let your client find a matching pair or finish matching them all if they want.
  • Lay out a short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirt and ask your client to decide which is best for the weather outside.
  • Lay out men and women’s undergarments. Hand them the opposite sex item and laugh.

As the care provider, it rests on your shoulders to set the mood for you and your client. All your clients, including those with mild dementia can benefit from these exercises helping to stimulate the mind and muscles.

Endeavor In-Home Care provides professional, friendly caregivers that can bring a smile to your loved one’s face. Contact us to learn more about finding an in-home caregiver in Scottsdale, AZ and the surrounding areas.

Senior Safety at Home: Establishing a Safe Environment

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senior care at homeMany seniors desire the ability to live at home for as long as possible. Often they would like to live in the same home they have lived in for years and possibly even raised a family in. Providing senior care at home is achievable. One of the first steps is making sure the home environment is still safe as the needs of the senior changes over time.

Bedrooms and bathrooms tend to be the most unsafe areas of the home for seniors with falls being the most common home accidents for older adults. Conducting an annual safety check is important to help prevent falls and allow seniors to remain at home. Here are some suggestions for things to evaluate during a safety check.

Bedroom

Look for throw rugs or torn carpet which can create a tripping hazard. Remove or attach to the floor with double-sided tape, glue or carpet staples to minimize the hazard.

Verify access to a telephone is available for night time emergencies. Consider installing a cordless phone, cell phone or emergency alert system.

Verify bed height is appropriate. It is too low if the knees are above the hips when sitting on the bed and is too high if the legs do not touch the floor when sitting. Add risers to raise the height. Remove the bed frame to lower the height.

If electrical cords present a tripping hazard because they run along the walking path use extension cords to run them behind furniture and rearrange furniture as needed.

Bathroom

Add grab bars near the shower and toilet to prevent falls.

If the bottom of the tub is slippery use a rubber mat or adhesives on the bottom of the tub to reduce the risk of a fall.

Check that the tub and toilet are at the correct height. If the toilet is too low add a raised toilet seat.

Consider using a medication organizer for pills and setting it on the countertop so it can be easily reached.

General

Do all stairwells have sturdy handrails? Ideally handrails should be located on both sides of every set of stairs. Consider having them installed or replaced if they are not present or not sturdy.

Is emergency contact information easily accessible by the senior if needed? Consider posting this information in multiple locations throughout the home.

Check for working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors on all levels of the home.

If taking care of oneself has become a challenge for a senior you love, it is worthwhile to look into in home care options. Advantages of in home care include:

Hygiene assistance
Companionship
Medication reminders
Light housekeeping
Meal planning and cooking
Complete home safety evaluation performed by an occupational therapist
Physical therapy exercises
Peace of mind for you and your loved one
And more

Having help at home can reduce the risk of accidents or injuries and extend the length of time a senior is able to continue to reside in their own home. For more information about at home care contact Endeavor In-Home Care, a top-rated Mesa respite care and in-home care provider for the surrounding areas.