Archive for the ‘Home Care Riverside County California (CA)’ Category

That Time Of Year

That time of year’s come ’round again,
So we wish you all the best.
The joy that comes from knowing you
Makes us feel that we’ve been blessed.

So we’ll share with you our feelings
At this special time of year:
May your holidays be a delight,
Filled with happiness and cheer.

Happy Holidays!

Mike and Jileen Meyer and Staff at Age Advantage Home Care Services in Riverside County CA

www.ageadvantageriverside.com

By Karl and Joanna Fuchs
www.poemsource.com

Caregiving and Family Hostilities

By Isabel Fawcett, SPHR for LTC Expert Publications

If it seems like caregiving to aging parents with chronic health issues brings out the worst in some individuals, it happens. The family’s communication gridlock may not be due to the stress of eldercare, however.

Deep-seated individual and/or family dysfunction in communicating and relationships may have remained unresolved over the years. Unresolved family issues will not magically disappear.

Family Dynamics Mirrors Social Issues
In 2010, healthcare reform legislation passed in the form of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA.) Some Americans were gung-ho about the passage of PPACA and the need to radically reform healthcare in the U.S. Other Americans were and may remain vehemently opposed to PPACA. Some individuals are in favor of having PPACA repealed. One nation America shall remain regardless of individual viewpoints.

Consider family dynamics in context of the PPACA social analogy. One family remains recurring dysfunction notwithstanding. To have and express strong emotions is to be human.

Tip of the Family’s Eldercare Iceberg
Common sticking points for families facing eldercare life transitions include:

• estate disagreements;
• eldercare decision disagreements;
• financial disputes;
• medical treatment issues for elders;
• funeral, burial and memorial decisions;
• wills and powers of attorney, and more

Even the most trivial matters can trigger major family disputes or lead to a total breakdown in a family’s communication and relationships.

Feelings
Feelings will ebb and flow at-will. Some feelings may be repressed and surprise us in when, and, how they re-emerge during the most stressful times in our lives. Stressful times – as in caring for our aging and chronically ill parents who once did a dismal or, not so dismal job of caring for us when we were children.

Remember those occasional (normal) vulnerable feelings you and I had as children?

Some of our childhood feelings were real. Other feelings we may have experienced in childhood may have been based on imagined or misinterpreted signals. Those childhood and young adulthood feelings that we may not have been able to express due to: age, immaturity, language development, cultural influences, fear, or any number of reasons, remain intact only to re-surface when least expected.

It may be that the most important step a caregiver can take when eldercare makes its debut in a family’s life is recognizing that disputes will occur in the best of families, as in society. Similar to social disputes and heated public discourse family disputes boil over or slow-simmer.

A caregiver’s handling of family disagreements may ease angst and help the caregiver, elder, and the entire family achieve healing over time. Some caregivers do so without outside help. Others may need a friend, counselor, mentor, or licensed professional to help. It’s all good.

Isabel Fawcett, SPHR
Isabel has been a full-time, stay-at-home caregiver to her 85 year old mother for 2 years, and counting. She is a regular Contributor at ElderCareLink, a blogger and Twitterer. Isabel is an independent human resources consultant and former HR management professional with 20+ years of HR experience, including FMLA, workers’ compensation and the Americans With Disabilities Act. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certified and last worked for the Office of the Governor in Texas before her most recent eldercare choice.  Isabel also has worked in healthcare as Assistant Director of Volunteers at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City, and Manager of Staffing and Recruitment, Norwalk Hospital, Connecticut. She has also worked at Marriott International Headquarters in HR. Isabel is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and has been a patient care volunteer for the American Red Cross overseas.

The caregivers at Age Advantage can help answer all of your home care questions. Contact us at 951-278-1208. We are a home care agency providing elder care in Corona CA and surrounding areas.

Baby Boomers: Be Your Aging Parents’ and In-Laws’ Holiday Gift
By Isabel Fawcett, SPHR  for LTC Expert Publications

As Baby Boomers prepare to visit their aging parents and/or in-laws for the holidays, some may be in for a rude awakening in caregiving. Home care may be looming large on their elderly parents’ horizon. Some boomers don’t see the need for elderly home care until they’re literally scrambling to find home care options for their parents and/or in-laws. “Too late, too late shall be the cry?”

It was bound to happen – or, was it?

In 2011, now less than 2 months away, the first wave of Baby Boomers will hit the magical age of 65.

Naturally, boomers’ parents have already transitioned into their senior years. Other parents have died. Some parents are trying to cope with their chronic health conditions, widowhood, a spouse’s or domestic partner’s chronic health issues. Each relationship has its own family and couple’s dynamic.

With aging and health decline, very little is new. Time marches on. Why, then, do some adult children wait until our backs are against the long-distance caregiving wall? Unless you thrive on high stress in your life, avoid procrastination and denial about your parents’ and/or in-laws’ golden years life transitions.

Pre-Travel Eldercare Assessment & Tips for Long-Distance Family Members
If you haven’t seen your parent(s) in more than a year, brace yourself. Prepare by planning ahead and thinking strategically. Ask yourself tough questions.

• Do my parents have a clean bill of health, or, are there medical conditions I need to know about?
• Are my parents still able to drive safely? How will I know if they should not be driving?
• Assuming worst case scenarios in my parents’ health, physical and cognitive abilities, what would it take for my parents to age in place, with dignity?
• What am I prepared to do to help or lead my parents and/or siblings in our family’s eldercare strategy?

Long-Distance Caregiver Cheerleader Calls Strongly Recommended
If you’ve never made time to engage your parents or in-laws in candid conversations, pave the way with  a couple of scouting-the-caregiving-terrain calls. Let your elders know that you’re looking forward to visiting. Ask whether there are chores or errands you may assist in doing.

If no information is forthcoming, mention examples like cleaning the yard, raking leaves, cleaning or organizing the garage, attic, and/or making or scheduling general home and/or equipment repairs. Anything that would save your parents time, money and/or physical effort should be on the table.

Do they need to stock up on basic supplies? Use the current economy concerns as a springboard for this discussion. Be chauffeur, handyman and executive assistant while visiting. Let them know that you don’t have much money to spend on gifts and decided to make your holiday visit a hands-on gift of caring. When you arrive, wear a Santa or other festive hat. Tie a gorgeous red ribbon around your neck, or arm, as a visual symbol that your assistive service is their holiday gift 2010, with love.

Better to wrap yourself as your parents’ holiday gift than to pull teeth about what you think they need to be doing at this stage to help them transition to assisted living, adult day care services, or, in-home care. Avoid depressing your parents and/or yourself. Be good tidings and cheer.

If this all sounds like it’s too much work, the alternative is more work, possibly heartache, if you ignore your aging parents’ and/or in-laws’ declining health and social need for assistive care support.

Mom, Dad, I’m Home!

Here are a few long-distance caregiver tips to help you make the most of your holiday visit.

• Park on the street a few blocks away from your parents’ home. Scan the environment. Look for vacant lots and homes for sale. Both tell a story about the local economy, neighborhood, property values, and more. Observe pedestrian and vehicular traffic. How busy, and safe, is the street on which your parents live? Do you feel safe in the community, or not? Noticed any suspicious activities?
• Park curbside in front of your parents’ home. Take notes describing what you see, from the roof, to the driveway, windows, front door, lighting, paint, etc. If your parents’ car is in the driveway, is there external damage to the car? Is the yard overgrown or littered? By comparison to other homes on the block, how does your parents’ home look? Is it a fixer-upper?
• Once inside your parents’ home continue sleuthing.
• Invite your parents to go grocery shopping – on you, if you can afford it. Note their grocery and other selections. Are the purchases balanced, or, mostly convenience and non-nutritional? Back home, are your parents able to safely lift the bagged goods? Are they short of breath?
• Allow them to drive you to church, stores, or sightseeing. Evaluate driving safety and reflexes.
• Have “the talk.” “Mom, Dad, I am impressed by everything you accomplish independently. I support your continued independence in living. There are many resources available these days to support us all in sustaining independence in living now that we are all older…meal service delivery, home and health aides, house cleaning services…Even one service would allow you more time to enjoy your lives….”

Be a resourceful caregiver. Your aging parents may benefit from home care.

Contact the caring counselors at Age Advantage for all of your home care needs. We are a home care agency providing elder care in Riverside CA and surrounding areas. Call us at 951-278-1208.

Family and Medical Leave Act and Caregivers at Work

It is a safe assumption that many caregivers who work outside their homes are aware of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA.)  Even if some American workers are not aware of FMLA yet, this blog steers you in the right direction and shares one caregiver’s perspective on when and whether you wish to invoke your FMLA rights, *if eligible.

FMLA is Federal Law
FMLA requires *eligible employees to take an unpaid leave up to 12 work weeks in any 12 month period. *The 12-month window is defined by the employer’s prevailing practice or policy. With *required medical certification, *subject to employer approval the eligible employee is allowed to take the approved leave for the birth of a child, to care for a family member who has a serious medical condition, or, if the employee has a serious medical condition which requires such leave.

(*The above layperson’s descriptive of FMLA does not constitute legal advice by this blogger and/or the owner of this website and/or any third parties involved in the publication or dissemination of this blog. Comprehensive information on the FMLA is available through the U.S. Department of Labor’s website at <www.dol.gov>.)

Caregivers at Work
Some workers view FMLA as an all-or-nothing package. Nothing could be further from the truth. FML can be a strategic work and life decision if you so choose and are eligible under the law.

Timing is Everything
If the person in your care is chronically ill with multiple chronic diseases requiring primary physician, specialized medical, and other healthcare intervention, using FML for one serious medical condition may preclude using FML for other equally serious medical conditions. Such a scenario would hold true if the caregiver exhausts the 12-week FML entitlement through consecutive leave use.

I cannot and would not tell anyone else how to handle your FML eligibility. I am happy to share the conscious decision I made for 10+ years in my then-part-time caregiver-worker bee roles.

I chose to not invoke my FML for one reason only.

My mother has multiple chronic illnesses as medically diagnosed. I mindfully considered worst-case outcomes for each of her medical diagnoses.

I decided that brief hospitalizations, major surgeries without medical complications, and post-surgical weekly follow-ups were best managed through advance planning, scheduling, and careful management of my accrued (paid) leave benefits at work. Non-emergency surgeries were scheduled in advance, allowing me ample time to take an approved vacation day, or 2, while I actively monitored and evaluated whether I might need to apply for FML, or not.

For me, only, it really was that simple. I never invoked my FML right nor did I use all of my accrued leave for caregiving in any year. Think strategically is all I can say.

Isabel Fawcett, SPHR
Isabel has been a full-time, stay-at-home caregiver to her 85 year old mother for 2 years, and counting. She is a regular Contributor at ElderCareLink, a blogger and Twitterer. Isabel is an independent human resources consultant and former HR management professional with 20+ years of HR experience, including FMLA, workers’ compensation and the Americans With Disabilities Act. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certified and last worked for the Office of the Governor in Texas before her most recent eldercare choice.  Isabel also has worked in healthcare as Assistant Director of Volunteers at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City, and Manager of Staffing and Recruitment, Norwalk Hospital, Connecticut. She has also worked at Marriott International Headquarters in HR. Isabel is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and has been a patient care volunteer for the American Red Cross overseas.
 

Home care counselors at Age Advantage are available to talk with you and your family about care needs for your loved one, including, how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care. Age Advantage is a home care agency providing In Home Care in Riverside and surrounding areas and can be reached at 951-278-1208.

10 Ways to Be a Healthier Alzheimer’s Caregiver
By Paula Spencer, Caring.com senior editor

The “do’s”: Positive steps you can take while caring for an Alzheimer’s patientBeing responsible for the care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease may be one of the toughest challenges of your life. There’s no way to gloss over how taxing it can be.You can, however, protect yourself in the following critical ways. We’ll start with the “do’s” and move on to the “don’ts.”

1. Keep expectations real.
Expect periods of stability, but recognize that because this is a progressive disease, an Alzheimer’s patient’s cognitive status and ability to function will decline over time, even with medication and therapy. It’s smart to try available therapies, but bear in mind that miraculous recoveries unfortunately don’t exist.Though you can’t control the disease itself, you can control the ways that you decide to approach it. Choose to be flexible and
realistic, and you’ll be able find fresh ways to deal with challenges — ways that are workable even if they’re not always ideal. Rigid, unrealistic thinking is a recipe for resentment, burnout, depression, and getting very sick.

2. Treat yourself as well as you treat the person with Alzheimer’s.
Caregivers tend to be conscientious about making sure their charge is safe, comfortable, well-nourished, stimulated, under medical care, and generally loved and looked after. Do the exact same for yourself in order to last longer as a good caregiver.And, just in case, know how to recognize the warning signs of Alzheimer’s caregiver burnout.

3. Remember that knowledge is powerful.
Luckily — yes, there’s a positive connected with this awful disease — we’re living in a golden age of information about Alzheimer’s. Make it work for you. Call your local area agency on aging or Alzheimer’s disease chapter now to find out about nearby programs.

Learn specific strategies for dealing with difficult behaviors and how to make everyday tasks easier. Know what to expect as the disease progresses so you’re not surprised.

Find out what has worked for others.

4. Prepare to have all the relationships around you be tested.
Alzheimer’s isn’t just between you and the affected person. Everyone else in that person’s world has an individual relationship with him. Remembering this can help families or other caregivers understand why there may be differences of opinion about how to handle things.If you’re an adult child, you’ll also have to deal with the role reversal of parenting a parent. This can be difficult for both parent and child. Seek the advice of a family therapist if it becomes problematic.

…continue reading from Lauren Watral’s Blog

Alzheimer’s home care counselors at Age Advantage are available to talk with you and your family about care needs for your loved one, including, how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care. Age Advantage is a home care agency providing Alzheimer’s Home Care in Riverside CA and surrounding areas.

National Family Caregivers Month

Over the next decade approximately 47 million baby boomers in North America are or will be facing the role of caregiver to a parent, relative or elderly friend – an odyssey that will change many of your lives. At the same time countless thousands of seniors face the dilemma of caring for a chronically ill spouse.

A new survey from the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) shows that the number of persons who provided care for an elderly, disabled or chronically ill, friend or relative during the past year is more than twice as large as had been previously thought.

Survey results indicate 26.6 percent of the adult population was involved in caregiving during the past 12 months. Based on current census data, that translates to more than 54 million people.

Earlier surveys estimated only an approximated 25 million caregivers in the United States.

Based on a random sample of 1,000 adults, the data reveal the sheer number of family caregivers, and by inference, the significant need for caregiving in America. The NFCA survey, conducted this summer, was sponsored by CareThere.com, a new Web site dedicated to supporting family caregivers.

Source: CelebrateLove

Home care counselors at Age Advantage are available to talk with you and your family about care needs for your loved one, including, how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care. Age Advantage is a home care agency providing In Home Care in Riverside CA.

Friends and Family May Be Best Detectors of Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Family members and friends may be better judges of early Alzheimer’s disease than standard memory tests, a new study reports. The results could help doctors diagnose suspected Alzheimer’s at an earlier stage, when treatment may be more effective and families can better prepare for the changes to come.

The study comes from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where researchers developed a two-minute questionnaire that asked close friends and family members if they have noticed problems with memory or judgment. The survey asked “yes” or “no” questions about whether they have noticed such signs in loved ones as:

• Bad financial choices or other problems in judgment;
• Less interest in hobbies and other favorite activities;
• Repeating questions, stories or statements;
• Trouble learning how to use a tool or appliance, such as a television remote control or a microwave oven;
• Forgetting the month or year;
• Difficulty handling complicated financial affairs, such as balancing a checkbook;
• Difficulty remembering appointments; and
• Consistent problems with thinking and memory.

Survey results were then correlated with so-called biomarkers, like brain changes on brain scans or blood tests results, that are generally regarded as of Alzheimer’s. The survey proved more accurate than standard word and memory tests like the mini-mental state exam, which doctors perform in their offices to look for early signs of Alzheimer’s.

…continue reading from alzinfo.org

Alzheimer’s home care counselors at Age Advantage are available to talk with you and your family about care needs for your loved one, including, how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care. Age Advantage is a home care agency providing Alzheimer’s Home Care in Corona CA.
 

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month Sheds Spotlight on Treatment, Prevention Efforts

November marks the beginning of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, a reminder that the number of people who will develop the disease is expected to skyrocket over the next few years.

Starting Jan. 1, 79 million baby boomers will turn 65 at a rate of one every eight seconds.

That is more than four million per year, according to a recent op-ed piece in The New York Times. If scientists could delay onset of the disease by five years, via better drugs, the United States could keep much fewer Alzheimer’s patients from needing nursing homes, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Alzheimer’s experts Stanley Prusiner and Ken Dychtwald said in the piece.

Currently, for every penny the National Institutes of Health spends on Alzheimer’s research, Americans spend $3.50 caring for individuals with the disease, for a total of $172 billion a year.  At that rate, by 2020, the cumulative total will be $172 billion a year, or $20 trillion by 2050, according to the op-ed titled “The Age of Alzheimer’s."

…read more from Mcknights.com

For information about how Age Advantage can help your family with elder care for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease in Riverside, visit www.ageadvantageriverside.com or call 951-278-1208.

Baby Boomers and Aging Parents – Six Tips to Prepare For Their Care
By Katie B. Marsh

Although there is some debate over the exact age range of the Baby Boom generation, the US Census Bureau identifies most Boomers as those who were born between the years 1956 to 1965. In any case, whether you were born within that time frame or fairly close to it, chances are you are beginning to deal with end-of-life issues regarding your elderly parents. Your many considerations run the gamut from the practical to the spiritual and everything in between. So, where do you begin?

Caregivers. Imagine if we ended our lives as babies, completely dependent on a caregiver tending to all of our needs: loving us, feeding us, changing our diapers. Imagine now that we are not as cute as little babies but still have the same need to be cared for gently with love and respect. Who would you want to take care of you in this situation? Who do your parents want to care for them? This question should be posed directly to your parents. Don’t assume you know the answer. What they may have said 10 to 15 years ago may not still hold true today as they are closer to facing their mortality.

Finances. As we know, in our society it’s considered impolite to ask someone about their finances. Many adult children hesitate to inquire about the exact state of their parents’ finances for fear that their parents will think that the real question is about potential future inheritance money. But it’s extremely important to have an honest discussion about finances at this point in life. First of all, you need to know if your parents have long-term care insurance. This is the only type of insurance that pays for future assistance that may be needed in the performance of activities of daily living. And, as the name implies, it helps cover the cost of long-term care usually for an undetermined length of time. Long-term care insurance combined with your parents’ net worth, any financial assistance from family, and personal preferences will all factor in to determining where and how your parents live out their final years.

…continue reading from ezinearticles.com

For all of your Elder Care needs in the Corona area, please visit www.ageadvantageriverside.com.
 

Family And Friends May Cause Most Tension For Caregivers

The biggest cause of stress for people who care for loved ones after a stroke may not be worrying about the affected family member.

Rather, surprising new research from Northwestern Medicine shows that a lack of understanding and help from friends and relatives causes the most stress and the greatest threat to a caregiver’s own health and well-being.

These and other stressors, like simply trying to take care of themselves and their families along with the demands of caregiving can cause caregivers to report signs of anxiety and depression.

…continue reading from medicalnewstoday.com

If you have a family member needing Home Care in Corona CA, please visit www.ageadvantageriverside.com for information on how we can help!