Starting a conversation with an aging parent around long term care can be difficult. If you find yourself not knowing how to broach the subject with your parent, check out these tips to learn how to discuss things in a way that is sensitive and effective – at any time of the year.
A visit home for the holidays is an ideal time to connect with parents and family members you don’t see every day. It’s a time-honored opportunity to catch up, share old memories and create new ones. But sometimes these holiday gatherings can also be a time when you notice an elderly loved one is struggling.
Dad and Mom may be moving slower, forgetting things or showing signs they can’t take care of their home. Sometimes the signs of a struggling elderly person are more subtle. For instance, you may notice an overgrown lawn, a messy kitchen or a disheveled appearance. Adult children are sometimes afraid to confront these changes. Will Mom or Dad be insulted that you think they can’t take care of themselves? Will “the talk” become an argument that ruins the holidays? These fears can make it easier to just avoid the topic altogether. But failing to discuss and plan for things like cognitive decline, physical ailments and other realities of aging can lengthen the time your parent suffers.
Fortunately, you don’t have to approach the tough conversations about aging with fear. In fact, you may find that it is easier than expected. But you can’t find out until you get started. Keep reading for tips to help adult children discuss things in a way that is sensitive and effective. We cover topics from retirement finances to end-of-life wishes.
As family members get older, it may become difficult for them to continue living entirely on their own. Health concerns, diminished mobility, and cognitive decline are all factors to consider when deciding when older family members need living assistance. Contrary to popular belief, there are options other than traditional nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Depending on the level of care required, some seniors can remain at home with the help of home care services. River Oaks Home Care is dedicated to helping Seniors continue to experience the richness of life in the comfort of their own home.
Allowing seniors to remain in their homes can produce better outcomes than moving them into a nursing home or assisted living facility. Home health care for seniors used to be the kind of thing that only the wealthy could afford. However, an increase in the number of trained home health professionals has led to more affordable prices. River Oaks Home Care provides high-quality home services for seniors that are effective and less expensive than other forms of managed care.
River Oaks Home Care has home health aides who improve the quality of life for seniors through professional, hands-on care and compassionate kindness. Often, our clients consider their home health aide or caregiver to be a trusted friend. We have a diverse pool of associates, so we always have someone with the skill set you need. Depending on the training, home health aides can administer a client’s medication or check vital signs, change bandages or dressings, and or provide skilled health care as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Patient Care Assistant (PCA).
Home health aides can also help around the house in a variety of ways. They can assist with tasks such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, grocery shopping, and light housekeeping. Our home health aides can stop by for companionship visits, give the client a ride to appointments, and more. River Oaks Home Care does everything possible to help improve the health and quality of life of seniors.
River Oaks Home Care can also provide care for seniors who are experiencing the effects of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Our attendants provide specialized, non-medical Alzheimer’s care that can allow seniors in the early and middle stages of the disease to remain at home. More than half of all diagnosed Alzheimer’s patients continue to live in home settings. River Oaks Home Care staff can help with responsibilities (e.g., daily orientation to time, place, and person) that can overwhelm family and friends who are assisting the senior.
Our specialty Alzheimer’s care services utilize a customized care regimen that will take into account the environment and unique needs of seniors, which makes their lives less difficult and stressful compared to moving them into a nursing home or assisted living facility. Other advantages include staying in the home that provides a familiar frame of reference, the freedom to move about in a more casual and unrestricted space, reduced stress which aggravates dementia symptoms, and continuity of daily routines and schedules.
Home health care services are more affordable than people assume. You can request a free quote for the services you need from our website. If you have any questions about getting home health services for your family member, send us a message online.
Most people know that it’s possible to get home health care services to help seniors with basic living assistance. As more Americans reach their golden years, home health care services are a popular way to keep older loved ones living at home instead of a managed care facility. However, many people have a limited view of how much can be done via home health care. By hiring high-trained professionals, River Oaks Home Care can assist in various situations. Here are five specialty health services that River Oaks Home Care can provide for seniors at home.
Alzheimer’s and Other Related Dementia Home Care
As adults get older, they may experience cognitive declines as a result of Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. These conditions make it harder for seniors to live on their own independently, but these conditions don’t automatically make it necessary to use a nursing home or assisted living facility. During the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, patients can remain at home so long as they get some assistance with daily responsibilities. Home health aides from River Oaks Home Care can help seniors stay in their familiar environment as long as possible, which can improve their quality of life.
Hypertension/Stroke Recovery Home Care
Following a stroke, patients may have diminished cognitive and physical function that make care and assistance necessary. However, home health aides from places like River Oaks Home Care give stroke survivors more options for living independently at home. Having help from a home health aide can help seniors recover from a stroke with no minor or long-term effects. Trained home health aides can assist with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and their companionship can help provide mental health support. Our aides can also help patients with hypertension (i.e., high blood pressure) manage their condition to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Heart Disease Home Care
Heart disease is a common problem for older adults, and River Oaks Home Care has specialty services that can help patients recovering from heart disease symptoms or the after-effects of treatment. Providing in-home assistance for cardiac disease patients can lead to better health outcomes. It’s estimated that around 25 percent of heart failure patients will be readmitted within 30 days. Many health experts believe that using home health services to ensure patients take their medication and eat appropriate meals can reduce readmission rates and significantly improve health and quality of life for the patient.
Cancer Recovery Home Care
Recovering from cancer treatments can take a toll on an individual, especially older adults. Many patients remain in the hospital or go to a managed care facility as they wait to recover. However, qualified home health aides from River Oaks Home Care can provide cancer patients with the same recovery assistance they would receive at another facility. Most people would prefer to remain in their home, rather than stay in the hospital, so these services benefit older adults recovering from cancer treatments.
Hospice/Palliative Support Home Care
Chronic disease and terminal illness are areas of care that are often handled in facilities such as hospitals and hospices. River Oaks Home Care can help patients during this time by providing hospice home health aids as well as aides trained to provide palliative care. Besides allowing patients to remain in their home environment, this kind of care can reduce the pain from chronic illness and alleviate some of the stresses that come with end-of-life care.
River Oaks Home Care has a staff of highly-trained professionals that can help seniors live more enjoyable lives in their home environment. Seniors maintain their freedom and independence, and family members can feel assured that their loved ones are getting personalized attention.
At River Oaks Home Care, we are dedicated to serving America’s seniors in a caring way, and helping to provide affordable home care services to clients.
If you’re experienced in the home healthcare industry, you’ve probably seen some of the codes of conduct and mission statements that companies frequently advertise. When you see these, it’s a good thing – it means that someone has thought about articulating why we do what we do, and what standards we hold our businesses to, for the sake of the clients and their families.
The context is that it’s important to treat seniors with decency and respect. We understand that those who we serve are in many ways vulnerable to outside forces in their lives. With that in mind, we have created a mission exemplified by the word “caring” that shows how we approach our services:
You can see this in a page on our web site. These principles guide our business philosophy: comfort, affection, respect, integrity, nurturing and generosity.
How do we live this out in operating our home healthcare services?
It starts with staff recruiting and training. We on-board people who understand their mission and the care that our customers require. We then retain these talented individuals to keep our ship functioning well.
We appreciate our staff, and make sure that they know that, and create a work environment that is positive and encouraging. That means a lot to our employees, but it also means a lot to our families because it is this kind of going the extra mile that assures quality. When companies cut corners or fail to reward good work, bad things can happen!
We also adhere to the professional code of ethics of the industry, and always look at how to apply best practices in our business operations.
From non-medical home care to specific kinds of care like Alzheimer’s and dementia care, our home health professionals work on this firm mandate. We understand that we are an arm of the caregiving community that supports families. So we keep in touch with families and understand their needs – we listen to seniors and family members and put together dedicated plans for customer care. We take the time to listen, and do the extra work to safeguard our seniors – because they deserve it!
All of this is incredibly important in today’s world, where frightening stories of nursing home abuse and other problems abound. At River Oaks Home Care, we are dedicated to making sure that none of these types of headlines threaten the security and well-being of our families. Take a look at everything that we offer on our web site and call us with any questions – we look forward to meeting your family and coming up with solutions to adequately support an aging family member in their home.
Time waits for no one; before we know it, we’re older and limited in our physical abilities. You can’t enjoy life the way you used to when you were younger. It can be a sobering reality for many people that eventually they’ll get older and depend on others to take care of them. If the family is not able to move the elderly family member in, it’s common for them to live in a nursing home facility. However, most families have found it’s better to have home care due to cost and convenience. Here are the benefits of home health care.
One significant advantage of home health care is it costs less to keep the patient home than at the hospital. Home health care professionals provide a range of medical services for those discharged from the hospital, yet they need medical attention. Keep in mind that home health care may seem like a logical solution; it can add up over time. The average cost to have home health care is about $22.00 an hour when you consider the expenses of continuing home care, family members missing work to help out, and the cost of more services as needed.
Patients have the freedom and independence to recover in the comfort of their home. Most seniors wish to continue medical treatment and live their remaining time in their home. In most cases, home care delays the family from placing the patient in a nursing home. Although most patients benefit from a familiar environment, the opposite may happen— the person withdraws from society and stays in bed most of the time. In this case, placing the patient in a nursing home facility is beneficial for his sanity. He can socialize with other patients.
Another advantage of in-home care is the patient receives one-on-one attention, something he will not get at a hospital or nursing home. The home care professional can tend to their every need. In a nursing home, sometimes it’s one staff member responsible for caring for 10 or more patients. The disadvantages of this are it’s easier for elderly abuse and abandonment to occur. Also, federal nor state laws regulate home health care.
When the patient is home, it’s easier for family members to take turns caring for him in addition to having in-home care. The senior is familiar with the family and is more receptive of daily routines (e.g., taking medication, bathing, etc.). The downfall is sometimes the responsibility falls on one family member to take care of the patient, while others are busy with their lives. The family member can get burned out quickly. If the family can’t agree on the patient’s in-home care, he usually ends up in a nursing home.
Almost every state offers home health care for discharged patients that cannot stay in a hospital, yet they need to continue medical treatment. In-home care has many benefits, allowing family members to save money while the patient receives one-on-one attention.
