Caregivers can make a huge difference in the life of a senior. Some caregivers assist with household chores while others provide medical assistance. No matter what services are needed, there are many agencies, like Home Health Dallas, that provide qualified caregivers for seniors in need. The list below contains some important tips to consider when hiring a caregiver for a senior.

1. Check local Home Care Agencies. These companies staff many caregivers. However, they do provide different levels of service, so take the time to make sure all services that are needed can be provided.

2. If the senior in need of a caregiver is approved for care that will be paid for by Medicare, the Health Care Agency must be Medicare certified. This ensures that the agency meets the minimal federal requirements.

3. If the senior only requires personal care or homemaking services, caregivers do not have to come from an agency that is certified for Medicare.

4. If there is no Medicare coverage, the cost of the caregiver will have to be paid by the person receiving services. These services can be expensive, but there are some low rates for personal care attendants, also known as PCA’s. They are typically paid by the hour at rates between $13 and $35.

5. Do not be afraid to contact multiple agencies. It is important to find the right caregiver that will provide all services needed by the senior.

Source: thefamilycaregiver.org

Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Older generations often take the approach to medical care, that if they don’t require immediate attention, there’s no need to visit a doctor or clinic. Costs and lack of insurance may play a role in this decision, but according to a report released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s crucial that the medical community and senior caregivers promote preventative medicine for those aged 50 to 64.

Preventative medical services that older adults can benefit from include:

• Vaccinations - middle-aged adults and seniors should receive routine vaccines for illnesses like influenza pneumococcal disease

• Blood tests and screening – routine doctor’s visits should be encouraged which allow medical professionals to monitor cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels which can both prevent and allow for early diagnosis of health issues

• Technological screening – the technology today allows for less invasive screening for conditions like breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer and should be done regularly, dependent upon family history, age and the advice of a doctor

Older adults may put off preventative care in order to reduce their costs, but by following through with preventative steps they can secure their future health and costs that can arise from the treatment of much more serious medical conditions.

Via: CDC

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Q – My mom is in her 80s, she suffers from dementia and she drinks coffee like each cup is the last cup on earth. I worry that she’s harming her health by drinking so much coffee; am I right to be worried?

A – Despite the fact that there was a belief that coffee is detrimental to senior health, there are actually a number of proven benefits that, when enjoyed black (without cream of sugar), will actually have the body and minds of [location] seniors saying thank you!

1. Dementia prevention – drinking 3 to 5 cups a day can prevent dementia

2. Lower risk of stroke – according to research, the more coffee you drink, the more your likelihood of having a stroke is reduced!

3. Prevention of skin cancer – coffee can disrupt the protein that causes damaged skin cells to turn into skin cancer

4. Relieves pain – coffee is a proven treatment for headaches and it can help alleviate pain from exercise

5. Reacts with brain’s receptors – by reacting with the brain’s receptors, caffeine prevents Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, improve moods, lowers suicide rates and reduces pain.

6. Healthy heart – since coffee is a great source of magnesium, it can make for a healthy heart!

7. Prevention of other diseases and illnesses - Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer (liver, endometrial, colorectal), suicide and some mood disorders, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver and cavities are all prevented and reduced in regular coffee drinkers

Via: Cognifit

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

For many Dallas seniors, accepting help means admitting that they no longer have the ability to live independently or care for themselves, and this can be a hard thing to get over. If you’ve begun to notice someone you love struggling, and their health or safety is at risk, it might be the right time to try and convince them that help is to their benefit. Here are 7 ways you can try to gently convince your senior it’s time for help around the home:

1. Remember change is difficult for everyone – their resistance might be frustrating, but think about how you would feel in the same situation

2. Give him/her time to come around – introduce changes slowly, but don’t force them. Eventually, the changes if for your senior’s benefit will be more accepted, once they get past denying they need help

3. Keep on trying – if you try to introduce a change and it’s not accepted, wait and try again. Sometimes even 15 minutes can make a world of difference

4. Keep them involved in decisions – let your senior know he/she does have a say in making decisions about care. However, do try and be persuasive about introducing care options

5. Offer a trial period – if they are resistant, persuade your senior to give your suggestion a try. A trial period with a home caregiver or with you helping around the house may help them to realize how much it can ease their burden

6. Present it as help for them – when suggesting you help them out or hire a caregiver, don’t present it as a result of their limitations, tell them it’s to have someone available to clean up around the house so they don’t feel obligated, or to help with moving of heavy objects

7. Know when to stop pushing – remember, that despite your concerns, your senior is still someone who is capable and allowed to make their own decisions. If you have tried the above to no avail, no when to stop pushing otherwise you might risk your relationship

Via: National Caregiver’s Library

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Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

How do you know when it’s time for your Dallas senior to seek in home senior care help? While there are a number of ways that a professional caregiver can benefit seniors by helping them out around their Dallas homes, there are some seniors that are prime candidates for care who can also benefit the most from the senior care services.

• Seniors who struggle with Activities of Daily Living – seniors who struggle with dressing, bathing, preparing meals, taking their medications, or keeping up with chores around the home are ideal candidates for in-home senior care

• Seniors with declining mobility – seniors who are having changes with their balance and mobility may be at a greater risk of falling or having an accident in the home when trying to perform ADLs . By hiring a caregiver, safety issues can be addressed and prevented through additional help

• Seniors who have had to give up driving – seniors who no longer drive for whatever reason, would greatly benefit from the help of a caregiver who can take them to run errands or to appointments

• Seniors who don’t have family nearby – seniors who have the above problems but do not have family nearby to help them can benefit from in home care when there’s no one else out there to help them

• Seniors who have come out of the hospital or rehab – after seniors have been released from the hospital or rehab program and are in recovery, it’s better for seniors to have the help of a caregiver so they don’t put too much of a burden on their bodies by trying to care for themselves or their homes

• Seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia – safety may be an issue for seniors who struggle with their memories

Sources:

1. Elder Issues

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Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Today there is an increased availability of home care for seniors suffering from all forms of aging related issues and illnesses. While many families believe that it’s not possible to care for seniors with Alzheimer’s at home, there are home care agencies in Dallas that can help keep even seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s living with some independence in their own homes with assistance. Home Instead Senior Care is one Dallas senior home care agency which specializes in providing in home care for seniors with Alzheimer’s. One of the best places for seniors with Alzheimer’s to live is in a place that’s familiar to them, and there’s nothing better than their own home. In order to accommodate this, Home Instead Senior Care provides the following Alzheimer’s care services in the home:

• Maintain a safe environment

• Manage changing behaviors

• Provide nutritious meals

• Provide mind-stimulating activities

• Create social interaction

• Supervise daily activities

When calling a home care agency to inquire about Alzheimer’s services, don’t hesitate to ask some questions to determine if they offer the services that are right for your loved one who is living with Alzheimer’s. A reputable and experienced senior home care agency that is comfortable dealing with Alzheimer’s, like Home Instead Senior Care should be more than prepared to put your mind at ease by answering the following questions.

• Does your staff have Alzheimer’s specific training?

• Does the agency cater to a large number of people with Alzheimer’s? How Many?

• Can the senior with Alzheimer’s spend some time with a prospective caregiver to make sure they are a good match before they are contracted for time?

• Can I check references of your agency regarding specific Alzheimer’s care experience?

Sources:

1. Alz Info
2. Home Instead Senior Care

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Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

With many home care agencies, you never know who’s going to turn up on a Dallas senior’s doorstep each day of their scheduled care. But what this means is that seniors never have the opportunity to trust, bond and form a friendship with their senior caregivers. At Home Instead Senior Care, we know that the right caregiver is one that a senior can get to know, begin to trust with their home and their care, and someone who will become an important companion. Every day a senior has home care scheduled, we send the same caregiver to provide consistency and because through our process we ensure that the caregiver sent is one that meshes with the senior’s personal needs and personality.

When we send a new caregiver to a senior’s home for the first time, we complete an in-depth assessment to evaluate the needs of the senior and the type of caregiver who would be best suited for the role. However, just because a senior has been sent a caregiver, doesn’t mean that they’re stuck with them forever. If a senior or their family is not satisfied with the caregiver, we will be happy to send a replacement that better meets the request.

Once the right caregiver has been matched with a senior, you’ll never be able to separate them!

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

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The decision to become a family caregiver for an aging parent in the Dallas area can be one of the most challenging and rewarding choices you’ll ever make. Naturally, when taking a dive into elder home care you want to ensure that your senior loved one receives the best care available; so how do you prepare to become a caregiver? Start by arming yourself with information; use the internet, like you are now, and other home care resources to learn how to deal with the emotional aspects of caregiving.  Seek out additional resources within your local Dallas community; including caregiver support groups, transportation services, adult day cares and local medical centers. Whether or not you and your senior will require some of the services today, it’s wise to have an understanding of what’s available when you need them.

It’s also important to work with your parents to have all the legal and financial documentation prepared and available should you need to assist them in managing their affairs. Ask them to put together a list of important account numbers and contacts and keep it in a safe and secure place. You don’t need to be savvy to the information today, but it’s a good idea to have it available. You should also ensure that your parents have a living will prepared, so that you can ensure their medical wishes are carried out appropriately if at some point they are unable to speak for themselves.

Sources:

1. Associated Content

2. Adsense Blog

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Choosing a caregiver for an elderly relative or parent is not a task that anyone can take lightly. While you want to make the best decision to ensure your Dallas senior receives the highest quality of eldercare and remains satisfied with the decision you make for their in-home care, it’s hard to know what to look for in a caregiver. Well, worry no further, because we’re about to tell you about the qualities and skills every Dallas in-home caregiver should have.

1.    Experience – the amount of experience a caregiver should have depends on the level of care a senior requires. If a caregiver is strictly there for companionship, they may not need direct eldercare experience, but ensure you check references from previous employers to learn about personality and depedability. If a caregiver will have higher levels of responsibilities, consider looking for a caregiver with more direct experience in eldercare.
2.    Commitment – choose a caregiver with a track record of committing to their care recipients. It’s easier on your senior to have just one main caregiver once you find one you like.
3.    Emergency Training – While a caregiver doesn’t need a medical background, some level of CPR or first-aid training can be beneficial, so they know how to assist a senior in an emergency while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
4.    Driver’s License – a senior caregiver with a license is a must for running errands, going to appointments, and responding to emergency situations!
5.    Good personality – a senior caregiver must be dependable, patient, and demonstrate compassion, but above all; their personality must be a good fit with that of a senior.

Sources:
1.   Associated Content
2.    AMazines

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

In-home senior care, like that provided by Home Instead Senior Care, is non-medical skilled care to assist seniors with Activities of Daily Living and other responsibilities which they struggle with when living independently in their own homes. However, non-medical senior care is not the only type of in-home care available to help seniors remain at home, but by understanding the different service levels of in-home care, seniors and their families can make informed choices when hiring a caregiver to ensure that their elder care needs are met.

Non-Medical Senior Care
• Senior needs assistance with running errands, getting to appointments, cooking, light-cleaning and other Activities of Daily Living which could be completed by a senior helper
• Senior could benefit from the companionship of a caregiver
• Senior needs helps with bathing, dressing, grooming or has Alzheimer’s and needs someone present for safety

Home Health Care
• Senior requires more in-depth medical care, such as administration of medications, changing of bandages, monitoring of  vital signs and more
• Senior could benefit from medical supervision by a caregiver who is a registered nurse, or visits from a doctor

Hospice Care
• In-home medical care that focuses upon keeping chronically ill seniors comfortable or providing treatment at home.
• Senior requires medical professionals to administer treatment, monitor their health or instruct family caregivers on how to provide proper eldercare at the hospice level

Sources:
1. The Gilbert Guide:
2. American Cancer Society

Home Instead Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.