Parent Network

In this modern society, people get older and older and this increased aging requires home care. Being a caregiver can show your care and love to the loved one, but it is not an easy work. That is not to say, the tedious and unrelenting work of caring for the elder can be a severely financial burden on the child.

 Studies have shown that a child serving in the capacity of primary caregiver can lose 75% of potential earnings during every year that the”job” of caring for their parent continues.

What if there existed a creative solution to your elder care dilemma? Caregiver agreements – formal contracts under which relatives are hired to care for elderly family members have been around for decades, but with the current economic downturn, an increasing number of families are choosing this option.

This is good news, because caregiver agreements come with a number of benefits, not the least of which is that money given to a son or daughter under a caregiver agreement is not considered by the government to be “a gift” when an elderly person is attempting to qualify for Medi-Cal, Medicaid, or other public benefits. Another plus is psychological: to an aging parent, the idea of being cared for by a trusted family member may be especially meaningful. The contracted arrangements may also ease tensions and resentment among siblings, if for example, one child is rendering the lion’s share of the care.

The caregiver agreement must be in writing and it should be carefully crafted, preferably by an attorney specializing in Elder Law.  Read more... (390 words, 1 image, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Home care typically refers to non-medical services that assist individuals with activities of daily task. Home healthcare Towson is an increasingly popular choice for care because it enables individuals to remain in their own home environments, and can also be a lifesaver for caregivers.

Simple tasks such as housekeeping, shopping, meal preparation, opening a jar, or driving to appointments can become increasingly difficult for many older patients. Personal tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and even transferring from the bed to chair can become unmanageable and painful alone. Many types of individuals, including those who are trained and supervised by agencies, provide such health care services. In general, home care providers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they may work by themselves or as a team on a shift, part-time, hourly, live-in, or on as per needed basis.

While some home healthcare Towson agencies provide health-oriented services, it is important to know the difference between non-medical home care and home health care.

Home health care is more specialized medical care, such as that services provided by nurses or physical and respiratory therapists. The health care providers are trained medical, health care and psychiatric professionals, or certified nurses’ aides. Home health services are usually ordered by a physician and may be covered by health insurance. The types of services available for seniors at living at home
Homemaker services- this include help with cooking, light cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and other household chores.

Personal care- Help assisting with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, toilet use, grooming and eating.
Companionship- from daily phone calls from a buddy to a daily friendly visitor to round the clock paid companions.
Home health care- this includes skilled care that is nursing, speech, occupational respiratory and physical therapy, home health aides, social work or psychiatric care.  Read more... (513 words, 1 image, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)

Waterloo senior services has developed recently in terms of quality and personalized service. These centers look after all your needs starting from providing assisted living placement services to personal round-the-clock, in-home care services. There is no need to spend hours in finding the right home for your loved ones who need constant attention with a compassionate manner. Your source for such care is Waterloo elder care, which provides assistance in the form of consultants who offer free advice and free placement for your loved one.

Most of the faculties belonging to these authenticated senior services have been trained in the area of helping and providing genuine companionship to the elderly subjects they are assigned to. Care givers undergo strict background checks including criminal records and it is ensured that they comprehensive training before they are allowed to aid a senior member of Waterloo. Reputable health care providers ensure that their care givers are bonded and insured which provides instills confidence for those who employ them.

Waterloo Alzheimers care offers assisted living services or in-home care for elders who are unfortunately suffering from this disorder. The genetic disorder cannot be reversed or cured. Those suffering with Alzheimers should be handled with gentle care by care givers. To communicate with seniors suffering from Alzheimers or dementia requires patience as those who are skillfully trained by Waterloo senior services.

Waterloo assisted living services offer non-medical help to all those who chose not to live in their home. Depending on the type assisted services required, the elder may have the freedom to walk around and socialize living basically the same as if they were in their homes. Others may require more assisted care with staff available to aid in their daily activities.  Read more... (382 words, 1 image, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

If everybody has universal healthcare insurance, then everyone will go to the doctors more often, they will also take more prescription drugs when offered, and they will have more surgeries than they normally would if they had to pay for them themselves. There’s nothing tricky about this, it’s no revelation; it is just human nature.

We already know from Medicare that when people go on to Medicare they often hit the doctor four times a month or more. Some senior citizens go to the doctor two to three times a week and they are taking five or six different prescription drugs. It’s costing a bundle, not to mention it causes shortages, as that offsets supply and demand.

Now, what if everyone had such coverage and everyone was going to the hospital more often, what is likely to happen? The first thing that will happen is there will be shortages, and a free market supply and demand dictates that prices will go up when shortages occur.

But that’s not all that will happen the quality of care will also go down, as doctors are running around trying to serve twice or three times as many patients as they are used to and fill out all the government bureaucracy and paperwork.

Oh, but it gets worse. Since the price goes up and there are shortages we will have to start rationing the care that is given. Those people who are weaker require much more care than other people who have remained healthy, so we will see denial of service for certain folks.  Read more... (394 words, 1 image, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

One thing that is certain is that, no matter who you are, as soon as you’re born, you are aging. And once we or our loved ones get to an age when additional assistance may be needed, it’s good to have at least thought through a few things.

Five ways families can start thinking about the future (without having an anxiety attack) by engaging in some self-reflection that can help your decision-making later in life.

Go through these considerations yourself and then pass them along to a loved one:

1. When you need help, do you prefer to solve problems yourself or do you like working in a team? Do you know know your limits and when to ask for help? Do you enjoy making new friends? Are you a social butterfly, or more of an introvert? Be sure to consider these things, as they may help your family to determine a living arrangement everyone can feel good about down the road.

2. First, think about what you value most in the people you work with: work ethic? A team player? Do you like to be left alone? Now, think about what you value most in the people you spend recreational time with: humor? A good cook? Someone who calls often, or not at all? Are they spiritual? One day when you or a loved one needs a caregiver, compatibility will be imperative, so it’s important to identify characteristics you like and others not so much.

3. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Think both physically and mentally. For example, are you a worrier? Try to establish a fitness routine to manage your stress that you can adapt as you age. Another example: if you’re 35 and your eyesight is already poor, consider your needs down the road if it progressively worsens. Or maybe you’ve got an existing medical condition that you manage – talk to your doctor about ways to manage it as you age.  Read more... (513 words, 1 image, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)