Home Care CareGivers

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Home Care Services Provide Happiness For The Elderly in Phoenix, AZ

The secret to happiness for most seniors is for them to keep living in their own homes. The thought of moving from the

familiarity of their homes and switching to assisted living is quite impossible. Given that many elderly people gradually

begin to lose functioning ability or have other health issues, they usually require help as they grow older. Because of

these issues, it truly is vital for these seniors to have caregivers which are capable of providing suitable in-home care.

Home care for seniors should involve a number of types of caregivers. Most of the time, the first caregiver might be a

family member or close friend who either lives with the senior or regularly cares for the senior. Some social workers and

clergymen may also be involved in some cases of elder care in the homeThere are agencies that could be contacted to

help with home care of the elderly, such as CNAs, home aids and caregivers.

Personal caregivers can be contracted on either a regular basis or on a part time basis. Short-term care is usually called

respite care and is normally used when the caregiver who supplies the home care needs time away. Respite care allows

the regular caregiver take a break without being concerned about care for the senior.

Caregivers that are hired to help with home care for the elderly provide important services in the lives of seniors they

care for. Caregivers often become companions and beloved friends. They can do activities with the seniors, such as

playing cards or helping with household tasks. They also take the elders to doctors or shopping. They also help take

care of the home where the senior can not, such as doing the house cleaning and laundry.

The services provided by personal caregivers are individualized and should be customized to fit the elder’s specific

needs and wants. Therefore, it can take a good deal of searching to find the right home care agency and caregiver. It is

important to assess the elder’s needs and requests before beginning care. 

When interviewing potential caregivers, it is important to do so in two parts. First, interview the agency and caregiver

alone, without the senior present. This is useful because it offers an opportunity to speak frankly and clearly about the

senior’s requirements, without the worry of embarrassing the senior. Next, it is essential to involve the senior to take

part in choosing the caregiver. Having the senior citizen involved in the caregiver decision making process provides an

opportunity to start a healthy relationship between the caregiver and elders.

If you choose a personal caregiver, a family member, a visiting nurse, or anyone else providing home care, choosing the

appropriate home care is essential for keeping seniors happy and well cared for.

One Phoenix area home care agency, Care-To-Go provides complete information on caregiving services. 

Care-To-Go.com can also provide a caregiver or a personal travel companion.

Phoenix Home Care Caregiver Explains How To Talk With Someone With Cancer Or Other Serious Diseases

One of the most important ways to help your communication is not to ask "how are you" but also what are you feeling If you think about it, how are you is one of the most common questions we ask, but it can be a rather thoughtless one. The expected answer is OK or good. It does not lead to much discussion. When you ask, "What are you feeling?" you are digging deeper. Someone who is asked that may get the notion that you want to know how they are doing.

When you ask, what are you feeling be ready to hear anything. The person could say he thinks a great deal about death or he is worried about whatever the future has in store for the children. Or perhaps he is fearful that he won’t survive a year. Be ready to pay attention and hear the reaction he tells you. You do not have to have a response, but you have to be ready to hear the pain and anguish that the inquiry may provoke.
Communication with your loved ones must be direct and on an adult level.  The last thing an elder wants with a serious affliction is for you to be condescending or treat them like a kid. Your loved one needs straight talk constantly being empathetic and kind. Here’s a opportunity for caring support from their loved ones and their friends.
Elders with cancer every now and then need to get an opinions of those near to them on their illness, treatment, and treatment outlook. Stay open and honest, but don’t endeavor to respond to questions that you don’t know a good answer to. A senior with cancer will sense your honesty and appreciate it.

While having their illness, the elderly with cancer and serious diseases may express frustration and anger to friends and family. Remember that seniors with serious diseases pass through quite a few stages including denial, negotiation anger, and acceptance. Within the denial and anger stages, their conversation can offend families and their friends, but it can help to bear in mind that elders frequently shift their feelings onto friends and family close to him or her. Your loved ones do this since the people closest to them are safe. They know you will still be there for him or her, even if they act badly or create tension. Often, the senior is really frustrated and angry concerning the illness and the losses it brings, but that is hard to discuss. So they could take out their feelings on family, friends, or anyone else that happens to be near by at the time.

Commonly a high quality caregiver helping in the home can be a bridge for communication among family members.
More help for seniors posts can be found on Care-To-Go.com

Phoenix Home Care Caregiver Reveals 12 Ideas for Elderly Vision Loss–How to Reduce the of Dangers at Home

Probably the many overwhelming physical conditions associated with ageing years is the loosing of eyesight because of conditions like macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma.  Because this occurs it becomes apparent how necessary eyesight is to our seniors.  In later life our loved ones spend increasingly more time looking out the window, watching Television or reading. A personal caregiver can assist with making home safe.

Here are a number of tips to consider which could reduce the likelihood of this leading to problems in the home:

Security At Home
1.    Eliminate anything your loved one might trip over, for example small coffee tables, toys on the floor, small rugs.
2.    Ensure that there are clear pathways within and to each room.
3.    Paint doors and door trim colors that contrasts with the wall colors, so they will stand out more. Do the same with stair rails.
4.    Put yellow and black strips on the edge of all steps and also at the start and end of ramps.
5.    Install safety bars for the tub and shower.
6.    Ask your senior and let them let you know what type of help, could be appreciated.

Patients and Wellness Issues
7.    Try to be as understanding as possible through the adjustment time, because frustration and anger could be forthcoming.
8.    Studies have found that eating great quantities of some carbohydrates that cause blood sugar levels to rise and then fall rapidly could have a better chance of developing central eyesight reduction while they age. Some examples of these foods are: white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sugar and corn syrups.
9.    Encourage your senior to get with a support organization, where others in exactly the same state share their feelings about and strategies to cope with vision loss.
10.    Encourage your loved one to take part in eyesight treatment programs, and then accompany him or her to several. This will teach you what your senior can do independently, enabling you to support his or her successes.
11.    Encourage your loved one to get help from someone trained in dealing with vision concerns, either individually or in groups.
12.    Many seniors with vision loss are advised to discontinue smoking, because smoking will double the chance of developing macular degeneration, one of the main causes of vision loss in our seniors. Persuade your senior to get help to stop smoking.

More help for seniors tips and articles are available at Care-To-Go.com   Home Care CareGivers in the Phoenix area are available for Senior assistance

Airlines have begun charging for checked bags on flights. Some start at $20 for the first bag and $30 for the next bag. Southwest is still free for checked and carry on bags. Most passengers don’t like the extra charges added at the airport and would rather just have the ticket price be the total price for the flight.

Now Spirit Airlines has started a new high in lows! They want to charge $45 for a carry on bag. Doesn’t everyone take bags on a trip? Of course they do. These added fees are just a rip off and an annoyance to the traveling public.

The following article appeared in Business week.

Click here to see how a Travel Companion from CareToGoTravel.com can help you navigate through these charges.

(Adds Spirit’s response in ninth paragraph, Hawaiian Airlines chief starting in 13th.)

By Jeff Plungis

April 13 (Bloomberg) — Two Democratic U.S. senators introduced legislation that would ban airlines from charging fees for bags carried aboard planes one week after Spirit Airlines Inc. became the first carrier to announce a charge.

The legislation by Senators Benjamin Cardin of Maryland and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana would assure that items essential to people’s health, work and safety can be carried on board without extra fees, according to a statement today. The bill also would require advance notice of special fees for checked items, according to the statement.

“Only one airline has announced plans to charge for carry- on item fees, but we cannot allow these flood gates to open,” Landrieu said in the statement.

Carrying a bag onto a Spirit flight will cost passengers $45 at the gate, or $30 if paid in advance, starting in August, the Miramar, Florida-based discount carrier said in an April 6 statement. Customers paying the fee will board first and all travelers can carry, without charge, small personal items such as a purse or briefcase that fit under the seat.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in an April 8 interview with travel writer Christopher Elliott, said he would hold Spirit’s “feet to the fire” over fees, especially in efforts to ensure consumers understand what they’re paying.

“I think it’s a bit outrageous that an airline is going to charge someone to carry on a bag and put it in the overhead,” LaHood said. “I’ve told our people to try and figure out a way to mitigate that. I think it’s ridiculous.”

Fares Stagnating

Carriers are seeking revenue beyond tickets sales as fares last year stagnated at 1998 levels amid the recession, according to U.S. statistics. The five largest U.S. airlines will collect $1.76 billion for checking first and second bags, a $117 million increase from last year, according to a Jan. 20 report by Ideaworks, a Shorewoods, Wisconsin, consulting firm.

UAL Corp.’s United Airlines was the first major U.S. carrier to impose a fee in 2008 when it began charging for a second checked bag. Most major airlines charge at least $20 to check one bag and $30 for a second, and permit carry-on bags and personal items for free.

Spirit Airlines adjusted fares and fees to help speed up security lines, make boarding quicker and end a “carry-on bag crisis,” spokeswoman Misty Pinson said in an e-mail.

“Spirit is even further lowering fares, lowering checked bag fees, giving customers the option to carry-on a bag for a fee that includes priority boarding, and personal items are still free,” Pinson said.

Discount Club

Spirit said passengers signing up for its discount fare club, at a cost of $39.95 a year, will pay $20 for carry-on bags when they prepay using the Internet. The carrier is lowering fees for prepaid checked bags for club members, to $15 for the first and second bags from $19 for one and $25 for the second.

Cardin and Landrieu failed in a bid to add their bill as an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that passed the Senate last month, the statement said.

Congress should avoid legislating fees as airline deregulation helped the industry lower fares and add flights, said Mark Dunkerley, chief executive officer of Hawaiian Holdings Inc., parent of Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines.     “You ought to allow all kinds of airlines to try new and innovative things to attract customers,” Dunkerley said in a telephone interview. “It’s important that legislation stay away from directing airlines what they can and cannot charge for.”

Watching Spirit

    Hawaiian has “no plans” to add a carry-on bag fee as it watches developments at Spirit “very closely,” he said.

Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, yesterday asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to use his power to declare carry-on luggage as a necessary part of air travel, which would subject the fees to a federal excise tax. The decision would discourage airlines from charging fees for bags, he said. If the Treasury Department doesn’t act, Schumer said he’d introduce legislation to have the same effect.

“Airline passengers have always had the right to bring a carry-on bag without having to worry about getting nickel and dimed by an airline company,” Schumer said. “The Treasury Department needs to close the loophole that encourages this abusive practice and rein in these fees.”

–With assistance from Mary Jane Credeur in Atlanta and John Hughes in Washington. Editors: Steve Geimann, Romaine Bostick.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Plungis in Washington at jplungis@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Liebert at lliebert@bloomberg.net

Visit Care-To-Go Travel Comapanions

Phoenix CareGiver Shows How The Population Is Changing As Boomers Age

Here’s what happening: America’s population is aging rapidly thanks to the baby boomer generation. The group is living longer as a whole than any generation in our history. As this group ages it becomes a blessing and it’s also a problem that creates worries and stress for the adult children of our elders.

When family members don’t live in the same town as their parents or who simply don’t have the time to attend to them, need to be assured that their needs are getting the level of attention essential to maintain their quality of life.
Assisted living facilities and rest homes can be too expensive for most families, especially in these difficult economic times. There are professional agencies that offer many of the same services as assisted living or residential communities while the elderly retain the independence that comes with remaining in their own homes. Most seniors relish their independence and struggle to maintain it. Staying in their own home is a major component in keeping their independence.

Here are some ways that a good Home Care provider can provide peace of mind for families and seniors.

A Caregiver can assist the senior at home, running errands and accompanying the senior to doctor appointments. At home the tasks are commonly called activities of daily living (ADL)
These activities include help with cooking, cleaning, shopping, dressing assistance, performing daily hygiene routines as well as many other household activities. Home care CareGivers can help with bathing, dressing, grooming, dental care, and more when seniors need a little extra assistance. For many elderly people, simply getting in and out of the tub can be dangerous, home care caregivers are there to keep seniors safe as well as maintaining a fulfilling lifestyle.
Home care professionals can also be trusted companions, providing empowering conversations and various therapies to enhance a senior’s day. These Home Care CareGivers can also take care of other tasks that may be difficult for some seniors such as: walking dogs, answering phones, meal preparation, laundry, and more. In some cases, live in and full housekeeping services are available.

Transportation Services

Transportation for seniors falls into two categories, local errands and extended trips.

Locally a senior needs go to appointments for eye glasses, hearing aids, dentists and other medical appointments. There is also a regular need for shopping trips or visiting the local senior center for lunch or bingo. All of these can be taken care of by the CareGiver using the clients car or the Caregivers’ car.

When a senior needs to travel on a longer trip by air, rail or ship, the services of a Personal Travel Companion are required. Paid Travel Companions are skilled in travel services as well as CareGiving.

For the family of a senior, the services of a Home Care CareGiver or a Paid Travel Companion can provide peace of mind knowing that their senior is well taken care of and safe.

Phoenix Home Care can be found at Care-To-Go.com and Travel Companion services can be found at CareToGoTravel.com

Phoenix CareGiver Explains How To Keep Track Of Medications

As we age doctors prescribe more and more prescriptions. There are so many kinds, side effects, restrictions and cautions that it becomes difficult to keep it all straight and be safe. Your caregiver can help with forms to keep track. You should have a master list, a log of drugs taken each day, and a separate sheet for medications that have serious side effects or special instructions. Included here are 5 Medication Tips to keep it all straight.

The Medications List

This form should have the basic information about the medication including times to be taken and description. The information included should have name, doctor’s name, doctor’s phone and address, pharmacy phone and address. The date of birth and social security number should be here because this is how pharmacy computers identify the patient for refills.

The Medications Side Effects Sheet

This form is just what it says. The patients name, address and phone should be here of course. There should also be a listing of drug names, dosage, frequency, and classification. There should be plenty of space for side effects, special instructions and cautions. There may be one drug per page.

7 Tips For Medications

Medication Tip #1

Keep your lists of medications current as prescriptions are added and removed. Keep several copies for your reference and be sure to take one with you for each doctor visit. Another helpful idea is the list the medications by which ones are taken in the morning, at dinner, and at bedtime.

Medication Tip #2

Be sure the medications are taken the way your health provider tells you to. Your medications are intended to help improve your health now and to prevent health problems in the future.

Medication Tip #3

Be sure to take your medications even if you feel fine. Some medications are intended to run for a specific amount of time and some take a step down process to stop the medication. Most medications however, are intended to help you feel better so don’t stop without consulting your health care professional.

Medication Tip #4

• Keep organized.
• Have your medication list with you at all times and posted around the house where you take medications, Kitchen, bathroom etc.
• Keep your list divided into AM, PM, and bedtime if you have medications taken at several times a day.
• Use a pill box organizer laid out for a week and labeled for each day. You still have to mark which ones are for different times a day.
  

Medication Tip #5

Always talk to your pharmacist and health care provider about your entire list of medications. Often times you will have medications prescribed by several different health care providers. Be sure they all know your entire list of medications. Your pharmacist can also coordinate all of your medications in one place for you. This is especially important when you add a new one.

Medication Tip #6

Check your medication bottle label. Verify that the medication is the correct one, correct dosage and note any special instruction. The label will also tell you how many times you may refill it, the date it was filled and the date the prescription was written.

Medication Tip #7

When you need help understanding your medications, take an advocate with you to the doctors’ office and the pharmacy. Your CareGiver should be at each appointment with you. As an advocate, your CareGiver will be sure all instructions, side effects, and cautions are understood and written down. The CareGiver can then help with the lists you will keep as will as organizing you pill boxes for each week.

Be absolutely sure you understand everything about your medications. It is your responsibility to regulate your own health so if you don’t understand everything at the doctors’ be sure to have an advocate with you.

Medication Summary

• Learn about your medications and why you take each one.
• Talk with your health care provider and pharmacist about all your medications.
• Keep your medication lists up to date and handy.
• Organize your medications using a pillbox.
• Read and understand your medications labels.
• Take a CareGiver with you as an advocate to doctors’ appointments and to the pharmacy.

The  Security check procedures at the airport change often and a Personal Travel Assistant can assist Senior travelers get through easily.

When elderly travelers pass through an airport it is  important for them to know all of  the ins and outs of baggage rules, check –in procedures, getting through the TSA security checkpoint and locating the correct departure gate.  This can be very confusing if traveling without assistance.  With the  hearing loss, eyesight loss, and some poor judgment, the airport  can be confusing.

A Travel Companion could assist an elderly traveler from the beginning of a trip, to the destination assuring a smooth and rewarding experience.  Traveling  is supposed to be fun and even exciting.  So, getting through the starting airport and arrival airport easily should be  an important part of the process.

One Travel Companion company starting trips anywhere nationally can be found at CareToGoTravel.com.  Here you will find  experienced travel experts and caregivers to make your trip a success.

To read a complete article on security changes, click here.

A Caregiver or in home companion is able to assist a veteran id refilling his prescriptions on line from the veterans website. On the site is a phone number where prescriptions can also be filled.

The following is a list of services that veterans and their caregivers can do for prescription refills and tracking.

MyHealthVet is an online website for personal health records and prescriptions refills and a multitude of other medical services for the veteran. There are also some great veteran assistance tools to use for veterans and their caregivers.

The website offers veterans access to veteran health care information anytime, anywhere, as well as refills on veteran issued prescriptions. Caregivers or veterans don’t have to be put on hold on the phone or wait in line when trying to refill their veterans’ prescriptions. Rather they can go to myhealth.va.gov and refill their veteran issued prescriptions.

Vets and their caregivers can:

• Refill veteran prescriptions online without waiting
• View active veteran prescriptions on line
• Choose an active prescription to be refilled
• Have the prescriptions delivered to the veterans home
• Check the status of a refill order anytime
• View, track and print veterans prescription history
• Review and print specific information about a single prescription, using the details option.

This is a tremendous service offered by the Veterans Administration for veterans. The side benefit is that a caregiver can do the refilling from the convenience of a computer and have the prescriptions delivered to the home.

In the Phoenix area Care-To-Go provides Platinum caregivers to assist seniors.  Beth Bates and Care-To-Go can be reached at 800-818-0407 or at http://Care-To-Go.com

Every so often a great deal is passed along by a Care-To-Go  Phoenix Travel Companion

Southern Caribbean Cruise ship trip 8-Nights for only $299

Here is an opportunity to go on a one way cruise ship vacation expedition from Panama and terminating in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

From as little as $299 each — only about $37 per night — our seniors go on board the Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas. On April 11th, you can sail from Colon, Panama, and seing ports in Costa Rica, Colombia and Aruba in the Caribbean. In Puerto Limon seniors could consider reserving a rainforest side trip –almost a fourth of this town’s landmass is national park territory, and it houses around 8,000 plant species in addition to 10 per cent of the world’s butterflies. Seniors should to keep in mind, you will have to arrange one-way air fare to Colon and from Fort Lauderdale back to your home.
The airline ticket will cost, however this seems like a famous once-in-a lifetime trip.  If you have airline non-rev passes or can fly on frequent flyer miles, this trip is a no brainer.

The Royal Caribbean’s “Enchantment of the Seas” has all the standard cruise ship features including:
·    Jazzy Bolero’s lounge is one of the most fun hot spots at sea
·    The stunning sun deck is one of the most beautiful anywhere
·    Features Chop’s Grill alternative restaurant
·    Handicap-friendly cabins available in varying categories
If you need assistance along the way, consider a Personal Travel Assistant to help you along the way.  You can find a Travel Companion at http://CareToGoTravel.com.

Phoenix CareGiver Discusses Choices for Seniors Including More than Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

Seniors prefer living arrangements that offer socialization and an active lifestyle. Staying with families may not be the only option for some elderly persons. To keep independence and remain in the familiar surroundings of a senior’s own home is usually the best option. As seniors begin to need assistance, a Phoenix caregiver can provide part-time assistance. As the level of assistance required increases, the caregiver schedule can be increased to fit the needs of the senior to allow the senior to remain in their own home as long as possible.
Some elderly people prefer not to live in the same house with grown children and their families because different lifestyles. Other seniors may require extensive caregiving to assist with daily living activities, and supervision during the day, making it difficult to live with family members. In these cases, a Phoenix caregiver can provide the required assistance up to the point where the senior needs more help than can be provided at home.

Among the choices for senior living are; Retirement Communities, Assisted Living Facilities, Residential Care Facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Nursing Homes. Some facilities include all of these levels in one place.

More Residential Living Choices for Seniors

Not all elderly people have families. Some of those older people that do have family prefer not to live with adult children, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. Some of these choices require the senior to purchase their home and others may rented on a month-to-month basis.

Here are a few ideas for elderly living:

• Retirement Communities. Some regions dedicate entire residential communities to senior living. For example, Sun City West is Arizona’s finest golf retirement community. Sun City West is a newer version of the original Sun City. Located near Phoenix, this fabulous resort-style setting is inhabited by golden age seniors who aren’t ready to slow down. The community is entirely self-contained and self-governed.
• Assisted Living Facilities. Apartment style living offers independence, yet elderly clients can request assistance with meals, housekeeping, and transportation within a radius from the facility. Transportation may include trips to grocery stores, malls, or medical facilities. These facilities usually include a dining room for meals and many recreational activities. Assisted living facilities may or may not offer nursing or other medical services. Most offer a hair salon and other personal services.
• Residential Care Facilities. RCFs for the elderly are designed for people who cannot live alone but want to maintain some measurable control over their lives. Help with personal care is provided as well as assistance with meals and other daily living tasks. There is a staff on call around the clock, but no skilled nursing.
• Skilled Nursing Facilities. Skilled nursing facilities are equipped to administer medical care such as giving medications and providing other services within the realm of nursing duties. Some facilities may provide rehabilitative therapies.
• Nursing Homes. Nursing homes provide medical care for people who cannot manage medical or personal needs at home, but who do not need hospitalization. The staff can provide medical care, as well as speech, physical, and occupational therapies. There might be a nurses’ station close by. Other nursing homes try to be more like home. They try to have a neighborhood feel. Often, they don’t have a fixed day-to-day schedule, and kitchens might be open to residents.

Selecting a Housing Facility for a Senior

The selection of the appropriate residential living situation can be a complicated issue.  First, most seniors want to be at home (usually alone).  The first choice is to try caregiving at home.  After that a choice must be made to accommodate the senior and meet the actual needs of the senior. there are several services available to help families make the right choice for mom or dad.