Home Care CareGivers

Archive for the ‘Home Care’ Category

Alcohol Use and Abuse Among Elderly Reported by caregiver

National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health

Anyone at any age can have a drinking problem. Great Uncle George may have always liked his liquor, so his family may not see that his drinking behavior is getting worse as he gets older. Grandma Betty was a teetotaler all her life—she started having a drink each night to help her get to sleep after her husband died. Now no one realizes that she needs a couple of drinks to get through each day. These are common stories. The fact is that families, friends, and health care professionals often overlook their concerns about older people’s drinking. Sometimes trouble with alcohol in older people is mistaken for other conditions that happen with age, but alcohol use deserves special attention.

Because the aging process affects how the body handles alcohol, the same amount of alcohol can have a greater effect as a person grows older. Over time, someone whose drinking habits haven’t changed may find she or he has a problem. A caregiver from Care-To-Go reports that formarly non-alchol abusive seniors can slip into alcholism.

A watchful caregiver providing home care can monitor drinking and redirect eating and dring paterns.

Care-To-Go offers home care caregivers as well as Travel Companions. Contact Care-To-Go at 1-800-818 or at Care-To-Go.Com

Elderly Travel and a Travel Companion

Care-To-Go, a Phoenix Home Care and Travel Companion company advise for senior travel

As we start the new year, many families are planning their family get togethers. The plans might be as simple as a short drive, or it may require a plane, train or cross country car trip. This can be challenging for anyone, but if you are offering eldercare, you know that other issues must be addressed.

For example, what does your aging loved one need to be comfortable while away? What medications do they need? Do they have an updated list of medications and medical history that they can bring along with them? Will they run out of their medications while away? Can they get those before they leave, or can they do so while away?
If your elderly travel is a loved one is driving to visit you, perhaps now is a good time to assess their driving skills if their skills aren’t what they used to be, perhaps another family member could drive them. Amtrak offers senior discounts and of course, if you can plan ahead there are often great deals on airfare.

Here are some other tips and tricks I’ve been reading about:

Vacationing Comfortably with an Elderly Travel Companion, consider  a traveling CareGiver.

When vacationing with an elderly travel companion, people need plan even more carefully than with a younger group to make sure that everyone can have a safe, fun vacation throughout the trip. Learning how to travel with the elderly is critical. The inclusion of a caregiver can make the vacation a real vacation for everyone.

Taking Precautions: Travel Insurance for the Elderly

When traveling with someone who is over the age of sixty, it is important to take certain precautions to make sure that the trip is safe and comfortable for him. Elderly air travel can be stressful since there is often confusion just navigating the airports and TSA security checkpoints. A Travel Companion can move the senior from check in through security and to the departure gate safely and quickly.

Planning Ahead: Elderly Air Travel.

Care-To-Go Travel Companions can be reached at 1-800-818-0407 and on the web at CareToGoTravel.com

The 2009 holidays are over and its time to celebrate 2010.

2009 saw the launch of Care-To-Go Travel Companions adding to the existing Care-To-Go home care providing Phoenix and Scottsdale caregivers. The idea of using a Travel Companion for elder travel or travel for disabled people is one idea that has been met with raving reviews.

As the holidays wind down with all the family get togethers, we all need to assure that our senior family members are taken care of. It is all to easy to pick up mom for Christmas because that is a special holiday and a traditional family get together. How about January, February etc.?  Mom still needs the same family contact that was there during the holidays. A caregiver can help fill the gap and actually help mom get to family events, and the caregiver can help fill the void after the holidays by reviewing Christmas cards, events, gifts and all the fun and tradition of the holiday with the family.

Care-To-Go has provided a travel companion for senior travel to family events, medical transport and fun vacations. It continues to become obvious that seniors need to keep the lifestyle they have been living. If elder travel is part of that, it is great that they can continue to travel with the aide of a travel companion.

Care-To-Go Travel Companions specialize in LA travel companions, Phoenix travel companions, and St. Louis Travel companions.

For more information on Care-To-Go home care and travel companion services call 800-818-0407 or visit Care-To-Go.com and CareToGoTravel.com

Care To Go Travel Companion reports on latest TSA rules

We have watched over three decades now the evolution of airport security.  It is almost always a reaction to the latest threat rather than using a well thought out plan.  Care To Go travel Companions have been advising air travelers how to cope with airport security. Phoenix Home Care CareGivers traveling over the Christmas holiday report normal security procedures, however the lines are long.  Allow extra time.  Your Travel Companion can assist you with the entire process.

Elderly Travel is always challenging, now with the new TSA rules, it is even more important for senior travelers to take a Travel Companion with them.

Reuters

December 29, 2009 – 10:20am

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will now give air captains discretion over when commercial airline passengers can move about the cabin and what they can have on their laps.

The update of airline security rules follows what U.S. government authorities called a thwarted attempt by an individual on Christmas day to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam.

President Barack Obama said that as a result of this oversight, he had ordered a thorough review of the screening process.

The TSA confirmed Monday that pilots can now decide whether to allow passengers to keep items in their laps or require them to be seated during portions of the flight.

The agency also will let pilots and airlines determine whether in-flight entertainment systems that show a plane’s location should be turned off to avoid a security risk, an agency spokeswoman said.

JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) announced through its Twitter page earlier Monday that its LiveTV service resumed on its flights.

Airline industry experts have said renewed terror threats and potentially tighter airport security measures could dampen business travel demand just as it starts to recover. [ID:n28168827]

Shares of U.S. airlines slumped Monday, the first trading session following the attempted attack. The Arca Airline index .XAL fell 1.8 percent.

Care to Go Travel Companions can be reached at 800-818-0704 and on the web at www.CareToGoTravel.com

CareGivers and Christmas – Families Enjoy The Holidays With Phoenix Home Care

Platinum CareGiver Can Make All the Difference

Holidays can be a joyous family time or a time for loneliness and depression. All too often, seniors are alone or with another senior spouse who can’t properly care for them physically or emotionally.

Phoenix caregivers providing home care can make all difference in the lives of seniors during the holidays. Having another person attending the senior(s) at home can bring life to the home. A Platinum CareGiver can elevate the level of care for the senior from the minimum to extraordinary. Most caregivers will handle the activities of daily living (ADL), the difference however, lies in making each activity inclusive to their level, personalized and special for the senior.

Such activities as meal preparation and presentation, decorating and arranging the house should be inclusive of the senior to the extent that it is festive and empowering for them. A Platinum CareGiver can take the pulse of the seniors to see what level of participation is appropriate for them. Helping make Christmas cookies, or review Christmas cards may make the day for some seniors, but be overwhelming for others. Napping during the clean-up may be all that is needed for some. It is up to the creativity and intuitiveness of the Platinum CareGiver to valuate the level of participation for each senior. For example photos and memories may delight some seniors, but bring on depression and feelings of loss for others.

What Might A Senior Respond To With A Platinum CareGiver with phoenix home care

Christmas time evokes lots of memories; which ones are positive for the senior?

• Christmas traditions
• Christmas foods
• Going to parties
• Having guests in
• Going to church
• Christmas music
• Home decorations
• Sending Christmas cards
• Receiving and arranging Christmas cards
• Wrapping and sending gifts
• Visiting or talking with friends and relatives
• Shopping
• Window shopping and looking at decorations
• View Christmas lights in neighborhoods
• Visit family and friends in another city (contact Care To Go Travel)

A Platinum CareGiver will be able to take a senior down memory lane and find all the great Christmas memories for them allowing them to share and relive their memories. Or, if it is appropriate, the CareGiver can keep the senior in the present moment avoiding old memories.

For Phoenix area elder home care contact Care To Go for Platinum CareGivers

800-818-0407 or visit the web www.Care-To-Go.com

Care To Go Travel Companions can be reached at 800-818-0407

www.CareToGoTravel.com

Nourishing Our Greatest Generation

Older adults in this decade have rightly been called the Greatest Generation. Raised during the Great Depression, they defended our freedom, and helped secure our future.

Some of those in the Greatest Generation need our help.

IMAGINE…Not having money to buy or the ability to prepare a special Holiday meal.

IMAGINE…Not having family or friends close during the Holiday season.

IMAGINE…Helping low-income, older adults this Holiday Season.

This generation, the Greatest Generation is responsible for the foundation we have as Americans.

They taught us the value of hard work, a strong faith, planning for the future and great integrity.

Our mothers and grandmothers worked in airplane factories in the 1940s, assisted in USOs, managed households and businesses while their husbands were fighting in Europe or the Pacific.

Our fathers or grandfathers fought in World War II, or supported war efforts here at home such as running troop trains or raising the food needed to support America and troops all over the world.

After the war they were on minimal incomes. Those times were the happiest times of their lives. There were no big screen TVs, no X-Box, no Wii games to play. Instead there were great family get togethers. Pot luck family dinners, a picnic in the park, Bar-B-Qing hot dogs in the fireplace were great fun and low cost.

Now, these proud Americans need our help. So, how can you help? There are hundreds of volunteer programs in every city. We can assist at a senior center, donate presents at a church, contact the Salvation Army, visit a assisted living home or a hospital and just talk. On Christmas day the Holiday project takes teams of people to various senior locations to bring a present, sing a Christmas song and offer a smile. All low or no cost offerings. Many of the home bound senior don’t have a CareGiver and depend on volunteer help.

Care To Go Home Care and Travel Companions supports the Mesa Adult Senior Center in their Holiday meal and gift program. Teams of volunteers bring Christmas gifts and a meal to home bound seniors in the Mesa Arizona area. For more information contact Care To Go on the web at www.Care-To-Go.com

Care To Go Home Care is acknowledged for contributing to CareGiver book

Beth Bates founder of Care To Go home care and Travel Companions contributed a loving and touching story of her relationship with Louise. Louise’s’ story of a Phoenix CareGiver takes many twists and turns requiring many levels of CareGiving above and beyond normal Home Care.

Here is the story of a Phoenix Caregiver and a very special person.

What In-Home Care Giving Really Should Be for Your Loved One

This is a story of Louise T., a person even you couldn’t help but love. She’d inherited a beautiful home from her mother in Scottsdale, Arizona. Surprisingly, the unforeseen death of her beloved mother occurred on April 29, 2007 and by mid December, stress had taken its toll. Notably, her hair became brittle and began falling out.

She thought it was because of the deep mourning for her mother’s death, but after visiting her doctor, Louise was then diagnosed with cancer. Saddened by this news, Louise’s schedule became riddled with radiation and chemotherapy treatments; and after such treatments, Louise became weak to her core. Yet, she was trying to handle everything on her own.

Louise, being as incredibly self-reliant and independent as she is, was determined to take care of herself. Her brother could see she was in need of help, but he was unable to give the motherly care she needed. So, he sat her down and with all the love in his heart he said, “Louise, it’s time we get you some in home health care”.

At that time, she couldn’t see how important it was to have that kind of support, but as she looked around at her house, she knew her brother was right.

Enter Care-To-Go In-Home CareGivers…

Once Louise and I met, we quickly got into the routine of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. After each session, I would make a light lunch, shop for food at a local grocer, and then prepare dinner. We so enjoyed each others company, laughter, edgy conversations and inspiration spiced up our long emotional days. I tell you, her treatments took a toll on her strength, but not on her spirit.

Well, after several months of taxing treatments Louise was more than ready to get back to her apartment in California. By now she was using a walker and a wheelchair just to get around. I mentioned to her that we, Care-To-Go, could escort her back to California and with a smile, Louise welcomed the idea.

We’re Going Back to Cali…

So we were off… to the airport, through the baggage area, through airport security, onto the airplane for a relaxing flight, and to Louise’s apartment in California. While there, I set up her apartment following her personal directions, prepared a welcome home meal, and then rested in her comfortable apartment. Louise then looked at me and told me she was grateful for the support and realized she could have never done this on her own.

After some time, Louise moved from her apartment to a home she’d purchased in California. But the day she moved in to her new home, she fell and fractured her hip. For the next four months during her healing, Louise took residence in an assisted living facility.

It’s not what you know, but who you know!

Since Louise and I had a wonderful friendship, we kept tabs on each other. And again when she was ready to go back home, she called me to help her get settled in her new home.

We came up with a plan of action that involved:

· Unpacking and organizing her home

· Maintaining her physical therapy schedule

· Scheduling a handyman to revamp her bathroom

· Planning dinners with her son Steve (where laughter was definitely the main course)

· Plus other daily living activities which had to be accomplished

Well, after about 10 days it was time to head back to Phoenix, but we weren’t finished yet. I’d taken pictures of the contents of her mother’s home back in Scottsdale, Arizona and made two catalogs, one for her one for me.

We went through the catalogs determined what she’d like me to send her after her mother’s home was sold. When the time came, the furniture and smaller items were packed and sent to her new home in California.

In conclusion, Care-To-Go assisted a person in much need of aid. We all know someone who has had the misfortune of a physical / mental illness, a physical condition, or just plain old age. Regardless, in-home care is just a phone call away.

You can contact us directly at 800-818-0407. Look us up on the web at –

www.Care-To-Go.com and www.Caretogotravel.com for Travel Companions

Priceless CareGiving, Stories of Elder Care, Success, Courage, and Strength

This wonderful book is now available from Care To Go phoenix Home Care for $15.00  Principals of Caregiving, compiled by Valerie VanBooven RN BSN is a compilation of CareGiver stories from all over the country.  The book includes about 44 heart felt CareGiver stories including one from featured author Beth Bates of Care To Go, Phoenix Home Care and Travel Companions.

Beth Bates, owner of Care To Go Travel Companions and Phoenix Home Care tells the story of Louise of Scottsdale AZ.  When Louise began cancer treatments at the Mayo Clinic, she thought she could handle her own care.  The story reveals how quickly she needed and depended on Beth Bates and Care To Go Home Care.

Beth supplied the appropriate care needed as Louise’s needs changed.  Beth helped her through her treatments and recovery and then assisted her moving to California.  Little did she know that the Care To Go Travel Companion services would be needed so quickly.

The complete story of Beth and Louise will be posted tomorrow.

Phoenix home care caregivers from Care To Go can be reached at 800-818-0407 or on the web at www.Care-To-Go.com

Travel Companions for Elderly Travel and Phoenix Elder Travel Assistance can be found at www.CareToGoTravel.com

Phoenix home care caregivers from Care To Go can be reached at 800-818-0407 or on the web at www.Care-To-Go.com

Travel Companions for Senior Travel and Phoenix Elder Travel Assistance can be found at www.CareToGoTravel.com

Professional CareGivers can supply much needed home care help

Too many families find themselves overwhelmed by the level of care needed for their loved one. It usually starts out with only a little assistance needed and the care may be shared by several family members.

As time goes by, the care becomes increasingly more difficult and time consuming and the load now rests on the shoulders of one family member.

Professional CareGivers can provide much needed respite time for the family caregiver, or take over the care completely. There is great relief for returning to being a daughter instead of CareGiver.

Advocates say there are options that offer some relief

Caregivers need as much support as the person they are caring for, advocates say.

"If you’re not watching over the caregiver, you’re not taking care of the (ill) person, either," said Jeannette Koijane, executive director of Kokua Mau, a hospice and palliative care organization.

Advocates spoke in general terms of the enormous stress caregivers deal with in the wake of the death of Robert M. Yagi of Kailua. Yagi, 71, committed suicide over the weekend.

Since October, Yagi’s wife, Leatrice, also 71, has been hospitalized at Castle Medical Center for a terminal illness.

Yagi was seen in his wife’s hospital room daily, keeping her company and tending to her needs, according to a police affidavit.

But last week, Yagi entered his wife’s room and shot her with a plastic flare gun, police said. He may have tried to take his own life at the same time, using another flare gun loaded with a 12-gauge buckshot, according to the affidavit. Leatrice Yagi suffered minor injuries.

Six days later, Robert Yagi committed suicide.

"It’s incredibly unfortunate that this is the option that he thought he had," said Dr. Anna Loengard, medical director of St. Francis Hospice. "He was certainly suffering. His wife is suffering."

Depression, isolation, frustration, anger and guilt are emotions that some caregivers experience, according to Loengard. Caring for a loved one 24/7, "you feel like you can’t get out and reach out to anyone."

Palliative care is one option that family members can turn to. In contrast to hospice care, where an individual is suffering from a terminal illness and has less than six months to live, palliative care can provide care as early as the time of the patient’s diagnosis. It is more of a holistic approach, involving support for the family, said Loengard.

Professional home care is available in the Phoenix, AZ area from Care-To-Go.com

Phoenix home care caregivers from Care To Go can be reached at 800-818-0407 or on the web at www.Care-To-Go.com

Travel Companions for Senior Travel and Phoenix Elder Travel Assistance can be found at www.CareToGoTravel.com

By David Lowell, MD

The holidays can be a time of renewal – renewal of friendships through visits and cards, renewal of family relationships through gatherings and shared meals, and renewal of one’s faith. But the holidays also are a time that can be particularly challenging for a caregiver. It is a time during which the changes in one’s life are highlighted and there are additional demands placed upon on an already stressed life.
The holidays are always a whirlwind and this is especially true for caregivers. During the holidays it is important for caregivers to seek a balance – between caring for someone else and caring for oneself; between celebrating good memories of past holidays while not dwelling on what might have been lost. Here are ideas to keep in mind for both the caregiver and the care receiver as the holiday season arrives:
Ideas for the Caregiver:
1. Don’t try to do it all. In the past you may have prepared Christmas dinner for 20 and created hand-made gifts for all of your relatives. Ask other members of the family to carry on specific family traditions. Dividing the responsibility will help you manage your stress level. 
2. Don’t attempt to travel long distances by car if your loved one is not used to it and tires easily. You will both be exhausted by the time you reach your destination, and you will have a difficult time enjoying yourself. 
3. Ask family or friends to provide respite care. Make time to enjoy holiday decorations or window shopping. Just a few hours of time by yourself or with a friend can be renewing and help combat a sense of isolation. 
4. Avoid comparisons with past holidays. It is often emotionally draining to look upon change as loss. “Life is change” can be a helpful concept to hold onto. 
5. Create new traditions that can be carried on year to year, rather than dwelling on old traditions that your loved one can no longer participate in.
Ideas for Your Loved One:
1. Find a way to have your loved one participate in the holidays, whether its making decorations or counting the days on an Advent calendar
2. Decorate your loved one’s room or living area for the holidays. Incorporate symbols and decorations that are meaningful. 
3. Stimulate all of your loved one’s senses with the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of the holidays. Ideas include holiday music and decorations, a favorite dessert and familiar scents.
4. Familiar holiday foods are a nice way to evoke positive memories.
5. If your loved one is in a care facility, extend traditions to other people in the facility. For example, pass out holiday cards or make a traditional dessert to share.