Home Care CareGivers

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 Care To Go Phoenix Home Care
and Travel Companions

Founded by Beth and Gary Bates

480-284-8611
800-818-0407

When there is a perfect blend of distinct skills and talents, it will often lead to a great result. This is the case at Care-To-Go!   Beth and Gary Bates have combined their knowledge and abilities to create a unique company that offers travel companions and caregivers to make your life easier and more enjoyable.

Beth has over 30 years caregiver and Home Care experience
Beth has years of experience as a compassionate and loving caregiver. She has been involved in assisting people with their in-home care needs, physical disabilities, medical recovery, and hospice care as well as being a great travel companion. Beth’s attention to detail will ensure your loved one receives the highest level of loving and compassionate care.

Gary has over 30 years Airline Pilot and Travel Consultant experience
Gary is a career airline pilot, with expertise in the travel industry. He has extensive knowledge in domestic travel as well as international travel including Hawaii, the Caribbean and Europe.

The merging of these two talents allows Care-To-Go to offer an excellent program for both in-home care and travel companion services.

We are confident that your experience with Care-To-Go will be a pleasant and memorable one.

Thank you for choosing Care-To-Go.

Here is a good article for caregivers anywhere, however some of the tips won’t effect a Phoenix caregiver or Scottsdale caregiver because we don‘t use heating oil or have snow. If you are a Saint Louis Caregiver however it may all apply.

Gail M. Samaha

While there is some small comfort in knowing that the pressures you feel are shared by many others, the bottom line to this very personal matter is simple: finding the time and services that can help make your life and the lives of your aging parents a little easier. This year, as you care for your elder (either living with you or still in their own home); find the balance you need each day to continue to provide great care for your loved one and yourself.

Plan for winter safety

This is a time when caregivers’ concerns accelerate as their loved ones are negotiating the challenges of another winter. Consider doing the following:                                                   

• Fall prevention – inside and out.  Remove scatter rugs and secure handrails at all entrances of the house. 
• Be sure your elderly parents have the proper snow shoes or boots when walking outside. Won’t be a problem if you are a Phoenix CareGiver.
• Adequate heating – you can arrange for automatic delivery of heating oil (elders have priority for reinstatement of electricity if the power goes out).  
• If your elderly parent is still driving, check to see if the car is set with an overall winter protection (e.g. oil change, tires, battery, blankets, water, AAA membership).  It is also a good time to reassess if your aging parent should still be driving.

Ensure emotional well-being

The first of the year is when the blues are very prevalent with the let down of the holiday as the family returns home, sunshine is rare in many places and getting out every day can be a challenge. You can help your parents by:

• Making sure they’re getting some exercise (walking in a mall, neighborhood, exercises at a local senior center.)
• Checking B-12 (if low, it could impact memory), Vitamin D, and thyroid levels.
• Scheduling a weekly event they can look forward to (a movie, dinner out, or a visit by you or a friend).

Plan ahead for doctors’ appointments

If you’re unable to assist your loved one, make arrangements with a sibling, friend, aide or neighbor. Afterwards, have them communicate to you the doctors’ feedback and next steps. Some communities have transportation services for the elderly. Check with your Area Agency on Aging.

Ask for help when you need it

Know that you don’t have to do it all. — whether it’s taking your loved one to a doctor’s appointment, concerned about what to do next or just feeling overwhelmed.  Know there are many resources to support your caregiving needs through websites, books and groups.

Seek family support

Maintaining open communications with immediate family members and siblings gives you a chance to ask for help with various tasks. Plan a weekly check-in with friends and relatives to update them on your elderly parents condition (AgingCare has a new online tool to help you accomplish this) and get the help you need, reducing your caregiver workload and alleviating some stress.

Care-To-Go, a Phoenix home care company provides home care caregivers as well as Travel Companion. Contact Beth Bates at Care-To-Go at 1-800-818-0407 or on the web at Care-To-Go.com

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