Being a caregiver is not an easy job. The role comes with stress, depression, pressure, anxiety and exhaustion. These are important things to consider. Caregivers need to allow themselves to take a break if they begin feeling run down. It is extremely important to remain healthy so you can continue caring for an elderly individual. The following list contains some useful tips for Walnut Creek caregivers regarding their own well-being.
1. Caregivers should remember that they are not alone. The role of a caregiver can be stressful, exhausting and demanding. Many times, caregivers suffer from depression. While it may seem like the caregiver must do this alone, family and friends can offer much support and make a big difference.
2. Caregivers need to know their strengths. It is important to reward yourself for a job well done. Knowing your strengths as well as your limitations will help you become a better caregiver.
3. Many caregivers neglect their own health because they are so preoccupied with caring for a senior. Your personal health should be your number one priority. Never put aside your own health needs.
4. It is ok to ask for help. If you begin feeling overwhelmed, there is no shame asking for help. This could be as simple as words of encouragement. Family members may also be able to help you care for an elderly relative. This can make a huge difference because you will not be responsible for every aspect of care. It is ok to take a break!
5. Caregivers need to be an advocate for seniors. It is important for every caregiver to know their own rights in addition to the rights of the senior receiving assistance or treatment.
When it’s time to hire a caregiver, family members and close friends of the senior are usually the first ones to take notice that it’s time for a change. Once health and safety could be sacrificed is when it’s necessary to start the journey for caregiving, and while it can be stressful, by following the right process the outcome can be positive.
1. Talk about it – while family might believe a senior requires home care assistance, their elderly loved one might not feel the same. Talking about it gently is essential, and not all seniors are likely to simply accept the suggestion of help. A family counselor can intervene if necessary.
2. List the help needed – talk together and determine specific things that a senior care provider like Home Care Walnut Creek could assist with. Whether it’s grocery shopping, help with bathing and dressing, or other tasks.
3. Do research – talk to friends and family about home care agencies they’d recommend, but during that process as costs are addressed, it’s also essential that any funding or insurance coverage that may be available is investigated
4. Don’t jump into a decision – even once a specific agency is narrowed down, it’s okay to interview them and ask questions about their history and their policies. Ask if they’ll spend time with the senior first to assess comfort level, and also verify that a replacement caregiver will be provided if one doesn’t work out
Some seniors may require some additional help at home. While the needs are not always the same, the help of a caregiver can be very beneficial. Whether you are looking for someone who can help medically or someone who will assist with daily living, there are many agencies like Walnut Creek Senior Care that provide seniors with caregivers. Hiring a caregiver is a serious decision that can be made easier by following some of the
tips below.
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.
As an adult child, you might not feel it’s your place to step in and dictate what your senior parents should do with their lives. But encouraging them to plan their future early will help you make sure that their desires and needs are met later on in life when your personal role might increase, and they might not be in a position to dictate their lifestyle. Plan early and address the following areas that will help secure your loved one’s future:
1. Look at all resources –in order to help a senior plan for the future, take a look at all of the options by considering family who may be able to provide help, finances and other assets that could contribute to an aging loved one’s future
2. Understand that plans can change – when planning early, a guideline might be put in place. You might decide with the senior in your life that you will be a full or part-time caregiver. But, by the time they actually need help you might not be in a position to follow through. Accept that plans can change, be flexible, and have backup plans in place
3. Enlist help – a geriatric care manager or a senior care provider can help evaluate the future needs seniors may have to aid in planning
4. Organize the legal aspects – encourage your elderly relative to create a will, draft an advanced directive, establish a power of attorney, and go through the estate planning process
Home Care Walnut Creek, CAdelivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.
Often families think about making changes to an elderly loved one’s home when they live alone; but for some reason, when they choose to move an older adult in they believe that the same standards do not apply. Whenever a senior is moving in, consider their comfort and safety by taking the same steps that you would if they lived elsewhere. Here are some top tips to get you started, and increase their comfort in your home:
1. Install a lower peephole – particularly for seniors that live alone, a peephole is an important security measure. Osteoporosis can cause seniors to lose height, and causing them to strain to see out of a peephole is a danger
2. Reduce glare in the home – for the comfort of seniors, install blinds on the windows that can be adjusted depending upon the amount of light or glare coming into the home
3. Prevent falls with safety measures – put railings on stairs and in the bathroom, and to avoid slips remove area rugs
4. Control water temperatures of the faucets – seniors can scald themselves if they find it challenging to control water
5. Change door handles – seniors with arthritis often have trouble manipulating doorknobs; accommodate them by installing level handles or other assistive devices
6. Try to control clutter – whether a senior is moving in, or you’re trying to make their home a little safer, finding storage for all the extra items that are not regularly used is important to reduce clutter and increase safety
Walnut Creek seniors who receive Social Security benefits will find that their checks will suddenly get smaller over the next couple of years. As of next year, there will no longer be a cost of living adjustment, and for seniors who pay premiums for the Medicare Prescription Drug program, the lack of adjustment will not offset this cost resulting in decreased check amounts. With this being implemented over the next 2 years, seniors on Social Security will need to be more budget conscious than ever before, and can save money with these tips:
1. Set a budget: know how much money you have available to spend on a weekly basis, and keep a record of your spending so you ensure that you’re never overspending. Pay in cash, and then deposit any remaining money at the end of the week into a savings account
2. Smart shopping – create a shopping list and buy only what you need. Plan meals around items that are in season, and try out generic brand products over name brands for the savings
3. Think all unnecessary purchases over – instead of buying things you don’t need impulsively, wait 24 hours and think it over. More often than not, you will find that the temptation passes
4. Discounts – clip coupons or shop at stores that offer more discounts. Also be aware of places that offer discounts to senior citizens, like movie theaters, museums, and even grocery and retail stores
After watching the progression and decline of my own grandparents in recent years, I’ve begun to take a long hard look at senior care options so that I can make a better decision when it comes time to care for my own parents. While that time still might be a decade away, it’s time to start thinking about what we’ll do if and when they begin to need assistance. My mother, who is in her senior years herself provides care for my elderly grandparents for 6 months out of the year. They don’t live with her, but are around the corner, so she’s only a phone call away. I can see the stress that she’s under every time the phone rings, or even when it doesn’t, wondering if something has happened to her parents.
I can’t help but wonder if they would be better off living under the same roof, so my mom always knows what’s going on with her parents, and this is something that gets me thinking if that would be a good option for me with my own parents when the time comes. I know that it would come with its own stresses, and that great deal of planning and conversation would need to happen to make sure the transition would occur smoothly for everyone living under the same roof. I know that there would be positives and negatives of living under the same roof and providing care, just as there would be with living separately, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Via: Home Instead Senior Care https://www.homeinstead.com/Lists/doclistlib/Attachments/257/Too_Close_For_Comfort_Booklet.pdf
mage Source: pro.corbis.com
Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688
With many home care agencies, you never know who’s going to turn up on a Walnut Creek 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 Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.
As a leading home care agency in Walnut Creek, one of the top questions that Home Instead Senior Care receives is if caregivers can help seniors out around the home. Many families worry about their aging senior’s ability to keep up with tasks and responsibilities at home, especially when a safety risk might be a consequence; but they don’t want their loved one to suffer from loss of independence by moving them out of their own home.
Fortunately for Walnut Creek families, Home Instead Senior Care provides a number of senior home care services, including help around the home. Our caregivers can assist seniors with light-housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, meal planning, grocery shopping and transportation to and from errands. In addition to the help around the home that our caregivers offer, they also provide assistance with personal care like bathing, dressing, and personal grooming. Our caregivers also provide companionship for the senior and bond with each and every one of their elderly clients to ensure that they feel comfortable, safe and happy with their home care situation.
Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.
How do you know when it’s time for your Walnut Creek 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 Walnut Creek 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
Being a caregiver is not an easy job. The role comes with stress, depression, pressure, anxiety and exhaustion. These are important things to consider. Caregivers need to allow themselves to take a break if they begin feeling run down. It is extremely important to remain healthy so you can continue caring for an elderly individual. The following list contains some useful tips for Walnut Creek caregivers regarding their own well-being.
