In Home Care Gone Wrong: Bad Apples

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Making the decision that a loved one needs some sort of in home care or senior care can be a difficult step to take (read here for four signs that your family might be at this decision point). Who you hire is one of the most important decisions to make, and it can have a big impact on your family’s experience with senior care. Just consider: this is a person or company that might be spending significant time with a family member (potentially in the home), and might also be involved in care of a personal, private nature, like assistance with toileting, bathing, finances, etc. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a few true stories of in home care gone wrong…and more importantly, how to mitigate the risks of this happening to your family!

Yoga for the Senior Care Crowd

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yoga for seniors in senior careYou could ask 10 people in a room to describe what yoga is, and without a doubt, you would hear 10 different descriptions. So let’s organize the landscape to figure out how and why you should give this ancient but trendy practice a try.

Taken to extremes, yoga in America today can seem downright exclusive, a past time for the fit and mobile. Sleek, sweating bodies extend long limbs and twist effortlessly into sacred shapes, seeming to hover above a shiny studio floor. Does that sound like a class you want to drop into next weekend? Probably not. But bypass the hype, the spandex and the gym rat feel of yoga as a workout and get to know “yoga for normal people,” including those who have pain with movement or pain from not moving enough – or both! That’s yoga for everybody and it should be easily accessible to anyone who wants to improve overall health and feel better every day. It is even available for people who are receiving in home care or long term care.

Treats, not Tricks! Old Time Candies Seniors Will Remember (Senior Care Edition)

old time candies seniors will rememberWith Halloween just around the corner, we wanted to take a look at classic candies from decades past. These are sure to make the senior citizens in your life smile, and perhaps bring back some fond memories! You might be surprised at how long some of these candies have been in production – almost eighty years in some cases! Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane of Halloween’s past…

How Do Senior Care Agencies Match Clients & Caregivers for In Home Care?

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how do senior care agencies match clients & caregivers?It should come as no surprise that selecting an agency or individual to provide In Home Care for a loved one can be a somewhat complex process. How do you know when to get help (read here for some guidelines), and what questions do you need to ask? Choosing a registry or agency to care for your loved ones is a big decision; this is a person that will be in your (or your parent’s) home, and depending on how much care is required, may be there as little as a few hours per week, up to round-the-clock care. So let’s take a look at some of the differentiators and things you should consider before making a hire.

What is COPD?

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what is COPD?If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with COPD, there are some important things that you should know. According to the American Lung Association, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD for short) is a disease of the lungs which causes difficulty in breathing. The progressive nature of this condition means that it worsens over time and can lead to early death. Shortness of breath and wheezing are often accompanied by a buildup of mucus, leading to coughing fits and an inability to clear the lungs.

Over 11 million people in America have been diagnosed with COPD, and it is estimated that another 13 million have the disease but are undiagnosed. The number one cause for COPD is cigarette smoking. Other contributing factors are long term exposure to air pollution, chemical fumes and second hand smoke. Long term smokers, even those who have quit, are at risk for developing COPD, which was the third leading cause of death in 2011, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. So, what is COPD all about?

3 Great Ways to Help a Primary Caretaker

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3 ways to help a primary caretakerThere are many reasons a parent or loved one might need in home care. Age-related changes like diminishing vision or inability to lift heavy things might mean that your father or mother needs help accomplishing daily tasks. An unexpected illness or diagnosis, on the other hand, might carry more of a shock or surprise, especially with something like early-onset Alzheimer’s. In these instances, grief, confusion, and distress might contribute to making a situation more complicated.

In the event that an elderly parent needs a caretaker due to age-related changes or sudden illness/injury, the burden may fall on one sibling more than the others (perhaps only one sibling is willing or able to take on a caretaker role). This may be due to geographical distance, financial ability, or a variety of other reasons.

Becoming a primary caretaker can be rewarding, yet difficult, work, especially if you don’t have any training. When the work falls unevenly between grown children, it can occasionally lead to some hard feelings (read here to learn about keeping the peace between siblings). With that in mind, we wanted to round up some ways that family members and friends can help a primary caretaker, even if they’re not geographically close or able to pick up some of the tasks. Most of these can be done yourself, or hired out…either way, your elderly parent and the primary caretaker will be very grateful that you looked at these resources for caregivers!

Mindfulness Improves Quality of Life for Caretakers & In Home Care Clients

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mindfulness quality of life in home care patientUnless you’ve been on a cultural hiatus for the past year or two, you must have come across a blog or conversation about mindfulness, a meditation practice that is a remedy for our post millennial pace. This practice is offered as an antidote to all that hustle and thrum of non-stop images, messages, and reminders of incompleted tasks, money worries, economy woes, the daily overload of noise spilling over even into our fitful sleep. If this describes the life you are living too, you are in good company. In August of 2014, 72% of Americans reported feeling stressed about money at least some of the time as reported in the American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” survey. And 80% report feeling stress on the job according to Stress.org. Nearly half of workers surveyed say they need help to manage stress themselves, while 42% say it’s their co-workers who need help managing stress. Hmm…so if it’s not you, it’s your coworker who’s wrapped too tight!

It may be time for more of us to step into the calming waters of mindfulness as a lifestyle, especially medical patients, people in any type of treatment protocol, or those who are caregivers for someone who is. Mindfulness, though it may present a huge behavioral leap, brings a most helpful basket of healing rewards to even the casual participant.

It’s October! Monthly Observances with a Senior Care Spin!

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monthly observances October senior careDid you know that each month of the year, there are multiple daily, weekly, and monthly observances for various causes? Some are more popular than others, some are obscure, some are geographically-limited, and so on. We thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the monthly observances for October, and share how they might relate to senior care!

Breast Cancer Awareness

This is one of the more popular observances, mostly because of the funding that is part of the breast cancer cause (Susan G. Komen being one of the largest organizations involved). Here are some statistics from BreastCancer.org about this disease:

Dealing With An Aging Parent’s Decline; Is Elderly Care Appropriate?

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elderly care for aging parentsNo one wants to think about losing or quitting a job because of the need to care for elderly relatives. Yet, so many will be forced to confront that possibility. Today, over 10 million adult children are providing home care for aging parents. This is defined as helping with toileting, bathing, dressing and eating (also known as Activities of Daily Living, ADLs). But that number doesn’t even account for the millions more Americans who are providing ongoing help with grocery shopping, driving to appointments, assisting with medical care, financial matters and more!

The truth is, the journey alongside someone who needs elderly care is something like a forced march. Whether the onset of disability is sudden and shocking, or comes in a thousand indiscernible ways, you are not in charge of the speed or direction. You don’t so much chart a course as you constantly course correct. As navigators in this passage with our parents or elder loved ones, we know the destination, but we don’t know the distance. How long is this journey; how far are we going? And how do we find a workable path for all involved? This is no easy task. But before you turn and run the other way, leaving this responsibility to siblings and other family members, here are some suggestions to help prepare you for the road ahead.

Back to School: for Seniors! Resources for Senior Citizen Education

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senior citizen education back to schoolHave you considered going back to school in your golden years? For many people past their fifties, it can be intimidating to think about enrolling and finishing (or starting!) a degree. Technology has changed so much, the student body is much younger, it costs too much money, etc…these are all typical reasons someone may shy away from furthering their education. But as you can guess, there are many great reasons for seniors to head back to campus! Here are just a few to consider:

  1. Maintain cognitive ability. It’s no secret that memory and cognitive function tend to decrease as we age. Recent studies have shown some correlation, however, between mental pursuits and improved cognition. Going back to school – or even just taking a few classes here and there – is one great way to use your brain and give it new challenges.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will I be committed to a long-term agreement?

No long-term agreement! PAN requests 24 hour notice to cancel services. You may cancel temporarily, make changes to your schedule with notice.

Does PAN provide skilled care?

Yes, PAN provides skilled nurses to meet those Client’s requiring more complex needs.

Does PAN provide services in local hospitals?

Yes, we can provide services in your home, assisted living community, hospitals, wherever you call home.

What is the process of finding a caregiver?

We make the process of finding a caregiver very simple and prompt using our QuickCare Placement program. Give us a call and we’ll conduct a brief phone discussion to understand your needs. We then can meet anyone involved in selecting and paying for care at your home for an in-home needs consultation. Within 24 hours of that visit we are usually able to refer a professional caregiver to your home. Our team continuously screens caregivers beyond current demand to give you quick access to the best caregivers in our community.

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