When Houston family caregivers ask us how they can make their jobs easier and improve the quality of care of their elderly loved one, one of the top caregiver tips that we recommended is to use a daily care log. Using a daily care log, is a great way to communicate important messages between multiple caregivers that might be providing care for a senior, and create a permanent record of a senior’s medical history and routines as they pertain to his/her care. For those providing elder care, a daily care log can also reduce caregiver stress, because family and professional caregivers start each and every day with a background on the senior’s physical and mental health and any new caregiving challenges they should be aware of.

The information that an elderly care professional or family caregiver records on the log helps improve the senior’s care while making their jobs easier through increased understanding. Each day a caregiver enters the senior’s home, or assisted living facility where they reside, they can record the tasks and activities they completed, any challenges they had to overcome with the senior physically or mentally, and during the first visit; write down the areas they feel the senior requires assistance from a caregiver. A caregiver log should also include any changes they’ve seen in the senior; in particular, if they need help with a task they could complete independently before. Creating a daily care log can be a great way to assess a senior’s care needs, and communicate between other Houston caregivers and the family, to ensure the highest quality of care is always being delivered.

If you would like a copy of the daily care log that Home Instead provides to it’s clients please call your local Home Instead Senior Care office.

Sources:
1.    The Eldercare Team
2.    Grownups

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

As a caregiver with Home Instead Senior Care, I try and get to know my clients, their personal interests and find things that we have in common through conversation. By sharing mutual interests, I’ve found that I’m not only there to provide care for the senior, I’m finding pleasures in the things in life you forget you enjoy or take for granted. I truly enjoy the time that I spend with the 87 year old senior I care for. When I started as a Texas caregiver, I thought that I would only be interested in working a couple of days a week; but I am with my elderly client everyday for four hours and wouldn’t change that.

One of our favorite senior activities that we do together, some may find it strange, but we both share a love for houses and real estate; so to get out of the house, we often drive around different neighborhoods in Austin and discuss what we like and don’t like about the houses, the landscaping and other aspects of the homes. While driving along at 5 miles per hour, we chat about our mutual interest; meanwhile, paying additional attention to the traffic and street signs on the road around us to ensure that we both remain safe while pursuing our mutual hobby. For a little bit of extra excitement, we’re even planning a trip, with permission from my client’s family, to drive an hour and a half down to Johnsonville from Austin to tour different neighborhoods that are unfamiliar to us. Looking at houses is a great way to get out of the house; which gives us a change of scenery, something new and interesting to talk about, and promotes physical mobility for my client when getting in and out of the car.

It’s the simple things that we’ve learned to really appreciate when in one-another’s company. When running errands, we’ll stop for our favorite drinks, Coke or Dr. Pepper, instead of having them at home, so it makes for a great treat. Or we’ll pick up stale bread from Meals on Wheels and go down to the lake by my client’s apartment to feed the ducks. To keep activities at home fresh and interesting, I like to take my client to Toys R Us or other local craft stores to pick out activities she would like to do during our time together, like weaving or painting.

When I was initially hired to work with this client, who struggles with mobility and short-term memory, I thought I would just be there for company, for transportation to her appointments and for light-housekeeping. What I didn’t anticipate, is that we would become such great friends who have grown to enjoy each other’s company immensley. With a little creativity, and an effort to find shared interests; I think that any caregiver providing elder care can not only create, but have their own positive experiences from working with a senior. And for me, it’s also a chance to be grateful for the things I’ve had in life and think about how I’d like my life to be when I get older.

Mary Louise Polman: Home Instead Senior Care, Texas

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Q – What should be included in a living will and should all seniors have them?

A – A living will communicates a senior’s wishes with regards to their healthcare, to ensure that family and medical practitioners carry them out once they no longer have the ability to voice what they want. Every Houston senior should prepare a living will before their health comes into question, because unfortunately illness just can’t always be predicted.

When creating living trusts and living wills during the process of estate planning, seniors should understand their options and clearly state their wishes when different medical issues occur. In a general statement, seniors can include treatments they would consider having or prefer should specific medical issues arise (for example, chemotherapy to treat cancer); while general statements are not legally binding, doctors will keep them in mind when determining the course of treatment. Advance decisions and advance directives also allow seniors to refuse specific treatments and actions by a medical doctor; for example, refusing life support under any circumstance. When creating a living will, seniors should also appoint an advocate, which can be a family member or caregiver, to ensure that medical wishes outlined in the living will are abided by.

Having a living will ensures that all Houston seniors have a voice, and play a role in their own medical care; even when they are not physically able to communicate their healthcare needs.

Sources:
1.    CNNMoney.com Gerri Willis
2.    Directgov

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Hiring a professional caregiver to help out a senior at home, can be a big decision. Hiring a caregiver from a professional caregiving agency has its benefit over hiring a private caregiver for a number of reasons. Even though some Houston caregiving agencies can be more costly, the piece of mind a caregiving agency can offer is well worth the expense. A professional caregiving agency, like Home Instead Senior Care, helps mandate the care provided by its caregivers; it dictates exactly what role the caregiver will play in the home and care of a senior, and helps to select a caregiver that will best fit the care recipient’s lifestyle, needs and personality. With a professional caregiving agency, elderly home caregivers receive comprehensive training in non-medical care techniques, so families can feel confident that their seniors living and aging in Houston are receiving quality care.

While hiring a private caregiver might sometimes save money, the hassles that come with making that care decision aren’t generally worth the savings. Unless you hire a private caregiver who files their taxes as an independent contractor, families become the caregiver’s employer, which requires that you pay Social Security, Employment and payroll taxes.

Sources:
1. Caregiver’s Home Companion
2. Elderlaw Cincinnati

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

According to a report published by the AARP, in 2007 the economic value of family caregivers would have been $375 billion if they had been paid for their home care assistance. However, it is the value of family caregivers that cannot be measured monetarily that makes a far more substantial impact on the lives of seniors they provide home care for.

Family caregivers sacrifice greatly to provide help to their senior relatives in need. A great majority of family caregivers in Houston are men and women with full or part-time careers, which they balance along with their in-home senior care responsibilities and providing care for their immediate family and often, young children. Family caregivers sacrifice in order to better the lives of their senior relatives or parents, by identifying the aspects of home life that seniors are struggling with and providing their assistance; allowing seniors to remain at home with some resemblance of an independent lifestyle that doesn’t require them to live in a community living facility for the elderly.

Some Houston seniors have been known to become resentful of their caregivers, and forget to place value upon what they’re sacrificing to improve the senior’s lifestyle, because they are resentful of the loss of independence that has occurred due to the aging process. So seniors asking for help from their families or hiring a caregiver need to remember just how valuable a contribution a caregiver can make to the life of a senior.

Sources:
1.    AARP
2.    National Family Caregiver’s Association

Image: Texas Tech - Garrison Institute of Aging

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

In the modern age of medical care, people’s views on how to treat the chronically ill are shifting based on the exorbitant costs of hospital care and a greater emphasis upon the family’s role in caregiving. According to a recent study, published in the Commonwealth Fund journal Health Affairs 82% of the chronically ill patients surveyed admitted to going without care recommended by medical institutions, simply because of the high costs involved. Many chronic illnesses, however, can be managed at home by family or professional caregivers at a portion of the cost; since these expenses only relate to in-home medical treatments, and assisting the senior with Activities of Daily Living they are much less expensive than at a skilled facility.

Management of chronic illnesses, including the administration of medications and other treatments, can be taught to family caregivers by a medical professional from a hospice program, who, if necessary, can stop by during the course of the illness to assess and monitor any changes in condition and make recommendations with regards to treatment methods. By keeping a senior who is chronically ill at home, instead of in a community care setting like a hospital or nursing home, seniors’ health care costs can be drastically reduced; while their comfort in the care of family allows them to battle their illness in the presence of those they love, without any unnecessary expense.

Sources:
1.    Chronic Illness – Family Caregiving
2.    The Washington Post Steven Reinberg

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Historically, 57% to 75% of family caregivers for seniors have been women of a certain demographic; but as gender roles change, so does the family caregiving structure; and more men are becoming involved in the care of an elderly parent or family member. However, statistics do show that many of these male caregivers aren’t caring for elderly parents; they are providing care for their spouse who is suffering from an illness or injury. When it comes to caring for an older relative, men continue to play a decreased role compared to their female family members; they provide support, but women still spend 50% more time caring for a senior.

However, as many women hold careers that are just as demanding as their male spouses and men are playing a greater role in the care of their children, we might begin to see an increase in the numbers of male family caregivers as the family structure continues to change and adapt. And, according to studies, an increase of male presence in home and Houston community care for seniors will have its benefits. Male caregivers can initiate greater large motor activities, due to physical strength; might encounter fewer workplace injuries due to the strain of lifting senior care recipients; and might be able to handle more strenuous housekeeping duties.

If you know a male that is a family caregiver in Houston or elsewhere we would like to hear from you… please send us a comment about your experience and we can post it on our blog.

Sources:
1.   Onkar Caregiver’s Training Institute
2.    Family Caregiver Alliance
3.    MedicineNet.com

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Hearing loss is a hard reality for many Houston seniors which can greatly complicate ease of communication with their family, friends, caregivers and other professionals. When communicating with a senior, don’t underestimate the benefits of using body language to ensure the older adult understands the message you’re delivering.  Visual cues and non-verbal forms of communication can help seniors better grasp the meaning in the conversation, since hearing impairments can make it to difficult to rely upon the spoken word alone.

When caring for the elderly or engaging with a senior in communication; talk with your hands and use expressive body language as visual cues. Point to objects you’re referring to; use thumbs up or thumbs down; use your hands to describe the size or location of objects; and laugh or smile so they can grasp the nature of the conversation. Make sure there is nothing physically in the way that stops seniors from interpreting your body language,
Hearing loss is a hard reality for many seniors which can greatly complicate ease of communication with their family, friends, caregivers and other professionals. When communicating with a senior, don’t underestimate the benefits of using body language to ensure the older adult understands the message you’re delivering.  Visual cues and non-verbal forms of communication can help seniors better grasp the meaning in the conversation, since hearing impairments can make it to difficult to rely upon the spoken word alone.

When caring for the elderly or engaging with a senior in communication; talk with your hands and use expressive body language as visual cues. Point to objects you’re referring to; use thumbs up or thumbs down; use your hands to describe the size or location of objects; and laugh or smile so they can grasp the nature of the conversation. Make sure there is nothing physically in the way that stops seniors from interpreting your body language, maintain eye contact, and avoid fidgeting which could cause seniors to misinterpret your non-visual cues.

Remember, Houston caregivers and family members, while at times communicating with a senior who struggles with their hearing may be frustrating, the elderly are dealing with issues that can be life-changing.

Sources:
1.    Public Health Agency of Canada
2.    TenderLovingEldercare.com
, and avoid fidgeting which could cause seniors to misinterpret your non-visual cues.

Remember caregivers and family members, while at times communicating with a senior who struggles with their hearing may be frustrating, the elderly are dealing with issues that can be life-changing.

Sources:
1.    Public Health Agency of Canada
2.    TenderLovingEldercare.com

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Talking to your senior parents living in Houston about estate planning can be an uncomfortable subject, because many adult children don’t want to feel like they’re interfering with their parents’ personal affairs. Estate planning typically includes a legal will that outlines distribution of assets; a financial power of attorney which dictates who will look after a senior’s finances when they become unable; a medical power of attorney, the person responsible for carrying out a senior’s medical wishes; and a living will, which establishes a senior’s healthcare wishes if they become unable to speak for themselves. Discussing your senior parents’ Houston estate early on with them ensures that you understand the role that they expect you to play after their deaths or during a medical emergency so that their wishes are carried out.

Talking to your elderly parents about estate planning becomes more important if they have not completed the necessary steps to protect their assets and secure their wishes. When approaching the topic of family estate planning, make sure that your siblings and immediate family members are involved so they don’t perceive your interests in your parents’ estate as self-serving. Ensure your parents understand you do not need to have the division of assets explained; it doesn’t matter how much they are planning on leaving you. What’s important is that they put the legalities in place to ensure they control what happens to their assets, even once they loose the ability to represent themselves.

Sources:
1. SeniorJournal.com Robert Valentine
2. FamilyEducation.com

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

As a Houston family caregiver, one of the best ways to prepare for the safety and comfort of your aging family member is to think about caregiving proactively. Many in-home accidents involving seniors in Houston occur when families and seniors exercise reactive versus proactive thinking. Instead of reacting to potential hazards after accidents have already happened, caregivers need to think proactively and anticipate potential dangers to seniors that are present in their home, by installing safety equipment, removing tripping hazards, and evaluating the day-to-day tasks that are difficult for a senior independently.

However, proactive thinking by a caregiver doesn’t have to stop at home safety; even before your elderly family member reaches a stage where home care, family caregiving or residence in a long-term care home is needed, family members can be proactive and begin to discuss the senior’s wishes with regards to care assistance. When involved with the care decisions of an elderly parent, you can learn what role they would like you to play in a crisis and you can assist them in preparing the necessary legal paperwork required for making senior medical decisions. As family caregivers and concerned family members, it is our job to help plan for our seniors’ futures; by arming ourselves with knowledge and thinking proactively, we can ensure that they receive quality caring throughout their elder years.

Sources:
1. StrengthforCaring.com

2. Answers4Families.com

3. AARP: (Olympia Dukakis)

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Baytown, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.