Families in Houston all struggle with the decision of when it’s the right time to get help for an aging relative. No one wants to admit that someone they love is getting older, because that brings them face to face with the concept of mortality and the idea that the important person in their life might not be part of it for much longer. However, by suggesting home care when the time seems right, families can give their loved ones the benefit of safety and health in their own homes. There is no definite equation for when it’s the right time for home care, but some ideal situations can be used as signs that it might be time to start talking about it.

Situations when Home Care is Ideal

• 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

Sources:

1. Elder Issues

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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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Since family caregiving is so common today, with more seniors and their families opting for home care instead of traditional nursing home care, people often fail to see the risks that can come with it due to improper training in senior care techniques. Although agencies like Home Instead Senior Care in Houston don’t provide medical care, they are better trained than most family caregivers. Professionals are well versed in caregiving techniques, home safety, and specific care for Alzheimer’s, and they are trained to identify potential signs of illness.

When family caregivers are selected over professional senior caregivers, there are a number of risks that can be presented to the health and safety of a senior. Their homes may be ill-equipped for their level of physical mobility, and safety hazards in the home may be left unidentified, leaving more room for in-home accidents. When helping seniors with mobility around the home, family caregivers may not be aware of proper techniques for lifting or moving seniors, which could potentially put the senior at risk of injury. Very few home caregivers think they need to know CPR, believing that help is only a phone call away; while this might be true, training in basic first aid is essential, and this is a reassurance that can be provided by Home Instead Senior Care’s professional non-medical caregivers.

Sources:

1. Seniors Daily
2. Home Instead Senior Care

Image Source: pro.corbis.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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Q – My dad has a dog that has been part of his life for 10 years; since my mom passed away it’s probably one of his best friends. The only problem is that my dad’s mobility is declining, and I worry about his ability to take the dog outside for walks without having an accident or fall. He lives in an apartment, so he has no choice but to take the dog outside himself. I fear that this responsibility is becoming too much for him and that one day it might compromise his safety. Is there another option to having him get rid of his dog?

A – Fortunately for Houston seniors, there are other options available that don’t require them to part with their favorite furry friends. Home Instead Senior Care can help your dad out with caring for his home and his direct care responsibilities as well as provide assistance in providing for his dog. A home caregiver can come by his home daily in order to help your dad prepare meals, clean up his house, take the dog out for a walk, and even run pet-related errands to ensure that both animal and human who live in the home are well cared for. Pets can make a significant contribution to the lives of seniors, however, they shouldn’t pose a risk to health and safety; they should simply enhance senior’s lives.

Sources:

1. Suite 101

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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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

I pride myself on being an organized and disciplined person, but when my dad had a fall in his home and spent some time at a Houston hospital, then a rehabilitation facility, that all fell apart. I had thought that in a crisis situation, I would be able to take control and take care of all of his needs to ensure that he was comfortable and safe when he came home from the hospital, but when the day came for his release, I was nowhere near ready. The thought hadn’t even entered my mind that there were things I’d need to do, until the day before his release when a doctor asked me if arrangements had been made to help my dad out at home, and suddenly I realized I hadn’t done a thing. In panic mode, not wanting my dad to return to a disorganized house that would compromise his safety and his recovery, I asked the doctor if there was anyone to help. He recommended me to a Houston senior home care agency that would be able to make all the arrangements for my dad.

The morning my dad was set to return from the hospital, a caregiver had come into his home, restocked his fridge and pantry, and tidied up all of the dirty dishes and other messes that had been left behind. When I walked in with my dad, I was so impressed at how quickly the arrangements had been made, so all dad and I needed to focus on was his recovery!

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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

While there has been a long-standing misconception that the best place to provide care for a Houston senior suffering from Alzheimer’s is in a nursing home or assisted living facility, the reality is that not only would these seniors prefer to stay in their own homes, they receive greater benefits by living in a familiar environment. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s can be overwhelming, and require you to make sacrifices in your work and family life in order to keep up with the senior’s growing needs. However, there are other options available to help keep seniors with Alzheimer’s living with some level of independence in their own home environments.

Home Instead Senior Care offers home care services which can help seniors deal with the areas of daily living that they struggle with, or with tasks where safety may be an issue due to the Alzheimer’s or dementia. Caregivers can help seniors with dressing, cooking, cleaning and more to preserve their safety and ensure their needs are being met. For those seniors who are suffering from more advanced Alzheimer’s and dementia, Home Instead Senior Care even have caregivers that are trained to deal with the specific needs presented by someone with Alzheimer’s, so families can rest assured that their elderly loved ones are receiving the highest level of care available.

Sources:

1. Web MD

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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Q – My dad in Houston has had to give up driving. I don’t live close enough to be able to take him on errands or to appointments. Are there any services available to help with transportation in his area?

A – In-home senior caregivers can help seniors with transportation to appointments, errands, and virtually anywhere else they want to go. At Home Instead Senior Care, we check all of our caregivers driving records with the DMV to ensure they are licensed to drive and have a good driving record. Caregivers can transport senior clients in the seniors vehicle, or in their own vehicle if the senior does not own a car. However, if they use the caregiver’s car, then transportation fees do apply.

While many communities do offer free transportation services for older adults that are similar to public transportation on buses, they do not offer the same level of flexibility or allow seniors to stick to their own schedule or routines. By having a caregiver to drive them, seniors can do everything on their own time without making sacrifices.

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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

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If you come from a close family and have maintained a healthy relationship with your adult siblings in Houston you may believe that nothing can break your relationship. However, that could all change when it comes time to start making decisions about the senior care of your aging parents. More often than not, when families come together to start discussing senior care, family conflict ensues which can create tension and tear the family apart, which also puts a great strain on the parent who may feel responsible even though they already have enough stresses to deal with.

Rather than allowing family fighting to continue, families can make family senior care meetings more amicable and productive with the help of a elder mediator, who can ensure that discussions take place without resulting in blows. As experts in senior care as well as communication, Houston seniors and their families will find that elder mediators can not only keep discussions on track, they can also provide invaluable resources; connecting seniors and their families with senior services that can improve the lives of all involved. With the help of an elder mediator, the role of each family member can be ironed out and even documented in writing to prevent the onset of future conflict.

Don’t let your family fight over senior care decisions; hire an elder mediator when it’s time to start talking about senior care to make sure your relationships survive, both for the sake of you and your siblings, and for the well-being of your elderly parent.

Sources:

1. Plan for Care
2. Mayo Clinic

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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

After my father died, my mother was left to pick up the pieces and live in their Houston home by herself for the first time in almost 50 years. I could see how the stress and loss was taking a toll on her life, but I began to worry that it could also have grave effects upon her health too. After speaking with her doctor, I learned that stress can in fact cause the onset of a variety of health conditions for seniors, including diabetes, heart problems, gastrointestinal issues, cancer, fatigue and insomnia, and stress as well as anxiety. After completing a checklist provided by a doctor, we learned that in fact my mother was more vulnerable to health issues as a result of stress. If you have concerns that a senior in your life might be vulnerable to stress, I would go over this quiz with your Houston loved one, before stress sends them to the grave. If the answer is “no” to any of the questions below, it’s time to implement some proven stress management techniques, as I did with my own mother to improve her health.

• I eat at least one hot, well-balanced meal every day without fail

• I exercise at least twice a week in an activity suitable to my level of mobility

• I get at least 8 hours of sleep each and every night

• I don’t smoke cigarettes

• I do not drink alcohol, or keep any drinking to less than 5 drinks per week

• I regularly attend social activities with other seniors with whom I have things in common

• I am in touch with family members, and visit regularly

• I speak openly to friends, family or professionals about things that worry me

• I have few financial worries. Even though I have a fixed income, I feel it is adequate enough to pay my bills

• I avoid caffeine or consume no more than 1 or 2 caffeinated drinks, like coffee, everyday

• I take time out of everyday to do something that I enjoy or find relaxing

Sources:

1. Medical News Today

2. Medicine Online

3. The American Institute of Stress

Image: www.gettyimages.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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

Sometimes walking into a doctor’s office feels like traveling to another country. The flight can be as short or as long as the scheduling dictates and is not determined by distance, but like a plane ride, your neighbor in the next room probably has a bad case of the sniffles. Once you get to your final destination, it can be like emerging yourself in another culture where no one speaks your language, and you return home feeling like you might have learned something from the experience, but require a translator to determine just what. As a senior caregiver, this might be a circumstance you encounter every time you step into a doctor’s office for a consultation with his/her physician. As with traveling to another country, doctors assume that we speak their language and understand what they’re saying; however, this may not always be the case when less common medical terms are being thrown around.

While of course it’s important to ask for clarification when at the doctor’s office, the internet has a wealth of resources to help seniors and their families understand important issues that relate to their health. The Medical Library Association offers a site called Medspeak which gives caregivers access to medical terms in an easy to understand dictionary form. MedicineNet also offers a comprehensive guide to help people understand the medical conditions and other information related to their health.

Caregivers, share your worst doctor experiences that have resulted from a breakdown in communication.

Sources:
1. Medical Library Association
2. MedicineNet

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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

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Many seniors become reluctant to part with their belongings as they get older. For them, the odds and ends in their home may represent a past life with a deceased spouse and provide a sense of identity; so letting go of old furniture or clothing can be a very difficult task. Another factor that can contribute to a senior’s reluctance to part with their things relates to income; when living on a fixed income after retirement they just might not have the funding required to purchase new clothing or items for their home.

This year, help the senior in your life declutter their home and acknowledge which items could spare to be replaced. Instead of forcing them to spend to replace their older things, look around your home when completing your own spring cleaning in Houston and think about what might be donated to the senior.

Clean out your closet and determine which items you no longer wear would be appropriate in the senior’s wardrobe. Think about why you want to get rid of it; is it damaged? Is it worn out? Does it no longer suit today’s fashion trends? Clothing items which are gently used and sitting in your closet simply because they’re slightly out of date, may be perfect for a senior who worries more about function than fashion when choosing their clothing.

Other items that you might consider donating to a senior during spring cleaning in Houston can include furniture, electronics, bedding and linens and kitchenware to give them affordable new items for their home!

Sources:

1. Michigan Home Care Blog

2. About.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, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.

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