Category: Benefits of Home Care

While your mom admits she needs help, she’s nervous about having others assist her. Why is she so hesitant to arrange home care services when she needs them? What can you do about it?

She’s Afraid She’ll Lose Her Independence

Your mom’s biggest fear with home care services is that she loses her independence. That’s not the case. Her caregiver actually keeps her safe, which preserves her independence. If she were to fall and break a hip, that’s more likely to rob her of her independence.

She Doesn’t Want to Admit She’s Getting Older

Your mom hates the thought of getting older. She wants to retain her youthful ways. The best way to feel young at heart is by making sure she’s getting enough exercise, eating right, and seeing her doctor.

She Worries About Having to Rely on a Stranger

Your mom’s biggest fear is that she is going to have to depend on a stranger. It’s one thing to have to lean on family members, but strangers are different. She’s worried about what they’ll think of her. Caregivers have seen it all and aren’t going to think anything negative of her.

She Feels She’ll Get Bossed Around

Your mom is convinced that her caregiver is going to boss her around. She’s going to be told what to do, when to do it, and get scolded if she doesn’t. That’s not how home care works. Her caregiver is her employee. If she’s having difficulty accepting help, her caregiver can move to the next task until your mom is ready to complete the others.

She Has No Idea That Care Plans Are Customized to Her Needs

Your mom worries that she’s going to have a set plan. She loves to cook, but she worries that her caregiver will take over because meal preparation is on the list of services. Make sure she realizes that care plans are customized to her exact needs.

Before you even call a specialist in home care, go over the things your mom likes to do on her own. What does she need help to complete? The things she needs help with are the tasks she would have a caregiver help her with each week.

She Only Wants Family Members Helping

Your mom may only want you and other family members to help. You need to be honest with her. If you’re working 40 hours a week and don’t have time to clean her home and do the laundry after work, tell her.

Once you’ve reassured your mom that her independence and privacy are important to her caregiver, start gathering a list of questions. Ask your mom about the things she has a hard time completing on her own and schedule those home care services to ensure she has a helping hand.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Edina, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

What do you know about home care? The goal of a caregiver is to ensure your dad has the support he needs to age at home without struggling. Check out what you should know about home care aides.

They Help Without Taking Over

The most important thing to know about home care is that the caregivers are there to support your dad. They are not there to take over and do everything for him. He has a helping hand with the difficult daily tasks, and other chores are his to do as he pleases.

Social Visits Are One of the Most Popular Services

One of the most important parts of home care services is companion care. Caregivers arrive as scheduled to keep your dad company. He has the chance to socialize with someone each week or as often as you request companion care.

While his caregiver visits, he has someone to accompany him when running errands, play cards with him on a rainy or snowy day, or join him on walks around his neighborhood. His caregiver can also watch a movie with him, join him for a meal, or take him to a senior center for community events.

Replacements Are Dispatched If Your Dad’s Caregiver Is Sick or Delayed

If you’ve arranged caregiver services, don’t worry about your dad being left alone on days his caregiver is scheduled. A replacement caregiver is dispatched to your dad’s home until his regular caregiver can get to his house or recover from an illness.

Medication Reminders Are Offered

Home care providers help your dad remember when it’s time to take his prescription pills. They can also help him track when it’s time to schedule refills.

What they can’t do is administer medications that are injectable or administered through IVs. Home health nurses would be needed for care needs of that nature.

Home Care Providers Help With Housework and Laundry

Your dad’s house is kept clean and organized. His caregiver can vacuum the carpets, sweep hardwood, tile, or plank flooring, and dust. Dishes are washed, dried, and put away. All of his hard surfaces like sinks, counters, and appliance handles are wiped clean, too.

Once a week, or as often as you request, caregivers can do your dad’s laundry, change his sheets and towels, make his bed, and wash his clothing. When it’s clean and dried, his caregiver can fold or hang items and put them away.

The best way to ensure your dad remains independent as he ages is to make sure he’s supported. Caregivers can help him with harder daily tasks, but he’s in his home and doesn’t have to move or downsize. Talk to a home care specialist to learn more about home care services in your area.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Woodbury, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Your dad lives alone, and it’s getting hard for him to manage his daily routine without a helping hand. Have you looked into senior home care services? They’re an excellent partner to an older adult’s desire to age in place.

What Do Home Care Aides Do?

A home care aide can help your dad with many of his daily tasks. If he needs help getting in and out of the bathtub for his morning shower, his caregiver is there to lend a helping hand. Once he’s showered, if he needs someone to help trim his toenails, apply skin cream, or get dressed, his caregiver is there.

When it comes to housework, a caregiver can vacuum carpets, sweep hardwood or tile floors, clean counters and sinks, and dust furnishings. His caregiver can change your dad’s bedding and towels, put things in the laundry, and make up the bed with clean sheets. When the wash is done, senior home care can fold everything and put the items away.

Does your dad still drive? If not, how often do you have to take a day off to bring him to his appointments or take him shopping? Hire a caregiver to take him to area businesses, stores, and medical offices. If your dad just wants to take a scenic drive on a sunny day, that’s always possible.

A senior home care aide can help your dad remember when it’s time to take his medications. He won’t forget to take a dose. And, his caregivers can also remind him when it’s time to order a refill. If he needs to see his doctor to get his prescription renewed, that’s also an option.

Caregivers can cook meals for your dad. If he doesn’t cook or has a hard time preparing the meats and vegetables needed for the meals he wants to eat, his caregiver can cook meals for him. They’ll plan menus together, shop for ingredients together, and make the meals and snacks. Your dad has company while he eats, too.

Companionship is a major benefit of senior home care. Your dad doesn’t have to be alone all day. His caregiver is there to watch movies with, talk to, or play games with if your dad likes playing cards or other multiplayer games.

Sit Down With Your Dad and Other Family Members

Gather the family for a talk about senior home care. If your dad or others in the family have questions, write them down. You want to make sure you ask them when you talk to a home care expert. The more involved your dad is in the discussions, the easier the transition is for him.

Now that you have a list of questions, call a senior home care specialist. Go over your questions and make sure you understand the services, pricing, and schedules. Once you know what your dad needs and how often he should have a caregiver, book senior home care visits.

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Coon Rapids, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Your mom’s deepest wish has always been to age at home. She likes her home and hates the idea of moving to a new neighborhood or town. How do you balance her desire to remain in her home when her health is changing and you worry about her?

What do you know about companion care at home? Here are three facts to know about this essential service for older adults who live alone.

Companion Care at Home Can Stop by as Often as You Request

You don’t have to hire companion care at home to visit every day. If you just want someone to stop by and check on your mom once a week, that’s an option. You may want caregivers to visit each day. That’s also fine.

The frequency of caregiver visits depends on your mom’s needs. If she has weekly appointments, you could hire companions once a week to take her to her appointments and run errands on the way home.

If your mom needs help with meals, her caregivers are there each day to help with all three meals. Her caregivers can stay and eat with her, clean the kitchen when she’s done, and take her shopping for groceries as needed.

When you talk to a home care advisor, you’ll go over your mom’s care needs and discuss the best schedule for the services she needs. You can add days or have caregivers stop by less often if that’s better.

You’re Able to Change Services as Needed

You can change the frequency or types of companion care services your mom gets. You’re not stuck into one set care plan for the months and years to come.

Suppose your mom has a caregiver for social interactions and transportation once a week. Months later, her doctor prescribes a new medication that makes her feel lightheaded. She can have her caregiver with her each day when she takes that medication.

She’ll have peace of mind that if she does pass out, someone is there by her side to help her. If she adjusts to that medication weeks later and no longer experiences lightheadedness, her caregiver visits are adjusted accordingly.

The Focus Can Solely be on Social Interaction

A caregiver doesn’t have to have tasks like housekeeping or meal preparation to do. Your mom may be completely capable of cooking her own meals and cleaning the house and still need a caregiver.

If your mom’s circle of friends is smaller than it used to be, caregivers offer companionship. Her caregivers can stop by to talk. If your mom likes to go out to theaters or museums but not on her own, her caregiver can accompany her on these fun outings.

What’s the next step? Talk to a companion care specialist about your mom’s home situation, health, and care needs. Build a care plan that matches her situation and arrange caregiver visits once the care plan is established.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/palliative-care/news/20220413/americans-over-50-want-to-age-in-place-at-home-but-many-arent-prepared-poll

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Eagan, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Study after study reveals that seniors overwhelmingly want to live at home as they get older. But family members often worry about their senior parents living alone at home. In-home care is the best solution to make everyone happy. Your senior loved one can stay in their own home where they are comfortable, and you can have the peace of mind knowing that they are getting help. But what does in-home care mean exactly? If you and your senior parent are interested in how in-home care can help them live independently, here are a few things to know:

It’s Customizable

Every senior has unique care needs. Some seniors may need minimal care and help around the house right now, while other seniors who have challenges or health conditions may need more help. And over time your senior parent’s needs may change as their health changes. Home care for seniors is designed to be built around what care your senior loved one needs and how much care you are able to provide. A great care provider will work with you and your senior loved one to create the perfect care plan for your family’s needs.

It’s Available Around The Clock

Caring for seniors isn’t just available from 9-5. Sometimes seniors are fine during the day but need a little extra help and reassurance at night. In other cases seniors may need care 24-hours a day to make sure that they are safe at home. It’s important to think outside the box when it comes to figuring out what the best in-home care is for your senior loved one.

There Are Different Types Of Care Available

Home care for seniors can mean many things. For some seniors home care may consist of help with housekeeping and cooking. For others it might mean medication management. And other seniors may need companion care more than any other type of care. Together you and your senior loved one can figure out what types of care will keep your senior loved one safe and happy at home right now and as they get older.

In-Home Care Can Offer You Respite

If you are caring for your senior parent part time or most of the time in-home care can give you the break that you need. When you need some time off for your own mental and physical health, in-home care can take over for you. Or, if you can only be with your senior loved one for certain hours of the day because you work or have a family home care can fill in the gaps and make sure that your senior loved one is cared for the rest of the day or night. Family caregivers often have home care at night for their senior parent so that they can get the sleep they need.

Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place-growing-older-home

If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Edina, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

People age differently. What may be easy for one person can be frustrating for another. Health issues create difficulties with activities of daily living. Loneliness and isolation impact how safe or confident you feel. If you haven’t stopped to consider the importance of home care, it’s time.

As you get older, confidence can decrease. A chronic health condition can leave you stressed. If it’s a serious condition that impacts your safety, living alone adds to that stress and uncertainty.

New aches and pains can impact mobility. As it gets harder to move around, it can be harder to do things you used to do with ease. Home care providers can help with all of this.

They Assist With Daily To-Do Lists

Your dad has several medications to take during the day. He’s good about taking his morning pills with breakfast, but he often forgets mid-afternoon pills. With a caregiver’s help, your dad won’t forget when it’s time to take his next pill.

Home care providers also assist with personal care, grooming, and hygiene. If your mom has a hard time washing, brushing, and styling her hair due to arthritis in the hands, home care aides can help. They also assist with oral care, toileting, dressing, and ambulation.

Home Care Providers Help With Housekeeping

Arthritis pain is typically managed with over-the-counter pain medications, icy/warm ointments, and regular exercise. When arthritis pain flares up, it can make it difficult to walk around. When the washer and dryer are in a basement, carrying a basket of laundry up and down basement stairs is unappealing.

Home care providers help with all aspects of light housekeeping and laundry. They can wash and dry clothing, bedding, and towels. They can run a vacuum, mop floors, wipe down surfaces, and dust furnishings. They’ll make beds, replace towels, and tidy up clutter.

They Provide the Socialization Your Parents Need

Your parents may be alone, but they don’t have to be lonely. Companionship services are an essential part of home care. Your parents have caregivers stopping by for conversation and engaging trips to local stores, museums, and theaters.

If your parents don’t like to eat alone. Caregivers can help with meal preparation and join your parents for the meal.

Home care aides offer the chance to age at home without struggling to stay safe, happy, and confident. Talk to your parents about their daily routines. Find out where they struggle and hire home care aides to help with those tasks.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Minnetonka, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Stress can lead to a major strain on the body, and after a long time of being stressed, there can be health problems connected to it. Home care can help a senior feel less stressed by providing companionship and helping with light household work. They can also help a senior get to and from places, making it easier for the senior to plan important things.

However, sometimes these small things are not enough to keep a senior calm and not stressed out. Home care can help seniors find other ways to relax and de-stress. If home remedies do not work, a senior should consider seeing a therapist. Sometimes if stress is connected to depression or anxiety, it will be necessary to get a doctor involved to help diagnose them.

There are stress-reducing activities that a senior can do that don’t cost a lot of money. Some of them cost nothing at all. Home care can help prepare bubble baths, help get seniors in comfortable positions, and much more. Seniors can start experimenting with ways to de-stress to figure out a routine they love. Home care will be able to help in many ways when a senior can’t do something on their own. Check out these ways to de-stress and mention them to your loved one the next time you see them.

How To Handle Stress

Older adults will face many different challenges as they age, they may lose a loved one, be tight on finances, or have health problems they cannot control. It is important to take a step back and learn how to process these feelings and handle the stress. Try out these de-stressing methods and get your senior to start a small self-care routine with them.

Reach Out To a Group

Maintaining social and having someone a senior can rely on will be a huge way to de-stress. They may have a close friend they can vent to or other family that can come visit often. This is a good way to unload some of the burdens on a senior and help them cope with the stress they feel. Socializing is a huge part of life.

Exercise

Daily walks can help get a senior outside and enjoy the fresh air. Finding a routine that the seniors enjoy may be one of the best mood boosters. Home care providers care encourage seniors to find an activity they love and help them stick to it.

Get Creative

Sometimes it can be hard to express feelings even for someone who is older and has been through it all. It’s time to get creative and find outlets to express feelings. Finding crafts or creating something is one of the best ways to do that. Art comes in so many forms and creating something may help put seniors in a meditative or reflective state.

Try Something New

Having a routine is great but it can be easy to get stuck in something mundane. This is also not the best way to limit stress. Trying something new can bring something new and exciting for the senior to look forward to.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Plymouth, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Overmedicating seniors is something that family members and elder care providers have to watch for very closely. As seniors get older they are more likely to develop multiple chronic health conditions that require medication. Those medications can interact with each other or with the senior’s own body and result in behavioral changes and other problems.

Pharmacists and medical professionals do what they can to catch any potentially serious interactions between drugs that your senior is prescribed. But sometimes certain foods or supplements can cause a bad reaction or the senior’s system may just be overwhelmed by the sheet amount of medication they are taking.

If you or an elder care provider notice any of these signs in your senior loved one you should call their primary doctor immediately to discuss concerns that your senior parent may be overmedicated:

Behavioral Changes

If you notice that your senior loved one has been more irritable lately, or that they have been throwing tantrums, or that they have been sad or withdrawn lately it could be due to overmedication. Even drugs that are not specifically behavior altering or mental health drugs can cause behavioral changes as a side effect. When some drugs are taken in combination they can cause suicidal thoughts or other serious behavioral issues. If your senior parent has dementia it may be hard to tell if their behavioral changes are due to progressing dementia or to overmedication. It’s a good idea to talk to their doctor as soon as you notice any changes in their behavior.

Hallucinations

If your senior parent suddenly starts seeing things that aren’t there or hearing voices or displaying other signs of having hallucinations call their doctor right away. It’s common for family members to dismiss signs of overmedication like hallucinations as just part of the aging process or part of the progression of a disease like dementia but there could be another cause – overmedication. It’s important that you find out what is causing your senior parent to have hallucinations.

Dizziness or Trouble Walking

Dizziness or trouble walking is such a common symptom for seniors that it could really be caused by many different conditions or medications. But it’s never normal for a senior to be dizzy or to suddenly have trouble walking. If your senior loved one does start to have trouble walking or complains about getting dizzy you should take that seriously and make an appointment for them with their primary doctor.

If You Suspect Your Senior Loved One Is Being Overmedicated

If you or the elder care provider working with your loved one suspect that your senior may be overmedicated make a list of all of the medications that your senior loved one is taking and talk to their doctor to find out what each one is for and if they need all of those medications. Sometimes seniors don’t need certain medications after a period of time but they still take them because they think they’re supposed to be taking them. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about the medications your loved one has been prescribed.

Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11862238/
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/are-we-overmedicating-the-elderly

If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Minnetonka, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

While the United States is a relatively young country, our population is aging. In fact, the number of adults over the age of 65 is expected to double by 2050. With the baby boomers’ generation hitting their senior years, there is a real need for assistance to help seniors stay independent and healthy.

Growing older brings with it a number of changes that can make daily life harder. These changes may mean that your parent has trouble moving around in their home or performing daily activities.

There are still many seniors who are likely to have age-related health problems that make it more difficult to care for themselves. The first step in assisting your parent with these challenges is to understand what changes they are facing. These changes may affect their physical, mental, or cognitive abilities.

Physical Changes

Your senior’s physical changes may mean that they have trouble breathing, moving from one room to another, or even walking up and down the stairs. Physical changes may also mean that they have trouble getting in and out of bed or that they are having trouble lifting things.

Looking at your parent’s physical changes can help you to determine if they need to adjust their home to make it easier for them to get around.

Mental Changes

Your senior’s mental changes may mean that they have trouble concentrating, remembering simple things, or getting around in their home. Mental changes may mean that they have trouble thinking clearly or making decisions, but they may also mean that they have trouble communicating.

Cognitive Changes

Your senior’s cognitive changes may mean that they have trouble with memory, thinking, or problem-solving. Cognitive changes may also mean that they have trouble communicating with others. Cognitive changes may mean that your parent needs help with simple tasks, such as remembering to take their medication or remembering to pay the bills.

What Can You do to Help Your Senior With Their Daily Activities?

There are a number of small tasks that you can do to help your older parent and providing home care assistance to them is the most important oh them. Home care assistance is a variety of services designed to help seniors live safely, comfortably and maintains their independence.
Here are the benefits of hiring home care for your senior:

1. Flexibility

A great benefit of home care assistance is that it allows your senior to more easily fit the care into their own schedule.

2. Independence

If your parent has been living independently, home care assistance can give them the security of knowing that someone will be there, but give them the freedom to do their own thing.

3. Comfort

There are some seniors who will be more comfortable living in the comfort of their own homes. If they are able to, they may be able to live out their retirement years in a familiar place.

4. Security

If your parent is concerned about safety, home care assistance may be the best option. It provides a level of security and safety.

Conclusion

We have the best home care assistance services available to your senior. Give us a call today!

Sources

https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WPA2017_Highlights.pdf

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Eagan, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

As a family caregiver, how much experience have you had in the past? You might be assisting an aging parent, grandparent, sibling, or even your spouse. Whoever it is that’s depending on you, if you are like most family caregivers out there, you don’t have very much experience at all.

That’s not really a problem, though. That’s because home care can be a valuable asset, even if you continue to provide some level of support and assistance to that senior.

But ask yourself, are you the best equipped person for this job?

You might be. This isn’t an attack on you and your abilities. It is certainly not an attack on your love and affection for this person who needs help. The thing that often gets lost in the mix of stress and pressure placed on the caregiver’s life, especially when it is a family caregiver, is just how beneficial they are for this senior at this stage in his or her life.

Not every family caregiver is the best suited for these types of jobs. Sometimes you have to step back and analyze the situation rationally and honestly.

When you do that, you may come to realize that no, you aren’t the best person for the job. And, in fact, you might already understand that. You might have realized that a long time ago. But this senior has needed help and you are the only one who had the time, lived close enough, and stepped forward to be that level support he or she required.

In reality, you are not the only one.

Home care agencies operate in nearly every region across the country. They have experienced and dedicated aides ready to step in and provide support when family caregivers get overwhelmed, don’t have the time they thought they would, or are finding it challenging to maintain a good, positive, healthy relationship with the senior while also trying to be there caregiver.

Look to home care as a supplement. You don’t have to consider home care as a replacement. If you don’t want to do this anymore, you don’t have to. You are not under any legal or even moral obligation to continue being a caregiver for an aging parent or other loved one.

Most people do it out of a sense of duty and responsibility and love. Those are wonderful traits and characteristics, but if you are overwhelmed or don’t have experience, a home care aide might actually have some insights that benefit not just you, but the senior who depends on support.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Maple Grove, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.