In Home Care we so often focus on a Medical Problem, Injury or Disease, We May Forget What is Part of the Natural Aging Process. Boca Home Care Services Presents a Brief Description of What to Expect Form Different Parts of Your Body Once You Are Getting Older. Somethings Are Just Part of Normal Aging for Seniors.

Exercise for a Healthier Aging Body

Most of us over age 40 expect some changes in ourselves. progressive lenses, some wrinkles, a few gray hairs, preferring to come home earlier or stay home altogether in the evening. The 50s may bring some minor hearing impairment, more fatigue or decreased stamina. What about folks in their 80s and 90s? what is normal aging then?

Boca Home Care Services takes a look at common changes which are related to getting older, aging… part by part.

Seeing & Hearing

As you age, your eye is less able to tear, retinas become thinner and the lenses become less clear. It may become harder to focus on things close up. Greater sensitivity to glare and a slower adapting to changes in light. As for your hearing, it may be harder to hear at the higher frequencies or follow a conversation in crowded areas.

Teeth & Gums

You may notice your mouth becomes drier and your gums may be receding from your teeth. Due to a lessening of saliva to fight bacteria, both teeth and gums can become more vulnerable to decay or infection. Your teeth may look more yellow or darker, and become more brittle and break more easily.

Your Skin

Aging skin tends to become less elastic, therefore more fragile. You may bruise more often. The production of natural oils slows which can cause drier and wrinkled skin. You will likely start seeing age spots and small growths which become more common.

Weight/Body Shape

As you age, maintaining your usual, healthy weight or losing weight becomes harder. That is because your muscle mass tends to lessen which leads to an increase in fat. Fat tissue burns less calories than does muscle, meaning a need to reduce calories in your daily diet combined with more physical activity/exercise just to maintain your current weight. It sticks in the middle - also try eating smaller portions.

Sexuality

As one ages, sexual drives, needs, performance can change. This may be due to illness or effects of some medications. Women can experience greater vaginal dryness and men become concerned with impotence as it may take longer to get an erection, which may be less firm than when you were younger.

Heart & Arteries

As a muscle, the heart, over time has to work harder to pump the same amount of blood through your body. In essence, it becomes less efficient. The blood vessels lose some elasticity and fatty deposits may form on the walls of arteries. These physiological changes make arteries stiffer, resulting in your heart having to pump harder. These combined can lead to heart problems or high blood pressure.

Digestive System

Get out the prune juice. Constipation is more common in older people as they may eat a low fiber diet, drink less fluids and are more sedentary in general. Some medications, Diabetes, or IBS can also contribute to constipation.

Bladder & Urinary Tract

Loss of bladder control is not uncommon with aging adults. Some health problems can contribute  to incontinence as well as menopause in women and an enlarged prostate in older men.

Memory Changes

With age comes fewer neurons (brain cells) which makes memory less efficient or reliable. It may take a bit longer to remember  a word, name or learn new things. This is not the same thing as a Dementia which also affects other brain functions besides memory.

Bones, Joints & Muscles

Age brings on a shrinkage in bone size and density. This can cause weaker bones, more easily broken. You can lose a few inches of height. Balance can be affected as muscles lose strength and flexibility with aging. This can lead to coordination and balance problems.

We haven’t “cured” aging but we do know so fundamentals to apply to help our bodies better fend off some of these effects of aging.

 *If you suspect any health problem, consult your doctor and together create a treatment plan.

*Eat healthier foods – whole grains, fruits, vegetables, less sugar & salt snacks. (consult your doctor)

*Quit Smoking

*Exercise more – walking, swimming, biking, chair exercises, stretches (consult your doctor).

*Have regular check ups. Use corrective devices.

*Socialize. Get a hobby, Stick with a hobby. Follow your interests.

*Moisturize and use Sun Blocks — we are here in the tropics. Brush, Floss.

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 Boca Home Care Services & Boca Home Care wish a “Happy Mother’s Day” to all our clients and associates, whether you are 44 or 84 or even 94. We are pleases to be a part of your family, offering hands on help and peace of mind.

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

To You

We are always our mother’s child, no matter how old they are or we are. Some of the responsibilities may have shifted and more care shared, but our parent, our mother remains so.  The filial obligation to protect and assist takes on a new dimension when it is the adult child helping an aging parent. It isn’t the same as a young mother taking care of a cute son or daughter full of promise. It may not be asked for or indeed refused but if the need is there then a way is found.  In-home assistance is one way to keep and elderly loved one safe and independent in their own home or with a family member.

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Home Safety when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s/Dementia is a key to preventing avoidable accidents and injuries and STRESS. Invest a little time and a little money to safety proof your home environment as best as you can. Boca Home Care Services conducts a Basic Home Safety Assessment with each new family to help ensure the safest environment for you, your loved one and the hired caregiver.

Safety Latch

Boca Home Care Services realizes that most people want to remain independent in their homes. We value this choice by providing in-home assistance and care as needed. We also value SAFETY. The stress ivolved with being a family caregiver does not need to be exacerbated by avoidable mishaps which can lead to increased agitation, anxiety or injury.  When we first meet with a family, we do a basic Home Safety Evaluation and make recommendations and referrals. It is a relationship built on trust that the hired caregiver will not only assist with personal care, household tasks but also keep your loved one safe from harm.

As a caregiver, especially for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease or other type of Dementia, safety is a paramount concern.  A preventable accident is much preferred to the stress of a possible injury or danger. It is part of the caregiver’s duty to keep their loved on safe and out of harm’s way to the best of their ability.

Where to start? First with your loved one and then their home environment. Consider your spouse or parent’s ability to walk independently. If they use a can or walker, do they actually remember to use it? How is their gait and balance? Does your home have any stairs? Are there rugs or furniture that they can trip over? Do they wander, if so  is it at night?  Do they wear an ID bracelet and or a monitoring device? Do you use extra door locks? Do they try to drive the car?

Remember, it is a lot easier to make changes in the home than to change their behaviour. You may wish to consult with a home safety specialist who will usually make a courtesy home visit to evaluate the home.

Safety tips around the house:

In the Kitchen: it is easy to purchase childproof latches for certain cabinets. Keep the areas which hold poisons, cleaners, breakables, sharp objects (knives), matches and so forth, locked. Depending on how advanced the disease is, you may want to also disconnect the garbage disposal, limit stove burners, install safety knobs on the stove and oven. You may install sensors which alert you to when someone is in the kitchen. Remove plastic or metal shaped fruits, magnets and the like which may seem edible but are not.

In the Bedroom: Get an inexpensive baby monitor for the bedroom so you can hear your loved one should they need help. Don’t use space heaters. Avoid electric blankets or heating pads. As in all rooms, remove or lock up any dangerous, sharp items. Remove throw rugs, electrical wires or other objects which can be tripped over. If there is a door out to a balcony, add a lock on top for added safety.

In the Bathroom: Make slippery surfaces safer by placing rubber mats or nonskid strips in the tub and shower. Install at least 2 grab bars, change shower head to a hand held one and use a shower chair. You may also put the nonskid strips on the floor by the toilet and sink. Secure bathmats so they don’t slide around or corners go up. A grab bar by the commode is also a good idea.

Consider rubber faucet covers in the tub and shower to cushion any fall. Remove or block the door lock so they aren’t accidently locked into the bathroom. Set the thermostat on the hot water so they can not scald themselves. Again, lock up hazardous products, MEDICATIONS or potentially dangerous items like scissors or electrical appliances like hair blowers. Clean out the Medicine Cabinet of anything you don’t use and secure the rest.

General Household Safety Precautions: Get rid of clutter, safety proof any stairs or fireplaces or doors to a garage. Use night lights in hallways and bathrooms. Know where your pesticides and other toxins are, any tools, electrucal equipment and so forth. Cover electric outlets Know who to call in an emergency – 911.

In short, assess what your loved one can and cannot do safely and then go room by room evaluating what is safe and what is risky about each room and make the corrections accordingly. Visit a Baby or Children’s store and look at their home safety gadgets, then try the hardware store. As you can see, for a few hundred dollars or less, you can basically make each room as safe as possible.

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 Boca Home Care Services recommends to plan for your old age, past retirement, for illness, or disability. The costs are known, more or less, and it is critical to get an idea what these costs are for a loved one or for yourself in order to make the right choices in financial planning.

Adult Sons and Daughters have been providing more and more financial help to their aging parents. See the national average annual costs and daily rates for different types of Elder Care. (From the MetLife 2011 Market Survey of Long Term Care Costs – which also provide costs by state.) As the numbers show, home care is most cost effective and serves the individual in their own home, what most folks claim to want.

We may never want to place a loved one in a “facility” but sometimes it is the best place for them to be in terms of medical, socialization and overall care needs. If you made such a promise to a parent when they were younger or healthier, it may not be the right thing to do years later. Boca Home Care Services is a private duty  home care company which believes in helping seniors remain at home, safely and independently as possible. We also meet and offer consultation to clients who are looking for a short term and longer term care plan, recommendations and general information.

 The Costs of Elder Care:

Nursing home -semi private room  -       $214 daily               $78,110 annually

Nursing home- private room -                $239 daily               $87,235 yearly

Assisted living  Facility                         $3,447 monthly        $41,724 yearly

Home Care-Home Health Aide (HHA)       $21.00 hourly*        $21,840 yearly

Home Care-Homemaker                         $19.00 hourly*    $19,760 yearly

Adult day services (Dementia day Care)   $70.00 daily          $18,200 yearly

* – about 3 hours a day

According to MetLife’s study, nearly ten Million people, fity years or older are caring for their elderly parents. As our parents live longer with various medical conditions, their need for some type of assistance increases also. two out of three family caregivers are middle aged daughters who may have their own children, young or older in their household. This caregiver usually gives up their income earning agility, decreases it or is spending their own money directly on parental care, thus depleting their own retirement funds.

All these numbers will explode with the baby Boomers hitting retirement and then going into their own 70s then 80s.  The next 15-20 years will be most interesting in terms of caring for our loved ones, ourselves and the burdens on our own children. Policy has to change. Individuals have to plan much earlier and come up with new solutions. Communal living, later retirement, government or insurance funding… all ideas are welcome and needed.  The time to plan is now. Where will you be at 83 or 93???

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 Boca Home Care Services understands how difficult it is to admit help is needed, even on a short term basis, and to have a stranger come into your home. The caregiver/aide is certified, screened, experienced and caring so they will only be “strangers” the first couple of days. Once a rapport is established, you and your caregiver will likely find many things in common and what a positive effect they will have on you through your recuperation or illness. You do need to know a few things before hiring a home care company. We hope the following information will be helpful to you and your family when seeking in-home care for a loved one.

Caregiver Preparing Meal with Senior

 What is “Home Care”?

 As it sounds, any type of care delivered to a person in their own home. This can be medical or non-medical. It can also refer to homemaking, companion or personal care services.

 Is home healthcare different from home care?

 The terms are used interchangeably, though home healthcare denotes a more skilled or medical based care provider such as a Registered Nurse, speech, physical, or occupational therapist in your home. These professional services are covered by Medicare.

Remember when Doctors made home calls too???

 How do I know when home care is needed?

When you or a loved one needs help with personal care a.k.a. “Activities of Daily Living” (ADLs) such as: Bathing, Eating, Dressing, Grooming, Mobility (transferring) or Toileting. This may be caused by physical illness, post hospitalization or cognitive decline (dementia). Or when doing these things for oneself becomes dangerous and could cause a fall, inadequate self care or malnutrition.

Living independently goes beyond our personal care needs. You or a loved one may need assistance managing the household. The “Instrumental Activities of Daily Living” (IADLs) include routine tasks such as: laundry, shopping, banking, cooking, light housekeeping and transportation. Again, if help is needed to perform these tasks or it becomes dangerous to do them yourself, you need home care.

 What are the benefits of home care?

 * Because there really is “no place like home”; Home Care enables you or your loved one to remain safe, cared for and as independent as possible at home.

* Patients are most comfortable in their own homes and tend to heal faster.

     * Why pay for 24 hour care (facility) that you don’t need?  Home care is less expensive! 

     * There is a lower risk of infection at home as compared to a hospital or rehab center.

    * Your family or spouse is home to give you emotional and functional support.

    * Your routine is yours and the comforts of home are preferable to other settings.

   * Home care is more tailored to your individual needs than would be in a facility.

  * You receive personalized care monitored by your own doctor.

  What should I ask my Home Care Provider?

 * How long have you been in business?

* Is your company licensed?

* Are the Aides trained or certified?

* What qualifications do the caregivers have?

* Do you do background checks?

* What are your fees?  Is there a contract?

* Do you accept Long Term Care Insurance, Medicare or other benefits?

* Will you work with my Long Term Care Insurer and help with the paperwork?

* What criteria do you use to match me with an aide?

* Do your aides have experience working with people who have Alzheimer’s Disease or other types of Dementia?

*Do your aides have experience working with people who have Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease or other illnesses?

* What if I don’t like the aide you have sent?

* How does your company resolve any problems?

* Can I change my schedule?

* Do you have hourly and live-in caregivers?

* Will my aide be with me if I am hospitalized or go to Rehab?

* Do you provide other services like care management or assessments?

* If my needs change, what do I do?

* Do you work in the community and offer additional resources if I need them?

*May I see references or speak to other clients?

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