Golden Heart is offering a NEW BENEFIT to our employees. We are opening State licensed SUNSHINE CAREGIVERS SCHOOL with HELP MY SENIOR LLC in March. We are financing those interested employees in good standing. We are presently taking applications now! We are also offering CPR and First Aid training. “We believe in investing in our people and helping them learn skills, benefiting our clients,” said Rodney Malone, Partner and COO.
Golden Heart Senior Care is pleased to announce that Daudet has been awarded a Caregiver Award. Daudet has worked with our team for quite some time and we are lucky to have him on the team. Daudet provides EXCELLENT CARE FOR OUR SENIORS, is polite, and helps the office by picking up shifts. Daudet will receive a bonus for this award! Thank you Daudet!
You’ve seen a lot of information about novel coronavirus in the news. The World Health Organization deemed it a global health emergency. Should you be worried?
It’s not very likely that your parents will get this virus. Those who have tested positive have typically been in the Wuhan region of China prior to contracting the virus. Here’s what you should know about this respiratory illness.
What is Novel Coronavirus?
The novel coronavirus is a respiratory illness that was originally believed to be spread from animals to humans, but it’s been found that it is spreading between people. It spreads just like the flu does. Exposure to the spray from someone’s cough or sneeze is a likely route of transmission. The disease can take 2 to 14 days to develop after exposure.
Symptoms are going to remind you of the flu. They are:
As it is a virus, there are no medications that can cure it. If your parents do come down with it, they may be put on antibiotics if a secondary infection, such as pneumonia, develops.
Older People Are More Susceptible to Severe Symptoms
Older adults with secondary chronic health conditions like asthma and heart disease have a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. It’s also easy to keep the spread of the disease down by washing hands regularly, using a tissue to blow the nose and immediately throwing it away, and wearing a protective mask if traveling or in an area where ill people are likely to be present.
If your parents develop a cough or other symptoms, you should talk to their doctor about what to do next. Keeping them home, making sure they stay hydrated, and watching for signs of pneumonia is important.
U.S. Cases Are Spread Out and Not as Numerous as You’d Think
While there is a concern, especially if your parents have traveled overseas, the number of positive novel coronavirus cases in the U.S. isn’t that high. A total of 241 people have reported having the symptoms. Of those tested, almost half have been found to be something else. Eight people have tested positive for the virus as of February 1st. Other tests are still pending.
The states that have had one or more positive cases include Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington. The people who are testing positive for the virus had recently traveled to China.
Statistically, your parents are not likely to get the virus if they haven’t traveled recently or spent time with one of the infected people. They’re more likely to get a chest cold or the flu. If that happens, senior care services can help them during recovery.
With senior care aides helping your parents with meals, housework, and other daily chores, your parents can rest, drink plenty of fluids, and have the help they need to feel better.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/01/us/coronavirus-us-massachusetts/index.html
If you are considering senior care in Sun City West, AZ, for an aging loved one, contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care. Call today (623) 748-3301.
It’s tax season again. While the pressure for most people seems to be the work involved in gathering tax information and filing taxes, for caregivers, part of the work to be done is in reminding older adults to avoid tax scams. Unscrupulous people use tax season as another means of scamming people out of their money. Since older adults are often seen as easy targets, scammers may focus on them. One way caregivers can help seniors to avoid being scammed is to talk to them about scams that are out there and how to avoid them. Below are some scams that your elderly parent may encounter this year.
Suspended Social Security Number
Your parent may receive a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS. The person may demand money or ask for personal information. They use a scare tactic to get the money or information. In this case, they may tell the senior they have the power to suspend their social security number, cutting them off from benefits.
Caregivers should remind older adults that the IRS does not make these kinds of calls. They also do not suspend social security numbers. And, since they are the IRS, they already have all the pertinent information about a person, so there would be no need for them to ask for it.
Phishing
Seniors might receive emails that appear to be from the IRS. The emails will ask for personal information or provide a link to click on. When the senior clicks on the link, it can give the scammer access to their computer and personal information.
Caregivers need to discuss phishing emails with their aging parents to make certain they understand that the IRS never initiates contact with a taxpayer via email. Therefore, it’s important not to respond to the email or click on links in it. Instead, they should just delete the email.
Bigger Refund Claims
Another scam involves fake tax preparers who claim they can get the senior a bigger refund than possible. They ask them to sign a blank tax form. They may also ask that their preparation services be paid for using a percentage of the return.
Caregivers can help seniors avoid this scam by assisting them in finding a legitimate tax preparer. In addition, they can talk to the older adult about how to determine if a tax preparer is real or committing a scam.
Sources
https://www.consumerreports.org/scams-fraud/how-to-avoid-tax-scam/
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-concludes-dirty-dozen-list-of-tax-scams-for-2019-agency-encourages-taxpayers-to-remain-vigilant-year-round
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring caregivers in Chandler, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!
Your elderly family member’s ability to be mobile has a huge impact on her ability to do the things that she loves and wants to do. It also has a massive impact on her overall safety. Talk with your senior’s doctor about what can be done to assist your senior with mobility issues and be on the lookout for these major signs that mobility is having a bigger effect than you realize.
Your Senior’s Appearance or How She Keeps Her Home Are Different
Your elderly family member’s method of dress or other personal hygiene might be different now than it always has been. Likewise, her home may be showing signs that it’s difficult for her to take care of cleaning it properly. These are surface signs, but they can point to your senior’s difficulty in moving well or in the ways that she needs to in order to keep up with these tasks.
Look for Stacks of Mail
When mail starts to pile up, that can mean that your elderly family member isn’t keeping up with what’s coming to her mailbox at all. That could mean that bills or other important correspondence are mixed in with junk mail and other bits of mail. Sorting through these piles could take more time and energy than your senior thinks she has, or it could be physically difficult for her to do on her own. Regardless, she is going to need a new system.
Food Is a Powerful Indicator
The state of your senior’s refrigerator and pantry can tell you so much about what’s going on with her health. She may have sparse cupboards, which can be an indication that she’s not getting out to the grocery store at all. Another issue could be that on the surface it looks like she has plenty of food on hand, but that food is either close to expiring or is actually expired. These are all bad signs and a big indicator that your elderly family member needs more help.
Check for Burned out Light Bulbs
This might seem a little bit on the “not a big deal” side of the equation, but it’s important to look for burned out light bulbs. These can tell you a lot more than you might realize. For starters, it can mean that your senior either doesn’t have replacement bulbs and hasn’t felt confident in getting them. But it can also mean that changing that dead bulb out for a new one is too difficult for her to do. Either way, it’s a problem.
Keeping a lookout for these types of signs can help you to spot when your senior’s life and health might be changing more than either of you are ready to experience. Hiring elderly care providers is an excellent way to ensure that your senior has assistance with mobility concerns and with some of these smaller tasks that are getting away from her.
If you are considering elderly care in Goodyear, AZ, for an aging loved one, contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care. Call today (623) 748-3301.
Golden Heart is pleased to announce Blanca has joined the team as Recruiter. Blanca comes to us with years of experience in home care. Blanca’s warmth and can do personality will help her bring in the team members we need “yesterday”! We are always looking for AZ Certified Caregivers, CNAs and LNAs. Welcome Blanca!
Golden Heart Senior Care is pleased to announce that Allee has been awarded a Caregiver Award! Allee picks up extra shifts; provides great care and helps the office whenever they call. Great work Allee!
There are certainly many reasons to feel good about being a caregiver. After all, the care you provide may be keeping your aging relative living in their own home. However, some days being a caregiver is just plain hard and it can even be boring since there’s a lot of waiting around involved. On those kinds of days, you may feel like there isn’t much to like about the role. If you could use some ways to make being a caregiver enjoyable again, here are some ideas.
Find Things You and the Senior Enjoy Doing Together
One of the reasons you may feel like you’re sitting around a lot is that the older adult is watching television or doing something else and you’re just there keeping an eye on them. Instead of co-existing throughout the day, find out what interests the two of you have in common and come up with things to do together. For example, if you both like to cook, spend time making new recipes or go to a cooking class together. Watch cooking shows together on television and try making some of the foods you see.
Play Games
Consider finding some games that caregivers and older adults can play together. Games are a great way to pass time together. They have the added benefit of providing mental stimulation that is good for the older adult’s brain health. There are lots of different kinds of games, like card games, games of chance, strategic games, and even cooperative games in which you and the older adult work together to accomplish a goal? If you’re not sure what to play, consider taking a trip together to a local game store to find a game you’ll both enjoy.
Use Downtime to Engage in Your Own Hobby
During those times when you feel like you’re just sitting around while the senior naps or while you’re in a waiting room during their appointment, spend your time doing your own hobby. If you knit or crochet, bring it with you when you visit the older adult or when you take them to appointments. If you enjoy reading, try downloading ebooks to your tablet or smartphone. That way they are always handy when you find yourself with nothing else to do.
Engage the Senior in Reminiscing
Older adults often enjoy reminiscing, which means telling stories about their past. Caregivers can find this enjoyable, too, since it can be a lot of fun to learn new things about the senior’s life. To get them started, you might ask about a treasured object or an old picture.
If you are considering caregivers in Sun City West, AZ, for an aging loved one, contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care. Call today (623) 748-3301.
Once a year, one day is set aside to take a look back at friendships you have and others you could establish. February 11th’s National Make a Friend Day is the day to meet others and form new connections. Socialization helps with mental and physical health, so you don’t want them ignoring that need. When your parents don’t often go out, how can they meet new people and make friends?
Volunteering
Once a week or as often as they can, your parents should volunteer. They could help out at the area hospital by delivering flowers to patient rooms, managing the guest information desk, or working in the gift shop. There are volunteer opportunities with local non-profits, museums, and festivals. They’ll meet a lot of people volunteering.
Attending the Senior Center
Your parents should go to their local senior center for luncheons and other social activities. They’ll find it’s easy to make friends and socialize through the meals, classes, and group outings. Some senior centers also host group trips to other states and countries, which is a good way for your parents to explore the world with others.
Meeting the Neighbors
Whether your parents live an apartment/condo/townhouse complex or in a family neighborhood, they could make friends with their neighbors. If that neighborhood doesn’t currently host periodic neighborhood block parties, your parents could see if others want to join them in starting one.
They’ll get to know those who live nearby and make friends. It’s also a good way to connect with neighbors who work as contractors like plumbers or electricians. Having a contractor close by is handy in the event of an emergency.
Joining Local Clubs
Walking clubs at area recreation centers and book reading groups at the local library are two of the best places to make friends. Your parents benefit from exercise and make friends when joining a walking group. Reading groups allow them to branch out and experience new authors and discuss their feelings on the books they read with others of varying ages.
Hiring Caregivers
Weekly or daily visits from caregivers make sure your parents have new friends stopping by. Senior care services offer more than housekeeping a meals. Caregivers can come for a few hours to watch movies with your mom and dad, join them on walks, or take them to parks and museums. Call a senior care agency to make arrangements that fit their needs.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring senior care in Tempe, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!
Andrea and Laurie/ Rodney attended the world renowned Teepa Snow event. She takes a positive approach to care. It is mind blowing and informative. You can find her on YouTube.