Hello Everyone, please meet Cassie. Cassie is our Office Manager. Cassie comes to us with more than 18 years experience in the industry. Cassie has now been with us for 2 months. Cassie has proven her ability to help manage schedules, hiring, manage the office and expresses a warmth to everyone she meets. We are really lucky to have her. Thank you Cassie for all you do. We look forward to working with you for a long time to come.
Month: June 2022
Thank You to Our Team!
I just wanted to take a moment to thank our team. We have added 4 new clients and 6 new caregivers in the last two weeks. Congratulations to our office staff who works so hard to make sure we can take care of any senior who needs or wants it. Great job Golden Heart Office staff. We heart you and your efforts. Thank you. – Rodney
What Should You Know as a Caregiver from the Start?
If you’re new to being a family caregiver, that feeling that you don’t even know what you don’t know can be overwhelming. What you might need to do is to sit down and ask yourself about some of these topics. They can help you to figure out how to proceed so that you do the best job you can, and when it’s time to bring in companion care at home.
How Much Time You Have for Being a Caregiver
You know you want to be a caregiver for someone in your life, but how much time can you devote to caregiving, really? You may not have as much time as you think you do, especially if you have a career, a family, and other obligations. Will you have to rearrange anything or figure out a different plan for certain areas of your life? It’s important to know that as soon as possible.
Who All Needs Your Time and Your Energy
This is slightly different from the last question, but it might look the same. First, you’re looking at your bigger blocks of time and what your different roles are, such as caregiver, friend, parent, employee. But now you’re looking at who specifically needs your time and energy the most. Which people, pets, and entities need your time and energy? That detail matters.
What Your Limits Are
You’ve got additional limitations, too. Your own health factors into these decisions and what you need in terms of time for yourself and time to devote to pursuits that matter to you. If you need a great deal of sleep, that’s important to consider, because as a caregiver you may find that interrupted more often than you are comfortable with. Think about as many variables as you can, like what you are comfortable helping you senior with and what you aren’t. Companion care at home is great in this regard since there isn’t a family connection that can make personal care tasks awkward.
If You’re on Your Own with This
Will anyone else be helping you? Many caregivers have other family members who can help, but all too many have no one in the family who can help them. If you can lean on friends for help, that might be something to consider, too. You’re never completely on your own as a caregiver, but if you don’t establish your support system early on, you can start to believe that you are completely alone.
How to Incorporate Companion Care at Home
Your senior parent might be reluctant to accept outside help, and that may be the reason why you feel obligated to be their family caregiver. If you have asked yourself the above questions and determined that it would be impossible to me a caregiver on your own, it’s time to have an honest conversation with your parent. Helping them understand the many benefits of companion care at home and how it can help them age in place is vital. Consider having a companion care provider make a short visit to talk with your parent and get to know them.
All of this is important for you to consider early on in the caregiving process. If you don’t start to think about some of these details, you might feel as if you’ve gotten blindsided along the way.
Source
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/family-caregiving
If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Tempe, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!
How To Pick A Great Cat For Your Senior Parent
June is National Adopt A Cat Month and it’s a wonderful time to find a new feline friend for your senior parent. Cats are great companions for seniors. They don’t need to be walked and they love to cuddle. The purr of a cat can be very soothing for seniors with anxiety. And seniors who have dementia often find comfort holding and stroking a patient cat. There are many cats who need homes, so adoption is a better option than buying a cat. If you’re worried about your senior parent’s ability to care for a cat, remember that home care can help seniors look after pets.
A home care provider can fill food and water bowls and make sure that the cat goes to the vet when necessary, if those things are too difficult for your senior loved one.
But not every cat is going to be a good fit for a senior. Ultimately your senior parent will need to spend time with any cat that they are considering adopting, but there are some things you can do to weed out any unsuitable cats before they meet your senior parent. In general cats that are a good for seniors are:
Seniors
Senior cats are the best cats for senior people. A senior cat is any cat over the age of nine. There are many senior cats in shelters and adoption centers that were left there when their families replaced them with kittens. But kittens are not a good fit for seniors. Kittens are too high energy and their little teeth and claws can cause injuries to seniors who usually have thin skin. Adult cats can sleep for up to 18 hours per day. Senior cats who prefer to sleep all day rather than run around are a good match for a senior’s lifestyle.
Tolerant
Just like people cats have their own unique personalities. Some cats are very high strung and don’t like to be held, picked up, or petted. Those cats aren’t great for seniors. A good cat for a senior should be “bomb proof” and one that doesn’t mind being handled, picked up, hugged, and petted. That way you will know that the cat will be a loving companion for your senior parent and won’t mind getting tons of attention from your senior parent.
Healthy
Cat with chronic health conditions can live a long time with proper treatment so in general people shouldn’t disqualify adopting a cat with health issues. However, for seniors it may be too much to handle a cat with a chronic health problem. For example, a cat with diabetes needs regular blood sugar monitoring and insulin injections daily. That could be too much for a senior that is struggling with their own health. Look for a senior cat with a clean bill of health who really wants to live a quiet life of pets and snacks. That’s the ideal cat for a senior, and there are lots of them just waiting to be adopted.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Mesa, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!