Six Ways Home Care Makes Long-distance Caregiving Easier

Posted on March 6, 2024 by ltcep2023

Caring for a family member from far away is full of some interesting challenges, but it’s possible. Long-distance caregivers often worry that they’re missing something or that they aren’t helping enough. Having help from home care services can reduce a great many of those difficulties without making seniors feel as if they’re being restricted. Here are some of the main ways home care providers can help.

Check-ins and Updates

It can be tough for long-distance caregivers to check in as much as they really need to, especially in the right ways. Sometimes it’s a delicate balance between just enjoying the senior’s company when talking with them and not wanting to overstep boundaries. When elder care providers are there visiting seniors in person, it’s a lot easier for long-distance caregivers to get an unbiased update about what’s happening with the person they care about.

Addressing Unique Needs

Each senior has a different experience and faces different health issues and other challenges. Senior care providers understand this fact and they are prepared to look at what the person receiving care truly needs. That allows them to help put a plan together that addresses those unique needs as thoroughly as possible.

Coordinating Services

Managing multiple health issues or other challenges sometimes means that seniors rely on a variety of different services or therapies. From afar, it can be really difficult to manage those services. Home care providers can help seniors to stay on target and coordinate these different care options. This makes it easier for seniors to get the care that they truly need.

Promoting Security and Safety

Safety is a huge part of helping aging adults to stay in their own homes for as long as they can. When family caregivers aren’t able to be there in person to ensure safety, it’s helpful to have someone else available to do those checks. Elderly care providers understand what types of safety issues are a huge concern for aging adults, so they’re able to stay on top of safety at home.

Offering Companionship

Depending on health issues, where family and friends live, and many other details, seniors often find themselves battling loneliness. Over time, this can even lead to isolation and bigger problems, like depression. When senior care providers stop in to help aging adults and tackle tasks for them, they’re also offering companionship that breaks through that loneliness.

Offering Flexibility

Above all, seniors need flexibility when they’re staying in their own homes while family caregivers live far away. Being able to access the different types of assistance that they need when they need it is the most important factor to consider. Home care providers can offer that flexibility, ensuring that seniors have just as much help as they need and want.

Adapting to long-distance caregiving can feel overwhelming for family caregivers, but having the right tools and solutions in place helps. Home care services can help family caregivers stay aware of what’s happening with their aging adults while also assisting in all of the ways that seniors need.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Cave Creek, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

4 Great Dog Breeds for Seniors

Posted on October 10, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

Has your elderly parent expressed a desire to adopt a dog? October is National Adopt a Dog month, sponsored by the Humane Society since 1981. It encourages people seeking out pet ownership to consider adopting a dog rather than purchasing one from a pet store or private breeder. Many dogs need to be adopted and they cover every type of breed. While sometimes finding the exact breed your parent desires may be a bit of a search at shelters, it is possible.

Different breeds of dogs can vary in temperament, maintenance, energy, and compatibility so before you take the plunge into being a dog owner, your parent should do a bit of research on what breed of dog may be best for the type of life he wants to provide the dog. While your aging parent can always get help from you and perhaps a home care provider, in the end, he will be the one mainly responsible for his new dog staying happy and healthy.

Let’s look at some top breeds for seniors and why they can be a great fit.

Shih Tzu

Topping the list is the adorable little Shih Tzu. Usually weighing around 10 pounds, these sweet little dogs are great lap dogs and are happy to snuggle with your parent on the couch or chair almost all day. They are also often very good with guests and visitors. They do require a lot of grooming so your parent will need to be prepared to groom and care for this dog’s coat. A home care provider can help with brushing when visiting but your parent will still need to pay for regular groomer visits.

Maltese

This is another small lap dog. Malteses are very good at understanding and reacting to people’s moods and are often used as therapy dogs because of their sweet demeanor. They don’t shed at all but do require regular grooming and daily walks. Having to provide a dog with daily walks is also a great incentive for your parent to get out and exercise as well. When the weather is too cold or too hot, he might want to have a younger family member take the dog for a walk on those days or even have a home care provider do it.

Poodle

Poodles are intelligent dogs that can be easily trained to follow rules. They also have a huge eagerness to please. It makes them happy to make you happy. Poodles come in three different sizes from the very small toy poodle to the much larger standard poodle, which can weigh up to 75 pounds. It can be a great option if your parent doesn’t want a smaller dog.

Bichon Frise

Back to small dogs, the bichon frise is a wonderful dog for seniors. They are not high energy and just love to curl up beside a person and keep close to their person. They make sure your parent will never feel alone because they don’t like to let their owners out of their sight!

These are just a few suggestions but in the end, it’s up to you and your parent to determine which is the best dog for him.

Source
https://www.forbes.com/health/healthy-aging/best-dogs-for-seniors/

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Cave Creek, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

Are Your Parents Aware of the Latest Coronavirus Scams?

Posted on June 19, 2020August 23, 2023 by Craig Bass

Scammers can take any crisis or concern and turn it into a convincing scam. The COVID-19 pandemic has been no different. Several scams popped up in hopes of convincing people to pay money to “cure” or “prevent” the disease. There are scams for protective supplies like face masks and hand sanitizers. There are also scams designed to trick people into giving out personal information like SSNs or bank account numbers.

Pet Scams

People are home more and have the time to spend training a new pet. As a result, there is an uptick in scams involving pet sales or adoptions. The scammer posts pictures of a pet that’s up for adoption or sale and asks for money to send the pet to you following new COVID-19 guidelines.

You pay the insurance or deposit and once that’s received, the animal will be sent via an airline, courier, or another service. The thing is the pet doesn’t exist. The scammer takes that deposit or insurance payment and disappears. A home care aide could help your parent look for a new pet without falling for this type of scam.

Expedited Stimulus Checks

One of the scams the IRS started warning people about involved the CARES Act stimulus checks. People were getting calls or emails from people claiming to be from the IRS or other government agencies. The caller said they could help you get your stimulus payment faster. You just had to share personal information like your SSN or bank routing number and account number.

Checks and automatic payments go out when the IRS sends them. There is no expedited option, and your parents need to be aware of that.

Phishing Scams

If your parents get an email telling them to click a link to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine or drug, it’s a scam. It may simply ask for a lot of money, but there’s the chance the link could install malware on their computer if they click that link. The same goes for emails that appear to be from a government agency that sends a link to sign up for additional aid.

Fake Cures

Another scam has involved treatments and cures. People are told they can buy the cure or preventative treatment for COVID-19 online or over the phone. These products include everything from lotions to teas. There is no cure or treatment available at this point. Make sure your parents are not falling for a hoax and spending far too much money in hopes of staying safe.

Schedule home care services to make sure your parents are not alone and vulnerable while you’re self-distancing during the pandemic. If they’re the only ones sorting mail, handling phone calls, and managing emails, they may find it hard to determine real warnings and offers from scams. Home care services are going to help.

If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring home care in Cave Creek, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

Five Soft Food Options Your Senior Might Try

Posted on January 24, 2020August 23, 2023 by Craig Bass

Your senior might need to eat soft foods for a variety of different reasons. With a little planning, you can make sure that she gets plenty of nutrients and that the foods she’s eating are tasty and easy for her to chew and swallow.

Smoothies and Milkshakes

Milkshakes and smoothies might be the first thing you think about when you think about soft foods or foods that don’t require chewing. They’re an easy way to add both fruits and vegetables into your senior’s diet, even if those foods are difficult for her to eat otherwise. Smoothies and milkshakes are easy to make, too, especially if you have a powerful blender.

Cold and Warm Cereal

Cereal is a typical soft food choice, particularly if it’s warm. But your senior can still enjoy cold cereals with a little bit of patience. Letting cold cereal from a box soak in milk before eating it can help. Overnight oat recipes can also be eaten either hot or cold and they’re usually quite soft. You simply add the oats and some liquid into a container and leave it in the fridge at least overnight. Your senior can warm it up when she’s ready to eat it or eat the oats cold.

Soft Cheeses

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium, protein, and other nutrients. But some cheeses might be too hard to eat easily. Some soft cheeses, like cottage cheese or even ricotta, can be eaten with savory or sweet accompaniments. These can offer a nice change of pace for your senior, especially if she’s found that relying on smoothies or cereal is getting old for her.

Egg Dishes of All Sorts

Eggs are another option that are full of protein and other nutrients. You can make hard-boiled eggs and keep them in the fridge for up to a week. These make a great snack right out of the container they’re stored in or your senior can chop them up for an easy egg salad. If your elderly family member likes cooked eggs, she can have them poached, fried, or scrambled on different days of the week.

Pasta and Rice

Pasta can be cooked to an extremely soft texture, as can rice. You can add in sauces and purees made of vegetables and other foods to change up the taste, too. Something else to consider is that you can make a big batch of soft pasta or rice for a few days at a time and your elderly family member can heat it up as she’s ready to eat.

If it’s difficult for your elderly family member to cook, she might need some help keeping up with a variety of soft food options. Home care providers can take over these simple preparations for her and make sure she’s getting the nutrients she needs.