Seniors ETC - In-home senior, parent, companion care, hospice support in Colorado

I went into a retail store to purchase a few things. The checkout lines extended halfway into the store. People were bunched up, trying to make the lines smaller, while trying to hold their items for purchase and calling out to children who were bored and running around. I walked out after remembering that school shopping was in full bloom. I said to myself, “That scene was an ID theft nightmare waiting to happen!”

Here are a few reminders for grandparents and/or parents who might be taking children shopping for school supplies and other necessities:

• Carry economic information, like a credit/debit card and checks in a neck wallet, fanny pack, or the pockets of your clothing;
• Ladies, don’t set your purse down on the floor or leave it in a shopping cart while looking at items or chasing after a wayward child;
• Never leave anything of value, including a purse, in your car;
• To the best of your ability, try to keep your eye on your credit card at all times; try not to lay it on a counter while waiting for purchases to be tallied;
• Remember that the numbers of your credit card on a receipt, both your customer copy and the retail copy, must be truncated;
• Try to be aware of your surroundings as thieves love chaos and turmoil, including lots of people, noise, and distractions, as a context for stealing personal information;
• If personal information is stolen, call the Fraud Hotline (303-271-6980) to receive assistance in guarding your loss against ID theft.

Source: District Attorney Scott Storey, Office of Jefferson/Gilpin Counties, Colorado

How do you know when your loved one is ready for in home health care? How do you choose someone you can trust and is reliable?

Wh ether you are forced into a decision quickly because of surgery or a fall, or you’ve spent months wondering what your next step should be, choosing an in home care provider is a difficult task.

Eldercare has a great resource that provides a list of 20 questions to think about as you are hiring an in home care provider. Questions like:

• How long has the agency been serving this community? and
• How closely do supervisors oversee care to ensure quality?

may seem obvious.

Check through the entire list and use it as a guideline when meeting your potentials.

Once you make your selection, it also provides you with a list of things to tell the health care worker. Even little things can make a caregivers job a lot easier. You may know your loved one’s likes and dislikes; the caregiver doesn’t. Having key pieces of information can save both your loved one and the caregiver frustration.

photo source juliaf

I’m out doing research today, and I’ve come across many great resources and articles that may help you as well.

1. Becoming Long Term Care Aware. Many people don’t think about long term care until they need it, which in many cases is simply too late. Take a look at this article that can help you understand more about long term care planning now.

2. Caregiving: Depression and Hope. Are you angry at your caregiving responsibilities? Do you sometimes feel hopeless and depressed? Learn more about the warning signs, and how you can turn depression into hope.

3. Medigap Insurance. Are those pesky out of pocket expenses adding up? Maybe it’s time to look at Medigap Insurance.

4. Sleeping Patterns For Seniors. How much sleep do seniors truly need?

5. Two New Alzheimer’s Studies. The search goes on for finding ways to slow down and eventually cure Alzheimer’s.

Sometimes you realize you need options after a medical crises opens your eyes. Other times it’s a slow and gradual process. In either case, you suddenly realize that your loved one needs some type of care. But what options are available? What’s the best choice for you?

1.  Self Care. Usually the easiest and natural way to provide care is to simply do it yourself. Your loved one relies on you to get things done, and slowly you take on more responsibilities in your loved one’s home.

2. In Home Care. When you find yourself in overwhelm and can’t keep up with managing your home and your loved one’s, you may decide to turn to in home care. This allows you more freedom, and allows your loved one to get the professional care she needs. In some cases it will also allow your loved one to remain in her home - a place she loves and feels secure in - much longer than any other way.

3. Adult Day Care. A place to take your loved one where she will receive supervision while you can’t be with her. Adult day cares offer supervised activities to stimulate your loved one and help her remain active.

4. Assisted Living. Assisted living facilities offer you a place where your loved one can have the privacy she wants, and the access to care she needs.

5. Nursing Care. When your loved one needs 24 hour assistance, she has two options: 24 hour in-home care or a nursing facility. Both provide the attention to detail you need.

photo source paolotich

1. Help fix a nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner.

2. Keep the kitchen cleaned and stocked with healthy food.

3. Provide light housekeeping.

4. Provide companionship and conversation.

5. Help your loved one with mild exercise - maybe just a walk around the block.

6. Transporting your loved one to and from doctors appointment.

7. Extra support after surgery.

8. A travel companion.

9. Shopping for daily needs.

10. Entertainment, including playing games or cards, or helping with craft projects.

11. Help with bathing and daily grooming needs.

12. Medication reminders.

13. Drop off and pick up prescriptions.

14. Arrange appointments and be there as a reminder.

15. Organize household tasks and deliveries.

16. Provide backup support for family members that care 24 hours a day for a loved one.

17. Provide an understanding ear for both the elderly and their family caregivers.

18. Organizing lunch dates with friends.

19. Supervise home maintenance and cleaning.

20. Give you peace of mind when you can’t be with your loved one.

A recent study shows more than 20 percent of the US population in 2007 reported not getting or delaying medical care because of their current medical benefits (or lack thereof). This is up sharply - 14 percent - from 2003.

And this trend is only expected to increase. The people it will most likely hurt will be those that are truly in need of medical help.

During these tough economic times, everyone seems to be looking for an edge. Escalating prices have weakened the scale of retirement savings and placed a crunch on household budgets. Many are looking for part-time work to somewhat offset rising costs.

An enticing lure is the opportunity to become a ‘Secret Shopper.’ The opportunity boasts that an ‘employee’ is hired to visit a retail store, buy a few items, and then turn in an evaluation of the customer experience. The hours are flexible; one can work as much or little as desired; and the pay is remarkable for the time spent ‘on the job.’ Additionally, one may keep the items purchased during the ‘shopping experience.’ The offers are posted in local newspapers and via Internet communications and Websites. While such a legitimate service may exist, most are a scam.

Shortly after signing up to become a ‘Secret Shopper,’ an assignment arrives along with a check. The first assignment, which must be completed within 48 hours, goes something like this:

1) Deposit the enclosed check for $4900 at your bank;

2) Go to Walmart, spend $100 (and keep what you buy), and make an  evaluation of the service; keep $100 for making your evaluation;

3) Go to Money Gram and send $4200 to another ‘Secret Shopper’      associate (forwarding information given) and evaluate the service at Money Gram; keep $200 for making your evaluation;

4) Keep $300 as your probationary income.

The check is bogus. The check will bounce. Any amount sent via Money Gram may never be recovered.

Some suggestions:

·    If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is;

·    Check out the legitimacy of a business by calling the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org or 303-758-2100) or the office of the Secretary of State (303-894-2200);

·    Call the District Attorney’s Fraud Hotline (303-271-6980) to inquire whether the offer might be a scam. We are happy to research an offer.

·    Never cash a check that has been sent without due reason; remember that once money is sent via a wire transfer, it is most likely irretrievable;

·    Remember that even in today’s sophisticated electronic world it may take checks 7-10 days to clear; if a check is bogus, it will be returned after 7-10 days;

·    Many of the checks have a business heading with no relationship to the ‘Secret Shopper’ organization. For example, the ‘Secret Shopper’ organization posts a New York address and the check may be drawn on an unrelated business in Georgia.

Source: District Attorney Scott Storey, Office of Jefferson/Gilpin Counties, Colorado

The hardest thing about getting help is admitting you need it.

If your loved one is doing more than she should, and you constantly worry about her, maybe it’s time to get some help.

Caregivers are there as much for you as for your parent or loved one. It’s hard to put your mind at ease while working or with other family activities when you’re worried.

Consider hiring small activities to begin the adjustment.

If she has trouble driving, yet still drives to the grocery store every Thursday, have a friend drive her and take her out to lunch in the process. It will be a fun day for both.

If she has trouble fixing meals and cleaning up afterwards, consider making fun, nutritious meals together that she can easily put into the microwave.

If she loves to head outdoors for walks but has trouble getting back home, find her a walking buddy.

And if you can’t be there or are too far away, it’s easy to hire a caregiver you can trust. 

Ease her in caregiving by having her rely on one or two at the beginning. She’ll be more open to other help as time goes by.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 50 percent of caregivers die before the person they are caring for.

Caregiving is a stressful job. As stress  builds, it manifests into a variety of health concerns. People that face long term stress are more likely to suffer a stroke, are at a greater risk for heart attack, are more likely to develop cancer, and are at a greater risk for auto-immune diseases such as diabetes, headaches and depression. 

The only way to move out of this trend is to allow some individual time, away from the caregiving role. Many caregivers use the excuse they don’t have time or have no one else to rely on. Instead of using this as excuses, find ways to ensure your own individual time.

Rely on other relatives, friends, or neighbors to do small tasks. Maybe a friend can take your loved one out for dinner and a movie. Or if they aren’t mobile, they can bring dinner in and watch a movie on television. 

Hire professional caregivers for weekly supplemental tasks. Maybe they can come in two mornings a week while you attend a yoga class and lunch with friends. 

Don’t do your loved one’s household chores. This will double up on your own tasks - monitoring two households - and will double up on your stress levels. Hire the gardener to mow the lawn. Hire a maid for light housekeeping. Hire a handyman for fix up projects.

Also watch this site and sign up for our blog posts or newsletter. We’ll provide you with tips and strategies to ensure you stay healthy, and are there for your loved one for as long as they need you.

Photo Source zweettooth

When you first start noticing your loved one needs help, you may be willing to jump in and do it yourself. Maybe it’s an occasional day of cleaning. Or spending the day running errands, such as to the doctor’s office, the hair salon, and to pick up groceries.

But eventually they start needing more care than you can provide. There’s just not enough hours in the day to work full time, take care of your own family, AND take care of your aging parent or loved one.

So what do you do?

You can start by hiring out the little things. Hire someone for lawn care and snow removal. Hire someone to help clean the house. Hire someone to help your loved one manage day to day activities.

Your loved one will love being able to stay in their own home as long as possible.

But sometimes remaining in the home becomes too much. In those cases, it may be time to consider assisted living or nursing care.

I found a great resource to help you locate assisted living facilities in the Colorado area. For when you need it.