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

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.

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.

We found a great new search engine that provides results based on age.

Cranky  is sponsored by Eons, a social networking site exclusively for baby boomers dealing with baby boomer related issues. 

Trying to organize health records can be a trying experience for anyone. But when you’re trying to manage you mother or father’s health records - possibly from out of town - and share it with multiple people in your family, in can be almost impossible.

Google Health is a free service that is currently in beta, and offers users the ability to organize all of your health information in a safe, secure way.

Because it’s all organized online, anyone anywhere can login and have access to it. You can gather information from every doctor, hospital and pharmacy, keeping it together for quick viewing. Because it’s a secure site, the only people having access are those you give access to. You can choose what information to share with doctors, family/caregivers, or other medical professionals.

Getting started is easy. Head to Google.com/health and sign up today. 

If you don’t live with your elderly parents, one of your many concerns may be their eating habits. Are they getting good quality meals every day?

In some cases, your parents may still enjoy cooking, but they have lost the ability to get to the grocery store on a regular basis. Many stores offer delivery services, and will bring groceries to your parents on a regular basis. Try Safeway, Albertsons,  and even Amazon offers delivery services.

If they don’t enjoy cooking, make-and-take kitchens are available that allow you to make a variety of dinners and bring them home to freeze. Then it’s as simple as taking them out of the freezer and popping them into the oven. Try My Girlfriends Kitchen and Let’s Dish

If you’re still worried whether they are eating properly, it may be time to ensure your parents are eating. Hire an in-home caregiver. They can do the grocery shopping, make the meals, and provide company while your parent eats.

A final option is Meals on Wheels, which brings a properly balanced meal directly to your parents home. Find your local organization .

It’s always life’s emergencies that help you see things in a new light.

That’s what LotsaHelpingHands is all about. It’s an easy way for friends and neighbors to share and organize duties through an online community calendar. You can coordinate meals, rides, childcare - really whatever you’re in need of during emergency times.

ElderCare Connections Foundation closed it’s doors last Friday, much to the shock of both caregivers and clients.

The Reporter Herald reports that for many of the clients and caregivers that have come to rely on ElderCare, the coming weeks will be difficult.

Seniors Etc provides full in-home care services in the Loveland, Lafayette and Boulder areas, and is also hiring for additional caregivers.

Please contact Seniors Etc for more information, or view our website.

The Alzheimers Store is a great resource for all caregivers faced with taking care of an Alzheimers patient. They provide a variety of products to aid in every day living. If you’re having trouble with your loved one taking too much medication because they forget when they’ve taken their last dosage, the Alzheimers Store provides Medicine dispensers that are lockable.

They also have a variety of activity books, gift products, and can even provide a variety products based on the stage of Alzheimers your loved one is in. 

CareGiverHelper is a new online community that can make your job as a caregiver more organized and reliable.

It’s a free online tool that allows you to set up an account, login, and communicate the support services for your loved one. Your family members, friends, caregivers - anyone that has a need to share in the information used to take care of your loved one - can be invited into the community, and have instant access to your information. This way names, phone numbers, medical information, and any other pertinent information can be kept in an easy, organized format.

Living with Alzheimer’s can mean many things to many people. But as a spouse, it can be especially traumatic.

CNN reported in an article this week about the effects of caring for a spouse with Alzheimers long before diagnosis.  After living for years as friends, lovers and partners, to be suddenly faced with someone who’s changing right before your eyes, with no idea why can be a scary experience. Beyond reasoning. All can be used to describe a relationship effected with Alzheimers.

In many cases Alzheimers can be a part of your life long before your realize it. Mood swings. Temper tantrums.

Early diagnosis can be the key to understanding. The earlier you discover the root problem, the quicker you can begin holding on to the relationship you’ve built over time.

Check out TheAlzheimerSpouse for helpful resources.