Facts about Family Conferences

Family conferences do much more than just keeping the door of communication open. This is when important health information is shared among all immediate family members. These meetings can also be very beneficial to caregivers because they will be able to ask for additional help. The following list contains some of the benefits of family meetings.

1. All members of the immediate family should be present at family conferences. This is where they will be told what is going on in terms of the care the senior is receiving.

2. These meetings can help divvy responsibilities to all family members so one person is not taking care of the majority of the responsibilities. This will also help alleviate misunderstandings.

3. Family conferences should have an impartial moderator present. This could be a care coordinator, a member of the clergy or a trusted family friend.

4. Family meetings are a great way to make sure everyone is informed of the status of the senior. It will also allow family members to feel they are involved in the care.

5. Family caregivers will benefit from these meetings because they will be able to ask for help if they need it. Caring for a senior is a huge responsibility, so it may be necessary for other members of the family to take on some of the responsibilities to assist with care.

Source: NFCACares.org

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.

How Caregivers Can Manage Care Better

Managing the care of a senior is not an easy task, but there are some things that caregivers can do to help things along. One of the most important parts of managing care is to write down observations. This will help the caregiver review the progress or decline of the senior and will also help to gather and organize important information.

1. Make sure to note the abilities of the senior. Caregivers should note how they function mentally and physically.

2. Always have a written list of available family members. This can help when the senior needs additional care or the caregiver requires medical information.

3. Make notes about the physical environment in which the senior lives. These notes should include whether the environment is accessible and if it can be adapted at a reasonable cost.

4. Caregivers should also write down their other responsibilities, including at home, work and in their community. This will help them manage their time more effectively.

5. Caregivers also need to keep track of their own health and physical abilities.

6. Financial resources should always be noted, both for the caregiver and the senior receiving the care. This includes available insurance, end-of-life documents and the existence of healthcare.

Source: NFCACares.org

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.

Filling a niche by offering help with daily living, non-medical senior care assists seniors and families, by helping to take the stress out of caregiving.

Non-medical senior care companies, such as Home Instead Senior Care, focus on companionship, but also assist with daily needs, such as meal preparation, running errands, medication reminders, light housecleaning, incidental transportation to doctor visits and other non-medical tasks.

When all of these daily tasks are being done by a professional, non-medical caregiver, it allows family members, such as grown children or spouses, to spend quality time with the senior, versus the quantity time of just spending hours doing the grocery shopping and cleaning, but not really being a companion to their elderly loved one.

Non-medical senior care can also keep a senior in his/her own home longer, since it actually makes them more independent in their own natural surroundings. It can prevent the senior from having to move to senior housing earlier than necessary, since their daily needs are being met.

Many seniors may need care, but they still enjoy the freedom of picking their own activities and doing them in their own homes on their own schedules. In fact, 89% of seniors surveyed by Home Instead Senior Care prefer to live at home versus moving to a senior facility.

Read more on Non Medical Home Care

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.

Tips to Manage Pain

Managing pain at home can be a challenge for many seniors. It is very common for seniors to experience chronic pain as a result of a health condition. When this happens, senior patients have many options available to help them manage their pain while at home. The list below provides seniors with some more information on the options that are available.

1. Keeping a diary of pain can be beneficial. Many seniors will experience different types of pain throughout the day, so keeping track of these is important when it comes time to go to the doctor. Make sure to note how often pain is experienced, what kind of pain it is, the location of the pain and what makes the pain worse.

2. Become aware of medications that will help to relieve pain. This could include prescription and over-the-counter medications. Acetaminophen is a common medication used for pain, as well as NSAIDs.

3. Before taking any type of medication. Patients should always talk to their doctor to make sure the medication will not cause other health problems.

4. There are many ways to reduce pain without having to take medications. This includes physical therapy, exercise, massage and acupuncture.

5. If medicine and non-drug treatments do not work, talk to a doctor about other options that may be available.

Source: AwareofYourCare.com

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.

iPhone App Helps Caregivers Make Decisions

Making decisions in regards to care for a senior is an important issue that many caregivers are responsible for. Since so many seniors are of different races and cultural backgrounds, these decisions are not always easy to make. A new App from iPhone can provide caregivers with necessary information to make these decisions while respecting the individual’s ethnic and cultural beliefs.

1. The App has been developed by the American Geriatrics Society and offers decision-making support for caregivers.

2. In nursing homes, cultural and racial sensitivity is very important, so this App can really help caregivers who are working in this setting.

3. The App provides valuable information when dealing with people from different cultures, including how to address individuals, types of nonverbal communication and culture-specific health risks.

4. Gender issues and various approaches to decision-making are also provided in the App.

5. This App is a great tool for any person who is in the role of a caregiver. Even if the caregiver is familiar with a particular culture or ethnic group, the App can provide some useful tips when dealing with patients and making important decisions in regards to health care.

6. The App also gives caregivers information on cultural traditions and the different health beliefs that seniors may have due to their ethnicity or cultural beliefs.

Source: http://changingaging.org/2010/08/24/race-eldercare-and-iphone-apps/

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.

Care Coordination Plays an Important Role

When dealing with senior care, there are many things that must be considered. It is important that the senior have a care coordinator. This person will be responsible for ensuring the health and safety of seniors by making sure they are receiving all necessary services. The list below contains some of the things that a care coordinator will handle.

1.    The gathering of information from all healthcare providers. This means collecting important medical information from each doctor that treats the senior.

2.    The care coordinator must be able to effectively assess the home environment as well as the needs of the person receiving care.

3.    Coordinators must be able to find private services and resources that will meet the needs of the senior.

4.    There must always be ongoing communication between all of the parties involved. This includes the individual receiving care, the caregivers, doctors and family members. It is important to keep all those involved up to date.

5.    The care coordinator should also be able to assess daily situations to make sure the senior is in fact receiving all of the services they need to function. If there is something that changes with the senior’s health, changes to the type of care and services they receive may be required.

Source: NCACares

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.

High-Tech Devices Benefit Seniors

When older seniors are living at home, there are some concerns for their safety. This is why many companies have developed devices that can provide a sense of peace for loved ones. These devices can ensure the safety of seniors as they remain residing in their own home. The list below provides some additional information on a new available devise that has some great benefits.

1. Adaptive Home is a new business that uses monitoring technology for elder care. The basic package includes various motion sensors that can be placed around the home. These sensors create reports of activity in the home that can be reviewed by caregivers or family members.

2. The sensors will also alert loved ones of unusual actions. It will note when seniors are making a pot of coffee or sitting in their chair. There are many things that the sensors will monitor, providing extra safety in the home and peace of mind for family members.

3. The main benefit of this new system is that seniors will be able to remain in their homes for a longer period of time instead of having to go to a nursing home. There is no need for a person to be present to monitor their actions; the sensors take care of it all.

4. The system also comes with a computer that includes a scheduling program to help all family members coordinate caregiving.

5. There are many things in the home that can be monitored by simply using these sensors. Now, seniors can be comfortable at home and family members will know they are safe.

Source: NPR.org

Home Care Bakersfield provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Bakersfield, Delano, Wasco, Lamont, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Taft, Shafter, Bodfish, Wofford Heights, Rosedale, Oildale, Kernville area. Call us today at 661-321-3235.