Very few people have the time and warning to be able to prepare for being caregiver. When an elderly family member becomes ill, they will often require some help from a caregiver. Being a caregiver is not an easy thing to do. While the following things can help prepare, there is really no way to be completely ready to take on this role.

1.    Lay foundations. By establishing baseline of important information on the senior, the caregiver will be able to determine what services will be needed and how they can be of assistance to the senior.

2.    Medical assessments and diagnoses are important. As a caregiver, it is important to have all of the current medical information on the individual. This includes all diagnoses, medications and medical assessments. This information will be useful when preparing to provide care for the senior.

3.    Become educated. Make sure you know all there is to know about the medical conditions of the senior. Try to share this knowledge with friends and family members. The more understanding a person has of the issues the senior is dealing with, the more helpful a caregiver will be.

4.    Determine needs. Not every senior has the same needs. Some may need help bathing a dressing while others will simply need assistance managing medications and appointments. Be sure to know how well the senior can function independently before they require any help.

5.    Devise a care plan. Again, this will vary depending on the needs of the senior. The needs will change over time, so a care plan is meant to be adjusted. However, it should be in writing so others will know what the senior needs if the caregiver is not available at a given time.

6.    Examine finances. Providing care to a senior also means making sure their finances are taken care of. Caregivers need to make sure bills have been paid and that the senior is a financially stable as possible. Keep all financial records in a safe location.

7.    Review any and all legal documents. This will help ensure the wishes of the senior will be carried out. If necessary, go over these documents with an attorney. Legal documents also include birth certificates, property settlements, military records income tax returns and wills. There are many documents that will have to be gathered, so make sure to get all of this information and keep it in a safe location.

8.    Have safety checklists. This will help to make sure the home is safe for the senior. Whether they are living in their own home or residing with the caregiver, there should be a list that will ensure the safety of the senior while they are in the home.

9.    Keep in contact with others. Having communication with other caregivers who are facing similar situations is a great way to get extra support. It is also a great way to learn new ideas and ways of dealing with certain situations. Other caregivers can offer a lot of knowledge on different topics that could pertain to any senior.

10.     Care for yourself. This is one mistake that many caregivers make. They are so wrapped up in caring for others that they tend to neglect their own needs. As a caregiver, you must set time aside for yourself. This is essential if you want to be an effective and efficient caregiver.

StrengthForCaring

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.

Caring for an elderly parent is hard enough, but when the senior lives far away, it makes caregiving even more difficult. More than 7 million Americans are currently in the role of a long distance caregiver. This causes increased stress for the caregiver and they may even experience feelings of guilt because they cannot be there in a moment’s notice. The information below can help long distance caregivers ease their stress and continue to provide care, even though their parents are far away.

1. Knowing the needs of the senior is essential. Not every senior will be able to have a long distance caregiver. If the senior requires daily assistance, it will have to be done by someone who is close by. If it is a long distance caregiving situation, be sure to check in regularly on the phone. Online video chat systems will also be beneficial. It may also be helpful to get the phone numbers of friends of the senior. This can be another way to check in and make sure everything is going well.
2. Put a plan together for seniors who can still do things on their own. They should have a list of things that need to be done on a daily basis as well as anything that involves home maintenance. Planning these things ahead of time does not cost anything and will provide seniors with the structure they need. There are ways to help from a distance, such as arranging food deliveries, hiring someone to care for the lawn and having a handy man on call to help with repairs.
3. There are local Senior Agencies that can provide additional assistance if the senior needs it. These services often include helping with cleaning and cooking as well as making sure seniors get to doctors appointments.
4. Caregivers that are not close by can also hire a personal-care aide to help the senior with daily chores. These professionals can assist in many ways, including daily hygiene, home cleaning and helping seniors with errands.

Source: http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/caregiver-tips-for-seniors/34e3a1ef5df7b01e03fb010c6fd7ef7a

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.

When a senior falls ill or suffers an injury, they may need the help of a caregiver. If there are no willing family members to step into this role, there is a new way to help seniors find a caregiver. Since technology is always changing, many seniors are jumping on board, using email and smart phones to communicate. Now there is an app that can be downloaded that will help seniors locate a caregiver. More information on this is provided in the list below.

1. iFindCare is the first mobile application designed to locate a caregiver. The app is available at the iTunes store for immediate download and can help people find individuals that will provide child and elder care services.
2. The app is simple to use. Simply enter a zip code and the search will return local individuals who are available as a caregiver.
3. One of the most difficult parts of finding a caregiver is knowing where to look for resources. This app has become a useful tool for many families with a senior who needs additional care.
4. In addition to finding a caregiver, the app also allows users to make use of an interactive checklist that will help them know what to look for in a caregiver.
5. This new app is intended to help seniors and those looking for childcare. Finding a caregiver is now much easier than ever before thanks to iFindCare.

Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1934965/looking_for_a_caregiver_weve_got_an_app_for_that/index.html

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.

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.

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.

Mom’s Preference – Favorite Children

When Mom chooses a favorite child, other siblings will feel the effect. This is often negative and can be the root of many family conflicts. Mothers, especially those that are aging, will often choose a favorite child based on emotional attachment. In most cases, this child will become the caregiver for the aging parents. The list below contains some interesting facts about favorite adult children.

1. Most parents with multiple children will have one that they are emotionally close to and one that there is a lot of conflict with.

2. Parental favoritism is actually normal and is a fundamental part of the family landscape.

3. Studies have indicated that middle-aged children will begin to recognize that their parents are closer to one child than another.

4. Aging parents will usually make it very clear which child they want caring for them later in life. This will typically be the child that is emotionally close to the parents.

5. In most cases, the role of the caregiver will be granted to a daughter because mothers are usually closer with their daughters than their sons. The emotional bond plays an important role in child favoritism.

6. If there is a favorite child, they will usually be the one who is chosen to be the caregiver, even if they are unsuitable for this important role. This can cause many conflicts within the family.

Source: New Old Age Blogs

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.

Seniors and Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It affects the lives of millions of seniors. Each year, many more are diagnosed with this disease, for which there is no cure. However, research is being conducted on various drugs that will hopefully be effective in slowing down the disease and allowing it to be detected at earlier stages. Below is some more information about Alzheimer’s research.

1.    More than 5 million seniors in the US have Alzheimer’s and many of these cases are severe, resulting in the loss of daily functions.

2.    As the population continues to age, the number of people that will be affected by Alzheimer’s will also be on the rise. Currently, a senior in the US develops Alzheimer’s every 70 seconds. This is expected to become every 33 seconds in the next decade.

3.    Those who are researching early detection of the disease say they are on the road to substantial advances.

4.    Alzheimer’s drugs are now being used on many senior patients. The medication focuses on amyloid, which is a protein that clumps in the brain of those with the disease.

5.    Researchers are optimistic that once an anti-amyloid drug is perfected, the disease could be stopped in its tracks. It will also allow the disease to be detected by using scanning technology.

6.    Currently, there is no national plan aimed at researching the disease. Not enough funding and lack of researchers is the reason more progression has not yet been made.

7.    Researchers have a goal of perfecting medications and learning much more about this debilitating disease.

Source: Consumer Health Day

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.

Caregiving and Men

It can be very difficult for a man to adjust to being a caregiver. In most cases, these men will try to take on the tasks that do not involve direct care. Many men are reluctant to perform certain tasks, usually dressing and bathing. In fact, a lot of men have fear and feelings of inadequacy when they find themselves in this role. Below are some points about men as caregivers.

1. Most men who become a caregiver will take a different approach than a female. Men are more apt to take on executive or long-distance tasks, such as dealing with the insurance companies or making appointments.

2. Men are only half as likely to perform hands on tasks when they are a caregiver.

3. The men who do help with daily tasks, such as dressing and showering may be reluctant to discuss their role. It seems as though they are slightly embarrassed about having to be the caregiver.

4. Many of these men will suffer from depression and feelings of inadequacy when they are a caregiver. This is actually quite normal. They have a hard time talking about their role with others because of how they feel it will make them look.

Source: AARP

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.

Meditation for the Older Mind

Meditation isn’t something that many seniors realize can truly benefit them. But it’s an ideal activity, because it’s one that doesn’t require any particular physical skill, and the benefits are to the mind as well as to the body. Seniors don’t need to know how to meditate properly, it’s not a cultural thing or anything else – it’s about making the most of the benefits and relaxing to reap the following benefits:

• Meditation increases longevity; cognitive, perceptual, and behavioral flexibility; and learning ability in older adults

• Meditation creates an outflow from the parasympathetic nervous system and helps to slow the heart. This allows the mind to declutter and focus as the body relaxes

• Meditation doesn’t have to mean the classic form, there is no specific chant that people need to use in order to get into a state of meditation. It can be counting, repeating one particular phrase, using the sound “ohm” or virtually any repetitive word or sound to establish a constant breathing pattern. Focus on relaxation, and if your mind wanders, bring it back; you don’t need to focus on meditating perfectly, just get the benefits you need from it!

Via: AARP

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.