Is your parent affected by Alzheimer’s or dementia?

As we age, it’s perfectly normal for all of us to forget things from time to time. Dementia, however, is a physical change in the brain that causes a significant decline in one’s mental abilities. A common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s, a serious disease that destroys brain cells, causes severe memory loss and confusion and makes even the most basic activities increasingly more difficult to handle.

The Alzheimer's Association has outlined the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's disease. Individual sufferers may experience one or more of these symptoms, with varying degrees of severity:

The 10 Signs of Alzheimer's

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life.
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems.
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure.
4. Confusion with time or place.
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing.
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.
8. Decreased or poor judgment.
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities.
10. Changes in mood and personality.

To learn more about the symptoms of Alzheimer's we encourage you to visit the sites on our Alzheimer's Resources listing. And for home care options that address the unique needs of seniors living with Alzheimer's or dementia, call Senior Helpers at 800-760-6389 or contact us online.

Have you noticed changes in your loved one's ability to get around?

One of the most frequent and limiting aspects of aging is a loss of some degree of personal mobility. Mobility issues can affect your loved one's ability to:

• walk, both indoors and out, without falling.
• get into and out of bed, chairs, showers and tubs.
• climb stairs without slipping or falling.
• safely operate an automobile.
• navigate a vehicle city streets and highways.

If your senior parent or family member is experiencing mobility loss, Senior Helpers have local home care experts who can help. Call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online so we can begin discussing care options for your loved one.

Is your loved one affected by a medical condition?

Medical issues and ability to self-manage his or her own health regimen can literally have life-and-death implications for your loved one. It is important to assess your senior parent's ability to:

• consistently and accurately follow directions from a doctor or pharmacist.
• read prescriptions correctly.
• manage a complex daily prescription regimen.
• take medications without supervision.

If your senior parent is experiencing medical issues, call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online and discover how Senior Helpers can help.

Have you noticed changes in your parent's eating habits?

As individuals age, getting the proper nutrition and maintaining a healthy caloric balance becomes even more important. Several factors relating to your loved one's ability to prepare his or her own meals can affect an ability to live independently, including the ability to:

• cook for themselves on a regular basis
• shop for groceries without assistance
• keep a pantry well-stocked with fresh and healthy foods
• follow a managed prescribed plan by a doctor (for example, low sodium, low cholesterol diet, etc.)

If your parent needs assistance with meal preparation or nutrition, call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online and discover how Senior Helpers can assist.

Have you seen changes in your parent's personal hygiene?

The deterioration of a loved one's personal hygiene skills can often signal the need to pursue in-home care. Factors to consider include your loved one's ability to:

• shower or bathe regularly.
• wear freshly laundered clothing.
• use the restroom without assistance.
• pay attention to personal appearance.

Senior Helpers can assist with personal appearance and hygiene needs, simply call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online and to learn how we can help.

Home Safety Issues

A safe and secure home environment is vital to your parent's well-being. A safe home is one that is:

• free from pests.
• temperature controlled.
• clean and habitable.
• free from clutter and hazards (loose rugs, exposed wiring, slippery tile and uneven surfaces).

Furthermore, it is important to understand whether your senior parent would know what actions to take should an emergency situation arise (such as a fire or broken water pipe).

Our printable Home Safety Checklist can help improve your loved one's home safety conditions, and can be verified periodically by a Senior Helpers caregiver.

Call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online and discover how Senior Helpers can work with you to ensure your loved one's home is comfortable and safe.

Have you seen changes in your loved one's social habits?

Keeping an active social life is critical to a senior's well-being, both physically and mentally. Social activity can take many forms, including:

• interacting with others both inside and outside the home.
• attending social events (parties, movies, plays, etc.).
• maintaining friendships.
• staying connected to friends (via telephone, email, visits).

Senior Helpers can help your loved one achieve a more active, more healthy social life. Call Senior Helpers at 800-760-6389 or contact us online to learn more about our home care services.

Are you or other family caregivers experiencing burnout?

Do you have "caregiver burnout"? Ask yourself, are you:

• Withdrawing from friends, family, and other loved ones?
• Feeling blue?
• Experiencing changes in sleeping patterns?
• Feeling like you want to hurt yourself or the person you're caring for?
• Irritable?
• Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy?
• Seeing changes in your appetite, weight or both?
• Getting sick more often?
• Emotionally or physically exhausted?

If you experience two or more of these symptoms, you may be experiencing caregiver burnout.

Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. Burnout can occur when caregivers don't get the help they need or if they try to do more than they are able to do.

Causes of Caregiver Burnout

Caregivers often are so busy caring for others that they tend to neglect their own emotional, physical and spiritual health. The demands on a caregiver's body, mind, and emotions can easily seem overwhelming, leading to fatigue and hopelessness - and ultimately, burnout. Other factors that can lead to caregiver burnout include:

Role Confusion: It can be difficult for a person to separate his or her role as a senior caregiver from their role as a spouse, lover, child, friend, etc.

Unrealistic Expectations: Many caregivers expect their involvement to have a positive effect on the health and happiness of the patient. In some cases, this may be unrealistic for patients suffering from a progressive disease, such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

Lack of Control: Many caregivers become frustrated by a lack of resources and skills to effectively plan, manage, and organize their loved one's care.

Unreasonable Demands: Some caregivers place unreasonable burdens upon themselves because they often think that providing care is their exclusive responsibility when it shouldn’t be.

Preventing Caregiver Burn-out

Find someone you trust, such as a friend, co-worker or neighbor, to talk about your feelings and frustrations.

Set realistic goals and accept that you may need help with caregiving. Turn to others for help with some tasks.

Be realistic about your loved one's disease, especially if it is a progressive disease like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

Don't forget about yourself! Set aside time for yourself, even if it's just an hour or two. Remember, taking care of yourself is not a luxury. It is an absolute necessity. And Senior Helpers can help… call us today at 800-760-6389 or contact us online to learn how we can assist you and your loved one.

What are the types of long-term senior care?

There are a variety of options today for the person in need of long-term care:

Assisted Living Facility This residential care setting combines housing, support services, and health care for elderly individuals.

Continuing Care Retirement Community A residential care setting that usually has an independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing facility on site.

Nursing Home A place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living.

Home Care is delivered in the home to support people with the instrumental activities of daily living, activities of daily living or limited skilled care.

Senior Helpers provides in-home care. This allows your loved one to remain in their home while still getting the attention they need and is typically more affordable than the other types of long-term care, depending on the schedule. To learn more, just call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online.

What are funding options for long-term senior care?

There are several options available to help pay for long-term home care and lighten your family's financial burden.

Our goal is to help our clients remain independent at home for as long as possible. However, we understand that most people do not have unlimited funds to pay for senior care. Listed below are some creative options to help your loved one remain in their own home.

Long–Term Senior Care Insurance

Long term care insurance helps cover the cost of care at home or in a nursing facility. It helps protect your senior loved one’s assets and can cover much of the cost of home care – depending on the policy terms. Senior Helpers works with most long-term care insurance companies – so be sure to check if your loved one has a policy.

Reverse Mortgages

If your loved one has equity in their home, they can probably qualify for a reverse mortgage. A "reverse" mortgage is a loan against your home that you do not have to pay back for as long as you live there. With a reverse mortgage, you can turn the value of your home into cash without having to move or to repay the loan each month. These funds can then be used to pay for home care.

Veterans Administration

The VA has a program that can reimburse veterans for home care based on certain qualification criteria. Your Senior Helpers agency consultant can discuss the VA benefit with you in more detail during the assessment interview.

Additional State and Local Programs

Call your county department of aging. In many states, there are local and state funded programs that offer limited care for seniors who meet certain criteria. You can also contact your local Senior Helpers office as we usually work with these programs where they exist.

Viatical Life Settlements

If your loved one has a life insurance policy, there are companies that offer insurance owners the option to sell their policies in exchange for a lump sum payment that is greater than the cash surrender value.

To discuss your care needs and funding options in greater detail, please do not hesitate to call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online.

What are your home care payment options?

Senior Helpers offers a choice of payment options for your convenience.

We invoice for our home care services every two weeks for the prior 2-week period and can send the invoice directly to the client, their family, a trusted advisor or long-term care insurance company. Our invoices are detailed with the dates and times of service along with the caregiver who provided care on each day.

Most of our clients are "private pay" which means they submit payment directly to us each period. We accept both checks and credit cards.

Our agency also participates with Long-Term Care insurance companies and various state and local programs. Please contact us for a detailed explanation of how we work with these entities.

If your elder loved one is U.S. veteran, we may be able to help them get benefits for home care from the U.S. Veterans Administration. Again, please call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online for more information.

What are Senior Helpers' training and credentialing processes?

At Senior Helpers, we place the utmost importance on ensuring our caregivers receive the latest training and are fully credentialed.

Credentialing

Senior Helpers offices complies with all national and relevant state licensing requirements so you can be assured that our caregiver is properly credentialed to perform the level of care that your elderly loved one needs.

Screening & Training

Our caregivers are thoroughly screened before they can become employees of Senior Helpers and each has the opportunity to participate in the Senior Helpers University program to attain their Senior Helpers Certified status.

This ongoing training program enables our caregivers to superior home care while enhancing their job performance and ultimately create an exceptional customer experience for our clients.

All of our caregivers have the opportunity to participate in our continual learning program and receive credits towards the Senior Helpers Certification. Those in the program are required to complete a minimum of 8 training modules per year on a variety of topics:

• Understanding Fall Risk Factors
• Food Preparation and Safety
• Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia

We believe in the importance of training our caregivers and rewarding them for their achievements. We provide incentives for our caregivers who achieve certification as we know that will directly translate to an improved quality of life for our clients. To learn more about our extensive credentialing and training standards, call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us online.

What home care services does Senior Helpers offer?

Once you have determined that your elderly loved one needs assistance, it is important to honor their wish to remain happy and independent in their own home. But for your own peace of mind, you need to know that they are completely safe and cared for in all situations.

Where to Start: Our Initial In-Home Care Interview

Even when you are close to a senior family member, it can be difficult to know their specific needs. And in some cases, they might be apprehensive to mention their more personal needs.

The complimentary, initial in-home care interview with a Senior Helpers consultant can help you evaluate your options. Together you can discuss your senior care needs and our services to determine what is best for your entire family. We will cover:

• Your family's specific goals
• Your daily plan design and schedule
• Pricing and payment methods
• Implementation process
• Ongoing communication and follow-up plan

If you'd like to learn more about our wide array of services, or if you need immediate assistance from a Senior Helpers caregiver, please call us at 800-760-6389 or contact us today.