In a scary new study, it has been suggested that future generations of seniors might face a greater number of disabilities than generations past; and the impact could hit close to home with the boomer generation. The information presented in the study is not promising, but by establishing this expectation; that the number of senior disabilities might increase; health care and senior care industries can begin planning.

1. Caregivers can arm themselves with knowledge – with this study already circulating, professional caregivers and families with other generations alike can take this opportunity to become more knowledgeable. Professional caregivers can increase their knowledge about dealing with disabled seniors on a large scale, and families can take a long hard look at their prospective care options should this issue become a reality for their family

2. Organizations can improve personal mobility devices – new technology that can assist in the senior care industry is constantly becoming available on the market, but if  there is a greater need that’s upcoming, there’s room for further development and preparation

3. Studies can focus on preventative measures – increased numbers of disabled seniors, particularly if the boomer demographic is affected, could put a strain on the health care system. With this knowledge, health care professionals care work proactively to try and find preventative medicine or establish techniques that may reduce the likelihood that the number of disabled seniors will increase

Via: MedicalNewsToday

Image source: sxc.hu

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Many family caregivers think that they’re going to reduce the stress that they face by moving an elderly parent to live with them in their Indianapolis home. They believe that by decreasing a commute and ensuring that they are always there to deal with emergencies, they will have more time to themselves and feel less stressed about managing their family, work and caregiving responsibilities. It’s an arrangement that can work well for many families, but family caregivers first need to stop and realize that it comes with a great deal of stress, which without proper planning can certainly outweigh the stresses that they felt when living apart, if they let them.

Here are a few ways that Indianapolis family caregivers help set the stage to make multigenerational living a less stressful experience for all involved.

• All members of the family should be allowed to voice their thoughts – even after a decision has been made to move in mom or dad, every member of the family, including children should be allowed to speak their minds and make suggestions on how to make the living arrangements work for everyone
• Define roles and set expectations – all family members living under the same roof should have their roles defined in advance and should know what to expect of the changes that will be occurring
• Ask for help – when adult caregivers live with their elderly care recipients, they can feel like they’re overwhelmed with responsibility that they can never get away from; ask other siblings or family members to step in to provide respite care or help around the house
• Focus on family – establish family rituals that bridge the generational gap between all of the family members. Plan a movie night, or a family dinner so that everyone can bond over a shared enjoyable experience

Via: Home Instead Senior Care https://www.homeinstead.com/Lists/doclistlib/Attachments/257/Too_Close_For_Comfort_Booklet.pdf

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Having always lived practically around the corner from my mother during my adult life, I faced an impossible decision 12 years ago when my husband had a promotion opportunity with work that came with the contingency that we would have to relocate hundreds of miles away from Indianapolis, which we’ve always known as our home. At that stage, I was concerned more about what the growing distance would do to our family dynamic, since my children in particular had always had a very close relationship with their grandmother, than how it would affect my ability to help with my mother’s care as she aged. To be honest, the thought never really entered my mind that the distance would make it tremendously more difficult to provide care for my mother. She was then in her 70’s, active, mobile and thriving–living independently.  Should I have known that wouldn’t last forever? Probably, but at the time I had to make a decision based on the facts that I had on the table.

I’m not the un-involved daughter people try to peg me for when they hear I live across the country from my elderly mother. As her health and mobility are declining, I may not be a full-time care provider, but I consider myself to be a totally devoted care coordinator. I have arranged for a local professional caregiving agency from Indianapolis to come into her home daily and help her in the areas where she struggles, and have opened the lines of communication between myself, her caregivers, and the medical professionals who are responsible for her day-to-day well-being. I may not see my elderly mother everyday, but I’m always a phone call away, and would never hesitate to hop on a plane anytime she needs me.

Sources:

1. National Institute on Aging

2. How to Care

Image SOurce: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Q – I suspect that my elderly grandfather, who has an elder care provider assisting him in his home in Indianapolis might be a victim of home care negligence. He doesn’t seem to get along with his caregiver and is reluctant to look her in the eyes. I don’t want to make a big deal out of nothing, so what are the signs I can look for to determine if he’s a victim of negligence?

A – If you believe that your father in Indianapolis might be a victim of negligence, or doesn’t get along with his caregiver. Don’t hesitate to talk to the caregiving agency about your suspicions and request another elder care expert to provide home care services. However, if you want to justify your concerns, there are other signs that could indicate your father is being neglected.

• Sudden changes in his behavior, such as becoming more withdrawn, depressed or angry

• Physical injuries like bruises, scrapes, cuts, or even broken bones

• The home care provider not allowing seniors to spend time alone with family members for fear something might be revealed

• Pressure sores or signs that restraints have been used

• Sudden, inexplicable weight loss in the senior

Sources:

1. Care Home Negligence
2. EZine Articles

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

To be a caregiver, you don’t have to live in the same city, or even in the same state as your elderly family member. Many family caregivers care for loved ones from long distances by coordinating care services, making care related decisions and monitoring the care being provided to their elderly family member from afar. While many long distance caregivers do rely on home care professionals or other members of the family to provide day-to-day care for the senior when necessary; long distance caregivers still play a substantial role in senior care.

What can you do as a long distance caregiver for your loved one?
•    Assess the care needs of your loved one by talking to them, other family members and friends nearby
•    When visiting, look for signs that they may be struggling to live independently. Signs may be exhibited on them personally or by looking at their home. Go with your instincts
•    Coordinate senior care services if necessary – hire a professional non-medical caregiver, arrange for transportation, meal preparation and medication reminders to help the senior live on their own
•    Keep a phone book for the senior’s local area, and a list of friends, family members and other people that you could call on in an emergency to help the senior
•    Offer to help with financial matters, or be appointed Power of Attorney to look after the senior’s assets or medical wishes should the situation arise
•    Learn about the senior’s condition
•    Be a supportive ear when they need to talk

Sources:
1.    Caregiver-Connect.ca
2.    HowtoCare

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

A large number of seniors in Indianapolis, and around the country suffer from some form of dementia, which can impact their level of independence and require them to rely upon family caregivers and other forms of elder care. Since personal safety, caused by dementia-related memory issues is a big risk for dementia sufferers living independently at home; new “Smart Homes” are being developed to provide seniors with independence and safety.

A group in the UK, the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering that’s behind the Smart Home hopes to have the senior living innovation available on the market within the next 5 years. Currently, there are two trial systems in the UK which monitor seniors’ movements around the home; which can detect unusual changes in behavior which could indicate a medical emergency or other senior crisis. The Smart Homes also have the ability to remind seniors to turn off lights, appliances, or taps that have been left on with verbal prompts, and can automatically turn functions in the house on and off.

The Smart Homes may not be able to replace traditional Indianapolis elder care services entirely, but they will allow seniors to maintain their pride in living with independence well into their later years, even with dementia.

Sources:
1.    Science Daily
2.   Caregiverunderground

Images: pressurefunk.com

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

One of the greatest advantages of modern digital processing technology is the ability to forever store and edit images.  Current media is prime for transforming your memories and relics of childhood, first loves, and marriage into a format that is easy to access and forever safe.

Several months ago, one of our CAREGivers, upon the request of a client prepared, a DVD movie including music, chapter separation, and interviews for the client’s family.  When the client passed away recently, Home Instead was able to present to the family several copies of the DVD at a special memorial service that the CAREGivers who knew their grandma so well were able to attend.

The DVD was presented along with a framed portrait done by another Home Instead CAREGiver. The CAREGivers were not hired for their abilities as artists or digital media gurus, rather as trained and compassionate companions.  However, Home Instead was not surprised to find out that the people they had hired were so multi-facetted and willing to give of themselves.

At this dinner, the family alongside their beloved mother’s CAREGivers, was able to watch the story of her life and their own special places in it.  For this group, it was a truly special opportunity to share and love alike.

In your own family’s future, consider the opportunity to have a Home Instead CAREGiver chronicle and record your past.  This can be a wonderful way to celebrate the lives of those around you while they are with you and afterward.

Prepared by Denise Thomas, Home Instead Senior Care Austin

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

From reading, you might already be aware of the benefits of hiring an in-home caregiver through a senior care agency, instead of choosing a privately contracted caregiver, but do you know what to look for in a senior care agency when making eldercare decisions for an important senior in your life?

While at face value, many Indianapolis senior care agency’s services appear similar in nature. It’s what lies beneath the surface that can help you choose the right agency to provide assisted living services in the home of a senior. Choose a senior care agency that is flexible and provides a wide variety of services. While today, your senior may only need the companionship and transportation to appointments from their caregiver a few times a week; their care needs might increase or change over time. Select a caregiver agency that can adjust and adapt their care plan for your senior when required, and ensure the caregiving agency doesn’t have minimum requirements for time spent at the senior’s home. A good care agency should be available to provide as little care as a few hours a week, to long-term care at 24 hours a day.

An Indianapolis caregiving agency should also listen to the needs and concerns of families, and do their utmost to match seniors with caregivers that meet their requirements, while maintaining communication with the family. All good caregiving agencies should also ensure that their caregivers are bonded, insured, thoroughly screened and trained in current eldercare procedures, so that the highest quality of senior care is always achieved.

Sources:
1.    Home Instead Senior Care
2.    CaregiverList

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

80% of baby boomers would like to remain living independently in their homes as they age; and for the boomer generation, like others in the senior demographic, having to move into a nursing home would be one of their greatest fears come true. Fortunately for the boomers and future generations of older adults, aging in place is becoming a more probable reality for the vast majority of them; not only because of the information and resources available to professional and family caregivers, but also because of the technological developments in home care technology that will provide for their safety and help them maintain the independence they crave in old age.

Today there are devices available in home care technology that allows medical professionals and caregivers to monitor senior health and safety remotely. Medical emergencies can be promptly detected through the constant measurement of vital signs, and caregivers are alerted to changes in behavior that could indicate a problem with their senior, including a fall. Home care technology has also provided senior safety devices that increase independence in the home through automatic medication dispensing, lifts and mobility devices and more. Home care technology will also improve home hospice care and senior care in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, by improving independence in seniors, increasing the level of health monitoring, and minimizing the need for constant supervision by a live medical professional.

As a result of the developments in home care technology, many boomers will be able to live in the comfort and security in their own homes; maintaining the independence they long for with the help of medical devices that assist with senior care.

Sources:
1.    Eldercare ABC Blog
2.    Home Care Technology Association of America

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.

Q – How is a family caregiver defined, and when should family members consider themselves caregivers for their seniors?

A family caregiver, or informal caregiver, is any family member that provides care or support to a senior relative. Family caregivers come in many forms, and many family members who provide support to a senior may not think of themselves as caregivers. While some family caregivers may either live in their senior relative’s home, or have their aging parent live with them, to be considered a family caregiver you don’t need to provide full-time or even permanent part-time care. Answer the following questions to determine if you should be thinking of yourself as a family caregiver.

•    Do you feel responsible for providing support to an aging loved one?
•    Do you help out an aging parent around the home, with cooking or cleaning, even if only on an occasional basis?
•    Do you take your senior relative out to run errands or escort them to medical appointments?
•    Would your family member call you in an emergency and expect your prompt assistance?
•    Do you provide support or assistance to an aging relative living in a long-term care or assisted living facility?

Sources:
1.    American Society on Aging
2.    Caregiver-connect.ca

Home Care Indianapolis provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Cumberland, East Indianapolis, Irvington, Lawrence, Oaklandon, and Wanamaker. Call us today at 317.357.5411.