Showcasing New Voices From Home Care Assistance

As we prepare to head into 2012, we’re proud to showcase the insights and updates from “Kathy’s Blog”, the official Home Care Assistance blog, alongside our own updates. We’ll still update this space with news and events from our region, but we also want to direct your attention to the left!

The “Peter Pan” House Syndrome

A report from NPR’s All Things Considered recently spotlighted a growing trend in an aging United States: so-called “Peter Pan” houses, which were never designed or built with seniors in mind. Joe Pynoos, professor of gerontology at the University of Southern California, explains:

“They’re designed for people who are never going to age nor grow old,” he said. “They do have stairs. They often have inaccessible bathrooms. Some of them have inadequate lighting. They don’t necessarily have safety features that will help people avoid falls. And some of them present actual hazards to people. So what we recommend for baby boomers, in fact all people, is they assess their own homes and make modifications as they need them.”

You can read and hear more here.

Update Your Book Collection!

We are hard at work updating our web presence to serve you better- including this blog!

Nonetheless, we wanted to pass along the exciting news that Home Care Assistance has recently published the “Handbook of Live-In Care”, the second release in their senior wellness book series. Coming on the heels of our breakthrough “Happy to 102″ book, the “Handbook” serves as a great resource for anyone who is caring for an elderly loved one.

See here for more information, or purchase the book on Amazon.com.

Stay tuned to this blog for exciting developments!

New Changes Are Coming Soon

Pardon our dust as we spiff up our blog and website for the fall. Here at Home Care Assistance, we’re committed to providing our clients with the most up-to-date information, resources, and insights available on home care services. So we’re hard at work revamping our website and blog presence so that we can better serve you. Please stay tuned as more details are forthcoming!

Stay cool out there!

Caring By Yourself Gets Pricey

In addition to the emotional and physical burden that caring for a loved one can place upon a family caregiver, you can now add rising costs. A new study by MetLife, family caregivers will end up spending on average $300,000 on care for parents and loved ones. Particularly hard-hit are members of the so-called “Sandwich Generation”, who must juggle the expenses of college-age kids and aging parents who need care. According to the study, women are more likely to take care of loved ones as caregivers, but men generally foot the bill for care more often. Most strikingly, though, is the finding that caregivers who are responsible for the well-being of their aged parents or loved ones report higher stress levels and worse health than those are who not primary caregivers.

Though every family wants the best for their loved ones when it comes to care, sometimes it’s important to recognize that caring for a loved one on your own is not the healthiest, most cost effective solution for all parties. Professional home care providers like Home Care Assistance can help you devise new strategies for caring for your loved ones, while still allowing you the balance of hands-on time and independence that you need.

Graduating From A Life of Learning

During this graduation season, when countless students at all levels matriculated in elaborate graduation ceremonies, one man broke a world record. Leo Plass became the world’s oldest college graduate when he received his diploma from Eastern Oregon University. At 99, Plass recalled that he had left school at the height of the Great Depression, when his tuition became too costly to continue. When he later found out that he was only 3 credits short of graduation, the university agreed to accept his life and career experience to make up for his missing semester- yet another example that learning is truly a life-long endeavor. For more, see here.

Having The Difficult Talks With Parents

All of us want to see our elderly loved ones make healthy, responsible decisions concerning their long-term care. But what do we do when our parents or elderly family members resist making those decisions? Such was the question proposed to the Washington Post’s “Ask Amy” column recently, in which a concerned family member complained that their family members were acting like “stubborn children” in refusing care and asking for continual family support. Columnist Amy Dickinson encouraged the questioner, despite the frustrations, to keep their parents “at the top of the list” and engage in a series of slow-paced but considerate conversations. Among her recommendations:

Talk with your folks about their safety issues. Perhaps they can move to the ground floor of their home. You should install grab bars and railings where needed. If they need household help and say they can’t afford it, offer to go over their finances with them.

Dickinson offers a variety of good suggestions about opening up a conversation about long-term care with elderly parents and loved ones here.

Tying the Knot, Years Later

If you were one of the 2 billion people who followed the wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton this morning, you have probably been thinking wedding-related thoughts for most of the day. Why not spread the cheer to your elderly loved ones? One of the easiest and most reliable topics of conversation with any older person is their spouse (or, if they never married, a good friend.) Asking elders about their own wedding days or other special moments they have shared with their spouses or loved ones can often unlock previously hidden memories and anecdotes. For a more absorbing afternoon, ask them to share old family photos or trinkets, and, if they still have any, any images from their own wedding day.

Enjoying Earth Day Outside

Today is Earth Day, an opportunity for all of us to take a moment to reflect on nature and our planet. For seniors, it’s a perfect opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. With proper precautions, most able-bodied seniors can enjoy a trip into nature, even if it is a peaceful stroll through a garden or a quick walk around the block. If you or your loved ones are interested in incorporating more nature into your life but aren’t sure the best ways to get started, take a look at this list of options for seniors who would like some more outdoors time. Among the suggestions are a bevy of outdoor activities that range the gamut from moderately strenuous (like badminton and wiffle ball) to relaxing and sedentary (enjoying an outdoor concert or dining outside at a picnic.) Make the most of Earth Day and get outside!

Shopping Can Bring Home More Than Purchases

Here at Home Care Assistance, we are mindful of the needs of our clients, including exercise, mental stimulation, and staying socialized. But what happens when our loved ones aren’t eager to participate in these activities? New research indicates that one activity that many people enjoy- shopping- can actually be a beneficial step towards health, activity, and mental sharpness. According to a new study from the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, “frequent shopping among seniors is associated with low-impact physical activity and helps them feel involved in their communities.” It’s important to remember that shopping doesn’t always mean purchasing- window shopping, browsing, dining out, and just going for a stroll through shops are all part of the shopping process! For more information, see here.