If you’re a senior and you are living at home in Richmond or Northern Neck, or if you have an aging parent or relative who is, this summer is a great time to assess whether you need extra help around the home.  Below is a short survey to determine your senior home care needs:

Please check all that apply:

1. Are you having trouble walking?
2. Have you fallen, or are you afraid of falling?
3. Are you not eating as well as you should be?
4. Are you forgetting to eat?
5. Are you afraid of falling in the shower or bathtub?
6. Do you need help getting to your medical appointments?
7. Do you need help grocery shopping and running errands?
8. Do you need assistance getting dressed?
9. Do you need help getting to the bathroom in time?
10. Do you forget to take your medications?
11. Are you afraid to be home alone?
12. Does your family worry about you while you’re home alone?
13. Are you able to properly maintain your home?
14. Have you lost interest in activities that used to make you happy?
15. Are your regular, daily activities more difficult than they used to be?

If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions about your activities of daily living (ADL), then Home Instead Senior Care may be able to help.  Our trusted CAREGivers provide non-medical companionship and homecare services to help seniors remain as independent as possible in the comfort and safety of their own homes – wherever they call home.

To learn more about how we may be able to help you, please call our Richmond home care office at 804.527.1100 or our Tappahannock home care office at 804.443.4885.  Or visit us online at http://www.homeinstead.com/richmond-va.

Home Instead CAREGivers can be there to help elderly loved ones when family can't

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), simply falling at your own home is the leading fatal injury for people 65 and older. Nearly 50 percent of all fall-related fatalities are caused by traumatic brain injury. 

In 2008, nearly 8.6 million Americans of all ages suffered accidental falls. 

Gail L. Rosseau, M.D., AANS spokesperson and a Chicago neurosurgeon, states “Many head injuries occur at one’s residence – whether it is a home or a nursing home facility – and involve falling and bumping one’s head, resulting in mild concussions to severe and even fatal traumatic brain injuries.” 

Among people ages 55 and older, most head injuries were related to flooring, wheelchairs, canes, crutches and walkers. But falls can happen in so many ways — stumbling on stairs, slipping in bathtubs, falling off ladders and step stools, and tripping over garden hoses, dog leashes, and household appliance cord. It’s really easy to accidentally fall — at any age. 

And, you must be extra careful with any head injury. What seems like no big deal can turn out to be something much more. Consider actress Natasha Richardson, who fell during a skiing lesson in March 2009. Her fall was not “big” or unusual, and her head hit snow. Although she did not appear to be injured at the time, she died soon after from a fatal brain injury. 

Some easy changes around the home can help Seniors prevent falls and head injuries: 

• Secure loose electrical cords
• Remove articles on the floor that someone could trip on (rugs, footstools, grandchildren’s toys)
• Buy bath mats and rugs with slip-resistant backing
• Install grab bars and handrails for the frail and elderly
• Improve lighting in the home (this is so very important as vision worsens as we age)
• Check all stair railings and steps
• Wear proper shoes with slip-resistant soles
• Do not wear clothing that can interfere with your vision

Another way to help Seniors avoid falling is through fall prevention programs, which typically include a review of the person’s medications, reduces risk factors in their home and provides safety modifications, education, and an exercise program. Studies show fall prevention programs reduce falls by 30-50%. 

Tai Chi, a martial art using slow movements, also helps Seniors lower the risk of falling. Tai Chi teaches people to relax, slow down, coordinate their mind and body, and improve posture. The strength and balance that Tai Chi and other exercises make seniors feel stronger and more confident as they move.  You can read more about how Tai Chi can help at this article:  Tai Chi May Combat Seniors’ Fear of Falling 

Home Instead Senior Care provides in-home care to Seniors in the Richmond and Northern Neck areas.    While we can’t always be there to prevent a fall, we can help Seniors live more independently by being there when they need a hand, by helping them with meal preparation or light housekeeping so they don’t have to, by driving them to a doctor’s appointment or shopping so that they don’t have to go alone.  

And we can be there when it’s just not possible for family members to be there and that can easily reduce stress on the family caregiver(s).  If you are caring for an elderly loved one — or if you perhaps are a Senior yourself — and you could use an extra pair of caring hands, simply call our Richmond senior care office at 804.527.1100.  We’ll be there when you can’t because…  to us, it’s personal.

The CEO and co-founder of Home Instead Senior Care, Paul Hogan, appears on Fox News’ Road to Retirement show and discusses how hiring non-medical caregivers can help keep an elderly loved one in their home longer, or even provide in-home care at an independent living or assisted living facility, so that the Senior can retain — or,  in some cases —  regain their independence as his own grandmother did back in the 1990s. 

Paul & Lori Hogan, co-founders of Home Instead Senior Care and authors of Stages of Senior Care

Paul and Lori Hogan just recently released a new book entitled Stages of Senior Care:  Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions, which is an excellent guidebook for anyone dealing with the decisions and care needs of a senior or elderly loved one, particularly a mother or father. 

The just-released Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide for Making the Best Decisions

Today, there are so many choice in senior care and homecare providers that it can often be difficult to make the right choices for your loved one.  Check out the video of Paul’s segment on Fox News and you can also download a helpful senior care options guide by clicking here.

Many seniors could stay in their homes longer and live more freely and independently but they often need just a moderate level of assistance on a day-to-day basis.  Often that means someone to call them and remind them to take their medicine at a certain time, perhaps provide transportation to a doctor’s office or church, or someone to just check on them personally and provide companionship, reminisce about the past or help them with day-to-day activities, even light housekeeping or meal preparation.

If you are looking for an alternative to assisted living facilities for your Mom or Dad, then consider Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond.  Simply call us at 804.527.1100 to schedule a free no-obligation assessment of your needs and how we may be able to help your senior live comfortably and independently, often staying right in their own home for years to come.