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.

Most family caregivers reach a point when they realize they need help at home caring for a senior Mom, Dad, grandparent or other elderly loved one.

 Tell-tale signs include:

• Recognizing that your loved one requires constant supervision and/or assistance with everyday activities, such as bathing and dressing.
• Finding that certain housekeeping routines and regular errands are accomplished with great difficulty or are left undone.
• In order to take care of any business outside the home, more than one caregiver is required.

Assessing Your Home Care Needs

A number of options are available for finding help at home. It is often best to start by assessing both your needs as a caregiver and the needs of the person you are caring for. There are a variety of checklists to help you evaluate what types of help are needed.

In general, consider the following areas:

• Personal Care: bathing, eating, dressing, toileting
• Household Care: cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping
• Health Care: medication management, physician’s appointments, physical therapy
• Emotional Care: companionship, meaningful activities, conversation

What Do You Look For In A Caregiver?

It is important to evaluate the values and preferences of the person receiving care. He or she may be more comfortable with a home care worker who shares his or her cultural background and/or language.

The care recipient may also have a preference between male and female caregivers, particularly if the worker will be helping with personal care.

This assessment may enable you to include alternative (and possibly less expensive) approaches to care such as Home Instead, which can provide home helper services, companionship, personal care, transportation, and a host of non-medical care services.

Browse through our digital brochure for information about our services that may help you with making this important, life changing decision.  Or simply call us at 804.527.1100 anytime, day or night.

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.

What is hospice?  Probably no form of senior care is as little understood as hospice.  People often have misconceptions about it and almost always questions such as:

• Is it a building, like a hospital? 
• Who are the professionals who will take care of my mother in hospice care? 
• How much, or how little, will they do for her? 
• If nursing home costs have impoverished her how will she, or we, pay for hospice care? 
• What role does the family play in hospice care?

Hospice care is sometimes thought of as a synonym for palliative care.  That’s not too far wrong, but hospice care is really a particular kind of palliative care.  Palliative care is a form of treatment that does not attempt to cure the patient’s underlying disease.  Rather it focuses on alleviating the symptoms of the disease, especially reducing the pain.  People of any age can undergo palliative care, among them children suffering from cancer. 

Eliminating Pain

Palliative care does not preclude other medical care.  It is possible, for example, to have one team of doctors alleviating the pain of a child with leukemia, in other words, practicing palliative care, while other specialists focus on curing the child’s disease.

In contrast, hospice care is limited to those who are judged by medical professionals to be at the end of their lives, generally, but not exclusively, the elderly.  The purpose, as with other forms of palliative care, is to eliminate or at least control pain and suffering. 

The promise to the individual who is placed in hospice care is that she will be able to spend her final weeks and days with as much dignity and as little pain as possible.  Hospice care professionals assist the patient with the emotional and spiritual aspects of death as well.

SUMMARY:  Hospice Care and Palliative Care:  What’s the difference?

• Palliative care is designed to alleviate symptoms, especially reducing pain.
• People of any age can receive palliative care, including those who simultaneously receive healing care.
• Hospice is a particular kind of palliative care, limited to those who are judged by medical professionals to be at the end of life but are still in need of pain relief and comfort.

While in hospice or palliative care, your elderly loved one may need companionship care or personal care during this difficult time.  Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond can provide those services and more so that you can have a few less things to worry about.  Simply call our Richmond office at 804.527.1100.  We serve Greater Richmond and Northern Neck, too.

Excerpted from the book, Stages of Senior Care:  Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions by Paul & Lori Hogan.  Also, credit to National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.*  Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, others start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort.

Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, have it checked out. Minutes matter! Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1.

A Home Instead CAREGiver can help Seniors transition home from the hospital if they’ve had a heart attack. Oftentimes the Senior’s doctor limits what activities they can do around the house – a CAREGiver can help with laundry and other light housekeeping. The Senior may also be weak, so it’s good to have someone around to help them get around the house.

And if the Senior hasn’t had a heart attack, Home Instead CAREGivers can help prevent one by assisting with a walk around the block, transporting them to an exercise class or trying a new activity. A CAREGiver can also remind them to take their cholesterol, blood pressure or other vital medication, or plan and prepare nutritious, heart-healthy meals.

Home Instead Senior Care is located right here in Richmond, Virginia, with a second office in Tappahannock.   To arrange a free, no-obligation in-home care appointment, simply call our office at 804.527.1100 anytime.  Help for those suffering from heart disease — or those wanting to prevent it — is just around the corner.

*Source: American Heart Association

Caring for an elderly Mom or Dad who has even early stage dementia can be a challenge. Let Home Instead offer you easy solutions.

Probably not a surprise as we’ve been hearing so much in the news these days about dementia and Alzheimer’s, but it’s true.  After age 85, nearly half of all seniors will have some cognitive impairment or dementia, typically Alzheimer’s disease.  This brain disorder makes it difficult for people to remember, learn and communicate and over time makes it increasingly difficult for seniors to take care of themselves. 

Victims of dementia suffer symptoms such as memory loss, a decline in the ability to perform routine tasks or learn new ones, and a loss of language, judgment, and planning skills.  Alzheimer’s can even bring about personality changes — for instance, in the case of a formerly social senior who might stop going to parties, church and other events.

Dementia can interfere with the care of a loved one in a number of ways.  People with dementia may eat poorly and irregularly and ignore exercise and social activity, all functions that would likely improve their health.  Family caregivers are usually the first to recognize that dementia may be developing and should seek medical evaluation as soon as symptoms are recognized.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common — and often heartbreaking — form of dementia, afflicting only about 5 percent of seniors between sixty-five and seventy-four.  But nearly half of those over the age of eighty-five may be affected.  The disease usually begins slowly with mild memory loss and develops gradually into crippling brain damage with symptoms that can include paranoia. 

Alzheimer’s victims typcially live for eight to ten years after being diagnosed with the disease and sometimes for as long as twenty years.  So far, no medication or treatment has been successful in reversing or stopping Alzheimer’s, although medications are available that may help delay progression of some of the symptoms.  It remains perhaps the most difficult condition to come with in a family setting.

This information has been provided to you through the recent book written by the founders of Home Instead Senior Care, Paul and Lori Hogan, specifically chapter 15 on Complicating Ailments and Issues.  The book is entitled Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions. 

If you’re ready to take the next step with caring for your elderly loved one now, then simply call Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond and we’ll be glad to review your home care needs with a free, professional in-home assessment.  We give you many ways to contact us including any time by phone, 804.527.1100, or through our website at http://HomeInstead.com/Richmond-VA.  We serve the entire greater Richmond area, including Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, Powhatan and more, along with the Northern Neck as we have a second office in Tappahannock.

Help ensure seniors stay warm in the winter months with an extra blanket, a warm coat, scarf and gloves if they must go outside.

Freezing temperatures in Florida. Artic air sweeping down to Cuba. Snow in Mexico. Even snow and cold temperatures here in the Greater Richmond area.

Much of the country has been in the grip of a surprisingly cold winter this year. Cold weather is hard on everyone, but it can be especially hard on seniors. It’s a good idea to keep a close eye on elderly relatives, friends and neighbors when it is so cold.

In general, it is best to encourage Seniors to just stay out of the cold. Ice and snow can be dangerous for those with poor eyesight or balance, and broken bones can be seriously detrimental to a Senior’s health. Help Seniors by running errands for them — like picking up groceries and prescriptions. If they must get out, volunteer to drive, and help them safely in and out of their destination. Add rubber tips to walkers and canes to increase stability.

Another problem for Seniors is frostbite and hypothermia — elderly people are more susceptible to hypothermia because they don’t always realize they are becoming cold. Seniors should keep their home well heated and dress in layers to stay warm, and add a hat and gloves to their jacket if they must go outside. Symptoms of frostbite include numbness and a white cast to the skin. Hypothermia is signaled by confusion, sleepiness, reduced breathing and heart rate, and extreme shivering.

Other tips to help Seniors include keeping space heaters at least three feet from furniture and draperies, and making sure railings are secure. It can be hard to drink water when it’s cold, but Seniors should try to remain well-hydrated at all times.

If you need assistance caring for a senior especially during the winter months when the cold weather can be a challenging time for staying warm and safe, please call for a free no-obligation consultation with Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond at 804.527.1100.  Our CAREgivers can help check on your elderly loved one and can help run errands, set medication reminders or simply help them get around both in and outside the home.

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.

Involve an elderly parent or grandparent in your Holiday festivities

We all look forward to the holidays, but the holidays can be stressful, too. An elderly mother, father or grandparent can have a difficult time coping with the holidays for many different reasons – they might be ill, stuck at home, have difficulty moving about or even suffer from depression. Some seniors may have a hard time celebrating the holiday without beloved family members who have recently passed on.

Even with challenges like these, with a little thoughtful planning ahead, you can help the senior in your life have a great holiday. In fact, most of these tips work for family members and friends of any age!

1. Think ahead. If your elderly parent or grandparent tires easily or gets over stimulated, think about ways to manage this. If the holiday gathering is going to be very noisy or confusing, or last for many hours, consider making a quiet room available to the senior so they can get away and rest for a bit. Simple planning like this can help your loved one enjoy the day so much more.
2. Share stories about the past. Holidays inevitably bring up memories, and “life review” is an important part of the aging process. It’s also a great bonding exercise for friends and family, bringing everyone closer to together.  Share family photos too.
3. Include everybody in the festivities. Especially your senior! There are so many things to take care of during a holiday get-together, from folding napkins to washing the dishes later. Being involved gives family members and friends a sense of belonging and purpose. 
4. Eliminate obstacles. This is helpful for all of your guests. Remove slippery rugs, small pieces of furniture and anything that might impede someone’s ability to navigate a room safely. At the same time, if your elderly mother, father or grandparent is used to the way your furniture is arranged, don’t change it around!
5. Avoid embarrassing moments. If an older person has trouble with their memory, help them out of difficult conversation moments – the kind of moment where someone might say “don’t you remember?” Lead the conversation elsewhere, and take the pressure off the senior.
6. Assign your senior a companion for the day. If you’re having a large gathering with many people, think about pairing your elderly loved one with a buddy to make sure any special needs they have are met and that things go smoothly for everyone. It can be easy to get lost in the shuffle and confusion of such an event, and if it is your event, trying to host everyone makes it hard to give your senior all the attention she or he needs.

Make sure that you have someone assigned to help and watch over your elderly loved one during your holiday celebrations.

Planning ahead with tips like these can help make the holiday wonderful for everyone involved. These tips work well with any event, not just the Holidays, so be sure to keep this list handy for future occasions including birthday parties, family reunions and more.

And, remember, if you’re short-handed or your elderly loved one needs more help than you can comfortably provide during the holidays or anytime, Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond can help reduce your stress and take the pressure off, especially if you’re working full time, have your own family demands or perhaps live out-of-town and away from your loved one.   

We provide in-home care and companionship services — plus personal care and even simple things like medication reminders and transportation to doctor or church services — to hundreds of seniors in the Richmond and Tappahannock areas each and every day.  Simply call us at 804.527.1100 for a complimentary in-home assessment.  And for a comprehensive list of services, please click here.

Torsten & Teresa Steinfatt, Owners of Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond since 1997

As part of an ongoing Partners in Healthcare series of interviews,  Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond was featured on CBS6-WTVR’s Virginia This Morning Show on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.  Both Torsten and Teresa Steinfatt appeared for the four-minute interview segment.

For what is now referred to as the “sandwich generation,” those people — mostly Boomers, who are caring for their own family and caring for one or both parents as well — are trying to bridge the gap in taking care of a senior loved one and it’s often a daunting challenge.  Being able to provide proper elder care is a common problem for many families.

“When we got into this business 12 years ago, we found that people saw home care as those things that a nurse would do and that Seniors needed help with meal preparation, light housekeeping, running errands, providing transportation to a doctor’s appointment — or even things like assisting with bathing so it became a personal care and companion care situation which is what our niche is,” said Torsten Steinfatt, “basically those services that nurses don’t usually provide.”

When asked about how people connect with Home Instead Senior Care, Torsten replied “typically, a family will connect to us through some sort of advertising we’ve done or through a referral of a health care professional.  And a lot of times they’ll be in a crisis situation and what we try to do is have a consultative visit with them to find out exactly what their needs are,” says Torsten.

“It’s important to…help them to not only quickly get through their crisis situation but also to prevent those situations from happening in the future,” Teresa added.  “Many times family members are not around to be able to provide these extra things to allow [Seniors] to stay independent in order to remain at home and that’s what Home Instead provides,” she said.

You can view the entire CBS-6 interview by playing the short video.  And whether your family has an immediate need, a crisis situation — or whether you’re trying to prevent a critical care situation from happening in the future — you can reach us at Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond simply by calling 804.527.1100.  You can also watch our digital brochure.   We have compassionate CAREGivers in the Richmond and Northern Neck areas ready to help Seniors live more independently in their own homes.

About Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond

Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s largest provider of non-medical home care services to seniors throughout the Greater Richmond area.  Torsten and Teresa opened Home Instead Senior Care locally in 1997 as its only employees.  Today, their business employs more than 250 full and part-time employees, and is among the largest of the more than 800 franchise groups for Home Instead Senior Care worldwide. According to the Steinfatt’s, “we feel extremely blessed with the opportunity to work in a business that provides one of the most needed services in the world today.  Ourselves, our staff and our CAREGivers are so fortunate to work in a business that rewards us through the heartfelt appreciation of our clients and their family members.”  More information about Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond can be found at http://homeinstead.com/Richmond-VA or at our blog at http://homeinsteadrva.com.  Or you can follow us on twitter at @HomeInsteadRVA and @TeresaSteinfatt.