Three Types of In-Home Health Care Services for Your Aging Parents
According to the CDC, 4.9 million seniors require some form of in-home care on a regular basis. If your Mom and/or Dad are among them you’ve got some tough decisions ahead.

Understanding your options is vital if you’re going to choose the care strategy best suited to your parent’s needs.

Your first option is to care for your elderly loved one or loved ones yourself. Millions do; taking on domestic tasks, medication management and personal care tasks without the benefit of either training or pay. Many adult children find the physical, mental, and emotional toll these tasks take to be too much. According to Kaiser Health News you’re statistically likely to start neglecting your own needs, and may put yourself at risk for depression among other issues, should you make this attempt.

After all, taking on these tasks yourself could make demands you never expected. Few adult children are comfortable with the idea of bathing their mother or father, for example, or helping mom or dad use the toilet.

The challenges grow even greater if you are a member of the “sandwich generation,” an adult with elderly parents and children of your own to care for.

The other two options mean taking advantage of one of two types of in-home services.
The first type is home health care. Home health care is best suited for seniors who have serious medical issues. This level of care would usually involve help from a skilled, licensed RN. It may cover wound care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and more.

Home health care is sometimes only necessary in the short term. Insurance or medicare will usually cover these services should your parents require it.

Private duty home care is the second type. Private duty home care tackles a variety of services seniors need to manage day-to-day living. These can include help with housekeeping, meal preparation, bath assistance and even help with errands. Home care agencies can also help seniors manage loneliness by playing games with them or driving them to social events.

Long-term private duty home care can help seniors maintain some level of independence. It can also give you peace of mind without draining your personal resources. The right set-up can even be affordable, allowing you to pay only for the time and services your Mom or Dad might need.

Got questions? Call us about our private duty home care services today.

References
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/home-health-care.htmhttp://khn.org/news/parent-trap/

Congratulations to Patricia M., our September Senior Care Employee of the Month!

Patricia is an excellent Caregiver and always provides our clients with caring and compassion. She is reliable, dependable, and beloved by our office staff for her willingness to go the extra mile in picking up shifts and communicating with the office.

We asked Patricia six questions so that you can get to know her better.

APH: What is your educational background?

PM: I have a BSc and MSc in Microbiology. I also have a certificate in computing and word processing.

APH: How did you get involved with the senior care industry?

PM: My parents needed someone to depend on to give a helping hand and make them feel loved and happy. It was such a positive experience at the time when they needed it.

APH: What do you like best about your job?

PM: Seeing all of my clients satisfied that everything they needed to be done is the way they want it to be done before I leave.

APH: What do you like to do when you are not working?

PM: Take care of my little girl.  I also enjoy reading to refresh my brain on current research, walking, and occasionally watching television.

APH: Do you have a family?

PM: Yes, I have my family and I also have dogs.

APH: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

PM: I’d like to go to any Asian country to spend time with those with less privileges.

Thank you, Patricia, for everything you do for A Place at Home and truly showing our clients that We are CARE – Compassionate, Accountable, Respectful and Ethical. We are pleased to have you on our team!

A Place at Home along with CHI Health at Home, will host a Casino Night called “Bets for Vets” on Friday, July 28, 2017 at Brighton Gardens, 9220 Western Ave., Omaha.  All proceeds will benefit VA Homeless Outreach Programs.

The VA’s specialized programs for homeless Veterans serve hundreds of thousands of homeless and at-risk Veterans each year. Independently and in collaboration with federal and community partners, the programs provide Veterans with housing solutions, employment opportunities, health care, justice- and reentry-related services and more.

Chris Cummings, Community Liaison with A Place at Home, stated, “We are excited to work with CHI Health at Home as well as Brighton Gardens to have this opportunity to help homeless veterans.  All of our organizations deal with veterans every day and we know the impact they have had on our country. A Casino night is a fun way to collect donations and raise funds, and we have been overwhelmed by the community’s generosity in donating prizes and offering their time to volunteer for the event.”

Admission to the event will be a minimum of 5 donated items from the donations accepted by the VA Homeless Outreach program. For each 5 items donated, attendees will receive $500 in chips.