Elder care emergencies can happen at anytime day or night. Unfortunately, senior care issues and medical emergencies just don’t operate on a standard 9-5 schedule. So what do you do if your elderly relative requires care assistance outside of regular business hours?

Many Oakland senior home care providers offer live-in senior care, which ensures there is a caregiver available to address a senior’s every need 24/7. Others, like Home Instead Senior Care, guarantee that a caregiver is available on call when a senior needs them 24 hours per day. If you believe that the level of care required by a senior loved one requires the availability of 24 hour eldercare, make sure you do your research and ask the right questions when selecting a senior caregiving agency. Look at the rates closely, as some may charge a much greater cost for caregivers who work outside of normal business hours; and if your choice is to hire a live-in caregiver, ensure that background and reference checks are completed so you have a greater guarantee that they are trustworthy.

Obtaining 24 hour care for a senior in Oakland is a big decision, so don’t take it lightly! Involve your elder in the decision process as appropriate, and be thorough!

Sources:
1.    Home Instead Senior Care
2.    ForElderCare

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 Oakland 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 Oakland 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

In the modern age of medical care, people’s views on how to treat the chronically ill are shifting based on the exorbitant costs of hospital care and a greater emphasis upon the family’s role in caregiving. According to a recent study, published in the Commonwealth Fund journal Health Affairs 82% of the chronically ill patients surveyed admitted to going without care recommended by medical institutions, simply because of the high costs involved. Many chronic illnesses, however, can be managed at home by family or professional caregivers at a portion of the cost; since these expenses only relate to in-home medical treatments, and assisting the senior with Activities of Daily Living they are much less expensive than at a skilled facility.

Management of chronic illnesses, including the administration of medications and other treatments, can be taught to family caregivers by a medical professional from a hospice program, who, if necessary, can stop by during the course of the illness to assess and monitor any changes in condition and make recommendations with regards to treatment methods. By keeping a senior who is chronically ill at home, instead of in a community care setting like a hospital or nursing home, seniors’ health care costs can be drastically reduced; while their comfort in the care of family allows them to battle their illness in the presence of those they love, without any unnecessary expense.

Sources:
1.   Chronic Illness – Family Caregiving
2.    The Washington Post Steven Reinberg

Home Care Oakland and Alameda County provides senior care and elder home care in East Bay Area and Alameda County, including Alameda, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton and Union City. For more help, please call Home Instead Senior Care Oakland at 510-663-3652.

When hiring a private home caregiver, without going through an agency, families, as employers, are often responsible for the costs of medical care if the caregiver is injured while performing their caregiver duties, unless the caregiver has comprehensive liability and workplace injury insurance. According to statistics, workplace injuries in private caregivers are substantial, with one in eight becoming injured on the job; 70% of which occur when lifting or physically supporting a patient.  If a caregiver does not have liability coverage, any task they are performing as part of their caregiver employment results in an injury, then families become legally responsible as employers to pay the medical bills. Workplace injuries for caregivers can include falls in the home, or even car accidents that take place when running errands for their elderly employer.

Since private caregivers not hired through an agency typically work as private contractors, many may not carry liability insurance; so when an injury occurs during senior care, medical bills may cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, plus in some cases, compensation for lost wages due to the injury. Private caregivers may also be a greater liability for senior care injuries, since they may not receive the same training in proper lift techniques and other safety measures when caring for seniors as their agency counterparts. When hiring a caregiver, families need to take liability into account; because while private caregivers may charge less by the hour, the expenses derived from liability might last a lifetime.

Sources:
1.    Strength for Caring.com
2.   Seniors Resource Guide
3.    Liebertonline

Home Care Oakland and Alameda County provides senior care and elder home care in East Bay Area and Alameda County, including Alameda, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton and Union City. For more help, please call Home Instead Senior Care Oakland at 510-663-3652.

Home Care Oakland and Alameda County provides senior care and elder home care in East Bay Area and Alameda County, including Alameda, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton and Union City. For more help, please call Home Instead Senior Care Oakland at 510-663-3652.

Today we are presenting some more information that came out of the largest study that was conducted on the state of senior caregiving in America.  These results just came out recently and if you would like a full copy of the report contact us to receive an electronic version.

The Importance of Home was another factor they looked at and the study found that an overwhelming majority (86 percent) of elderly want to be cared for at home for as long as possible. This is consistent with several other studies, including an AARP survey that found 89 percent of elderly would prefer in home care as opposed to assisted living or nursing homes.

The Home Instead survey also examined the views of family decision-makers about the desirability of their relatives continuing to age in place. The study found a strong correlation: 76 percent of decision-makers believe it is important for their loved one to be able to stay at home and to have in home care when the time comes that they need extra help.

So why are so many elderly people moving from their homes or being advised to move from their homes into Assisted Living Communities?  We would love to hear your thoughts on this question - please leave us a comment.

Source:  When the Age Wave Hits: The State of Senior Caregiving in America by Home Instead Senior Care, January 2009.

Home Care Oakland and Alameda County provides senior care and elder home care in East Bay Area and Alameda County, including Alameda, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton and Union City. For more help, please call Home Instead Senior Care Oakland at 510-663-3652.

Home Instead Senior Care recently compiled the results of the largest survey ever conducted on the state of senior caregiving in the United States. Some interesting findings were determined and are summarized in posts on Carebuzz this week.

At Home Instead Senior Care we often receive calls and are questioned about “who pays for in home senior care?” - “Does medicare or an insurance policy cover these types of services?” 

When a patient is discharged from a hospital, the doctor can request that a home health attendant come to the patients home for 2 hours at a time for up to 3 visits/week. Usually this is available for 6 weeks and medicare will pay for it.  The home health attendant can help prepare a meal, assist with bathing and perform some light housekeeping in the patient’s room. While these services may be helpful, patients usually can not specify the time of day or possibly can not choose the person that they would prefer to come into their home and assist them with very personal matters.

For a patient who would like a schedule that is a better fit for their routine, this type of service may not be ideal.  We also find that although having these medicare funded services are helpful they may not be enough for someone who needs more assistance throughout the day or night. There may be some overlap between the tasks that home health aides and home care workers or CAREGivers perform so it is important for a family member to be clear about what they expect each person to do if Medicare funded home health aides are coming into the home.

Many people are surprised to find out how affordable CAREGiving services can be. Each Home Instead Senior Care office is independently owned, so prices will vary, but the average across the US is $18/hour.

Who Actually Pays?:

 - 25% Of seniors pay for their own care

 - 19% Is paid for by The primary decision-maker – the person responsible for making key health-care decisions when it is not the senior

- 17% percent of seniors make use of long-term care insurance

- 10% Is funded by State and volunteer/community contributions

Source: When The Age Wave Hits: Home Instead Senior Care Annual Report

Home Care Oakland and Alameda County provides senior care and elder home care in East Bay Area and Alameda County, including Alameda, Berkeley, Castro Valley,  Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton and Union City. For more help, please call Home Instead Senior Care Oakland at 510-663-3652.

Caring Today is a quarterly magazine that has been developed to educate readers about the trends in aging and what families like yours are doing to help loved ones age in place gracefully.  Caring Today is often seen in physicians’ offices around the nation.  Articles featured include:  Managing Medication, Handling Finances and Legal Matters, Long-Term Care Planning, Arranging Respite Care, and Reducing Stress.  Home Instead Senior Care is regularly featured in Caring Today as a reputable resource for respite care, home care, senior companion services, home helpers, and as a trusted information source for senior issues.  If you cannot find a copy in your Doctor’s office, contact your local Home Instead Senior Care offce and share any questions or concerns you may have with us.  Our mission is not just to be a provider of Home Care but a source of information to the communities that we serve.