We worry about our kids at night... but for many adults, there comes a point when they also have to worry about their parents. Are you one of them?Do you worry about your elderly parent being alone at night? What if he or she has fallen? How would you know?At Always Best Care Senior Services, we have a few different options that allow you to rest assured that your parent is safe.One way is with Philips Lifeline, where your loved one could push the button on the pendent if he or she was in trouble. Now, the advanced model of Lifeline will automatically detect a fall and will summon help.Another way is with 24 hour care. In this case, one of our trained staff members would remain with your loved one at all times – day and night. A third way is with our overnight, or “sleep,” shift. With this, our caregiver would go to your loved one’s home for 12 hours – during sleeping hours – as extra protection. In addition to helping seniors who have trouble at night, it is also a great thing for seniors who may be afraid to be alone at night.Ready to get a good night’s sleep and know that your loved one is too?Give us a call at 860-533-9343 to learn about these options and our other in-home care, assisted living referral services, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and veterans assistance options.
It's a timely conversation to have around Memorial Day.Your parents aren't rich... but they're "technically" not poor. So how can they afford home care?People have more options when they have money – or no money – but people in the middle can’t necessarily sell their house or other possessions to get the funds they need.For some... there's a program that can help.Our Veterans Aid & Attendance Benefit can help you to afford home care.The program allows you to keep your home and maintain money in liquid assets without spending down – which means depleting almost all income and assets to meet usual eligibility requirements for Medicaid.At Always Best Senior Care Services, we not only provide outstanding care for Veterans, but we also help them obtain the funds to pay for the care they need.We have established relationships with law firms, paralegals, and others who can help guide veterans through the maze of obtaining VA benefits. On a national basis, Always Best Care Senior Services has also established a partnership with the Center for Elder Veterans Rights, a Tennessee-based law firm, to assist Veterans throughout the country.A unique benefit of the Always Best Care Senior Services Veterans Assistance Program is a 100 percent guarantee offered to Always Best Care Senior Services and its veteran clients by the CFEVR.If a Veteran is denied VA benefits after the Center has completed a pre-filing consultation review and provided an opinion of apparent eligibility, CFEVR will reimburse the Veteran for the cost of care paid to Always Best Care Senior Services (up to the amount that would have been paid by VA benefits), and they will also reimburse either Always Best Care Senior Services or the Veteran for any costs of legal fees incurred for the pre-filing consultation.The guarantee is valid provided the information presented by clients to CFEVR is not incomplete, false, or misleading.As part of our program, we want to help Veterans and their families understand what VA programs are available and if they are legally qualified before making a decision to purchase care.Does this sound like something that could help your loved one?Give us a call at 860-533-9343 to learn about this program, our in-home care, assisted living referral services, or Alzheimer’s and dementia care.
We've all heard the saying. Most of us have used it.Getting old is tough.Here's the thing. As our bodies start to age, we run into more and more medical issues.Some are more difficult to diagnose than others.Take, for example, a urinary tract infection (or UTI).Typical symptoms of a urinary tract infection include urine that appears cloudy, bloody strong or foul-smelling, as well as a frequent or urgent need to urinate. Other symptoms include pain or burning with urination, pressure in the lower pelvis, a low-grade fever, or night sweats, shaking, or chills.However, urinary tract infections in the elderly are often mistaken as the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s because symptoms include confusion or a delirium-like state, agitation, hallucinations, poor motor skills or dizziness, other behavioral changes, or falling.Sometimes, these are the only symptoms of a urinary tract infection that show up in the elderly. They may not have pain, a fever, or any of the other typical symptoms of a urinary tract infection.A urinary tract infection happens when bacteria in the bladder or kidney multiplies in the urine. Left untreated, a urinary tract infection can become something more serious than merely a set of uncomfortable symptoms. Young people tend to empty the bladder completely, which helps to keep bacteria from accumulating within the bladder. However, elderly men and women experience a weakening of the muscles of the bladder, which leads to more urine being retained in the bladder, poor bladder emptying and incontinence, which can lead to urinary tract infections.Our team at Always Best Care Senior Services of Central Connecticut has seen countless cases of UTI's that masked themselves as dementia. Not only is it painful for the person suffering from it, but the UTI can have a huge impact on the ability of the senior to accomplish regular tasks.Interested in learning more about the challenges facing seniors - or the challenges families face in caring for aging relatives? Reach out to Always Best Care Senior Services of Central Connecticut today and let us help guide you.
May is finally here, which means it’s time for weddings, showers, and graduations. You want your elderly loved one to be part of the special day, but how can you do that?
With our April Shower’s Program, we at Always Best Care Senior Services can help you create the memories that are so important to you by having your loved one attend that special event.
Our April Shower’s program offers families the peace of mind of having their loved one picked up from home – whether it be a nursing home or their own personal home – and brought to the special event. During the event, our aide will accompany your loved one and tend to all of his or her needs – whether it be assisting with personal care, eating, or toileting needs.
We will then bring your loved one back to where he or she lives and get him or her all settled back in again. From start to finish, this service normally lasts around five hours.
With our April Shower’s program, you and your family will be able to do everything that you need to do, and you can have the peace of mind in knowing your elderly loved one’s needs are being tended to. This will ensure that they are not only part of your special day, but will also create wonderful memories for them – and everyone else too.
Have questions about our April Shower’s Program, in-home care, assisted living referral services, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and veterans assistance? Give us a call at 860-533-9343 or stop by and see us.
Your mom or dad’s health has been declining and you know something needs to be done. But what? And where do you start?
The best place to start is with a family meeting. However, a meeting to discuss how to best handle everything has the potential to build bridges or create divisions among family members.
SOAR is a method that helps family members discuss the issues and offers items to facilitate decisions. This valuable and easy tool provides structure for conducting the family meeting.
SOAR is an acronym for Synchronize, Organize, Analyze, and Recognize.
S = Synchronize
The first step in holding an effective meeting is to get all family members involved, meaning that everyone must be present. Having a clear purpose, a convenient time and location, and an attitude of teamwork motivates people to attend.
Whether or not the loved one participates depends on his or her current medical condition. The loved one has the right to make his or her own medical decisions unless incompetency or dementia interferes.
Ideas for topics include: personal care, finance/bills, transportation, cleaning, groceries/food, legal issues, doctors’ appointments, community resources, safety, emotional support and housing. Discussing everyone’s expectation creates an atmosphere of honesty and a wiliness to listen to each other.
Written communication is vital, so notes should be taken and sent to everyone.
O = Organize
Categorizing is the next step. Who is doing what? What needs to be explored? What deadlines need to be established?
Other good organizational questions to discuss are: What are our options? What do we need to know? What if (fill in the blank) happens? What can each of us contribute? Who else needs to be involved? How will daily schedules, holidays, and emergencies be handled? Talking in advance about difficult situations will lessen future problems and clarify communications.
Emotions may be fragile as sensitive issues are discussed. Remember, organizing provides structure, not ownership. All decisions should be flexible and considerate of all involved.
Designate a note taker to record how tasks are divided. If one person is taking on too many assignments, this will be clear in the written summary. Sometimes it is helpful to have one person in charge as the coordinator, but openness is necessary about this issue.
Talking ahead of time will reduce problems later.
A = Analyze
Coming to consensus on decisions is not always easy. Gaining factual knowledge and recognizing that things will not always run perfectly is a good start. Agree ahead of time that everyone will try to work together and acknowledge that adjustments will have to be made. Analyze and reassess the planning as the situation progresses.
Assess how the skills of family members are being used. Evaluate if all family members have been included. Sometimes in-laws or “significant others” are uncomfortable in participating, not understanding how much they should speak up. They may have wonderful skills to offer.
R = Recognize
Recognize the emotional factors that underlie all family meetings. These meetings can be a powder keg, waiting to explode. Remember, family members will be at different places emotionally.Respect the other person’s right to express feelings, even to say no. If the tension becomes too great, bring in a third party, such as the social worker or a minister, to facilitate the discussion.
Many difficult relationships arise out of misunderstanding and miscommunications. Using effective communication techniques diffuses the potential powder keg of disagreements. The use of “I statements” and empathetic listening are two communication skills that strengthen relationships. “I statements” focus on how the speaker is feeling and does not judge the other person.
Listening with empathy to each person expresses the desire to understand how the other person is feeling. Many times, if a person feels that he or she is heard and someone recognizes their feelings, they are willing to cooperate and help with the problem affecting his or her personal feelings.
The grieving process, with all its emotional stages, is already happening. Give people time to digest what is happening and realize that everyone is dealing with deep emotional turmoil and changing roles. Listening and forgiveness decreases the emotional impact for family members.
Family meetings are an effective means of discussing difficult topics. Instead of a family falling apart due to the tension, misunderstanding, and miscommunication, a family can SOAR. SOARing creates the atmosphere for openness to discuss the full range of topics to best plan for the care of a loved one.
Want to know more about our in-home care, assisted living referral services, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and veterans assistance? Give us a call at 860-533-9343 or stop by and see us.
