Our Nurse Care Manager meets with a potential care receiver and/or his/her family members helping with their care in the place of residence. She assesses the physical and mental capabilities of the person who needs care as well as personal hygiene and home maintenance. She assesses whether the person would be helped by physical or other kinds of therapy. She reviews medications and will talk with physicians and/or pharmacists as needed.

She also assesses the home for accessibility and safety for ease of use by the senior. She observes the interaction of the family with the aged person. Are they communicating well? With the client and family’s input, the CM completes a written care plan to be placed in the home to assure the quality of care and frequency of care the client desires.
Next, an experienced, trained caregiver who has been background checked, bonded and insured by Care For Life is assigned to provide care. Care Management continues as the caregiver is monitored by the nurse, the home care quality assurance coordinator, the scheduler, and the retention manager. Clients and their family members are encouraged to contact management at any time with questions or concerns. The Nurse Care Manager will communicate with family members as often as they prefer updates.

Nutritional drinks for seniors, elderly & Alzheimer’s | Problems and Side Effects.

My mom has Alzheimer’s and does not have Long Term Care Insurance. Does Medicare pay for care at home?

Currently, Medicare does not pay for personal care at home.  Alzheimer’s is a very debilitating and frightening disease.  Family members suffer with its frustrating affects while trying to give loving care.  Our caregivers receive additional training in caring for the Alzheimer’s client.  Getting the right information on the best resources is a major part of the what we do for you.

Mom is 85 years old. She likes living in her own home, the same home she has lived in for 50 years.  You live miles away or work full time and can’t visit as often as you would like.  And,  when you do visit, you wonder how she is really doing on her own.  She loves living at home, and you want her to be able to stay there.  She has told you of her wish to live there as long as possible, but you have doubts because you see signs of decline. What should you do when you notice changes related to nutrition?
There are five things that can cause elderly people to fail.  These are nutrition, medicine, hygiene, unaddressed medical problems, and safety issues. Our caregivers help the elderly remain at home by offering solutions to these 5 problems. This month we will talk about the need for proper Nutrition.

• Nearly half of older Americans do not get enough sound nutrition or enough fluids in their daily diet.

• Reasons may include physical disabilities, isolation, poverty, mental impairment or not having good nutritional habits.

• Meal Preparation and grocery shopping might now be impossible or they have no interest in doing either activity.

• Health problems caused by poor nutrition are anemia, constipation or other intestinal issues, dehydration, weakness, lethargy or loss of mental sharpness.

• Many who live alone miss the socialization of dining with others and would just rather not eat at all.

What should you do when you notice changes related to nutrition?
Care For Life caregivers will help with grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking & socialization in the Charleston SC and surrounding areas.

Falls, fractures and hip replacements are common problems in elderly people, due to bone loss, bone fragility and osteoporosis. Did You Know?

* More than 90 percent of hip fractures are associated with osteoporosis.
* Nine out of 10 hip fractures in older Americans are the result of a fall.
* Elderly individuals who have a hip fracture are 5 to 20 percent more likely to die in the first year following that injury than others in this age group.
* For those living independently before a hip fracture, 15 to 25 percent will still be in long-term care institutions a year after their fracture.

Falls are serious at any age, and breaking a bone after a fall becomes more likely as a person ages. Many of us know someone who has fallen and broken a bone. While healing, the fracture limits the person’s activities and sometimes requires surgery.

Often, the person wears a heavy cast to support the broken bone and needs physical therapy to resume normal activities. People are often unaware of the frequent link between a broken bone and osteoporosis. It is known as a silent disease because it progresses without symptoms, osteoporosis involves the gradual loss of bone tissue or bone density and results in bones so fragile they break under the slightest strain. Consequently, falls are especially dangerous for people who are unaware that they have low bone density. If the patient and the doctor fail to connect the broken bone to osteoporosis, the chance to make a diagnosis with a bone density test and begin a prevention or treatment program is lost. Bone loss continues, and other bones may break.

Even though bones do not break after every fall, the person who has fallen and broken a bone nearly always becomes fearful of falling again. As a result, she or he may limit activities for the sake of “safety.” Among Americans age 65 and older, fall-related injuries are the leading cause of accidental death.

•Start the conversation about options for parents’ with them and siblings long before a move is necessitated by medical condition or cognitive impairment. Decide:
•Will parent be able to live on her own with assistance by family or paid caregiver?
•What adaptations are recommended in the parent’s home in order for them to remain there? Or,
•Can the parent live with an adult child? Personalities are huge consideration.
•Is a residential community the best option?

Geriatrician: A doctor who has additional training in the care of aged adults.

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