Elder Home Care Agency in AZ Embraces Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

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Our caregivers can handle many of those tasks that are difficult for those undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer.

Do you or someone you know suffer from colorectal cancer? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s figures, the disease negatively impacts the lives of more than 130,000 people each year. Subsequently, the United States government has once again set aside March 2015 as the month to remind people of the deadly disease and its consequences. As such, all of the people associated with our eldercare home care are embracing the initiative too.

Arizona residents diagnosed with colorectal cancer don’t have to go it alone. Our elder home care agency can provide comforting, important services to them while they undergo potentially lifesaving treatments, like radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. For example, all three treatments are known to drain a person of energy and leave them unable to complete basic tasks. Our caregivers can handle many of those tasks, like running errands, picking up the mail, washing the bed linens and preparing a bowl of soup.

We can also stay on after the treatments are over and provide additional, supportive care that colorectal cancer patients and their families may need. For instance, the person may want someone to walk with them as they build their strength back up. They may also crave someone to talk to, drive them to follow-up appointments, pick up colostomy supplies or just hold their hand at particularly rough times of the day.

To learn more about the wide variety of home care options available to elderly people diagnosed with colorectal cancer, please contact us at Endeavor Home Care today. All of our home caregivers are rigorously screened, trained, bonded and insured to meet Arizona’s regulatory standards. Plus, with our team, customized care plans are the norm, not the exception. So, Arizona’s families can rest easy that their loved ones will receive high-quality, individualized care year round.

Your Homecare Agency and You: Super Heroes

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The homecare agency depends upon your help and proper hearing and vision tests to keep your loved one happy and well.

You check in on your elderly loved on regularly, and you have arranged for  live-in care through a homecare agency. He loves the aide who fixes his meals, reads with him and takes him on outings and to appointments. You are confident he is taking his medications correctly and is well cared-for. Lately, though, you have noticed he seems confused when you take him out to eat or to other family get-togethers and you wonder if perhaps he needs a higher level of care. One question may give you the answer. Has your loved one had a vision and hearing evaluation recently? The homecare agency depends upon your help to keep your loved one happy and well. Together you are the superheroes that do what your loved one cannot do for himself.

Nearly half of all people 75 years old and over have some degree of Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss. It is a gradual, progressive condition that affects both ears equally. The hearing loss may be more acute in crowds, and your loved one cannot communicate if he doesn’t hear the conversations. Hearing aids can greatly increase the hearing of most individuals, though they may have to be adjusted as the loss increases.  Vision, too, may change as we age. People over 65 are three times more likely than younger people to have impaired vision. Glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts are the greatest causes of vision loss in the elderly, and yet we sometimes forget to have our elderly loved ones examined regularly to make sure they are seeing and hearing well. The homecare agency depends upon your help to keep your loved one happy and well. If you believe your loved one cannot afford to get hearing aids or glasses, you can go to the website healthfinder.gov to find assistance programs.

Because we depend upon all our senses to keep us in touch with our environment, even minimal loss of vision and sight can disorient us. Hearing loss can affect balance and coordination, making  loved ones fearful of going outside. Studies show that losing those senses can also lead to cognitive difficulties, depression and anxiety.

So, the confusion your elderly loved one exhibits at family gatherings may be the result of poor hearing or sight. He may not be able to tell you what he is experiencing, and that is why regular examinations are important to your loved one’s quality of life. You have taken the step of getting live-in care to assure he is well cared for and has companionship; regular vision and hearing tests will assure you that he has the highest quality of life you can provide.

For more information on how you can help keep your loved one happy and healthy, contact us.

Finding the Best In-home Care For Your Loved One: Questions to Ask Potential Candidates

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Make sure to ask the right questions when choosing a home care provider.

Choosing an in-home care provider for your loved one is one of the most important things you’ll ever do. You want to make sure you’re picking the right person for the job– someone you feel confident will provide your loved one with top-notch care. With this in mind, you’ll want to be thoroughly prepared before interviewing any potential caregiver candidates. Below we will list some questions you should consider asking when interviewing an in home care provider:

Why are you interested in this caregiving position? Open-ended questions like this one allow the candidate to give more information than a simple yes or no question. Of course, you’re hoping to hear that the candidate enjoys working with the elderly, or likes being in a nurturing role.

Do you have any caregiving experience? Ideally, the candidate will have previous in-home caregiving experience working with the elderly. However, you might also want to consider candidates who have other types of caregiving experience, such as nurses or nannies. You’ll want the candidate to demonstrate that he or she has previous experience in a nurturing role, if not a direct caregiving role.

Are you comfortable handling my loved one’s mental/emotional state? Of course, this isn’t relevant in every situation, but it’s important to ask up front if your loved one is suffering from dementia, depression, anxiety, or even just moodiness. Being up front about your loved one’s state of mind will help ensure that the caregiver you hire is comfortable handling tough situations.

I’ll be running background checks on all strong candidates. Is there anything I should know before running the check? You want candidates to know in advance that you’ll be running a background check. Invite them to disclose and explain any charges on their record prior to running the check.

What types of training or certifications do you have? It’s important to know if candidates have any caregivingcertifications. Consider asking specifically about CPR and first aid training.

Do you have any other jobs or responsibilities that might interfere with the designated working hours? You want to ensure that the candidate you hire is reliable and will always be there during working hours. Additionally, you might consider asking if the candidate is available to stay later occasionally, if you’re delayed in getting home.

Do you have a driver’s license and clean driving record? Chances are, an in home caregiver will need to drive your loved one to appointments from time to time. You want to be sure that the person you hire is a safe driver.

For additional information about interviewing an in home care provider, please contact us.

Home Health Care Services: Elder Depression, How To Help

Home health care services may not be thought necessary if an elderly loved one simply seems uninterested in going out, or is listless. However, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression in retirees is “a major public health problem.” And, depression is a biological and medical–as well as a psychological–illness.

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Offering daily assistance to a depressed loved one can be incredibly helpful.

The WebMD describes depression’s commonness, and its symptoms:”Late-life depression affects about 6 million Americans age 65 and older.” Seniors may complain of general aches and pains, and that they don’t sleep well, instead of the sadness and irritability typically attributed to depression.

Who is most at risk for depression? The WebMD lists seniors who are “female, single, lack a supportive social network,” and who have suffered “stressful life events.”–like the deaths of family and friends, or one’s own health problems.

White men ages 80 to 84 are more than twice as likely as any other demographic to commit suicide due to depression.

Older adults who’ve had strokes, cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure, previous depression episodes, family histories of depression–and who are taking certain medications–are also more vulnerable to depression.

What can we do for older family members who’ve been diagnosed as “clinically depressed?” Try to help them past the stigma that seniors typically connect to mental health treatment. “Many doctors recommend the use of psychotherapy in combination with antidepressants,” explains the WebMD.  In addition, “most depressed people find that support from family and friends is helpful.”

Psychotherapy often nudges seniors to “mentally reframe” their current circumstances.  For example, the counselor may suggest, “Moving to a condo is not the most difficult change you’ve encountered. Think of the strength you mustered when you moved overseas for your husband’s job.”

If family members can’t offer daily assistance to older adults who need extra time and attention–or who want to get out of the house and shop, attend community functions or visit peers–please call contact us.  We can help mothers and fathers follow their medication and therapy schedules, and escort them to activities that will improve moods and brighten spirits!