Keeping Her Home – A Powerful Alternative to Assisted Living for Mom
There comes a time in most of our lives when we have to face a sobering question:
What do we do with Mom?
Assisted Living for Mom no longer has to be in a facility. Now your Mother can have all the comforts of assisted living in the comfort of her own home.
It is not a question that indicates loss of love. It can mean we no longer live close to her and she needs help with daily living. It may mean she has some sort of dementia. It may mean we live close to her, but in the midst of living our lives, it is difficult to find the time to spend with her that she needs.
Do these mean it is time to put her into a home?
That may be a great choice.
But is that the choice she would have wanted?
The fact is, probably not. Somewhere between 90% and 95% of seniors want to stay in their own home. And is it any wonder? She has spent the past several decades making her house a home. Her home is where she raised her children, spoiled her grandchildren, entertained her friends, babysat the neighbors, found ways to beautify its walls, spent countless hours cleaning it, filled its air with smells of Thanksgiving, placed presents under the Christmas tree, hid eggs at Easter time, found ways to pinch pennies to pay it off.
Not very many of us say, “When I grow up I want to have my own house so that when I am old enough my children will put me in a community home.”
Assisted Living Facilities are not a bad choice, do not get me wrong. It just is probably not where Mom wants to be.
So what is the alternative?
How about Assisted Living in her own home? A place where she can be taken care of, enjoy companionship, have her meals taken care of, where she can have help with personal hygiene, a place where she can be watched over to make sure she is safe. But also a place where her family can visit her and be filled with memories. A place where she can feel a sense of community, and the community feels she is part of it because of the time she spent in it. A place where she can go on excursions to her
She worked hard to make the house a home. Let her stay in it – while keeping her safe and taken care of. Contact us today.
favorite local spots and events.
A place where she can be surrounded by familiarity in a time that is often so unfamiliar to most of us.
That is what 1 Assist Care of the Valley in Rexburg offers. The ability to age gracefully in the comfort of home. Where a member of our care team is able to take care of your mother in a place that she worked for decades to create. The ability to allow you and your siblings to honor your mother’s desire to stay home, coupled with your desire to make sure she is taken care of and safe, knowing that she is not alone or isolated.
The choice no longer has to be – Which assisted living facility do we put her in? Now the choice can be to keep her in her home with all of the amenities and help of an assisted living facility.
Want to find out more on how to keep Mom home? 1 Assist Care of the Valley will work with you to create a plan that works best for you and all loved ones involved. We service individuals and families from Idaho Falls to Rexburg to Ashton to Driggs.
To find out more or to create a plan for your mother’s care, just fill out the contact form below and we will be in touch. You can also call us at 208-557-4215.
[contact-form to=’andrew.s.rail@gmail.com’ subject=’Keeping Mom Home Response’][contact-field label=’Your First and Last Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Your Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Your Phone Number’ type=’text’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]Social Isolation and Self Neglect: The Unknown Dangers That May Be Killing The Elderly – And Seven Ways To Prevent Them
When people consider what is killing the elderly, they may consider the dangers of falling. That makes sense. The CDC reports that one out of every three seniors fall every year – but less than half of them talk to their healthcare providers about it. It also makes sense because falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries. It also makes sense since almost 22,000 people were killed by accidental falls in 2010.
But that is not what this article is about.
We can talk about falls. It is easy to talk about. We laugh about the tagline from the commercial that was drilled into our psyche about falling and not being able to get up.
But again, that is not what this article is about. This article is about what no one likes to talk about. And no one laughs about. And most people fear at any stage in their life.
This article is about Social Isolation.
Seniors experiencing social isolation may reduce their life expectancy by up to 26%. Read below to find out seven ways to change this.
Last year, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that seniors who were socially isolated had a 26% higher death risk during a seven year period than those who were the most social.
That is scary. But want to know something even scarier?
That risk does not change even if the senior does not consider themselves lonely.
Yikes.
According to the U.S. Census, 11.3 million seniors live alone. That represents almost a third of seniors. If you are a senior woman, by the time you are 80, that percentage grows to almost half.
Social isolation often leads to self neglect. This neglect does not always occur on purpose. Try living alone for a week and see how your life changes. Not because you want to, but simply because it does.
The U.S. Administration on Aging suggests the following signs of self neglect:
- Dehydration, malnutrition, untreated or improperly attended medical conditions, and poor personal hygiene;
- Hazardous or unsafe living conditions/arrangements (e.g., improper wiring, no indoor plumbing, no heat, no running water);
- Unsanitary or unclean living quarters (e.g., animal/insect infestation, no functioning toilet, fecal/urine smell);
- Inappropriate and/or inadequate clothing, lack of the necessary medical aids (e.g., eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures)
The good news is that there is hope. There are ways to increase the social interaction of your loved one, and it does not have to mean you are carrying the entire load and being the sole source of interaction.
Here are some suggestions:
- Drop by your loved one’s unexpectedly. See if you see any signs as listed above. If so, make a plan for changes.
- Reach out to your parent’s old friends in the neighborhood. Is there a way that they can get together even once a week? Once a month?
- Introduce your parent to social media. It should not replace physical social interactions, but the number of seniors joining Facebook in 2013 almost doubled when compared to how many were on Facebook in 2012.
- Hire a caregiver. Caregivers are there to provide help around the house as well as one-on-one social interaction. While not medical help, they can also help identify when medical needs are not being met. (1 Assist Care of the Valley can arrange a stellar one for your loved one – and they are usually less expensive than an assisted living facility).
- Help find community activities. Are their local activities geared for seniors? Are their friends performing, speaking, etc?
- Find a way for them to volunteer.
- Request help from their local church. Can someone drop by once or twice a week? Maybe once a month is not enough.
To find help for either yourself or for your loved one in East Idaho, give us a call at 208-557-4215 or click on Contact Us in the menu at the top of the screen.
We will work with you to create a plan to help end the social isolation that either you or your loved one is experiencing.
This blog is not intended to be nor should be used for medical advice. For such advice, seek out a medical professional.
How Veterans and Their Spouses Can Receive Access to Free Assisted Living Care at Home
- Are you a veteran?
- Are you the spouse or widow of a veteran?
- Do you have a parent/grandparent who is a veteran, or a spouse/widow of a veteran?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, read on. We have some great news for you…..
(Not from Idaho? Not a problem, read on to learn how to apply for the benefits)
Not sure if you had heard, but veterans have a pretty sweet deal.
They should. They sure gave a lot so we could enjoy so much.
One of the benefits that veterans and their spouses may qualify for is called the Aid and Attendance Pension. In certain cases, that number can amount to over $20,000 annually added to their pension for use with personal care.
There are specific requirements to qualify and you will need to apply. But here is another sweet part of the deal. 1 Assist Care of the Valley in Rexburg will help you with the application process
Here is how it works.
Consider these three questions:
- Are you a veteran?
- Are you the spouse or widow of a veteran?
- Do you have a parent/grandparent who is a veteran, or a spouse/widow of a veteran?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then – Step one, done!
Step two is to fill out your contact information below and Valley Help at Home will help you begin the process to:
- Understand if you qualify for the benefit
- Work with you on the benefit application
So if you are from Idaho, go ahead and give us a call at 208-521-0397 or fill out your contact information below to see how much you or your loved one qualifies for.
(Not from Idaho? Click here and we will put you in touch with an agency that will help you)
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Five Signs of Malnutrition That Your Elderly Parent May Need In Home Care
When visiting your parents, make sure to keep an eye out for these five signs of malnutrition.
Have you visited your parents recently? Are you wondering if you should worry about them and their eating habits?
As their children, this is a good thing. And there are some signs that you can look for concerning their nutrition and eating habits that may indicate your parent needs some help. Dianna Malkowski, a Mayo trained nutritionist, gave the following five signs in a recent blog post.
- Is their clothing loose or are they showing other signs of weight loss
- In their mouths are they experiencing health issues? Do you see things like swollen or bleeding gums or tooth decay
- Are there signs of anemia such as excessive bruising?
- Do they have wounds that are taking longer than normal to heal?
- Are they experiencing muscle weakness? What about fatigue? Or dizziness?
If you are seeing any of these, it may be time to look into different options of elderly care help.
Consider what eating was like in your family growing up? Or when you had mealtimes with your own children. Meals were generally a social event, time to be together and visit.
Do your eating habits change when you are alone? The answer to that is often yes.
Now multiply that cycle of eating alone over days, weeks, months, and years. That is going to have an impact of your health.
What are ways that you make eating more social for your loved one? Leave your comment below.
A couple of ways to make meals more social is to make sure your parent is eating at a senior center or by using a caregiver. If you utilize a caregiver from Valley Help at Home, not only will they have the chance to eat with someone else, but they will have the entire social dining experience, from the meal being prepared for them with the caregiver there to the clean up afterward.
Want to increase the social aspect of your parent’s eating experience? Contact us today! Call us at 208-557-4215, or click to visit our Contact Us page and we will reach out to you.
For more on Dianna Malkowski’s blog post, you can read it here.