KNOWING WHEN YOUR LOVED ONE IS NO LONGER SAFE AT HOME

It wasn’t too long ago I finally took time out of my busy schedule to take a trip to my mom’s house. Phone calls seemed to confuse her. I was shocked at the condition of her home. A normally spotless house was now messy and smelled. It was painful to see that she had lost her ability to care for herself. What brought on this seemingly gradual decline? Was it, she was just unable to see the progression by becoming immune to it? Did we not pay close enough attention as a family? It was clear she was no longer able to remain independently at home. For her safety alone, it was time to reach out to a professional care agency. The next time you visit your loved one, if any, or some, of the following signs are exhibited it may be time to bring in help:

• Spoiled food in the fridge, poor diet causing weight loss
• Inability to make appointments or forgetting to go to them
• Trouble with ambulation; evidence of bruising, indicating possible falls
• Unpleasant strong smells in the house
• Decline in personal cleanliness
• Unopened mail, unpaid bills, clutter
• Medication confusion causing health risks
• Mood swings, lack of interest, not reaching out to friends.

Reaching out to a home care agencies such as ELDERCARING may give you the best custodial or companion care you can find that will meet with your loved one’s temperament or personality. To start, there typically is a no obligation or free assessment. Some of the in home care services include daily assistance with bathing and grooming, medication compliance, post-surgical care, transportation, meal preparation, companionship and family care giver respite. ELDERCARING is a Referral Agency and requesting an employee referral through this type of service is similar to hiring an individual privately on your own. Managing your own employee offers more independence but at the same time additional responsibility without the advantage of employee background screening and licensure verification that many referral agencies or registries undertake. It does all the necessary work to ensure that you, the client, gets the right in-home caregiver on a timely basis. They are always available to refer a new caregiver at any time and can be reached 7 days a week.

• Services that many referral, registry or staffing agencies include are:
• Doing an extensive criminal background screening and fingerprinting
• Verify employment, work experience and credentials
• Verify that the caregivers are CPR and First Aid Certified
• Have available all levels of in home care such as: wound, catheter, surgical recovery, etc.

ELDERCARING has caregivers specially trained in Hospice, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s, Diabetes, M.S., Stroke Recovery and Arthritis. All caregivers are available on an hourly or shift basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays and long-term care insurance is accepted. Mom was very resistant to having a stranger in her home. Then of course the question of cost and what will the caregiver do when she is here. It was evident this would not be an easy transition. We started with a few hours a day 3 days a week until she got used to the idea and bonded with her caregiver. I am happy to say the match was perfect and my mom looks forward to spending time with her newfound friend/caregiver. After a thorough assessment and relaying that information to the agency, my mom was introduced to a couple of caregivers. This was very helpful to mother because she was extremely independent and felt this was an imposition on her privacy. The caregiver she chose was extremely respectful and gave her lots of space. They work together well allowing her to do what she can to maintain a feeling of control. I recommend you reach out to a professional care agency for help before it’s too late and it becomes an emergency.

For the past 3.5 years, supporting the Parkinson’s community, Elder Caring of Coachella Valley LLC can be found in the PRO website WELLNESS VILLAGE.