Senior Long-Term Care

"Anyone over the age of 65 now has a 40% chance of entering a nursing home. More than 9 million people over the age of 65 will need long-term care this year. By the year 2020, it will be 12 million." Janet O'Connor

"Ideally, the sooner you begin a dialogue about long-term care with your loved one and the rest of the family, the better. By broaching the subject in advance, you can make decisions as a family before you are forced by circumstances to decide in haste." Janet O'Connor

My new book, Senior Long Term Care Choices: How To Select The Best Plan For Your Whole Family, provides all the information and guidance you need to get your loved one set up in his or her "personal best" long-term care situation. Besides up-to-the-minute and meaningful information, you'll find a comprehensive list of resources you can access immediately. What's more, these contacts let you zoom in on your local area programs, facilities and resources. Under some circumstances, solving your loved one's care problem can be a monumental task. With the tools and information in my e-book, you'll be able to manage it well and completely. For more information, visit Senior Long Term Care

 

If you or your loved one is a Veteran, the following organzations can provide you with information on health benefits available to the Vet.

American Legion

Disabled American Veterans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Toll Free Phone: 1-877-222-8387

Veterans of Foreign Wares of the United States

"For many of us it is unthinkable that we or our loved ones might no longer be able to manage our own lives. The principle of autonomy is such a basic part of our culture that we often fail to see when the body or mind can no longer meet the demands of daily living. We cherish independence, and are therefore often blind to indications that help is needed. Though unconscious and unintentional, this kind of denial is pernicious, and can cost us or our loved ones irreparable damage before help is finally sought." -Janet O'Connor

FREE Evaluation Form & Recommendation

What kind of care does your loved one
need right now?

When I wrote my book, I created a helpful assessment -- a simple check list -- for you to use to see just how soon and how much care / help you or your loved one needs.

I've included with it a scoring sheet that tells you, based on your score, what type of care I recommend you look into at this time. I recommend redoing the evaluation every 3 months so you can see the progression of care needs and plan for future care better.

For a FREE copy of the assessment and scoring system (pdf file), click Assessement Forms

An emergency can happen in a split second and when it does and your loved one need help immediately, a Personal Response System, the Guardian Alert 911 can come to their rescue. It is the only 2-way Emergency Pendant that connects directly to 911.

How It Works:
Your loved one wears the water-resistant pendant around the neck, clipped to a belt or carried in a pocket. When an emergency happens, (1) they simply press the button on the pendant, which in turn (2) signals the Guardian Alert to dial 911.

They are allowed, no matter where they are in their home, to talk directly to the 911 operator - no waiting for an interim operator to dial 911. And since they talk directly to the 911 operator, this guarantees they'll get the correct service, (i.e. ambulance, fire or police) which can save precious seconds that can save their life.

Some Other Features:
* The system works 24-hour, seven day a week.
* Built-in speaker and built-in microphone
* Easy installation
* Phone shuts off after the 911 operator hangs up, or after 4 minutes of inactivity.
* 90-day trial period
* 100% money back guarantee -- no questions asked
* There are no monthly fees, no activation fee, no contracts
* Approximately $180

No matter what the emergency is: if they've fallen; are having a heart attack; or think they hear an intruder; the Guardian Alert 911 will get them the help they need, when they need it. And you can relax knowing they are as safe as you can make them.

For more information on the product go to First Street for Boomers & Beyond

Aging is a natural part of life. The human condition, a sage once said, is like setting sail on a ship full of leaks, knowing that eventually it will sink. Death is certain, and how a culture responds to death and to aging is extremely revealing.

Full Time Care

It is not easy to take care of the aged in the home. Sometimes care is needed 24 hours of the day. It may be a reminder to take medication, taking her to the bathroom, or helping with bathing.

Due to the enormity of the task it is sometimes necessary to place the person in a nursing home. This decision will probably be the most difficult you will ever take in your life. If you make this decision, you need to be informed on what a nursing home is before taking your loved one there.

Help With Daily Tasks

The need for a nursing home is often defined by an individual's need for 24-hour assistance. This assistance does not necessarily mean an individual needs a nurse to watch over them while they sleep, but rather that they might need help getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or a reminder to take medication in the morning.

Finding The Right Nursing Home

Nursing homes come in different sizes and with different names. The number of beds in a particular nursing home can range from approximately 25 to 500; the average number of beds per facility across America is about 102.

Nursing homes are sometimes located within a hospital or medical center. More often, they are distinct facilities separate from hospitals. Private individuals, for-profit companies, or by not-for-profit entities may own nursing homes

Make Sure You've Made a Good Choice

It is vital that you select a nursing home with a superior reputation, and one that you can be supremely confident for your loved one's care. You want your loved one to be happy and you want peace of mind. Both can be possible in the right nursing home.

Because the selection of a nursing home is so critical, I devote a large section of my book to it and also provide a nursing home checklist to assist in the selection process. For more information on my book, Senior Long Term Care Choices: How To Select The Best Plan For Your Whole Family, click Senior Long Term Care.

10 Way To Stay Young!

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge .

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

High temperatures can be life-threatening. Here are a few things you can do to keep cool and safe.

1. Wear loose lightweight, light color clothes.
2. Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated even when
you don't feel thirsty.
3. If you get warm, take a cool bath or shower.
4. Stay out of the sun.
5. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic foods and drinks.
6. Pay attention to your local weather forecast so
you can prepare yourself.

You can get a Senior Care Documents Guide, which explains and organizes the seven most important senior care documents for free. The Senior Care Documents Guide helps simplify the care of aging loved ones by explaining why and how each senior care document is used.

The free Senior Care Documents Guide includes instructions and usable sample documents for:

* Durable Power of Attorney
* Advance Directives
* Declaration of Guardian
* Medical Power of Attorney
* Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate
* Appointment of Agent
* Physician's Statement of Incapacity

To get this free guide which also includes a helpful glossary of senior care terms and a checklist to help families keep their documents, click Senior Care Documents.

Grant me the senility
to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.