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The Fees and Accessibility of Elder Care Services in Naperville, IL

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The number 1 purpose of nearly all families is to aid their family members stay in their own home in a comfortable and well-known surrounding for as long as possible. No one’s favorite option is to go to a facility or an institution in spite of how beautiful the building or the decorations. For a senior to stay in their own home securely they may need just a couple of hours of help or they may possibly need around the clock care. An evaluation by a home care professional is needed to ascertain what is best.
UNDERSTANDING THE COST OF ELDER CARE  SERVICES:

According to the MetLife Mature Market Annual Survey on the Cost of Care in the United States, the findings look like this:
• The national average daily rate for a private room in a nursing home rose 4.4% from $229 in 2010 to $239 in 2011.
• The national average monthly base rate in an assisted living community rose 5.6% from $3,293 in 2010 to $3,477 in 2011.
• The national average daily rate for adult day services rose 4.5% from $67 in 2010 to $70 in 2011.
• The national average hourly rates for home health aides ($21) and homemakers ($19) were unchanged from 2010.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST YOUR FAMILY?

The greatest way to know specifically how much home care services will expense is to speak with one of our professionals. Collectively you can come up with a plan of care and a number of hours that are not only cost-effective, but keep your aging loved one safe and in their own home.

Ask about options like The VA AID and ATTENDANCE PENSION BENEFIT, Reverse Mortgages, Life Settlements, and Long-Term Care Insurance. Chances are that one of those programs may be able to help with the cost.

HOW SOON CAN HOME CARE SERVICES START?

As soon as today in most cases. The start date is up to you, but our team is dedicated to getting a caregiver in your home as soon as you need them.

Contact us today: (888) 703-5287 

Elder care in Naperville, IL counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Naperville.

Is a Family Member or Friend Delivering In-Home Care in Darien, IL to Your Aging Loved One?

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Perfect Presents for Caregivers on Valentine’s Day!

If you have a friend or family member delivering In-home care for a loved one, you should really look at getting her a very special present for Valentine’s Day. In-home caregivers assist clients to benefit from joyful, wholesome lives in the ease and comfort of their own home. While they present amazing solution to your loved ones, the holidays are the great point in time to point to how extraordinary they are by showering them with an assortment of gifts to demonstrate how much they are cared for.

Massage
Get a gift certificate for a massage for your caregiver. Half hour and One hour massages are offered to ease tension, emotional stress and problems. Search for local massage salons in your region and find a highly regarded place to direct the caregiver. A good intensive, hands-on massage could possibly support them to make it part of their per month program.

Gift Basket
You can buy pre-packaged gift baskets at several retail shops, on the web and florists. If you already know the caregiver, you can create the basket yourself by including some of her most liked things. For example, if you know she loves to garden, load the basket with small garden tools, packages of flower seeds and a flowerpot. If the caregiver is a guy, fill the basket with sports-themed things and a gift certificate for a round of golf.

Gift Certificates
Give the caregiver a Valentine’s Day card along with a gift certificate to eat or to the movies. Make an effort to find out some of the caregiver’s best-loved places to eat and get a certificate to that precise place. Obtain movies tickets online so they will not expire and the caregiver can use them at anytime.

Spa Treatments
Female caregivers will have fun with a spa day or spa treatments. Deliver her a gift certificate to a neighborhood spa. Various spas supply half day and full day features. Another idea is to get a gift certificate to a local nail salon for a manicure and pedicure. This lets the caregiver to spend time on herself and relax.

Tea or Coffee
If the caregiver enjoys tea or coffee, make a special gift to give them on Valentine’s Day. Fill sizeable coffee mugs with an array of coffee and a gift card to a nearby coffee shop. For a tea lover, fill big glasses with different bags and boxes of tea.

Overview
In-home care takes a special person with a lot of serenity. Show your caregiver how much you care about the things they do for you or your loved one by giving them a special gift on Valentine’s Day.

In-Home care in Darien IL counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Darien.

How to Understand the differences Between Home Care and Home Health Care in Aurora, IL

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Recognizing the distinction between home care and home health care can be complicated initially. When an elderly family member initially begins to really need services, it can be a rush to work out which assistance is essential and when. If the senior requires an injected medication or nursing care while recuperating from an operation, then home healthcare is needed. If the elderly family member requires assistance in bathing, cooking or housekeeping, then home care can provide the support.

Home care and home healthcare are different in two ways.

Home care offers non-medical services and is not paid for by Medicare, although some home care companies and agencies may be licensed by the states. Home care services are private pay services, meaning the patient or the patient’s family will pay directly for home care. Occasionally long-term care insurance may pay for home care as well. Home health care, however, is medical care that is covered by health insurance or Medicare. To receive home health care, a senior or a patient must be homebound and in need of assistance of medical care as determined by a doctor. Medicare may in addition cover non-medical services performed by a home health aide, but these services are only covered when additional medical care at home is important. Ordinarily these non-medical services take place at the same time as medical care visits.

Home care offers non-medical services to seniors and patients recovering from operations. Help in bathing and dressing are typical home care services. Other duties home care workers present include light housekeeping, meal preparation, running errands and transportation. Help in walking or exercise and other light assistance to make life easier are provided by home care professionals. As the population gets older, home care agencies proliferated to meet the large needs of the elderly who need to continue to be in their homes, but who might require assistance to do so.

Home healthcare is doctor-prescribed, and is provided by skilled medical personnel such as nurses who can provide medication. Physical and occupational therapists can be engaged in the health care treatment. Home health aides may be appointed to assist with activities of daily living. These services shall be covered by Medicare as long as other medical care is also mandatory.

Home care workers can deliver medication ticklers, but cannot administer the medication. Home care workers also assist with daily living activities such as making meals, light housekeeping, assisting with bathing, running errands and providing transportation to appointments. Home care services are privately paid by the patient, senior or their family. Long-term care insurance may also cover home care services.

Home care in Aurora, IL counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Aurora.

5 pointers When investigating Choices for Home Care Agencies in Darien, IL

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We are fortunate to live in a time frame where care at home is conceivable for our loved ones as they age. Once specific to nursing homes, care at home was often regarded as a final option when family members could no longer tackle the needs of their loved ones on their own. Home care makes taking care of our loved ones convenient and relaxing. The advantage of professional, skilled nursing assistants who pay a visit to seniors in their, or their family’s, home, provides that the finest care is given in cases where health or physical issues limit one’s ability to care for themselves.

In-home care agencies have popped up all over the country. The course of action of hiring an agency starts out with proper exploration and taking the time to evaluate each agency in order to assess their level of excellence, and their nursing staff’s experience, in relation to each family’s individual needs. It’s vital that each family take the time to make sure the home care agency they hire are up to date in licensing requirements, and that their nursing staff are clear of criminal backgrounds. This is specifically true if elder care will be supplied when family members are not around to manage when skilled nursing staff comes to visit. A high sense of trust needs to be identified between both parties in order to ensure a long-term, favorable, relationship.

The following 5 ideas are offered to those who are opening their research into finding care at home for their elderly family members.

1. Referral Sources
Ask friends, family and co-workers for testimonials to local companies they are familiar with. Inquire about their personal experiences, good and bad. Contact the elder’s long term care insurance company and ask for referrals (if in-home care is covered by their plan.) You can even contact your family health care provider and ask for local references. Your last choice is to try the world wide web, but if you choose this route, make sure to spend extra time looking into each company more thoroughly, as you won’t have personalized experience to judge these companies by.

2. Background Checks
Once you’ve focused a short list of companies you wish to examine further, make sure to ask what types of screening processes they put their nursing staff through prior to hiring them. Criminal background checks, credit checks, and checking individual references should be typical in all companies.

3. Staff Skills & Experience
Question as to what the minimum credentials each company demands when hiring their care providers. Do they only hire college educated nurses? Are their care providers certified nursing assistants? Or, do they simply demand that their staff have a track record in helping care for the elderly? The more innovative their requirements, the better care will likely be offered.

4. Company Reputation
Check with your local Better Business Bureau to analyzeeach company’s general rating. Do they have multiple complaints listed? Are there any remarkable problems? You can also try a general search online by typing in the company’s name and the word “complaint” into any search engine to observe what comes up from the general public’s perception.

5. Licensing
Be certain any company you deal with has the proper city, county and state licensing latest and in good standing. Do away with the worry of hiring any company that is not legit in practice.

Finally, don’t be shy about asking many in depth questions. All trustworthy companies pride themselves in customer satisfaction and should be happy to openly, and willingly, offer up any and all information to prospective clients. Due diligence on your part will ensure a long-term, advantageous experience for yourself and your family members.   

When researching options for home care agencies in Darien IL, Home care counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Darien.

How Relatives Pay for Home care Services in Darien, IL

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Are you or an aging loved one at the place in your life where you are starting out to investigate the possible selection for elder care or some type of home care services? Are you checking out your choices of how these sorts of home care services will be purchased? Whether you are searching for home care right now or in the future, understanding what all your opportunities are will help you or an aging loved one be more confident knowing how these home care services will be handled.

Home care services may include daily assistance with feeding, dressing and undressing, bathing, light housekeeping and medication reminders.

Social Security and Medicare- Social Security is a golden age fund and disability pension for disabled workers. The quantity each person will receive is dependent upon the amount of money paid into the fund during his or her working years. If a husband/wife dies, the surviving husband/wife is entitled to widows or widowers pension. For nearly all of Americans, Social Security benefits will be their critical source of salary when they retire.

Medicare- Medicare is accessible to the majority of people age 65 and older. Medicare covers home care services that fall into the category of “home healthcare” or “skilled care”. This means that the service must be provided by a professional, must be ordered by a physician and the care recipient must be homebound in order to receive it. Medicare does not cover companion home care services. It will not cover private duty home care services.

Private Income- For many folks, money from different sources such as income off an existing small business may have a secure margin in their bank account by which to finance home care services they may need now or eventually. Any CDs connected to these accounts are also an added gain.

Retirement funds such as a 401(k), IRA, Keogh or other such groups are options to consider also when deciding how much and which level of care is needed for the senior loved one.

Pension plans made available to employees of some companies have provided reasonable cash flow for the retirees to live on and complement other cash flow they may have.  

Stocks And Stock Mutual Funds- Some retirees are living off stocks or funds from the stock market. It is true that with the instability in the stock market of recent years, this is changing the way some individuals are looking at retirement income. There are still about 14 percent of retirees that have an income from this source.

Because of tax advantages for withholding stocks outside of retirement accounts and the income tax they must pay on withdrawals from the traditional 401(k)’s and IRA accounts, it is a good idea for seniors to have a good investment firm or certified financial planner helping them.

Home Equity- The equity earned on a home is another way of financing a retirement and any home care services needed in their advancing years. Sometimes the adult children are unable to provide all the care for their parents and must rely on some in-home care of their loved ones. This is just one more avenue that can be explored for possible means of financing home care for the family. There are more advertisements than ever about reverse mortgage as a way of having a retirement fund. Most financial planners will advice this as a last resort only.

Veterans Aid & Attendance Pension- This pension allows for veterans and the surviving spouses financial support that are in need of home care services this includes individuals who are in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Medicaid or Medi-Cal- Medicaid or Medi-Cal is a state funded program for individuals that require home care services (IHSS), are in a skilled nursing or intermediate care home and do not have any other income other than Social Security benefits.

With just a little analysis and financial planning, home care services for our aging loved ones need not be a concern to the adult child. Whether the time is right now or in the future, a seemingly daunting task is actually quite easy to navigate with proper planning.

Home care Services in Darien, IL counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Darien.

 

Home Care is a Great Choice in Naperville, IL

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If you are the child of aging parents, you might be encountering some problems. It can be problematic to take care of your own family, go to a work environment each day, and take care of your elderly parents. The strain can be difficult, especially when you want to do what is correct for your parents and make sure that your parents are taken care of even when you can’t be alongside them all of the time.

The good news is that there is a option that can help. You and your parents should give consideration to home care. Home care is a great choice for getting extra assistance for your aging loved ones. Home care is a type of care in which a healthcare professional or other skilled caregiver enters into your parents’ home to provide different services and types of care. You and your parents can decide how many hours each day a helping hand is needed and which times of day your parents need the most aid.

You may dedicate a lot of time fretting about your parents when you can’t be with them. Your parents may not want to leave their home to go into a nursing home or assisted living facility. The resolution to this situation is in-home care, which will allow your parents to stay in their own home where they are most secure and will minimize some of your fear and stress about the condition.

When you choose in-home care, the healthcare professional can relieve you of some of your tasks. The caregiver can help your parents with basic skills such as bathing and getting dressed each morning. The caregiver can even aide your parents if they need help using the toilet.

As the child of aging parents, you might be concerned that your parents don’t have the ability to cook dinner anymore, or you might be worried that your parents aren’t eating as well as they should be. A caregiver can help ease these anxieties by preparing meals and making sure they eat each day. You and your parents can even converse with the caregiver to speak about your worries and put together a dietary plan that makes everyone feel good about your parents’ nutritional needs.

If you choose to get in-home care for your aging parents, you can get supplemental help in the area of home tasks. Chances are that you have been trying to keep your home clean as well as your parents’ home. This can be especially arduous if you work a full time job on top of everything else. When you employ a professional in the field of elder care, that person can help with light housekeeping duties, which include doing the washing.

Perhaps one of the best features of elder care is that your parents will have some camaraderie during the day when you can’t be there. Your aging parents may be getting lonely, and you may be feeling troubled because you can’t spend the amount of time with your parents that you hope you could. You can stop being guilty that you aren’t with your parents and start feeling nice about recognizing someone is with your parents who takes care. Of course, a caregiver can even take your parents out of the house to doctor’s visits, the supermarket, the pharmacy, or just about wherever your parents wants to go.

Elder care may be the help you and your parents need. Your parents can live independently, and you can get the extra help you will need to make sure your parents’ needs are being met. Just knowing that somebody is there with your parents can ease some of the weight from you.

Home Care in Naperville, IL counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Naperville.

How to talk to Elderly Parents regarding In-Home Caregivers in Aurora, IL

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Caring for an aging parent who still lives in their residence is complicated. That is never more true than when the parent has considerable health issues that need constant care. Notwithstanding what age a person is, it is not easy to give up independence. That is why it is hard for children to talk to their aging parents about home care services. It is important to find ways to examine care services with parents in a smooth tone that does not feel alarming to them.

Caregivers in Aurora, ILFeeling guilty- Children find it rather tough to approach parents about caregiver stress they have been going through since taking on the matter. Children often feel remorseful over thinking about care for their parents because their parents brought them up and the children feel as though they are letting their parents down if they need to bring in home care. The strategy for these cases may be to engage respite care to come to the home and aid in the short term. This will help test the waters to see how the parent does respond to having in-home care. The parent may voluntarily allow the offer of respite care to aid in regular elder care. This can comfortably rid the children of a guilty feeling that is not necessary in the first place.

Facing it Head-On– Beating around the bush when intending to talk to an elderly parent about elder care will conclude in not speaking about it at all. Have all the information and facts necessary to discuss to the parent what is needed and all the justifications that it is a useful strategy to hire elder care. The information gathered should include prices as well as possible offers to cover the costs if insurance does not cover it. Most elderly people are on a fixed income and that is something that children should consider before meeting with their parents about respite care. Be delicate but candid when coming near the issue.

Reality- The reality of a parent in need of an in-home caregiver is critical to stress in the course of the talk. Parents should be reminded that the children work full-time positions, have small children to care for or everything else that raises caregiver stress levels. Stress ends in bad communication skills and ultimately resentment and bitterness over having to undertake the extra obligation of caring for an elderly parent. When children take on the duty of caring for an ill parent, the connection often suffers greatly because of the stress related complications.

Worries- Be open and honest with the elderly parent when he or she has issues. The worries might seem like complaints or excuses, but they are real worries that the parent is feeling and should be addressed rather quickly. Two of the main fears the parent might have are cost and having someone in the home who is a complete stranger. Do not make pledges that cannot be maintained, but provide guidance gained by talking to a specialist about it.

Adult children who are care taking of their elderly parents understand early on that it is a daunting challenge at best. There are duties involved in caring for an elderly parent that are complex to handle. Children and parents should aid each other when they can. There is a time to realize that an in-home caregiver is the best answer. Be ready to take on the extra cost if the elderly parent cannot manage the cost themselves. Some insurance companies will cover the cost in certain circumstances. Otherwise, arrangements have to be made financially if an in-home caregiver is the only option.

Caregivers in Aurora, IL at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Aurora.

 

Elder Care Naperville, IL: Our Parents Are Aging: How Can We Tell if They Need Help?

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Adult children get busy with their own lives, and many live quite a distance from their aging parents. If you are a “long-distance child,” the holiday season may present your only chance to detect changes in your parents’ health, their environment and their overall attitude toward life. What should you watch for that could help you decide if you need to suggest to your parents that they get some help?

For years, when I knew my brother and his wife were going to visit our parents, I’d prepare my sibling for how “bad” Mom and Dad were going to look. Our parents both lived with degenerative diseases, and each had a different type of dementia. It seemed to me, their primary caregiver, that they were fading away. My sister saw them nearly once each week, as well, and she agreed with me. We didn’t want our brother to be shocked by their failing health, so we prepared him. Or so we thought.

It turned out that our parents were so pumped up about their son coming to visit, that he’d arrive and see our elders looking really quite good. I then felt foolish for having over prepared my brother in excess for something he just couldn’t see.

As soon as my brother would leave, like a deflated balloon, our parents would sink back to the level where they were before the visit. One year – and this nearly broke my heart – my mother was so excited about the visit she could talk of nothing else. Then, after my brother left, Mom asked which weekend he was coming. She’d totally forgotten the visit had happened.

Still, the aging parent can only keep up this wellness act for a short time. So, if an adult child coming from a distance can stay a few days, he or she does have a chance to get a fresh look at how the parents are doing. Their input can help the caregiver who sees the parents daily, since a primary caregiver may not notice subtle changes.

Also, we who live close to our elders, or who are primary caregivers, tend to do what needs to be done, so it could be that the elders are losing certain abilities and we haven’t noticed. That’s when someone who only sees the elders occasionally can be really helpful.

Do Mom and Dad “Cover” for Each Other?

Long married couples can often finish each other’s sentences. They can help each other read, eat and do other things so common to daily life that no one stops to notice that they are such a team they are “filling in the gaps” for each other. Often, even they don’t know this is happening. When you visit, try to “separate” the team a bit. See if Dad’s hearing is getting worse, but Mom is hearing for him. See if Mom’s balance is bad in the morning, but Dad is getting her breakfast and making sure she is steady before anyone else sees her. In other words, see if it takes a team for them just to hang on.

Teamwork is wonderful, and it’s beautiful to see long-married couples working seamlessly beside each other. However, if there are health issues that need tending to, this teamwork can be detrimental. Getting each of your parents alone will help you identify strong and weak points.

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Elder care counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Naperville.

Elder Care Naperville, IL: 12 Fun Ways Seniors Can Get in Shape

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If you’re a senior, few things are more important to your health than exercise. The problem? Many seniors find themselves able to do fewer physical activities as they get older. Frustration often ensues, and this can create a vicious circle that leads to even less activity, further senior health problems, and in some cases, immobility. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Seniors shouldn’t feel that they are limited in the activities available to them. In fact, it’s quite the contrary — there are dozens of exercises for seniors, many of which are non-traditional, low-impact exercises that limit stress on the body and risk of injury.

Here are 12 exercises that are sure to keep you engaged at every age.

12 Great Exercises for Seniors

1. Take up dancing. A recent study at the University of Missouri showed that dancing helped improve seniors’ gait and balance and could help prevent dangerous injuries from falls. “Dancing is a fantastic way to get some cardiovascular benefit, improve your coordination and balance, and meet local seniors who enjoy similar activities,” says Carrie Plummer, MSN, an instructor at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing in Nashville, Tenn. For many types of dance classes, you don’t even have to bring a partner.

2. Become a Zen master. “Research has shown that participating in low-impact exercise classes, such as tai chi or yoga, can help improve strength, balance, and coordination and reduce stress,” says Plummer. “Many yoga poses can be modified to work for those who are less flexible or have decreased upper or lower body strength.”

3. Hit the links. Golf is a go-to game for competitive seniors who want to get back to nature in a fun way.

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Elder care counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Naperville.