Affording In-Home Healthcare

Affording In-Home Healthcare

One of the main reasons people choose not to invest in in-home healthcare (1 on 1 care) for their loved ones is because of the possible financial burden or the lack or resources the individual has. Comfort of Home Healthcare wants to make in-home healthcare not only comforting and convenient for your family, but also financially affordable. As a business, we try to keep costs down as much as we can, but there are also resources for your family to participate in that will dramatically change your financial outlook on in-home healthcare services. 

But before we get in to some of the resources, Comfort of Home Healthcare would like to point out that if your receive in home care for two people. E.g. Parents/ grand parents
It is very feasible to financially keep your loved ones in their homes!! In a facility setting (nursing home) you will have to pay out of pocket for each person. In home care is priced by staffing and not each individual person. 

This is so important because this will allow you to; 
1. keep your loved ones in their home! 
2. You will have one staff taking care of both of them as opposed to one CNA per 10+ people!

Unfortunately this is not case for most of our clients. For those of you who are looking for care for a loved one (not a couple). Comfort of Home Healthcare has provided a list of resources that will offset costs, for you to consider. Here are several of those resources and how you may qualify to receive these benefits: 
(Not all scenarios work for every person. This simply a list of all options available)

• Veterans Benefits: If you or your loved one was a veteran.

• Veterans Widows Benefits: If you or your loved one was married to a veteran.

• Medicaid: If you meet the financial guidelines to qualify for Medicaid, they have potential opportunities for assistance. 

• Long Term Care Insurance: If you or your loved one has purchased a Long Term Care Insurance Plan.

• Life Insurance: If you or your loved one is terminally ill, a life insurance plan is a valuable resource. 

• Life Insurance (Viatical Settlement): A viatical settlement is the sale of a life insurance policy to a third party, usually a funding company owned by a group of investors. 

• Life Insurance (Loan): A policy owner may be able to make a loan against the cash value of the policy, based on what type of policy is owned. 

• Reverse Mortgage: If you or your loved one has equity in their home, they can probably qualify for a reverse mortgage.

• Area Agency on Ageing: There can be local organizations such as the Area Agency on Ageing that can help with some of the costs of in-home care. 

• Employer-Sponsored Health Savings Account (HAS) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA): If you or your loved one is employed, many employers will offer a HAS or FSA in their benefit plans.

If you have questions about the specific details (contacts and phone numbers) of these resources, Comfort of Home Healthcare would be happy to talk to you about the resources that will best fit your family and your family's individual needs. 

We care about your family and we want to provide the best possible service at the best price for your family!

Dementia and Alzheimer's in the Elderly

Dementia and Alzheimer's in the Elderly

Your family is not alone. The effects of dementia and Alzheimer's are devastating, not only to the one suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's, but also to the family members who are coping with this new reality. You may feel alone in this battle, but there are many other families who are struggling with these same circumstances in their own family. Coming to a better understanding about the symptoms and effects of dementia and Alzheimer's, may help change your perspective on this issue. Also, we will provide you will a couple resources that may help you get the support you need during this time. 

First, it is important to understand that although the terms "dementia" and "Alzheimer's" are often used to mean the same thing, they are defined and diagnosed differently. Dementia refers to, "A loss of mental ability severe enough to interfere with normal activities of daily living." This can encompass a wider variety of diseases, but Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. 

Although Alzheimer's is most commonly found in and associated with the elderly, it is not a natural part of the aging process. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that gets worse over time; the intensity and form the symptoms take will change as the disease progresses. For example, in the beginning stages an individual might experience minor memory loss, but in later stages an individual may experience more severe memory loss, affecting their ability to function independently. 

Some of the general symptoms of Alzheimer's include:

• Memory loss, ranging from mild to severe. 
• Disorientation.
• Mood and behavior changes. 
• Deepening confusion about events, time and place.
• Suspicions about family, friends, and caregivers.
• Difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking.

If any of these symptoms are occurring in you or your family member, a doctor should be seen right away. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's, there are a few helpful intervention methods that can slow down the process. Early diagnosis is key for Alzheimer's treatment. There are very noticeable changes that take place in the brain scans; Alzheimer's prevents nerve cells in the brain from accurately performing their job. This causes the brain to lose function, resulting in many of the symptoms seen above. 

The best way to communicate with your family member who has Alzheimer's is to meet them where they are at, and be aware that this may change from day to day. This disease is completely out of their control, and should not be handled with anger and frustration. It is important for family members to get support during this time, because it can become too big of a physical and emotional burden, especially on family members who also have the responsibility of being the main caregiver.

Here are a few helpful resources in regards to this topic and support for your family:

Support for Alzheimer's/Dementia

Alzheimer's: Dealing with Family Conflict

COHH is Pleased to Announce the Start of Another New Service! Snow Removal/Lawn Care!

As the owners of Comfort of Home Healthcare we pride ourselves in going above and beyond for our clients. After all, we have been where they are; we have and still do take care of our own loved ones in the comfort of their home.

While we were out picking up caregivers and taking them to our clients homes to work during inclement weather, it occurred to us that most of our clients probably need additional help in removing the snow from their drives, sidewalks, lawns, etc.

In order to be more helpful to our clients and their families, Comfort of Home Healthcare is extremely happy to announce that we are now offering snow removal services in the winter and lawn care during the summer. With these services, we can allow you to focus more of your time and energy on the more important things in life. Let us take care of the details for you during this time. 

If you or any of your family/friends are interested, please give us a call or if it’s easier, shoot us an email. We can always be reached at 816-671-0298 or info@comfortofhomehealthcare.com. Just ask for Jason or Tad.

All homes and driveways/lawns are different and will have to be bid individually. Also, note that all direct Comfort of Home Healthcare clients will receive a significantly discounted rate!!

Wow, the green grass sure looks good right about now!!

Family Assessment: What Do Your Parents Really Need?

Family Assessment

What Do Your Parents Really Need?

Often we are so overwhelmed with our own life that we forget to take a moment to consider what our parents are going through and how they are feeling about their changing life circumstances. Your elderly parents or disabled family members are going through things that we can't begin to understand unless we have been in their position. The best way to understand how your loved ones are feeling is to have real, honest conversations with them about their emotions, concerns, desires, and needs. If you truly have the desire to know and provide for your parents emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual needs, then you must assess where they are, where they want to be, and how to get them there. Their health needs to be a priority and the best way to keep them healthy is to stay in constant communication with them, because they know themselves better than anyone. 

Your loved one is going through a variety of changes, as they are losing some of their independence, mobility, control, and possibly certain relationships. It is easy to overlook some of their very basic needs, such as the need to feel important, the need to be touched, the need to have company, the need to still feel in control, and the need for independence. Every person needs their basic human needs to be met in order for their other needs to be efficiently taken care of. 

Here are some practical steps you can take to help assess your parents needs, in addition to considering your own needs:   (ehow.com)

1. Make your own careful assessment of your parents needs. Prioritize specific areas such as health care, social life, and accommodating changes needs as your parents age. 
2. Communicate with your family member to find out what they want most out of life and what they consider to be their most challenging issues. Make sure you communicate with an open heart and without immediate judgement. 
3. You don't have the energy or time to do everything, so decide what areas you can be most effective in and focus on those. 
4. Take into consideration your parent's personality, background, and life experiences.
5. Keep in mind that you don't really know what it feels like to lose your independence because of old age, until you have been there yourself. 
6. When things get tough, bring up happy, funny, or heartwarming memories. Laughter is always the best medicine when going through trials. Good memories or pictures from the past can heal a heart. 
7. Stay well-informed about your options, gather all the information you can about home health agencies, medicare, etc. 
8. When you are feeling impatient, stay kind towards your parents, when you look back at this time you will be happy you stayed gentle and patient towards them during this time. 

This tips will help you during your assessment process, but you may need some help knowing what questions to ask your parents about their life and their current health situation. There are many questions that will be appropriate to consider and ask your parents when you are trying to make some difficult decisions. You need to be able to ask them about various areas of their health, including their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Here is a helpful resource that gives you lists of questions to start asking in your own family: What Help Does Mom or Dad Really Need?

Your family assessment will be very beneficial for your entire family. When you don't know how to go about your family situation, always remember that selfless, sacrificial love will bring you and your family the most peace and joy!

Here are a couple more resources that may be helpful for you in your journey:

What Your Elderly Parents Really Need From You

How To Help an Elderly Parent

COHH is Pleased to Announce ~ Shared Life, Live-in Companion

Comfort of Home Healthcare is happy to announce that it’s looking for some caring individuals to make a huge difference in the life of another person. We normally provide more “traditional” in-home care services to seniors and people with disabilities.

Comfort of Home Healthcare was founded from a passion and drive to make a difference in people’s life’s, fueled by our own personal experiences.  Providing the best care possible to people who need help to remain independent is our sole goal and focus each and every day. With this commitment in mind, we cannot be more excited to begin a new journey in providing a non-traditional model of care for people with developmental disabilities in shared life, or live in companion.

The live in companion model, utilizes a shared home/ shared life approach to provide supports to people with developmental disabilities. This means that a person with a disability lives with and shares a home with a paid caregiver.

Shared Living is based on the importance of enduring and permanent relationships as the foundation for learning life skills, developing self-esteem and learning to exist in interdependence with others. 

The essential future of the Shared Living experience provides an opportunity for each individual with a developmental disability to grow and develop to his or her greatest potential and to participate in everyday community life. 

Shared living also provides individualized attention based on the needs of the individual with developmental disabilities. Shared living gives individuals opportunities to be completely immersed in their community and take an active role in their life.

Some of the many reasons Comfort of Home Healthcare is excited to be starting this type of service because the Shared Living model are: (taken from Division of Developmental Disabilities)

·        Inclusion in the community has been and continues to be a major focus of supports for people with disabilities. The Shared Living model has proven to be as good means for providing true inclusion in a person’s community, if the individual is matched and well supported by the Shared Living Provider.

·        Shared Living can provide both a stable support system and a higher quality of life for the person receiving services. The issue of staff people “revolving” in and out of the person’s life is minimized.

·        Shared Living can also provide a stable, flexible, higher quality of life for the individual.

·        This model provides the training and services quality review needed to assure the person served and the system of the highest possible quality and cost-effectiveness of the services.

Companions (paid caregiver) typically work Monday-Friday and begin each day when the consumer awakes. They assist the consumer with their morning routines, daily care, medications, meal preparation, etc.

Most consumers attend a day program, have a job or attend school and the companion is off work during these times. If the consumer is not gone during the day, then the companion is with the individual to assist them throughout the day. The companion also assists the consumer in the afternoon and evening time with their evening/night routines and then typically goes to bed after consumer has done so

_____________________________________________________________________________

Companions are salaried positions and are tied to weekdays. Companions are live in, this means that their rent and utilities are paid for, in addition to their salary.  

Each companion has the option of taking weekends off. During this time Comfort of Home Healthcare provides relief staff. ____________________________________________________________

Comfort of Home Healthcare, right now is actively seeking Companions and Relief staff for a woman with a developmental disability. As far as we know, we will be the first one in our area under this model, it will be exiting to start with us and be the first. 

Please help us spread the word to someone who you think this would be perfect for. It is absolutely paramount that we find the right person for this model and will keep interviewing until we find it.

If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact us. 816-671-0298, Ask for Jason. 

CAUTION: Preventing Falls in the Elderly

CAUTION

Preventing Falls in the Elderly

Statistics show that falls among the elderly are the most common fatal injury in the home. It is crucial that necessary steps be taken to prevent these falls from happening. Comfort of Home Healthcare makes the safety of their clients a priority, and they need families to come alongside them in these efforts. There are specific preventative measures that can be taken in order to avoid falls among the elderly as much as possible. If the injuries from a fall are not fatal, they still cause more challenges for the elderly person as they now have to deal with the effects of the injury and the recovery process. Here are some practical steps that can be taken to help insure the safety of your home for your loved one:

1. Stairways should have handles on both sides.
2. Attach safety treads to steps.
3. Remove all tripping hazards such as throw rugs, furniture, and any clutter from walkways. 
4. Use self-adhesive non-skid mats or safety treads in bathtubs, showers, bathroom floors, and pools. Any slippery surface is a potential hazard for slips and falls. 
5. Use non-skid rugs on bathroom floors.
6. Use non-skid pads under rugs on bare floors.
7. Install grab bars on both sides of toilets and bathtubs, especially those used by seniors.
8. Consider having them use a walking aid, which will help with stability in and out of the home.  
9. Talk to their doctor about other ways to reduce the risk of falls. This may include changing medication, exercising to improve strength/balance, etc. 

According to statistics in 2008, 19,700 elderly adults died from injuries they sustained during a fall. This number can be decreased if we are more aware of the risks and take the necessary steps toward preventing these falls. Our families and our loved ones will benefit as a result. 

Here are some resources that will give you more information about how to assess the risk of your loved one for falls, and how to be as preventative as possible:

The Prevention of Trips, Slips, and Falls in the Elderly

Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview

Preventing Slips and Falls Among Older Adults

Tips for Seniors Though the Winter Months

Well, winter is here. Monday morning I had to wake up 20 minutes earlier than normal to start my car before work. And since entrance of the digital age, I no longer even have a CD case to scrape off my windshield! Rough times, this winter.

It was not that long ago when I had more to worry about than where the ice scraper was. My wife and I had moved her elderly mother into our home. Every winter now it reminds me of all our loved ones who have mobility issues and how difficult winter can be.

If you yourself need a little extra help now and then, if you are caring for a loved one, or even if you’re loved one just recently needs a little bit of extra help. Here are some tips that you’re going to need to keep yourself or your loved ones safe for the next couple of months.

·       If you are not able to do everything for your own. Ask for help silly!!!

The most important tip to keep in mind is to ask for help. If you need help to clear the drive, sidewalks, etc. don’t hesitate to ask a family member, neighbor, social service agency or hire a professional. Really, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

·       If you’re worried about your loved one.

o   Check in on them regularly, if you live out of town, arrange for neighbors/family to check in.

o   Arrange for someone to keep sidewalks shoveled and de-iced.

o   Make sure your loved one has emergency supplies.

o   Arrange transportation if need be, have groceries delivered, etc.

o   Hire a professional in home care agency such as Comfort of Home Healthcare to come in and help take good care of your loved one during these months.

·       Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!!! There are a handful of likely scenarios that are going to happen during the winter season, prepare for them.

o   Power Outages - At some point, a winter storm is going to lead to a power outage. Make sure there is easy access to flashlights and a battery powered radio. Stockpile warm blankets. Keep some non perishable food and water stored away. Here is a winter weather checklist you might find useful.

§  Oxygen – if you or your loved one is on oxygen you/they most likely have a generator supplying it. If your power goes out you will need backup tanks. Have a supply of both large tanks and smaller portable tanks readily available.

o   Home Heating Safety

§  Service the furnace every fall to make sure it’s in working order.

§  Have all chimneys and flues inspected yearly and cleaned as needed.

§  Install and upkeep on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

·       Using a fireplace, gas heater or lanterns can lead to carbon monoxide poising. Be SURE to pay special attention to the carbon monoxide detectors and get an updated one if needed.

§  Keep a fire extinguisher handy, replace as needed and know how to use it.

§  Place space heaters at least three feet from any curtains, betting, etc.

·    

   Stay Inside – This is an easy one. If you don’t have to get out, don’t. Seniors are more susceptible to hypothermia. Conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, severe arthritis and even some medications can limit the body’s response to cold.

o   IF you have to go out – Dress appropriate, even for a “walk out to the mailbox”. One slip and a fall could mean that your outside for longer than you anticipated.

·       Fight Wintertime Depression – Not being with others and spending more time indoors can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation.

o   Call family members and check in daily. Get as much contact with others as possible.

o   If you are the family member, call your loved one as often as possible. Even a short daily phone call can make a big difference. If you can visit, even better!

These are just some simple tips and are not intended to be all encompassing. Be sure to get with your family and create a plan as everyone is different and will have different needs.

We hope you find this helpful and hope that you and your loved ones stay safe this winter season. Like always; Comfort of Home Healthcare is here to help, call us if you need anything!