Why Choosing the Right Caregiver is So Important

As the number of seniors in the U.S. continues to grow—indeed, the first “Baby Boomers” will turn 65 in 2011—so does the market for non-medical senior homecare services.  Chances are, you will at some point be looking for a caregiver for an elderly family member.  Visiting Angels is one of the nations leading providers of non-medical senior homecare, with over 170 locations nationwide.
 
According to Barney Freiberg-Dale, co-owner of Visiting Angels Newton/Canton, Massachusetts, “At Visiting Angels, we are dedicated to working with clients and their families to ensure the best possible non-medical home care services.  Nothing is better than providing the quality care that allows an elderly client to stay in the comfort of their own home.”  
 
“Today’s seniors wish to maintain their independence and quality of life as long as possible,” states Barney Freiberg-Dale.  “At the same time, their adult children are often sandwiched between taking care of their own offspring and helping their elderly parent, who may live hours away.  That’s why our non-medical home care agency has become popular in the Newton, Canton and nearby areas.”
 
“Many seniors do not require a nurse, but simply need the assistance Visiting Angels provides helping with the tasks of daily living,” continues Barney Freiberg-Dale. 
 
Visiting Angels’ services include, meal preparation, basic household chores, personal hygiene, shopping, companionship and, in some case, providing a respite for family caregivers. In addition, for clients who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia, Visiting Angels provide caregivers who are trained in dementia care techniques, and we provide guidance to family members, so they have tools and skills to assist with their loved-ones as well. Our Alzheimer’s home caregivers and dementia home caregivers always treat clients with dignity and respect.
 
Due to the increased need for such assistance, many non-medical homecare agencies are sprouting up across the landscape. However, not all agencies are alike, and it’s important to understand the differences.
 
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton understands that each client has unique needs. Therefore, we design a personalized care plan for each client, based on the results of an initial in-home consultation by one of our case managers.
 
Then we carefully choose the right caregiver for the client, considering factors such as technical skills, personality traits, and experience.
 
Our home caregivers are professional, experienced and always treat clients with respect and dignity. They are trained with the use of Hoyer lifts, gait belt or other transfer equipment.

We are on call 24/7 at 617-795-2727, always ready to provide help to your loved one. And, we have a large pool of back-up caregivers. Your loved one will not be alone if your regular caregiver cannot provide service due to unexpected circumstances.
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Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has won the Best of Home Care Provider of Choice, Leader in Excellence and Employer of Choice from Home Care Pulse for years. Our quality is recognized! If you loved one needs senior home care assistance in Wellesley, Newton, Needham, Canton, Watertown, Brookline and nearby areas, please call us at 617-795-2727 for a free consultation.
 

Let an Angel Help You Care for Your Loved One

In a perfect world, you would be able to take care of your aging parent in your home or theirs, relying only on family to help you. But the reality is that caring for an aging or ill parent is a full-time job that can take a toll on the caregiver. Add to that the demands of raising a family, working, and other responsibilities, and chances are you’ll need a little assistance along the way.

That’s where the angels come in. Visiting Angels is a national network of franchised non-medical senior home care agencies providing senior homecare to help elderly and older adults continue to live in their homes. These caring, experienced home caregivers provide up to 24-hour care in the comfort of your own home.

You can be confident that your caregiver is qualified and has excellent references. “Character counts,” says Richard Bitner, of Visiting Angels. “We hire only experienced caregivers who pass a rigorous screening process.” The company also emphasizes the intangible traits of the caregiver, such as a caring personality. Many of the company’s caregivers have grown tired of the Medicare model taking over healthcare and appreciate the opportunity to do one-on-one personal care for elders.

The staff at Visiting Angels works with each family to develop an individualized program to manage the daily needs of the client. They then match those needs to the best possible caregiver; caregivers are then introduced to the family, who has the final say in the selection process.

“We want our clients to look forward to a visit by their caregiver,” says Bitner. “That’s why the client is in complete control from start to finish.” After the caregiver has been placed in your home, the company continues its personalized contact through telephone check-in and home visits to make sure you and your caregiver are a good match.

Although Visiting Angels are non-medical home care providers, they can provide a vital link in patient care. In cases where seniors are coming home from the hospital or a nursing home, the caregiver will consult with doctors, nursing home staff, social workers, physical therapists, and of course, the family, to establish each client’s personalized needs. Although Visiting Angels do not dispense drugs, they can help monitor whether the patient is taking their medication.

In addition to offering joyful companionship, Visiting Angels will do light housekeeping, run errands, prepare meals or do shopping. They can also serve as a respite care provider for families dealing with the care of a loved one.  They can also provide special assistance for adults who need Alzheimer's home care or dementia care.

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning senior home care agency serving Wellesley, Natick, Newton, Needham, Canton, Watertown, Brookline and nearby communities. Since 2004, countless families have benefited from our dementia home care, Alzheimer's care, companion care, elderly care, respite support, transitional aid, and senior care services. If your loved one needs home care assistance, please contact us at 617-795-2727 for a free in-home consultation!

Combating the Stress of Elderly Care

It is stressful being a Caregiver for an elderly parent or loved one, no matter how much you may love them.  There is a significant amount of disruption to your life and schedule, as well as the worry and sorrow of watching someone you love to become more helpless.  There are also feelings involved with elderly care including frustration, guilt, resentment, and hopelessness.  Feeling unappreciated for all the work you do also contributes to anxiety.  There are some ways to combat the stress of elderly care including getting help and support, maintaining your health, and staying organized about your loved one's health and care.

Allowing yourself assistance and support is critical to managing stress when caring for someone.  Hold a family meeting and include your loved one to identify problems and solutions.  Together you can work out a  care plan and share responsibilities so that you do not try to do everything alone. Also seek additional help from professionals, community resources, or support groups for any specific medical conditions like Alzheimer’s or cancer.

 Maintaining your personal health is important in helping you deal with the stress of elderly care.  Getting proper nutrition, rest, and exercise allows for your stable physical and mental health.  Neglecting your health problems will allow stress to catch up with you easily.  You will not continue to be a strong caretaker if you put your needs last.  This can lead to emotional exhaustion, depression, and illness.  Understanding and communicating your feelings is also part of maintaining your health.  There are fewer negative effects of stress for people who admit their feelings and express them.

It is important to stay organized and have awareness about the details of your loved one's care.  You should be educated about legal matters, finances, and support services, and have knowledge about their medical condition.  This helps the day to day process move along more smoothly, so that you do not become overwhelmed with logistics.  In case of an emergency, a list of your loved one’s doctors, hospital, pharmacy, and medications should be on hand to make an urgent situation less stressful.

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton is a home care agency offering compassionate and experienced Caregivers to help your loved one remain in their home.  Visiting Angels Newton/Canton allows you to maintain your schedule and provides a respite for family members through services such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, personal hygiene assistance, and companionship.  If your loved one needs home care services in Canton/Stoughton or other areas listed below, please contact us or call 617-795-2727.

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton provides home care services for elderly and disabled clients in Brookline, Watertown, Dedham, Needham, Newton, Roslindale, Wellesley, Natick, Westwood, Norwood, Canton and surrounding areas.

Maintaining a Lifestyle with Senior Home Care

When a loved one starts to be less independent, there are decisions to be made about how they can manage on their own.  Many of their capabilities are perhaps very good, but some are failing.  The ideal for maintaining their lifestyle and continuing with their routines is senior home care.  If daily chores are being neglected, or there are concerns about whether their prescription drugs are being taken, senior home care will ensure that these and other important tasks are done.  Their way of life can be preserved at home when these needs are met with some extra helping hands.

Many seniors have a network of friends and family, and most importantly, a routine that actually helps them thrive and be happy.  Retaining this standard of living is a positive part of their continued health, and studies have shown that seniors do well remaining in their homes.  The life of a senior can be uncomplicated yet joyful.  It could involve a weekly trip to the market, the care of a pet or garden, or something as simple as meeting a friend on a park bench.  These daily acts help a person maintain their identity, and their continued interests can keep them stimulated and contented.  

Elderly homecare services can also aid in cooking, housekeeping, bathing, grooming, errands, and even offer easy companionship.  Senior homecare is an alternative to nursing home care, and is a wonderful option to keep a loved one in their beloved homes.  If a nursing home is not yet needed, considering this type of care in one’s home is just the support some elderly people would need.

Best In-home Caregivers

Our caregivers are trained in the use of Hoyer lifts, transfer boards and other mobility devices. Each caregiver has a full orientation program with sensitivity training, as well as guidance from their Case Managers who are all CDP certified and trained by one of the top instructors in dementia care. We match a caregiver’s personality traits, technical skills and experience with the client to ensure an excellent outcome in their relationship.

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton provides caring and experienced caregivers for senior home care in Watertown, Brookline, Canton, Newton, Wellesley and nearby areas as an alternative to an assisted living facility or nursing home. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.visitingangels.com/newton.

Different Types of Home Care Providers

There are many services that home care providers can deliver, from professional medical care to support services.

Physicians and Nurses

Patients can be visited in their homes for medical treatment by Physicians, Registered Nurses and Licensed Nurse Practitioners. These medical professionals can treat patients and provide skilled services including injections, intravenous therapy, wound care, patient education, and patient assessments.

Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapists

Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapists also aid individuals as home care providers. Speech Therapists work with patients to restore speech, and they also aid patients in breathing, swallowing, and muscle control. Occupational Therapists use techniques and equipment for patients with physical, developmental, social, or emotional problems. This helps patients to function in their daily lives more independently.

Physical Therapists use exercise and massage to restore mobility and strength to injured patients. Social Workers are an important category of home care providers. They coordinate services for a patient, and can evaluate patient needs to find resources for an individual. Dietitians counsel on nutrition and give dietary guidance for patients based on their needs.

Homecare Aides

A home care provider that assists patients with general activities in their homes is a Homecare Aide or Home Caregiver. They help with walking, getting in and out of bed, bathing, and dressing. They also perform tasks such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands, companionship, and medical reminders. They work with physicians, hospitals, social workers, and the families to develop individualized programs.

 

Unlike homecare aides, Homemaker and Chore Workers do not help a senior client with personal care nor do they provide companionship.  They only assist in household duties like laundry, cleaning, meal preparation, and shopping.

At a high quality home care agency such as Visiting Angels Newton/Canton, homecare aides are trained to provide assistance with compassion and always treat their clients with dignity and respect. They have been instructed and provided guidance by CDP certified Case Managers in homecare services for seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease to help them take better care of clients with these illnesses. They may also possess skills such as the use of Hoyer lifts and other mobility devices. Also, a good personality match between the caregiver and the client can help to ensure an excellent outcome in their relationship.

When hiring homecare aides, it is a good idea to consult Home Care Pulse, a client satisfaction survey firm that conducts interviews with homecare users and compiles reviews for caregiver agencies nationwide. Home Care Pulse gives awards to the best home care agency in each state annually. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton of Massachusetts is proud to have received these awards for years, including Best of Home Care Leader in Excellence, Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice Awards.

If you are interested in non-medical homecare services in Wellesley, Newton, Canton, Dedham, Needham, Brookline and nearby cities and towns in Massachusetts, please contact us at 617-795-2727 or visit our website at https://www.visitingangels.com/newton.   

How to Save Money on Senior Care

With America’s population aging, billions of dollars are spent each year on senior care expenses. But with economic worries affecting many families, cutting costs has become more important than ever. With a little creativity, seniors and their families can save a substantial amount of money.

Compare Prices

Family members and caregivers can help seniors out by comparison shopping for goods and services online. Changing homeowner’s insurance policies alone can save hundreds of dollars each year. Review all bills and find out if it is less expensive to bundle services like phone and cable.

Take Advantage of Existing Services

The fall prevention alarms advertised on television can be a great tool to help seniors prevent serious injuries from falls and other medical emergencies, but most of them come with a costly monthly monitoring fee. Look for a personal alarm system that can connect directly to 911 and charges no monitoring fees and has no service contracts.

Consider Home Care

According to a 2007 MetLife survey, the average annual rate nationally for a private room in a nursing home is $77,745 and is steadily increasing each year. The annual base rate for an individual residing in an assisted living community is $35,628. The average annual cost of home care can be half the cost of nursing home care.

An organization like Visiting Angels Newton/Canton provides a cost-effective alternative to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Caregivers provide up to 24-hour elderly assistance in the comfort of the senior’s home. Homecare services makes it possible for seniors to remain in their homes and maintain their independence by providing help in areas such as light housekeeping, bathing and dressing, errands, transportation and mobility assistance.

Choosing a home care agency is an important decision. You would want to hire a professional home care aide who is professional, experienced and compassionate, one who always treats the client with dignity and respect. This is all the more important when your loved one suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Specially-trained Certified Dementia Practitioners (CDPs) can offer more specialized care that will make a difference to the well-being of your loved one.

Reverse Mortgage

Many senior citizens have owned their homes for decades and can take advantage of a reverse mortgage -- a loan that allows a homeowner to convert a portion of their equity into cash. Unlike a traditional mortgage, repayment of a reverse mortgage is not required until the borrower no longer uses the home as their principal residence.

Buy in Bulk

Seniors often use the same products, such as personal care items or incontinence supplies, month after month. Purchasing such nonperishable items in bulk online or from a warehouse store can save a great deal of money. Also consider signing up for automatic monthly delivery for health and personal care products. Auto delivery ensures products will no longer run out and shipping is often free.

To find out if home care is right for you or your loved one, please visit https://www.VisitingAngels.com/newton.

In-Home Care Service Helps Dad Take Care of Mom

 According to 2015 statistics from the Pew Research Center, about 7 percent of spouses are caring for a partner. Although it may seem like the ideal arrangement, in reality, it’s very difficult for many caregiving partners to recognize the need for help and accept it before it’s too late. Spousal caregivers (aged 66-96) who experience caregiving-stress have a 63 percent higher mortality rate than non-caregiving peers, per a report from the Family Caregiver Alliance.

Family Caregiving is Hard Work

It’s easy to think of your parents as keeping each other company at home, but as spousal and family caregivers become more focused on the care receiver over time, they inadvertently cut off contact with friends and sometimes even family. They stop going to church, the library or out to their favorite restaurants. If your father is feeling lonely or depressed while caring for your mother, what kind of care will he be providing?

Caregiving can take an emotional toll on the family caregiver because they are watching the person they love suffer from an illness, injury or disease. A spousal caregiver who feels inadequate to meet his spouse’s needs may feel a sense of guilt, failure, frustration. If the spouse’s personality has changed due dementia or another diagnosis, he may find himself struggling to feel love or compassion towards his partner.

The house itself also tells the story of how caregiving has affected your parents. Dad can’t maintain the level of cleanliness he is used to if he’s afraid to leave Mom alone in a room for more than five minutes. Laundry may pile up, and bills, too.

Family caregiving is hard work, emotionally, physically, and mentally. When one spouse takes on the hard work of managing a household along with their loved one’s daily care needs—all the while dealing with the roller coaster of emotions this role brings—that spouse is at risk of burnout and even early death. To give care, you must take care. To provide the best care, you must care for yourself in the best possible way.

How In-Home Senior Care Helps

Senior home care services helps caregiving couples and the families who love them by providing companionship, light housekeeping, transportation, meal prep, grooming, bathing and help with activities of daily living.  Homecare aides do not replace the vital work of the spousal caregiver. They complement it and enable it to go on for as long as possible. They lighten the load of caregiving so that family caregivers can work through grief as they provide care to their loved ones.

That said, you should always present the idea of home care support as a way for both parents to stay healthy and at home for as long as possible, affirming the value of the care they’re already providing and suggesting the benefits will go both ways—because they do.

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton provides professional and compassionate in-home care services in Brookline, Watertown, Newton, Needham and nearby areas. We have received the Best of Home Care Leader of Excellence Award from Home Care Pulse four years in a row! For more information on why your elderly parent needs more help than a friend or family caregiver can provide, call us at 617-795-2727 or contact us today!