Home Health in Greater Phoenix & Home Health in Central Phoenix helps elders and seniors in Phoenix remain at home safely and independently. Call us today at 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480-991-3959.

Learn more about Home Instead Senior Care in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City, Goodyear & Avondale, Az. - View our video of Debbie Seplow, Owner of Greater Phoenix Home Instead Senior Care.

Safety for the Elderly and Families Caring for Them in Phoenix

Unfortunately, the elderly are sometimes victims of robbery and other violent crimes. The number of crimes committed against older people is rising sharply, with assaults against the elderly doubling in the past eight years. Here are some helpful tips to guide you if you are ever facing a potentially dangerous situation.

How you can avoid danger

1. Trust yourself. Paying close attention to your instincts is crucial. Your senses can pick up on danger so always listen to yourself.

2. Be aware of your surroundings. It is never a good idea to leave the front door open, your valuables in the car, your purse on top of your office desk, or to flaunt your valuable jewelry. These actions can provide temptation and opportunity for offenders.

3. Pay attention to the people around you. It is important to pay attention to this advice so you will listen to your instincts and also be aware of what is happening around you. You can often sense what someone’s intentions are by the way they are looking at you.

4. Act confident and focused. Just like you can sense someone else’s feelings, they can sense yours. What a predators looks for are people who are meek, mild, weak, unfocused, and distracted.  Try to present yourself in an assertive manner. When walking down the street, make eye contact with people who look at you. Give out signals to the would-be offender that you are in charge and aware that they are there.

 How to Defend Yourself

1. Have an escape plan. Know the layout of your surroundings. In the senior’s home, know where the power switch is, and know your way in the dark. This can give you an advantage over intruders

2. Train your body. Get in shape. Being healthy is important, and could make a big difference in your ability to protect yourself.

3. React quickly to danger. The time in which you react is critical to how you are able to come through without being hurt.  

Hopefully you will never be put in this situation, but it is always good to be prepared and be cautious.

Home Health Central Phoenix and Home Health Greater Phoenix provides elder care and senior care in Phoenix. Call us today at 623-583-5868, 602.265.8228 or 480-991-3959.

Debbie Seplow, invites you to learn more about Home Instead Senior Care in Greater Phoenix.

Home Safety Checklist in Phoenix - LIsten to our offer for seniors in Phoenix concerned about home safety hazards.

Click here to listen…

This week our focus is on “Safety in the Home”. Home Instead Senior Care has put together this helpful list, so that all caregivers can check the senior’s home to make sure that it is safe for everyone. Also, make a note of the fantastic “special offer” we have going currently. All you have to do is submit your e-mail address and Home Instead Senior Care will provide a 15 minute home safety check, free of charge! There are no strings attached, and we promise you won’t be receiving a bunch of spam mail. This is a service that we are more than happy to provide to show you just how much you are valued by us.
Things to check when doing a home safety inspection:

· Keep the entrance well lit, and the railing is secure. Make sure that visitors are visible and the lock is in working order.

· Keep the living area uncluttered, rugs safe for movement, and electric cords safely attached.

· Check in the kitchen to make sure the faucets, stove burners, and oven is working.

· In the bedroom, make sure the nightstand is available for personal items.

· Bathrooms should have safety mats in the tub and fixtures in working condition.

These and many other safety features will be evaluated in your home, at your leisure, if you sign up today!

Home Instead Senior Care in Phoenix helps elders stay home longer. Please call us when seeking non-medical, companionship, and professional caregvers in Phoenix.

Debbie Seplow, invites you to learn more about Home Instead Senior Care in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City, Goodyear & Avondale, Az.

Home Safety Checklist for Seniors in Phoenix - LIsten to our offer to check for safety hazards in your home.

Click here to listen…

This week our focus is on “Safety in the Home”. Home Instead Senior Care has put together this helpful list, so that all caregivers can check the senior’s home to make sure that it is safe for everyone. Also, make a note of the fantastic “special offer” we have going currently. All you have to do is submit your e-mail address and Home Instead Senior Care will provide a 15 minute home safety check, free of charge! There are no strings attached, and we promise you won’t be receiving a bunch of spam mail. This is a service that we are more than happy to provide to show you just how much you are valued by us.

Things to check when doing a home safety inspection:

· Keep the entrance well lit, and the railing is secure. Make sure that visitors are visible and the lock is in working order.

· Keep the living area uncluttered, rugs safe for movement, and electric cords safely attached.

· Check in the kitchen to make sure the faucets, stove burners, and oven is working.

· In the bedroom, make sure the nightstand is available for personal items.

· Bathrooms should have safety mats in the tub and fixtures in working condition.

These and many other safety features will be evaluated in your home, at your leisure, if you sign up today!

Home Health in Greater Phoenix & Home Health in Central Phoenix helps elders and seniors in Phoenix remain at home safely and independently. Call us today at 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480-991-3959.

Debbie Seplow introduces you to Home Instead Senior Care in Greater Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Sun City.

View our video on YouTube!  -  Home Care in Phoenix 

Keeping an elder’s home in Phoenix safe - Carbon Monoxide Safety

With the cold weather fast approaching, it is important to remember to keep our senior’s safe from carbon monoxide poisoning. Being exposed to unhealthy amounts of carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood. Symptoms are sleepiness, headache, dizziness, and shortness of breath. The following ways to prevent overexposure to carbon monoxide:

• Get heating systems inspected
• Make sure the chimney is properly vented
• Do not heat a home with a gas oven or clothes dryer
• Use exhaust fans while cooking
• Do not leave cars running in the garage

Carbon monoxide detectors can alert you and your clients to abnormal levels of carbon monoxide gas. If a carbon monoxide detector alarm sounds, and you and the senior are experiencing flu-like symptoms, immediately ventilate the home by opening the doors and windows. Shut off fuel-operated appliances and heating systems and leave. Then call the fire department as quickly as possible.

Remember, one can never be too protective when it comes to safety!

Home Health in Greater Phoenix & Home Health in Central Phoenix helps elders and seniors in Phoenix remain at home safely and independently. Call us today at 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480-991-3959.

The act of caregiving is giving of oneself to help others.  For some this is a very natural way of behaving and responding to people in need, others may unexpectedly find themselves in a cargiving situation.  Regardless of the circumstance, it’s important to remember, in the service of others, do not become a disservice to yourself.

The following topics of interest focus on the help and support you need to help others. Informal caregiving is both a challenging and rewarding experience. Understanding how to balance the responsibilities by learning to take care of your needs and involving others helps to manage the natural stress and isolation of being a caregiver.  Examine the impact of the caregiver role on physical and psychological health. Identify techniques for caregiver stress management. Have an understanding of the therapeutic benefits of humor.

• Taking Charge
• Maintaining A Positive Attitude
• Determining Your Family’s Needs
• Dealing With Professionals
• Involving the Family
• Avoiding Burnout
• Practical Pointers
• Worksheets
• Assessments
• Determining Family Need
• Caring for an Ill Relative at Home
• Dealing With Professionals
• Sibling Relationships

If you are caring for an aging parent living in Phoenix and need assistance, please call 602.588.7725 or 602.265.8228.

Home Health in Greater Phoenix & Home Health in Central Phoenix helps elders and seniors in Phoenix remain at home safely and independently. Call us today at 602.588.7725 or 602.265.8228.

Home Instead Senior CAREGivers know the value of patience and helping Alzheimer’s clients do what they can on their own.  This often involves maintaining a regular routine, and using a series of easily understood cues and prompts.  The Home Instead Senior Care approach is to encourage ongoing communication between CAREGiver and client – for instance, emphasizing short, simple sentences; regular eye contact; and appropriate body language.

CAREGivers are even trained to help clients with Alzheimer’s disease when these individuals are moved to nursing facilities or to Alzheimer’s special-care units.  A CAREGiver helps add structure to an Alzheimer’s resident’s day and helps minimize the time this individual will spend alone. 

More importantly, a CAREGiver’s presence can help reduce wandering and creates a safer environment for the person.  In addition, CAREGivers recognize when clients have had too much stimulation and may be about to have what we refer to as “catastrophic reactions.”  They can then adjust their approaches to help calm and reassure these clients.

Home Health in Greater Phoenix & Home Health in Central Phoenix helps elders and seniors in Phoenix remain at home safely and independently. Call us today at 602.588.7725 or 602.265.8228.

Incontinence and Attitude - Going with the flow

Frustration, embarrassment, irritability. These are just a few of the emotions a senior feels when they suffer from incontinence. How can you help them cope?

Here are a few examples of strategies to guide you:

1. Acknowledge the problem
2. Focus on solutions
3. Accept support when offered
4. Have open, honest communication
5. Sustain the morale for the senior

For the caregiver, creating a supportive environment is important. Here are five basic rules you can use with seniors:

1. All interactions must be calm and reassuring
2. Take the lead and help them be prepared
3. Help the senior with their self-esteem. Don’t use words like “diapers”, refer to them as “undergarments”.
4. Take a no-fault approach to problem solving. Vies this as a condition, and prepare yourself for the fact that accidents will happen.
5. Use positive language such as, “It’s going to be alright”.

Think about the qualities that you would want in a person if you had to talk about incontinence. Treat your senior as you would want to be treated in this situation, and both of you will feel better about how you communicate with each other when dealing with a very sensitive issue.

Home Health in Greater Phoenix & Home Health in Central Phoenix helps elders and seniors in Phoenix remain at home safely and independently. Call us today at 602.588.7725 or 602.265.8228.

Restless Nights Put Older Adults in Phoenix at Risk for Depression Recurrence

Nearly 60 percent of the nation’s elderly have trouble sleeping, whether it’s a lot of tossing and turning or outright bouts of insomnia. While for most people sleeplessness can be annoying at best or unhealthy at worst, for elderly individuals who have suffered from depression in the past, poor sleep may be the first sign that a new bout of depression is coming on, researchers say.

“Insomnia is the most frequent sleep disturbance in depressed patients and is viewed as a symptom of current depression,” said UCLA professor of psychiatry Dr. Michael Irwin. “But when sleep disturbances begin to emerge in an otherwise healthy adult who has experienced depression in the past, we found that it may serve as a precursor to another attack of depression.”

Researchers, who studied 351 adults age 60 and older, found that of the subjects with prior depression, 23 had a relapse, compared with only one person in the group without prior mental illness. With the first group, researchers were able to predict depression recurrence based on individuals’ sleep disturbance.

The study, Irwin said, is the first to demonstrate that sleep disturbances act as an independent risk factor for depression recurrence in older adults.

“Unfortunately, sleep difficulties are often considered to be a part of normal aging, and asking about and assessing the quality of an older person’s sleep is frequently overlooked during routine doctor visits,” Irwin said. “The omission is particularly striking, since we know that sleep disturbance is associated with declines in health functioning and with increases in all causes of mortality in older adults.”

Read the full release.

Home Health in Greater Phoenix & Home Health in Central Phoenix helps elders and seniors in Phoenix remain at home safely and independently. Call us today at 602.588.7725 or 602.265.8228.

MetLife Mature Market Institute Surveys Adult Day Service in Phoenix and Home Health Phoenix Care Costs

A new MetLife Mature Market Institute survey of adult day services and home care costs found that the national average daily rate for adult day services is $64, up 5 percent from 2007. The national average hourly rate for home health aides is $20, a 5 percent increase from 2007. The 2008 national average hourly homemaker/companion rate is $18, unchanged from last year.

This year’s study includes expanded coverage of statewide averages for all 50 states, in addition to rates for each state’s largest metropolitan regions.

“The trend toward older persons desiring to stay in their homes or ‘age in place’ has increased the demand for in-home care and other programs and services available during the day,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of MetLife Mature Market Institute. “We are closely watching this data and the trends in this industry as new adult day centers are opening in virtually all parts of the country. According to the National Adult Day Services Association, there are more than 3,500 centers nationwide helping more than 150,000 Americans each day.”

For information on regional costs for these three types of care, see the MetLife Mature Market Institute press release.