Many things can fall to the wayside when you’re a senior caregiver or a busy senior, particularly organization. But, by remaining organized you can ensure that you take back some time in your day and make every moment more productive!

1. Prioritize – seniors and caregivers alike can prioritize their responsibilities. Not all tasks are of equal importance, and by starting with items that are crucial, they can work their way through, and if there’s just not enough time in the day, the non-priority items can wait so seniors don’t overburden themselves

2. Make a schedule – as part of prioritizing, plan out your day on a calendar, either by writing it down or using a calendar tool on your laptop or Blackberry. Seeing what needs to be accomplished visually, marked down hour by hour will help you set realistic goals for yourself whether you’re a caregiver or a busy senior

3. Don’t waste time – busy people known that time is of the essence,  so while important goals and responsibilities should bet me, time shouldn’t be wasted on focusing on the things that don’t matter

4. Ask for help – as a caregiver, don’t be afraid to ask for someone else to step in and provide respite that way you can focus on other things that are important, like rest and relaxation for yourself. As a senior, if there are things you need help to accomplish, just ask!

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314.9873.

It doesn’t matter what you do with your life or how old you are. Young or old, working or retired, there’s not enough time in the day, especially if you don’t use your time as wisely as you could. Caregivers, seniors and everyone in between finds themselves wondering what happened to their day when it comes to a close, and it’s our goal to teach you how to get it back as part of a new series by Carebuzz and WorkingCaregiver.com. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll elaborate on the following topics to help you make the most of your time:

1. Sleeping for productivity

2. Eating your way to a 36 hour day

3. Learning to multi-task effectively

4. Organizing your way to success

5. Learning how to get it done faster

6. Learning while multi-tasking in your free time

7. Using technology to increase productivity

8. Turning off

9. Asking for help

Visit often, and turn your unproductive 24 hour day, to one where every item is checked off your daily “to do” list.

Via: Gaia.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314.9873.

Q – My dad’s caregiver has suggested digital photography as an activity for them to do together. I am totally on board with this since I know photography was a hobby of my dad’s in his younger days, and it’s great that she’s trying to inspire him creatively. The only problem is the caregiver doesn’t have a camera, and I don’t have one that I can lend him. With his birthday coming up, I’m thinking about buying a digital camera for him, but is there anything specific that I need to look for to ensure that the camera chosen is senior-friendly, especially since his abilities might change over the next few years while he has the camera?

- Stella, 47

A – It’s great to hear that both you and your father’s senior home caregiver are willing to inspire your dad’s creativity through photography! Shop around in Boston to find a digital camera that is a good value, but there are also specific features that you should look for in order to ensure that the choice is appropriate for your dad today, and later on in the future if he continues the hobby of taking pictures on his own or with a caregiver. Think about your dad’s technological knowledge; if it’s limited, choose a camera that has minimal features without all of the unnecessary bells and whistles. A point and shoot style camera is more than sufficient for a senior looking to take on a digital photography hobby. You also want to look for a camera that has relatively large buttons, as his dexterity could decrease with age, as well as a camera with a large display screen. Also ensure that his computer is compatible with the camera before you decide to bring it home!

Sources:

1. Suite101
2. eHow

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

Q – I’ve been thinking of moving my elderly mother in to the house I share with my husband and children, is this a good idea and what can I expect?

A – There are many pros to having your elderly mother live with you from a care perspective, especially if she is struggling with independent living. But it will also be a challenging experience for both your mother and the rest of your family, who are not used to co-existing under the same roof.

Pros:
• Having your mother living under your roof in Boston will allow you to care for your elderly parent around the clock
• When living in the same home, you are available should a medical emergency or accident occur with your mother
• Your mother won’t have to worry about maintaining a home (cooking, cleaning); she can pitch in with tasks she’s capable of
• Not having to travel to provide care to your mother will be more convenient for you and your family

Cons:
• Roles in your household could change along with family dynamic
• Your mother may not adjust well to the functioning of your household, and may attempt to interfere with the raising of your children
• You might feel you need to look after your mother full-time when living under the same roof, so the caregiver structure may be more stressful
• There may be disputes over family finances if clear expectations aren’t set

Sources:
1. Associated Content
2. Women Today Magazine
3. US News.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Home Instead Senior Care recently compiled the results of the largest survey ever conducted on the state of senior caregiving in the United States. Some interesting findings were determined and are summarized in posts on Carebuzz this week.

At Home Instead Senior Care we often receive calls and are questioned about “who pays for in home senior care?” – “Does medicare or an insurance policy cover these types of services?”

When a patient is discharged from a hospital, the doctor can request that a home health attendant come to the patients home for 2 hours at a time for up to 3 visits/week. Usually this is available for 6 weeks and medicare will pay for it.  The home health attendant can help prepare a meal, assist with bathing and perform some light housekeeping in the patient’s room. While these services may be helpful, patients usually can not specify the time of day or possibly can not choose the person that they would prefer to come into their home and assist them with very personal matters.

For a patient who would like a schedule that is a better fit for their routine, this type of service may not be ideal.  We also find that although having these medicare funded services are helpful they may not be enough for someone who needs more assistance throughout the day or night. There may be some overlap between the tasks that home health aides and home care workers or CAREGivers perform so it is important for a family member to be clear about what they expect each person to do if Medicare funded home health aides are coming into the home.

Many people are surprised to find out how affordable CAREGiving services can be. Each Home Instead Senior Care office is independently owned, so prices will vary, but the average across the US is $18/hour.

Who Actually Pays?:

- 25% Of seniors pay for their own care

- 19% Is paid for by The primary decision-maker – the person responsible for making key health-care decisions when it is not the senior

- 17% percent of seniors make use of long-term care insurance

- 10% Is funded by State and volunteer/community contributions

Source: When The Age Wave Hits: Home Instead Senior Care Annual Reports