Each senior should be aware of the importance of cleaning and caring for their teeth. Some seniors with dentures believe they do not need to have the regular dental appointments they did in the past. This is not the case. Seniors need to still care for their mouth and maintain dental health. By using some of the tips provided below, seniors can keep their healthy smile.
1. Have a healthy diet. This will help improve oral health. Eating green and raw vegetables will be beneficial.
2. When brushing teeth, do not forget about the tongue. Daily brushing of the teeth on a daily basis is not as effective unless the tongue is also brushed at the same time.
3. Omit refined sugars from your diet. There are many products that will provide seniors with a sweet tooth the satisfaction they are looking for without the sugar intake.
4. Always provide your dentist with medical records. This will ensure you receive the proper medications if necessary.
5. Just because dentures are not real teeth, they should not be treated any differently. Brush and clean them daily.
6. No matter what the circumstances are, never decrease brushing. Always make sure to brush on a regular basis to maintain oral health.
7. Be sure to keep those dental visits. Routine cleanings are just as important for seniors as they are for young adults.
Boston Senior Care enables seniors to live happy, healthy, and independent lives in their own homes.
In order to provide effective services to a senior, caregivers must remain healthy. This applies to mental and physical capacities. If a caregiver neglects their own health, they will not be able to provide the necessary services to a senior. The list below contains a few tips that will help caregivers stay on track and keep healthy so that they can carry on providing those important services.
1. Caregivers should remember that they are not alone. The role of a caregiver can be stressful, exhausting and demanding. Many times, caregivers suffer from depression. While it may seem like the caregiver must do this alone, family and friends can offer much support and make a big difference.
2. Caregivers need to know their strengths. It is important to reward yourself for a job well done. Knowing your strengths as well as your limitations will help you become a better caregiver.
3. Many caregivers neglect their own health because they are so preoccupied with caring for a senior. Your personal health should be your number one priority. Never put aside your own health needs.
4. It is ok to ask for help. If you begin feeling overwhelmed, there is no shame asking for help. This could be as simple as words of encouragement. Family members may also be able to help you care for an elderly relative. This can make a huge difference because you will not be responsible for every aspect of care. It is ok to take a break!
5. Caregivers need to be an advocate for seniors. It is important for every caregiver to know their own rights in addition to the rights of the senior receiving assistance or treatment.
Home Care Boston enables seniors to live happy, healthy, and independent lives in their own homes.
Hiring a caregiver for a senior can be as complicated as you make it. There are many agencies to choose from, each offering a staff of caregivers that provide various services. Once you have determined the type of service needed, you will have narrowed down the playing field. Then it is time to make some choices as to who the best caregiver will be. This is a serious decision and should not be made in haste. Below is a short list of tips that will help finding a caregiver less of a chore.
1. Check local Home Care Agencies. These companies staff many caregivers. However, they do provide different levels of service, so take the time to make sure all services that are needed can be provided.
2. If the senior in need of a caregiver is approved for care that will be paid for by Medicare, the Health Care Agency must be Medicare certified. This ensures that the agency meets the minimal federal requirements.
3. If the senior only requires personal care or homemaking services, caregivers do not have to come from an agency that is certified for Medicare.
4. If there is no Medicare coverage, the cost of the caregiver will have to be paid by the person receiving services. These services can be expensive, but there are some low rates for personal care attendants, also known as PCA’s. They are typically paid by the hour at rates between $13 and $35.
5. Do not be afraid to contact multiple agencies. It is important to find the right caregiver that will provide all services needed by the senior.
In most cases, seniors and decision-makers wait too long before addressing the need for senior care. The result of this is that health may decline either quickly or progressively because the senior may not be taking their medications correctly, eating a well balanced diet or following the orders of their health care professionals. The other possibility is that they will grow weak and have a fall causing them to be hospitalized. All of these problems can be avoided if families see the signs of decline and move swiftly to ensure they have the help they need at home.
Two-thirds of seniors report obtaining care after they have what they describe as a “pivotal incident.” A pivotal incident is commonly defined as a fall or other kind of accident. However, in most cases the incident is actually the result of a chronic condition sucn as arthritis or dementia that should have been addressed much sooner.
In the course of dealing with chronic and persistent conditions, there is a tipping point where decision-makers decide that care has grown beyond their capacity. The age of the senior when this tipping point is usually reached may be anywhere between 70 and 90, depending on a wide variety of individual factors. A relatively small number of seniors, 10 percent are under 70 when they are recommended for senior home care.
Average Age Recommended for In-Home Senior Care:
Age: % Recommended:
50-60 2%
60-70 7%
70-80 43%
80-90 49%
90+ 0%
By working with either an independent care manager or a professional, who understands the changes that seniors go through that lead up to needing either assisted living or assistance at home, families can stay ahead of their seniors needs. Home Instead Senior Care can conductinhome assessments to help with the process of understanding the maze of options available.
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
