Caregivers' Due Diligence Tips for Locating Quality Elder Home Care Isabel Fawcett, SPHR     Baby Boomers have enough on our life plate without adding to possibly emerging concerns about our aging parents' safety in the comfort of their own homes. Given all the things that could happen, boomers would be well-advised and within reason to think strategically aboutelder home careagency selection decisions and the hard-hitting reality of in-home care forelderlyindividuals. If you are one such boomer who is starting to consider whether your aging parents might benefit from agency home care, you may find the following familycaregiver tipsfor elderly home care helpful. 1.    Although obvious to most of us, and trite to some, be sure to do your homework first in researching the elder home care provider. The more expansive your research and background inquiry, the more likely you are to be more confident in your elderly parent's home care agency selection. Visit with the agency's management and a few staff members and fire away with as many exploratory, open-ended and specific questions as possible.Invite a trusted friend or relative who is highly analytical to join you in your elder home care agency visit. Two clear-thinking minds are always better than one! Decide on your interrogatory strategy in advance of the visit. You may even want to role-play good-cop, bad-cop caregiver police in your lines of questioning. Be sure to thank theelder home careagency staff and management for their time and patience with your Detective Colombo research style. (Some boomers are likely to remember Detective Colombo fondly.)Preferably immediately following your elder home care agency visit(s) de-brief with your fellow caregiver "cop" regarding the good, bad, and ugly. Remember to exchange your "gut" feelings as well. "Gut" is usually a healthy non-verbal signal that family caregivers should not ignore. 2.    Once you and your parents choose a well-researched and highly recommended elder home care agency, make yourself available to meet, greet and chit-chat with each new home care worker. It is incumbent on a committed familycaregiverto set the in-home tone for eldercare excellence. Be sure to balance your sharing with active listening to the elder home care worker. Ask questions and be prepared to do an in-home walkthrough orientation for the worker with your parent also chiming-in. The home is your parents, not the elder home care worker's. Be sensitive to making thehome care providerfeel welcome, though not lackadaisical about his or her responsibilities. 3.    Call your parent at least a couple times daily. Ask to say hello to the worker without placing any demands on either your parent or the eldercare provider. Let them both know you just had a break at work and wanted to say hello. It is impossible to provide a comprehensive list of caregiver tips in one article. Just remember to hold theeldercare home provider and agency accountable. If you appreciate the work of staff and agency management, take the time to let them know – in more ways than one. May your parents always feel safe and content in their own home, caregivers! For information about how thecaringprofessionals atSolutions For Carecan help your family findelder care in Jacksonville FLand surrounding areas, please contact us at 904-945-9244. ...read more

Gift Ideas For Nursing Home ResidentsBy Vivienne MontagueSeveral things should be considered when choosing gifts for nursing home residents. How much room does the resident have? Do they have room for the gift you have in mind? Are they physically able to use the gift? Will they need help to use the gift and, if so, is the help readily available?Popular gifts that have stood the test of time for nursing home residents are books and magazines.. A new book by a favorite author is always welcome. A subscription to a favorite magazine is also a good idea.A box of candy is another popular choice but before giving candy, check with thecaregiversto see if this is something the resident can have or can be doled out occasionally.If the resident enjoys writing letters and cards, a box of all-occasion cards or notepaper would be welcome. Add some postage stamps and pre-printed labels for the people they write to and they can write cards and letters whenever they want to.Coloring books and crayons are fun for both residents and visitors. If the resident has difficulty conversing, just sitting and coloring with them, occasionally patting their hand or making comments about coloring is a relaxing way to spend time together and is appreciated by the resident.A lap-desk with a raised border around it is useful for writing and coloring.If the resident is able to go out, the promise of a trip to a favorite restaurant or movie would be appreciated but check with the nursing staff to make sure they are physically and mentally able to handle such a venture. Ask about any medications or treatments that might need to be taken into consideration.Source: Eldercare ABC BlogContinue reading…  Solutions For Careis anelder careagency providingcare managementin Jacksonville FLand surrounding areas. For information about our caring services, please call 904-945-9244. ...read more

4 Tips for Caring for Mom and Dadby: MP Dunleavey(MONEY Magazine) -- Caring for an ailing or aging parent is never easy, but the challenges only multiply when Mom and Dad live far away. Nearly 7 million Americans care for anelderly relativefrom a distance, reports the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC). If you're among them, you know full well the guilt and anxiety of not being able to be there at a moment's notice. That's to say nothing of the financial stresses involved: Long-distancecaregiversspend an average of $8,700 a year providing support to their loved ones, the NAC survey found -- nearly twice as much as those who live closer. Travel accounts for most of the extra burden, but there are also expenses involved with hiring people and services in your stead. Whether your parent could use a hand with housework or requires full-time care because of a disabling condition, you want to do all you can to help. But there are only so many plane tickets you can buy without compromising your financial goals; only so often you can abandon your own household or your job. These strategies can help reduce the stress without sacrificingquality of care. Get Low-Cost Help Even with a solid network, you may have gaps you can't cover. Fortunately, your local Agency on Aging can help you access a swath of services for the elderly, including food delivery and meal programs, transportation around town, social activities, help with tax prep, and more. These community-based resources are usually free or cost very little -- and some don't have income or asset criteria. For information, call 800-677-1116 or contact your relative's area Agency on Aging directly. Check with your employer too, says Wagner. Some large companies offerelder-carereferrals through the benefits package or employee assistance program. Bring on a Professional If your relative requires more hands-on help than all these services provide, but isn't ready yet to leave his or her home, you may have to hire an aide. A personal-care aide can provide help with cooking, light housekeeping, and bathing; ahome health aideor visiting nurse may be more appropriate in situations where medical monitoring is needed. Seem like too much to manage from afar? Call in a geriatric-care manager, a certified professional who knows the local offerings and can help you assess your options, says Elinor Ginzler, a vice president at AARP and author of Caring for Your Parents. ...continue reading from money.cnn.com  Solutions For Carehelps many families withelder care in Jacksonville FLand surrounding areas. If you needelder carefor your senior loved one, please call 904-945-9244 or visit us atwww.solutionsforcare.com. ...read more