Napa Home Care Planning

It’s a well-known fact: the vast majority of seniors dream of aging in place over an eventual move to a nursing home or assisted living facility. Who wouldn’t want to remain in the comfort of their own home throughout aging? Aging at home allows seniors an unparalleled sense of safety and security, in the home and community that are familiar. In order for this dream to become a reality, however, additional assistance at home might become necessary. Professional home care agencies, like Hired Hands Homecare, provide affordable solutions.

Here are 10 ways that home care truly makes a difference in a senior’s life:

Generally, in-home care leads to a higher satisfaction with life.
Professional home care allows dignity, independence and comfort for a senior.
Home care promotes healing. Studies have shown that patients heal more quickly at home versus in a hospital or nursing … Read More »

We all know the story about the ugly duckling who turned out to be a beautiful swan. The obvious moral of that story is that some things, upon first glance, are not what they appear to be. It is with that story in mind that Hired Hands Homecare invites you to celebrate Women’s Heart Health Month with the “IF She Were a SWAN…” Challenge.

As with men, a woman’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain. But while some heart attacks are sudden and intense, most of them actually start slowly with mild discomfort. The National Institutes of Health notes that women often experience physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing the actual heart attack. Additionally, women are somewhat more likely than men to experience and report some of the other less predictable symptoms. Use the … Read More »

Once you’ve determined that hiring an agency to provide in home care for seniors is the best option to keep your senior loved one safe, healthy and socially engaged, you may run into a stumbling block when it’s time to bring your loved one fully on board with the idea. Many seniors balk at the thought of bringing a “stranger” into the home, or in having their routines disrupted. Contact us online or call us at (866) 940-4343 to learn about how we can help your family

At Hired Hands Homecare, we understand the trepidation that can occur when the idea of bringing a caregiver into the home is introduced, and are empathetic to seniors’ valid concerns. Following are five tips from the Family Caregiver Alliance that can help minimize objections to in-home care:

Begin slowly – and early. Don’t wait until the care … Read More »

As we shared in our last blog post, there are a variety of care options available to seniors and their families who are looking to avoid a costly and life-changing transition to a nursing home or assisted living facility. If you’ve determined that senior home care may be the right option for your senior loved one, the next step is to make sure you’re fully educated on the crucial differences between hiring a caregiver privately through a registry or newspaper ad, and utilizing the services of a professional home care agency like Hired Hands Homecare.

Registry/Private Hire vs. the Home Care Agency

Although hiring a caregiver privately or through a registry may seem more affordable than a professional agency at first glance, there are hidden costs and risks associated with the private hire and registry.

Tax Issues/Worker’s Compensation: A professional home care agency … Read More »

Have you started the process of looking for home care services for yourself or a loved one? At Hired Hands Homecare, we know this is an important process. Finding quality care and knowing what level of care you or your loved needs can be overwhelming. We are here to help! We have broken down some of the main functions and ability levels that we take into account when recommending either part-time or full-time home care.

Minimal to Minor Care at Home:

Emergency Responsiveness: The individual is able to negotiate stairs, call for assistance or respond appropriately to someone helping him or her during an emergency.
Mobility: The individual is able to walk and transfer himself or herself from a bed or chair independently with infrequent falling.
Activities of Daily Living (bathing, dressing, feeding, etc.): The individual is able to accomplish most activities with little … Read More »

When is the right time to start thinking about future care? Though this thought may not be at the top of your to-do list, the answer is right now! The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2050, 21.5% of the United States population will be over 65. By the year 2025, $260 billion will be spent on long-term care for the elderly (up from $102 billion in 2000). Many people are unaware that Medicare does not cover most long-term care services. Planning ahead allows greater dignity, control, and independence over how future needs are met.

This type of planning starts with looking into what the cost will be if care is needed from in-home assistance to nursing home or assisted living care. Also, talking with a spouse, adult children, friends, and siblings about whether they would want to or be able … Read More »