Sonoma Elder Care


Join us in Celebrating Latinos in the Workplace!

Posted on March 8th, by Mark Winter in Caregivers, Hired Hands News, Home Care Staff, Sonoma Elder Care. No Comments

Join us on March 14, as we celebrate Latinos in the Workplace!

Over the past Twenty Five years, we have had the honor to work with literally hundreds of amazing Latino Caregivers.  Today, Latino employees make up a considerable portion of our Caregiver team, making a significantly positive daily impact on the communities we serve.  Hired Hands is honored to support the upcoming 14th Annual Latinos in the Workplace conference, empowering and celebrating Latinos that make our community so strong.

Please join us for the 14th Annual Latinos in the Workplace Conference at the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa.
Thursday, March 14, 2019, 7:30am  –  11:30 am.  Breakfast will be served.  An educational forum that seeks to help all employers provide a safe, productive and enriching work environment for Latino employees and empower Latinos to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Presented by Michael D. Lopez of … Read More »



Learn the Warning Signs of Caregiver Burnout and How to Prevent It

Learn tips on how in-home respite care can help you steer clear of caregiver burnout.

Providing care for an older loved one, in spite of being incredibly rewarding, can also include a high level of caregiver stress. The full-time responsibility of meeting a loved one’s needs can quickly escalate to caregiver burnout – a dangerous condition which can cause loss of patience and emotional outbursts. This has an impact on not only the caregiver herself, but on her senior loved one as well.

It’s crucial to discover if you might be in danger of developing caregiver burnout, and seek assistance if needed. The questionnaire below from Hired Hands Homecare, experts at in home care in Walnut Creek and surrounding areas, can help you determine if you might have crossed the line from caregiver stress to caregiver burnout:

Do you … Read More »



Improve Life for Those with Dementia with Fun Activities for the Elderly

Posted on December 31st, by Mark Winter in Benefits of Home Care, Dementia, Sonoma Elder Care. No Comments

Try out some of these fun activities for seniors with dementia.

As our senior loved ones advance through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease (or any other form of dementia), their ability to engage in everyday activities lessens, in spite of their need to remain busy and to feel productive. As a result, discovering ways to engage in fun activities for the elderly can be a challenge.

If you’re encountering this now, you know that each stage of Alzheimer’s disease presents its own unique challenges. The first obstacle may be helping your loved one remain interested in an activity – even one that had been a favorite hobby at one time. Another concern may be finding an activity that matches her physical ability. Reading, for instance, may have been a beloved pastime when she was younger. But if her eyesight is failing … Read More »



Two of the Best Activities for Older Adults: Art and Music

Posted on December 23rd, by Mark Winter in Benefits of Home Care, Companion Care Services, Sonoma Elder Care. 1 Comment

Learn more about some of the best activities for older adults.

We often hear about the importance of the arts in our children’s education, but what about when we grow older? Art plays a valuable role in learning throughout our lives, and is, in fact, one of the best activities for older adults because of the many benefits it provides.

For many older adults, in particular those who have lost a spouse or who struggle with getting out because of mobility issues, everyday life can become monotonous and feelings of despondency and isolation are common. However, the addition of activities for older adults can help combat these feelings and provide a therapeutic way for older adults to express themselves. Incorporating arts and music into daily care not only provides emotional enrichment, but can significantly enhance quality of life and even improve the … Read More »


Effective Dementia Communication Tips

Posted on September 6th, by Mark Winter in Alzheimer's, Dementia, Sonoma Elder Care. 2 comments

Learn how to better communicate with a person with Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia have a strong influence on language. The disease has an effect on speech and making use of words, as well as the comprehension of words. As the disease advances, language as a method of connecting will become less effective, and family and friends may need to choose different methods for communicating to interact with their loved one.

Hired Hands Homecare, top providers of the professional elderly care Santa Rosa families need, offers the following tips to help in communication and understanding with a loved one with dementia:

Make sure to use a kind tone – slower, lower, smiling.
Always treat the individual as an adult with the utmost respect, and make your best effort to be patient, flexible, supportive and calm.
Be sure there are … Read More »



Best Ways to Provide Older Relatives a Sense of Purpose and Senior Independence

“Here, I can help you with that.”

“Don’t overdo it now!”

“Why don’t you sit here and rest? I’ll handle that.”

How often have we made comments such as these to older adults—with the very best of intentions, of course? We want to do what we can to help our older loved ones, to help them stay safe and to take care of them in the same way they took care of us when we were growing up. However, there’s a concealed risk in trying to do too much for older individuals and depriving them of the ability to do as much as possible for themselves – the threat of harming their self-esteem and sense of purpose in life and making them feel robbed of their senior independence.

Take, for example, an elderly gentleman who spent his entire life … Read More »



How to Create a Sense of Purpose for Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease

Search online for “activities for seniors” and you’re likely to find numerous crafts, games, memory stimulation puzzles, and of course, the requisite bingo. However, what you won’t discover—unless you dig a little deeper with your searches—are the meaningful, beneficial activities that give significance to our lives. And yet, if you ask older individuals what they most want to do, the majority of them won’t mention bingo, crafts and games. What they want more than anything is to feel useful.

The University of Minnesota reveals details on how the most vulnerable times in our lives are a person’s first year of life, and our first year after retiring. The loss of the sense of purpose found in a fulfilling profession can cause significant health issues – and even an earlier fatality rate, if that awareness of purpose is not maintained … Read More »



Quality Matters – Who to Choose for Enhanced Senior Living Santa Rosa CA

When an older adult needs in home care services, there are a number of available options, and deciding where to turn can be intimidating. For instance, should you work with a professional home care agency, an independently hired caregiver, or utilize a caregiving registry? And how can you identify which home care solution is best for your loved one’s unique needs? There are benefits and drawbacks with most choices, but when it comes to senior care at home, the solution is clear: hiring a professional agency for the in-home senior living Santa Rosa CA families need, like Hired Hands Homecare, is the ideal choice for the highest quality care for numerous reasons:

You don’t need to perform a search for a safe, trained caregiver. A reputable home care agency not only checks references and performs in-depth background and driving record … Read More »



You Don’t Have to Be a Tech-Savvy Senior to Benefit from Technology

Posted on February 22nd, by Mark Winter in Health, Homecare, Senior Health, Senior Independence, Sonoma Elder Care, Technology. No Comments

When our parents were younger, telephones were wired to walls, mail was delivered by postmen, and if grown children lived at a distance from their parents, checking in on them meant asking a neighbor to stop by to see how they were making out. If seniors were housebound as a result of illness or frailty, they could very easily start feeling isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. Social circles grew smaller, and distant family members often felt at a loss because they weren’t able to be there to help. But the world has changed dramatically over the past few decades and technology has changed how we communicate and function with our everyday tasks. Technology has also allowed for a revolution in home care for older adults and those who ordinarily might not have been able … Read More »



Happy Birthday Hired Hands Homecare!

From our humble beginnings in Mill Valley, to our current four offices, working with hundreds of amazing people every week,

Over the last 24 years Hired Hands Homecare has touched the lives of many…

Our utterly amazing and dedicated Caregivers,

Our precious Clients and their Families,

Our outstanding Internal Management Team / Family,

& Our all of our trusted Community Partners.

It is our utmost honor & privilege!  THANK YOU for an amazing journey… and here’s to another 24 more!

With Love,
Lynn, Erin & Mark Winter 






Contact Us to Learn More!

Want to find out more about our senior care in California and how it can improve safety, comfort, and independence at home? Contact us at (866) 940-4343 to request a free in-home consultation to learn more about our customized care solutions in Novato, Pleasanton, Santa Rosa, Napa, Sonoma, and the surrounding areas.


From Our Blog:

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