Expert Home Care NJ - New Jersey Home Health

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help at home in NJ - 800-848-2336.

Keep Senior Falls to a Minimum

Every year about 25% of all seniors receive treatment for injuries cause solely by a trip or fall. So much does that happen that it has become the number one cause of injury for seniors in America. However, this can be avoided by “trip-proofing” both your home and lifestyle.

The object is to remove as many fall hazards as possible and by strengthening your body to deal with minor trips or falls (or to avoid them all together). First, keep a clean and tidy house. Unwanted objects or unseen clutter can easily lead to a trip or fall. Be sure to be especially careful on staircases or hallways; keep them clutter-free and well lit.

The bathroom will need minor changes to be as safe as possible. Install grab bars for easy access to the commode or shower stall. Put non-skid or non-slip on any floor object like a rug or bathroom mat that could slip while you’re standing on it.

Remain active both indoors and outdoors by exercising, walking or gardening. You’ll fortify your bones, strengthen your muscles and improve your overall balance and equilibrium. Top this all off with a good diet and low alcohol consumption and you’ve done your part to keeping your trips and falls to a minimum.

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

Medicare Fraud in New Jersey

Medicare Fraud was a growing problem back in the 1990’s. Exposing those who participate in Medicare fraud in New Jersey was essential to helping to control the problem. In 1990, the Florida Legislature passed a law with an amendment that allowed anyone with a medical degree from outside the United States, who was not licensed as a physician, to become certified as a physician assistant in Florida.

There were 960 foreign medical graduates (FMGs) who took advantage of this opportunity before the Florida Academy of Physician Assistants got an injunction and stopped this major mistake.

In 1994 the Legislature passed a law that would require those FMGs to pass an examination administered by the state similar to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants examination required to become a nationally certified physician assistant.

Of the 900 or so who took that exam, 60 passed. The remaining lost their privilege to practice medicine in Florida. Of those remaining 60, 15 have been convicted of Medicare fraud, and several more have been convicted of other major medical offenses. They have since lost their privileges. The physician’s assistant in the story was one of the foreign medical graduates and never nationally certified.

Medicare Fraud read story

If you are a family member caring for an aging relative living in New Jersey, Expert Home Care can help you keep your senior safe and healthy. Please call us at 800-848-2336.

Keeping seniors in NJ safe and healthy is top of Home Care list in New Jersey. The cold season is upon us and many NJ seniors and elders are worried about the flu. One way to stop the concern and unecessary worry is to get a flu shot. There is plenty of flu vaccine to go around in New Jersey, and it should keep your elder protected against flu strains we expect this year. 

There are multiple suppliers of the vaccine now. There should be no trouble getting it.

Manufacturers expect to have 146 million flu shots available in the United States, up from last year’s record 132 million doses, Health Department spokeswoman Stacy Kriedeman said.  Although almost everyone can benefit from a flu shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies several high-risk groups who should make it a priority. Senior Flu Shots.

Expert Home Care - A New Jersey Senior Care, Elder Care, and Live-In Home care agency sponsors a Live Focus on Senior Radio program on wsRadio.com. Hosts are David Goodman, President of Expert Home Care New Jersey and Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care New Jersey.

Diabetes is a condition that affects the way your body uses food.

1. As your body digests food it converts it into glucose for energy.
2. The body then uses a pancreatic hormone, insulin, to get the glucose into your cells.
3. Diabetes, however, makes it such that your pancreas cannot produce enough, if any, insulin to be assimilated.
4. This causes a build up of undigested glucose in your blood stream, raising your blood sugar levels.

There are 10 easy ways to spot diabetes.

1. Chronic fatigue
2. Excessive thirst
3. Increased appetite
4. Frequent urination
5. Sores that don’t heal
6. Sexual problems
7. Blurry vision
8. Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
9. Significant obesity
10. A family history of diabetes

Expert Home Care provides live-in care, personal services, companion care, and homemaker services to elders and seniors living in New Jersey.  Call us today at (800) 848-2336.

We found an interesting article about Social Security and “when” to sign up for it’s benefits. Some people are taking the lower benefits but getting them earlier, at age 62, while other Americans are choosing to take the benefits later.. giving them a larger sum of retirement income. Which do you choose? Here’s an interesting article that might inspire retired New Jersey seniors to look at social security and it’s benefits differently.

3 Unusual Strategies for Claiming Social Security Benefits by Emily Brandon

If you are debating on what age to sign up for Social Security, this is probably the most important retirement decision you make. Social Security is the largest source of income for over half of retirees, and the age you begin receiving payments can vastly affect the amount of money you receive over your lifetime.

Strategy 1: Borrow and Invest

If you sign up for Social Security at age 62, you receive reduced benefit payouts for life; that is, unless you can afford to pay the money back. If you return every cent you’ve already received, without interest, you can qualify for higher payments for the rest of your life.

Strategy 2: Claim Now, Claim More Later

A married worker with a retired spouse can claim a spousal benefit at full retirement age and then switch to his or her own benefit at a later date.

Strategy 3: Claim and Suspend

A spousal benefit is generally equal to half of the higher earner’s due, although claiming it before full retirement age diminishes the amount of the benefit.

Read the full story on Strategies to sign up for Social Security.

Expert Home Care New Jersey Personal Care for Seniors - (800) 848-2336.

Most NJ seniors and elders are aware of the need to prepare for the winters. One way we do that to insure that our health remains strong is to get a flu shot. By doing this, it can reduce the risk of influenza-related death among people 65 and older.

But according to a recent study by researchers at the George Washington University in Washington D.C., the study suggests that influenza-related death among people 65 and older may be exaggerated, say researchers who reviewed the available scientific evidence.

This exaggeration is the result of “frailty selection bias” - where “not so frail” older people are vaccinated more often than those who are infirm, the team said. It’s also due to the use of non-specific clinical trail endpoints, such as death from any and all causes, wrote a group led by Dr. Lone Simonsen, of George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

You will find the latest reported study in the October issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

The researchers noted that few clinical trials of flu vaccines have included seniors, especially those aged 70 and older - the age group that accounts for 75 percent of all influenza-related deaths. Those studies that have been conducted with seniors suggested a steady decline in clinical benefits and vaccine antibody responses after age 70.

Click on link below to read full story.

Study Questions Flu Shot’s Value for Older People 

Expert Home Care - (800) 848-2336.

FAMILY CHALLENGES WITH LEGAL WILLS

A long distance family caregiver asked Expert Home Care to provide in-home, non medical care for her mother, age 78. Her mother had not planned well for aging, therefore left the daughter to carry the bulk of her care and long term planning. She tells us her story…

When my mother fell ill in her late 70’s, our family encountered a number of challenges in dealing with her medical care and associated finances. Unfortunately, after having a stroke, she was no longer in a sound mind to determine what she wanted in terms of her medical care, and we were unable to access her finances that we knew she had set aside for emergencies of this type. 

My mother had previously discussed her wishes regarding long-term care should the need arise, as well as her limitations regarding resuscitation; and while it had been in her mind to create a Living Will to legally document her requirements, she never got around to it before this crisis hit and that made the whole process all the more difficult.

The doctors seemed to be under the impression that she would pull through, but she also hadn’t created a Last Will and Testament, and not being in a “sound mind” would not be able to put this together legally in order to distribute her assets and finances should a tragedy occur.

Visit tomorrow to read the full story.

Expert Home Care - (800) 848-2336.

Planning for home care in New Jersey can be difficult for most seniors. Deciding “how” to distribute your assets is another challenge for most aging Americans… Expert Home Care NJ has helped many seniors figure out “how to live independently at home and plan for the future when you can no longer care for yourself”. Call us when you need assistance with homemaker needs at (800) 848-2336.

Let’s talk about Wills or Living Trusts - most NJ elders and seniors cringe when thinking about which one is best for their assets.

The first answer to think about is who will get your money, your property, or even your favorite diamond ring or heirloom when you’re gone? We don’t like to dwell on these questions. The evidence? Few Hispanics have the main documents used to distribute property after death: only one in four has a will, and one in fivehas a living trust.

Yet if you decide early on exactly who gets what could relieve your loved ones of a the burden. After all, if you don’t decide, the government will. And you don’t want to go down that road!

Many seniors consider a will the best tool when making their wishes known to relatives. And in their opinion, the will is the best tool to carry out those wishes. That may be true in many cases. But according to some experts, a living trust, alone or with a will, offers a better solution.

Expert Home Care in New Jersey - (800) 848-2336, recently interviewed Mr. Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. at The Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli, located in Westfield, New Jersey, providing a broad range of legal services for the elderly, the disabled and their families. They successfully guide clients through the complex areas of estate tax law, public benefits law, and court procedures.

We know that many NJ seniors often wonder “what is the difference between elder law attorneys and attorneys?” This can be confusing and many families and seniors wonder if both professionals are the same.

We interviewed Mr. Vanarelli last week and asked him to please tell us what, if any, are the differences. Mr. Donald D. Vanarelli helped to clarify the confusion for some of us who are often confused. Being a board certified elder law attorney since 1998, we thought he would be the best to help us understand “what elder law is”. 

According to The National Elder Law Foundation defines elder law in more detail, saying it encompasses each of the following areas:

• Health and Personal Care Planning
• Pre-Mortem Legal Planning
• Fiduciary Representation
• Legal Capacity Counseling
• Public Benefits Advice
• Advice on Insurance Matters 
• Housing Counseling 
• Income, Estate, and Gift Tax Advice
• Counseling with regard to age and/or disability discrimination in employment and housing
• Litigation and Administrative Advocacy

What Makes Elder Law Unique?
Elder Law is the only area of law defined by the clients served rather than the areas of law in which the attorney practices.

What is a Certified Elder Law Attorney?
Elder Law is a legal specialty which has been formally recognized by New Jersey’s Supreme Court through the American Bar Association’s accreditation of legal specialties program.

To learn more, please visit The Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli.

When planning for a vacation, most seniors don’t put much thought into it. It’s our goal at Expert Home Care to help New Jersey Seniors and Elders travel safely and with care. Please call us when needing help at home (800) 848-2336.

Consider your travel style.

• Don’t end up doing something you don’t really want to do. Does the thought of a 10-day road trip bring a smile or a grimace?
• Is 17 hours on a plane to Australia blissful or stressful?
• Are you interested in a destination vacation or would you rather keep moving? Do you prefer swimsuits and shorts to regulation cruise wear like gowns and tuxedos?
• Check your passport. If traveling out of the country, be sure your passport is current. It will take at least six weeks to get a new one.
• Create an itinerary. Leave a copy of your complete travel information with friends or family.
• Be informed. The Internet is full of sites that offer unlimited information for travelers. Take virtual tours on the Web of places you want to visit, and get the most current travel guides to those areas. There are many companies that specialize in senior travel.
• Hotels and tour operators want your business. If you are considering a tour package, be sure the company is financially sound and well established. Know who you are dealing with before parting with your money.

By doing your research, you’ll ensure a positive experience for all involved. Bon voyage…