Category Archives: Home Health Care

New Jersey Alzheimer’s Care

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

Are you reluctant to talk about your memory loss? 

Seniors in New Jersey fear Alzheimer’s disease more than heart disease, stroke and diabetes. They fear it so much that elders and seniors with memory loss stay in a state of denial. They will conceal their memory loss from physician, family and friends. 

During screenings, 73 percent of seniors said they had concerns about memory, but only 30 percent said they had shared that with anyone. Of those who did, most told their spouse. Only about 25% shared that memory loss concern with their doctor. Men are almost three times more likely than women to keep quiet about memory loss.

Although Alzheimer’s disease is by no means the only cause of memory loss, an estimated 4.5 million now have the disease – a number that is expected to grow to more than 11 million by the year 2050. While memory screening is relatively new, it will likely grow in usage as one way for individuals to begin to assess concerns about such memory changes, said researcher Sandra Timmerman, Ed.D.

Awareness of memory loss needs to increase in New Jersey and all across America. We also need more education about memory loss and the importance of evaluation to determine whether one may or not have a problem that requires intervention. The earlier the intervention, the better one’s quality of life can be.

NJ Live-in Caregiver tips for Elder Care in New Jersey

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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.

MAKE CAREGIVING A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

  • While it may seem easier to push your feelings aside, acknowledge them and let yourself experience the emotions. The best thing to do is to ask yourself why you are feeling that way, address the issues, and then you’ll be able to move on.
  • Alter or modify your environment to boost your mood, you don’t need to make drastic changes to make a difference. A small change like lighting a candle, burning some incense or putting on great music or a movie can help relax you and change your mood from negative to positive.
  • Admit what you’re dealing with to the people you work with. You don’t need to keep it to yourself, and may find that other co-workers may be able to provide you with much needed support and could even have gone through similar things. Your boss may be more understanding if they recognize your situation in advance, although you shouldn’t take advantage of any kindness extended.  It’s better to talk about what you’re dealing with, then to try and keep in a secret.
  • Ask for help from your family, friends and professionals. These people can be great resources for information, and can also help you out when you’re in a bind. Asking for help is the first step towards establishing a support network.
  • Recharge your batteries by engaging in activities you enjoy, whatever they may be. You need to remember to take care of yourself, or you won’t be much good to anyone else!

New Jersey Caregiver Tips

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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.

MAKE CAREGIVING A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

Many people don’t realize that caregivers are under a great deal of stress. They make many sacrifices, and are forced to juggle all the responsibilities in their lives. In order to properly provide for their loved one, caregivers need to ensure that the caregiving experience remains a positive one.

1. Visualize a time when you felt content and light-hearted any time you become stressed, or even feel trapped. Take a deep breath, smile, laugh and let the energy from the positive memories take over. This method will help eliminate the physical symptoms, like a knotted stomach, constricted throat, shallow breathing or tightness in the chest.

2. Have help ready by identifying your ‘support squad’. This may consist of other family members, friends of yours or friends of the family. Make a list of people who can help you in some way and assign each of them roles. Your support squad can help you in any way, from giving you an emotional boost, helping provide care, or taking you out to socialize.

3. Don’t wait to call someone in your ‘support squad’ when you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities. It helps this person feel valued, creates a deeper bond, and is a great way to relieve your own stress.

4. Recognize your own negative thinking and ask yourself questions about your thoughts to gain a more positive perspective. Questions may include the following:  Is my thinking helping or hurting me? What would I tell a friend who was having similar thoughts? What is my real percentage of responsibility in this situation? What small step can I take to make improvements? What are the solutions?

5. Set realistic goals that are easy to achieve, rather than becoming discouraged when you don’t meet a large goal immediately. Plan how you will meet the minimal goals, while keeping the optimal large goal in mind; however, do remember it will take time to get there, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

New Jersey Elders at Home – Avoid Stroke & Heart Disease

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New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us if your elder lives alone, we provide quality and fulfilling senior care companionship in New Jersey - 800-848-2336.

One is the loneliest number for NJ seniors and elders…and unhealthy, to boot.

Loneliness is a major risk factor in increasing blood pressure in older people, and because of this could increase the risk of death by stroke and heart disease.

In a paper titled, “Loneliness is a Unique Predictor of Age-Related Differences in Systolic Blood Pressure,” published in the journal Psychology and Aging, researchers Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo found lonely people between the ages of 50 and 68 had blood pressure readings that were as much as 30 points higher than non-lonely people, even when other contributing factors were taken into consideration.

“Loneliness is a complex physiological phenomenon that incorporates feelings of dysphoria (opposite of euphoria) and stress, dissatisfaction with social support and hostility toward others,” according to the paper. It already has been associated with higher incidences of other health issues, including alcoholism, depression and insomnia, and even impaired immune functions.

Expert Home Care recommends that elders living alone – create more activity outside the home. Rrequent visits to your local senior center can help and it’s not costly. Ask us! We can help - 800-848-2336.

Glen Hast, Certified Senior Advisors

New Jersey Live-in Care – End of Life

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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.

Medical Care at the End-of-Life

In the past, most people who died had an accident or contracted a disease or they had a physical illness that eventually lead to death. Life-saving medical interventions such as sophisticated resuscitation, complicated surgeries, life-saving treatments, ventilators, feeding tubes and other life-support were rarely used or even available. But today’s medical care, provides a great emphasis on curing medical problems sometimes to the exclusion of recognizing that death might be a more welcome outcome.

Surveys indicate that older people are often more afraid of death than younger people. But for all Americans — young and old — there is a great fear of death and oftentimes the families of those loved ones, who are near the end-of-life, will go to great lengths to try interventions that may be ineffective in prolonging life. We need only look to the Terri Schiavo case as a reflection of the attitude of many Americans who are unwilling to let loved ones pass on.

Estimates are that about 30% of Medicare reimbursements are spent on people in the last year of their life. It is a fact that much of this medical care did little to prevent death and prolong life.  Read full article.

Checklist for New Jersey Elders – Tips on Diabetes

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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

New Jersey Senior Resources

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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.

Home Care & Elder Law – Senior Planning in New Jersey

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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.

Seniors are Unprepared for Retirement in NJ

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Call Expert Home Care provides help to seniors and elders in NJ – living independently at home. Please call 800-848-2336.

American’s lack of financial planning for the future also extends to long-term care insurance. More than half of Americans will need long-term care during their lives. But only seven percent of seniors own private insurance that could help them pay for this type of care, says the Journal of Financial Planning.

Long-term care is simply the help people need when a serious illness, injury or disability makes them physically unable to care for themselves. It can be expensive, with the cost for a year’s nursing home stay averaging $44,000 and adult day care typically $50 a day.

Medicare and Medicaid don’t cover many types of long-term care. And most people can’t afford to pay for it out-of-pocket. Consequently, family members are often left with the burden of providing care. Nearly half of adults age 50 or older provide some care to a family member or loved one, according to AARP’s “The State of 50-Plus America, 2004″. And 31 percent of caregivers quit work to care for an older person with a severe impairment, forfeiting thousands of dollars annually in wages and health benefits.

NJ Seniors Unprepared for Retirement

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Many Seniors in New Jersey are Unprepared To Face the Future – What, me worry?

With life expectancy rising, Americans are facing retirement of 25 to 30 years or more. But many seniors are not financially or legally prepared for the future.

A lack of retirement planning is partly to blame. With Social Security benefits increasingly playing a smaller role in retirement funding, about 90 percent of people feel they will need to take on more responsibility for supporting their retirement, according to a recent survey by the American Council of Life Insurance (ACLI). However, only 44 percent of non-retirees say they are saving for retirement and are able to report how much.

A lack of planning is reflected in other areas as well. Currently, 57 percent of Americans don’t have a will — potentially leaving them without any say about their assets or the care of minor children after they die, reports legal Web site FindLaw. 

If someone dies without a will, their estate will be distributed according to a rigid legal formula and not as they may have wished. Legal experts advise anyone who is over the age of 18 and has assets, children or other dependants to create a will.

Call Expert Home Care when worried whether or not you can stay home comfortably. Please call 800-848-2336.