Home Care NJ - New Jersey Home Health 1-800-848-2336

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.

Do You Remember…when? Expert Home Care New Jersey shares with our readers a walk down memory lane!  If you need help caring for an aging parent, call us at 800-848-2336.

According to conventional wisdom, people who were kids in the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, or even maybe the early ’70s probably shouldn’t have survived.

Remember how:

• Our baby cribs were covered with brightly colored, lead-based paint.
• We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. And there was nothing to stop us from sticking a fork in an electrical outlet.
• As children, we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. And we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. 
• Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was a special treat.
• We drank water from dirty garden hoses — not from bottles. Oh the horrors!
• We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from it.
• We spent hours building go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.
• We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents?
• We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it — or punch harder next time.
• We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and mud pies. And contrary to what we were told, we didn’t put out very many eyes and the worms didn’t live inside us forever.
• You’re more resilient than you thought. Congratulations for having survived! 

The Family Caregiver Alliance offers good information to families across America when dealing with elder care. Visit their site often at Family Caregiver Alliance.

Caring for aging parents or ill relatives brings out the good and the bad in sibling and family relationships. Caregiving can be a time for siblings to come together and provide support for each other or it can be a time for stressful transition, causing strained connections and painful conflict.

A source of friction between adult children carries the existing legacy of family dynamics. Demands of caregiving bring up old patterns, unresolved issues, and tensions. Old family wounds are reopened and rivalries reemerge. Siblings can find themselves replaying their historical roles in the family, recreating old dynamics of competition and resentment as they vie for mom’s and/or dad’s attention and affection.

Other things arise such as denial over a parent’s condition. Siblings who are unable to accept the reality of a parent’s illness and refuse involvement may be protecting themselves from facing a parent’s eventual death and their own loss. This causes the active family caregivers to react with resentment, bitterness, and anger.

What is seen in families is that discord surfaces from the unequal division of caregiving duties. Usually, it is one adult child or sibling that carries the primary role of caregiving for mom or dad. This may be because he or she lives closest to a parent, is perceived as having less work or fewer family obligations, or is considered the “favorite” child. When this situation occurs, it can lead the overburdened primary caregiver feel frustrated and resentful and other siblings to feel uninformed and left out.

Go to http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=868

For help when caring for an aging relative at home go to Expert Home Care and call 800-848-2336.

Family ties: The role of siblings in NJ elder care - Expert Home Care and call 800-848-2336.

In North America today, it is very common for children to provide full time care to their aging parents, often within their own homes. Adjusting to the arrival of a parent into a home can be both rewarding and burdening, and it is important that the caregiver receives both emotional and physical support from the rest of his/her family.

Unfortunately, caregiving for a parent is a situation that can often be a source of tension for siblings. It can be difficult for families to agree on the best methods of care, and is not uncommon for non caregiving family members to feel left out. In order to make the adjustment easier on the parent and caregiver, it’s crucial that non active siblings leave the major decisions to the caregiver while still being there for support. Siblings should respect decisions made by the caregiver and keep in mind the sacrifices that he/she has had to make in order to care for mom or dad.

Families need to stick together to provide for the well-being of their family unit, and maintain a peaceful and happy environment for their elder members.

Many New Jersey seniors are at risk during the summer’s heat and humidity.  Seniors over the age of 65 in four North American cities revealed that while nearly 90 percent of the respondents were aware a heat warning had been issued, only about half of the people did anything about it.  Many thought the warnings were targeting the NJ elderly, and not them.

To make sure that both you and your elder loved one are safe, here are some important tips:

• Keep a glass of water in every room for quick access.  Drink plenty of fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
• Dress in light-weight clothing.  Remove all heavy materials, long sleeves and dark colors from closets. 
• Stay out of the sun during the hottest times of the day.  Sunburn makes heat dissipation more difficult.
• Take a nap during high heat times or find a good television program or movie to watch.
• Keep shades down and blinds pulled. 

Most people know that extreme heat can make us sick. But we may think of heat-related illness as something that only affects people who are overdoing it like overheated marathon runners, professional athletes, or new recruits doing drills on military bases.

But most people who die from heat stroke in the U.S. about 400 every year, and possibly more don’t get it from overexerting themselves on a muggy day. In certain people during high temperatures, it’s all too easy to develop heat stroke while sitting perfectly still on the couch.

Heat stroke occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down.

Read the full article: Hot Summer Days Can Make Sick People Sicker.

Call Expert Home Care NJ if your elder needs Home Health Care in New Jersey at 800-848-2336.

If you are caring for a New Jersey elderly loved one at home, you should make them as comfortable and safe as possible. Quality home health care is important. This can reduce stress for you, as well as, your loved-one. The more secure your loved-one feels, the less the likelihood of them becoming confused, aggressive, or agitated. There are simple, little changes in Home Health Care that you can make to ensure a heightened level of contentment for your loved-one.

Expert Home Care New Jersey suggests the following home health care tips at home:

Buy a small, lightweight pitcher. Keep it filled with water at all times in a convenient place for your loved-one to get at. Remind them periodically about drinking plenty of water and where the pitcher of water is located. Staying adequately hydrated can ward off a number of different ailments like headaches, sleeplessness, and appetite suppression. It’s great for overall health and well being.

Avoid placing a lot of mirrors around your home. Mirrors can seem confusing for elderly people because they may not recognize their own reflection. Also, walking up to a mirror can startle or confuse them. If you like to have mirrors in your home, buy smaller mirrors and hang them relatively high on the walls. This is to prevent your loved one from seeing their reflection.

Visit us tomorrow when we give family members more home health care tips for their aging loved ones in New Jersey.

Call Expert Home Care if your elder needs Home Health Care in New Jersey at 800-848-2336.

Expert Home Care when your aging seniors in New Jersey needs live-in care, elder care, or senior home care in NJ  800-848-2336.

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Continued from our posting date August 13th - Estate Planning for New Jersey Seniors

The place seniors should start is with a complete financial inventory. This includes taking not of income, assets, expenses and even liabilities. Talk about what the senior is interested in long term. Is retirement living an option or will the family home be sold. These are important questions that should be worked out early on before a situation arises. Finally, determine what kind of insurance the senior will have as well as how much money for retirement.

Also, discuss a senior life settlement. This is an option for seniors who want to sell their life insurance policy for more than the cash value the life insurance company would give them to cash out. This means seniors can sell life settlements and get money to live their retirement on and the individual who bought the insurance policy will simply cash it out upon death.

Before making any of these serious decisions it is important for seniors to discuss their options with a professional. Lawyers well versed in senior matters or financial planers are two great resources for seniors to have their legal questions answered and to receive the help they need planning their retirement. Most of the time using an expensive attorney will be expensive in the short run but it will result in major savings down the road and is worthwhile.

New Jersey Seniors worry about aging and illness as well as who will take care of their family when they are gone. Estate planning is important - it helps eliminate our worry and concern for the future of our family. With estate planning, seniors can make a plan while they are still healthy as to how their estates will be handled upon their death and they will have the reassurance knowing their families are taken care of.

There are several things seniors in New Jersey need to do, but the first and most important is to create a financial plan.

To create a financial plan it is important to consider all the different retirement issues. The plan should include:

• Developing a retirement budget - retirement income may be reduced so budgeting is crucial.
• The plan should address consolidating income - a discussion of how long term care would be paid for and financing options. Have a basic understanding of what will pass.
• Investment planning should be included in the plan as well as any estate decisions that will need to be made.
• Tax issues are also important and should be discussed and included in the plan.

Visit us soon for more Estate Planning Tips - to read full article go to Estate Planning.

Expert Home Care delivers live-in and senior help to those living with Alzheimer’s in New Jersey. Call us at 800-848-2336, if you need in-home care to safely live at home.

Expert Home Care delivers live-in and senior help to those living with Alzheimer’s in New Jersey. Call us at 800-848-2336, if you need in-home care to safely live at home.

Today we continue our Alzheimer’s warning signs in New Jersey - this helps family members and caregivers understand if the memory loss of your aging senior is a serious health concern. If you notice any of these signs in yourself or someone you know, don’t ignore them. See your doctor for a check up.

5. Poor Judgment.
Not normal -  People with Alzheimer’s may dress inappropriately, i.e. put on layers of clothing on a warm day or very little in the cold. Demonstrate poor judgment about money, like giving away large sums to telemarketers.

Normal - Suggest a questionable or debatable decision from time to time.

6. Abstract thinking problems.
Not normal - Unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are and how they should be used.

Normal - Challenged when balancing a checkbook.

7. Misplacing things.
Not normal - Put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.

Normal - Misplace keys or other important things temporarily.

8. Changes in behavior or mood.
Normal - Have rapid mood swings – from calm to tears to anger – and for no obvious reason.

Normal - From time to time feeling sad or moody.

More on the Alzheimer’s warning signs - also visit Alz.org for more information.

Expert Home & Live-in Care for seniors and elders in New Jersey - living with Alzheimer’s and Memory Loss. Call us for help at 800-848-2336.

Alzheimer’s Association tells us that memory loss that disrupts everyday life is not a normal part of aging.

Alzheimer’s disease, a fatal brain disease that gets worse over time and causes changes in thinking, reasoning and behavior. Although the disease is more common in people 65 and older, it can also strike those in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

Here is a list of Alzheimer’s warning signs to help you understand if it’s serious health concern. If you notice any of these signs don’t ignore them,  see your doctor for a check up. There are other conditions, some that are treatable, that could be causing the signs.

1. Memory Loss
Not normal: Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common early signs of dementia.

Normal - Forgetting names or appointments occasionally.

2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
Not normal: People living with memory loss or dementia find it hard to plan or complete everyday tasks. 

Normal - Occasionally forgetting why you came into a room or what you planned to say.

3. Problems with language
Not normal: They often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand.

Normal - Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.

4. Disorientation to time and place.
Not normal: Become lost - forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home.

Normal - Forgetting the day of the week or where you were going.