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.

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.

At Expert Home Care in New Jersey, our senior clients tell us they object to long term care planning because they believe Medicare or the Veterans Benefits Administration will take care of them. While this is true to a certain extent, these people simply don’t understand the limitations of these government programs.

Here are frequent quotes taken from individuals in NJ who have voiced misconceptions about long term care planning.

“Uncle Jimmy got along just fine with the government paying his care”

“I can give away my assets and have the government pay for it”

“We have a trust and all of our assets will go to our family so the government will pay for our care”

“I’m not interested in home care or assisted living, just stick me in a nursing home and Medicaid will pay the bill”

“Long term care insurance is too expensive”

Government could be more involved in providing care but our constipated system of delivery prevents this from happening. The National Aging Network, a government-sponsored program, is in the best position to help people receive long term care in their homes. And studies have shown that the cost of providing this kind of care is significantly less than the cost of providing nursing home care through government programs.

Unfortunately, for every dollar that supports a person through the Aging Network the government spends about $270 supporting a person in a nursing home. Because it has inadequate funding, the National Aging Network must confine its valuable services to people who have little income or for social reasons are disadvantaged. Moderate and middle income Americans can receive some services from the network but are mostly excluded from the more valuable caregiving services.

We believe the public’s misunderstanding of Government long term care programs is an impediment to proper long term care planning. When people understand the limitations of relying on government programs they are most likely to be more motivated to plan for the future by making provisions in advance and providing advance funding to pay for care. Prior planning also allows people to have a choice in their care setting and in the type of services they receive.

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.

Who Pays for Long Term Care

The American public believes that our government will provide long term care in New Jersey when needed. This misconception prevents people living in New Jersey from doing proper planning for the future need for care. According to the National Care Planning Council, (www.longtermcarelink.net) many people think they can give away assets prior to the need for long term care and qualify for Medicaid.

Most New Jersey residents may use the system and allow Medicaid to cover care but at what cost? And why would you want to spend your remaining years in a nursing home? As we know, it is the preferred living arrangement for Medicaid. Why go through the expense and effort of trying to manipulate the system to get welfare care, when a little preplanning at an earlier age would be a better option?

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.

Continuing the real story of Senior Planning for long term care by a long distance family caregiver. Visit our blog post September 21 to read Part 1.

Expert Home Care in New Jersey - Providing Live-in Care for elders in NJ. Call (800) 848-2336.

We consulted a lawyer to determine how to proceed, and were informed that with regards to distributing her estate assets after death, there was nothing that we could do, and this responsibility would fall to the government. Unfortunately, as we were told, this could result in actions that were not coherent with her wishes.

After this scare, we felt helpless and were very distressed that we were not able to legally abide by my mother’s wishes during her recovery process; fortunately, she did have some insurance coverage and our family did have some savings to cover her hospital care and rehabilitation program.

My mom ultimately made a pretty miraculous recovery, and seemed to return to her normal self. Once she was legally able to do so, she went to a lawyer and prepared two legal documents; a Living Trust and a Last Will and Testament to ensure that, should her health fail again, we were well prepared and legal able to carrying out her needs. I’ve also learned through this situation, and have prepared a will of my own; something I now realize I should have done a long time ago.
 
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/25914/creating_a_legal_will.html?page=3&cat=17

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…

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.