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

September is Healthy Aging Month - Because there’s lots of living left to do…

Visit Healthy Aging often for quality healthy aging information - September is an annual observance month designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older.
http://www.healthyaging.net/index.htm

Healthy Food - for those who want to age healthfully and enjoy good food.

How many times do you think.. yuk, healthy food? It gives the connotation that healthy food is bland and flavorless.. rather than thinking it is better for us. Healthy food can inspire us and motivate us to cook with exciting, great tasting recipes that please our palate! For healthy eating recipes and more, go to healthyagingfood.com. http://www.healthyagingfood.com/

In addition to eating healthy habits is adding more activity and exercise into one’s daily routine. New Jersey Seniors know it’s good for us but avoid it like the plague. The reasons being we are familiar with being sedentary or afraid that exercise has to be vigorous and painful to be worth the effort given.

But what is beneficial to know is movement is movement -  the more you do, the healthier you’ll be. Even doing moderate activities like chores, gardening and walking can make a big stride in gaining a healthy body.

Just adding a little movement to your life can:

Reduce the risk of stroke, diabetes & heart disease

Have a positive effect on our joint stability

Improve range of movement

Maintain flexibility

Help maintain bone mass

Prevent osteoporosis and fractures

Improve our mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

Enhance self esteem which makes us happier people

Increase and improve memory in elderly people

Reduce stress

Even the small changes, adding movement to your day, and adjusting to a more modest weight, you will gain many benefits. One study exists that shows just a 10% weight reduction helps obese patients to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and increase longevity.

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.

Expert Home Care in New Jersey at 800-848-2336 - We introduce Mr. Michael FitzPatrick, Managing Partner, The LTC  Partnership, LLC -

Michael FitzPatrick reminds us why women need to pay close attention to planning for their future.. the long term care future.  He asks a provocative question…  ”When visiting nursing homes in America, what do you see? More specifically WHO do you see in nursing homes?”

Thinking back when visiting my dad living with Alzheimer’s, I remember seeing more women.  “Why do you suppose that is?”, asks Michael FitzPatrick. 

We can only assume why there are more women in nursing homes is because women out live their mates, and we don’t plan for our on future. “Men”, as Michael shared, “don’t plan for their future…, why do you think?” Michael believes it’s because most men KNOW they will be taken care of by their family.. usually the wife first, and then the adult children.

Reasons there is a disproportionate number of women in nursing homes -

• Women live no longer
• Family is no longer close to provide care for aging relative
• Increasing number of women remain single and childless
• Women have no financial plan in place

2008 Statistics on Long Term Care for Women

• Average life expectancy is 84
• Social Security provides 40% of all retiree’s income
• 12-15 million Americans need long term care now
• Between 65 and 70% of women work outside the home
• Divorce rates are on the rise - 1 out of 2 marriages end in divorce
• 25% of baby boomers don’t have children
• Family members can live across town & the country

Expert Home Care invites women in New Jersey to learn how better care for themselves in the future. Call Michael FitzPatrick at (973) 394-0053 or visit THE LTC Partnership at www.theltcpartnership.com.

The biggest thing most family members wished they’d known about Alzheimer’s disease is the importance of understanding the ten signs of early onset. When you understand the difference between normal aging and the early signs like your loved one’s negative behavior becoming more aggressive with the onset of Alzheimer’s, then you would know that your elder loved one is not just getting old. This might put you in the drivers seat… to find the right doctors to perform testing like blood, neurological, memory, CT and PET scans and help uncover Alzheimer’s or dementia sooner.

Expert Home Care in New Jersey wants adult children to pay close attention to the early signs of Alzheimer’s and take proper action if you see a parent displaying one or serveral. Consult with a neurologist who specializes in dementia. A neurologist or an medical doctor who specializes in geriatrics will do the proper testings and evaluations to uncover Alzheimer’s or dementia early on. They will prescribe the right medications that help delay the progression of the disease. Hopefully the medications will help your aging parents and potentially keep them in that early stage for a longer period of time.

Memory loss that disrupts everyday life is not a normal part of aging - It may be a sign of 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.  Alz.org.

Visit us in a day or two when we give more information of the signs of the disease.

Expert Home & Live-in Care for seniors and elders in New Jersey.

Call us for help at 800-848-2336.

Expert Home & Live-in Care for seniors and elders in New Jersey. Call us for help at 800-848-2336.

Retired Couples Will Need Average of $85,000 for Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums - to cover the rising costs of care.

A 65-year-old couple today will need $85,000 on average to cover annual premiums for long-term care insurance, according to a new study by the financial services firm Fidelity Investments.

To come up with the estimate, Fidelity surveyed insurers offering long-term care policies, which cover visits by caregivers or stays in a nursing home. The study supplements a survey the company completed in March 2008 estimating a couple retiring this year would need $225,000 in savings to cover total medical costs in retirement. The costs for long-term care insurance are in addition to the $225,000.

About 5 million Americans have long-term care insurance, a number that has not increased much over the last decade, said Joan Bloom, senior vice president for Fidelity’s life insurance group, which distributes long-term care insurance issued by an unaffiliated firm, Genworth Financial.

Bloom said people should consider buying long-term care insurance in their 50s because policies generally cost less the earlier they are purchased.

A 65-year-old couple needs $85,000 on average to cover insurance costs for long-term care such as nursing home stays in retirement, according to a study to be released today by Fidelity Investments.

The finding underscores the need to financially prepare for the possibility of eventually needing assistance to get by - a burden that often falls on elders’ adult children, who can jeopardize their own finances by caring for an ailing parent while finding they must cut their work hours.

Setting aside adequate savings heading into retirement can help defuse family tensions should physical or mental illness hit parents who slowly realize they can no longer perform tasks such as household chores, or bathe or dress on their own.

“If you plan adequately and you have the ability to pay for assistance, in whatever form that might be, it makes it easier on everybody if you can do that,” said Kathleen Kelly, executive director of the Family Caregiver Alliance, a nonprofit agency in San Francisco that helps families cope with adults’ disabilities. “Families really want to do the right thing, but there are so many pressures on them.”

Read the full story at San Francisco Chronicle.

Are you seeking caregiving or live-in help for a loved one? Call today! 800-848-2336 or visit Expert Home Care New Jersey.

In our last post, Expert Home Care listed tips and observations on determining if your loved one needs caregiving, or live-in caregiving. If you resolved that the senior has immediate needs, then it’s time to talk about it with the senior. This will be a delicate process that requires probing but respectful questions, a healthy dose of empathy, and an understanding that there will be communication problems and pitfalls.

You will either find that your loved one in question accepts their limitations and makes necessary adjustments, or they will resist and struggle. If he/she resist, know that your conversation may be interpreted as a personal threat to their independence. 

The most effective discussions focus on what seniors can do, rather than what they can’t do. Encourage them to make good use of the abilities they still have. When caregiving is needed, here are some steps to consider taking:

• Make a list of the assistance that is needed
• Identify potential helpers and tasks
• Establish a network of professional care providers
• Monitor and ensure quality service from care providers
• Avoid family caregiver burnout by maintaining balance and obtaining relief

The more you know about you mom or dad’s needs and desires, as well as knowing what is available to them through their community services and those related costs, the more depth you will add to discussions about caregiving.

Remember to call Expert Home Care at 800-848-2336, we are Certified Senior Advisors who understand and know the right kind of planning, recommendations and referrals to help make aging a state to be savored instead of a fate to be feared.

Expert Home Care NJ provides caregiving in New Jersey for Senior’s at home. Many families ask us, “How do we know if mom and dad need help and caregiving, and if they do, how do I talk about it?” 

Frank Esposito and David Goodman, owners of Expert Home Care in NJ are Certified Senior Planners, members of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. The Society works very hard educating professionals, like us, to work more effectively with our senior clients. We believe that the right kind of planning, recommendations and referrals can make aging a state to be savored instead of a fate to be feared. For us it means understanding the key health, social and financial factors that are important to seniors, and how these factors work together. 

To our families of aging seniors, knowing when the need for caregiving arises is key. Usually, it’s defined by functional ability, not by the age of your loved one. In our experience working with New Jersey seniors for the past 20+ years, most wish to remain independent. Seniors also wish to remain in control of their lives as long as possible. We’ve learned not to make generalizations when it comes to age. 

Determining if your NJ senior needs caregiving assistance will demand astute observation on the family member’s part. Also, you will need to ask revealing questions and pay attention to the telltale signs. It’s important to look for patterns of consistent neglect within the following:

• Basic tasks: difficult in walking, dressing, talking, eating, cooking, climbing steps, or managing medications
• Hygiene: infrequent bathing, unusually sloppy appearance, bad body/mouth odor
• Responsibilities: unopened mail, unpaid bills, unfilled prescriptions, unreadable checkbook, phone calls aren’t returned, low food supply, laundry is piled up, spoiled food in refrigerator
• Health: weight loss, appetite changes, difficulty swallowing, fatigue, burns, bruises, hearing loss, incontinence, spilling or dropping things (look for stains), sleeping too much or too little, dehydration
• Isolation: Lack of interest in friendships, hobbies, or activities; curtains drawn day and night, no access to transportation
• Attitude: sadness or talk of feelings of depression and despair, abuse of alcohol or drugs,  paranoia, refusal to communicate, unusual argumentativeness, verbal abuse
• Cognitive functions: consistent forgetfulness about where things are, getting lost walking or driving, confusion, loss of reasoning skills, difficulty answering questions, inability to find the right  word or complete a sentence, repetitive words or phrases, wandering, loss of sense of time or  season, forgetting how to use ordinary things like a pencil, consistently forgetting to turn off stove, close windows, or lock doors.

Pay attention to these signs - these are the telltale signs that give you information that you seek. Visit our next posting when we give tips on “how to bring up the home care help talk”.

If you need more help determining whether your loved one needs caregiving at home, please call us at 800-848-2336 or visit Expert Home Care New Jersey.

Expert Home Care helps New Jersey elders live independently at home in Somerville, Red Bank, Lakewood, Hackettstown, Ridgewood, Princeton, Trenton, Flemington, Morristown, Wayne.  Call us today! 800-848-2336.

Keeping elders and seniors healthy at home.. are your sniffles a cold or an allergy?

Though the symptoms are almost identical, the biggest difference between a cold and an allergy is the duration. Most colds last seven to ten days, while allergies can stick around for several weeks. Colds usually include a scratchy sore throat, thick mucus, muscle aches and a low grade fever. Allergies, however, mostly center on just sniffles and sneezes.

If you or your family seem to be involved in an endless struggle with allergy symptoms, one place you might want to look for relief is the ducts of your forced hot air heating and/or central air conditioning system.

Many home ventilation systems circulate the same air over and over again. Over time, dirt cakes against the interior walls of the ducts, providing a fertile home for a variety of indoor air contaminants including pollen, lint, dust, mold, mildew, dust mites, mold spores, animal hair and dander, fungi and potentially harmful bacteria. The American College of Allergists estimates that 50 percent of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by polluted indoor air.

Discover Magazine reports that the average six room house collects 40 pounds of dust each year. And, The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers estimates that most commercial fiberglass filters for home heating systems are only 7 percent efficient in stopping dirt, dust, pollen, etc., from passing through.

What can you do to help improve your home’s health? If you have a forced hot-air heating system, contact a qualified contractor to have your ducts cleaned to remove the build-up of contaminants. If you are particularly sensitive to household allergens, you might want to consider having a whole house air purification system added to your ventilation ductwork. These two measures alone can save many people years of annoying and potentially harmful misery.

Expert Home Care helps aging seniors in New Jersey Live-in care, Elder care, & Senior home care in NJ - Expert Elder Home Care in Somerville, Red Bank, Lakewood, Hackettstown, Ridgewood, Princeton, Trenton, Flemington, Morristown, Wayne.  800-848-2336.

Expert Home Care helps aging seniors in New Jersey Live-in care, Elder care, & Senior home care in NJ - Expert Elder Home Care in Somerville, Red Bank, Lakewood, Hackettstown, Ridgewood, Princeton, Trenton, Flemington, Morristown, Wayne.  800-848-2336.

Tips to Lose the Blues

We all “get-the-blues” occasionally. For some, the “blues” can be a long, drawn-out, and debilitating episode of deep depression that may require both medical and psychological intervention and treatment to set things right again.

If you are “blue” for long periods of time, we urge you to seek professional help. If, on the other hand, your “blues” are a temporary thing, here are some ways to chase them away:

• Eat a good breakfast. Research shows eating a nutritional, well-balanced breakfast helps keep your blood-sugar and energy levels high and helps to fight mid-day fatigue and moodiness.
• Let the light shine in. Bright, sunny, “emotionally light” spaces can help beat the blues. So, open the curtains, trim back the shrubs around your windows, or bring in some extra lamps … but let the light shine bright!
• Try aromatherapy. Pleasant fragrances can lessen depression, relieve anxiety and improve your mood because the part of your brain that is responsible for “smell” interacts with the part that regulates emotion.
• Give yourself a good laugh. Watch a videotape of your favorite comedian. Laughing out loud causes the brain to release endorphins that can make you feel better all over.

These are a few of the ways you can beat-the-blues. If none of these are to your liking then you can also try:

• Uplifting music
• Take a walk
• Close your eyes and “imagine” the most beautiful sunset/sunrise you’ve ever seen.

Expert Home Care, Inc meets all BBBOnLine participation and Better Business Bureau membership standards and is authorized to display the BBBOnLine trustmark.

This company has been in business since 01/01/1985
This company became a Better Business Bureau member on 05/27/2008
This company was approved for BBBOnLine’s trustmark on 06/11/2008