Home Care in Arizona…Choices

If you have been searching for home care in Arizona you probably have been slightly overwhelmed at what is available.  When either taking care of your elderly loved one or helping to gather information it can be a daunting task.

Decisions have to be made but you can’t realistically approach home care decisions when an honest analysis of your aging loved ones current and future needs for home care has not been completed.

Start by reviewing their medical history.  Has it been fairly stable or are the doctors continually tweaking with the meds?  Constant change in medicine could mean missed doses (bad) or multiple doses (even worse).  There could also be interactions of the meds which might not show up immediately only to reveal the problems in the middle of the night.  When the meds are changed are you seeing any behavior or mood changes?  How about energy levels, mobility problems and hearing issues?  It is critical that you establish a base line of abilities that you will measure future performance against.  Observe, measure, evaluate and decide.

If the physical and medical issues seem like they are under control then now is the time to start investigating home care agencies and care givers.  Believe me it is stable now but it will not remain that way and you don’t want to be making home care decisions quickly.  If dementia or Alzheimer’s disease is not evident then having a care giver come in a few hours a week just to change out the bedding, do some laundry, assist with personal hygiene, meal preparation, make sure your loved one is taking the medication as prescribed can give you tremendous peace of mind as well as a respite from your role as a family care giver or a long distance care giver.

Take a look at our new website for additional resources, tips and videos that you will find useful.  Also sign up for our newsletter and receive a special report on care giving absolutely free.

Home care in Arizona as with other states is mostly predictable in the progression.  It usually goes from companion care and transportation to appointments and shopping to a few hours a week of having a quality care giver assist them with the activities of daily living.  The weekly hours will usually increase as abilities decrease until 24/7 care is required.  Sometime in this process the family will look at possibly moving the loved one to either independent living or an assisted living facility.  The senior usually will opt for staying in their home instead.

Financial concerns will surface at this point and many times the family will opt for keeping the aging loved one in their home instead of making a very emotionally charged move to an assisted living center.  Most assisted living facilities do not provide home care as part of their package; it is an additional hourly charge.  So when you factor in the cost of the facility sometimes as high as $5,000 a month and then add in the cost of a care giver the choice is clear to have them stay in their home and bring in an experienced care giver.

Please visit our website for more information and then give us a call for a free in home needs evaluation and a safety check of their home.

WE HAVE MOVED!!!

Hello all,

We have acquired our own website and have moved all the content there.  Our new website is www.azangelcare.com so please update your bookmarks.

www.azangelcare.com

There you will find all the familiar content and links so please stop by.

We have also added an Amazon Store on our site that we call “The Boomer Gang’s Store”.

Senior Friendly Email is Here!

One thing about marrying above your station in life  as well as wedding someone who is considerably taller is the fact that not only will your progeny be taller but they will also be smarter.

I think that it was about 1993 that I became the shortest person in the family which brought about the necessity to stand on my toes when family pictures are taken.  No one notices until they see the picture then I get a lot of guffaws.

Our oldest son Jeremy who works for a computer gaming company sent me some information that he had come across on Paw-Paw Mail. I spent some time with it and found it not only interesting but fun.

Paw Paw Mail was developed by Jackson Hughes a software engineer who wanted to enable his grandfather to use email and keep him connected to the family and others in his generation.  Mr. Hughes wanted to create an email platform that did not have any barriers to entry such as log-ins, links, confusing layouts with ad boxes or flashing pop-ups just email.  A simple system that seniors could learn easy and be connected to their family and be able to view pictures and emails.

Another thing I love is that it can run on any old clunker of a machine that you have in the back of the closet.  And that means either a Mac or a PC.  So the senior doesn’t have to drop $300 plus on a basic machine.

The platform is designed for two users, the senior and their caregiver who can assist them in getting it set up, helps with setting up their address book and can also be somewhat of a gatekeeper who can screen incoming emails looking for potential scams.

I have talked to some of our clients and knowing that they have a computer have asked them if they use email and the response goes along the lines of “What do I want to do that for?”  Upon further questioning they have told me that they feel they are just too stupid to make it work.  This is so sad.

It is important to mention here that seniors who use their brain with new learning are helping to keep dementia away.  See an earlier post here entitled “Pump Up Your Brain”.

Now with Paw Paw Mail seniors and their caregivers can have access to the wild wacky world of the internet and it is only $5 a month with no contract and the ability to cancel at any time.  There is a free 10 day trial also so take a look at Paw Paw Mail.

Michael Simpson

Material sources from  New York Times article titled “Easier Email for the Older Generation” by Anne C. Roark

KTAR Interview

A while back we posted an article written by our Founder/CEO Jeffrey Johnson on the subject of hoarding.  That article is among the top two articles for generating interest and readers for our blog and FaceBook fan page.

Today Teresa received a call from a producer at KTAR-FM 92.3 here in the Phoenix market.  In their production meeting the subject of hoarding came up and it was decided to do a short piece on the subject.  The producer assigned to the segment googled “hoarding Phoenix” and our blog was in the top ten.  He called and set up an interview.  I shot a little video which is below and I hope to post the actual radio interview tomorrow.

An Uplifting Reminder for the New Year

This is a cool story that my buddy from Colorado sent me and it reminds me that no matter what happens I should praise Him and when good things happen it wasn’t because of me but to God goes the glory.

The man slowly looked up.  This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life.  Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.  His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before..

“Leave me alone,” he growled…  To his amazement, the woman continued standing.  She was smiling — her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.

“Are you hungry?” she asked..

“No,” he answered sarcastically. “I’ve just come from dining with the president.. Now go away.”

The woman’s smile became even broader.

Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.  “What are you doing, lady?” the man asked angrily. “I said to leave me alone.

Just then a policeman came up..  “Is there any problem, ma’am?” he asked..

Seniors + Internet = Less Depression

By Michael Simpson

Ok the word is out…the internet is good for seniors.

The Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Studies is a think tank that studies public policy issues that focus on social and economic conditions with an emphasis on the economics of the telecommunications and high tech industries. They examined the survey responses of 7,000 retired Americans 55 and older and the results are enlightening.

The final results showed that spending time online reduces depression

Going Home…a Family at a Crossroads

This is a very touching short film on dementia produced by award-winning Chinese filmmakers and worthy of your time.  Dementia can and does tear at the family fabric causing strife, guilt and anger.  Learning how to recognize and cope with its effects is critical.

Coping with Holiday Stress

By Jeffery Johnson

We all know that the Holidays are times of family gatherings and much merriment.   However, there is a considerable amount of stress for many people around the holiday time.

For example, relationships in families can be heightened so that already existing stressful situations can flair up and become quite nasty.   Or, a family member who has lost a spouse may be feeling the loss of that loved one more intensely during the holidays.

Money is an issue for many families, as they attempt to keep up with the neighbors in providing gifts for their children.   It is easy to lose control over

Is Your Loved One a Hoarder?

by Jeffery Johnson…

It happens more often than we even acknowledge: we walk into a potential care recipient’s home, review the areas that our caregiver will be working, and see that there are piles of books, newspapers, and bills everywhere . . . Yet, we assume that this care recipient just needs one of our caregivers to help straighten this “mess” up. However, what we don’t consider is the fact that this care recipient may be dealing with “compulsive hoarding,” often associated with or defined as a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition). Compulsive hoarding is also frequently associated with dementia or with those who grew up during the Great Depression of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s and who tend to hold on to their possessions.

Ok, so what’s the big deal about compulsive hoarding?  Many families turn away from the 500 lb gorilla in the room and try to explain away the behavior.  Isn’t it really just a matter of holding on to some “stuff” too long?

Pump Up Your Brain!

Brain Power
from Jeffrey Johnson

For most of my 59 years in this world, it was acknowledged that as we aged, so did our brain: it became slower, could not remember as well as it once did, and that after our twenties, we would begin losing brain cells that could never be replaced. Aging was not something to look forward to. However, in recent years scientists and doctors have discovered that, indeed, it is possible to rewire the brain – to build new neural connections that not only can stop the loss of brain function, but actually improve the brains ability to