Kind Hearts Senior Care

Home Care

How Do I Determine If I Need Home Care Services?

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Determining whether to utilize a home care service can be a difficult decision. There are many factors to think about when deciding if this is the right choice for you. To make this decision a little easier, we came up with a list of reasons why home care services can be beneficial to you or a loved one.

When Everyday Tasks Start Becoming Difficult

Everyday tasks and housework shouldn’t be a burden. If it is becoming an issue to complete chores around the house, it might be time to look into home care services. At Kind Hearts Senior Care, our team provides help with light housework, such as sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, laundry, and much more. Not being able to maintain a clean household could result in an unsanitary and dangerous environment.

Family And Friends Are Taking Time Out Of Their Schedule To Make Sure You’re Ok

It is important to keep your loved ones close, but relying on them to always take care of you can put a strain on your relationship. At Kind Heart Senior Care, we offer an online portal for families to receive daily updates from their most recent at-home care service. This will allow family members to keep updated and well-informed throughout our visits. An at-home care service will allow a more stress-free environment for you and your family members.

Regularly Falling Or Difficulty Walking

Safety should be a top priority when it comes to debating whether you are ready for home care services. If falling or difficulty walking is a recurring issue, it might be a sign that extra help is needed. At-home care services provide extra help around the house to prevent falling or exhaustion. It is important to be safe with daily activities and not overworked. If falling or walking is becoming a problem, it might be time to look into home care services.

Forgetting To Take Medication 

For most, medication is a very important part of a daily routine and it is important to remember when to take it. With at-home care services, forgetting to take medications will not be a problem. Our staff sets reminders when it’s time to take medication and the specific medication you need to take. According to Aging Care, 55% of the elderly don’t take their medication according to doctor’s orders. Through Kind Hearts Senior Care, we make sure medication is taken on time and the right amount of medication prescribed.

Difficulty Running Errands And/Or Driving

Home care may be needed if it is unsafe to get behind the wheel for simple errands. If easy errands, like going to the grocery store or driving to appointments, start becoming a problem, it is best to start looking into home care services. Our services provide transportation to and from errands, as well as running them if needed. 

If you feel that the time is right for you or a loved one to have home care services, contact us today, or visit our website for more information.

What Services Are Provided With Home Care?

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Home care services provide a wide variety of care. However, since each person is different, their home care needs are also different. At Kind Hearts Senior Care we utilize an assessment process that allows us to custom tailor our services to meet an individual’s specific needs. We base our assessment on terms of care, types of care, light housekeeping, personal care, errands and transportation, and companion care. 

Terms of Care

The terms of the care we offer, are customized to best meet the needs of each individual. These plans can be full or part-time. They can be home visits or live in. Our plans have low minimums and can be either temporary or long term depending on each person. We work with individuals’ needs and budget to come up with the best solution for them.

Types of Care

The type of care each person needs also varies. We specialize in a wide variety of care types, so each person can be best-taken care of. We offer in-home Alzheimer’s care, in-home Dementia care, in-home Parkinson’s care, and in-home Stroke victim care. We also can provide respite care for family, to give other caretakers a break. If the individual needs overnight care or supervision, we offer stay away overnight care. We can provide 24/7 care and live-in care as well. Whatever a person’s needs are, we should be able to help. 

Light Housekeeping

Light housekeeping is a service of home care that many people need and utilize. Even if a person is capable of housekeeping, they don’t always have the energy. We can help, so a person can better focus their energy on more important things. Some of the housekeeping tasks that we provide are dusting and picking up, vacuuming and sweeping floors, cleaning the kitchen and dishes, organizing closets, changing linens, doing light laundry, ironing, and light bathroom cleaning. 

Personal Care

Personal care is often put aside when a person is struggling with their day-to-day. Our home care services can provide help with personal care, which in turn keeps a person healthier and happier. Some of the items we help with are showering, grooming, dressing, help with transfers, and medication reminders. 

Errands & Transportation

Getting out of the house can be a difficult and sometimes impossible task when alone. Our services can help with errands or provide transportation, so the individual can still go on with their daily life. Some of the areas we can help with are getting groceries and other shopping needs, picking up prescriptions, and going to a movie, play, or other events. We provide dining out for meals, handling dry cleaning, home maintenance, and attending religious or spiritual services. 

Companion Care

Finally, the last but not least of our tailored services is companion care. Companionship is important for all people and can help an individual stay happier and healthier. Some of the ways we offer companionship are by helping plan and prepare meals, cooking together, playing games and puzzles, providing pet care, answering phone calls, reading mail, or organizing closets. Overall, we will offer companionship, so our home care plans feel like a friendship. 

Every client is unique. They have individual needs and wants. Because we offer so many different services, we can adjust our plans to best suit the individual. Learn more about our assessment process or schedule an appointment. Here at Kind Hearts Senior Care, we are always happy to help and answer questions. 

Why Home Care is Important

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An elderly person and younger person holding hands

Homecare is a great way to get personalized and compassionate treatment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 40.4 million unpaid caregivers of adults ages 65 and older in the United States. Many of those caregivers are also juggling their own jobs and personal responsibilities. Caregiving can be overwhelming and difficult. For many people, home care is an affordable and safe option to ensure their loved ones get the support they need. Here are some specific reasons why in-home care is important to the wellbeing of our loved ones.

Home Care Professionals Can Be There When You Can’t 

A loved one in need of senior care may live thousands of miles away. You may be separated by cities, states, or countries. It is not always possible to physically be there. A trained and qualified professional can offer help when needed, giving you peace of mind when you can’t be there in person. 

Day-To-Day Activities Stay The Same

Home Care services allow seniors to get the personal care they need while maintaining the activities of their daily lives. Things like showering, grooming, and dressing help can improve the enjoyment and safety of regular day-to-day activities. 

At Home Access To Skilled Nursing Care

Home care can ensure your loved one’s complex medical needs are being met. Our caregivers at Kind Hearts Senior Care are professional, reliable, and friendly. We do extensive background checks. All our caregivers have access to our exclusive Certified Companion Aide (CCA®) and Certified Hospice Companion Aide (CHCA®) programs. You can trust our caregivers to perform their duties with professionalism and dedication. They will help your loved ones maintain independence and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Support With Nutrition And Diet

Aging, bedrest, injuries, and illness can contribute to the loss of body mass and nutrition deficiency. Staying healthy is important can be hard to maintain for many aging adults. Home care can help your loved ones plan, prepare, and cook meals, to help prevent malnutrition and ensure your loved ones are maintaining a well-balanced diet. 

Managing Medications

Presciptions are often confusing, and when there are multiple medications needed to be taken, it can be easy for an aging adult to miss or mess up a prescription. A home care professional can ensure the right medications are being taken at the right times. This helps control health conditions and prevents harmful, and sometimes dangerous, drug mishaps. 

Caring Companionship

Social interaction is a huge factor in aging adults staying healthy. Our caregivers can be a caring companion to your loved one, by aiding in errands, playing puzzles and games, attending church, the movies, or dinners out, going on walks, attending to pets, and other companionship methods. Having a trusted friend is beneficial to your loved ones. 

Help With Light Housework

Not maintaining a house can quickly turn a living environment into a dangerous situation. Home care can help with the daily demands of housework by doing tasks such as dusting, picking up, vacuuming and sweeping, cleaning the kitchen, changing linens, laundry, and bathroom cleaning. These daily chores help maintain a safe and healthy living environment. 

Home care can help individuals live safer, healthier, and happier in the comfort of their own home. Home care services are unique to the individual. They provide meaningful, one-on-one personal care. Strong bonds are often formed between the professionals and your loved ones. To learn more about our home care services, visit our website, and contact uswith any questions or concerns you may have. We want to be here to provide the support your loved ones need. 

8 Home Care Benefits

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Home Care: Aging in Place

Known as “independent living”, “non-assisted living”, or the most common, “aging in place”, growing older without having to move to a healthcare environment is becoming increasingly popular. Home care is more than a nurse visiting. It can support an aging adult living at home by helping with their daily activities. Things such as housekeeping, chores, personal care, companion care, errands, and transportation. The services of home care are completely customizable. Each client can get the best service for themselves. There are many benefits of home care, and at Kind Heart Senior Care, we make sure each client’s needs are being met. Here is our list of eight benefits that home care provides.

1. Comfort

One of the main reasons families choose home care is so their loved one can stay in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible. Being in your own home provides comfort, and is what a majority of seniors want. According to the AARP, “nearly 90 percent of people over age 65 indicate they want to stay in their home as long as possible, and four of five in that age bracket believe their current home is where they will always live.” Home Care can help you or a loved one stay at home for as long as possible.

2. Personalized

Home Care offers personalized service plans

Every person is unique and has individualized needs. Home Care services can help meet these needs by providing personalized service plans. At Kind Heart Senior Care we can help with a wide variety of tasks. We specialize in various services such as Alzheimer’s care, Dementia care, Parkinson’s care, and more. Even if you or your loved one is comfortable taking care of themselves at home, our services can help. With companionship options, transportation, and more, we can improve their quality of life.

3. One-On-One Attention

Like a personalized plan, Home Care services provide one-on-one attention to the individual. This is often missed in other healthcare services. It is huge in helping extend and improve quality of life. Individualized help allows our nurses to understand each person and provide the best service for them. This can reduce anxiety and stress for both the senior and their family.

4. Cost-Effectiveness

Home Care Services are generally less expensive than other forms of care. Since there is so much flexibility in the available services, and time of day, our plans are flexible with budgets. In general, home care costs only one-tenth as much as hospitalization and only one-fourth as much as nursing home placement to deal with comparable health problems.

5. Independence

Home Care: independent living

No one want’s to completely give up their independence. This is why home care services can be so beneficial to seniors. By staying at home, you or your loved one can still keep their independence and live life normally. They can still choose their own schedule, decide when they want to eat, sleep, and socialize, and keep control over many aspects of their life. This helps preserve their dignity and maintain a high quality of life.

6. Companionship

Play games with your home care nurse

Since home care services are so personalized, nurses and clients often form bonds. Aging adults stay happier and healthier with social interaction, and home care provides that. Besides our medical services, we also offer companionship services. These include playing games, puzzles, watching movies, attending events and services, reading, walks and other social activities. All these services can provide companionship. 

7. Pet Ownership

Home care allows pet companionship

Pets are a part of the family for many people, but, they often get neglected when an aging adult’s health starts to decline. With Home Care services, we can help take care of pets, so their companionship is still enjoyed. According to AgingCare, pets reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and have a positive effect on symptoms of depression and loneliness. They are an important part of many people’s lives and are important to take care of too.

8. Improved Quality of Life

Home Care creates an improved quality of life

By adding home care services to their daily life, aging adults will no longer have to deal with their personal struggles. Since each plan is personalized, the activities that are the most difficult for the senior will no longer be an issue. This helps relieve stress and anxiety, making for an improved quality of life.

/The benefits of Home Care make it a great choice for many seniors. With the ability to keep their independence and live a higher quality of life, many aging adults choose to age in place instead of moving to a different type of healthcare facility. Here at Kind Heart Senior Care, we are happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Feel free to contact us or visit our website for a list of services we provide.

How To Tell If A Loved One Needs Home Care Services

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Deciding if it is time for a loved one to receive home care services is a hard choice. It is not always black and white deciding when the time is right. There are many factors to consider regarding home care needs, ranging in a variety of aspects of life. Here at Kind Heart Senior Care, we want to make the process go smoothly for you and your loved one. To help make things smooth, we’ve compiled a list of factors to consider. These factors will make the decision process a simpler and easier choice.

There are four major categories to consider when evaluating if it is time for help. These four categories are a basis for your evaluation. Extend each category as needed, depending on the individual’s lifestyle. Based on the individual’s situation, home care services can range from once or twice a week, to full 24/7 help. If you determine home care is a necessity, call our office to talk about a personalized plan.

Personal Care

The first category to consider is Personal Care. This category looks at how the person is taking care of themselves. Keeping up with personal hygiene is important to staying healthy. When evaluating the individual, consider the following:

  • Is the person bathing? Are they keeping up with showers or baths? Are they able to shower and clean themselves properly and safely?
  • Is the individual eating? Are they forgetting meals or choosing not to eat?
  • How is the person dressing? Are they wearing clean clothes? Are they dressing appropriately for the place they’re at? Are they presenting themselves as they have before?
  • Is the individual using the toilet? Are there problems such as bed-wetting or spoiled pants? 
  • Is the person keeping up with grooming? Are they keeping up with their fingernails and toenails? Is the individual getting hair cuts and maintaining their hair? Are they keeping up with facial hair?

Take note of these personal care items. Compare how the person is maintaining themselves compared to 1 month ago, 6 months ago, 1 year ago, and 5 years ago. Are there dramatic changes to the individual’s personal care? Small changes in one’s appearance could point to a need for home care.

  • personal hygiene

Household Care

The second category to consider is Household Care. This category considers if the person’s home is being maintained. An unmaintained house can be dangerous, so keeping up with it is important. Often this is the first category a person declines in. When evaluating the individual’s household care, consider the following:

  • Is the person cooking for themselves? Are they making homemade meals? 
  • Is the individual still getting groceries? Do they buy frozen meals, or are they taking the time to cook proper, nutritious meals? 
  • Is the person keeping up with household chores? Is the house cleaned on a regular basis? Are their items generally picked up? Is there dust or dirty dishes laying around?
  • How is the individual doing at keeping up with laundry? Are there excessive amounts of dirty laundry laying around? Are their clothes full of holes or falling apart?
  • How is the person taking care of shopping? Are they able to get groceries, personal care items, medication, and other things they need? 

Again, compare how the person is following these steps now to previous times. Are there dramatic changes to the individual’s household care? Changes in one’s home maintenance could suggest a need for home care services.

cleaning

Health Care

The third step to consider is Health Care. This step looks are how a person is maintaining their well-being. Ignoring, forgetting, or avoiding health care, can be detrimental to one’s health. When evaluating the individual, consider the following:

  • Is the person managing their medicine? Are they taking everything on time? Are they forgetting or avoiding any medication?
  • Is the individual scheduling and maintaining doctor appointments? Are they arriving in a timely matter to appointments? Are they following up when needed?
  • Is the person attending physical therapy when need be? Are the following in-home instructions when directed to? 
  • Does the person have memory issues? Do they often forget things that raise concerns? Have you noticed the individual repeating themselves or getting aggravated more often?
  • Has there been any extreme weight fluctuation in the individual? Has there been any drastic weight loss or gain with no explanation?

Look at these steps and compare them to the person’s past behavior. Have there been dramatic changes to the individual’s health care? Changes in one’s well-being could imply a need for home care services.

Doctor-appointment

Emotional Care

The final step is Emotional Care. This category looks at the person’s emotional health. Mental health is hard to gauge when you aren’t always around, but asking questions can help you assess. When evaluating the individual, consider the following:

  • Is the person lonely? Are they withdrawn? Have they seen another person today, this week, or this month?
  • Does the individual have companionship? Do they see other people throughout the day? Do they have a pet to keep them company? Do they have family, a significant other, or friends to visit with?
  • Is the person participating in meaningful activities? Are they involved with clubs, sports, or community events they once enjoyed? Do they leave their house and interact with others? Are they participating in activities that stimulate their mind and body?
  • Is the individual having conversations? Do they interact with other people? Are they conversing on the phone? Are they able to fully articulate a conversation?

Like the previous steps, compare these things to how the person behaved in the past. Emotional health is important and home care services can be simply companionship. If there are dramatic differences in the individual, it may be time for home care.

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By evaluating these steps, you will be able to make an informed decision about home care services. Here at Kind Heart Senior Care, we offer services to help with all these concerns and more. Find more information about our services here. If home care is the right choice for a loved one, we are happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Contact us at Kind Heart Senior Care, and we will take the time to learn about your unique situation.

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