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Are You Ready to Move Your Elderly Relative into Your Tyler, Texas Home?

November 21st, 2010

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Tyler Texas Elderly Care

Elder Care in Tyler TX

Do you have an elderly relative that, while still mobile and mentally alert, is having some issues that you feel require the relative to have more supervision? If you are feeling that this relative needs someone around more often than not, it may cross your mind to invite this elderly relative to move into your home with your family in Tyler, Texas. But is this a good idea?

First of all, consider the amount of space you have in your house. Is there enough space for this relative to have their own bedroom? What about the number of bathrooms in the home? Is there at least one that can be converted to a bathroom for your elderly relative to use and bathe in safety? Also, you must consider how the rest of your family gets along with this relative. If any of these questions are answered in a negative light, you may want to reconsider this particular living arrangement in favor of something a bit different but just as safe.

On the other hand, if you have an extra bedroom in your Tyler, Texas home that isn’t really being used, as well as a bathroom that can be outfitted with tub rails and a toilet chair, you could be in business. Add to that the fact that your family adores this relative and would love to have them as an integral part of the household and it may be the ideal arrangement. Now you only have to convince the elderly relative that it’s the perfect idea.

Alzheimer’s Specialized Care in Tyler, Texas

November 10th, 2010

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Tyler TX Alzhiemers Care

Alzhiemers Care East Texas

Alzheimer’s disease does not discriminate when it strikes. There are elderly people that develop it all over the world. However, those people living in Tyler, Texas do have a bit of an advantage if they, or someone in their family, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Tyler boasts some of the best assisted living facilities and services that specialize in taking care of elderly residents with Alzheimer’s. Another excellent part of this care is that it extends to the family members of the patient.

Elder Care in Tyler Texas

Many times it is worse for the family members of an Alzheimer’s victim because they are going to be cognizant and watching as their beloved family member deteriorates into someone that no longer recognizes people or even knows where they are. Members of the family often need help to accept and adjust to what’s happening. The psychological support from the assisted living services and facilities accompanies everything else offered.

Using these assisted living services in Tyler, Texas can make it possible for your elderly family member to live at home much longer than was once possible. Now there is medication and other measures that can be taken in order to keep the patient functioning close to normal for a much longer period of time. Of course, there will come a time when the decision to move the elder to a nursing home that specializes in Alzheimer’s. When that happens, you can depend on the advice and assistance needed for your loved one and rest of the family.

Choosing A Nursing Home in Tyler

February 27th, 2010

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Tyler Texas Elderly Care

Assisted Living Tyler

I never imagined I’d ever need to deal with the difficult decision of whether or not to place one I love in a nursing home, let alone have to consider which facility. When my own father took a turn for the worse during his battle with Parkinson’s, he ended up with a 6-week hospital stay. At one point, it was unclear how much strength he would regain even with intensive occupational therapy. My mom broached the topic, and it shook me to consider that he might not be able to return home, that he might need more care than we could give him. Once my mind stopped reeling, I realized I had no idea how to go about choosing a medical care facility for my father.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to begin to decide where to place your own loved one, be assured; there are lots of guides and resources there to help you. Every state has an Ombudsman program connected to the Department on Aging that offers patient advocacy and information on choosing a nursing home.

Here are some helpful tips to help guide you through this difficult decision process. Take careful notes as you visit or collect information online about each nursing home. Keeping record of your findings will help you tremendously as you weigh the options.

First, consider whether your loved one needs short term or long term care. This information could greatly impact your decision. Second, make a side-by-side comparison of each facility based on the same criterion. Three general areas to consider when choosing the most suitable facility are location, quality of care, and affordability.

Location

Keeping close proximity to family members is perhaps the most important consideration. Choosing a Tyler nursing home close to home means frequent visits will be much more doable. These visits can positively affect the patient’s quality of life, outlook on their current situation, and go a long way to reducing stress, depression, and frustration. All of these factors contribute to potentially faster recovery, improved health, or even extention of life.

Quality of care

This is obviously an important consideration. We’ve all heard of or seen examples of poor care and I know of an elder care facility in Tyler Texas that has several negative reports from government inspectors. Inadequate qualified professional staff, staff shortages, old equipment or facilities, and lack of concern for dignity or patient preferences have a huge negative impact on the quality of care a nursing home can offer.

The good news? Other than making a visit to obtain a first hand glimpse of a Tyler nursing home, there are outside agencies who gather quality control reports on each nursing home in your area. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services provides reports on nursing home facilities and their Ombudsman Program provides advocacy and further support. There are also government-mandated quality assurance checks on all nursing homes who accept Medicaid or Medicare patients. These reports are made available at www.dads.state.tx.us/news_info/ombudsman/choosing.html.

Carefully review each location’s quality reports, health and safety inspections. Note any violations as well as what has been done to improve care. For example, if there was a lack of qualified staff working, have more staff been scheduled or hired? Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services puts out annual reports on nursing homes who have received a citation for actual harm or immediate jeopardy on this website: MemberoftheFamily.net

Affordability

When it comes to choosing a Tyler Texas home for someone you love, no one wants to base their decision on affordability, but because of the incredible expense involved, this unfortunately has to be a consideration. Temporary or short term care, sometimes required for a few weeks after surgery or for accident recovery, is often covered by insurance. Long term care (100 or more days) is usually not covered. Be sure to ask each facility about financial assistance or payment plans.

Going into this decision making process as fully armed as possible can only help you. Visit facilities personally, make careful observations, gather all the information you can, and take complete notes. Find a friend or an advocate to help you in your search for the nursing home you feel satisfied will best suit you and your loved one.

Elder Care and How To Keep Contributions Remembered

February 26th, 2010

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In our last article, we talked about ways to help our elderly loved ones restore their voice in society through simple volunteer opportunities. Today, we want to offer some simple ensure that their contributions to our families and communities are not lost after they are gone.

Give seniors a platform in our schools.

A shocking number of children have never been to a good old-fashioned farm, and don’t even know they still exist. Meeting Old MacDonald’s real-live, hard-working counterpart could give them some new ideas on work ethic. And who better to share our world and country history than one who’s lived it? Grandma’s story about the Great Depression was far more memorable than the one in my textbook. Who, after meeting a Nazi-prison camp survivor, has been able to forget it? Could we ever erase 9-11 images from our own minds? Our world has changed so much in the past century, our children need to know the value of their own ease and convenience.

Honor our veterans.

These are the people to whom we owe our freedom. Make every effort to attend and bring veterans to local celebrations where they will be recognized and honored for their service.

Encourage seniors to write letters to our troops.

So many young men and women serving our country and experiencing long absences from home eagerly anticipate mail time. These physical reminders of home and assurances of support go a long way to sustain and encourage them during their service.

Record your family history

Our elderly loved ones are a living record of our family’s history. After my aunt retired, she remained active in her community senior center, and started a financial investments group for senior women. She also had an urge to research and record our family’s history and lineage. Her research led her to travel to Europe to visit cousins and other relatives of whom I was completely unaware. Her report and connections gave us a treasured record of our heritage.

So record Grandma’s stories. Ask for her perspective on world events that occurred during her lifetime. I had read about people moving west in covered wagons, but until I met, Hazel, a warm, 98-year old woman, who had moved with her family from Chicago to St. Paul by wagon, it seemed like a fairy tale. Our most intimate portrait of my own father’s childhood was painted one afternoon when the camera was rolling. So sit down, and start asking questions.

We’ve got to do it. Take the time, unearth these treasures, listen to their wisdom, and allow our elderly citizens to contribute in ways they are able. If we do this, our lives and our country will never be the same. We will work harder, smarter, and more diligently knowing what has been built and given on our behalf.