Live Free Home Health Care, LLC. - Bristol, New Hampshire

All posts within: home care

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Option to Age at Home: Personal Emergency Response System

For seniors who maintain a certain level of independence, simple monitoring and installations around the home may be all that is necessary to promote a safe, independent lifestyle.

Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)

• The most simple, easy to use monitoring system on the market.

• Sold by most home care companies, including Live Free Home Health Care

• Installs easily.

• Comes with a pendant or bracelet activated when pushed or when someone falls.

When shopping for a PERS, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) encourages the shopper to:

• Check out several systems before making a decision.

• Find out if the system can be used with other response centers. For example, can the same system be used if moving to another residence?

• Ask about the pricing, features, and servicing of each system and compare costs.

• Make sure the system is easy to use.

• Test the system to make sure it works from every point in and around the home. Make sure nothing interferes with transmissions.

• Read the purchase, rental, or lease agreement carefully before signing.

Read more about Live Free Home Health Care’s Personal Emergency Response System .

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to offer further guidance and options that can give you the option to age in place. If you're looking for a partner in home care in Concord, the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, contact Live Free Home Health Care today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make providing quality care a little easier.

Tags:   home care, home safety, medical alert

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Stress Management for Family Caregivers

Managing stress is all about taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management also involves changing the stressful situation when possible, changing reactions to the situation when it cannot be changed, taking care of your health, and making time for rest and relaxation.

While peaceful meditation, exercising and enjoyable activities are great outlets for stress relief, the greatest protection against stress is a strong support network for when times get rough. It’s important to allow others to help alleviate some of the responsibilities and pressures. With trusted friends, family members, and a caregiving team such as Live Free Home Health Care, life’s pressures will not seem as overwhelming.

Also seek out community support groups for caregivers:

 People meet in a given place each week or month.

 You get face-to-face contact and a chance to make new friends who live near you.

 The meetings get you out of the house, get you moving, provide a social outlet, and reduce feelings of isolation.

 Since the people in the support group are from your area, they'll be more familiar with local resources and issues.

For further information on care support, click here .

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to offer further guidance and home care options that can give you a well-deserved break. If you're looking for a partner in care in the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, contact us today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make your life a little easier.

Tags:   family caregivers, home care, in-home care providers, private duty agencies

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Need for Respite: Recognizing Caregiver Stress and the Effects of Overload

Family caregivers often find themselves running in emergency mode, and eventually the mind and body pay the price. Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. In fact, raised stress levels can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and can speed up the aging process.

Take this quick quiz to determine if you are in control of stress or if stress is controlling you:

 When I feel agitated, do I know how to quickly calm and soothe myself?

 Can I easily let go of my anger?

 Can I turn to others to help me calm down and feel better?

 When I come home at night, do I walk in the door feeling alert and relaxed?

 Am I seldom distracted or moody?

 Am I able to recognize upsets that others seem to be experiencing?

 When my energy is low, do I know how to boost it?

Feeling frazzled and overwhelmed is a key indicator that it’s time to take action to nurture your nervous system. You can protect yourself by learning the following signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects. When under pressure, behavior can present as:

 Talking too fast or too loud

 Yawning

 Fiddling and twitching, nail biting, grinding teeth, drumming fingers, pacing, etc.

 Bad moods: irritability, being critical, overly sensitive replies, anger and irrationality

 Making less realistic judgments

 Inability to concentrate

 Being more forgetful

 Making more mistakes

 Disorganization, confusion and worry

 Neglect of personal appearance and personal hygiene

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to offer further guidance and options that can give you a well-deserved break from caregiving responsibilities. If you're looking for a partner in home care in the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, contact us today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make your life a little easier.

Tags:   eldercare, family caregivers, home care, in-home care providers, private duty agencies

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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

What is Respite Care?

Respite care may be the answer you have been looking for to get the rest and relaxation that you need from the daily caregiving grind. HELPGUIDE.org explains that respite care provides time off for family members who care for someone who is ill, injured or frail. Respite care can take place in an adult day center, the home of the care recipient, a residential setting such as an assisted living facility or nursing home, or even a vacation setting.

Effective, sustainable caregiving depends on meeting the caregiver's own needs for nurture, reassurance, support and periodic respite. Respite allows for relief from the daily responsibilities of caring for the care recipient and is essential for all caregivers, whether they work in a caregiving facility or at home with family members or close friends.

The following organizations provide useful information to caregivers on a variety of topics including respite:

• The Alzheimer’s Association: http://www.alz.org

• The Family Caregiver Alliance: http://www.caregiver.org

• The National Alliance for Caregiving: http://www.caregiving.org

• National Adult Day Services Association: http://www.nadsa.org

Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire is here to offer further guidance and options that can give you a well-deserved break. For further resources on respite care, click here .

If you're looking for a partner in home care in the Lakes Region or Central New Hampshire, contact us today at 603-217-0149, and let us help make your life a little easier.

Tags:   eldercare, family caregivers, home care, private duty agencies

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Activities for those with Alzheimer’s disease

Successful activities for those with Alzheimer’s disease support a person’s sense of self—bringing out his/her skills, memories and habits—while minimizing skills that may be compromised due to the disease. Following are a few structured activity ideas that can involve and interest the person with Alzheimer’s, helping to reduce disturbing behaviors associated with the disease such as agitation, anger, frustration, depression, wandering or rummaging.

Motor:

• Take a walk

• Try chair exercises

• Dance (even if it’s sitting down)

Sensory:

• Listen to the person’s favorite music

• Look at picture books without words, especially of nature

• Gentle hand or foot massage or nail polishing

Interactive:

• Hold a tea party with friends or relatives

• Reminisce by looking at scrapbooks or old photos

• Play cards or board games such as checkers

• Plant and tend an indoor garden

At Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire, our talented in-home caregivers have years of experience dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and are happy to design a care plan that is centered around structured activity for your loved one. Contact us today at 603-217-0149 to find out more about our in-home care offerings and learn if home care is a good fit for your situation.

Tags:   Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, home care

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