Celebrating 10 Years Providing Quality Care to Maine FamiliesThis is one of my favorite pictures my dad and me. We were both so young! It’s safe to say that I’m older now than he was in that picture. I know they’re clichés but time does fly — in the blink of an eye.
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How to let your elderly parents know you’re worried about their safety
Several years ago my friend Lucy and her husband, who were in their 50s, left their home and jobs in Chicago and moved to Maine. Not to retire or experience a slower pace of life, but to care for Lucy’s elderly mother.
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Signs your elderly loved one may need home care
Because he had several medical problems, in the last years of his life Bob was unable to fend for himself. With the help of his family and home care services, he was able to stay in his own home.
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The value of having a health care advocate
We could all probably use a health care advocate at some point in our lives. Two years ago, I got a phone call from the mammography center after I’d gone in for my yearly mammogram. The scheduler told me the radiologist wanted me to come back for some additional x-rays. Magnified views so he could take a closer look. A closer look at what, I blurted as my heart began to race and my brain screamed into overdrive.
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Why we need to talk about what we want at the end of life
Have you heard about Norma, the 90-year-old woman who was diagnosed with uterine cancer last year? She got the news the day her husband Leo was admitted to a hospice facility. And two days after he died, Norma, her son Tim and daughter-in-law Ramie listened as her doctor laid out her treatment options. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. According to Ramie, Norma’s response was, “I’m 90-years-old, I’m hitting the road.” And so, she did.
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Some difficult but important advice about planning ahead — now
If you could no longer speak for yourself, would the people who love you know your final wishes? If they did, could you count on them to carry them out? Have you even thought about what your final wishes might be?
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How to Handle Family Conflicts When Caring for an Elderly Relative
John was blessed with a large family. He would be the first to tell you so. Now that he is elderly — a widower well into his 80s — and has dementia, all of his children are committed to seeing that he gets the best care possible. Even though most live out of state, and the primary responsibility for managing caregiving falls to the ones who live nearby, for the most part, there have been few family conflicts.
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How Home Care Helps Elderly People Remain Safe and Happy at Home
Jean is a fiercely independent woman. Even though she recently celebrated her 86th birthday she insists that she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself and her home. That’s not what her family thinks.
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What You Should Know About Long-term Care Insurance and Home Care
By the year 2020, less than ten years from now, an estimated 12 million people over the age of 65 will need long-term care in this country. Most will be cared for at home by family members. Lucy took care of her mother for seven years, a loving responsibility that became more challenging as her mother’s health and abilities declined. She is grateful that more than a decade earlier, her father opted to buy long-term care insurance.
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A Helping Hand When Home Care is No Longer the Best Choice
The decision to hire an agency, such as Advantage Home Care, to help care for your elderly loved one is often not an easy one. In most cases, the client, family members, and care providers quickly settle into a routine that works well for everyone. The time may come, however, when caregiving needs increase or are more complicated, and it becomes clear that living at home is no longer the best or the safest option. When that happens, many families don’t know how or where to even begin the process.
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