Get Paperwork and Permissions in Place ASAP

When you’re a family caregiver, you’ll likely be managing a lot of your parents’ appointment scheduling. You’re also going to be the one that takes them to and from medical appointments.

Get paperwork in place as quickly as you can. Your parents’ doctors cannot speak to you unless HIPAA privacy paperwork is properly filled out. A medical power of attorney helps with decision making if your parents can’t speak for themselves.

Rely on Friends and Family

Talk to close friends and family members. If others can stay with your parents from time to time, it will help you out. Caregiving can be very demanding work. You don’t want to have so much to do that you get overwhelmed.

Join a Support Group

Carers need to be able to vent. Sometimes, family members don’t cut it. You’ll find that the best way to vent your frustrations, fears, and stresses is by finding a group of people in your shoes. A support group is ideal. You’ll find several great groups online and others in local churches, senior centers, and hospitals.

Don’t Let Nutritional Needs Slip

After a long day of cooking and cleaning for your parents, you may not be in a mood to cook. You stop and get fast food, pizza, or Chinese. Over time, the poor nutritional content is going to drag you down.

Instead of relying on takeout meals, work on quick and healthy meals. You can prep the items on slower days and have them in the freezer. Before you leave for your parents, pull out the items you need and have them thawing while you’re away.

Prioritize Daily Tasks

Prioritize the important tasks and get those done first. Anything that’s left can be completed by yourself or others as there is time. Things that are most important are medication reminders, personal care and hygiene, meals, and keeping up with appointments.

Leave an Hour a Day for Yourself

Do not ignore your own needs. Try to guarantee that you have an hour to yourself. During that hour, shut others and distractions out and read a book, play a game, watch your favorite show, take a bath, or go for a walk. Do whatever relaxes you or helps you release stress.

Hire Elder Care Services

Elder care should be the first thing every family caregiver discusses with the family. You may not need elder care services every day, but there will be times you need to rely on professional caregivers. If you have a bad cold, you should be at home resting. A caregiver can take over while you recuperate.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Cherry Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. 1-800-493-5660

The post Seven Tips for the New Family Caregiver appeared first on Attentive Care, Inc..

Our founder Winnie Krofah a Registered Nurse started Attentive Care Inc. in 2001 with the vision of
ensuring that our clients receive quality care to live life to its fullest with dignity and respect in the privacy of their own home by providing qualified caregivers to provide care and home support.

HEALTH CORNER: MINIMIZING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
Take everyday precautions with proper handwashing

Take everyday preventive actions:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place. Wash your hands after touching surfaces in public places. Avoid touching your face.

• If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

• To the extent possible, avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, handshaking with people, etc. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something.

• Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs: practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (for example tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell phones)

• Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick

• Avoid all non-essential travel including plane trips, and especially avoid embarking on cruise ships.

At Attentive Care Inc., We are proud to be widely known by our reputation, or clients and the community in general as a provider of quality, reliable and cost-effective none medical home care in South Jersey, NJ. Attentive Care, Inc. is especially sensitive to the needs of the elderly and the medically fragile. Through a team that embodies the same principles we uphold, we are able to fulfill the patients’ recovery plans and ensure they receive continuous care all throughout.

To start, we will conduct a one-on-one assessment with you or your loved one. We will identify the specific areas in which you will need assistance and the extent of independence you wish to practice. The assessment process enables us to create a care plan that is ideal for your unique health situation.

Support Coordination

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Attentive Care Inc. will make moves on your behalf; we advocate for your rights as a consumer and we will arrange for continuous health care delivery from hospital to home. Assisting in the Development of the Care Plan.

Our care coordinators will assist you through:

• Assisting in the Development of the Care Plan
• Facility-Based Care Placement (if needed)
• Rehabilitation Guidance and Support
• Support for Emotional Adjustments to Lifestyle Change
• Assistance with Financial Aid Application
• Resources for Healthcare Policy
• Coordination of Follow-Up Medical Check-Ups or Treatment
• Facilitating Advance Directives (Living Will or Power of Attorney)

Attentive Care Inc. ascertains that you receive the care you require by collaborating with your physician or medical director. We also educate your family members or your assigned caregiver when it comes to the goals of your care plan, the specifics of your care plan and the signs/changes in your health that may warrant an adjustment to your care plan. After all, care coordination is all about securing that you receive proper care especially when your needs change over time. Please give us a call at (856) 516-6815/800-493-5660 to learn about support coordination services throughout the state of New Jersey. Attentive Care, Inc. is ready to help in any way that we can.

Services We Offer

Community-Based/Individual Support (DDD) Population

• Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) etc.
• Assistance with Increasing Community Participation, etc.
• Assistance with Increasing Independence etc.
• Assistance with On-The-Job Support, etc.
• Assistance with Learning Activities, etc.

Companion/Homemaker Services

• Meal Preparation
• Grocery Shopping
• Light Housekeeping
• Medication Reminders
• Respite Care for Family Caregivers
• Errands/Transportation to Appointments
• Pet Care
• Water House Plants
• Crafts/Scrapbooking
• Playing Cards/Games
• Assisting with Laundry
• Clothes Selection/Dressing

Personal Care Services

• Feeding
• Incontinence Care
• Bathing or Showering
• Assistance with Ted Hose
• Oral Hygiene/Denture Care
• Nail Care
• Grooming
• Take Vital Signs
• Range of Motion Exercises
• Ambulation/Standby Assistance

*** Covering the Following Counties: Camden, Burlington, Salem, Gloucester, and Cumberland***

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Cherry Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. 1-800-493-5660

The post April 2020 News Letter appeared first on Attentive Care, Inc..