Signs of concern. New Year, New Worries when Caring for Aging Parents.

Good nutrition and exercise, in addition to the wonders of modern science have us all living healthier and much longer lives. In fact, 80% of older people are healthy enough to carry on their normal lifestyle. So what should children of aging parents think about as we begin a fresh New Year?

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Signs of concern.
New Year, New Worries when
Caring for Aging Parents.

DATELINE: MARSHFIELD, MA, ISSUED JANUARY 17, 2002...
Good nutrition and exercise, in addition to the wonders of modern science have us all living healthier and much longer lives. In fact, 80% of older people are healthy enough to carry on their normal lifestyle. So what should children of aging parents think about as we begin a fresh New Year?

How to care for your parents as they age.

Visiting Angels of Marshfield, MA, providers of non-medical, living assistance and companion service for seniors, can help adult children of aging parents by lending the extra helping hand by checking in and caring for aging parents as needed.

Dispelling the Myths
Its a common myth that most older people are sick and need help with daily activities. In fact, only 15% of older people have chronic health conditions that interfere with their daily lives and another 5% are institutionalized," noted Nathaniel Murray, MSSW, LICSW, Director at Visiting Angels. He continued, The rest of our elders may simply need a helping hand with little details such as medication reminders and housekeeping, which is usually where their adult children come in. Alongside raising a family, working and caring for their own household, many adult children have the additional stress of checking on" an aging parent daily. This becomes extremely difficult when children and aging parent dont live close-by."

Explore Your Options
But, there are options. Healthy, aging parents or relatives that remain in their own homes as they age, may need non-medical assistance, help with housekeeping or just need to socialize more.

In these ways, Visiting Angels can help:

·   Meals. If an aging parent no longer bothers to cook for themselves, skips meals, or cannot remember the last time they ate a meal. It may be an indication that they need help with cooking or grocery shopping.
·   Dressing. Observe if your parent is very disheveled. It may signal that they need assistance with dressing or hygiene.
·   Medication Reminders. If mom or dad is taking medication, but cannot seem to keep track of when they should take their medication or when they last took their medication, they may need someone to remind them daily.
·   Housekeeping. Be sure to note if normal housekeeping activities have ceased. Tables and sinks littered with dirty dishes or overflowing trash containers can signal that your aging mom or dad cant keep up with housekeeping tasks as they used to.
·   Companionship. If your parent seems more withdrawn or less interested in conversation or other activities, it may be a sign that they are lacking social interaction. One of the biggest problems that seniors living alone in their own homes face is loneliness and lack of companionship.

A Visit from a Visiting Angel
Our caregivers provide so much more than a helping hand with housekeeping and hygiene. They share in conversation and laughs. Often they are a seniors link to the outside world and community," states Murray. We assist and spend time with elders in their own home, whether it is for a couple hours a week or 24 hours a day. By having a caregiver come in and assist with daily activities and offer companionship, many elderly people are able to remain in their own homes with a greater quality of life."

Visiting Angels are caregivers that provide non-medical, living assistance and companion service for seniors throughout the South Shore, which allows the seniors to stay in their homes longer and with a greater quality of life.
   
Taking care of Mom? Attend a Caregiver Training Session
For adult children and others taking care of loved ones, Visiting Angels regularly holds Caregiver Training Sessions that are open to the general public. All Caregiver Training Session are held at the Visiting Angels facility located at Alden Crossing Office Park, 475 School Street, Suite 15 in Marshfield, MA. For more information, their toll-free telephone number is (877) 299-2020.

Caregivers, families of the elderly and others are all welcome to attend the Visiting Angels Caregiver Training Sessions, which cover topics such as:

·   How to Care for the Caregiver (ensuring that caregivers take care of themselves while caring for someone, i.e., stress reduction, time management)
·   Developing Positive Relationships
·   Emergency Procedures
·   Safety in the Home Tips

Commitment and Character Count
In building relationships, Visiting Angels focuses on making clients very comfortable at home, ensuring the best quality of life possible. At Visiting Angels, the emphasis is placed on the experience that the caregiver has and the intangible traits in a caregiver, which are very important in day-to-day care. Visiting Angels track record in keeping clients at home far surpasses industry data because of their commitment to building relationships. Visiting Angels receives the majority of their referrals from clients and people in the community devoted to quality care.

Visiting Angels understands that it isn't easy to make the decision to invite a stranger in to a home to provide homecare. For this reason, the company utilizes a highly personalized screening system that is the best in homecare and designed to maximize peace of mind. The criminal screening service Visiting Angels uses checks out a caregiver on a county basis (not simply relying on the typical state screenings that most agencies use).

Serving Seniors Nationwide
Visiting Angels provides non-medical, living assistance and companion service. In helping seniors carry out the activities of daily living, the company offers companionship as well as light housekeeping, meal preparation, hygiene assistance and medication reminders. Visiting Angels can help families preserve assets by circumventing placement in a retirement community, assisted living center or nursing home. Visiting Angels caring, experienced caregivers provide in home care (up to 24-hour care) at affordable rates.    

Founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1992, Visiting Angels has homecare agencies from coast to coast, with 85 offices in more than 32 states. Visiting Angels is a national network of franchised non-medical homecare agencies that is committed to helping older adults continue to live in their homes across America with a greater quality of life. In strict quality assurance measures, Visiting Angels performs thorough criminal screenings on all caregivers that is the best in the homecare business, checking the background of a caregiver on a county basis for the most accurate records.
   
Visiting Angels Marshfield office is located at Alden Crossing Office Park, 475 School Street, Suite 15 in Marshfield, MA. For more information, please contact their toll-free telephone number at (877) 299-2020 or visit their Web site at www.visitingangels.com .