We’ve certainly covered this topic before, but I was recently struck again by the careful, thorough process required to successfully match caregivers and clients. I overheard a Warman “Care Coordinator” on the phone with someone exploring their options; someone who just learning how home care could work for their loved one. The Warman representative really needed to ask a range of questions to even begin to recommend the level of care and support required, from medical conditions, to medications, mobility, lifestyle, expectations, and more.

Even when it appears to be a good fit, a Warman representative, usually a registered nurse, will first visit the home, meet the client and further assess their needs. They are primarily working to match the ideal caregiver in terms of skills, experience – and personality. But they are also making sure that additional, skilled care is not warranted. At the same time, they often also make simple, but important recommendations on how to make the home environment safer and easier for a senior, regardless of their decision on home care support.

If you are inquiring about care, you should be concerned if a provider is NOT this thorough. It is common for adult children beginning their research to want to “cut to the chase” and hone in on the bottom line cost – but I submit that a little patience with an initial conversation will give you far more of an indication of whether a home care provider is a good fit for your Mom or Dad. Click for more on the unique approach Warman Home Care or discover a few tips on when it’s time to consider home care.

In their latest “Cost of Long Term Care” study that looks at every state in the U.S., Genworth Financial shows there is good news for the 78% of Americans that say they would prefer to stay at home as long as possible. Now in its 35th year as a leading provider of long term care insurance, Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey helps raise public awareness of the various options available beyond just nursing home facilities, and the costs associated with each.

According to Genworth’s 2010 Cost of Care Survey, the cost to receive care in the home has risen at an annual rate of just 1.7 percent over the past five years. That compares to annual increases of 6.7 percent for assisted living facilities, and 4.5 percent for a private room in a nursing home, over the same period. For more information, here’s a good blog on long term care where first found this story, and Genworth Financials’ web site for details on the study itself, including a state-by-state cost breakdown.

We just had to share this one with our extended Warman Home Care family! If you love working with seniors as we do, you will appreciate this story. It’s about a couple, Harry (98) and Barbara Cooper (93). Their grand-daughters became their primary caregivers several years ago, and soon thought of starting a blog to preserve – and share – their touching, humorous, and no-holds-barred take on life. They’ve been featured on TV and radio shows, and now people send in questions for Grandma to answer. Without hesitation, she looks straight into the camera, and tells you exactly what she’s thinking. Click to visit their blog, or to hear and read the story that NPR ran.

Thanks to our favorite personal chef and party menu planner, Nikki Haddad, we wanted to share recipes from our June CareShare event. Try these light, healthy dishes – they’re perfect for a summer party. Click to download a PDF of these great recipes: Summertime Feta and Tomato Dip, Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades), Hummus with Mediterranean Salsa, and all the tricks to make a complete Antipasto Platter!

There’s no easy way to bring it up these issues up, “Mom it’s time to stop driving.” Or, “Dad I think we need to get a little help around the house for you.”  But it’s our responsibility to the same great people who carefully nurtured then set us free in the world. Too many times, someone calls and asks about home care only because of a very scary close call – then they were suddenly struck by the need to get some help for Mom or Dad.

Bringing Up Your Concern

Try to start talking about these issues, these milestones long before they are actually upon you, so you and your loved ones can all have an open discussion that is not yet immediate and urgent. Hopefully, you can reach agreement in advance, that when it’s time, we’re going to take steps so that they can continue to live safely at home as long as possible. Keep it light, but bring up this discussion from time to time and keep it current, top of mind.

If you have a particularly stubborn loved one, you need to choose your words and actions carefully. But you can’t let it go. For their safety, you can’t put off the discussion. Often starting with a low level of weekly care makes sense. It feels like just a little help around the house, not a big deal. It doesn’t greatly impact their daily routine, but it can provide an added check on Mom and Dad daily. And seniors usually make good, quick adjustments to leave the tough tasks until the caregiver comes tomorrow – heavy lifting or reaching that top shelf for example.

Read More About Adult Aging

Check out one of our past blog posts that talks about some of the warning signs that let you know it may be time to bring in some care. If you could use a little more preparation to have a tough talk, here are a couple of good resources. David Solie has written a good book called “How to Say it to Seniors,” and maintains a blog at www.davidsolie.com. You might also want to check out Dr. Rosen’s inspirational blog, www.AginginPlace.com.

Wow! What a great event. Chef Nikki whipped up some amazing dishes right in front of us. Everyone learned a bit about how she does her magic and enjoyed sampling her creations. The folks at Collingswood were gracious hosts, and we welcomed Kathy Catucci, their new administrator. We had almost 60 top-notch professionals in attendance.

We’ve already heard from some of you and would really like to hear from more. We believe we’re on to something, but we’d like to get more confirmation from you. The idea is to bring the best professionals together, but not force networking on everyone. Hold an interesting event and let people build real relationships over time. That’s it. Here’s a few of the emails we received just after the event:

“Great Event! Very different”

“I appreciate the food and the warm response I received at the event and also appreciate the new network of friendships I have made.”

“GREAT GREAT meeting, very good networking event, I can’t thank you enough.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” I have made huge new connections!”

We even had two people reconnect after realizing they used to waterski together years ago! Now where else do make connections like that? Look forward to seeing you at our next event!

There’s a need for our experienced caregivers to provide home care services, but there’s also lots of room for anyone who is motivated to volunteer a few hours a week to help seniors through their local senior center.  If you’ve ever thought about giving back, about doing something good for your community, the immediate gratification of seeing someone smile who benefits from your help and support – that’s truly rewarding. We got the idea to highlight this opportunity from talking to our local Senior Connection here in Montgomery County, they provide great services with a dedicated team of volunteers and paid staff.

Most every community has a similar group of unsung heroes that many many seniors depend on daily for shopping, errands, personal visits, even just a phone call to brighten their day.  Find the office of aging in your area – we have all the counties listed in greater Washington DC and the Philadelphia area – everywhere Warman Home Care operates.

Just thought we’d take a minute to profile an outstanding facility in Montgomery County, Maryland. We partner with a lot of great nursing homes, assisted living and adult apartment communities, so we don’t mean to play favorites. But, Collingswood deserves a little attention; they’re hosting our latest CareShare event for healthcare and related professionals in June, and they are welcoming the promotion of Kathy Catucci, RN, LNHA as Collingswood’s Adminstrator.

The Center offers private rooms, up-scale amenities, long-term nursing care, full time registered dieticians, dialysis treatment on-site in a new dialysis center, a certified wound care specialist, and superior rehabilitation services.  Find out more about Collingswood.

Warman Home Care just passed their re-accreditation survey with flying colors! The Joint Commission, or JCAHO, is the independent, not-for-profit organization that is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Most hospitals submit to this rigorous screening process, but frankly, very few non-medical home care providers make this commitment.

Heather Williamson, Warman’s Director of Care admits, “It’s a rigorous process, they come to our offices for several days and examine every aspect of our business, from record-keeping to every way we communicate and interact with our clients.  It’s gratifying to know that we’ve maintained the high standards since our last survey three years ago.”  See Warman’s JCAHO certification and learn more about JCAHO’s important role in ensuring superior quality care, safety and patients’ rights among healthcare and related service providers across the United States.

The way we can and should take care of our parents as they age is changing. Everyone’s living longer – which is great. Chances are, Mom and Dad would like to stay at home (or in a retirement community) as long as possible – and not make the final commitment to a nursing home or assisted living facility until it’s absolutely necessary.

Our Own Families

We love our parents dearly, but as their adult children, we have jobs and families of our own. As much as we wish to help around the clock, there is just not enough time to be there to make sure they are safe at all times, help with household chores, to buy groceries, or visit the doctor.

Making the Right Choice

There are a growing number of reputable companies providing Home Care services. Good ones have great caregivers and work for just a few hours a week up to live-in care. This is far better than making the once-and-for-all move to a nursing home. It’s a better way to live and  it’s less expensive than a nursing home, but the costs still add up.

This scenario is very common and has becoming the most compelling reason to consider Long Term Care Insurance. It is typically the only way non-medical home care can be covered so it is NOT an out of pocket expense.

Interested in Learning More?

This has become such an important and frequent discussion that two of the area’s leading providers, Hope Joyce, a director at Warman Home Care and Kris Kornemann, a financial planner with Financial Advantage Associates, have teamed up to offer a short presentation to explain the pros and cons of Long Term Care Insurance and how to shop for quality home care.

It’s not a sales pitch, but rather a 30 minute, strictly informational presentation. If your parents are approaching this point in life, this is a great way to start doing a little research and potentially make some smart financial and quality of life decisions for your family. Kris and Hope are available to offer their presentation to any groups interested in DC, northern Virginia and surburban Maryland.

Contact Hope Joyce directly at 888-243-6602 or hjoyce@warmanhomecare.com for details.