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.