Senior Care Tips for Parents at Home in Connecticut

Senior Home Care Tips

At-Home Services Compare Tips

When it comes to senior care in Greenwich, New Canaan, Fairfield, Westchester, Westport Connecticutt; These encompass a wide range of health, supportive and social services to empower a person to live in his or her home rather than moving to an assisted living community or nursing home. These can include transportation, delivery services, meal services, home repair, social engagement, care management, health care and other services.

 Choosing a Provider

What are At-Home Services?

These encompass a wide range of health, supportive and social services to empower a person to live in his or her home rather than moving to an assisted living community or nursing home.  These can include transportation, delivery services, meal services, home repair, social engagement, care management, health care and other services.

The most-requested service within at-home services is home care. Home care is an option when a person prefers to stay at home but needs ongoing care or services that might not easily or effectively be provided solely by family and friends.

Who Provides Home Care?

Home care services are usually provided by licensed home care organizations, but may also be delivered through independent providers.  Home care organizations include home health agencies; hospice providers; homemaker and home care aide (HCA) agencies; public and private agencies.

What Should I Ask Potential Home Care Service Providers?

Following are questions to help you in your screening of potential providers to find the right fit for you:

How long have you been providing these services?

How are you accredited?

Are you certified for Medicare?  A home services provider’s Medicare survey report is public information.  If the provider is not certified, ask why.

Do you have a state license?  Most states – but not all – require home service providers to be licensed and reviewed regularly.  These reports are public reports that should be accessible to you to compare providers.

Is this part of a larger senior services or medical provider?

Who are your references?

Ensuring the Right Fit

How will you empower me to live the life I desire?

What are the services that you provide?

Who will be the person or team of people I will be working with?  What are their qualifications, licensures and credentials?

What continuing education do you provide your employees?

How do you ensure there is a good fit between me and the person whom I will be hiring?
Understanding Services

Do you provide a written care and service plan before we begin, so that we are all on the same page as to what is being provided?

Will you provide a list of the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved (sometimes known as a patient’s bill of rights)?

Are there any limits on the types of tasks performed? If so, what are the limits?

Can you serve as a care manager if I’d like you to be a liaison between my physician and me?

When will services be provided? Is care available round-the-clock, if necessary?

What procedures are in place for emergencies?

How are problems addressed and resolved? Who can you or another designated person contact with requests, questions or complaints?

How quickly can services begin?

Costs

How do you handle expenses and billing?

What are all associated costs?

Will any services be covered by health insurance or Medicare?

Resources for Caring for Persons with Dementia

I believe that one of our best gifts as massage therapists is for people living with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Touch is a powerful means of communication and reaching through the “fog” that dementia creates. I have seen first hand the transformation resulting from massage and focused touch. I’m constantly searching for resources related to best practices for dementia care and want to pass these wonderful resources along to you.

Naomi Feil, founder of the Validation Institute. Naomi says “Validation is a method of communicating with and helping disoriented very old people. It is a practical way of working that helps reduce stress, enhance dignity and increase happiness. Validation is built on an empathetic attitude and a holistic view of individuals. When one can “step into the shoes” of another human being and “see through their eyes,” one can step into the world of disoriented very old people and understand the meaning of their sometimes bizarre behavior.”
Teepa Snow is a dementia expert who trains and consults for healthcare professionals and families privately. As a certified Occupational Therapist, Teepa has the unique medical perspective on how the brain controls our body and our behaviors giving her the perfect medical degree to explain how a brain disease like dementia affects a person. Teepa Snow is a dementia expert who trains and consults for healthcare professionals and families privately.

Memory Bridge states it’s purpose as creating programs that connect people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to family, friends, and other people in their local community. They also create programs that reveal to the general public the depths of memory that dementia does not erase. Their goal is to create a global community of people who, like us, are learning to listen to people with dementia for what they have to teach us about our own humanity.

I hope you find these resources as inspiring as I have. We all can learn from and support one another in the journey of caring for our elders living with dementia.

Contact us for homecare in Greenwich, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Stamford, Westchester or Westport Connecticutt.

The Latest On Hold Messaging Technology

Digital On-Hold Audio Systems from American On Hold are the latest technology in 'on-hold' messaging.

Use 'hold time' to advertise your product lines and services.  After all, are your callers familiar with everything you offer?  If the answer is "No!", then you are a candidate for on-hold messaging.

This is the perfect way to introduce new product lines.  Heighten customer awareness by announcing hours of operation, emergency numbers, different branch locations, all product lines and services.  Use 'on-hold' time as a viable alternative or compliment to marketing your company.

How much do you spend each year with ads in the "Yellow Pages", business directories, radio and television campaigns and newspapers ads to attract people to call?  And then, how do you treat them when you have to place them 'on-hold'? Provide fun-facts, information, education that they will not hear anywhere else.

While your callers are waiting on-hold (for just a moment) you will keep them feeling positive about your company as you tell them about your status in the business community.  Don't be shy about your bragging rights in telling about your awards, recognition in the industry and even your "mission statement".

Provide answers to the questions your receptionist and other telephone attendants spend the most time on; such as your address, business hours, fax number, web page address, directions on how to find you, etc.

Great Tips for Buying Additional Health Insurance Today

Group Health insurance in Portland, Oregon (or anywhere in the United States) is something that simply cannot be ignored. As health costs, hospital stays, and medical procedures rising sharply each year, it is very important to have some sort of health insurance. Going for a period of time without any type of health insurance can be financially disastrous.

It has been estimated that close to 50 million people in the U.S. alone do not have some sort of health insurance. Many of these are already facing large medical bills and are facing foreclosure on their homes and bankruptcy. Here are a few different tips to getting additional health insurance and still being able to afford it.
Look Into Group Rates

You can get much better health insurance through a group plan than you can on your own. This is true for both price and amount of coverage you can have. Many employers will allow you to be able to add onto the base plan that they have. For many people, having group based insurance from their place of employment keeps them working at a particular place for a long period of time. They would not be able to afford any insurance otherwise.
Only Buy What You Need

One way to lower the cost, but also add additional insurance onto your plan is to have it customized to fit your needs. Many people today are paying for insurance coverage they do not need and probably never will. You can contact many different organizations to help you choose the type of coverage that would best suit your needs. Organizations like National Association of Health Underwrites will work with you and point you in the right direction.
Research Different Plans

Another way to add on additional health insurance is to do some research into other insurance policy suppliers. You can do this through different areas.

    * Look online - Doing an online search for other supplemental health insurance carriers is one of the easiest ways to find additional insurance.

    * Ask current provider - Talk to your current health insurance provider and see what they can do about adding additional coverage while still keeping your insurance at an affordable rate.

    * Look into government programs - There are several programs that you can look into at the state and local level for additional health coverage. Medicare, Medicaid, and state programs are available.

Change Deductibles

You can add more insurance by making a change to your deductibles. This will only be a good deal if you know that you will not be using your health insurance a lot. If you have a healthy family, then this might be something to look into. Raising you deductible a few hundred dollars could allow you to add supplemental insurance or increase the coverage on your current insurance.

Health insurance in Oregon (or anywhere for that matter) is a must needed fact of life. You simply do not know when you will have an accident or be diagnosed with a life threatening illness. They can strike at any time. Not having adequate insurance can greatly affect the rest of your life. Look into adding new additional coverage to your policy with these simple tips.

Great Tips for Buying Additional Health Insurance Today

Group Health insurance in Portland, Oregon (or anywhere in the United States) is something that simply cannot be ignored. As health costs, hospital stays, and medical procedures rising sharply each year, it is very important to have some sort of health insurance. Going for a period of time without any type of health insurance can be financially disastrous.

It has been estimated that close to 50 million people in the U.S. alone do not have some sort of health insurance. Many of these are already facing large medical bills and are facing foreclosure on their homes and bankruptcy. Here are a few different tips to getting additional health insurance and still being able to afford it.
Look Into Group Rates

You can get much better health insurance through a group plan than you can on your own. This is true for both price and amount of coverage you can have. Many employers will allow you to be able to add onto the base plan that they have. For many people, having group based insurance from their place of employment keeps them working at a particular place for a long period of time. They would not be able to afford any insurance otherwise.
Only Buy What You Need

One way to lower the cost, but also add additional insurance onto your plan is to have it customized to fit your needs. Many people today are paying for insurance coverage they do not need and probably never will. You can contact many different organizations to help you choose the type of coverage that would best suit your needs. Organizations like National Association of Health Underwrites will work with you and point you in the right direction.
Research Different Plans

Another way to add on additional health insurance is to do some research into other insurance policy suppliers. You can do this through different areas.

    * Look online - Doing an online search for other supplemental health insurance carriers is one of the easiest ways to find additional insurance.

    * Ask current provider - Talk to your current health insurance provider and see what they can do about adding additional coverage while still keeping your insurance at an affordable rate.

    * Look into government programs - There are several programs that you can look into at the state and local level for additional health coverage. Medicare, Medicaid, and state programs are available.

Change Deductibles

You can add more insurance by making a change to your deductibles. This will only be a good deal if you know that you will not be using your health insurance a lot. If you have a healthy family, then this might be something to look into. Raising you deductible a few hundred dollars could allow you to add supplemental insurance or increase the coverage on your current insurance.

Health insurance in Oregon (or anywhere for that matter) is a must needed fact of life. You simply do not know when you will have an accident or be diagnosed with a life threatening illness. They can strike at any time. Not having adequate insurance can greatly affect the rest of your life. Look into adding new additional coverage to your policy with these simple tips.

Demystifying Medicare Insurance

Our company specializes in providing information for seniors that applies to Texas Medicare Insurance. We put together the following article to give seniors and families of elder loved ones a little more information on how Medicare insurance affects them regardless if you are in Texas or not.

 Understanding Medicare Insurance and How it Applies to you

Medicare is a federal insurance plan that provides basic coverage for medical care to seniors and people with certain physical disabilities.

There are different types of Medicare policies. Two are basic plans:

Part A: Coverage for hospital care, limited nursing home stays and some home health care. Most people who have been employed get Part A coverage without having to pay a monthly premium. Recipients, however, do have out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-pays.

Part B: Coverage many seniors purchase from Medicare for other physician and outpatient services, some home health care and some medical equipment. Enrollment typically is automatic once you qualify for Medicare. Recipients pay a monthly premium plus a typical 20% co-pay and other out-of-pocket costs.

In addition to the plans above, you can purchase the following policies from insurance companies on your own:

Part C: Also known as Medicare Advantage, these are plans that usually provide more comprehensive coverage for prescription and generic drugs and sometimes dental and vision care, contributions towards gym memberships and diet-related programs and other care. Medicare Advantage plans include all Part A and B coverage, so you don't need the two basic plans if you have a Medicare Advantage policy.

Part D: Also known as a stand-alone prescription drug plan, these policies pay for outpatient prescription and generic drug coverage. If you don't sign up immediately for one of these plans when you reach age 65, you face penalties ranging from a few dollars to more than a $100 a month.

Medigap: Also known as Supplemental Medicare, these plans pay for additional physician and outpatient care services, but often not prescription coverage, necessitating the purchase of a Part D plan. While these plans typically have not required a co-pay, new plans being offered in 2011 are introducing small co-pays such as $2 to $50 for a doctor's or emergency room visit, a trend likely to continue in the future.

Persuasive Essay Writing

Some people are just naturally better at debating than others. Persuasive essay writing is harder for some, and some find that they can whip something out in a flash. Think of this as trying to convince someone to see your point of view. If you follow some basic writing tips and then think your subject matter through, you can come up with something passable, if not fantastic. Don't sell yourself short before you give it a go. You may be better at this than you think you are. If arguing is your strong point, this is going to be a breeze for you.

In order to come up with something good for persuasive essay writing, you have to write about something that you are very passionate about, and something of which you are very knowledgeable. If you try to pound out something that you couldn't care less about, or something of which you know very little, your arguments are going to be very weak indeed. Instead, choose a topic that means something to you, and even something that makes you angry. Try something you wish would change in the world, or something that has frustrated you for a very long time.

Next, in persuasive essay writing, you have to have good form. In the first paragraph of your essay, you want to state your opinion, and how you plan to back it up. In the last paragraph, you want to recap what you have said and how what you have written supports your ideas. The interior paragraphs of your essay should be your strong points that plead your case. That basic setup works for almost all types of essay writing. Once you master that, the layout and outline for your essay are going to be much easier.

Once you have constructed your basic outline, you have to research your main points. While some of persuasive essay writing is about your personal opinion, you make a stronger case when you can back up your own opinions with facts and stories. These are going to be found through research. If research is not your strong point, you may have a problem. The Internet is full of great sources, but make sure you check each source you use for validity. Just because you find something on the Internet does not make it true. Stick with reputable sites for your information or your essay may be worthless. The library is a great idea for research.

Don't forget to cite your sources when you are doing persuasive essay writing. If you have quoted someone, or if you have taken information from a particular source, you have to note that you have done so. This also helps with the validity of what you are saying. Don't forget to edit your work when you are done. Go through it as many times as you can to make sure you got it right. Nothing will kill your argument quicker than an essay full of misspellings and grammatical errors. If you are not sure, ask someone to help you edit.

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