Caring for your senior relatives and friends this Christmas!

The countdown to Christmas is well and truly under way.  Traditionally a time for celebration and family, Christmas often has less cheerful connotations for the many seniors who are alone.

According to ALONE, which supports older people in need in Ireland, 10% of people aged over 65 are at risk of poverty and 120,000 older people live alone across the country.

Home Instead Senior Care Waterford, which provides care to seniors in their own homes is offering useful advice to ensure our senior relatives, friends and neighbours are safe, warm and cared for this winter.

According to Danette Connolly, Director of Care at Home Instead it is imperative that our seniors have a safe and happy Christmas. “We can all play a part in ensuring that Christmas is a highly enjoyable event for all.  Christmas is about friends, family and loved ones enjoying the festivities together.  However not all of our seniors have a friend or relative to call upon, so it is up to us to be mindful of their needs and to keep them company.”

Ms. Connolly stressed the importance of visiting elderly relatives and neighbours over the Christmas holidays. 

“Over the holiday season we tend to spend more time with our parents, grandparents or senior relatives so it is a good opportunity to make sure that they are looking after themselves properly, have sufficient food and heat and are safe in their homes”, she added.  “If you have a neighbour nearby that you know is alone, it is often a good idea to organise a rota for visits or to do some shopping for them so that they will see a friendly face every day.”

“Often, simply dropping in for a cup of tea and a chat can alleviate the loneliness of a senior with no family nearby.  Bringing a gift like a bale of briquettes or a hot dinner is practical and will go a lot further than a box of sweets or a cream cake.”

Ms. Connolly also advised that there are many warning signs to look out for that signal an ageing parent or relative needs more help at home. 

·        Do they seem to be eating well or is food spoiling in the fridge?

·        Have they stopped doing daily grooming rituals like taking a shower or fixing their hair?

·        Are they taking the right medications in the right doses at the right times?

·        Does their car have new scratches or dents?

·        Is mail or newspapers piling up without being read?

·        Are they using furniture, towel bars or shower curtains to pull themselves up to stand?

·        Are their paths and driveways ice free? Ensure that these are kept ice free with salt or sand.

·        Do they have access to emergency numbers and phone numbers of family and neighbours written down or stored in their phone?

·        Is there a supply of medication to get them through the holiday period?

 “If you are visiting a senior relative during the Christmas holidays be aware of things that may be changing for your senior relatives.  Be ready to spot the signs, have those tough conversations and help them get the support they need to remain happy and safe in their own home as long as possible.”

Home Instead Senior Care Waterford provides an array of senior care services such as light housekeeping and laundry, meal preparation, transport and companionship, up to and including personal care, dementia care, post hospital care and disability care.

For further information about the services log onto www.homeinstead.ie or call 051 333966.

Home Instead Senior Care urges care for older people during heat wave

The recent heat wave has us flocking to the beaches, seeking out the shade and ensuring we are well protected with effective sun creams.

Whilst we all need to exercise caution during the warm spell, older people are at increased risk of heat related illness, especially if they live alone, have medical conditions or take certain medicines. 

In many cases being frail, not able to move as easily or having dementia can affect an elderly person’s ability to take adequate care of themselves in hot weather. 

Home Instead Senior Care Waterford has issued guidelines and advice to enable people to put together a plan for how to assist an older person to cope during extreme heat. 

• Arrange to check on an older person twice a day if you can during extreme heat, especially if he/she lives alone. If possible, do not rely on just talking on the phone, as you need to be able to make sure they are drinking enough water and assess any changes to their physical condition,

• Make sure the older person has a phone which will work during a power failure. If they have a safety alarm pendant, make sure this will work if the power was off. 

• If an older person seems to be suffering from heat stress, they need to be cooled down immediately. Use cool baths, showers, or place cool, wet towels on their neck and underarms.

• Call a doctor or an ambulance if an older person’s condition does not improve within an hour after taking steps to cool them down, or if they have any heat related symptoms that are causing concern.

• People caring for others also need to look after themselves in extreme heat, or they put at risk their own health as well as their ability to care for others. 

Keeping Cool:

Try to encourage the older person to take simple steps to keep cool such as: rinsing a cloth in cool water and using it to wipe their arms and neck; sleeping with just a sheet over them; putting their feet in a bowl of cool water; making ice cubes from water or cordial and sucking them to keep cool; and/or putting a bowl of ice cubes in front of a fan to create a cool breeze. 

Clothing and personal aids:

Encourage them to wear light coloured, loose fitting clothing. Sunscreen should always be worn by an older person, even if they only go outside for a short time, as their skin is much thinner and can burn easily. A wide-brimmed hat that shades the face and covers the head is advisable if going outdoors in the heat.

Sunglasses should always be worn outside but make sure they are taken off before going inside to prevent an accident. Pausing inside for a few minutes is a good idea to help eyes adjust from the bright sunlight.

Check that wheelchairs, walkers and other metal equipment that may be used by an older person do not become hot to touch, as this can cause a burn. 

Eating and drinking:

Older people may not always be able to tell when they are thirsty so encourage them to drink water regularly, unless their doctor has advised them to limit the amount of fluid they drink.  It is a good idea for an older person to have a water bottle with them at all times in the heat to avoid becoming dehydrated.

Encourage them to eat smaller meals more often during hot weather. Using stoves or ovens less often also keeps the temperature cooler in their home and reduces the risk of accidentally leaving them on. 

Medicines:

If they take prescribed medicines, they must continue to take these during periods of extreme heat.  Some medicines can make an older person more prone to sunburn and heat stress, so extra care should be taken to watch for signs that they are becoming affected by the heat. If you need more advice on particular medicines, speak to a pharmacist or a G.P.

If you are concerned about a senior family member or friend, call Home Instead Senior Care Waterford on 051 333966 or visit www.homeinstead.ie.

Home Instead Senior Care highlights “black economy” care concerns

Home Instead Senior Care, which provides home care services for our seniors, recently highlighted its concerns surrounding the growing “black economy” in the elderly care sector.

With a rapidly expanding population of over 65s, senior care services have never been more in demand and this has lead to a culture of unregulated, uninsured and unvetted carers providing services in the marketplace.

Home Instead Senior Care has warned of the consequences of availing of such unregulated services.  Danette Connolly, Director of Care, said that all care providers should be regulated and undergo external auditing processes, and this is something that Home Instead Senior Care has been campaigning for.

“Some of the statistics that are emerging surrounding senior care in Ireland are frightening.  There are a growing number of individual carers and companies providing home care services and are not following good practice. This can cause undue stress and worry to the senior and their family.”

Danette added, “Currently Ireland’s home care market is completely unregulated. Seniors are availing of care that is not monitored and some are directly employing carers, leaving themselves vulnerable as they are the employer but are not necessary fulfilling all the employer obligations, such as insurance cover, health and safety regulations and tax requirements.”

According to Linda Gallagher, Joint Managing Director of First Ireland, specialist Insurance Brokers to the care industry, people engaging carers through the black economy can find themselves in a vulnerable position if an accident occurs.

“It is most likely in such cases that the carer will not carry their own insurance cover.  In the senior care sector the number one claim relates to injuries caused either to the carer or the senior themselves by their moving and handling.  If the carer is not employed by a professional, insured senior care specialist company, and sustains an injury, they will be advised to sue the homeowner or whoever engaged their services.  In addition, the senior themselves will have no recourse to anybody in the event of them sustaining an injury.”

In order to administer competent and effective home care all care providers should be fully insured, attend to Garda vetting and the care staff should be trained, supervised and constantly monitored, which will alleviate a lot of stress and worry for seniors and their families.

Home Instead Senior Care CAREGivers are regularly monitored and undergo Gardai vetting.  Home Instead Senior Care was also recently awarded ISO certification which copper-fastens its commitment to quality care, customer service and continual improvement.

ISO 9001, which is administered by the International Organisation for Standardisation, is recognised globally as the guideline for establishing and maintaining an effective quality management system for businesses in any sector.

For further information about the services of Home Instead Senior Care log onto www.homeinstead.ie or call 051 333966

Home Instead Senior Care awarded ISO certification

Home Instead Senior Care was recently awarded ISO certification which copper-fastens its commitment to quality care, customer service and continual improvement.

ISO 9001, which is administered by the International Organisation for Standardisation, is recognised globally as the guideline for establishing and maintaining an effective quality management system for businesses in any sector.

Since opening the doors of its Waterford office in 2009, HomeInstead Senior Care has grown steadily and now cares for over 200 clients, employs over seventy CAREGivers and is run by an office team of eight, including Director of Care, Danette Connolly and Director, Michael Connolly.

According to Danette the accreditation is an endorsement of Home Instead’s commitment to quality care to its clients in the community.  “Our company’s policy is not only to provide the optimum level of home care for seniors, but also to focus on and understand the needs of our clients and their families and to exceed those expectations.”

“Whilst this accreditation formally reinforces the quality of care and values we have always made available to our clients, it is also a huge reassurance to our clients of our commitment to adhering to quality standards in the areas of customer care, service delivery, CAREGiver hiring and training and continuous improvement”, Danette added.

Testament to this is the work that Home Instead has done in spearheading many

positive health initiatives and brought awareness to a multitude of senior’s issues including; Care Choices for Seniors, osteoporosis and fall prevention awareness, Positive Ageing Solutions, elder abuse awareness, tax relief incentives and much more.

Another step in Home Instead’s journey to continue to improve and develop is its dedication to being recognised as “A Great Place to Work”. This global scheme helps organisations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high-trust workplace cultures. Home Instead is committed to building an inspirational workplace for employees, involving employees to help implement positive changes and listening to employee opinion in order to become an employer of choice.

For further information about the services of Home Instead Senior Care log onto www.homeinstead.ie or call 051 333966.