While I now call the San Francisco Bay Area home, my original home was in the Midwest.  And as they say, you can take a boy from the Midwest, but you can't take the Midwest out of the boy.  My upbringing has greatly influenced my values, and the way that we approach managing our caregiver agency.

When I purchased Caring Hands Caregivers six years ago, I had the goal of providing the highest quality of care possible.  To do so, you need to make sure that every client is treated like we would treat our family.  And while issues inevitably come up, our guiding principles ensure that we react quickly to meet the changing needs of our clients.

With that in mind, we use the following set of values as guiding principles for our business, each and every day:

• Integrity-- we are 100% committed to doing the right thing for our clients, our caregivers, and our clients' families.  This acts as a guiding principle in our honest and open business practices, in how we work with our caregivers, and how we resolve everyday issues.
  
• Personal Care--as a small, local, family-owned and -operated business, we maintain a limited number of clients to allow for care that is best suited to each client's needs.
  
• Transparency--clear communication and constant access to our team means that you can know exactly how your loved one is being cared for.
• Agility--as our clients age, their situations can change very rapidly.  When issues arise, we're able to respond quickly to ensure that our quality care is uninterrupted.
• Partnership--extraordinary care requires cooperation and communication between our clients, their families, our caregivers, and us.  We facilitate that communication, through consistent contact and access to online tools.
• Efficiency--We hire career caregivers, many with 5 years or more of experience, so they get up to speed quickly.  And our management team brings many years of agency and operational business experience to keep things running smoothly and efficiently.

If someone you love is in need of a caregiver in the Bay Area, feel free to call us at 408.775.7626 to schedule a care options review.  That way, you can determine if Caring Hands Caregivers is the right partner to care for your loved one.

As Linda Bernstein mentioned in her article, 8 Things Not to Say to Your Aging Parents, dealing with aging parents as their memory fades can prove frustrating.  Despite our best efforts, we sometimes lose patience while listening to the same stories over and over, trying to track when conversations 'go rogue', and teaching the same skills repeatedly.  

Here are a few tips that we've learned, while caring for older adults, for how to handle these situations in a loving and compassionate way. 

When hearing the same story for the umpteenth time
Say "I remember you saying that before, which lead to..."  This lets them know that you've listened to them, and allows them to leap forward and add additional details or a relevant connection to the current conversation.

When teaching a technology skill
Instead of just showing the skill once, create a document with screen shots that can be referred back to when your parent attempts the task on their own.

When reminding about a name or elusive word
Ask them for a description instead of the exact word or name.  Often, they can come up with "Edith's son", but not the name.  Or, they can come up with the usage of a spatula, for example, but not the label.

I hope that these suggestions help you to turn your best intentions into reality when dealing with your aging parents.

Today, we applaud Governor Brown for vetoing the bill dubbed, misleadingly, the "Domestic Workers Bill of Rights" (see our blog from 8/29, "Why we oppose AB889").  

In his decision, Governor Brown aptly asks, "What will be the economic and human impact on the disabled or elderly person and their family of requiring overtime, rest and meal period for attendants who provide 24 hour care?"  He went on to ask, "What would be the additional costs and what is the financial capacity of those taking care of loved ones in the last years of life."  

The Governor poses some appropriate questions that require further study before enacting a mandate.  Some other questions to answer:
*  How would domestic workers be protected if you cannot find them?  The bill would've taken the live-in care industry underground, making workers more vulnerable.
*  How would families be protected if a caregiver were injured on the job?  When caregivers are hired directly by families, the family does not typically pay for worker's compensation insurance.  That provides little recourse for the caregiver to get back lost wages, and makes the family vulnerable to litigation.

At Caring Hands Caregivers, our caregivers are our heart and soul.  We make sure that they are paid fairly, are insured, and are protected from abuse.  Our obligation to our clients AND to our caregivers is to provide great care.

We were delighted to participate with Avenidas and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in the 1st annual Successful Aging Celebration.  True to the title of the event, we met a lot of seniors who are aging successfully, and had a chance to connect with potential partners that can enhance the service we provide to seniors even more.
  
The seniors we talked to were especially interested in a new service that we’re launching for Aging in Place called In Home Assisted Living.  We’ve taken the Assisted Living concept, and are helping seniors stay at home longer by providing just the help they need in as short as 30-minute increments.   If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and would like to inquire about this service, just send me an email at scott@chcgivers.com or call us at 650.943.2313.  We’ll come to your house, assess your needs, and figure out the right match for you.

When your loved one is facing the end of their life, there are some conversations that need to happen.  The AARP recently came out with a great article about how to talk with your loved one about end of life issues, offering suggestions about questions to ask, as well as the legal back up to make sure that wishes are met.

In addition, there are conversations about the end of life that your loved one will want to have.  

Our seniors each have their own personal history, filled with anecdotes, stories, proud moments, and lessons learned.  When they are facing the end of their life, a valuable gift that you can give to your loved one is the chance to relive some of their favorite memories.  To draw those memories out of them, and remind them of a more carefree time, you can ask questions like:

*  Who influenced you most in your life?  What did they do or say that guided you?
*  What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?  
*  When was your favorite vacation?  Where did you go, who were you with, and what did you do?
*  What games did you play when you were a child?  How did you create your own fun?
*  What did you like to do when you were in your twenties?  

There is nothing more valuable, though, then sharing some of your favorite memories of them, reminding them about the fun you've shared, the lessons they've taught you, and the legacy that they're leaving.  Listening to the stories that you tell can take them back to a time in their life less frequently visited in their minds.   

Summer is time for fun in the sun; beach trips, barbecues, and ice cream.  And when you're caring for a senior, summer is also time to make sure you're keeping your loved one hydrated while they enjoy the warm weather.

Older adults tend to get dehydrated more easily and the impact of dehydration greater.  Many of our seniors are on multiple medications.  Dehydration can change the way a senior's body metabolizes medications putting them at greater risk for side effects.

For some, potential embarrassment due to incontinence keeps them from filling their lemonade glass.  Other seniors may have physical limitations like difficulty holding a glass, making them avoid an unpleasant situation.

Keeping your loved one hydrated may require small, clever ways to ensure that enough water is consumed.  Serve your senior plenty of fruits and vegetables, such as melons and jicama, with high water content.  Instead of a glass of plain water, consider getting some carbonated water, putting a slice of citrus or other fruit in to make it a little tastier and more festive.  Or, appeal to the child in them by keeping their freezers well stocked with popsicles, encouraging them to eat as many as they like.  

As with many things, the best cure is prevention.  With just a few small steps, you can ensure that your loved one is getting the fluids they need.  

Last month, the Alzheimer's Association of Northern California held it's 14th Annual Update on Dementia Conference in Foster City.  The theme of the program was Putting Research into Practice.  Since 5.2 million Americans now suffer from this horrible disease, there are many researchers working hard to find solutions to address Alzheimer’s.  While progress can never be quick enough for those afflicted, important discoveries have been made that will help diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s in the near future. 

Some interesting research is focused on early detection of Alzheimer’s disease potential in the brain.  Using  PET Scans, researchers can identify if there is Beta-Amyloid present in the brain, a known component of the plaque found in brains of Alzheimer’s patients. These scans can identify people who could potentially develop Alzheimer’s,  but currently do not exhibit any symptoms.  Once identified, treatments are being tested to try and slow the progression of the disease.  Bending the curve of onset by 3-5 years would have a significant impact on the medical costs of the disease as well as the quality of life for those afflicted.

At Caring Hands Caregivers, we have several clients who live with this disease, and have developed an expertise in caring for Alzheimer's patients.  If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and need care for a loved one with Alzheimer's, you can email me at scott@chcgivers.com.