$3,000 Nurse scholarship applications available Feb. 1 from the American Legion

The American Legion Americanism and Children & Youth Division recently announced that starting Feb. 1, applications will be available for the $3,000 Eight and Forty Lung and Respiratory Disease Nursing Scholarship.

The scholarship, which has awarded more than $1.4 million since 1957, was established to assist registered nurses wanting to advance their training in pediatric lung and respiratory diseases or to prepare for positions in clinical practice and management.

Read the details here.

The American Legion Benefits Calculator

The Legion has a benefits calculator on their website to assist in determining if you are eligible for any benefits.

https://www.legion.org/benefitscalculator

By answering a few simple questions, they are able to help you determine your eligibility for hundreds of available benefits.

It's pretty cool; however, it did not recognize the eligibility for VA Aid and Attendance benefits for those veterans and spouses over 65.

Check Here to see if you are eligible.

I called the American Legion and discussed this with them and they have a fix in the works.

Home Caregiving Safety Tips

From ArticlePlugIn

Many seniors live in homes that have not been equipped for elderly care. This makes injuries more likely, which is unfortunate because it takes people longer to recover as they age. However, there are many safety tips that can help prevent a serious injury.

There are some steps that can be taken in any living area of the home.

* All rugs and loose carpets should be either tacked or taped to the ground. This will prevent seniors from tripping on turned-up corners or scrunched rugs.
* Electric cords should be secured to the wall or placed under rugs so no one trips on them.
* Sharp corners on tables or countertops should be covered to avoid serious injury in the event of a fall.
* Staircases should have railings on both sides that are strong enough to support a person’s full body weight.
 Ideally these railings should extend beyond the top and bottom steps.

Bathrooms need some specific work in order to be as safe as possible.
* Place no-slip rugs near the toilet, sink, and shower to help prevent falls.
* A raised toilet seat can help seniors sit down and get off the toilet seat with ease. Adding bars on both sides of the toilet is also beneficial.
* Installing a grab bar in the shower can provide valuable stability. A shower seat is also useful, especially if long showers are enjoyed.
* Shower doors that are made of glass should be labeled with bright tape or decals. This will prevent anyone from stepping through the door because it wasn’t seen.
* Label the hot water faucet or paint it red to avoid scalding.

The kitchen also needs to safety proofed.
* Any appliances that do not work properly need to be replaced. Using them increases the risk of injury. If money is an issue, hiring a repairman may be cheaper.
* Place all appliances at waist level so seniors do not have to struggle to reach things that are either too high or too low.
* Adequate lighting is especially important in the kitchen, where sharp tools are used on a frequent basis.

Replace any burned out light bulbs and consider adding an additional desk lamp by the cutting board.
* Make sure the smoke detector is in good working order and has fresh batteries.

Safety proofing a home can be time consuming, but it is necessary. Consider asking a friend-especially one who is good with tools-for help. Once you have safety proofed your loved one’s home, you can rest assured knowing that you have taken active steps to ensure his safety.

How to Afford Private Pay Homecare When It Seems Out of Reach

Paying privately for home health care services is often a necessary option for
seniors who want to remain living independently in their homes.
 
Homecare is the fastest growing segment of the health care industry. With more people in need of 24 hour care, live-in care allows the elderly to remain at home with a minimum of cost compared to nursing home or assisted living costs. Since Medicaid and Medicare typically don't pay for long term care, the burden of payment becomes that of the individual or their extended family.

How do the elderly afford quality homecare for themselves? There are several possible ways to afford private pay homecare, even when the costs seem out of reach.

Most major diseases such as Alzheimer's, MS, and Cancer offer programs to assist individuals with that particular illness. Check with your local agency supporting your illness for local community resources. Additionally, many religious organizations have some funds available for its members.

Statistics show that the majority of people are going to need some type of long term care in their lifetime. For those who don't have the savings available to pay for private pay home care, Long Term Care (LTC) Insurance is an option. Many insurance companies have brokers that specialize in this type of insurance. Make sure your LTC policy allows for substantial home care benefits since that is where most people prefer to remain.

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), formerly known as reverse mortgage is a loan you take on the equity you have accrued in your house. This option allows you the funds needed for homecare in order to remain in the comfort of your own home environment. It is not an equity loan that has to be paid back. This is beneficial in that you don't cause further financial difficulties by acquiring an additional mortgage payment. The lender recovers repayment on the loan from the proceeds of the sale of the property. Your heirs are not responsible for repayment of the loan. You can continue to own your own home and afford the care you require.

The Veterans Administration has established a pension program whereby the purchase of personal care and attendant home services are paid for through a Veteran's acquired pension title VA Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit. This plan helps senior veterans afford private pay home care. Individuals must have a qualifying medical condition that requires them to need the daily assistance of others for activities of daily living (ADL's). In addition , to qualify, the veteran must:

• Have received an honorable or general discharge
• Have doctor's orders stating they need the aide and assistance of others daily
• Meet financial requirements
• Have served 1 day during an active war and had no less than 90 days of service

The surviving spouse of a veteran may also qualify providing they were still married to the veteran when they passed. This veteran benefit process can take 4-6 months to process but all benefits are retro-dated back to the originally filing date. Since this process can be lengthy and confusing, the free assistance of an Elder Law Attorney is recommended. Your local county Office on Aging is an excellent resource that can assist you
with finding information on available funds through your county and state programs. The information they provide is available to the public and free of charge.

Institutionalized care such as nursing homes and hospitals has risen in cost to the point that has led many people to seek alternative care. Resources are available to offset the cost of private pay homecare. Asking your local agencies and seeking all options is the first step to making homecare affordable when it
seems out of reach.

H/T and Link

Senior Helpers Joins the Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance

In-home senior care provider to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of Alzheimer’s
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 15, 2010 – Towson, MD– January 2010 – Senior Helpers, the nation’s fastest growing provider of in-home care for seniors, announced today their participation in the Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance (AEDA). Senior Helpers has become a “Champion” with the AEDA and will work to spread the word about the warning signs of Alzheimer’s.

The AEDA is an Alzheimer’s Association national outreach campaign focusing on the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The goal is to raise awareness of the disease’s warning signs and for organizations to turn to the Alzheimer’s Association as the center for help and hope. The AEDA has developed an online toolkit containing educational information for participating organizations’ use in their promotional efforts that includes posters, brochures, television and radio advertisements, logos, widgets and more.

By becoming an AEDA “Champion,” Senior Helpers has agreed to disseminate educational information to their franchise owners and clients through various on-line activation opportunities provided by the Alzheimer’s Association. This includes placing the AEDA logo on their website, distributing the information on the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s and more.

“Joining the AEDA was an easy decision for us at Senior Helpers because of our commitment to educating and helping the senior community,” said Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers. “We are glad to be in a position to aid the AEDA in its efforts to spread the word on the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s.  This is important to the senior community and their loved ones in order to combat this devastating disease. We look forward to working with our franchisees and clients to help the approximately 5.3 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s.”

Alzheimer’s Association 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s disease:
1.   Memory changes that disrupt daily life
2.   Challenges in planning or solving problems
3.   Difficulty completing familiar tasks
4.   Confusion with time or place
5.   Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6.   New problems with words in speaking or writing
7.   Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8.   Decreased or poor judgment
9.   Withdrawal from work or social activities
10.   Changes in mood and personality

To learn more about the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s disease, contact the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org/10signs or 877-IS-IT-ALZ.

To learn more about Senior Helpers, or their involvement with the Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance, please visit www.seniorhelpers.com.

About Senior Helpers:
Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who need extra assistance in the place they call home. The company has 280 franchises in 38 states throughout the country and offers a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care. For more information, please visit: http://www.seniorhelpers.com.

About the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. For more information, visit www.alz.org.

Does Senior Helpers help non-Seniors?

Of course we do!

We received a call from a former client asking if we could assist a young mother she knows after she comes home from surgery. She asked if we have a cut off or age limit on who we take as a client.


Our caregivers can provide the same services for a 30 year old as they do for a 70 year old: cooking, cleaning, transportation to and from doctors appointments, bathing, dressing, grooming and much more.

Thank you for the referral!

Backup eldercare helps caregivers balance work and family responsibilities

By Lydell C. Bridgeford

When UPS employee Diane Davies needed help in taking care of her dad, who is in his 80s, a coworker told her to try Senior Helpers, a service provider that offers backup eldercare.

"My mom had gone into the hospital to have an operation, and during the procedure she had a stroke," says Davies, who works at UPS's airline division in Louisville, Ky.

Her mother, also in her 80s, went into rehabilitation. "During that time, my dad really couldn't stay at home by himself, so my brother and I had to stay with him, but I also had to work," explains Davies, who didn't take the traditional route of contacting her employee assistance program for eldercare advice.

Davies' experience at UPS reflects how employers are recognizing that workers who are caring for an aging relative need an array of options to successfully manage professional and family responsibilities. Yet in offering eldercare programs and services, employers may sometimes struggle in communicating those efforts to their workforce.

Senior Fitness and Exercise Guidelines and Tips for Older Adults

Great article!

I started up on my exercise New Years resolution this past weekend and am 'feeling it' a bit. But it is worth it. Take it slow and steady!

Music and the mind: Using an iPod to treat Alzheimer's

...The clinical reasons that this type of therapeutic music works have to do with the emotional connection to music made throughout our life. It also has to do with areas of the brain that are involved in emotion, association and long-term memory processes that are stimulated by personally important music...

Read the entire article at McKnight's.com.

Technology is not just for kids! Don't forget to bring out the Wii as well!

When Siblings Fight About Elder Care

Don't forget to include what the parents want in the discussion!


Good advice from Carol Bursack in in Inforum.

Senior Helpers of Central Texas Job Fair: Thursday 1/7/2010

SENIOR HELPERS JOB FAIR
  THURSDAY, JANUARY 7th 5:00pm-6:30pm

SENIOR HELPERS OF CENTRAL TEXAS
301 Hesters Crossing
in the Westridge Office Park
Suite 206B (middle Courtyard)
Round Rock, TX 78681

Please PRINT OUT and COMPLETE this application and bring it with you:
http://seniorhelpers.com/files/4828/Caregiver_Employment_Application_MH.pdf


If you are UNABLE to attend, click on the link below and complete the online application.
http://seniorhelpers.com/location/4828/apply-online
We will review and set up an interview if your qualifications meet our requirements


Senior Helpers serves - Williamson, Travis, Burnet and Bell Counties

Senior Helpers, Central Texas’ premiere In-Home Care Agency, Ranked #2 in Entrepreneur Magazines top new franchises category, is now hiring!!!

Senior Helpers provides in home, non-skilled services, that care for a variety of people with various needs and disabilities. Our mission is to provide a full range of private pay in-home services by trained and qualified staff in a professional, courteous, and caring manner. We offer our caregivers FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES

Caregiving is as rewarding for the caregiver as it is for the person receiving the care. Our caregivers have the support of our trained staff and we provide on-going state-of-the-art education. We provide our caregivers at the skills to ensure professionalism, enthusiasm, and compassion for seniors. We offer our caregivers consistent cases where they establish a relationship with the client and family. Caregiving in the home is very rewarding enabling our clients to remain in control of their own lives with you as their personal assistant.

We are currently looking for applicants with the following skills:

If you're compassionate towards the elderly and would enjoy the satisfaction of helping them remain independent while living at home AND are a licensed caregiver (CNA) or a qualified Home Health Aide, a caregiving opportunity may be for you!

We require at least 1 year of experience working with the elderly in a companion and/or personal care assistance environment and a valid driver’s license with a dependable mode of transportation.

We are anxious to help you put your skills to work in the personal care field. We have flexible schedules ranging from short visits to live-in cases. Come join our team to become a part of a new and rewarding career.

You may also visit our website at SENIORHELPERS.COM  to read about our agency.