So often in the world of home health care it is easy to fall into the day to day operations of performing a job. Simply providing care and personnel to attend to an individual’s needs might seem like a blessing through action, but sometimes we need more than that to inspire us to care for our elders with love and compassion.

Please take a moment to read this post The Cab Ride I’ll Never Forget.

If you’re like me the first thing you’ll do is pick up the phone and call those that are near and dear to you. Here at Horizon Care Services we wish the best to all of our clients, caregivers, and co-workers. What great moments will shape your day today?

I would like to take a moment and share a note that was dropped off this morning regarding one of our caregivers.

“…Ricardo has been my husband’s day nurse for the past six months. My husband has Parkinson’s disease among other physical problems. He cannot walk, stand, or feed himself and is incontinent. He also suffers from dementia.

Ricardo has been consistently gentle and understanding in his care. His past experience as a doctor elsewhere has enabled him to understand problems and to foresee others before they happened.

He is punctual, honest, cleam, and pleasant to be around. He can cook meals for the patient, take care of his needs, and work independently without close supervision.

Ricardo would be an asset to any nursing situation, he has become a part of our family…”

We appreciate these kinds words from our clients and we truly value the trust and compassion that our caregivers give back to these families. Is your current home care company providing a level of service that your loved ones deserve? Reach out to us today to find out how making a switch in your home care provider can make the difference of a lifetime. Contact us here or give us a call at (855) 375-9964.

What is a Multigenerational Home?

Among the families that are looking to purchase new home construction, including one of these additional “retreats” is increasingly becoming an option for many baby boomers with elderly parents. According to this article in the Sun Sentinel about Homes built for three generations are on the rise. While this is not unique to South Florida, our overwhelming number of senior citizens in the area may have an overall larger impact on the residential construction industry than any where else in the United Sates.

According to NPR the numbers come in at around 51.4 million Americans that are living in a multigenerational household, a number they reason is largely impacted by the recent recession and squeeze on retirees and baby boomers alike.

Have you recently made a decision of moving into a new home based upon the suitability of having a “mother in-law” suite? We are very interested in hearing your story, please share with us on twitter @askhorizon

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So at what point does caring for the elderly become a heated debate?

Apparently once you start accepting Medicare dollars while using volunteers and making a profit. Understanding how deep of an impact for profit hospice care has on the ballooning costs associated with the service on the medicare system was not really pointed out by Mr. Charles Elmore. While I’m sure that out of the total cost of hospice on Medicare (roughly $13 billion) is significant, you have to think that the benefit that we gain from these companies stepping in and providing effective solutions in a rather difficult time (end of life care) must be somewhat significant.

According to this article in the Palm Beach Post, Vitas has a view towards volunteers as follows,”Volunteerism has long been recognized as a vital component of hospice care. Volunteers provide support, engagement and companionship for hospice patients and their families. Moreover, beyond uniquely benefiting patients, volunteers find their service to be a personally rewarding experience. Many hospice volunteers are family members, friends or acquaintances of hospice patients.”

Simply put, for profit hospice care is not the only game in town. Volunteers take on the responsibility of donating their time and effort because it is something that they are passionate about. Whether they are donating their time to a company that makes money or not, overall it appears that this is not a concern to these people.

It seems that the scale with which our population is expanding that the idea of relying on a purely volunteer driven hospice program additionally may seem unfeasible. Maybe realigning our expectations from who provides hospice care to how to provide the best hospice care possible could be the answer to this discussion. We understand the argument about tax payers funding more and more programs, but when it comes to the care for our elder’s, palliative end of life care whether paid for by public funds, or through volunteerism is a service that may be better of managed by a professionally profit seeking company.

Do you find yourself worrying or stressing about how your parent or loved one will manage to take care of themselves on a day to day basis? How can you be certain that your parent is taking all of their proper medications, making all of their doctor’s appointments, and addressing any health care matters that should not by any means be ignored.

Senior Care Management In Fort Lauderdale

Sure we offer caregivers, nurses, and geriatric care managers services in Fort Lauderdale, but we also have an experienced team of health care professionals all throughout Broward County. In fact, we offer these same exact services throughout all of South Florida including Palm Beach, and Dade County. So when is it time to bring in extra help for your loved ones? Often times you may find that you no longer have the ability, time, or reach to address all of your aging parents needs. Sometimes you may find that you are out of state and unable to offer that much needed help yourself, even the day to day business of managing your own life is difficult enough. Working from 9 to 5, spending time with the family and children, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to take care of everything that needs to be taken care of.

Take a Break, Ask A Care Manager For Help

We know you’re thinking,” there must be an easier way.” There is. Handing off care for a parent by no means shows that you’re ungrateful or loving of your aging parent, rather it sends the message that you care about their health and well being by making sure that at all times of the day their actions and care can be accounted for and managed in the best way possible. If you’re finding yourself juggling the roles of daughter, mother, caregiver, and estate planner, take a step back for a moment and find out if some at home care assistance may help lighten the load. Please give us a call at (855) 375-9964 for a free consultation and experience the difference with the best home care health care services company in Fort Lauderdale, and South Florida. Have an immediate questions but can’t get to a phone? You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. We look forward to being your first choice for all of your senior home health care questions.

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So what does this mean? Well effectively in the long run we are looking at an increased quality of life and care that can be realized by reducing return post-acute care hospital visits. Often times what can happen when an elderly individual leaves the hospital and heads home without any support, they are that much more likely to relapse.

Why does this happen?

Our ability to handle stress and deal with traumatic events as we get older tends to degrade overtime. By utilizing an individual like a home health aide or some other type of caregiver to assist in following a doctor’s recommendations and ensuring that that individual follows their plan of care, we can help reduce the rate of readmission.

Naturally what we would want to take away from a study like this (especially in an election year) would be the amazing savings and benefits that increased funding and awareness towards home healthcare programs would bring to Medicare. Ideally want we want for our own bank accounts (not just our governments) is an overall reduction in our healthcare spending with an increase in our efficiency in managing chronic diseases and other long term illnesses.

Will something like this simply remain a pipe dream or can we expect a greater movement towards social and government programs that encourage a complete and comprehensive plan of care? With a large number of baby boomers coming into the fold of elder care, do you think that we are gravitating towards a society that will make this part of it’s social agenda, what are your thoughts?

We pride ourselves on the relationships that we have built throughout the years and our ability to recognize and work with only the most qualified and proven nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout Palm Beach, Dade, and Broward Counties. In the past few weeks much of our discussions with ALF’s have been in regards to the future wide availability of cheap housing that will soon be out on the market, making an attractive entrance for many retirees throughout the U.S. that might not have otherwise considered relocating to the once booming sunshine state due to cost.

Senior Housing, Nursing Homes & Alternatives In Florida

The Sun-Sentinel recently profiled how such a change in our elder ecosystem could have come into play. One piece of this article in particular tweaked our interest to a point that we just had to look into it a little more in depth. One reason that was stated for an increase in availability of homes and condos was that ,” As they age or develop health problems, South Florida seniors are opting to move back north closer to family instead of relocating to a local assisted living or independent facility.” Interesting enough a number was given of only around 100 moves that fit this scenario.

On a daily basis we work with families that are looking for an alternative to this method of uprooting their parents, which can sometimes be disruptive to their parents psyche and over all well being. South Florida seniors have spent many years (on the order of several decades sometimes) living within their retirement communities, building solid routines and friendships. While having your elder parent closer to where the core of your family now lives may be comforting, be sure to consider what impact if any there may be on your parents ability to cope with this change.

While we are always happy to promote our service of utilizing home health aides to facilitate senior independence in their homes, you should not necessarily rule out the possibility of utilizing a nursing home or assisted living facility here in South Florida. Have you recently had to make the choice of placing your parent in a senior housing community, utilizing caregivers in the home, or relocating your family member to another state so that they may be closer to you? We are always interested in hearing new stories and perspectives, please share with us below or send us a tweet and let us know what you think.

Enjoy Your Retirement

While the promise of sailing the high seas from cruise ship to cruise ship might not be in everyones plans, the comfort and freedom that you can enjoy by pursuing an alternative plan of care can be. The options exists here in South Florida, whether you have an elder mother in Boca Raton, or a senior parent who is in an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, the possibility of creating and accessing a world outside their one room is right at their fingertips (with a little bit of help of course).

Utilizing home care services, whether it may be a home health aide or one of many private nursing options (CNA, LPN, RN) can allow a loved one to stay active and experience the truly wonderful space around them that is (in our case at least) South Florida. By bringing on a Caregiver you are able to add a level of flexibility and adventure that would otherwise be unattainable. Trips to the mall, visits to a doctors office, and even evenings out with friends to a movie or dinner are made that much easier and accessible to the elderly by using a private caregiver.

In Home Help In South Florida – Is It Right For Mom & Dad?

Sure the option of just picking a facility or nursing home may be easy enough, but a little bit of extra work to pursue an alternative method could ensure that

those last precious moments in your loved ones life are spent in a supportive, caring environment. Money aside (mind you possibly saving $50,000 – $70,000) you should take the time to consult with an expert to see what may be possible for your loved ones. Whether it you want them to be lounging on a cruise ship or zip-lining through the forests of Costa Rica, be sure to explore every option possible. After all, when the time comes that you should need some help, wouldn’t you prefer that your children or loved ones stop at nothing to find the best care for you? Do you have an elder family member who is retired in style, traveling the world on cruise ships instead of an assisted living facility? We would love to hear from you. Feel free to share your story below, with us on Twitter, or with us on Facebook.

So what are we to do?

There are some calls for increased regulations and legislation that would require certain restrictions for ALF’s and their rising population of some 80,000 residents. While this outcry from the Miami Herald and their profiling of seniors being neglected to death is stirring up some much needed support, we have pointed out before that exploring all of your options when it comes to senior home care can not be taken lightly.

With our elder population booming at a never before seen rate, understanding and planning how we will spend our final years is absolutely essential. Knowing how to not let your senior parent get stuck at an assisted living facility they hate may not always be such an easy task. As a South Florida home health care provider our team here at Horizon Care Services does not take these recent revelations of elder abuse lightly. On a daily basis, we strive to provide a level of service so personal and caring that we cannot begin to understand how certain facilities have been able to operate in such a manner that has garnered them this much attention.

Choosing The Right Senior Care In South Florida

That being said, with our years and years of experience we have had a chance to work with quite a few Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes, and they are not all bad as some might think. Here at Horizon Care Services we only want the best for our clients. Sometimes we are met with cases where finding an Assisted Living Facility in Palm Beach, Martin, Broward, or Dade County is the answer. We have taken the time to do the homework and help you figure out what facility you can trust. If you are looking to place a loved on with an Assisted Living Facility, we strongly recommend that you reach out to us here at Horizon Care Services for a list of our preferred quality Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes.

Here at Horizon Care Services we support many local causes, especially ones that help women as well as our elderly. The You Go Girl! event benefited The Ella Milbank Foshay Cancer Center at Jupiter Medical Center which focuses on the treatment of women’s reproductive cancer. The even went off without a hitch, everyone I’m sure had an amazing time, I know I did.

The event presented an opportunity to provide useful products and information for women so that they can take care of themselves in any aspect of their life. Whether we were learning about finance, participating in silent auctions, or discovering different ways that women can care for their parents and loved ones, we truly stepped away from this event feeling better knowing that we were helping the Jupiter Medical Center’s Cancer Center.

Are you interested in staying up to date on more amazing You Go Girl! events, be sure to check out their site for a complete listing of upcoming events. We also look forward to supporting the amazing Jupiter Medical Center again this weekend the 31st at their 36th Annual Ball – Love, Laugh, Luau! Proceeds from this event will fund the Anderson Family Orthopedic & Spine Center. There may still be some time to register for the event, please email the Foundation to reserve your spot today.