This is a true story of a family member’s struggle to choose “Best care for Dad” by Michelle Kosusnik, Home Instead Senior Care Austin. 

Read Michelle’s orginal story by clicking here. It is posted in this blog on September 18th.

We are offering a FREE 10 minute telephone interview, with one of our Home Instead Senior Care consultants, to families needing information and advice on “should aging parent choose home care personal services or go to an assisted living facility”.  Please call Denise Thomas at (512) 347-9207 or email denise.thomas@homeinstead.com.

The year 2008 has been a very positive year for me. The best part of 2008 has been my new job at Home Instead as a Recruiter. When I came on board here, I felt as if everything was coming full circle. Time has passed since I lost dad, and now after much grieving, I have learned to savor life.

I appreciate every moment with my kids, my friends, fiancé, and co-workers. I love my job, and I feel grateful that I have been able to share my experience with all of you through this blog. Thank you for reading, and I hope that if anyone has an experience similar to mine, that you are able to gain something from what I have talked about.

Everyone has a different path, and the choices you make are personal. Just remember that whatever you choose for your parent, that you look at the big picture, and know that you can have a clear conscious with your decisions. The love you have for your parents is precious, and every moment is a treasure. I know that is how I will always think of the time I had for me and dad.

In loving memory of James Robert Funderburk
March 17, 1942- March 09, 2006

Last week we introduced you to Michelle, a family caregiver, who grappled with the question.. Home Care or Assisted Living facility in Austin - which is the best care for dad? This is a true story of a family member’s struggle to choose “Best care for Dad” by Michelle Kosusnik, Home Instead Senior Care Austin. 

Read Michelle’s orginal story by clicking here. It is posted in this blog on September 18th.

We are offering a FREE 10 minute telephone interview, with one of our Home Instead Senior Care consultants, to families needing information and advice on “should aging parent choose home care personal services or go to an assisted living facility”.  Please call Denise Thomas at (512) 347-9207 or email denise.thomas@homeinstead.com.

Click here to listen… 

Austin Seniors biggest fear is losing their independence.  That independence is often lost, however, because seniors don’t reach out for help.  It’s up to their adult children to recognize the signs.   

In January 2006, I took dad to the doctor because he wasn’t feeling well. The doctor advised me to take dad to the hospital immediately because his oxygen level was extremely low. After dad was admitted and they ran a series of tests, they informed me that dad had experienced another mild stroke.

He stayed in the hospital for about 10 days. When he was about to be released, the doctors and social workers were giving me lots of pamphlets and information about Nursing Homes. I presented this to Dad. He looked at me in a way that he never had before, it was a look of desperation.

He said, “Michelle, PLEASE do not let them take me to a nursing home! I do NOT want to die there. Let me go home”. At that moment I knew this would be our last trip to the hospital. I told them to let me take him home, and that we had care givers in place to help us. On March 9, 2006, Dad passed away peacefully at home.

Online Screening Service Provides Benefits Information for Seniors 

Many older Austinites need help paying for prescription drugs, health care, utilities and other basic needs. Ironically, millions of older Americans, especially those with limited incomes, are eligible for federal, state and local programs and are not receiving benefits.

To help make Austin seniors aware of these options, the National Council on Aging offers a comprehensive Internet-based screening service known as “BenefitsCheckUp.”  Since its creation in 2001, this program has helped more than 2.1 million seniors find more than $6.5 billion worth of annual benefits.

The service includes more than 1,550 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states.  Programs include healthcare; prescription drug assistance; heating and energy assistance; legal services; housing assistance; property-tax programs; nutrition programs; volunteer and training opportunities; and education programs.

Helping Austin Seniors and Elders stay home safely. Home Instead Senior Care Austin. (512) 347-9207.

“Visitability” Home Design Makes Seniors’ Needs a Priority

While a majority of older Americans prefer to stay in their homes, structural barriers in many existing houses can prevent them from leading independent lives. Additionally, architectural barriers make it difficult for nondisabled people to accommodate visits from older friends and relatives who need basic accessibility.

Advocates of housing accessibility have developed a concept known as “visitability,” or a design approach that integrates a few core accessibility features as a routine construction practice into newly built single-family houses.

The AARP-commissioned report, “Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability,” reports that both voluntary and mandatory visitability initiatives have led to the construction of homes with basic access features. These include no steps at the entrance, wide doorways and a half-bathroom on the main floor.

“Visitability focuses on new construction, but policymakers and the public also must increase accessibility in the existing housing stock,” the report says. “Retrofitting existing houses and changing the way new houses are built are both necessary to meet the demand that is emerging as baby boomers age.”

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - (512) 347-9207.

Seniors biggest fear is losing their independence.  That independence is often lost, however, because seniors don’t reach out for help.  It’s up to their adult children to recognize the signs.   

We are offering a FREE 10 minute telephone interview, with one of our Home Instead Senior Care consultants, to families needing information and advice on “should aging parent choose home care personal services or go to an assisted living facility”.  Please call Denise Thomas at (512) 347-9207 or email Denise Thomas<a href=”mailto:denise.thomas@homeinstead.com”.

Cost Comparison

After coming to the conclusion that dad would leave Assisted Living and receive In Home Care, I also realized that we were actually saving money!  When we sat down and looked at the budget, the amount was pretty significant.  After going over the savings and the benefit to dad to have someone in his home to help, it all became clear to us that this could work out best for everyone.

For example-

Series  #1: Typical Client (Also Dad’s level of care)

• Patient needs light assistance
• Meal prep, bathing assistance, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands & transportation, exercise assistance• If fall risk-LifeLine type of service
• 3 hours/day- 7 days/week

Home Care Average Monthly Costs:
$1,395.00

Average Assisted Living Costs:
$3,000-$6,000

Savings:
$1,605-$4,605/month
$19,260-$55,260/year

Series  #2: Higher Needs Client

• Patient needs assistance all day but not at night
• Bathing, grooming, transfers and/or walking assistance, meal prep., medication reminders or assistance, errands & transportation, exercise assistance, stimulation
• 10 hours/day- 5 days/week

Home Care Average Monthly Costs:

$3,100.00

Average Assisted Living Costs:

$3,000-$6,000

Personal Care Expenses

$1,395.00

Total Costs:                                                         $4,395-$7,395

Saving:                                                               $1295-$4295/mo

$15,540-$51,540/year

Series  #3: 24/7  5 Days/ Week  

• Patient Needs 24 hour assistance but family helps on weekends
• Bathing, grooming, transfers and/or walking assistance, meal prep., medication reminders, or assistance, errands & transportation, exercise assistance, stimulation
• 24 hours/ day- 5 days/ week

Home Care  Average Monthly Costs:     $5,200.00 month

Nursing Home Cost:                              $5,833 month

Savings:                                                $633/mo

                                                             $7,596/year

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Helping seniors stay at home independently.  (512) 347-9207.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin suggests a new “look and see” approach to helping adult children recognize when their Austin parents need assistance at home before it’s too late.

Seniors biggest fear is losing their independence.  That independence is often lost, however, because seniors don’t reach out for help.  It’s up to their adult children to recognize the signs.   

We are offering a FREE 10 minute telephone interview, with one of our Home Instead Senior Care consultants, to families needing information and advice on “should aging parent choose home care personal services or go to an assisted living facility”.  Please call Denise Thomas at (512) 347-9207 or email denise.thomas@homeinstead.com.

Home Care or Assisted Living facility?  Click here to listen…  A true story of a family member’s struggle to choose “Best care for Dad” by Michelle Kosusnik, Home Instead Senior Care Austin.

I am the owner of the local Home Instead Senior Care Austin, the company that created the Look-and-See approach.  Please let me know how I can help you determine best choice for your elder loved one.

Home Care or Assisted Living?  What you should know and ask! 

Selecting the right local home care agency at the beginning of your elder’s care will save family members time, energy, frustration and potentially disappointment down the road. Please know up front that not all Home Care companies are the same. Home care agencies may look and feel the same but how the business is run, who runs it, and the professional caregivers they hire are different. One factor that comes to mind is “how well are the professional caregivers trained?” 

The best place for families to start when searching for home care - first, select the right type of agency that  meets your elder loved one’s needs. Is a medical skilled home health care agency for nursing or physical therapy required, or a non-medical companion home care agency for homemaker services and personal care assistance or both needed?

In addtion to checking the background of the agency - learn as much as you can about the agency/company. What is their reputation in the community? What are the qualifications of the owners? Do your due diligence. Research online and get national accreditations. Ask for professional referrals, and personal recommendations from creditable sources whenever possible.

Here is a checklist to help you in the selection of a home care agency.

• How many years have they been in business?
• Does the agency provide services to my elder’s community?
• Who owns the agency?
• Who runs day to day operations and any recent changes?
• Is the owner/manager a health professional or what type of background?
• Does the home care company provide the services that are needed?
• Are the professional caregivers trained?
• What other services are available that might be needed later?

Home Instead Senior Care Austin. Call us today at 512-347-9207.

Dad’s Care - Home Care or Assisted Living facility?  Click here to listen… Part Two - A true story of a family member’s struggle to choose “Best care for Dad” by Michelle Kosusnik, Home Instead Senior Care Austin.

Michelle works at Home Instead Senior Care Austin and we offer you a “no charge” 10 minute phone consultation with her. Send her an email, denise.thomas@homeinstead.com, describing your story and concerns, give Michelle a couple of times to call you, along with your phone number.  Michelle will schedule a 10 minute phone consultation via email. It’s FREE!  Listen to Michelle’s invitation: Click here to listen…

Home Instead Senior Care Austin encourages families to closely weigh their options of senior care. It’s tough deciding “should we get care for mom at home” or “move her to an assisted living facility?” Most seniors want to stay home as long as they can. And families want to make sure their mom and dad are safe and well cared for. 

Me and Dad, The assisted living experience  by Michelle Kosusnik

Going to visit dad at the Nursing Home was extremely unpleasant. Yes, it was Assisted Living, but it still had the same feel to it, like an institution. The smell would hit me when I walked in and linger for hours after I left. I am not saying this is how every Assisted Living Facility is, it just was MY experience with this particular one. 

When I would go in to visit dad on Sunday’s, he seemed very depressed. After doing some research, I found that depression is very common for the elderly in a long term care setting, more than those who received in home care. In an article from Science Daily about how the elderly in long-term care facilities suffer from depression, with 30 percent of the elders in the study reported feeling depressed more so than 11 percent of those who receive care at home. The study was based on 272 elders. 

I would try to get dad involved in the groups and activities. He wanted to just lie in bed and watch old Western shows on TV. He would talk to me about his glory days and get teary eyed. I noticed he was heavily medicated, and I was concerned for him. I would go and get him on holidays, and he wouldn’t want to return to the facility.

Finally, I looked again at the option of receiving in home care. After his disability came through, and his benefits were in place. We went through an agency I found on-line, and I moved him out of the Nursing Home.

He got his own apartment, and had a caregiver come 3 days a week. His spirits were up, and he was able to cut back on some of the medication he had been taking. I was able to visit more, and he even made some friends in the neighborhood. He had his sense of independence back, and had a better attitude about how to handle his limitations. The transformation was amazing, I felt like for a little bit of time, I had my dad back.

References-
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508181557.htm

Dad’s Care - Care at Home or go to an Assisted Living facility?  Part One - A true story of a family member’s struggle to choose “Best care for Dad” by Michelle Kosusnik, Home Instead Senior Care Austin.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin encourages families to closely weigh their options of senior care. It’s tough deciding “should we get care for mom at home” or “move her to an assisted living facility?” Most seniors want to stay home as long as they can. And families want to make sure their mom and dad are safe and well cared for. 

Read the following true story. After reading, if you’d like to talk one on one with our staff via phone, please email denise.thomas@homeinstead.com - 1) describe your story and delimma of caring for an aging relative, 2) give 2 to 3 best times to call you, 3) and the phone number you can be reached. Our Staff will set up a 10 minute phone consultation by responding to your email. It’s FREE!  Michelle’s invitation: Click here to listen…

Michelle’s story:

The year 2001 brought many changes in my life. My husband had been sent to Korea for a year, I was in a bad car accident that resulted in my child being in ICU for 24 hours (he is fine and healthy now), the tragedy that hurt America, 9/11, and my father became disabled to the point that he could not care for himself anymore.

One night in May, I received a call from a sheriff in the town my dad lived in, telling me that they had found my dad unconscious in a diabetic coma. After spending many weeks with him in the hospital, I was told that he was also suffering from a condition called orthostatic hypotension. He had also had a mild stroke, which left him with memory problems as well as not being able to use his right hand properly.  I insisted that dad come home with me. This began my journey that led me to making decisions concerning my father that would be some of the most important of my life.

After months of fighting for early disability with social security, learning about the system, and my dad going in and out of the hospital. I was needing some help badly. Being basically a single mom, I couldn’t handle the job by myself. I was raising kids, maintaining a house, and working part-time as a substitute teacher. 

My dad would fall sometimes in the house when I would go to the store, or to work, or to pick up the kids from school. It was getting to be too much. I sat dad down and we had a talk, he seemed to really feel terrible that the tables had turned and instead of him being my protective father, now I was taking care of him. He told me that he wanted to try assisted living.

We had been researching our options, and this one sounded like a decent one for him. With limited resources, they could also take him without us having to pay. We went to visit the facility. He decided this was what he really wanted, so one Saturday I drove him there, dropped him off, and left sobbing because I felt like this was not the place for dad. I felt guilty and like a bad daughter. I wanted to think I was doing the right thing, but it felt like a bad choice for us. I decided to think positive, we would try this….and see how it goes.

Please email denise.thomas@homeinstead.com - Click here to listen…

Unfortunately, at Home Instead Senior Care we have a front-row seat to these dramas. This post on senior fraud activity continues and will conclude today -  We hope it’s been useful in learning how to keep criminal activity at bay. If you have questions regarding senior safety at home, please call us (512) 347-9207 or visit us on line at Home Instead Senior Care Austin.

Here’s an interesting story from one of our offices in the East. 

Here’s what happened:  The woman, in her 80s and suffering from dementia, was unhappy that her driver’s license had been suspended after three accidents.  She spotted a promotional ad from a car dealership.  So she called the dealership, and a sales representative arranged for the woman and her 92-year-old husband to be transported to the car lot where they were sold an automobile for $5,000 above the sticker price.  Because her hands were shaking, the dealership actually wrote the check for her. 

Home Instead CAREGivers, who had been hired by the couple’s family to help watch out for them, called the family when they spotted the new car.  The local Home Instead Senior Care Agency then worked with the couple’s relatives to force the dealership to return the car and reimburse the seniors their money.

Sadly, seniors and their families must be on guard for cons like this and many others.  That’s why families of seniors who live in cities like ours may call upon Home Instead CAREGivers to assist their loved ones at home or in a care community, since these CAREGivers can serve as a second set of eyes to prevent situations like the one above from happening.

In addition, families can support and help educate their seniors in several ways.  Watch out for unusual activity and help seniors with their finances if they need it.  In addition, make sure they destroy information that could be compromised, such as credit card offers.  And because scammers target seniors who are alone or appear lonely, just knowing that a senior has someone to look out for him or her can be a deterrent.

Be vigilant: criminals will try just about anything.  Scammers have taken out mortgages on seniors’ homes.  They can file quitclaim deeds on property and remove seniors from their homes.  Or they’ll open up joint checking accounts in the criminal’s and senior’s names and deplete these funds.