512-347-9207
What exactly is Swine Influenza? Learn the facts about the virus that’s catching the
attention of the news media and concerned citizens all over the US from The Center of
Disease Control and Prevention website and share your thoughts.
1.) How should this outbreak be handled?
2.) What can adults and seniors do to prevent exposure?
Please comment below with your opinions!
Image Source:
-New York Times
Choosing a caregiver for an elderly relative or parent is not a task that anyone can take lightly. While you want to make the best decision to ensure your Austin senior receives the highest quality of eldercare and remains satisfied with the decision you make for their in-home care, it’s hard to know what to look for in a caregiver. Well, worry no further, because we’re about to tell you about the qualities and skills every Austin in-home caregiver should have.
1. Experience – the amount of experience a caregiver should have depends on the level of care a senior requires. If a caregiver is strictly there for companionship, they may not need direct eldercare experience, but ensure you check references from previous employers to learn about personality and depedability. If a caregiver will have higher levels of responsibilities, consider looking for a caregiver with more direct experience in eldercare.
2. Commitment – choose a caregiver with a track record of committing to their care recipients. It’s easier on your senior to have just one main caregiver once you find one you like.
3. Emergency Training – While a caregiver doesn’t need a medical background, some level of CPR or first-aid training can be beneficial, so they know how to assist a senior in an emergency while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
4. Driver’s License – a senior caregiver with a license is a must for running errands, going to appointments, and responding to emergency situations!
5. Good personality – a senior caregiver must be dependable, patient, and demonstrate compassion, but above all; their personality must be a good fit with that of a senior.
Sources:
1. Associated Content
2. AMazines
Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.
According to statistics, only about 20%-30% of seniors aged 65 and older are using the internet; and research predicts that these numbers may not change greatly for that demographic of seniors. However, approximately 55% of boomers aged 50-64 are actively using the internet for health research, online banking, and even to make online purchases; which shows that more and more seniors are likely to use the internet as a primary source of information over the upcoming years.
There has been a growth in the activities that seniors are engaging in online. While around the year 2000 most seniors were using the internet as a form of communication through email; more are now engaging in more complex activities that are central to their lives by arming themselves with medical information, reviewing their financial data, filing their taxes and doing their shopping. For those seniors with mobility problems and other declining capabilities, the internet gives them access to resources at their fingertips without ever leaving home. However, increased internet accessibility through adjustable font sized websites and other gadgets to assist with vision and hearing when online might allow more seniors to get online with ease as the boomer generation enters their elderly years.
Sources:
1. Pew Internet Susannah Fox
2. Pew Internet and American Life Project
Images: funtimesguide.com
Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.
Beginning in May, HBO is presenting a series of documentaries with short films to create awareness and understanding about seniors and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The major portion of the Alzheimer’s project which consists of a four-part documentary series will begin airing on HBO on May 10, 2009.
The first episode, titled “The Memory Loss Tapes” follows the lives and challenges of seniors suffering from dementia at varying points on Alzheimer’s disease. On May 11 the Alzheimer’s Project will feature “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?” which features Maria Shriver and is a child-friendly film that depicts the trials and tribulations a child faces when living with a senior relative with Alzheimer’s disease; and “Momentum in Science Part 1” which will teach us about the scientific advances that are progressing in Alzheimer’s research. On May 12, the Alzheimer’s Project will feature a documentary titled “Caregivers” to show the hard work and sacrifices that family and professional caregivers endure when providing eldercare for a senior with Alzheimer’s; followed by “Momentum in Science Part 2”.
The Alzheimer’s Project is a great resource for Austin family caregivers and relatives of seniors with Alzheimer’s as it will increase their understanding and level of care they will be able to provide. The Alzheimer’s Project will also consist of a public awareness campaign and a resourceful book published by Published Affairs Books.
Sources:
1. Alzheimer’s Association
2. Alzheimer’s News
Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.
Finding the right doctor can play a major role in providing for a senior’s health, while location and ease of accessibility may seem like a major factor in determining which physician to see; many other things come into play which seniors might not think about.
1. Does your insurance or health plan cover your physician choice? Often doctors need to be plan-approved or affiliated with a specific group in order to be covered by health and insurance plans.
2. What kind of doctor do you need? Consider whether a general practitioner to manage your overall health is what you require, or if you need a specialist to address a specific aging health issues.
3. Can your doctor practice at your local hospital? In case of senior medical emergency, you may need your doctor to treat you at the hospital of your choice. Ensure the doctor you choose has the authority to do so.
4. Have you checked out his/her reputation – if possible, choose a doctor who comes highly recommended by friends, family or other people in your network who have seen the doctor. You want someone who will listen to your concerns, is respectful and answers questions.
5. Check their qualifications – all general practitioners must be board certified, having completed a medical residency. Specialists must have additional training.
Use Administrators in Medicine to learn of any disciplinary actions taken against the doctor of your choice, as well as the Federation of State Medical Boards and the NCQA Recognized Physician Directory to grasp the history of your chosen medical professionals.
Sources:
1. Seniors for Living
2. MedicineNet
Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.
One of the greatest advantages of modern digital processing technology is the ability to forever store and edit images. Current media is prime for transforming your memories and relics of childhood, first loves, and marriage into a format that is easy to access and forever safe.
Several months ago, one of our CAREGivers, upon the request of a client prepared, a DVD movie including music, chapter separation, and interviews for the client’s family. When the client passed away recently, Home Instead was able to present to the family several copies of the DVD at a special memorial service that the CAREGivers who knew their grandma so well were able to attend.
The DVD was presented along with a framed portrait done by another Home Instead CAREGiver. The CAREGivers were not hired for their abilities as artists or digital media gurus, rather as trained and compassionate companions. However, Home Instead was not surprised to find out that the people they had hired were so multi-facetted and willing to give of themselves.
At this dinner, the family alongside their beloved mother’s CAREGivers, was able to watch the story of her life and their own special places in it. For this group, it was a truly special opportunity to share and love alike.
In your own family’s future, consider the opportunity to have a Home Instead CAREGiver chronicle and record your past. This can be a wonderful way to celebrate the lives of those around you while they are with you and afterward.
Prepared by Denise Thomas, Home Instead Senior Care Austin
Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.
Easter can be fun for the whole family, whether you celebrate it for religious reasons or for the joy of the spring season. For many seniors, one of the most welcomed gifts would be to spend time with family; however, families can also show the senior’s in their lives how appreciated they are this Easter with fun Easter baskets, that fit the senior’s needs and interests and let them know their family is thinking of them. Easter gift ideas for seniors that can be included in a seasonal basket include:
• Assistance with medical care – gift certificates for health stores and pharmacies to help them to pay for their medications and vitamins can be placed in an Easter basket to alleviate a senior’s costs.
• Informative books and magazines – reading materials about senior lifestyle and healthy living might help them to reach their goals in their elderly years.
• Pampering products – include products or gift certificates in the gift basket to allow seniors to relax and feel pampered. Purchase bubble baths, lotions or candles for their home or spa gift certificates.
• Scrapbooking and photography – include a scrapbooking kit and family photos, or other craft items that a senior can complete with a family member, friend or caregiver.
• Gardening kits and plants – provide a senior with gardening tools, plants or flowers to bring joy to their home.
Sources:
1. Associated Content
2. Ideamarketers
Images: Montgomery Churches Website
Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.
Many seniors loved to garden in their younger years and regret not being able to enjoy tending their gardens as they age. The trick is to find a way to still have them participate but to use caution and still be safe. Many seniors can enjoy planning the plants that they would like someone else to install or by going to the nursery to pick out plantings. By Using ergonomic gardening tools that seniors can use while sitting or standing, and choosing plants that will grow tall seniors of all ages and levels of mobility can receive the same enjoyment from gardening. Another alternative is to plant an indoor herb garden which requires minimal care.
Other springtime activities that the aging population may enjoy in the company of a family caregiver or close friend might include going for a walk or drive to look at spring plants or flowers; going to a local park to feed the ducks and enjoy the warmer weather; or going shopping for home items needed for spring. Seniors engaging in any of these springtime activities need to remember not to overdo physical activity; taking regular breaks, ensuring they remain well-hydrated and pay attention to physical signs of fatigue.
As spring approaches, the young and old alike look forward to the warm weather and sense of a fresh new beginning that spring brings.
Sources:
1. Disabled World
2. Seniors Resource Guide Rebecca Kolls
Image: ecofriend.org
Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.
| Info: | (512) 477-6007 |
|---|---|
| Cost: | free |
La Pena
227 Congress Ave
Austin TX 78701
La Pena presents “Generaciones” an art exhibit celebrating women and their art. It features many emerging and established women artists as well as students from Austin and Travis High Schools and seniors from the South Austin Multi-Purpose Center and Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center. The exhibit will be on display at La Pena’s gallery at 227 Congress Avenue in Downtown Austin from March 27th through April 30th. The opening reception will be on Friday March 27th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm with a musical performance by Mariachi Cielo de Austin.
“Generaciones” features the artwork of:
Ines Batllo, Maria Bravo, Christina Cardenas, Pilar Castrejon, Celina Hinojosa, Cecilia Colome, Courtney Enriquez, Sandra Fernandez, Marsha Gomez, Ambray Gonzalez, Cliona Gunter, Leticia Huerta, Alma Lopez, Lizzie Currie Martinez, Constance Perez-Jones, Deborah Roberts, Anabelle Rodriguez, Genevieve Rodriguez, Anna Salinas, Dana Sanchez, Susanna Santos, and Kathy Vargas.
Austin High School Students: Emma Anderson, Elena Cortez-Neavel, Maria Gamez, Jacqueline Lopez, Erin Majek, Rosemary Nolan, and Kayleigh Treanor
Travis High School Students: Yeneli Flores, Yuliana Marquez, Guadalupe Mendez, and Ana Vasquez
Seniors from South Austin Multi-Purpose Center & Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center: Alvina Garcia, Sophie Llanas, Maria S. LeDesma, Mary Lou LeDesma, Irma G. Medrano, and Carolina E. Zuniga
La Pena would like to thank Serie Project, Austin High School Teachers Abby Daniel and Jeff Martinez, and Theresa Zelazny for their help in collaborating on this exhibit.
| Info: | (512) 495-9224 |
|---|---|
| Cost: | See AMOA website for details |
Austin Museum of Art (Downtown)
823 Congress
Austin TX 78701
Tues. - Sat. 10 - 6, Thurs. 10 - 8, Sun. Noon - 5
Clifford Ross photographs American landscapes with an eye for both the picturesque and the abstract. His images of waves breaking during hurricane conditions capture a view of nature’s power impossible for the eye alone to perceive. The expressive energy of these black-and-white photographs ranges from lyrical to ominous. Ross also used inventive film and camera technology to produce epic, ten-foot long photographs that recreate mountain vistas. By combining World War II-era aerial photographic equipment with contemporary digital post-production techniques, he achieves sublime realism with these crystal-sharp panoramic photographs. Reacting against the challenges of capturing nature within two-dimensions, Ross moved on to embrace the photograph as an object by manipulating their color and imagery. His experiments within the media of photography both heighten nature’s details and playfully deconstruct its forms. Clifford Ross has been commissioned to create a monumental public art project for Austin’s new U.S. Federal Courthouse. The Austin Museum of Art is pleased to introduce the community to his photography. Organized by the Austin Museum of Art and curated by Andrea Mellard, Curatorial Associate.
