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April 9, 2020 by Kirk Brechbiel

Social Distancing for Seniors: How to Prevent Loneliness

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, the term “social distancing” has become a part of our daily language. However, it’s so important to keep in mind that this is better described as “physical distancing” as social connection remains imperative, now more than ever.

Especially for our senior population, feeling social distant is a constant battle. As they are among the key population most likely to need serious medical care as a result of contracting COVID-19, this has led to less and less physical interaction from friends and loved ones. Even those who have professional care, whether this is in-home or in an outside care facility, physical contact has decreased as caregivers and medical professionals work to “flatten the curve.”

What we hope to share in this article are tips and solutions for maintaining a safe physical distance from our aging loved ones, at least until no new cases of COVID-19 have emerged, while still staying connected socially to ensure loneliness is kept at bay.

  1. Utilize technology.

Everyone appreciates a phone call or text to check in, but don’t undervalue the need to see each other’s faces. It changes everything! You will feel so much more connected to your loved when one when you use Zoom, Face Time, Google Hangouts, Facebook’s Messenger App. Set a weekly (or even more frequently) time to connect and make it a priority.

  1. Check in often.

We have ample tools to stay connected, but they’re not doing much good if we don’t make it a point to use them often. Commit to hearing from your loved one, ideally daily if you can. This ensures they never go more than 24 hours without a check-in. Hearing back from them daily will also give you peace of mind that all is well.

  1. Become pen pals.

Now more than ever, people really appreciate receiving a good old-fashioned letter in the mail. Sure, it takes added effort than a phone all or text, and that’s the point. Become pen pals with a senior and you two can exchange letters that will serve as a beautiful memory you can re-read and look back on in the future.

  1. Mail a care package.

Speaking of snail mail, take this one step further by sending a care package to an aging loved one. Consider including some activities or treats they enjoy, but may not be able to go out and get on their own. Many online retailers can bundle and ship such items to them directly and are taking all precautions to keep their items sanitary and safe.

  1. Ask directly about how they feel.

Checking in is the first step, but the next important step is being sure to ask your senior friends and family how they feel. Are they feeling anxious, lonely, unwell, or depressed? It’s human to not want to openly share our emotions, especially if they are negative. Yet, when someone asks us directly, we are far more inclined to share the hard truth – which also provides an opportunity to get help.

  1. Help answer their phone, app, or social media questions.

Adult children, you are so vital to your aging parents right now. In an effort to feel connected to the world during social distancing, they will turn to technology, much of which may confuse or frustrate them. Be patient and kind when helping them with their IT questions. This is one of the most loving gestures you can show.

  1. Create something to look forward to in the future.

Finally, give both you and your aging loved one hope for the future and a time when things will feel normal again. Consider planning your first in-person get together. Ask them what they would like to do – and plan it out! Pick a location and an activity. Possibly make a day of it and also ask what you can help them do around the house that needs done. They will be so grateful for the thought, and for something to look ahead to.

Do you have an aging loved one struggling from the isolation and loneliness during this time? Consider implementing a few or all of the above tips this week to help them through the challenges so many of us are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most importantly, maintain safe practices for you and your family so we may all overcome this soon and get back to seeing one another in person. Stay well!

Filed Under: Blog, Caregiver, Home Care Tagged With: aging adults, aging population, assistance, care, coronavirus, covid-19, covid19, depression, elderly, emotional care, healthy, help, home care, loneliness, older, older adults, outreach, professional care, relationships, safe, seniors, sickness, social distancing, stay home, stay safe, virus

April 6, 2020 by Kirk Brechbiel

How to Protect Our Seniors from COVID-19

Commit to not seeing one another in person.

This is a hard piece of advice, but one that must be followed to the best of all of our abilities. Unless you are providing essential care to your aging loved one, please commit to not seeing them in person during the quarantine. Even the best precautions can fall short and it would be devastating to feel as though you passed on the virus to someone for which you care deeply.

Reinforce social distancing and staying home.

When you do check in with your loved one (by phone or computer), take the opportunity to reinforce the importance of being serious about social distancing and staying home. You may find that they don’t understand the need to do so, or maybe are still going out and about to run their own errands. Be sure to communicate the facts and that your request to follow recommendations comes from a place of love.

Run errands for them.

While you are reinforcing the need for older adults to stay home and social distance, offer to run errands for them, if you are low-risk and able to do so. Try to combine this with your own errands. You can pick up their groceries and other necessities like medications. Doing so eliminates their need to leave the house and reduces risk of exposure.

Remind them often of the CDC’s recommendations.

As the United States learns more about COID-19, the CDC’s recommendations are evolving. Be sure to check in with your aging loved ones to ensure they have received the most up to date information and are following it. Also guide them to where they can go to review these recommendations first-hand, such as online or offer to mail them an article.

Help answer their questions and concerns.  

Many people feel anxious during these times because they have questions and concerns that are not being properly addressed. When speaking with a member of our senior population, ask them if there is anything you can help clarify. You might be surprised by what your mom or dad don’t know or don’t understand. Use this as an opportunity to educate them with correct information.

Ensure they have professional help, if needed.

Finally and most importantly, when checking in with your loved one, be sure their essential needs are being met. Ask whether they have what they need to keep up with their personal hygiene, cooking, and cleaning and have the ability to do so without risk of injury. If you find your aging loved one cannot get by on their own, yet still wishes to remain living in their home, hiring a professional caregiver may be a solution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, home care agencies can provide professional caregivers who help seniors with their basic needs while taking every precaution to not spread the virus. This allows families to safely social distance while not worrying about the care of their aging relatives.

From our family at Ella Home Care, we hope you stay well and stay home during this time. Though this is among the hardest circumstances our world has ever faced, we thank you for doing your part to help keep everyone – including our loved senior population – safe and healthy.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Care Tagged With: aging adults, aging population, assistance, care, coronavirus, covid-19, covid19, depression, elderly, emotional care, healthy, help, home care, loneliness, older, older adults, outreach, professional care, relationships, safe, seniors, sickness, social distancing, stay home, stay safe, virus

December 3, 2019 by Kirk Brechbiel

How to Help Senior Adults Avoid the Winter Blues

The winter season can be a challenging time for many people. Colder temperatures and inclement weather can cause us to feel isolated and bored, leading to seasonal depression. This can be more prevalent in our aging adult population who often live alone or have limited interaction with the outside world.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, it’s important to move into the winter with a plan in place to counteract the effects of these “winter blues” so you can not only survive these colder, darker days, but also thrive in this new season. Here are some tips you may wish to try.

Establish a Daily Routine

Contrary to what many think, a routine does not add to the monotony of the day, rather it gives it structure and keeps you from getting stuck in a rut. The key is to map out a daily routine that includes variety and movement. In the winter months, it can be hard to find motivation and opportunities to be active. By establishing a schedule in advance, you can identify such opportunities and see that they take place. You can also schedule a nice rhythm of activity with relaxation and intentional quiet time.

Schedule Out Special Events

While we’re talking about scheduling, you should also schedule out your calendar of upcoming special events, visits, and activities that give you something to look forward to. During December you may have holiday gatherings or family events to attend. Even when your day-to-day routine may feel dull, being able to look ahead to a date on the calendar when there is something special taking place can be the much needed light in the winter darkness.

Look to the Bright Side

Lamps that mimic sunlight are very popular among people who feel the winter blues. Exposing yourself to this type of light therapy every day has been proven to drastically improve Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). If you or someone you know suffers from SAD (i.e. the winter blues), then this would be a great holiday or “thinking of you” gift to give them.

Call On Friends and Family

Local friends and family are a great resource to help make the winter months a little brighter. Reach out to encourage them to pay your loved one a visit. Having even just one new visitor a week will help add variety to their schedule and give them something to look forward to on a regular basis.

Turn to Technology

When friends and family are not local and cannot make house calls, don’t forget about technology’s power to connect us with one another, no matter how far. Use FaceTime, Skype, Google Chat or Facebook to see and hear your loved one in real time. This adds so much more dimension to a conversation than voice alone.

Hire a Professional Caregiver

And finally, even if you implement all of these other tips, your loved one might also benefit from the care and companionship of a professional caregiver. It may be just a few visits a week to check in on things and to spend some one-on-one time together. Though the winter can be particularly lonely for aging adults, it doesn’t have to be that way. Professional caregivers are an excellent resource to brighten someone’s day and bring joy to the winter.

If you or someone you know struggles with feeling sad or alone during the winter, consider offering them these tips to help them find happiness in this season, and every season!

Filed Under: Advice, Blog Tagged With: advice, aging, camp hill, caregiver, central pennsylvania home care, cold, depression, elderly, ella home care, harrisburg, help, home care, in-home caregiver, lemoyne, mechanicsburg, professional caregiver, professional home care, sadness, season affective disorder, seasonal, seniors, weather, winter

August 9, 2019 by Kirk Brechbiel

A Perfect Match: How Ella Home Care Finds the Best Caregiver for You

At Ella Home Care, we go much deeper than simply matching an available caregiver with a new client. We have a careful process for how we assess the needs of a client, as well as their personality, interests and hobbies so that we can provide them with a caregiver who is as close to a “perfect match” as possible. Are you curious to know more about our process? Read on to learn the steps we take to find the best caregiver for every situation.

We take time to really get to know you.

First, a member of our team comes out to the home for an assessment. The assessment is like a meet-and-great where we get to know each other and determine what services will be needed to keep that person living independently in his or her place of residence. We also ask the person what kind of personality and traits he or she would like in a caregiver. For some, a strong and outgoing personality is a good fit, while others may be better suited for a quiet personality.

We consider the areas of expertise needed.

Next we take inventory of what is expected of a caregiver. If a lot of hands-on tasks are involved, like bathing and transfers, we look to our experienced staff who are accustom to providing those services like our CNA’s on staff or other skilled caregivers. We also make sure our caregivers of physically capable of providing such care and can do so safely.

We take into account pets, interests, and hobbies.

If the person has any pets, we make sure our caregiver is not allergic to or has issues working around animals. We also try to match someone with a pet with a caregivers who also loves pets. This commonality can help to create a bond right from the beginning. We also try to identify interests and hobbies and when possible match a caregiver who has a shared interest or hobby. Many times, a client will request someone who is a good cook, someone who likes the outdoors, or someone who likes conversation and we do our best to accommodate this.

We make sure everyone feels comfortable and prepared.

Once we have obtained all the necessary information to make an informed decision, we carefully review our roster of available caregivers to see who may be the best fit. If the client wishes to meet their caregiver in advance of their first day, we are happy to arrange this. In fact, we recommend that the client and caregiver meet prior to the start of their working relationship to ease into the transition and to make things more comfortable. This also allows the caregiver to see the home in which they will be working, allowing them to prepare anything they may wish to bring with them to help them in caring for the client.

Could you or someone you know benefit from the care and assistance of an in-home caregiver? Contact Ella Home Care today so we can help you find the right option to meet your needs!

Filed Under: Blog, Caregiver, Home Care Tagged With: adult, aging, caregiver, caregiving services, caring, elderly, ella home care, experienced, families, help, home care services, in-home caregiver, love, loving, pennsylvania, professional, senior adult, senior help, senior living

August 3, 2019 by Kirk Brechbiel

How an In-Home Caregiver Can Help Even When You’re Not at Home

Just as the title would imply, an in-home professional caregiver most commonly provides care for aging loved ones who wish to stay in their home as long as possible. However, there may be situations that arise that call for this person to receive care outside their home for a period of time. For example, an injury or procedure could require a short hospital stay or a few days or weeks in a rehabilitation facility.

During this time, a professional caregiver serves just as important of a role as ever by continuing to care for this person in their new location. The doctors and nurses on-site will care for their major medical needs, while the professional caregiver is there to assist with their daily hygiene, dressing, and eating. And they are there to provide a lot more than that! Here are four benefits of having an in-home caregiver care for a loved one even when they’re not in their home.

A Familiar Face

When your loved one is in the hospital or in short-term care at a rehabilitation facility, their caregiver will provide them with something familiar. When you’re out of your home environment, it can be lonely, unsettling and even scary, especially for older adults. With a professional caregiver, that person has something that feels safe, familiar and normal.

Continuity of Care

A very important role a professional caregiver plays is providing continuity of care. When someone is in any type of short-term care, they will likely be working with many different nurses and doctors in a short period of time. This can make it challenging to be sure your loved one is receiving consistent care tailored to their needs and expectations. With a professional caregiver, you know you will have one thing that remain constant throughout it all.

Personalized Attention

More than just the physical care of your loved one, you want to be sure they are being cared for emotionally and mentally. A professional caregiver is available to listen, talk, and simply spend time with a person. This personalized attention can greatly enhance the healing and recovery process.

Your Eyes and Ears

Most importantly, when you cannot be with your loved one, you will have the professional caregiver there to help be your eyes and ears for all that is going on. As doctors or nurses stop by ask questions and do their assessments, the caregiver can provide you with updates. They can also alert you of any concerns or requests they have. This gives you both the peace of mind and certainty that your loved one is receiving the top quality care.

Could you or someone you know benefit from having a professional caregiver? Contact Ella Home Care today so we can tell you more about our process and determine if this is the right fit you!

Filed Under: Blog, Caregiver Tagged With: adult, aging, caregiver, caregiving services, caring, elderly, ella home care, experienced, families, help, home care services, in-home caregiver, love, loving, pennsylvania, professional, senior adult, senior help, senior living

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Ella Home Care
Address:
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Phone: (717) 379-1793
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