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All Posts Tagged: home health care

How Is My Doctor Involved in My Home Care?

Transitioning from full independence in your life to requiring home health care is experienced differently for everyone depending on age, living arrangements, health status, and personal preference.  To make sure every patient receives services that best suit their needs, licensed home care service agencies like Edison Home Health Care involve primary care physicians and other types of health care professionals to develop care plans for their patients.

A Patient’s Relationship with Their Doctor

Physicians work with patients, home health care agencies, and families to appropriately determine which services are needed, how many hours a week a patient would benefit from, and how the care should be delivered.  If there is a change in health status, such as surgery, new medications and treatments, or a new diagnosis, doctors are instrumental in making sure the care plan is modified to accommodate any new medical need, including short-term support and rehabilitation services during recovery. Doctors works together with the patient’s home care agency to integrate clinical needs as they arise, including scheduled lab draws, injections, wound care, and assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs).

Working Together with your Home Care Agency and  your Doctor

Home Care services are a vital part of the patient’s overall health picture. Because home care staff visits clients frequently between doctor appointments, their reports help doctors understand how well the patient’s treatments and medications are working, and alert them to make changes or adjustments before significant problems arise. Home health caregivers do more than just assist with bathing, medication, or fall prevention; they monitor and assess client function with every visit, and relay changes or concerns to doctors when necessary.

Close collaboration between doctors and home health care agencies like Edison Home Health Care allows clients to benefit the most from their home care while maintaining the highest possible level of independence.  Having doctors closely involved with a patient’s home health care plan allows the plan to reflect the client’s unique clinical needs, functional capacity, and maximum potential to maintain their health. The focus of home health care plans is the patient’s health and safety; the doctor’s role is to provide the critical clinical information and medical judgement that provide the foundation for a successful plan.

Start a conversation with your doctor today take the next step forward in your home health care needs. To learn more about the different types of home health care, contact Edison Home Health Care to find out what services will best suit you or a loved one.

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Ways to Deal with the Stress of Parkinson’s Patients

Ways to deal with the stress of Parkinson'sParkinson’s is a progressive degenerative disease of the nervous system. In its initial stages, it primarily affects movement, with sufferers experiencing body tremors, stiffness, slowness of movement, stooped posture, impaired balance, and changes in everything from facial expression to handwriting. As it progresses, psychiatric symptoms such as depression and sleep disturbances, as well as digestive, urinary, and skin problems, are also common.

For formerly able-bodied, independent individuals, Parkinson’s symptoms can take a psychological, as well as physical, toll. Adjusting to a progressive loss of bodily function and autonomy can be extremely stressful, adding to the difficulty of dealing with the disease and exacerbating symptoms. For individuals with Parkinson’s, as well as for their caregivers and loved ones, dealing with this stress is an important way to promote quality of life.

One way of dealing with stress is allowing the person with Parkinson’s to remain proactive in their own care. Encouraging them to make decisions for long-term care while they are still relatively independent can give them a sense of greater self-determination, and reduce worries about a complete loss of control over their life as the disease progresses. Facilitating independent living by adapting the living environment to changing abilities is another great way to ease the transition to greater disability. Making adjustments in the home to ease tasks like meal preparation and bathing, and to make moving around safer for someone with compromised walking ability, is a great way to help someone with Parkinson’s stay in the comfort of their home for as long as possible.

In addition to promoting independence for as long as is appropriate, there are many other ways for people with Parkinson’s to reduce their stress. Spending time outdoors and engaging in moderate exercise (as physical condition allows) are powerful ways to encourage a sense of wellbeing and alleviate stress. Taking part in favorite hobbies and maintaining an active social life are also tremendously beneficial. Some Parkinson’s sufferers find Parkinson’s support groups helpful, as they allow people to share worries, fears, and coping strategies in a safe and supportive environment with people who understand the challenges they are facing first-hand.

Edison Home Health Care is happy to advise and assist you or any loved one who seek appropriate care for Parkinson problems. Give us a call at 888-311-1142, or fill out a contact form and we will respond shortly.

General Home Care New York

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How to help someone with hearing loss understand and participate in conversation?

How to help someone with hearing loss understand and participate in conversation

For many individuals, aging is a mixed bag of everyday annoyances, extreme challenges, and wonderful new experiences. While minor and major problems, such as compromised mobility, a change in sleep cycles, or chronic ailments can diminish quality of life for many older individuals, the opportunities afforded by retirement can offset other problems to make this time in life one of great joy. Spending more time with partners and loved ones, watching grandchildren grow up, the opportunity for deeper immersion in hobbies, and the leisure to travel, read, and slow down and enjoy the little things in life can be an absolute delight. In order to enjoy life as much as possible, it’s imperative for seniors to be able to mitigate the not-so-good aspects of aging in order to focus on the good ones.

One of the most common problems experienced by seniors is hearing loss. In fact, everyone begins to lose at least some of their hearing from a very early age. Even people in their twenties hear less acutely than they did as teens! High pitched noises, in particular, become harder for the human ear to detect relatively early on. Most of the time, this isn’t a problem. But after the age of 75, almost half of Americans will have hearing loss that is significant enough to pose a problem in everyday life.

For someone with hearing loss, it can be difficult to understand speech, and thus to follow the flow of a conversation, particularly in places with lots of background noise. This can be extremely discouraging, and, in some cases, lead to social withdrawal due to the frustration of being unable to participate in everyday interactions. For the caregivers, family and loved ones of people with hearing loss, this can be frustrating also. In order to help someone with hearing loss understand and participate in conversation. reducing background noise can be a great way to help. Background noise is a major obstacle to comprehension for people with hearing loss, especially when it comes to picking out consonants. Any time you want to engage in meaningful conversation, or when you want to make someone with hearing loss feel included in a social event, make sure to choose a quiet setting with a low level of ambient noise.

Edison Home Health Care is happy to advise and assist you or any loved one who seek appropriate care for hearing problems. Give us a call at 888-311-1142, or fill out a contact form and we will respond shortly.

General Home Care New York

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Ways to Deal With Hearing Loss: Speak in Bright Area

shutterstock_13172122For some, aging is a process that allows them to slow down, contemplate the subtleties of life, and enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of hard work. Retirement may bring opportunities for travel, spending time with family and cultivating new hobbies or returning to old ones. For others, aging can bring cause stress and worry, as health problems appear, money becomes tight, and a loss of independence looms. For many people, it’s a combination of the two. There is one thing that is extremely common as all people age, however: hearing loss. Over time, the delicate mechanisms of the inner ear deteriorate, decreasing sensitivity to sound. This process is so universal that up to a third of people experience hearing loss after the age of 65, and almost half will lose some of their hearing after the age of 75.

For people who experience hearing impairment at an early age, there is plenty of time to adapt. Infants, children, and young people with hearing difficulties often become fluent in sign language and adept at lip-reading and the interpretation of body language. For older adults, however, the loss of a sense that has always been a fundamental part of how they experience the world can be devastating. Individuals with hearing loss may struggle to follow conversations, and have difficulty hearing music or listening over the phone. They may become easily increasingly prone to social withdrawal because of the frustration of being unable to understand others. Over time, hearing loss can lead to depression and relationship problems.

For the friends and loved ones of someone with hearing loss, it can be very difficult to witness these changes. Someone who was formerly lively and vivacious can become solitary and withdrawn. In these situations, it can be very helpful to adjust your communication style, so as to help the person with hearing loss understand and feel included in conversation. Try talking in well-lit areas, and make ample use of facial expressions and gestures to convey your meaning. Even someone who has been able to hear for most of their life will still be able to pick up on the non-verbal aspects of language, and may even develop the ability to lip-read if given the opportunity.

Edison Home Health Care is happy to advise and assist you or any loved one who seek appropriate care for hearing problems. Give us a call at 888-311-1142, or fill out a contact form and we will respond shortly.

General Home Care New York

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Ways to Deal With Hearing Loss: Talk Loud

shutterstock_134283266Hearing loss is among the most common problems facing older Americans. Almost a third of people over 65 will experience some level of hearing loss; after the age of 75, the number is closer to half. The prevalence of hearing loss makes it no less frustrating for those effected, however. Hearing loss can impact everything from social relationships to the ability to respond to emergencies. There are many factors that can increase the likelihood of hearing loss later in life: long-term exposure to loud noises, certain underlying medical conditions, smoking, and the excessive use of some medications, such as aspirin, can all contribute to hearing problems. However, for many people, hearing loss can be attributed to simple wear-and-tear on the delicate mechanisms of the inner ear over time.

Hearing loss is not only frustrating and discouraging to those experiencing it firsthand: it can also have a major impact on friends and loved ones. People with hearing loss often have difficulty following conversations. Consonants may be less distinct, and, especially over the phone or in environments with background noise, words may become hard to distinguish. For these reasons, some people with hearing loss become withdrawn, preferring solitude to the frustration of being unable to communicate with ease. If someone you care about has become distant due to hearing loss, it can cause feelings of sadness, worry, and frustration. However, it’s important not to take it personally—and to recognize that their may be steps you can take to help.

For people with hearing loss, being able to understand speech can diminish feelings of isolation and encourage social participation. When speaking to someone with hearing loss, it’s important to remember to speak loudly and slowly. Increasing the volume of your speech can make it sound clearer and less muffled; speaking slowly increases the likelihood that the person you’re talking to will be able to understand each word. Although it can be discouraging to deal with someone’s hearing loss, don’t give up! Adjusting the way you speak, along with patience and perseverance, can help to restore communication and improve your relationship.

Edison Home Health Care is happy to advise and assist you or any loved one who seek appropriate care for hearing problems. Give us a call at 888-311-1142, or fill out a contact form and we will respond shortly.

General Home Care New York

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