Articles Posted in Home Care

downsizinghome-300x154By Jill Brightman

Buying a home can be the most expensive and life-altering purchase we will ever make.  It is where we plant our roots, grow our families, try our hand at home improvement tasks, decorate and re-decorate again to our tastes, and mostly, it’s where we make cherished memories.

However, there often will come a time when we need to decide (or in some circumstances, the decision will have to be made for us) if it’s time to downsize, move on to new surroundings, or re-think if our family home can be made safe and comfortable as we age.

handcaregiver-300x200There is a compassionate and hard-working army of heroes working in our midst, and they are not being fairly compensated for the critical work that they do.

We’re talking about home care workers.

These people—mainly women, many of whom are immigrants—fill a vital role in helping care for our aging loved ones, and yet many of them cannot even earn a living wage based on our current systems.

home-sign-300x200“Promise me you won’t ever put me in a nursing home.” Our parents would make us sign in blood if they could.

Fear of losing their independence and way of life is a tremendous concern among Connecticut seniors. And, in today’s COVID-19 environment – knowing how the virus can easily spread throughout a nursing home and to its vulnerable population – staying at home is a preferable option for many.

But if you’re like so many Connecticut residents, you may not know that there is Medicaid coverage for receiving care at home – that Medicaid benefits are not just for nursing home residents. This is great news!

WomanRelaxingIf you’re a caregiver, you need some time for yourself. Away from the juggling of your family’s needs, medical appointments, and responsibilities of work.  You need respite care.

Respite care is substitute care given to your loved one so you can take a break and get some relief from the burden of care giving.

It can be for an hour, a day, a weekend, on a regular basis or just one time.

Studies have shown that caregivers are at increased risk of depression and other health problems. By taking care of yourself, with adequate sleep, nutritious meals and exercise, you will increase your energy, your well-being, your morale, and your ability to provide that care. Reaching out for help from a respite program can be just what you need. Continue reading

iStock_000007924623SmallYou did well financially, and when the time came to move to assisted living you never considered the possibility that you might run out of money.

But you didn’t expect to live this long! And now that you need more help, it’s even more expensive to live.

What do you do?

The State of Connecticut created the Private Assisted Living Pilot Program – available for up to 125 qualifying individuals in Connecticut who have spent down their assets as a result of living in private assisted living facilities. Continue reading

iStock_000018435449SmallIndependent Living. Assisted Living. Nursing Home. What do these terms mean? How are they different from each other? And which one is right for you? Take a look here to learn what each one is all about.

Independent Living

Maybe you’re starting to think that a little more help would make life easier. You’re still living in the two-story house you raised your kids in. Maybe your spouse is gone, or maybe not, living is just getting to be too much.

Your daughter wonders aloud if you’d be happier in a retirement community where everything is Continue reading

wageIf you employ a home care worker either for yourself or to help care for a family member, you understand first hand just how vital their services are to maintaining quality of life. The value of these hard-working professionals is hard to measure in only dollars and cents, but ensuring that they are fairly compensated is one way to show sincere appreciation.

In addition, though many people don’t realize it, there are federal laws that protect home care workers. As a potential employer of a home care worker, it’s important to educate yourself about these rules and make sure that you are in compliance with them. Continue reading

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Dementia, whether caused by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s or some other disease, creates a very particular and emotionally fraught set of challenges for both patients and caregivers. When you’re navigating your way through this heartbreaking landscape of gradual memory loss, impaired reasoning, and personality changes, you need all the support you can get. You may be surprised to learn about one valuable resource that is too often overlooked – hospice.

Our previous post Hospice and Dementia: Not What You Might Assume, explored some specific ways hospice can help. This piece will talk about its benefits and when you should reach out to hospice.

Hospice is often misunderstood

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