Tag: Home Instead Senior Care

Brighten Someone’s Holidays! Be a Santa to a Senior

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Have you heard? Home Instead Senior Care Minneapolis is, once again, bringing Santa to seniors with the Be a Santa to a Senior® program. But hurry. You must choose your senior gift recipient by December 9th, 2011. In this blog post, we’ll share this exciting program with you and tell you how you can help. We know you’re busy, but we have good news: there are two great ways you can help. And they are both easy.

Facebook Home InsteadLike Us to Donate a Dollar

Home Instead Senior Care Minneapolis is donating $1 to Be a Santa to a Senior for every single new “Like” on our Facebook page during the month of November! So head on over to Facebook and Like us now. And be sure to share this easy click-to-donate campaign with your friends and family.

Join the Be a Santa to a Senior Campaign

The Be a Santa to a Senior® campaign is all about helping seniors who are alone or in need. The campaign, which first launched in 2006 by our parent organization, helps seniors to get a little TLC during the holidays. The Minneapolis office of the Home Instead Senior Care® network, the world’s largest provider of non-medical in-home care and companionship services for older adults, has partnered with local non-profits groups like Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, Meals on Wheels and several Lunds/Byerlys, several nursing homes and low income housing to provide gifts and companionship to seniors who otherwise might not receive either this holiday season. It began with just one nursing home, and has since grown into a movement.

Here’s a little story that illustrates the impact this program can have on seniors’ lives. The year after its fledgling effort, Home Instead Senior Care volunteers returned to the first nursing home they had visited the year before and discovered their card to one of the residents still pinned to the bulletin board. They learned that the card and gift from Home Instead were the only ones she received that previous year, so the card continued to be very special to her.

Now you can help brighten a senior’s life too.

How to Participate in Be a Santa to a Senior

Senior Santa
Creative Be a Santa to a Senior display at Starbucks

Here’s how it works:
1. Head to any of the following locations:

  • Lund’s or Byerly’s stores with pharmacies in Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, Plymouth or downtown Minneapolis, MN
  • Starbucks 2661 Campus Drive, Plymouth, MN
  • Starbucks 16725 C.R. 24, Plymouth, MN
  • Starbucks 4175 Vinewood Lane North, Plymouth, MN
  • Starbucks 7802 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley, MN
  • TwinWest Chamber of Commerce – 10700 Old County Road 15, Suite 170  Plymouth, MN 55441

2. Locate the Christmas trees, and choose any ornament with a senior’s name on it. You will find gift suggestions for that senior printed on the ornament.
3. Purchase the item(s) listed, put the item in a gift bag, return to the store with the ornament and deliver them to a store employee.
Your participation can make a difference!

About the Be a Santa to a Senior Campaign

Here’s how the program works. The Home Instead Senior Care network partners with local non-profit and community organizations. Together they identify seniors who perhaps live alone, do not have family members nearby, or are experiencing financial difficulties. The program targets many seniors who otherwise might not receive gifts or visits from family during the holidays.

Home Instead Minneapolis then works with local businesses and retail stores that are willing to help by placing trees and ornaments within their various locations. The involvement from busy stores gives the program visibility and provides a convenient way for shoppers to volunteer their assistance during the busy holiday season.

Since its inception, the Be a Santa to a Senior has attracted nearly 60,000 volunteers throughout North America, and has provided 1.2 million gifts to over 700,000 seniors who are in need of assistance or companionship. Now you can join the movement and help a senior in your Minnesota community.

Need Further Information?

The Be a Santa to a Senior website, provides a locator tool that enables you to find a store by zip code.

10 Warning Signs a Senior’s Nutrition is in Danger

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Spaghetti all' arrabbiata
Image via Wikipedia

Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis promotes the well-being of seniors living at home. As we shared in our Senior Mealtime Challenges blog post, senior mealtimes can be difficult due to cooking for one, eating alone and a lowered appetite. And the result of these challenges can be that important nutritional needs are not met. In this post, we provide 10 things to consider to help you assess whether a senior’s nutritional profile needs some help.

1. Depression.

Living and dining alone can be a lonely experience to the point of causing depression. Not only that, but poor nutrition can lead to depression as well.

Tips: Create routine ways for the senior to have companionship in general and to take part in congregational meals. These can be Sunday night dinners with family, senior centers, senior day care services, or church events.

2. Lack of appetite.

A number of things can impact appetite, including medications, depression and lack of exercise.

Tips: Consult with the senior’s physicians to determine if medications are impacting a desire for food. And be sure to factor in an exercise routine that is within the senior’s capabilities. Ideas include regular walks or a senior fitness class at your local senior center.

3. Scarcity of nutritious items in the pantry and refrigerator.

According to studies, nearly half of seniors who live alone do not consume enough fresh fruits or vegetables or milk products.

Tips: Shop together with the senior to choose fresh healthy items from the produce aisle or a local farmer’s market. Find a cookbook that provides simple food preparation recipes.

4. Illness.

Not only can illness cause poor appetite, but declining health and illness can be worsened by poor nutrition. So it is very important to think through the senior’s diet and find healthy foods the senior will enjoy.

Tips: Browse a picture-rich healthy cookbook together with the senior on a regular basis. Plan meals around dishes that are both nutritious and enticing to the senior. Making enough so that you can create easy warm-up containers is a great idea too.

5. Physical limitations.

One fourth of elderly people living alone cannot regularly get to the store to shop for themselves or prepare the food at home. Injuries and physical limitations can prevent seniors from getting nutritious food from the grocery to the table.

Tips: There are many ways to address this issue, including:

  • Arranging Meals on Wheels
  • Soliciting help from family members to help shop and prepare nutritious meals
  • Hiring companion care.

Contact our Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis office to learn more. We can help you sort out the options and determine whether it’s time to bring in outside help.

6. Outdated foods and a smelly refrigerator.

Food that has expired or is going bad can not only lose any nutritional value it once had, but it can be dangerous too.

Tips: Check for spoiled foods, items with expired dates and stored food that has not been closed up or packaged properly in the pantry, fridge and freezer. Label all perishables with clearly written labels and dates.

US Nutritional Fact Label

7. A grocery list lacking in nutritious items.

If you are shopping for a senior, carefully check the shopping list.  If the list is heavy on the simple carbs and non-nutritious foods, it needs an overhaul!

Tips: Make sure the list includes a balance of healthy items including protein foods, fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy carbohydrates such as whole grain breads and cereals.

8. Weight fluctuations or poor skin health.

Is the senior gaining or dropping weight? Have you noticed a change in skin tone? Sagging skin that does not look well hydrated or a change of 10 pounds or more in a six month period could signal trouble.

Tips: Schedule regular checkups with the physician to check blood sugar, weight, hydration and other signs of vital health.

9. An empty cupboard.

Events such as power outages and storms can trap a senior at home for an extended period.

Tips: Be sure the senior is stocked up with some shelf-stable meals or drinkable nutrition such as Ensure® in case it is not possible to get to the store.

10. Isolation.

Being alone for extended periods is one of the biggest threats to aging adults, especially those with physical limitations, memory challenges, mental health issues or depression.

Tips: Create a support network of family and friends who can help the senior on a schedule with outings, exercise, companionship visits, shopping, cooking and community or church involvement.

Resources

Community Event with a side of Pizza

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What do you get when you invite 50 Wayzata high school football players to a local senior residence on a rainy, Saturday morning in late April?  Team spirit with a lot of youth enthusiasm! The rain and cold didn’t stop this community event from taking place.  The seniors were delighted as well to have all of these boys clearing the two decades of brush and tree branches from the woods behind their complex. A few of the residents even opened their windows to the back and commented on how wonderful it looked!

 

This event is not only a positive experience for the residents who live at the Boardwalk but a real life experience for these high school boys.  It was fantastic to hear cheers and songs about the labor intensive work.  They were all glad to be there and eager to help. Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis was happy to sponsor this event and complete the circle by providing 25 LARGE pizza’s for the crew of workers!  The senior residents made a half dozen pans of brownies and countless amounts of cookies.  Needless to say there was not a crumb left. When it was time to eat the boys gathered under the awning to escape the weather. They ate and visited with the seniors. It was amazing to witness such acts of kindness taking place.

Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis is proud to be involved in community events. The more time spent being involved and educating the masses about what we do to benefit the lives of seniors, the more others can follow our lead!

Preparing for Senior Emergencies

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Adult children of elderly parents know that emergencies can happen, and some may even lie awake nights wondering what may happen, and when. At Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis, we’ve found that some knowledge and preparation can go a long way toward preventing emergencies and helping caregivers to better handle senior emergencies if and when they do happen. Meanwhile, if you are a caregiver of a senior living in their home, these steps will help you to obtain some peace of mind.

senior emergency kitWhat do you need to know? How can you prepare? Read on for three key topic areas:

  • Understanding Medication Risks and Managing Senior Medication Regimens
  • Implementing Senior Health Tracking Tools
  • Creating a Senior Emergency Kit

Understanding Medication Risks and Managing Senior Medication Regimens

If you are caring for a senior, you may encounter a baffling array of bottles and pills that would seem to require a degree in pharmacology to manage. There are pills to be taken with food, pills that must be taken in combination with other pills, and some that must be taken alone.

The careful management of medications is critical because of potential drug interactions and overdosing. According to the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), 28% of senior hospitalizations are due to adverse reactions to drugs. And the result of medication mishaps can be dire, from hospitalization to disability and even death.

senior medicationIn this segment, we’ll provide some tips on managing medication regimens and how to watch for warning signs of medication problems such as overdose.

Tips for Managing Medications:

  • Follow exact dosage instructions for all prescriptions and over the counter (OTC) medicines.
  • Use one pharmacy for all prescriptions and OTC medicines, and ensure that the pharmacy has a complete list of all medicines on file.
  • If the senior sees more than one physician, ensure that all doctors have a list of all medications.
  • Keep an updated Medication Tracking Sheet of all OTC and prescribed medicines.
  • Bring your updated Medication Tracking Sheet to each doctor’s visit.
  • Read all medicine precautions and potential side effects, and know what to watch for.
  • Follow any precautions with regard to alcohol use in combination with medicines.
  • Dispose of expired medications and any medications your physician has told you to discontinue.
  • Use a pill organizer to organize medications by dose and time of day.
  • Never take medications that were prescribed for someone else.
  • Contact the senior’s primary physician regarding any side effects such as nausea, depression or sleep problems.

Warning Signs of Medication Overdose or Drug Interaction:

  • Confusion or delirium
  • Mood swings or psychiatric problems
  • Dizziness, loss of coordination, or falls
  • Incontinence
  • Sleep problems
  • Loss of appetite or energy
  • Sudden memory loss
  • Headaches

Additional resources:

senior careImplementing Senior Health Tracking Tools

Utilizing tracking tools and systems can help you stay on top of a senior’s medication regimens, important medical history information and critical contact information in case of emergency. Our recommendations include:

Additional resources:

home careCreating a Senior Emergency Kit

Tracking and managing all the data associated with a senior’s health profile is an excellent step toward fully managing a senior’s health and being prepared for emergencies in their home. The next step is to keep your tracking paperwork in one place along with other important documents. An accordion file, with label tabs, is an excellent way to keep your documents organized and ready.

The Home Instead Senior Care Network has developed a Senior Emergency KitSM complete with worksheets and checklists, in conjunction with Humana Points of Caregiving®. We are proud to be able to offer this resource to Minnesota seniors and their caregivers.

To assemble your own emergency kit, use this handy checklist to collect these documents in your accordion file:

  • Contact Names and Numbers Sheet
  • Medication Tracking Sheet
  • Allergies and Conditions Tracking Sheet
  • Record of Doctor Visits
  • Copy of Medicare/Medicaid Card
  • Insurance Policies
  • Healthcare Proxy
  • DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) Order
  • Advance Directives forms, such as Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney
  • Will and Testament
  • Organ Donor Card
  • List of Valuables

If you would like a hard copy of this kit, or have questions regarding senior care, please contact our Minneapolis office at 763-544-5988. We will be happy to help you.

Sharing Senior Care

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Tips to Help Sibling Caregivers Plan and Work Together

Brothers and sisters don’t often share. Mind blowing…right? How can siblings who once couldn’t agree on household chores now be expected to create a fair plan for taking care of their now senior mom or dad in their Minnesota home? The answer…they’re not expected to tackle caregiving alone. Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis can help.

According to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network, sharing the care of elderly parents can put a strain on the relationship between adult siblings. In 43 percent of U.S. families, one sibling has the responsibility for providing most or all of the care for Mom or Dad, according to a survey of family caregivers. In only two percent of families did the siblings split the caregiving responsibility equally.*

“Senior caregiving can either bring families together or cause brother and sister conflict,” says sibling relationships expert Ingrid Connidis, Ph.D., from the University of Western Ontario. “In some cases it can do both. These issues can be very emotional.” Connidis has worked with Home Instead Senior Care to develop the 50-50 RuleSM public education program to help siblings deal with the many issues of caregiving. Following are tips on how siblings can better share the care.

1.      Talk and listen. Research shows that seniors are so concerned about maintaining independence that they forfeit getting support. That’s why it’s important to communicate, preferably before your family is in the midst of caregiving.

Talk with mom or dad about what they need and want as they age. Would they prefer to stay at their Minnesota home? What type of home care would they like? Do they have a will or medical directive? All of these issues are better handled before a crisis occurs. To begin, schedule a meeting or telephone conference. Listen to each other’s questions and concerns then list the resources that your family will need through this journey.

2.      Research options. When you and your siblings have identified the types of services, interventions or care options that your senior needs, research elder organizations and resources in the Minneapolis community that can help. Try to divide the tasks so everyone has input and the opportunity to share their ideas. A good place to start is by doing online research on websites such as http://www.IHLCaregiver.com and www.caring.com.

Those sites can help you identify resources in your Minneapolis are community such as volunteer networks and senior service providers. Your parent’s doctor or a geriatric care manager can be of assistance as well. Contact us to get a copy of the book “Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions,” for more resources and information about the changes you can expect to see in your elderly loved one.

3.      Plan ahead. Once home care needs and senior care resources are identified, you and your siblings will have a better idea what will be required of your family. For example, if your loved one wants to stay at home, consider whether someone in the family will be supplementing that care or if you will divide those duties among siblings. If you will be contracting for outside resources for your dad such as meals on wheels or in-home care, not as much hands-on care will be required of your family, but someone will need to coordinate that schedule. Remember that inheritance issues and estate planning disagreements also can lead to family conflict so contact a professional in those areas.

4.      Be flexible. Needs of a senior change as they age. Your family’s lives will change too. If dividing caregiver tasks equally isn’t feasible, consider a division of labor that takes into account each family member’s interests and skills, as well as their availability.

5.      Be honest. Even siblings who live in the same Minneapolis community can find it difficult to stay in touch and be candid about what’s happening to their senior loved one. It’s important to remain in regular contact with your brothers and sisters to avoid miscommunication and hard feelings. If you have become the primary caregiver and it’s getting to be too much, make sure your siblings know that you need help. Discuss specific tasks they can help you with such as grocery shopping or running errands. If you don’t live in Minnesota, check in often with the primary caregiver to see how it’s going. A geriatric care manager can serve as an important third-party mediator if conflict arises and an in-home care company such as Home Instead Senior Care can provide respite and hands-on support.

* The study, conducted by The Boomer Project, included 711 adults in the U.S. ages 35-64 with living siblings or stepsiblings, who said they either currently provide care for a parent or older relative, or did provide care in the past 18 months.

Happy New Year!

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The New Year brings NEW programs to Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis.  We are rolling out a new transitioning program.  It is called Hospital to Home -(H2H)

The idea of Transitional Care benefits both the discharge planners in hospitals, TCU’s (transitional care units), and Rehabilitation facilities along with the discharged patient.  Home Instead Senior Care wants to prevent unnecessary readmissions because a patient doesn’t have reliable help at home to help them recuperate.  We can be there to help- from Hospital to Home! Our team of Home Instead Senior CAREGivers that have been trained in H2H and been assigned to a specific location are waiting to assist and encourage as a patient takes the next step toward recovery. 

Transitional care often falls to the family and then falls through the cracks. Home Instead Senior Care’s transitional service assumes much of that responsibility which would normally be assumed by a family member – an aging spouse, and employed daughter or son or,surprisingly often, a next door neighbor.

Hospital to Home provides the family with peace of mind, reduced stress, freedom from employment conflicts, and the opportunity to maintain balanced lives and regular communications about the transitional care experience of their loved one.

Call us today for information!

#(763)544-5988

Santa Comes to TOWN!

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The time has finally come!  Months and months of planning, organizing, collecting, and reaching out has come together!  IT IS SANTA TIME! We have already visited 7 facilities.  Santa has greeted and wished a Merry Christmas to countless appreciative seniors.  The look on their face is as joyful as a child.  It is an amazing event to be involved in!

Some of the visits were actually holiday parties.  Our office got to see the seniors open these gifts that the community has donated!  You cannot imagine the generosity. These gifts were spectacular!  Some of the ornaments had VERY specific gift wishes.  The expression on their faces when they opened the gift and GOT THEIR WISH…..PRICELESS!  If everyday we could have such an outpouring of community giving, what a world it would be!

It has truly been our pleasure to make the holiday season a little brighter for some seniors who are isolated, financially struggling, or without family. Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis has had the blessing of hearing the laughter and seeing the smiles.

A BIG Thanks to all of the community outreach!

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Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis would like to THANK the good people at all 14  Byerly’s and Lund’s –Prairie Stone Pharmacy locations.  We set the trees up the week of November 8th. The names of seniors who were  isolated, with little or no family, or struggling financially started coming into our Maple Grove office.  The ornaments had gift wishes written on them, one senior at a time. Meals on Wheels and Little Brother Friends of the Elderly also were key participants in the Be a Santa to a Senior program. 

Another exciting addition this year were the other community groups wanting to participate in the entire process.  Twin West Chamber in Plymouth had a tree at their location along with Sunrise of Minnetonka.  Sunrise was exceptionally touching because it was seniors giving to seniors.  In this senior living community, the joy of giving came full circle. I was able to speak to a resident at Sunrise and he expressed that he has always lived with “plenty” and it felt “rewarding” to give to those seniors who go without. He said next year he wanted to be a volunteer and participate in the entire process.

Meadowbrook Orthopedics chose to help  in the entire process this year.  Not only did they take several ornaments and purchase the gifts but they asked if they could be involved in the delivery process.  They wanted to see their participation in the program through to the end when the gift goes into the seniors arms.  Their smiles.  Their tears of gratitude.  It doesn’t get better than this!

The spirit of giving is upon us.  It is an amazing feeling to be able to go with Santa and deliver those gifts!  Home Instead Senior Care of Minneapolis wants to make sure that EVERYBODY that participated in any way for this cause is acknowledged. Know that you have made a difference in a life. The magic of the holiday spirit is powerful and our goals can be even larger next year! Express your interest early!

The extra work and organization of the participants is much appreciated.

Besides doing their job, they kept the process running smoothly. They would call

us when the gifts started to pile up and we frequently picked up truck loads

of gifts.  The process is complete all that’s left is spreading cheer with Santa!

THANK YOU – THANK YOU – THANK YOU – THANK YOU

Be A Santa To A Senior

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Office Ornament TreeBe A Santa To A Senior is going on RIGHT NOW! This program is nationwide.  In 2009, Home Instead Senior Care gave its one millionth gift to a senior who was identified to us as being isolated, having little or no family, or struggling financially during the holiday season.

 Around this time of year there are so many programs aimed towards children and gifts that sometimes the other end of the age spectrum is over looked.  We feel that seniors have just as much need for a gift and recognition during the season of giving. The level of participation in our Minneapolis office alone has exponentially grown these past three years.  We had 600 names last year and 300 names the year prior.  So the fact that we have 1300 names this year is phenomenal! This could partly be due to the fact that our community partnerships have increased.  In the Minneapolis metro area, we have trees up at all 14 Prairie Stone Pharmacy locations in the Lund’s and Byerly’s stores. We also have connected with Meals on Wheels and Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.

This program reaches out to everyone in the community.  To be involved with Be A Santa To A Senior , is to make a difference in the life of a person who has the wisdom of many years and bountiful appreciation in their heart.

If you want to know other ways to participate in this program call 763-544-5988 to get more information.