Where The Needs Of Others Come First · Available 24x7 For Emergencies
In This Issue
- Surveys Continue to Reinforce In-Home Care as the Preferred Choice for Care
- Common Sense and Kindness Foremost in Facing Aging Effectively
- Who Employs Your Caregivers Really Does Matter!
- Grandparents Are Moving Back In
- Find the Baby Boomers Online!
- Warm Up Your Home
Greetings From A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions!
Temperatures are dropping and snow is falling across much of the country, but not here in beautiful San Diego County! No matter where you live, and no matter how hold it gets there, along with the cold in February comes Valentines Day, and with it this simple reminder: a warm heart makes for a toasty and comfortable home! A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions is continues to offer the kind of care that keeps people in the comfort of their own homes for as long as possible. Home is definitely where the heart is!
With this issue of our newsletter we continue to offer the most recent in home care, elder care and aging news. We hope you enjoy this information in the spirit of camaraderie with which it was sent. As always, we thank you for your continued interest in A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions.
Surveys Continue to Reinforce In-Home Care as the Preferred Choice for Care
90% of respondents (Georgia AARP members between the ages of 50 and 60) in a recent survey reported that it would be extremely or very important to have services that would enable their family members and themselves to stay at home for as long as possible, if long-term care services were needed.
Read details here.
Common Sense and Kindness Foremost in Facing Aging Effectively
The current health care system is overburdened and often crisis-oriented with technology-focused care provided by medical specialists. Helping older adults to live at home for as long as possible is the best use of community resources. In his book, “My Mother, Your Mother,” geriatrician Dennis McCullough advocates for “slow medicine” when dealing with late life issues faced by older adults, a movement shaped by common sense and kindness. Slow medicine is based on the social model of elder care – hands-on, compassion and focus on day-to-day care in the home, taking time to value quality of life and honor relationships.
Click here to find out more about the book.
Unexpected Risks of Hiring “Independent Contractor” Caregivers
Who Employs Your Caregivers Really Does Matter!
Non-employer agencies take no responsibility for acts of negligence or dishonesty by their so-called independent contractor caregivers. That’s why such arrangements, while sometimes seeming less expensive, may actually bring significant risk and exposure to the clients and their families. Click here for a recent article about a recent case in point.
White House AND the Beltway Follow the “Granny Trend” 
Marian Robinson, 71, Michelle Obama’s mother, will move into the White House to care for her grandchildren, Malia and Sasha Obama, when their parents are otherwise occupied.
According to national statistics (the 2007 American Community Survey) the number of people aged 65 and older living with their adult children increased 50 percent between 2000 and 2007. This is a rapidly growing trend and many families are finding it to be a useful tool in their overall planning for the care of their older loved ones. American Community survey.
Who is Making Decisions on Care for Aging Parents?
Their adult children are.
How would you reach them? ONLINE! 
The 77.2 million people now between ages 44 and 62 – known for decades as the “baby boomers” – now make up the largest group of US Internet users.
To read marketing details on how the boomers use the Internet, click here.
Move That Thermostat Up: Even Mildly Cool Homes with Temperatures from 60 to 65 Degrees Can Trigger Hypothermia in Older People
The National Institute on Aging Warns About Hypothermia Danger for Older People 
Hypothermia, which can be deadly if not treated quickly, is a special danger for older adults, as they are especially vulnerable. When a person’s body temperature drops below normal and stays low for a prolonged period of time, there is a risk of hypothermia. With advancing age, the body’s ability to endure long periods of exposure to cold is lowered.
Some tips for prevention:
- Wear several layers of loose clothing when it is cold. The layers will trap warm air between them. Tight clothing can keep blood from flowing freely and lead to loss of body heat.
- Wear a hat, scarf, gloves or mittens, and warm clothes when you go outside in cold weather. A significant amount of your body heat can be lost through your head, and hands and feet are the first body parts to get cold.
- To keep warm at home, wear long underwear under your clothes, along with socks and slippers. Use a blanket or afghan to keep legs and shoulders warm and wear a hat or cap indoors.
- Make sure your home is warm enough. Set your thermostat to at least 68 to 70 degrees. Even mildly cool homes with temperatures from 60 to 65 degrees can trigger hypothermia in older people.
- Check with your doctor to see if any medications (prescription or over the counter) you are taking may increase your risk for hypothermia.
For details, click here.
Originally posted 2009-02-01 08:47:17.
