Is Transportation Included?
What happens when your elderly mother or father need to visit the doctor, but are unable to drive there on their own? Maybe they rely on family or friends for rides, but due to conflicting schedules, they aren’t always able to make it. Generally, most people move out of their parents’ home or relocate somewhere else after they get married or get a job. This leaves their aging parents in a vulnerable position.
Elderly people are often instructed by their physicians not to drive, so they will most likely miss their appointments or may have to postpone it according to fit into someone else’s schedule. As their child, you may not like them to do so, since going to appointments on time at their age is extremely important. Alternatively, they may decide to ignore doctor’s orders and drive themselves to the appointment, potentially putting themselves (and others) in danger. Is there a solution to this dilemma for the child who wants to be there for his/her parents, but cannot always meet their needs? Yes, the solution is to hire a home care service.
Hire an Elder Care Service
The thought of hiring a care giving service may have crossed your mind at some point. However, you may have abandoned the idea, as you may not have realized the importance of hiring one for your ailing parents. A home care service provides parents with a caregiver who looks after an elderly parent. There are many misconceptions about home care companies, and most people do not know of all the various types of services we can provide to our clients.
The caregivers are trained specifically to look after elderly people. They can assist them with taking their prescribed medications, read to them, go with them to the store, and help with household chores, amongst others things. Most importantly, they provide them with transportation services.
Transportation Offered by a Care Giving Service
When looking for home care service, choose a company that provides your loved ones with the option to drive them to and from doctor appointments. The caregiver assigned to your parents may use their own car or your parents can allow the aide to drive theirs. (Some insurance agencies require the caregiver’s name on paper if your parents choose to use their own car.)
This is a win for everyone. You will get to spend more of your free time enjoying your visit with your parents instead of driving them around to the doctor. Your parents will not miss important appointments. And the doctor will have peace of mind knowing they are not driving against his orders. If you live far away from your family, this is especially important. Choosing a home care provider for your parents is the safe and right choice.
Contact Us
At Allegiance Home Health and Rehab, “We pledge our allegiance to you.” We provide your loved ones with services custom designed to fit their individual needs. Our trained caregivers fully comprehend the condition and personality of the patient, providing them options to choose from various activities that include going on short walks, reading to them, and accompanying them to the store.
If you are interested in hiring an aide for your mother or father, you can call us right away for a consultation. To receive an exclusive report on “Suggestions for Successful Home Care Placement”, sign up for our newsletter on the right side of your screen. We look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day!
How To Maintain Balance And Mobility
Maintaining balance and mobility is essential in leading a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, as we age, our bodies slowly decline and we don’t have the strength we once had in our youth. Rest assured there are things we can do to keep our strength, flexibility, and coordination for as long as possible if we work at it on a regular basis. There are two areas we need to focus on developing in order to achieve this, muscular strength and motor skills.
Muscular Strength – We’ve all heard the saying “use it or lose it,” which is exactly the case here. The parts of the leg essential to mobility are Quadriceps (Thigh Muscles) and Gluteal Muscles (Butt). One of the best exercises to perform to strengthen this area is squats, as the movement up and down specifically targets those muscles (and others). To perform squats safely, stand in your kitchen with your hand on the counter for support. Keep your back straight, by bending at the knee, and slowly lower yourself down as low as you can go comfortably. (Note: Do not go lower than a 90 degree angel/parallel to the floor as doing so may cause injury). Once there, slowly and controlled, return to a standing position.
Initially, try doing this 4 to 5 times. As this becomes easier, increase to 6-8 and then 8-10. Once confident in doing 10, proceed towards doing sets. Doing this several times per week will not only increase your strength, but can actually help maintain and strengthen cardiovascular health as well.
Motor Skills – As mentioned in the video, balance is a motor skill. Motor Skills can be improved upon with practice and patience. A simple way to do this is by standing on one leg. In the kitchen again, place your hands on the counter for support. Stand on one leg and then raise your hands off the counter an inch or two. Hold that position for as long as possible, until you are about to lose your balance. Quickly place your hands back on the counter and lower your leg. Switch to the other leg and repeat. Do this several times in a session and do several sessions per week. People ages 69 and beyond should be able to maintain this for 12.5 seconds. If you cannot do this yet, don’t worry, in time you’ll be able to reach this level of balance and improve with practice.
*As always, be sure to consult your physician before doing this or any exercise program.
If you do these two movements regularly, over time you will see improvement and therefore maintain your balance and mobility. If your physician feels additional support is needed to complete this program, they can prescribe therapy, and then we can come out to help you directly. Having the proper strength and coordination is essential to living a long, safe, and healthy life.
Contact Us
At Allegiance Home Health and Rehab, “We pledge our allegiance to you.” We provide your loved ones with services custom designed to fit their individual needs. Our trained caregivers fully comprehend the condition and personality of the patient, providing them options to choose from various activities that include going on short walks, reading to them, and accompanying them to the store.
If you are interested in hiring an aid for your mother or father, you can call us right away for a consultation. Sign up for our FREE Newsletter on the right side of the page and receive an exclusive report on “Suggestions for Successful Home Care Placement.” Be sure to stay tuned for next week’s episode of Allegiance Alert!
