If you know a friend or family member administering In-home care for a loved one, you should certainly consider getting her a special gift idea for Valentine’s Day. In-home caregivers enable clients to enjoy content, healthful lives in the convenience of their own residence. While they present extraordinarytreatment to your loved ones, the holidays are the best time frame to point to how extraordinary they are by showering them with an assortment of gift items to show how much they are cared for.

Massage
Select a gift certificate for a massage for the caregiver. 30-minute and 60-minute massages are out there to reduce pressure, stress and fears. Search for hometown massage salons in your region and find a highly regarded place to direct the caregiver. A excellent intensive, hands-on massage may possibly support them to make it part of their per month routine.

Gift Basket
You can buy pre-packaged gift baskets at various retail shops, on the net and florists. If you know the caregiver, you can create the basket yourself by including some of her most wanted stuff. By way of example, if you know she likes to garden, load the basket with small garden tools, packages of flower seeds and a flowerpot. If the caregiver is a guy, fill the basket with sports-themed objects and a gift certificate for a round of golf.

Gift Certificates
Give the caregiver a Valentine’s Day card along with a gift certificate to lunch or to the movie theater. Try to determine some of the caregiver’s favorite places to eat and get a certificate to that exact place. Buy movies tickets online so they will not expire and the caregiver can use them at anytime.

Spa Treatments
Female caregivers will love a spa day or spa treatments. Offer her a gift certificate to a neighborhood spa. Various spas offer half day and full day services. Another thought is to get a gift certificate to a nearby nail salon for a manicure and pedicure. This will allow the caregiver to spend time by herself and relax.

Tea or Coffee
If the caregiver enjoys tea or coffee, make a special gift to give them on Valentine’s Day. Fill big coffee mugs with an collection of coffee and a gift card to a neighborhood coffee shop. For a tea lover, fill huge glasses with different bags and boxes of tea.

Overview
In-home care takes a exceptional person with a lot of serenity. Show your caregiver how much you care about the things they do for you or your loved one by giving them a special gift on Valentine’s Day.

This list is not intended to all inclusive and your doctor should be consulted about the various screenings that pertain to you and any health condition you may have.

Influenza vaccination for the elderly is recommended each year. Annual vaccinations are necessary because the virus changes each year.

Pneumonia can be a serious condition and can even lead to death. Did you know there are more than 80 different pneumonia bacteria? Twenty-three are covered by the current vaccination. The vaccine stimulates the body’s normal immune system, thereby producing antibodies that fight the pneumonia bacteria. This vaccine does not protect you from pneumonia caused by microbes other than pneumoccous bacteria.

Colon cancer screenings are recommended for those 50 and older. Those in a high-risk group who have had family members with colon cancer need to start earlier.

Friday is Go Red for Women day. Go Red For Women celebrates the energy, passion and power women have to band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke. The event is designed to raise awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Women are encouraged to talk to their doctor about their family health history to determine appropriate medical tests and strategies for managing risks.

Mammogram recommendations have changed. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammograms for women 50 to 74 every other year. It says women and their doctors should discuss the benefits and risks of mammograms beginning at age 40. The findings don’t apply to high-risk patients, such as those with a family history of breast cancer.

Prostate cancer screenings can be done with an annual rectal exam and a prostate-sensitive antigen blood test. This screening is recommended for men 50 and older.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and there are more than 1 million new cases each year. From the very least to the most dangerous they are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma first stage called actinic keratosis and melanoma. Those who have had long-term exposure to the sun should be checked annually by a dermatologist.

Osteoporosis is a disease where your bones become less dense, increasing the possibility of bone fractures. Osteoporosis or low bone mass affects an estimated 44 million Americans, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Women are four times likely to develop this disease than men. Postmenopausal women should have a bone density test and follow up at intervals according to their doctor’s recommendation.

Blood testing can reveal conditions including diabetes, liver disease, cholesterol and thyroid issues, just to name a few. Your doctor will start by following general maintenance guidelines as well as creating an individualized plan based on your family medical history.

No one wants to get bad news, but avoiding medical tests doesn’t mean problems will go away. In fact, delaying testing only serves to delay treatment. Early detection and early treatment are your best defenses in effectively managing a health condition.

With as many as 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and nearly 15 million friends and family members providing  care for them, the need to develop an “urgent, achievable and accountable strategy” was on the minds of Advisory Council members. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death and the only one among the top ten without a way to cure, prevent or even slow its progression.

HHS recently outlined its timetable for the development of a National Alzheimer’s Plan, with the first draft targeted for mid-February and a final plan slated to be released in late spring. Advisory Council members shared their recommendations on what they believe must be included in an effective national strategic plan touching on areas from funding for research to clinical care to long term services and support.

The next in-person meeting of the Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for April 17, but you can read the current Draft Framework for the National Alzheimer’s Plan right now. And please share your feedback on the draft with us.

It’s your turn!

Members of Congress have heard the voices of people from across the country, but now they need to hear from you in person. Join a nationwide group of advocates on April 23-25, 2012, in Washington, D.C., for the Alzheimer’s Association® Advocacy Forum. Together we’ll take our message directly to Congress and fight for a future without Alzheimer’s disease.  Visit  alz.org/forum to register.

Sincerely,
Robert Egge
Vice President, Public Policy
Alzheimer’s Association

Home care and home healthcare are different in two ways.

Home care offers non-medical services and is not paid for by Medicare; however some home care providers and agencies may be licensed by the states. Home care services are private pay services, meaning the patient or the patient’s family will pay personally for home care. At times long-term care insurance may pay for home care as well. Home health care, however, is medical care that is covered by health insurance or Medicare. To get home health care, a senior or a patient must always be homebound and in need of assistance of medical care as identified by a medical doctor. Medicare may also handle non-medical providers performed by a home health aide, but these services are only covered when different medical care at home is needed. Generally these non-medical services transpire at the same time as medical care visits.

Home care offers non-medical services to seniors and patients getting better from operations. Help in bathing and dressing are ordinary home care services. Other jobs home care workers present include light housekeeping, meal preparation, running errands and transportation. Assistance in walking or exercise and other light aid to make life easier are included by home care professionals. As the population gets older, home care agencies proliferated to meet the large needs of the elderly who desire to stay in their homes, but who might need assistance to do so.

Home healthcare is doctor-prescribed, and is provided by skilled medical personnel such as nurses who can administer medication. Physical and occupational therapists may also be included in the health care treatment. Home health aides may be assigned to assist with activities of daily living. These services can be covered by Medicare as long as other medical care is also mandatory.

Home care workers can deliver medication ticklers, but cannot administer the medication. Home care workers also assist with daily living activities such as making meals, light housekeeping, helping with bathing, running errands and providing transportation to appointments. Home care services are privately funded by the patient, senior or their family. Long-term care insurance may also cover home care services.

Assisted Living At Home is a home care company servicing Burlington County, Camden County and Gloucester County with a primary focus on care for Alzheimer’s/dementia care for individuals in their home.

Assisted Living At Home provides free iPods to people in Burlington , Camden and Gloucester County NJ.

Lions Gate is the very first retirement community in southern New Jersey under Jewish auspices and the first Jewish affiliated CCRC in New Jersey and offers Independent Living apartments, assisted Living, skilled care unit and a special Alzheimer’s unit.

Diabetes is a growing problem not only for seniors, but for people of all ages. Controlling blood sugars is extremely important. If left unchecked, the accumulation of glucose in the blood can cause enormous damage to nearly every major organ in the body, including kidney damage; artery damage, which increases the risk of stroke and heart attack; eye damage, leading to vision loss; and nerve damage, which can lead to traumatic injury and infection, possibly leading to limb amputation. Unfortunately, we are often called in to proved home care services to seniors who have had diabetes and are now suffering from it. There is some positive news about preventing and controlling diabetes.

A group of researches at the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences in conjunction with St. Michael’s Hospital Risk Factor Modification Centre found that eating 2 ounces of nuts a day as a replacement for carbohydrates helped control glycemic levels and serum lipids. The focus was on Type 2 diabetics.

Jenkins and his colleagues provided three different diet supplements to subjects with Type 2 diabetes. One group was given muffins, one was provided with a mixture of nuts including raw almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews, and macadamias, and one group was given a mixture of muffins and nuts.

Subjects receiving the nut-only supplement reported the greatest improvement in blood glucose as well as noted improvements in their LDL cholesterol. In addition, the nuts appeared to be well suited for weight-reducing diets. All of these are concerns for the Type 2 diabetic and may very well be ideal as a food option for these individuals.

Jenkins, David, et al. “A ‘Nutty’ Solution to Type 2 Diabetes Management.” Diabetes Journals/American Diabetes Association. June 2011.