Senior loneliness is a quiet epidemic with a big price tag attached to it, explains a WSJ article that was published in December. As the baby boomer generations continue to grow older, spouses pass away, divorces occur and families are no separated by hundreds of miles as it is more common to move away from where [...] The post Senior Loneliness: A Quiet Epidemic with a Big Cost appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Feb 25, 2019•36 min
Overtime affects agencies as it limits how many hours a caregiver can work without costing the company (and thus the client) more money. While overtime laws are a net positive, they prevent caregivers from accepting more jobs without increasing the costs. So clients and caregivers are disappointed that they can not work more with clients the [...] The post Overtime and Home Care appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Feb 22, 2019•19 min
Today we have a great interview with Alex DeNoncour of Oakley Home Access down in Narragansett RI. Don't let that location fool you for a moment, they are moving into the Massachusetts market helping senior purchase and install ramps, grab bars, stairlifts and other durable equipment that allows seniors to live in their home as [...] The post Alex DeNoncour of Oakley Home Access appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Feb 19, 2019•36 min
Often, we get families that are interested in shorter blocks of time with our caregivers. This has advantages and disadvantages which we discuss. We are happy to accept all cases that we receive regardless of their size, but there are difficulties with staffing these types of cases. Additionally, some families question why tasks are [...] The post Understanding Short Hour Cases appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Feb 11, 2019•20 min
Today we talk about short-term rehab and understanding why people need to use their services after leaving a hospital, like having a fall and breaking a bone. Many think that after leaving short-term rehab that the skip right out of there, which is usually not the case. More help is needed in the home through [...] The post Understanding Short-Term Rehab appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Feb 08, 2019•14 min
Today we talk about some articles we briefly touched on when we had Tyler Gates, a financial advisor come and speak with us a few weeks ago. Tyler was the focus of that podcast but we thought these articles were important enough to dedicate a podcast to them. We talk about: Saving (or lack thereof) [...] The post Boomers, Saving & Employment appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Feb 04, 2019•24 min
When providing care to older adults, it can take a long time compared to the time we need to do the same tasks. When you list out what we do in the first hour of our day, it ends up being a long list. Get out of bed Put on slippers Make Coffee Brush teeth [...] The post Care Can Take A long Time appeared first on Minute Women Home Care .
Jan 31, 2019•20 min
A recent article in the Boston Globe brings up the alarming concern about physician burnout. The profession is "struggling with the unyielding demands of electronic health record systems and ever-growing regulatory burdens." We discuss: What our experiences have been with doctors How we view electronic records The ongoing regulations of health care Pajama time! Cost of employee turnover Ideas to [...] The post Are Physicians Getting Burned Out? appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Jan 28, 2019•23 min
Today we talk about a WSJ article about how employers are unprepared for the caregiver crisis that is affecting their employees. Many of the employees are stressed out because they are balancing work life with their personal life that involves being a family caregiver. While this problem is occurring now, it is expected to worsen as the [...] The post Are Employers Unprepared for the Caregiver Crisis? appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Jan 24, 2019•34 min
Today we talk about taste and smell and how those are affected as we age and what to do about the situation with your loved ones. We go over the following topics: Issues regarding taste & smell often overlooked as seen as “not critical to life” Reality: Increased rates of accidental gas poisonings & gas [...] The post Seniors: Taste & Smell appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Jan 22, 2019•11 min
We have Tyler Gates as the guest on our podcast this month (trying to do a monthly guest) a financial advisor for Edward Jones. Our conversation revolves around how individuals should be saving for care and the different products that can help achieve this goal. Some topics we cover: Lack of Savings From Boomers and Older Gen [...] The post How You Should Save For Care with Guest Tyler Gates appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Jan 14, 2019•43 min
Today we talk about Winnowing. What the heck is winnowing? Well the definition: Winnowing-- Separating Grain from Chaff Background: Author daughter of 91 yr old mother who had moved from home of 40 years to 1 bedroom retirement apartment. Her mother is in rehab and will be moving to the east coast to be closer to family [...] The post What is Winnowing? appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Jan 09, 2019•13 min
For the first podcast of 2019 we did a little digging with three different articles that all revolve around the same topic, why are rural hospitals closing? It seems that many people are getting concerned about this as more isolated older adults whose children have relocated to different parts of the state or country are losing [...] The post Why Are Rural Hospitals Closing? appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Jan 07, 2019•39 min
In the past, we have talked about holidays and senior care from the aspect of what to do in the home during parties and celebrations with an older loved one. To change things up, we thought we would talk about it from our point of view. What happens in the office in the weeks leading [...] The post Holidays and Senior Care appeared first on Minute Women Home Care .
Dec 21, 2018•28 min
Today, Janet brings up an interesting article she found about readmission rates, urgent care centers, and unneeded ER visits. In Massachusetts, there are employers that are trying to cut health cost, focusing on unneeded ER visits. The focus is to transition unneeded ER visits to the many urgent care centers that are popping up everywhere in [...] The post Urgent Care and ERs appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Dec 14, 2018•23 min
Today's podcast is about what has been going on at Minute Women these last few days! We had an oil spill, not BP levels, but enough to shut down the office for a few days - but people still need care - so what do we do? We talk about unexpected delays, disruptions, and disasters [...] The post When The Oil Hits The Fan appeared first on Minute Women Home Care .
Dec 07, 2018•15 min
We talk about an important (and surprising) subject we found in a recent article Families who abandon their senior loved ones. Janet and I were taken aback by this article and were surprised about how these families were abandoned, but sometimes I wonder if I should be surprised when I see these types of articles [...] The post Abandoning the Elderly appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Dec 04, 2018•26 min
Today we talk about the unsung hero of private home care - the field supervisor! They are an important member of the team when it comes to private home care. So we talk about: What they do Why they are needed How they help difficult situations Interactions with caregivers and clients Communication Helping make caregivers [...] The post 5 Reasons Why Field Supervisors Are Needed appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Nov 29, 2018•28 min
We talk about the supplements you get at the local pharmacy. But are these worth it? They can be expensive and are there is a self-regulated industry with zero oversight from the FDA. So are they worth taking? Or are they just causing a placebo effect? Additionally, what brand is good and what brand is [...] The post Are Supplements Worth It? appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Nov 27, 2018•15 min
Today on The Caregiver's Toolbox, we talk about: A new neck scan that may detect dementia earlier What is vascular dementia Do we even want to know if we have it Genetic testing 23andme.com Connect With Us Twitter Facebook Subscribe iTunes Google Play Stitcher Spotify The post Testing for Dementia and Genetic Defects appeared first on Minute Women Home Care .
Nov 16, 2018•14 min
Today we get into the different ways to help pay for private home care services. While the majority of people who receive private home care services pay out of pocket, there are some ways to reduce that cost, if not eliminate it all together (especially if you are not receiving a lot of help each week or month). [...] The post 8 Ways To (Help) Pay For Private Home Care appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Nov 14, 2018•26 min
We talk about a big "why" today. Many know that people with dementia do better when they have a routine that is the same each day. This usually keeps people calm, anxiety stays low and issues are less likely to occur. But why is that? What is the reasoning behind needing a routine and sticking to [...] The post Dementia and Routine appeared first on Minute Women Home Care .
Nov 08, 2018•15 min
Today we wanted to talk about fall prevention tips. We honestly couldn't remember if we did a speicifc podcast on this topic and easy ways to prevent falls in the house. There is no doubt in my mind we have talked about all these issues at some point in time, but we are up to 90 podcasts [...] The post 9 Fall Prevention Tips appeared first on Minute Women Home Care .
Nov 06, 2018•24 min
Today we talk about transitions in assisted living and hospitals. In assisted living facilities, transitions occur when moving from the traditions unit to the memory care unit. These transitions are not always as smooth and easy as many hope. It can take time to make the move from one unit to another and that can [...] The post Transitions in Assisted Living and Hosptials appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Nov 02, 2018•13 min
private home care services (and any healthcare services) can get expensive quickly. There can be sticker shock to find out how much something costs and realize you may need services for longer than you expected. We have had situations where people become aggravated spending so much money on a loved one. One of the issues that [...] The post 7 Costs Associated With Private Home Care appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Oct 30, 2018•37 min
It can be a challenge to introduce home care services to older adults. Understandably, they are scared; loss of privacy, loss of independence and being adverse to change are all common reasons why seniors are against accepting help. These reasons can leave adult children frustrated that their loved one is going to badly injure themselves while they [...] The post 6 Ways To Introduce Home Care appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Oct 26, 2018•20 min
The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article a few weeks ago that was all about the financial inequality in retirement communities. In the article, it talks about a retirement community in California where there are many people on fixed incomes who are enjoying their golden years, but as younger wealthier retirees move into the community they have [...] The post The Battle of Pickleball appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Oct 23, 2018•22 min
Today we have a great interview with the executive director of the home care alliance of Massachusetts, Pat Kelleher. She was a great guest and was extraordinarily informative about many of the issues that are facing home care companies. We talked about a lot of different topics, which we will link to below. Topics of [...] The post Pat Kelleher from the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Oct 18, 2018•39 min
Today, we did a quick update on what's going on in the office this last week, we were sick. Now that we are just getting over a bad head cold, we talk about: What happens when the office gets sick What happens when a caregiver is sick Overall emergency preparedness Connect With Us Twitter Facebook [...] The post When The Office Gets Sick appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Oct 11, 2018•15 min
Chris MacLellan is the owner of the Whole Care Network and our guest in this week's episode of the Caregiver's Toolbox. Chris talks about his journey to starting the Whole Care Network. He explains what the Whole Care Network is and how it helps people. We also talk about the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-nominated story “In Sickness and In [...] The post Chris MacLellan of the Whole Care Network appeared first on Minute Women Home Care ....
Oct 02, 2018•32 min
