With home care being the preferred choice of care for seniors, now is the time to bone up on your knowledge of home care.  You may be surprised at the answers.  Read the questions below and then click here to check your answers! Read the rest of this entry »

How many times have you stressed over coordinating transportation for a senior loved one for medical appointments or procedures?  And then there is the additional worry of care and supplies needed immediately after a hospital stay.  We’ve got a solution.  Read the rest of this entry »

Perhaps the homecare of the future will not be like the Jetsons, with their robotic maid Rosie.  However, the use of technology in homecare is already here and is certain to stay.  In fact, there are now more options than ever for easy-to-use homecare devices and tools to enhance safety and independence for seniors.  Here are just a few:  Read the rest of this entry »

Probably one of the worst nightmares for a frail senior is the thought of falling and getting injured when no one is around to help.  Even more frightening, what if the fall happens just outside of one’s home on a very hot day or in the rain? Read the rest of this entry »

When the choice for eldercare is to age at home, the use of a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) can help to provide peace of mind to seniors and their families by providing a simple, quick way to contact medical assistance when emergency help is needed, such as medical, fire, or police. Read the rest of this entry »

Nothing can take the place of getting out for face-to-face human companionship and interaction, but as a senior becomes increasingly frail, it isn’t as easy to get out of the house for social activity, and alternatives must be found. Now, studies are showing that the Internet may be able to provide some of that missing social and mental stimulation for seniors. Read the rest of this entry »

Managing your own checkbook and your own finances can be a huge piece of what makes you feel independent. However, when a person’s finances do get off track, pride may cause the person to hide the problem from loved ones. Cognitive decline is another reason that finances get in shambles, and it is also sometimes hard to know that the decline is as severe as it is until the issue is a real problem.

Here are some suggestions:

• Put your elderly loved one on the no-call list for telemarketers. (Register him or her at DoNotCall.gov).

• See if you can be involved in decisions on home repairs or major purchases.

• Pay attention to the mail: look for unopened or unpaid bills and responses to contests.

• Check credit card bills for inappropriate purchases.

• If a computer is in use in the home, make certain that security software is in place and up to date.

• Watch for TV purchases that can be made by telephone.

• Check for mounting credit card debt: mail order purchases, charging medications, charitable donations, etc.

When caring for elderly people, it is important to remember that it is still their money and they have the right to choose, make mistakes, and retain their independence for as long as possible. Aunt Ann’s Home Care agency in San Francisco can help with eldercare services in the comfort of home, helping to maintain a senior’s feeling of independence while assuring his or her safety with our experienced home care services.

To learn more about watching for signs of a financial issue and a possible need for home care services in the San Francisco area, download our handy resource sheet, When Finance Becomes An Issue (PDF).

Sweepstakes entry forms, subscriptions, requests for donations, annoying sales calls that come on a weeknight during dinnertime… most of us recognize how to filter the good from the bad. But for a lonely senior with declining cognitive abilities, sometimes those calls and that junk mail open up an easy target for financial exploitation. In fact, according to the Federal Trade Commission, 80 percent of the victims of telemarketing scams are over age 65, especially those who live alone and look forward to the phone ringing.

What can you do to help? At Aunt Ann’s Home Care in San Francisco, our eldercare experts recognize when a senior may be in danger of being victimized by elder fraud and will bring this to the attention of family members. Our home care aides can also help with the steps to reduce the risks of elder fraud.

Ask these questions:

Does the senior receive lots of mail for contests, “free trips,” prizes, and sweepstakes or literature from foreign countries?

Does the senior get frequent calls from strangers offering great deals or asking for charitable contributions?

 Does the senior take repeated and/or large payments to companies in other states or countries?

Does the senior have difficulty buying groceries and paying utility and other bills?

 Does the senior subscribe to more magazines than anyone could normally read?

Does the senior receive lots of cheap items such as costume jewelry, beauty products, water filters, and knick knacks that they bought to win something or received as prizes?

Does the senior get calls from organizations offering to recover, for a fee, money they have lost to fraudulent telemarketers?

If the answer is yes to these questions, the senior may be the victim of elder fraud. Call Aunt Ann’s Home Care agency in San Francisco for help in reducing the risks of elder fraud and for expert eldercare in the comfort of home. For more tips on how to protect against elder fraud, download our handy resource sheet, Tips to Protect Against Elder Fraud (PDF).

 It’s not easy to admit a need for help, and when it comes to personal care needs, it can seem downright embarrassing. Pair this with a fear of losing independence and it isn’t hard to imagine why many seniors keep their eldercare needs to themselves. This is why watching for signs that could indicate extra assistance is needed oftentimes falls on family, friends, or advisors. If you know a frail senior that you suspect may be hiding a home care need, take note of the following:

1.  Has there been a noticeable weight loss?

2.  Has personal hygiene and general appearance been deteriorating?

3.  Is the home no longer being neatly maintained?

4.  Does the senior seem safe in the home and in good spirits?

5.  Is the senior having increased difficulty getting around?

6.  Has the senior been exhibiting forgetfulness or inappropriate behavior?

As a locally owned San Francisco home care agency, Aunt Ann’s Home Care is here to help. With a free home care needs/safety assessment, we can help determine what eldercare services are appropriate. We can provide light housekeeping, meal preparation, transportation, personal care and companionship and more. Call 415.974.3530 or 650.757.2000 to schedule an appointment.

To learn more about the warning signs that home care may be needed, download our handy resource sheet.

A recent survey of more than 60,000 women from different countries explored the women’s knowledge of the risk factors that increased their likelihood of getting a fracture.  The survey found that only about a third of the women who reported two or more major risk factors for fracture considered themselves to be at higher than average fracture risk for their age group, and 43% of the women diagnosed with osteoporosis believed Read the rest of this entry »