Thursday 27 April 2017

Choosing The Right Senior Bridge Program For Your Loved One

By Maria Kelly


Staying at home is the first choice for almost all seniors when they consider how they want to spend the final years of their lives. This will not turn out to be an option for some older citizens. Some do not the funds necessary to pay for full time in-home health care. Others need the kind of special care that can only be found in skilled facilities. The senior bridge program can tailor services to provide as little or as much in-home assistance required.

It is not unusual for older people to relinquish certain household responsibilities as they age. Some housekeeping chores can become difficult to perform, and seniors may not have the stamina to continue keeping their yards and gardens in tip top shape. Loved ones often hire someone to come in occasionally to do this kind of work for their older relative. It is more important to find a reliable, honest worker than to hire someone with specialized skills.

As people lose mobility, it may get harder to leave their homes. They might go for days without seeing or talking to another individual. Most of these seniors appreciate the services of a companion who comes to check up on them and sit and talk. These companions can also assist with grocery shopping, check to make sure the senior is taking all medications and has not run out of prescriptions. They can drive him or her to doctor's appointments and serve as dinner partners and sounding boards.

Other older adults need help managing their affairs and the details of their everyday lives. There are individuals relatives can hire to assist the senior with monthly bill payments, handle correspondence, coordinate with doctor's offices and keep up with Social Security, Medicare, and insurance paperwork. Since they are in almost daily contact with the older individual, these professionals are in a good position to give relatives accurate and reasonable updates and assessments regarding the loved one's current physical and mental state.

Some people need the kind of care that requires daily or live-in assistance. Families usually hire individuals with specialized skills and experience to help family members with physical activities like therapy and personal hygiene. In addition to meal preparation, housekeeping, and companionship, these individuals are in frequent contact with the older individual to make sure they have not fallen or become incapacitated in some way.

Private nurses are available to come to homes and change bandages, check ventilators, tracheostomy tubes, and oxygen. They can also administer injections, such as insulin needed by diabetics. Private nursing care can postpone the move to a nursing home.

It is not unusual for an older citizen to require more and more help as they age. It is a good idea for family members in charge of their care to consider a program that has the flexibility to increase the amount of assistance as the need arises. A professional agency can work with the family to access the kind of care needed, the costs associated with it, and suggest possible resources to provide it.

The older people get, the more they appreciate familiar surroundings. Living at home in old age should not be a luxury, but a right.




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