How Do You Keep Your Patients at Home?

With Integrated ElderCare®. Our unique “model of care” is often duplicated, as studies have shown that our approach is extremely beneficial to the patient and their family.

Integrated ElderCare® is based upon our belief that when we care for an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient, we are caring for the patient, caregiver and the entire family as a whole.

Most of our patient’s not only suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, but have been diagnosed with other chronic conditions such as: diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, congestive heart failure (CHF), anxiety and/or depression.

Our care managers create, implement and monitor an ElderCare Plan® that not only provides ongoing and continuous care, but that incorporates all of the medical, physical, social, psychological and spiritual needs of the patient. Each care manager directs a multidisciplinary team that assures that all of the patient’s needs are met.

What Services Do You Provide?

• Comprehensive ElderCare Assesments®. We begin with an in-depth telephone call to review your concerns and caregiving issues. We then schedule a visit with the patient to complete the ElderCare Assesments®. Comprehensive, Long-Term ElderCare Plans® . After the ElderCare Assessment® is complete, the ElderCare Plan® is prepared and includes all of the recommendations and objectives for improving and enhancing the care recipients quality of life.
• Private Duty Nursing Professionals & Paraprofessionals- RN’s, LPN’s, CNA’s, HHA’s and Comforting Companions®. Each patient and each family has different needs and we know that those needs usually change. We r assure that regardless of the skill the patient presently requires, it is provided by the most professional, compassionate, dedicated and loyal nurses, nurses aides and companions, in the industry today.
• Adult Daycare Referrals- Not all adult day care centers are the same. For patients that would benefit from Adult Day Care, we  will provide you with specific recommendations on the programs that are best suited to meet the needs of your loved one. We also provide our clients with the 10 most important things you should insist on when choosing an Alzheimer’s/ Dementia Specific Adult Day Care Programs.
• Reach out for Respite™- Our unique Reach out for Respite® program was created just for caregivers. When you’re a full-time caregiver for someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, a few hours set aside, just for you, sometimes makes all the difference in the world. Whenever you are ready, whenever you reach out, we are here to help.
• Physician Referrals- Whether you are searching for a neurologist, internist, gerontologist, orthopedist or any other medical specialist, finding the right Physician is crucial. Our staff will guide you in selecting the physician’s that will become an integral part of your loved ones health care team.
• Elder Care Advocacy- Whether our clients are still living in their own home or in another long term care setting, our care managers provide ongoing services, support and advocacy to ensure that their care needs are being met appropriately and their independence and autonomy is fully realized.
• Fall Prevention & Home Safety Evaluations- The ElderCare Assessment includes a comprehensive fall prevention and home safety evaluation that encompasses all areas of the home.
• Counseling and Emotional Support- Services On-line and in-person counseling and support services are provided by professional geriatric care managers whose credentials and qualifications have been independently verified by the American Counseling Association (ACA).
• Nutrition & Dietary
• Medication Management- Most of our clients have been diagnosed with more than one medical condition and take numerous medications. We work closely with the various prescribing physicians to assure proper medication management and patient compliance.
• Crisis prevention, intervention and stabilization- Our Geriatric Care Managers work closely with our new clients to help prepare for a crisis before it occurs. For families already in the midst, we provide comprehensive crisis stabilization and intervention services 24 Hours A Day , 7 Days A Week and 365 Days a Year.
• Daily telephone calls- Sometimes a simple phone call can make all the difference in the world!
• Wellness Services
• Community Based Services & Entitlement Evaluations
• ElderCare Monitoring Referrals- Placement, and advocacy at assisted living facilities & nursing homes
• Alzheimer’s Disease Training, Education & Consulting

Although this is not an inclusive list, does the person have increased difficulty with any of the activities listed below? If the answer is yes, he or she should receive a comprehensive dementia assessment and memory screening

• Learning and retaining new information. Is he/she more repetitive? Does he have trouble remembering recent conversations, events, appointments?  Does he frequently misplaces objects?
• Handling complex tasks. Does he/she have trouble following a complex train of thought or performing tasks that require many steps, such as balancing a checkbook or cooking a meal?
• Reasoning ability.  Is he/she unable to respond with a reasonable plan to problems at work or home, such as knowing what to do if the bathroom is flooded? Does he show uncharacteristic disregard for rules of social conduct?

• Sense of direction.  Does he/she have trouble driving, organizing objects around the house,  or finding his or her way around familiar places?

• Language.  Does he/she show increased difficulty with finding the right words to express what he wants to say and have difficulty  following conversations?

• Behavior.  Does he/she appears more passive and less responsive? Is he more irritable or suspicious than usual?  Does he misinterpret visual or auditory stimuli?

If you are concerned that your loved one might have signs of dementia, call the Alzheimer’s Care Resource Center at 561-588-4545 to schedule a memory screening.  Memory screenings in West Palm Beach, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and throughout Palm Beach County, can be performed in their office or in the comfort of your own home.

People with Alzheimer’s disease have very specific needs that must be addressed when creating a hurricane or disaster plan.  The hurricane plan must go far beyond the things that would normally be done when planning to care for someone without dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Care Resource Center is the only non-profit organization that provides a Dementia Specific Hurricane Preparedness Program™ to it’s caregivers.  Caregivers are much better prepared, ahead of the storm, to make sure that the person with Alzheimer’s disease will be best cared for.

To learn more about the Alzheimer’s Care Resource Center’s Dementia Specific Hurricane Preparedness Plan, visit their website or call them at 855-476-7600.  It’s never too early to start planning!

Offer some respite relief.

If you live nearby, one of the best gifts you can give is to offer her some time off. Take over some of her caregiving duties for an afternoon, a day or an entire weekend if you can. Even if you aren’t able to provide the care alone, you can at least be there with her to lend a hand and make caregiving easier. You might also do some research on short-term stays in senior living communities to help her know what options are available. Taking breaks is critical for caregivers so that they can de-stress and take care of themselves for a change.  If you live at a distance, our Reach out for Respite program gift certificates are the perfect alternative.

Connect her to a local support group.

Connecting an Alzheimer’s caregiver to a local support group or local workshop doesn’t simply mean that you simply inform her that the group exists. You need to take the extra steps necessary to help get her there. Give her one less thing to worry about by offering a ride to the meeting or to stay with her loved one while she attends. Support groups are invaluable, as they provide an opportunity to share advice, and learn from others who have the same concerns, stresses and challenges. Support groups provide a confidential outlet for sharing feelings and receiving comfort.

Tell her about online resources.

Message boards, blogs and chat rooms provide another medium for sharing stories, connecting with others who have similar challenges and learning from one another. She may not have the time to sit down at the computer, but you can help her by listening to her concerns and perhaps even sharing her thoughts or posting questions on her behalf. To save her time in researching relevant message board threads, you can also identify specific issues she may be struggling with and seek out online resources that may help her. Another way for caregivers to stay informed and feel empowered is to keep abreast of the latest news and research outcomes. You could also follow the news yourself and print out, email or share the most relevant information so that she doesn’t have to spend that extra time researching.

Encourage her to journal.

Purchase a journal for her and encourage her to write down her thoughts and feelings about being a caregiver. Journaling is a powerful way for a person to confront their own emotions and begin to process them in a healthy fashion.

Mother’s Day provides the opportunity to show an Alzheimer’s caregiver, especially one who is also a mother, how much she is valued and appreciated. By taking the time to share these resources with her, you will help her realize she is not facing the challenge of Alzheimer’s disease alone. Your support can make a real difference in her ability to cope with stress, remain healthy and continue to provide great care for her loved one.

If the relative does not live with the family, and children see the loved one less frequently, they will notice a lapse in the person’s memory or a change in behavior   They may become scared or wonder what’s happening.  Most children will find it difficult to comprehend why the person with Alzheimer’s disease calls him or her by another nane or unexpectedly asks, “Who are you?”  When children notice these and other differences, it’s tine to straightforwardly tell them what is happening.

Children need to know that the person has a disease that causes a loss of memory,  More importantly they need to know that, despite the memory loss, the person loves them as much as ever.  The children need to know that their relative becomes angry or agitated, it is because the person is feeling frustrated or helpless, not because she loves them any less.

Children also need to be encouraged to spend tie with the person with Alzheimer’s disease, even when her memory fades so much that she no longer recognizes who she is conversing with,

Tell your children that, as the disease progresses, they may have to help the loved on by reading to the person with dementia, telling stories, playing simple games, or helping them tie shoes or put on coats or sweaters.

Read to you children stories about other children who love with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.  Four recommended books are:

Remember Grandma

Belle Teal

What’s Happening to Grandpa

Naming Maya

Most children take cues from their parents. For children to adapt well and continue to show love and respect for the person with Alzheimer’s disease, it is important that their parents model this kind of behavior.  Amazingly, children adapt sometimes more easily than do adults.  When the person with Alzheimer’s disease does not remember, a child may promise to be her “rememberer”.  A child may more easily and readily hug the person or spend time just being with her.  This is the type of unconditional love that speaks more clearly than words.

Usually family  members will recognize that their loved one’s driving has become dangerous long before the person with Alzheimer’s disease will admit it.  Denial on the part of the person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other cognitive impairment is common.

The person with memory loss will often insist that they are still perfectly capable of driving.  They rationalize that they drive only in familiar areas; that they drive very slowly; or that they have never had a serious accident or gotten lost.  Trying to coax your loved one into turning over their car keys for good, will be difficult.

In our society, the loss of a driver’s license is a social catastrophe.  It makes little difference if one relinquishes the privledge of driving voluntarily or if it is taken away by a doctor or the DMV.

Not being able to drive anymore is perceived as a huge loss of both status and autonomy.  Spontaneity and independence is suddenly gone forever.

Some experts recommend that when you the time comes to take away the car keys, that you consider having a professional deliver the message.

Through their counseling and coaching services, the professional geriatric care managers, registered nurses and social workers, at the Alzheimer’s Care Resource Center in West Palm Beach, can help.  You can reach them at 561-588-4545.

The person your caring for may not look like she needs help, but her needs can be daunting and her behavior can be trying.

A person with dementia will often repeat the same questions and observations over and over again, Understandably this can grate on caregivers’ nerves and keep friends and family from visiting or helping out. And on the flip side, having to repeat directions over and over for your care recipient can be exasperating.

But the rewards of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or memory loss, can be surprisingly profound.  One group of researchers pointed out that although almost all the caregivers of persons with dementia found caregiving stressful, 78% found that they were able to infuse these times with meaning and joy.  They described bonds with their loved one that would otherwise not be there.

In time, you will become the center of your loved ones world. Your caregiving journey won’t be easy,  but if you stay mindful, you will find that there will be special moments when those bonds are created,  that you can hold close and treasure forever.

Although the idea of spending your free time listening to yourself and others share stories about how hard your lives are may not seem appealing, you might find comfort in knowing that your situation is not unique.

Our Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support groups, held in West Palm Beach, are different. Our caregivers are able to come together and share in a warm, relaxed and nurturing environment. We also offer a monthly telephone support group for all Alzheimer’s caregivers who are either unable to attend in person, or live out of State.

Alzheimer’s caregivers find that our support groups can help them learn how to protect themselves from the everyday stress of caregiving.  By sharing and swapping valuable tips, caregivers learn how to cope with some of the challenges they face.

To learn more about our support groups, call us at 561-588-4545 or view our Calendar here!

This is especially true when it comes to offering the care that they require in their own home or in yours. Keeping an older adult who is affected by one of the cognitive disorders in the home can be difficult and this is very true for the family who will care for them. The older adult is at ease in their own home and often desires to stay there until it is impossible for them to do so. Providing for those wishes means making some arrangements for extra care which will ensure the safety of a family member who may not be entirely sure of their own actions at any given time. For thousands of families this is a concern and one which is well founded.

Alzheimer’s Home Care Services in Port St. Lucie can help you to provide for the safety and welfare of your adult family member. Keeping them healthy by helping with medication management and providing the care that they require for the activities of daily living such as bathing and personal hygiene are also services that will be required and can be provided. All of these services are available to you, and many others, when you take advantage of the care services which are offered by the Alzheimer’s Home Care Services of Port St. Lucie.

To find out more about how the Alzheimer’s Home Care Services of Port St Lucie can help you to keep your loved one in their home–or in yours– and to keep them safe and comfortable, call today. Schedule an appointment to assess your individual concerns and to address them at 561-585-0400.