Seniors can be particularly vulnerable due to limited mobility and ability to connect with others. Critical medicines may be left behind. Special nutritional needs can go unmet. Family members may not know where to find their senior loved ones.

The secret to getting through a major disaster for many seniors is advanced preparation. LivHOME recommends that seniors prepare both for cases where they will remain in their homes as well as those where evacuation is necessary. Click here for LivHOME’s emergency preparedness list.

So think ahead and get your plan in place today.

Susan Peterson, a LivHOME Care Manager in the Metro D.C. area, demonstrated this as she helped two daughters care for their nearly 90-year-old father – taking the pressure off of them to be full-time caregivers as well as daughters.

The father, who suffers from moderate dementia, clearly needed help in order to remain at home safely and with dignity.

To hear the full interview with Susan, click here.

Bonnie Craig, a nurse and 10-year veteran of LivHOME, is in charge of the new facility.

Beyond expanding our presence in California — where we provide coverage from San Diego County to the San Francisco Bay area — the Monterey office is another important step in LivHOME’s nationwide expansion.  The new office is located at 475 Washington St., Suite E, Monterey, CA, 93940, and can be reached by phone at 831-641-9659.

Click here if you’d like to see our full Monterey press announcement.

The summit, which will be held March 7-9, is attended by hundreds of Alzheimer’s advocates each year.  Ashley was selected for the 2010 scholarship based on her work on behalf of Alzheimer’s patients in her area of the country.

Ashley is very active in her community, participating in a number of organizations including: the Inland Empire Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk (Committee Member); the Inland Association for Continuity of Care (Vendor Chairperson); the “A” Team Senior Care Assistance (Coachella Valley); the Riverside Estate Planning Council; and Networking for Seniors.

A 5-year veteran of LivHOME, Ashley is responsible for business development in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

You can listen to the episode at http://www.livhome.com/Podcast/.

To watch go to http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6089199n&tag=related;photovideo

Care Manager Randi Israel, MSW, LCSW, CMC, helped one Chicago-area family deal with this situation by working not just with the senior — but considering the disease in the context of the entire family.

When the woman was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, the reality hit her husband of 50 years hard.  Randi worked with the woman, her husband, and their son — who was living in Europe — to address the her condition with compassion and respect.

To hear the full interview with Randi, click here.

Mike Nicholson, LivHOME’s chief executive officer, and his wife, Clare, were featured in a recent Worcester Telegram & Gazette story (also on LivHOME’s website, www.livhome.com) for a donation they had made to buy toys for children in need in Central Massachusetts.

Today Mike and Clare live in California, where LivHOME is based, but both grew up in New England.  Mike told the newspaper that LivHOME was actually named for his mother, Doris Nicholson , who was able to live in her own home through her final days. “On May 3, 1994, Mom died in her bed at home. I was holding her hand, and my wife lay on the foot of her bed, keeping me awake. Mom lived and died at home, where she wanted to be”  Mike recalled.

Mike and Clare return to Massachusetts every year to visit with family there.

Do you have an interesting fact about seniors or senior care to share? Please email it to info@livhome.com and we may use it in a future “Did You Know” post.

Such gifts focus on things you can do rather than items that must be purchased. They can include:

• setting up a home computer for easier viewing and use,
• combining multiple TV remotes into a single unit,
• programming telephone speed dials to make calling simpler, and
• helping seniors with their own online gift shopping.

This idea is discussed in detail in the latest episode of the Senior Care Podcast by LivHOME, titled Episode 17 — Holiday Gifts That Connect.

You can listen to the episode at www.livhome.com/podcast.