Finding the Right Senior Caregiver, part 1

Recently, a scam artists bilked an 89 year old man out of thirty thousand dollars. Of course, this type of thing happens all the time, right? But there was something especially heinous about this story: the scammer was the man’s caregiver.

Here’s the story. In this case, the caregiver was a woman who pretended to cozy up to the wealthy man and start a romance. She was 58 years old. As he grew to trust her, he asked her to go buy a new car for him, which she could drive him around in. So he gave her the money. Thirty grand.

She bought the car, all right! She bought it, and put it in her name…

Thankfully, this time, the woman did not get away with it. She was arrested, tried and convicted for her fraud, and she even has to pay the money back in restitution. Justice has happened!

But the issue raises a larger issue in my mind: How do you choose a caregiver that you can trust? After all, this story took place in an Oregon assisted living home, but seniors who get home health care from an agency or an individual are far more vulnerable, even. When a person begins to get to know them, to understand how they operate, they could be very easy prey for a scam artist. It could happen through a false romance, but more likely, it could happen in far more subtle ways. A credit card disappearing. Old jewelry, lying around, is suddenly gone. Or it could happen in the most drastic ways of all: the caregiver winds up in the will of the senior, receiving lavish gifts. And the family can do nothing.

With this in mind, we will be exploring how we as family members can protect the ones we love when choosing a caregiver. The discussion will move far beyond protecting from fraud. We will look at how to find a person that will encourage your loved one. Someone who can really be able to relate to them. Someone who knows what they are doing.

So stay tuned for our series, “Finding the right Caregiver.”

Can a Dog Help Your Senior Loved One?

We all know what a big help dogs can be to the handicapped of our society. Seeing eye dogs have been used since before World War II, and guide dogs in general have been used, some believe, for the past 500 years. So I guess it should be no surprise to find that therapy pets have recently been all over Assisted Living locations and adult day care centers helping with seniors who have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

So how do they help? Do they fetch memories of yesteryear, when the senior they are visiting had a dog of their own? Maybe. But probably not. What they do is help the patient relax. People who experience pet therapy often get their stress levels reduced, along with their blood pressure. In general, they just feel better.

There is something about therapy dogs and the patients they work with. And this isn’t just some feel-good but far-fetched idea being touted by fringe scientists. Doctors and animal experts–from places like the Mayo Clinic–agree that pet therapy is extremely helpful; almost like having a drug, as elderly care article quotes.

So what does this mean for you? It means you can take advantage. Do you care for your loved one at home? Maybe you should think about getting them a dog. A friendly one, like a well trained golden retriever. Or if you have your senior in an Oregon assisted living facility, consider having pet therapy visits by bringing a pet to them.

I know, I know… it doesn’t have to be a dog. It could be a cat. Or a hamster, or a parrot for that matter. But I’ve got my money on Fido.

How Care for Elders in the Winter

It’s January, and reports of blizzards and record cold temperatures are hitting us like, well, like a barrage of snowfall. Cold weather makes us want to stay inside all day long. But if you have a loved one in elder care services, don’t wait too long! After all, regular family visits are big highlights in the lives of grandparents who live in elder care communities.

But what can you possibly do in the winter?

Here are just a few ideas:

Things to do with Grandma in a Wet Winter Climate:

• Grab an umbrella and take a walk at the park.
• Go visit a nature reserve.
• Take the kids along to the zoo. The animals don’t take days off when it’s wet!

Things to do with Grandma in a Cold Winter Climate:

• Get to a coffee shop, grab some hot tea, and then go take in a local show
• Go to the mall. It’s not snowing there!
• Go pick her up and bring her over to your house. Have her make cookies with the kids.
• Grab a DVD, pick up some lunch, and surprise her at the elderly care facility. That way, she doesn’t even have to put on a coat to have some special family time.

I know, I know… these are pretty basic ideas. But the fact that I came up with a half dozen in a few minutes shows just what a no-brainer this is. So what if the weather is bad! There are lots of things you can do to have a good time, and to help your loved one remember that she is not forgotten!

Robotic Help for Assisted Living

I always enjoyed watching Star Trek back in the day, and there was one part of the show that was always particularly fascinating: Data. The Android-robot. Would it ever be possible to develop such an intelligent artificial intelligence? The show ratcheted it up a notch on the Voyager series, where the ship’s doctor was a holographic computer projection with a brain the size of the ship’s computer. Thus, a robot was in charge of caring for the medical needs of human patients.

Could this ever happen in the world of assisted living and elderly care? Well, consider the efforts of some scientists in Japan. They are developing the RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance) to be a special kind of helper in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. RIBA’s job description is pretty narrow so far: it helps seniors transfer from a bed to a chair, and vice versa. But the developers have high hopes that some day, this bear-robot-caregiver will be able to do much more.

Since “transferring” is one of the most common types of Activities for Daily Living that are dealt with in Assisted Living facilities, RIBA could become a real help in senior homes in the future. Lifting patients can be a full-time gig in larger facilities, and it can be exhausting, especially for smaller caregivers. If there was a way to utilize technology in caring for seniors, would it be worth it?

There are other ambitious scientists that are also researching into using robotics in elder care services, as outlined and discussed at this Elderly Care blog. Do you agree with their conclusions?

Oregon Elder Care Services

Seniors and their families can face a difficult, up hill battle in getting the exact right kind of care they need in the exact, right location. Fortunately for Oregon residents, there is an abundance of both.

Oregon Elder Care Services are broad. Portland, in particular, offers just about any type of elder care housing that you could possibly ask for. Whether you need nursing home care, assisted living, retirement care, continuing care, alzheimer’s care… the list goes on and on… they have it.

Here are some listings for Portland

• Portland Nursing Homes
• Portland Elder Care (General)
• Portland Memory Care

The same is true for the smaller cities of Eugene and Salem. Each of these cities have around one hundred fifty thousand residents, and yet both have a good selection of senior housing. This includes a new form of senior care: residential home care. This is a type of assisted living that lets seniors live in a family setting. It also includes continuing care, which is a “continuum of care” that begins with retirement living, and lets the patient get more care as the need arises. Residents can move into an assisted living facility or a nursing home facility without signing a contract with a new company. It is an all encompassing type of elder care.

Here are some directory listings for Eugene

• Eugene Memory Care
• Eugene Assisted Living
• Eugene Elder Care (General)

And Finally, somem links for Salem

• Salem Memory Care
• Salem Nursing Homes
• Salem Assisted Living

To find assisted living where you are, use the box at the top right corner of this page. For more advice on elderly care, visit that link.

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Tags: Eugene Elder Care, oregon elder care, oregon elder care services, portland elder care, salem elder care

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