Rhode Island

Q – Is medical care available to seniors in Rhode Island at home?

A – While many doctors do continue to make traditional health calls to visit seniors who have issues with mobility that make it difficult for them to get into their doctors’ offices, these services tend to be costly and are often not covered by medical insurance programs like Medicare. However, new technologies which are emerging into the home care market for seniors, hope to make medical care available to all seniors from the comfort and safety of their own homes. General Electric and Intel recently announced their partnership and commitment to donate $250 million dollars towards the research and development of home health care technologies for the elderly over the next 5 years. Already available on the market are the Intel Health Guide, which allows seniors to interact with medical professionals using a 2-way video computer and the GE QuietCare; a home monitoring system which allows senior caregivers to keep track of the senior’s well-being remotely.

Over the upcoming years, these two partnered technology giants hope to create health technologies that will allow doctors and nurses to monitor their senior patients’ health, quality of life and diagnose elderly health issues remotely, while the senior remains in their Rhode Island residence. Hopefully, these new technological developments will help more seniors get the medical care they require in a convenient and affordable manner.

Sources:
1.    New York Times  Steve Lohr
2.    Intel & GE Health Care Alliance

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

According to a recent study completed by the Center for Disease Control and Preventions, seniors in Rhode Island should limit their sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg per day to help decrease the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. While salt added to food can be a source of increased sodium levels, that majority of salt consumed in a senior’s diet comes from processed foods, like TV dinners and ready-mix sides. In order to reduce the amount of sodium they consume and maintain adequate nutrition, the elderly in Rhode Island should consider the following suggestions:

1.    Choose fresh foods – fresh fruits, vegetables and meats contain less sodium than processed, pre-packaged foods. Frozen foods may also contain less sodium, but be sure to read the packaging carefully!
2.    Read labels – choose products that say “low-sodium” on the packaging.
3.    Remove salt from recipes (except in baked goods)
4.    Limit condiment consumption – ketchup, salad dressings and other condiments contain sodium
5.    Use salt substitutes
6.    Substitute herbs, spices and other seasonings is place of salt
7.    Avoid sports drinks
8.    Switch to kosher salt – it’s coarser, so you will use less!
9.    Slowly reduce sodium intake – to reduce your salt cravings, start by mixing salted snacks with no-sodium ones (i.e. salted with unsalted peanuts to help cut down!)
10.    Keep other seasonings in your salt shaker!

Sources:
1.    MayoClinic
2.    Magic Kitchen
3.    Seniors for Living

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Q1 – My elderly father from Providence has been looking into vacation options for seniors. Are cruises a good option for seniors looking to take a vacation? What are the benefits?

A1 – Cruises for the senior demographic are great vacation options for seniors for a number of reasons! Since cruises are typically semi-inclusive, non-luxury cruises for seniors can be very affordable vacation options for those who are retired and on a limited budget. Senior cruises also cater to the specific needs of the elderly; typically there are more accessible rooms for those who are disabled or face mobility issues; there is flexibility to cater to specific dietary needs; on ship doctors keep a supply of medications needed based on the vacationers medical conditions and illnesses; and activities are senior-friendly and enjoyable for the demographic.

Q2 – Do senior cruises depart from a port in Rhode Island?

A2 – Departure points vary with the specific cruise line. However, once seniors have chosen their desired cruise, they may need to travel by plane to the departure port.

Sources:

1.    Expedia Cruise Ship Centers
2.    About

Images: mustcruise.com

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Study Shows Training Can Help Guard Against Senior Falls in Rhode Island 

Training people to avoid falls by repeatedly exposing them to unstable situations in the laboratory helped them to later maintain their balance on a slippery floor, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study.

The research could eventually help the elderly, for whom falling is an important health concern, according to a Science Daily report.

Researchers used a moveable platform that could be operated to disrupt a person’s balance. Previous studies showed that people could quickly learn to maintain balance and avoid a fall with a short training period on the platform. This study looked at whether training on the platform could transfer to prevent a fall on a slippery floor.

Study participants were compared against a control group, who did not receive any training on the platform. Researchers found that none of the trained participants fell on the slippery floor and seven of the eight never lost their balance. The trained subjects were able to transfer the skill and avoid a fall on the slippery floor because they were better at controlling the landing foot (the foot that is on the ground during the slip.) They slowed down the movement of the foot as it began to slide forward. The landing foot of the people in the untrained group went out from under them much faster.

Research so far indicates the effects of one training session should last for at least four months and perhaps much longer to protect against backward falls.

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

We know that caring for a senior isn’t always easy. Every day, all across the country, people juggle the demands of their busy lives.  Jobs, children, and dozens of other activities all compete for time.  And then mom or dad gets sick or otherwise needs in-home help.

These seniors’ adult children – the ones who typically end up as their caregivers – are referred to as the “sandwich generation,” caught between providing for their own young families and assisting their aging parents.  They’re already stretched to the limit, and the strain shows no sign of easing.  That’s largely because of numbers; by the year 2030, 70 million Americans – 20 percent of the population – will be over the age of 65.

In anticipation of this tremendous need, back in 1994 Lori and Paul Hogan co-founded Home Instead Senior Care in Omaha, NE.  Now, just over a decade later, the company finds itself the unquestioned leader in the international non-medical senior care industry, with more than 700 independently owned and operated offices throughout the world.  Here are some global statistics:

• More than 37,000 CAREGivers;
• Hundreds of thousands of clients served; and,
• 20 million hours of service delivered annually.

View more on non-medical home care in our next post.. visit soon.

Non Medical Home Care

• Companionship – These include companionship and conversation; meal preparation; medication reminders (but not administration); plant care; playing games and watching videos; and doing crafts and activities; and,
• Home Helper – For instance, light housekeeping; helping with laundry and ironing; taking out garbage; assisting with pet care; escorting to appointments and events; and even Alzheimer’s care.

These services are provided by trained, committed professionals called CAREGivers – who, for the most part, will not have to be licensed by the states in which they work.

Either way, however, Home Instead Senior Care Rhode Island requires that its CAREGivers be the most skilled and trusted in the business.  This starts with a careful evaluation and screening process that includes each applicant providing six references.  Those selected are insured and bonded.  Then, they undergo the best training in the industry: an ongoing, multi-phased program that turns compassionate individuals into extraordinary CAREGivers.