Benefits of Home Care

Windsor In-Home Senior Care as an Alternative to a Nursing Home Do you have a senior parent or other loved one and are starting to be concerned about how much longer they can safely stay in their own home? You may have started to consider whether a nursing home is the right next step for your senior loved one, but know that they want to remain at home as they age. When exploring your options for senior care in Windsor and Essex County, talk to the Windsor in-home senior care experts at Amy’s Helping Hands. We offer a wide range of caregiving services that can let your senior parent age in place while still making sure they’re getting the care and support they need. In-Home Senior Care in Windsor and Essex County There are a number of reasons why home senior care services in Windsor-Essex from Amy’s Helping Hands can be a great alternative to a nursing home. Here are just a few of the reasons to consider in-home care: Your Parent Stays in Their Own Home: Familiar surroundings can be a great benefit for seniors as they age. In home care lets them…

Caring for elders can overwhelm us Nicole Johnson, a memory therapy coach, works with a patient at Amy’s Helping Hands   For caregivers, worrying about an aging relative is stressful enough. Taking care of two loved ones kicks up that stress level rise significantly. This is the daily reality for Denise and her sister who are responsible for the care of two aging relatives. For them, caregiving took a difficult turn when both relatives needed additional help over a few days. With one having hip surgery and the other being transferred to a new care facility, the situation quickly became overwhelming. “We went into crisis mode,” says Denise. “We didn’t have a clue how we were going to manage to make sure each of our relatives received the attention and care they required during this time. A staff member at the long-term care facility suggested the sisters call Amy’s Helping Hands. Denise spoke with someone from Amy’s that evening and was in their office the next morning signing paperwork and discussing care…

2015 Study on Family Caregivers: Who They Are and What They Do ALTHOUGHT THIS IS A US STUDY – THE THEME AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES ARE THE SAME HERE IN CANADA – AND MIRROR SIMILAR CANADIAN STUDIES ON CAREGIVING. Caregiving in the U.S. 2015 is a joint study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP Public Policy Institute that provides recent insight into the state of family caregivers in the U.S. According to this study, nearly 44 million adults in the U.S. are now providing personal assistance for family members with disabilities or other care needs. That’s more than one out of every six adults. More than 34 million care for frail elders and nearly 4 million help children with disabilities. About 6.5 million care for both. The typical family caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who is assisting a parent or in-law and working at a paid job. She provides about 24 hours-a-week of personal assistance such as bathing or dressing or helping with activities such as shopping or rides. Almost six in 10 perform nursing or other complex care tasks,…

A Caregiver Gave Our Parents What We Could Not By: Kate Girard Guilt and gratitude are common companions. I should know. They have been on either side of me in the past three years, my escorts, ever since a woman called Hermie began to care for my elderly parents. My mother died a few months ago, after an illness of five years. My father, who is still living, has also had serious health challenges. In the first years of my parents’ decline, my three siblings and I pleaded with them to move from their home in a small southwestern Ontario village. None of us adult children lived nearby, and we grew increasingly worried as my father’s dementia worsened. One day, I got an e-mail from my eldest sister, saying she had been in contact with an agency that hired caregivers from the Philippines. In fact, she had interviewed a potential caregiver on the phone. What did I think, she asked. Well, I had strong misgivings about the Live-In Caregiver program. It seemed to me, and still does, like a form of indentured servitude. The program strikes…

Father and Twin Sister are turning 95 By: Suzanne Taylor My father celebrates his 95th birthday this Dec. 10. He is a fraternal twin to a sister, who was born first. The two of them still argue about why she was born first. She says it'’s because he was so bossy, while he says it'’s because she was so pushy that she pushed her way around him and out into the world. Being the more reticent twin, my father came out with the help of forceps. He casually mentioned it to me during a visit a few years back, guiding my hand to the bumps on the back of his skull where the instrument left its permanent mark. They have always been like this - –him deferring to her more dominating nature when he goes to visit her in Edmonton, eating another slab of her excellent apple pie even though he is full –- and not that keen on pie to begin with. Being hard of hearing, the twins yell at each other in conversation, yet lean in conspiratorially as if no one else can hear them. We leave them to their privacy, trying our best not to listen…