We’re privileged to help people every day to age wisely and well wherever they call home. Our team gets the opportunity to provide home care services in a wide array of situations. And, our clients and their families often share the ways home care services have changed their lives. So, today we will share a few of their stories in hopes of helping others who may be facing similar challenges.
Drive to Thrive: How to Give Up Driving Without Giving Up Living
I realized it was time to stop driving when I kept limiting my outings more and more. I didn’t have good vision, balance or coordination anymore. Even with compensations and medications to control my conditions, I just didn’t feel safe so I sold my car. My daughter who lives nearby planned to take me shopping once/week. I also had church friends who could pick me up.
However, after a few weeks, I realized I was becoming isolated. I hated relying on others for rides and depending on their schedules. So, my neighbor put me in touch with EasyLiving home care services. They offered a couple of solutions. First, they served as a Lyft Concierge so I could get on-demand rides. I was a bit skeptical of this as I didn’t have a smartphone. But, they showed me how easy it was to just make a call to them to arrange the ride. I also wanted to do some regular errands, so they set me up with a caregiver for a few hours once/week. The caregiver took me to doctor’s appointments, the bank, and shopping.
It was great to have total freedom again to go where I wanted. And, even better, I had someone who could assist me along the way. I extended the caregiver service to twice/week before long and started getting out and doing more fun things. I never would have thought of home care services for transportation needs, but I’m so glad my neighbor gave me this resource.
Isolated at Home: How Home Care Services Gave Me Back my Social Life
I had been having bouts of illness throughout the winter. I gave up most of my usual activities and friends got tired of inviting me, I guess. Between the physical illness and isolation, I lost my motivation and became depressed.
Finally, my kids got so worried about me they asked me to see a specialist for an assessment. EasyLiving home care services sent out a care manager to meet with me. She talked to me and really listened. And, she gathered information along with assessing my medical situation, home and more. She came up with a plan to tackle the many issues I was facing. We got my medical situation a lot more under control and I started feeling a bit better. She set me up with grocery delivery, a meal service, and someone to cook once/week. That alone made a big difference in how I was feeling.
But, perhaps most importantly, she didn’t neglect the social aspect of my life. My care manager set up regular transportation to get me back to some of my activities. She found a local senior center that had an art class that was perfect for me. And, I met some great new friends there. She also knew I missed attending plays but felt unsteady and needed help to the bathroom. So, she arranged a lovely companion to take me to events.
Home care services aren’t just about what happens at home. They make you feel more at home with life as it is today, and within your community.
Staying in Control with Home Care Services When it Seems an Assisted Living (ALF) Move is Inevitable
My kids live in other states. Every time they visited, we got into a discussion that turned into an argument. They felt I had no choice but to move to an ALF. I understood their concerns and struggled to pull things together when they visited to prove I could make it at home. However, it was clear, even to me, I was struggling. So, I reluctantly went on some ALF tours with them. I felt sad and angry at the prospect of moving. I’d worked so hard to save for my later years and to make a cozy home I loved.
So, I started doing some research on the internet and found out about home care services. I knew I needed help, but I didn’t realize that it was so easily accessible. I had tried to get someone to come in to help at home before, but it hadn’t worked out. Now, the company came out and met with me, reviewed what I needed and matched me with qualified, well-trained caregivers. I was so impressed by the plan they set up and how they followed my instructions. My kids reluctantly agreed to see how it went and meet again in a few months to discuss it.
Without a doubt, they were pleasantly surprised by the transformation. My house was in better shape, but so was I. My kids felt peace of mind that I was doing well at home. So, in the end, we all got what we wanted with the help of home care services.
Staying Out of the Hospital
2019 was the year I became a “frequent flyer”. But, this was not the type of adventure you would want. Instead, I was what’s known by hospitals as a frequent flyer. In other words, someone who keeps coming back to the hospital with crisis after crisis. I couldn’t get my blood sugar under control. My balance was off so I had some falls. After one hospital stay, I kept getting reoccurring infections. They’d send me home with some instructions and, usually, an order for home health care. I would get some nursing visits and occasional physical therapy. We tried all kinds of things. But, nothing seemed to keep me out of the hospital very long.
After the last stay, the home health care nurse really analyzed the situation. She set up a meeting for me with EasyLiving. At first, I didn’t understand their role and how it differed from what Medicare provided. However, once they explained it to me it seemed like it would be worth a try. Since I had so many different issues going on and was especially weak, they set up caregivers for several hours/day to start. They helped me get healthier, get to my appointments for follow up, and kept me safe while I recuperated. Because they helped with all my needs, they addressed some of the “gaps” that had been causing me to bounce back to the hospital. They assisted with my medications, hygiene, nutrition, and monitoring for trouble signs.
Eventually, they helped stabilize me and I didn’t need services quite so often. And, with their help, in the last four months of 2019 I have not been to the hospital once.
You Are What You Eat
It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I was eating a diet of almost 100% snack food. Living alone, I couldn’t find the inspiration to cook. Moreover, when I wasn’t feeling well, I was overwhelmed by the whole process of planning, shopping and preparation. And, for whatever reason, my tastes have changed. I really crave sweets. So, I was not above eating packs of cookies and ice cream most days.
Well, as you can imagine, I started feeling the effects. I gained some weight, felt sluggish all the time and started getting sick regularly. My joints were achy all the time and my digestive system was a mess.
My doctor sent me to a nutritionist who made some recommendations. But, it didn’t matter as I just didn’t have the motivation. When I admitted that to her, she suggested I hire someone to cook for me. I started looking for personal chefs, but they didn’t seem to be the right fit. While searching, I came across this nutrition article from EasyLiving. I decided to give their home care services a try for nutrition help. It was the perfect solution. My caregiver tailored the meals to the nutritionist’s recommendations and what I like. We eat meals together when she’s there, and the company makes the food even better.
Home Care Services for Chronic Condition Management
I have a number of chronic medical conditions. Therefore, I take about 20 pills every day and need to keep track of my conditions. It is so important that I eat the right food and drink plenty of water. Unfortunately, I’m not in the habit and often forget until I get dehydrated. I’ve had stomach problems from taking pills without enough food too. I need to track my blood pressure, heart rate, weight and swelling (to spot potential signs of cardiac heart failure).
This would probably all be too much to manage if I didn’t have home care services to support me. They’ve really helped me manage my medications and spot any problems. My caregiver has prevented a lot of crises. And, all the support services help keep me as healthy as possible. This is an absolute must for anyone suffering from chronic health conditions.
Fear of Falling
The first time I fell I blamed my clumsiness. Then, I started having occasional dizzy spells and difficulty getting up from the chair. Most of the time, I just ended up with a few bruises. But, I was terrified of breaking a hip and ending up in a nursing home. So, I stopped taking baths and sponged off instead. Then, I started sleeping on the couch because it was easier to find my way to the bathroom at night.
Yet, I still took a couple of big falls and ended up on the floor for many hours one night before I could get to the phone. I injured my shoulder, but it could have been worse. So, I decided it was time to take action. I asked the hospital for a list of home care services and started making inquiries.
I liked the fact that EasyLiving had comprehensive home care services including care management. They started with a home assessment and made a lot of recommendations to improve my safety. Most of them were simple, and many didn’t cost anything. A lot of it was as simple as rearranging things.
I started some physical therapy, and then my home caregiver continued helping me with the exercises when therapy ended. I decided to have caregivers help me in the mornings, which was the time I felt most unsteady. This way, they could also assist with my bath and getting a good start to the day. EasyLiving suggested a medication review and I was able to cut back some medicines that were probably contributing to my dizziness. And, of course, I got one of those emergency buttons. Now, if anything does happen, I don’t have to be stuck on the floor in pain.
Unburdening Myself: How Home Care Services Helped Me Enjoy My Home Again
You may or may not think of all the things it takes to run a home. When you’re healthy and young, it’s just part of your routine. But, it is easy to fall behind, especially if you’re not feeling well. When that extends to a long period, things pile up…figuratively and literally. I was limiting my outfits and movement around the house to minimize laundry and cleaning. I shut off a few rooms and couldn’t change burnt out light bulbs. Because I couldn’t reach it, I didn’t know what was stuffed in the back of my fridge. So, I just used a small space at the front for new food. Fortunately, I had a young man to cut the grass. But, I got overcharged by someone who offered to trim my trees. Then, he left with my money before he finished.
Today, I really feel unburdened thanks to home care services. I always tried to be self-sufficient and getting help seemed like an admission of dependence. But, it turns out, it was so freeing. Though, admittedly, it took me a while to feel this way. My niece had to talk me into getting some home care services to help with laundry and ironing after a surgery. Once I saw how nice this was, I started changing my mind. Getting to know the caregiver helped me build the trust to allow her to do other things. Slowly, we got the house under control. Now, it’s a pleasant place to be again instead of constant worry.
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