Emergency Response Systems for Seniors

Seniors who live at home, and especially those who live alone, should have an emergency response system in case of a medical emergency, a fall, or other trauma.  Even seniors in good health are at risk of falling or otherwise injuring themselves at home, where accidents are most common.  An emergency alert system can mean the difference between life and death in many circumstances.

Emergency alert systems have evolved over the years and are much more comprehensive today.  Generally, the systems have a pendant and a console that communicate together wirelessly.  Users frequently wear the pendant around their neck, but may also wear it around their wrist or hips. The user can push the button on the pendant in case of an emergency, or if they are close enough, they can press the emergency button on the console itself. 

Once the button is pressed, a call is sent over the phone lines or the Internet to a service representative at the alert system provider, who then contacts emergency medical responders or the user’s emergency contacts, depending on the specific situation.

Unlike a cell phone, which may be out of reach and difficult to dial in an emergency, an emergency alert system is worn on the body and is easy to operate.  Here are some of the important features to look for when shopping for an emergency alert system:

Monitoring Services

·         24/7 Monitoring Facility

·         Fire and Smoke Monitoring

·         Medical Monitoring

·         CO2 Monitoring

Equipment

·         Look for equipment that has an operating range of at least 600-1,000 feet between pendant and console

·         Emergency response base station that communicates with equipment

·         Pendant or wristband

·         Water resistant

·         Battery backup

·         Wall-mounted emergency button

·         Two-way communications

·         Regular check-ins from emergency service provider

Professional in-home caregivers, like those from Always Best Care, can help seniors obtain and set up their emergency response system from their home with ease, helping seniors living at home maintain their independence while staying safe and secure. 

Identity Theft Prevention and Recovery

Identity Theft Prevention and Recovery

Identity theft can happen at any time to anyone.  Thieves are very creative and are always looking for new methods to access personal information for their own gain. The information thieves are looking for is not always clear – some things are obvious like Social Security numbers, others are not, like family relationships and insight on your personal life.

Protection

Here are 10 important tips to follow for preventing ID theft …

1.      Only carry what you need - leave extra credit cards, checks and documentation with sensitive information (Social Security Cards) at home when shopping or leaving your home. When carrying Medicare information it is best to carry a copy and black out the first five numbers of the Social Security number which most hospitals will accept.

2.      Consider carrying your wallet in your front pocket, in a neck pouch or in a fanny pack on the front of you.

3.      Never leave your purse or wallet unattended, even at social or religious gatherings where you feel safe and comfortable - thieves can be lurking anywhere.

4.      Keep an itemized list of the cards you do carry on a daily basis along with the check numbers you carry so that if your belongings are stolen you can quickly call and report the stolen cards to the card companies.

5.      Before allowing company into your home, always lock up personal information and laptops and log off and shut down your computers.

6.      Be especially cautious of using the ATM. Try to always go into the bank, but if you do use an ATM, only use ones that are lit and take your receipt with you and shred it.

7.      Deter crime from your home with lighting, radios and televisions. Use timers or motion detectors on outdoor lighting if you can afford it, or leave lighting on at night when you are away.

8.      Never give out personal information to someone reaching out to you via phone, email, instant message, text message, door-to-door or through social media. If you receive a call from a company requesting personal information, inform them you will hang up and call their primary company phone number to ensure the call is legitimate.

9.      Use secure, non-personal passwords that contain both capital and lower case letters, numbers and unique symbols (!*@$). 

10.  Be cautious with your generosity - make a charitable giving plan and do not deviate from it. Check out the legitimacy of every charity before giving them your hard earned money. 

Recovery

If your identity has been stolen, the sooner you discover it, the sooner you can take the steps necessary to fix it. Do not let fear, ignorance or embarrassment keep you from doing what you need to do to protect your finances, your property and most importantly, yourself!

What victims should do next …

1.      Let all of your creditors know that your ID has been stolen. Be sure to keep track of who you talked to, when you talked to them and their job titles, and phone numbers. Remember, the sooner you notice and report any discrepancies on your accounts, the easier it is to dispute them.

2.      Close your accounts. Send confirmation that you are closing your accounts in writing, by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep copies of everything.

3.      When you open new accounts, put passwords on them (do not use a password that relates back to personal information that someone can guess).

4.      Contact the issuing agency of any IDs that were taken - driver's license, state ID, employment ID. Do not just cancel and replace, ask the agency to put a caution or flag on your file so nobody else can get replacements.

5.      File a police report and make copies of that report to send to your creditors. Do this in person rather than using an automated report. If your police department does not take identity theft reports, ask to file a "Miscellaneous Incident Report." If you are still unable to file a report, contact your state Attorney General to find out exactly what your state law is in regards to identity theft.

6.      Find out from each creditor just what it is you need to do to clear up the mess, and then do it, keeping track of everyone you talk to and everything you do.

7.      Once all the disputed charges have been taken off your accounts and everything is resolved, have those companies send you a letter that states in writing that the disputed accounts are closed and the fraudulent debts discharged. File and keep copies of these letters to use if this erroneous information reappears on your credit report.

8.      Follow up to make sure everything has been taken care of and keep checking your accounts regularly.

9.      Report the theft or fraud to the three major credit bureaus. Have them place a fraud alert on your account so that new lines of credit cannot be opened without explicit confirmation by you.

10.  Do not fall for so-called credit repair scams. The only information that can be removed from your credit report is inaccurate information, and that is something you can do for yourself.

Reprinted by Always Best Care Senior Services with permission from

Senior Spirit,  a publication of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. 

The Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) program provides the advanced knowledge and practical tools to serve seniors at the highest level possible while providing recipients a powerful credential that increases their competitive advantage over other professionals.  The CSA works closely with Always Best Care Senior Services to help ABC business owners understand how to build effective relationships with seniors based on a broad-based knowledge of the health, social and financial issues that are important to seniors, and the dynamics of how these factors work together in seniors’ lives.  To be a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) means one willingly accepts and vigilantly upholds the standards in the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility. These standards define the behavior that we owe to seniors, to ourselves, and to our

fellow CSAs. The reputation built over the years by the hard work and high standards of CSAs flows to everyone who adds the designation to their name.  For more information, visit www.society-csa.com.

Always Best Care Senior ServicesAlways Best Care Senior Services (www.alwaysbestcare.com/) is based on the belief that having the right people for the right level of care means peace of mind for the client and family. Always Best Care Senior Services has assisted over 25,000 seniors, representing a wide range of illnesses and personal needs. This has established the company as one of the premier providers of in-home care, assisted living placement assistance, and skilled home health care in the United States.

Use it or lose it!

BOSTON (AP) — New research boosts the "use it or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp. People who delay retirement have less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, a study of nearly half a million people in France found.

It's by far the largest study to look at this, and researchers say the conclusion makes sense. Working tends to keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged — all things known to help prevent mental decline.

"For each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent," said Carole Dufouil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government's health research agency.

She led the study and gave results Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston.

About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million have Alzheimer's — 1 in 9 people aged 65 and over. What causes the mind-robbing disease isn't known and there is no cure or any treatments that slow its progression.

France has had some of the best Alzheimer's research in the world, partly because its former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, made it a priority. The country also has detailed health records on self-employed people who pay into a Medicare-like health system.

Researchers used these records on more than 429,000 workers, most of whom were shopkeepers or craftsmen such as bakers and woodworkers. They were 74 on average and had been retired for an average of 12 years.

Nearly 3 percent had developed dementia but the risk of this was lower for each year of age at retirement. Someone who retired at 65 had about a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to someone retiring at 60, after other factors that affect those odds were taken into account, Dufouil said.

To rule out the possibility that mental decline may have led people to retire earlier, researchers did analyses that eliminated people who developed dementia within 5 years of retirement, and within 10 years of it.

"The trend is exactly the same," suggesting that work was having an effect on cognition, not the other way around, Dufouil said.

France mandates retirement in various jobs — civil servants must retire by 65, she said. The new study suggests "people should work as long as they want" because it may have health benefits, she said.

June Springer, who just turned 90, thinks it does. She was hired as a full-time receptionist at Caffi Plumbing & Heating in Alexandria, Va., eight years ago.

"I'd like to give credit to the company for hiring me at that age," she said. "It's a joy to work, being with people and keeping up with current events. I love doing what I do. As long as God grants me the brain to use I'll take it every day."

Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations for the Alzheimer's Association, said the study results don't mean everyone needs to delay retirement.

"It's more staying cognitively active, staying socially active, continue to be engaged in whatever it is that's enjoyable to you" that's important, she said.

"My parents are retired but they're busier than ever. They're taking classes at their local university, they're continuing to attend lectures and they're continuing to stay cognitively engaged and socially engaged in their lives."

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AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner in Chicago contributed to this report.

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Online:

 

Alzheimer's info: http://www.alzheimers.gov

Alzheimer's Association: http://www.alz.org

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Learning to Cut Costs

As the economy improves, many people are still hanging on tight to their finances. Given the economic decline that we experienced in the last few years, this is not a bad idea for anyone. Seniors are no exception to this new habit. If your senior relative is considering ways to save more money, they can start in the following few areas.

• Look at monthly bills – Many monthly bills are reoccurring. Take a close look at these bills to see which ones can be reduced. Many companies, especially utility companies, offer senior discounts or plans that help those on a fixed income to be able to afford the services a little easier.

• Cut grocery costs – Your senior’s in-home care provider can help your loved one clip coupons on a weekly basis in order to cut grocery costs down. In addition, they can shop the sales at the local grocery stores and purchase store brand products rather than being brand specific, in order to save more money.

• Join free senior activities – Many communities offer free services and entertainment for seniors. Your home health care provider can help your relative find appropriate activities to help keep him or her active without having to go over budget.

• Plan for gift giving – Staying organized with gift giving can also help seniors save money. When they consider a majority of the gifts they will need to buy each year, they can shop at any time, paying close attention to sales rather than shopping right before the occasion. This enables them to purchase what they really want to give their loved one while saving money at the same time.

Always Best Care Senior Services provides in-home care and FREE assisted living placement!
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Organizing the Medicine Cabinet

The medicine cabinet is one area of anyone’s home that typically gets overlooked as a place to clean or organize. Because medicines only have a limited shelf life, it is important to go through it once in a while to remove expired medicines as well as any that might interfere with new medications a senior may be taking.

• Start with expired medicines – Go through the cabinet at least once per year and remove any that are expired. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the proper method of disposal before tossing them though, not every medication can just be thrown in the garbage.
• Stock up on necessities – Every medicine cabinet should have the basics, such as over-the-counter pain relievers, antiseptic for cuts and burns, bandages and remedies for stomach aches or heartburn.
• Keep prescription medicines close – Try to avoid putting prescription medicines in the back of the cabinet where they might get ignored. If they are something that needs to be taken on a daily basis, keep them up front where they will be noticed and taken in a timely manner.
• Talk to the doctor – Seniors should talk to their doctor about the over-the-counter medicines that are safe for them to take, including pain medicines, cold or flu medicines. Some might pose a problem if they are mixed with certain prescriptions. Knowing what is safe to take and what is not will also help keep the medicine cabinet organized.

Your senior’s in-home care professional can help him or her keep the medicine cabinet organized and free from medications that should not be in there, whether they are expired or not safe to take. This will help to ensure the safety of your senior when you cannot be there.

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Summer Travels with Seniors

Summer sometimes means more traveling and sightseeing for families. Depending on your health and abilities, you likely won’t have to change your vacation plans, but you may have to be willing to alter them a bit to make things easier for yourself. A few simple changes can help you enjoy summer plans.

• Make plans to have a driver – Having a driver can sometimes be easier on everyone, especially if you think anyone in your party will need breaks whether to use the bathroom or simply to stretch their legs.

• Bring plenty of supplies – While you don’t want to over pack, you want to be prepared. Have plenty of changes of clothes as well as plenty of emergency supplies including necessary and emergency medications, first aid supplies, food and water.

• Determine necessary accommodations – If you require any special accommodations, try to arrange for them ahead of time, whether with the airlines, hotel or any other establishment to make things easier.

Before you travel, take the time to talk with your home health care to determine exactly what you will need to bring along. The person that works closely with you will have the best insight as to what will make your vacation the most comfortable and memorable as possible.


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Misconceptions of Senior Exercising

Whether in attempts to maintain personal safety or due to the warnings of concerned family and friends there are some common misconceptions of senior exercising. There is no reason the elderly can't work out as effectively as everyone else. Following are five delusional reasons seniors can't exercise and the reality of each fallacy.

Misconception #1: You're going to continue to age anyway. Exercising serves no purpose.

Reality: Alzheimer's, colon cancer, dementia, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity are a few of the conditions you can improve or avoid by participating in physical activity regularly. Doing exercises and strength training will help you to live longer and feel younger. With the progression of your workout routines you will notice improvements in your endurance and flexibility.

Misconception #2: You need your rest. Exercising is too strenuous for the elderly.

Reality: An inactive lifestyle is unhealthy for seniors. In fact, inactivity leads to the inability to function on your own. Have you ever heard that saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it."? That's true. You didn't spend years in school to gain the education you needed to be successful in your chosen career to let that knowledge just go away after you've retired. You didn't work very hard for years to be the best you could be in your field or build your own business so you could sit around in your senior years and deteriorate. An active lifestyle lowers the risk of living in a world of illness, medication, doctor's visits, hospitalization which is neither attractive nor entertaining.

Misconception #3: If you exercise, you may lose your balance and fall.

Reality: In actuality regular exercising reduces the risk of falling. When you exercise frequently you build strength and stamina. The constant activity enhances your balance and averts loss of bone mass.

Misconception #4: You're already too old to begin exercising; it's too late.

Reality: It's never too late. You're never too old. Chances are if you were into health and fitness when you were younger, you are still working out to some extent. But if you've never exercised, or you stopped awhile back for some reason, no problem. Start with something easy and work your way up. A short walk is a good starting point. Just don't overdo it. It's OK if you walk for only ten minutes. In no time at all you will be able to walk for 30 to 60 minutes and ready to move on to more challenging exercises.

Misconception #5: Your mobility is limited. You can't exercise because you're disabled.

Reality: No problem! It's a challenge you can meet. An increased range of motion is only one of the benefits you can enjoy when you do chair aerobics. You can also improve your muscle tone and support cardiovascular health. Other exercises you can do are lifting weights and stretches. If you are wheelchair bound water aerobics will exercise your entire body. It will help you to build strength and endurance.



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Always Best Care Senior Services provides in-home care and FREE assisted living placement!
Let us give you peace of mind today and give us a call - (888) 681-1559 ext..0

Come and visit our Website at http://www.alwaysbestcare.com/us/ca/san-diego/san-diego.aspx
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