HomeHero finds Great Caregivers for Seniors

How HomeHero’s Senior Home Care Services Saved Our Family Vacation

By Danielle Estrada

When you are the primary caregiver for a loved one finding the time to take a family vacation can be extremely difficult with all the responsibilities you have on your plate at home. I am the primary caregiver for my mother and was recently faced with this challenge when planning our annual family vacation with my husband and kids. Luckily, I found HomeHero and they were able to save the day and facilitate our trip.

My first concern when searching for a senior home care company was finding a caregiver I could trust. There is no sense in hiring someone if you are going to be stressing about the care your loved one is receiving while you are on vacation. The point of vacation is to relax! HomeHero help put my mind at ease when they explained the process they go through to vet their caregivers.

HomeHero puts their caregivers through a rigorous screening process.

Each HomeHero caregiver must pass anin-person interview and background check and provide three professional references.

Once I found a company I could trust my next priority was finding a senior home care company I could afford.When doing my research on senior home care companies near me I found they all either required long-term contracts or had hour minimums for care. These policies made the cost to hire a caregiver add up extremely quickly. I was relieved to find HomeHero did not have these types of policies. I was able to hire one of their caregivers for only three hours a day for the five days we were on vacation. Their caregiver stopped by my mom’s everyday at noon and made sure she had something to eat and was comfortable. One day the caregiver even took her to the grocery store to help her do her shopping.  That was nice and my mom really enjoyed it.

My favorite thing about using HomeHero was their user friendly website. I was able to put in a request to find a caregiver online and check out their caregiver profiles prior to choosing someone. Everyday our family was on vacation I received a receipt from their billing department via email that included a voice recording of the caregiver giving me a summary of the day’s events. This saved me from having to check in everyday while on vacation.


I can go on and on about how great my family’s experience was using HomeHero. When you are the primary caregiver for a loved one taking time away to unwind is important. Sometimes making that time is easier said then done. HomeHero saved our family vacation and I am very happy I got to introduce their great service to you guys today.

Moments of Life

When your loved one is really sick it’s heartbreaking. It’s even more heartbreaking when they have to go in to hospice. When my Grandma Rose was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, we knew that it was time to say our good byes. My Grandma Rose had many heart problems. She had two open heart surgeries sixteen years apart. My grandma was 88 years old. She also had Alzheimer’s disease. Her health had been declining over the last few years of her life. She was in the hospital on and off. We knew that she would need hospice care. She was in assisted living before she went to the hospital but with the new diagnosis and her age, there wasn’t really much the doctors could do. My Grandma Rose was a very strong person. She was a fighter. There were times that we were told by her doctors to say good bye before surgeries. She always made it out unscathed. My family felt comfort knowing that since she was in hospice that she would be taken care of and made comfortable. My Grandma lived such an amazing life. She had a loving husband, a great family, many friends and she helped anyone she could. We knew we weren’t giving up, we were just making the last days of her life the best they could be.

You sometimes know when it’s time for them to go to Heaven. As much as you don’t want it to happen, it does.  She had family visiting with her every day. She needed medical care but, being in the hospital wasn’t something she liked. Being in the hospital was not ideal, it would have been too heartbreaking and difficult for her to be at a family member’s home, because she needed extra care that we weren’t trained to do.  It was challenging with her Alzheimer’s, because she didn’t know what was going on at all. We made sure to find a great hospice program for her. It was affiliated with the catholic hospital which is important to my Grandma Rose. Her faith was number one.

I will never forget the last time I saw my Grandma Rose. It was so hard for me because she was my best friend. When it was time for me to leave, I said I love you Grandma. She said I love you more. That was our special thing that we had been doing for years. I feel like God gave me a special gift because it was like there was no Alzheimer’s disease. There was no who are you or what am I doing here? It was just us. As soon as I walked out of the room, I started bawling. It was such a hard and sad moment and on the other hand something that I hold very dear to my heart. She was able to be herself to every family member that day.  I knew she was in good hands. The day my grandma passed away, we knew that she was probably going to heaven that night. I decided not to be there when it happened. I was not taking this well. My mom and aunt were holding her hands when she took her last breath. My mom called me and there was an ocean of tears.

Sometimes when your loved one goes in to hospice, they still have a whole lot of living to do. There isn’t a time limit for them. There is no expiration date stamp. There is a misconception with hospice as giving up, it's not though.  Hospice can enrich their lives. They can learn new skills and be always greeted with a smile. Sometimes in the hospital, the staff doesn’t always have a smile on their faces. People who work in hospice want to be there. They have a passion for their patients. Many times being at home is not possible without medical training.  Most people hate to be in the hospital or even visit them. With hospice it’s like home with many caring people by their side. 

Moments of Life

The goal of Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice is to educate the public about the choices we all have when facing a life-limiting illness, and how choosing hospice is not ‘giving up.

 

Optum

Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. With more than 50,000 people worldwide, Optum delivers intelligent, integrated solutions that help to modernize the health system and improve overall population health, including palliative and hospice care for

   

For more information on what to expect from hospice check out Moments of Life.

Tips for Preparing for Long Term Care

There comes a time in a person’s life where you have to start thinking about long term care.  I know that it is nothing anyone wants to think about when their loved ones start to grow older.  Hopefully, you won’t need long term care but, it is good to have in case you do need it.  Planning long term care can be a long and daunting process.  First you have to sit down and find out what your loved one wants.  I am sure this is not something you want to have to discuss as the child or the parent.  My friends at Genworth have some great tips on how to talk to your family about long term care.  I wouldn’t really know how to bring it up to someone.

Do they have a living will; do they want to be resuscitated? Do they want to be at a certain facility? Maybe they have friends at a nursing home that they want to be with.  Will their spouse be able to join them if that is an option, like in assisted living? I know that is an option at some places.  Is there somewhere special they would like to live, like near a certain family member? I know when my Grandma Diana had cancer and in her last days, she wanted to be back in England. She was born there and she wanted to pass away there too.  That was very important to her to spend time with my aunt and cousin and other family members.

After you find out what your loved ones want for long term care, you need to decide on how you are going to pay for it. I read an article on Fox Business about howexpensive long term care is.  It is important that you and your spouse make these decisions before you are in the position where decisions have to be made quickly. Maybe you could start an account where you’re put in a certain amount each month as your long term care fund.  I find that with anything it is easier to put in small amounts than trying to come up with a large chunk of money at once. If you are over 65 Medicare will cover some of your costs.  It is pretty common that those who need long term care also have Medicaid.  Usually with Medicaid when you are in long term care, you have to give most of your monthly Social Security to the facility and Medicaid covers the rest. 

When my Grandma Rose was in need for long term care, my mom sold her house. That gave some money for long term care but you would be surprised how quickly it went.   A good healthcare facility can be pretty expensive. It doesn't include living expenses like clothes to wear, toiletries, books etc. Another good thing to consider doing is prepaying your funeral costs.  That way your family isn’t burdened with that expense in the middle of grieving. That way you can know that they will not have to worry about it. They won’t have to fight about it, trust me I have seen quite a few court shows where there are people suing family members over funeral and burial expenses.The last thing anyone wants is to be a burden to someone else.  

I hope I have helped you to start thinking about long term care and how important it is to plan just in case. With any luck, you will never need your back up plan and you grow older healthy and happy.

This post was inspired by Genworth and Brandfluential. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Health Benefits of Cetyl Myristoleate and Flexcin's Load-Up Formula

Unfortunately there are grandparents who aren't enjoying their "golden years" as much as they had hoped. Grandparents of any age may suffer from joint pain associated with arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia that restricts them from enjoying normal every day activities. Just getting up in the morning can be a chore, especially if you have pain in your knees, shoulders, wrists, hips and other joints. Did you know that joint pain can be reduced by taking Flexcin's Load-up Formula? It is an all natural product that's clinically proven to reduce joint pain and stiffness, allowing you to enjoy life like you did before the days of arthritic pain.

Grandparents Can Once Again Enjoy an Active Lifestyle!

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All Natural Ingredients in Flexcin's Load-Up Formula

Flexcin International is a United States based company located in Cape Coral, Florida. After years of testing, scientists found that cetyl myristoleate worked to relieve pain and inflammation in the joints. With a variety of ingredients in Flexcin's Load-Up Formula, including CM8 (cetyl myristoleate), hydrolyzed Collagen Type II, glucosamine, potassium, MSM complex and a blend of enzymes, PLUS vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin C, manganese, zinc, copper, boron and bromelain, they found that this all natural product works! It lubricates the joints, decreases inflammation to reduce joint pain and regulates the immune system.

Benefits of Cetyl Myristoleate and Flexcin's Load-Up Formula

Grandparents around the world experience pain in their joints caused by inflammation. Flexcin's Load-Up Formula helps to prevent any further damage to the joints. It stimulates joint lubrication in order to increase the level of mobility and it also helps to repair cartilage between the joints. If you don't find relief from arthritis joint pain after taking Flexcin's Load-Up Formula, the company will give you a refund, so Flexcin is guaranteed to help. Each ingredient in Flexcin is natural, so it's good for your body!

Flexcin's Load-Up Formula is an all natural healthy supplement that has been manufactured by FDA guidelines. Scientists found that cetyl myristolease complex does help to relieve joint pain and stiffness that restricts us from enjoying normal everyday activities. If you find yourself staying at home, not enjoying the precious years with your grandchildren, then try Flexcin's Load-Up Formula.

Links to Learn More about Cetyl Myristoleate and Flexcin's Load-Up Formula:

Cetyl Myristoleate

Arthritis Joint Pain