Golden Heart Senior Care celebrated it’s grand opening with an October 5 ribbon cutting ceremony, in cooperation with One Zone Chamber of Commerce. Golden Heart Senior Care is owned and operated by Rebecca Johnson, a resident of Fishers, IN. Rebecca is accompanied by Rudy Guess, Hannah Johnson, Kathy Heisinger, Matt Horton, Lilyan Guess, and Jason Johnson. Golden Heart Senior Care offers 1-on-1 caregiving services to seniors in their homes, independent living apartments, assisted living, and more. Contact 317-550-1276 for more information on how we can assist you!
More than 30 older adults fell for an online romance scam. The Department of Justice found the scammer stole more than $1.5 million from dozens of older adults. A professional football player was arrested for pretending to be a police officer in order to scam an elderly Floridian with Alzheimer’s disease. In that scam, he said the only way for the man to avoid arrest was by mailing $40,000 in cash.
Scammers are getting more and more convincing. It’s time to talk about online safety with your mom and dad. Go over each of these safety measures with them.
Change Passwords Regularly
It’s a good idea to change their passwords at least once a year. You might want to schedule it to happen when the time changes twice a year. When they change their passwords, they need to use something that’s not easy to guess.
Some of the most commonly used passwords include “password,” “ABC123,” or a person’s first initial and last name. Don’t use those. Instead, create something that mixes uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
To do this, you could take a phrase and create a password from it. For example, your mom has a weakness for fluffernutter sandwiches. Her password could become Fluff3rNu!!3r.
When your mom and dad change passwords, they should carefully write them down in a notebook that’s kept in their safe. It is extra work, but it’s important to keep switching passwords now and then.
Do Not Click Links or Attachments in Emails
Your parents get an email from their bank telling them to click the attachment. They shouldn’t click it. They need to verify that their bank really sent them the email, and that it’s not a scam.
The same is true of links in emails. If they get an email telling them to click a link and log in from that link, they never should do that unless they verify that it’s legitimate.
It’s easy for scammers to fake the headers in an email to make it look genuine. Your parents should generally avoid all attachments from any sender, even family, until they do their research and ensure someone they know did send it.
Install Security Software
Install a security suite that checks for viruses and malware, blocks your mom and dad from visiting sites that are dangerous, and uses a firewall to keep out hackers. The settings need to be set to automatically check that the virus definitions are up-to-date.
Don’t Let Them Become Lonely or Isolated
A lonely older adult is more likely to talk to strangers online. Home care aides offer companionship to your parents. If they have someone to talk to, they may not be as inclined to go online when you’re not there. Discuss home care services and pricing to learn more.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Fishers, IN, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care today. 317-550-1276
Reducing meat intake and increasing vegetables helps your senior avoid malnutrition, lower blood cholesterol levels, and lower the risk of diabetes. Plus, vegetarian meals can often be even tastier than their meat counterparts. Your elderly parent should try swapping one meat-based meal for a vegetarian one during October’s National Vegetarian Month. The benefits from just this one meal are impressive.
How do you change to a vegetarian diet? Here are a few ideas, and how senior home care can help your parent make the transition.
Focus on the Protein
When you swap out a vegetarian meal for a meat-based one, you’re going to have protein still. Typically, you’ll use tofu/tempeh or beans in place of the protein. You could also choose eggs, oats, seeds, wild rice, seitan, or high-protein vegetables like sweet potatoes, corn, broccoli, and artichokes.
Suppose your mom wants a beef and broccoli stir-fry for dinner. Purchase or make tempeh, slice it, and use that in place of the meat. Seitan has a meaty texture, but it’s made from wheat. Serve the stir-fry on steamed brown rice.
Make Sure Snacks Are Available
Your parents should eat throughout the day. Smaller portions more often help keep them from craving foods and overeating at a meal. A vegetarian diet helps with this. Beans and fiber help them feel fuller. You still need to make sure they have things to snack on.
Fresh vegetables with a low-fat sour cream dipping sauce are one option. You could also make protein balls with cocoa powder, old-fashioned oats, natural almond or peanut butter, and Medjool dates. After forming them into bite-size balls, roll them in unsweetened coconut flakes, sliced almonds, or hemp seed hearts.
Keep It Balanced
Once you’re sure the meal contains enough protein, balance the rest of the meal to meet your mom and dad’s requirements for fiber, antioxidants, calcium, and vitamin D. Talk to their doctors to see if they have special dietary needs. Working with a dietitian helps if they do need to plan meals carefully.
If you use seitan, it contains fiber due to the wheat. You still need to ensure your parents get enough omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, etc.
Lentils offer many of the nutrients your parents need. They’re high in fiber and are filling. Use lentils as a meat substitute in sloppy joes or pasta sauce. Curry is an easy dish to make, and you can make a quick meal with lentils, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes in a curry sauce.
Don’t worry about your parents having a hard time cooking meals. You may not be close enough to cook for them, but senior home care aides can stop by and make sure your parents eat regularly. Call a senior home care expert to learn more about meal preparation services.
When your senior moves from being a driver to being a passenger only, that’s a big change. Here are some ways you can help.
Find Ways to Help Her to Have All that She Needs
There are lots of ways now for people to have goods and services that they need without having to go anywhere to get them. If your elderly family member is open to using technology, for instance, then using delivery options at local stores is a great way to help her to get the things that she needs from local stores. Even if she’s not comfortable using a computer, you might be able to help her to place orders and ensure that she’s able to have items when she needs them.
Prioritize Helping with Errands and Outings
That said, there’s nothing like being able to choose certain items yourself and that might be extremely important for your senior’s emotional well-being. When you take into account that she has those emotional needs, even though she’s not able to drive for herself, you’re better able to care for her as a whole person. If you’re able to go with her, that’s an additional way to spend time together and that can mean a lot to both of you.
Give Her Options Whenever Possible
It’s always important that your senior has options, and when she’s no longer driving herself, she needs options even more. Having companion care at home, for instance, can make sure that she’s got help with daily tasks. But that also means that she’s got a home care provider there with her who can make sure that she gets to appointments or wherever else she needs or wants to go.
Keep Her Socially Engaged
Beyond helping with tasks, companion care at home offers other benefits, too. Having a friendly face there with your senior can help her to remain socially engaged with other people. That can be incredibly important when she’s not as mobile as she used to be on her own. She may feel more engaged with everyone that she knows and loves, and that can be really important overall.
It can be so very difficult for your senior to give up something that she’s likely done on her own for lots of years now. Remember to be patient with her as she adjusts and patient with the process, too, because there are likely to be bumps along the way.
Are you a senior considering a move to Fishers?
Are you tired of property maintenance and considering downsizing?
Do you love the Nickel Plate Trail and wish you could afford to live close by?
Come to Ritchey Reserve’s Grand Opening! There is no reservation and no commitment necessary. Check out what Ritchey Reserve has to offer with property and unit tours, have a free lunch from our on-site food truck, hear Mayor Fadness speak, try several flavors of bubble tea, chat with vendors about senior services, and receive free giveaways! We look forward to celebrating with you!
Between your mom’s appointments, your own appointments, and your children’s appointments, you feel overwhelmed. You’ve just gotten your mom through her medical, dental, and eye appointments. Now, it’s time for your appointments, and then your children all have them, too.
It gets worse. When you do have appointments, your mom refuses to go. You can’t leave her home alone, but she fights you. It’s making you stressed, and you’ve had to cancel too many appointments at the last minute. What are your options?
Can You Schedule Everyone at the Same Time?
Is it possible to schedule medical or dental appointments at the same time? This is only going to work if you’re all at the same practice. If you are, it’s much easier to have your children seeing their dentist or doctor while your mom is in with hers.
Talk to Others in the Family
Ask your siblings, close cousins, or family friends if they’re available to stay with your mom while taking care of appointments for yourself and your children. If others are free to help out, it makes it easier to keep appointments and not experience as much stress.
Keep Ready-to-Heat Meals in the Freezer
Keep a selection of ready-to-heat meals in your mom’s freezer for busy appointment days. After spending time in a doctor’s or dentist’s office, you can take her home, put a casserole in the oven and eliminate meal prep time. You avoid takeout food, but you save a lot of time in the kitchen.
Look for Alternative Medical Options
It’s not possible in every area, but there are some cities and towns where concierge doctors come to your home if you’re too sick to travel. There are also a growing number of doctors who make house calls for older adults and those who are unable to drive themselves to a doctor’s office.
While this arrangement won’t help your children, it can make it easier to keep up with your mom’s medical appointments. You can focus on doing things within her home while she meets with her doctor.
Schedule Helpful Services With Professional Caregivers
Have you considered the benefits of arranging personal care at home? Instead of trying to manage appointments while bringing your mom along, have a caregiver stay with her. She doesn’t have to go with you to your appointments, and you don’t have to worry about her being all alone. Call an agency to arrange personal care at home.
Older adults often fail to eat enough protein. Ideally, experts feel 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of weight is best for the elderly. Protein helps build bones, cartilage, muscles, and skin. It helps with tissue repair and aids red blood cell oxygenation. It can even help with digestion.
Does your dad get enough protein each day? Your dad is great at watching his salt and sugar intake, but you worry about his protein intake. Boost your dad’s protein intake in these easy ways.
Make Muffin Tin Omelets
Scramble whole eggs and add plenty of chopped vegetables, nitrate-free turkey bacon, and low-fat cheese. Pour the egg mixture into muffin tins that you’ve sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake these at 350 F until the egg is set.
These omelet muffins are a quick and easy breakfast. Three eggs per day provide 19 grams of protein, so he gets a lot of protein without having to fill up on meat.
Keep Cheese Cubes on Hand
Purchase cheese and cut it into cubes for easy snacks. If your dad is watching saturated fat, skim fat cheeses help lower fat intake. Cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, and goat’s milk cheese are all options for lower fat content.
Bake With Almond Flour
Almonds contain a lot of protein. Just two ounces of almonds have 12 grams of protein. If your dad isn’t likely to eat handfuls of almonds, make treats he’ll love.
Make healthier brownies by mashing two frozen bananas and adding ½ cup of almond flour, ½ cup of cocoa powder, 3 eggs, and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Stir in a cup of no-sugar chocolate chips. Spread the batter in a pan and add swirls of natural almond butter. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until set to your dad’s liking.
Replace Meat with Beans
Once or twice a week, substitute one of your dad’s meals for something containing beans. Make a bean chili or lentil sloppy joes. Dried and canned beans are high in protein and low in fat.
Hire Caregivers to Prepare Your Dad’s Meals
Have caregivers help your dad with meal planning and preparation. He can have caregivers help him shop for food items, put groceries away, and prepare meals and snacks throughout the day. With home care aides, your dad has someone around while he eats, which makes it more likely that he’ll eat all of his meal.
To arrange home care services like meal preparation, call a senior care specialist. The expert will walk you through the pricing and schedules. It assures you that your dad has the support he needs throughout the week.
You are all invited to the Grand Opening of Golden Heart Senior Care. We will have food, prizes, great music, and drinks. Come enjoy the laidback atmosphere of COHATCH: 13110 Harrell Parkway #100, Noblesville, IN 46060. Please RSVP to https://fb.me/e/1DBHCt1Le . We are looking forward to connecting with you about how we can care for the seniors in your life.
Serve seniors in your local community. Make an impact at Golden Heart Senior Care September 23 from 2:00-3:00
Golden Heart Senior Care and myCNAjobs invite you to an upcoming Virtual Hiring Event. We’re recruiting multiple Caregivers, CNAs, and HHAs to fill a variety of roles throughout Noblesville, Indianapolis, Carmel, Fisher, and the surrounding areas. Attend the video-based hiring event from your computer or mobile phone – it’s easy! Email rebecca@goldenheartindy.com for an invitation.
During the event, learn more about our company, benefits, and immediate openings. The event will last about an hour and we’ll get to know your background and what you’re looking for in a career. Join us to ask questions, get to know our team, and learn how YOU can make a difference in the lives of local seniors.
Positions
Certified Nursing Assistants / CNAs
Caregivers – No Certification Required
Certified Home Health Aides / HHAs
Benefits (“What’s In It For You?”)
Competitive pay – $14.50/hr
Full time & part time hours available
Flexible scheduling
Flexible start dates
Paid training
Education reimbursement
Paid holidays at time an half if you choose to work
PPE provided – masks, gloves and hand sanitizers – Our caregivers’ safety is our top priority!
Immediate opportunities available after orientation
Every five years, AARP partners with the National Alliance for Caregiving to take a closer look at unpaid care. The 2020 survey found that 18 percent of family caregivers are impacted by physical pain due to their caregiving duties. Thirty-seven percent are affected by emotional stress.
Your emotional and physical issues can limit your ability to provide the best care for your parents. If there are tasks you are not able to handle, you have to consider your limitations. Forcing yourself to do things can impact your well-being. These are the questions you need to ask yourself.
How Much Weight Can You Support?
If you’re going to be lifting your parent, you need to be able to support their weight. Your dad is 100 pounds heavier than you are and requires you to lift him out of the bathtub. It’s going to strain your back if you’re not able to lift that kind of weight.
Some devices can help you move him around, but it still takes upper body strength. You need to be sure you can safely lift your mom or dad without injuring yourself.
How Is Your Health?
After the age of 55, an average of three out of four people has one of six chronic condition. Almost half have two chronic health conditions, and about one out of five have three or more. Have you been diagnosed with any health issues?
If you have a chronic health condition like asthma, diabetes, or arthritis, you have to care for yourself. That’s a priority. Your parents may need your help, but you can’t ignore your health concerns in the process.
You also need to consider your mental and emotional well-being. If you experience chronic stress, it can make it hard to assist your parents effectively. The thought of helping your parent with toileting has you dreading getting out of bed and going to their home. It’s not healthy. It’s time to consider your other options.
So, What Do You Do?
How do you find the right balance? You want to help your mom and dad, but you can’t ignore self-care and personal situations. Home care assistance is an excellent way to balance your parents’ care needs with your schedule and abilities.
You’re free to help them in the ways that you’re able to, but they’re not left to struggle with everything else. They have caregivers to help them with other tasks. Call a home care assistance specialist to get started.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Carmel, IN, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care today. 317-550-1276
Golden Heart Senior Care celebrated it’s grand opening with an October 5 ribbon cutting ceremony, in cooperation with One Zone Chamber of Commerce. Golden Heart Senior Care is owned and operated by Rebecca Johnson, a resident of Fishers, IN. Rebecca is accompanied by Rudy Guess, Hannah Johnson, Kathy Heisinger, Matt Horton, Lilyan Guess, and Jason Johnson. Golden Heart Senior Care offers 1-on-1 caregiving services to seniors in their homes, independent living apartments, assisted living, and more. Contact 317-550-1276 for more information on how we can assist you!
