Hopefully helpful and inspirational is a book by Alzheimer's advocate Jo Huey from 2008 entitled "Alzheimer's Disease Help and Hope." In this book, caregivers will find a well known list of helpful tips for caregivers who care for those living with dementia. Sharing the Ten Absolutes here along with a link to the book above which can be found on Amazon, at your library, or in other bookstores. Great tips worth sharing.

Ten Absolutes of Alzheimer's Care

1. Never argue – instead, agree
2. Never reason – instead, divert
3. Never shame – instead, distract
4. Never lecture – instead, reassure
5. Never say “remember” – instead reminisce
6. Never say “I told you” – instead, repeat/regroup 
7. Never say “you can’t” – instead, do what they can
8. Never command/demand – instead, ask/model
9. Never condescend – instead, encourage
10. Never force – instead, reinforce

Source: Jo Huey, founder of the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Institute.

It’s no secret that living in a nursing home is not as safe as it used to be. I don’t know the statistics before the pandemic, but according to a recent AARP Bulletin:

“Fewer than 1% of Americans live in long-term care facilities. But 40% of COVID-19 deaths have occurred there.” That is a sobering statistic.*

It is also no secret that I started my home care agency back in the mid-1980’s as an alternative to institutions who were not providing adequate care to seniors. It was clear to me they were operating on a business model where the less services you provided, the more profit you made.

Although any of us can be exposed and infected by the COVID-19 virus, risk management and statistics say the safest place to be, at least until the pandemic is under control, is to stay home.

Christel’s Home Care offers seniors who are no longer able to maintain their independence the option of remaining in the security and comfort of their own home with the assistance of an experienced caregiver.

And with an abundance of hospice programs now available, most can remain at home until their last day.

Our caregivers specialize not only with hospice patients, but with dementia, cancer, and other debilitating illnesses. Also, having a live-in or full-time caregiver assures that the same caregiver is there, limiting exposure. Our continuity of care policy means you are not exposed to multiple caregivers, but bond with one who, in most cases, becomes like “one of the family”.
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While no “bubble” is foolproof, the odds favor adding a home caregiver to help with activities of daily living as the safest option for seniors today. 


* AARP December 2020 issue, volume 61, no. 10, page 6.

Now, more than ever, Senior Citizens are benefitting from staying at home with the help of caregivers as opposed to entering nursing homes. Our caregivers are taking extra precautions to reduce risks for our clients. Below are some suggestions from the CDC for helping keep the elderly from acquiring coronavirus.

1. First let our caregivers run errands, pickup medications or handle grocery store visits so that your Senior can remain safe at home more often;
2. Wash your hands often, use hand sanitizer and wear a mask around Seniors;
3. Avoid the hugs for now and keep 6 feet away (about two arm lengths) from your favorite Senior; 
4. Prepare a plan, get paperwork in order and review legal documents together;
5. Work on improving your facetime or video call options for your elder loved one in case you are unable to visit them in person;
6. Educate yourself by visiting the CDC website for more guidance for older adults.

And of course, if we can help provide caregivers to keep your parent, grandparent or loved one at home, please feel free to contact us for a complimentary consultation.

Thank you to AARP for putting together this list of questions to ask if your loved one is in a nursing home.
 
It was 30+ years ago when I decided to open a service designed for those who wanted to remain at home rather than spend the last part of their lives living with others facing a similar fate.
 
It was to this end that Christel’s Home Care Agency began helping seniors and their families in the mid 1980’s.  Our mission was, and still is, to provide an alternative to institutional settings.
 
We remain open and ready to help during this pandemic.   Give us a call.  Caregivers are waiting and looking forward to helping provide a safe home environment conducive to maintaining as much independence and quality of life possible.
 
Be Well!
Chris Christel, Owner

Recently, I posted on google that we have caregivers looking for work.    When I  started out over 30 years ago, my goal was strictly focused on helping seniors remain in the security and comfort of their own homes.  While this mission has been a big success, I have shifted my focus somewhat over the years.

Besides helping seniors, I realized I was also helping caregivers find jobs, stay working, and support their families.  So, while I continue to help our elderly community maintain the highest quality of life possible, an added benefit is finding rewarding work for those who directly provide the service.
A win-win!!

​Just a reminder that August 21st is “National Senior Citizens day”!
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Please take the opportunity to help in any way you can.  One idea would be to join together and share watching the eclipse that morning.  
Remember to wear protective glasses!
Enjoy the day.

My wife and I recently watched the movie, The Notebook. It is a very moving account of one person’s perspective of what it is like to live with and take care of someone with dementia.

(Spoiler alert!)

It is set in a nursing home and tells the story of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease who kept a journal/diary, a “notebook”, chronicling her life growing up in the 1940’s. The man Allie married, Noah, reads it to her in the hope that her memory of their life together will return. (It is not immediately apparent, at least not to me, that he is her husband and that the story he reads to her is about them.)

While the doctors there give him no cause for optimism, he continues reading to her; and indeed she will occasionally “return” for a short time – even playing songs on the piano from memory!  There is a scene where family members visit but she doesn’t recognize them.   Quite heart wrenching!

It raises some hard questions: Will my spouse eventually forget who I am or vice versa?

Why do some people get dementia and others don’t? 

Lastly, this is a movie about life choices. We find out that Allie, unlike her mother, chooses love and passion over money and security.

What does this all have to do with home care?

The story brings out just how hard it is to watch someone decline and try your best to care for them.  Noah did that job, 36 hours a day, until they die in their sleep together in each other’s arms.

In the end, at the final exam of life (if there is one) there is only one question: “How much have you loved?”  Allie and Noah passed with flying colors!!

Thought provoking and emotionally charged, this is a movie for the ages!

Please comment and let me know what topics are of interest.
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Thanks,
Chris