Get Quality & Compassionate Senior Home Care in Greenwood and Anderson with Always Best Care

Always Best Care Senior Services has been in the caregiver industry since 1996. During that time, they have provided unparalleled skilled and compassionate care to over 25,000 seniors around the United States and Canada. Their licensed and insured caregivers have logged over 3 million hours of care giving time, and they are proud to employ caregivers that are dedicated and enthusiastic about their careers.

If you live in the Greenwood and Anderson, South Carolina area, which also includes counties such as Edgefield, Abbeville, Saluda, etc., and are interested in receiving a free consultation for senior in-home care, call them at 864-229-1211 today. There is a mere two hour per day minimum, and every caregiver is an employee of Always Best Care, they do not contract out the work to other companies, so you know exactly what to expect.

Another service that Always Best Care offers is assisted living community referrals. If you are interested in transitioning into an assisted living community, but aren’t sure which one suits your requirements best, you can contact Always Best Care and their Care Coordinator will go over the options with you. They will even accompany you and your family to the top three or four assisted living community choices on your list, to help you decide which one is right for you.

Always Best Care also provides other services to their senior clients including:

• Always Safe – This is a fall prevention and detection program designed to keep seniors safe 24/7. Featuring Lifeline with AutoAlert, which detects more than 95% of falls. If the senior falls, they will automatically connect to the response center, which is always open. 
• Always on Call – The doctor is in! Always! This program provides 24/7 telephone access to physicians, and is free to clients and their families. Live consultations are available every day of the year, every hour of the day. The average wait time is less than three minutes, which sure beats waiting in the doctor’s office.
• Always in Touch – A telephone reassurance program that connects with seniors (and disabled adults) who live in remote locations or don’t otherwise have much contact with the outside world.

If you would like more information about how to obtain information about senior in-home care in Greenwood and Anderson, South Carolina, you can email them at bkapperman@abc-seniors.com or call them at 864-229-1211 today.

Dealing with Anosognosia

It’s difficult enough when a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia, or other illnesses like strokes, brain tumors, or mental illnesses. But when they aren’t aware that they have the condition, it can be doubly worse. This is called Anosognosia, and it can make caring for the affected individual quite challenging.

A historical case of anosognosia involved President Wilson.His stroke in 1919 left him more mentally than physically impaired. This was noticed by his staff and close associates, but the President himself didn’t realize that they were acting strangely due to the fact that he was acting differently.He became suspicious and even paranoid because of their change in attitude and personality, without ever realizing that the stroke had caused his brain to change. 

Anosognosia happens because the frontal lobes are affected during the course of the illness.This part of the brain plays a crucial role in problem solving and understanding social experiences. This part of the brain detects when problems within our bodies happen, and processes that information accordingly. If something happens to this part of the brain, the individual can no longer process that information and they don’t realize that they are impaired.

If you suspect someone you love has anosognosia coupled with dementia, there are some things to look out for:

• They’re having a difficult time managing money or bills
• They become angry when you confront them about their lack of self-care, poor decisions, or forgetfulness
• They aren’t keeping up with their normal daily tasks or hygiene
• They aren’t concerned about their behavior during conversations, they seem uninhibited
• They fabricate answers that they seem to believe are true, but pieces of that truth are imaginary, they read it somewhere, or they recall it from their past.

If someone you love has anosognosia, try being gentle and encouraging with them. Give them a schedule of tasks so that they stay on track with their personal care. You can work with them to pay bills and manage their money, and think about employing an in-home caregiver to help.

Are you located in the Anderson and Greenwood South Carolina area and are looking for quality home health care or other personal care services like an in-home caregiver? Contact the local Always Best Care office at 864-229-1211 or email them at bkapperman@abc-seniors.com today to find out how you can get a free consultation.

Telemedicine: Yes, the Future is Here & Seniors Can Benefit Greatly

The term “house call” back in the day meant that doctors would come to your home, evaluate you, treat you, pack up and leave. Now, with telemedicine, doctors can do largely the same thing from a distance. This can prove to be greatly beneficial to seniors who live in rural areas, or who find it difficult to get transported to doctor’s offices, or have other mobility issues.  

Also called “telehealth,” this two-way method to medicine creates other benefits, as well.While being a blessing to seniors who can’t get around well, or who live in remote locations, it also benefits those living in assisted living communities. By being in contact with their physician via video, phone, and text, seniors can stay independent longer, instead of having to move into long-term care homes so their health can be more closely monitored. With telemedicine, visits to hospitals are reduced, readmissions are reduced, and prescription costs are reduced. The future for telemedicine is bright, too, there are plans to implement biometric monitors that will allow doctors to receive high-def pictures that their patients will provide to them electronically.

The costs of telemedicine can be pricey. However, the benefits that come from it are too numerous to ignore. Between coordinating better care for seniors, allowing a faster response time to falls, other injuries, and sudden medical issues, and less frequent hospital and ER visits, the program can be invaluable.

What makes telemedicine so exciting is the fact that seniors can truly enjoy their independence in a way that was meant to be – rather than dragging themselves from one doctor’s appointment to the next, they can have the opportunity instead to talk one-on-one with their physician from their phone, their tablet or computer, right from the comfort of their own home.

If you are interested in In-home care in Abbeville, SC, or other types of senior care in Edgefield like assisted living communities in the area, contact Always Best Care Senior Services today.They can be reached at 864-229-1211 or bkapperman@abc-seniors.com.

How to Prevent Falls in Seniors

It’s been proven: one out of every three seniors falls one time (or more) every year. This equates to two and a half million trips to the emergency room and nearly ¾ million hospitalizations. A senior’s risk for falling can be determined, but unfortunately many primary care physicians just don’t have the time to measure this risk.

How can you help decrease a senior’s risk of falling?

• 
  Check for postural – or orthostatic – hypotension. When an individual’s blood pressure drops dramatically after changing position or going from a sitting to standing position, this can lead to falls. Make sure the senior isn’t being over treated for high blood pressure.
  
• Obtain a home safety assessment. If possible, get an occupational therapist to modify the senior’s home so that it is safe for them. Some items that will be covered include handrails on both sides of stairs, adequate lighting, electric cords safe, etc.
  
• Check the senior’s medications. Some medications are more likely to cause falls than others. These include antipsychotics, night-time sleep drugs, medications that cause drowsiness like antihistamines, and sedatives like lorazepam.
  
• Evaluating balance and gait. Does the senior seem unsteady when they walk? This is the first clue that they are at risk for a fall. Balancing exercises can be recommended, or even the use of a cane or a walker to help steady the senior’s balance.
  
• Taking Vitamin D every day. What’s the recommended dosage for most seniors? Best to consult the doctor, of course, but 1000 IU per day is the usual dosage. It has been found that Vitamin D reduces falls, so ask the senior’s physician if this would be suitable for them.

Are you interested in obtaining information about in-home health care in Anderson or senior home care in Greenwood, South Carolina? For a free consultation, call (864) 229-1211 today or email Beth Kapperman at bkapperman@abc-seniors.com.

How to Prevent “Sitting Disease” in Seniors

Sitting disease. It is, pretty much, how it sounds. It basically means that the more sedentary we are, the higher our risk will be for certain illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal issues, cancer, chronic kidney disease, circulatory problems, and more. And the facts are, when individuals get older, they tend to be more sedentary, whether it’s because they are tired, or because of various aches and pains, seniors are most likely to have “sitting disease” than any other age demographic.

Always Best Care Senior Services, an in-home senior caregiver provider, also provides information on senior living services, including the various senior living communities and their exercise and socialization programs. If you are looking for in-home care information in Anderson, South Carolina, or other types of senior living services in Greenwood, South Carolina, call (864)229-1211.

Preventing Sitting Disease

Whether you or your loved one lives in an assisted living community or not, there are ways to combat sitting disease, not just in seniors, but in all ages. Some of these include:

• Start a new hobby with family or with friends such as gardening, biking, regularly visiting the museum or planetarium, etc. Anything that gets people (and seniors) off the couch and outside moving will help prevent sitting disease.
  
• Engage in low impact activities with family or just by yourself. Activities like tai chi and yoga are perfect for stretching and endurance. They are always more fun when you do them together!
  
• Pick one day a week to engage in a bike ride together, or walk, to catch up on what’s been going on in everyone’s life. Stick to that day and don’t divert. If it rains, walk the mall and catch up!
  
• Whatever your destination, whether it’s the movie theater, the grocery store, or some other location, park at the far corner of the parking lot to force yourself to walk.
  

If there isn't enough family around to encourage and sustain these activities, an assisted living community is perfect for the senior who wants to stay active. With so many activities in place, the senior will not only get in exercise, but also socialization which has been proven to enhance quality of life. If you are interested in more information and you live in the Greenwood or Anderson, South Carolina area, call (864) 229-1211 today.