It is sometimes confusing and hard to differentiate between home health care and in home care.

Home health care is offered by home healthcare agencies that are licensed by the state. They provide in home skilled nursing, from licensed professional medical staff who can administer medication and provide wound therapy amongst others, and other home health care services, such as physical and occupational therapy.Though some healthcare agencies only provide health services, others also can provide personal care services as well. You will need a physician order in order to receive home health care. The services are, most of the time, covered by your insurance company( Medicare, Medicaid, HMO,PPO, etc) and some people choose to have additional services( most of the time is an increase in physical therapy visits per week or extra assistance from a home health aid) and pay privately.

In home care or homecare is nonmedical care provided in the client's home. It includes custodial care and assistance with activities of daily living such as eating, bathing and providing medication reminders. These services are provided by certified nurse assistants( CNA), home health aids( HHA) or just caregivers( not working through a homecare agency or nurse registry). Homecare can be arranged without a physician's order and is different from home health care, in that caregivers do not provide nursing care.

Some caregivers or homecare aids will work with clients in assisted living facilities or nursing home, taking care of the patient in the facility and not in client's home.

In home care services are covered by long term care insurances or has to be paid privately. If not covered by long term care insurance, in home care can be rather expensive.

Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease at home is a challenging task that  can become overwhelming at times. As the disease progresses, the task becomes more challenging. Some families find it very difficult to care for a loved one toward the end stages of Alzheimer's when 24 hour care is necessary.

Finding the right senior care facility that could care for your family member is very important, for you and your loved one. Some facilities claim to specialize in treating the elder with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, but not all of them excel in this kind of care. Those that do excel tend to be larger facilities and very expensive. Looking for a smaller, residential assisted living facility may be a better choice, affordable and your family member will feel "at home".

As symptoms progress, unfamiliar people, places and activities can be upsetting or confusing. A smaller senior care facility will provide security and more personalized care. Routines are reassuring to Alzheimer's patients especially toward mid-stage of the disease.   

Routines that could help in caring for an Alzheimer's patient:

• Structure the day.
• Provide consistent environmental cues about time of day.
• Help the person to look forward to milestones of the day, such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and eating, going outdoors, having visitors, getting ready for bed. Talk about the upcoming markers of the day.
• Enlist the patient in accomplishing small tasks around the house or yard.
• Keep the environment familiar. Put things in expected places. Novelty and surprise are not helpful to most Alzheimer's patients.
• Be near the person. Many dementia patients feel most comfortable if their caregiver is nearby. You do not have to talk or entertain them.
• Create a routine around regular toilet visits, to avoid embarrassment, discomfort, or medical complications. The caregiver may have to help with hygiene. In late-stage Alzheimer’s, adult diapers are often needed.

Phoenix Senior Living offers a secure environment and trained caregivers that are able to care for Dementia/Alzheimer's patients. Read more.....

Aging alone is unlikely to be the cause of your sleep problems. Disturbed sleep, waking up tired every day, and other symptoms of insomnia are not a normal part of aging. Instead, poor sleep habits, untreated sleep disorders, medications, or medical problems can contribute to sleeplessness. Poor sleep hygiene (your sleep habits and your sleep environment) can be the main cause of low-quality sleep. Fortunately, sleep hygiene is easy to improve.

• Keep a regular sleep schedule – Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day, even on weekends.
• Be engaged – Social activities, family, and work can keep your activity level up and prepare your body for a good night’s sleep.
• Experiment with napping  Although napping too close to bedtime can interfere with nighttime sleeping, short naps early in the day can improve overall restfulness.  Make sure your nap is short, only 15-30 minutes. You may feel groggy and unable to concentrate after a longer nap. Try to nap in a comfortable environment preferably with limited light and noise.
• Expose yourself to sunlight – Bright sunlight increases melatonin, which regulates your sleep-wake cycles. Try to get at least two hours of sunlight a day.
• Block out snoring - If snoring is keeping you up, try ear plugs, a white-noise machine, or separate bedrooms.
• Go to bed early - Adjust your bedtime earlier, to match when you feel like going to bed.
• Quit smoking - Nicotine is a stimulant and can keep you awake. If you can’t quit, avoid smoking within three hours of bedtime.
• Develop bedtime rituals – A soothing ritual, like taking a bath or playing music will help you wind down.
• Limit your use of sleeping aids and sleeping pills - Many sleep aids have side-effects and are not meant for long-term use.
• Combine sex and sleep – Sex and physical intimacy, such as hugging and massage, can lead to restful sleep.

No matter what your age, sleeping well is essential to your physical health and emotional well-being. As we age, a good night’s sleep is especially important because it improves concentration and memory formation, allows your body to repair any cell damage that occurred during the day, and refreshes your immune system which helps to prevent disease.

Long-term care insurance will pay for the cost of long term care as long as you or the aging family member need help completing two or more every day activities such as getting in and out of bed, getting dressed, using the bathroom, and feeding themselves. The inability to perform these activities may be caused by a physical or mental disease or impairment, or it may just be the result of aging.. Long-term care can be provided in a nursing home or other assisted-living facility, or it can be provided in your own home.

Long-term care can be quite pricey. Today, the cost of long-term care ranges from $1,500 to $9,000 a month, depending on where the long-term care is provided.

Long-term care insurance isn’t the best purchase for everyone. If you make enough money, or have enough savings, to pay for a few years of long-term care, you’d be wiser to save the premiums you’d pay each month for long-term care insurance. If you don’t make much, or any, money at all, you’ll probably be eligible for Medicaid to cover the cost of your long-term care.

Phoenix Senior Living facilities, located in Coral Springs and Parkland Florida, accept residents on long term care insurance. Visit our website here Phoenix Senior Living.

Adult day care may soon become harder to find and afford. The almost 4,000 state-licensed centers around the country rely heavily on funding from state legislatures and charities, which have been hit hard by the recession. Advocates for adult day-care programs are pushing to include them in federal health-care overhaul legislation while also lobbying state legislatures and suing state regulators to keep centers from shutting their doors.

Adult day programs began multiplying in the 1970s, when state and federal laws expanded funding for community-based services for people with disabilities, chronic disease or cognitive impairment. Although the programs vary greatly, most provide social and medical services, as does Senior Care, a nonprofit center serving about 130 clients ranging in age from the 50s through the 90s. Clients are referred by social service agencies, Medicaid case managers, rehab facilities and senior centers. Some programs open early and stay open late, and even operate on weekends, to accommodate the work schedules of family caregivers.

Not only do adult day services keep caregivers in the workforce, advocates say, they also provide a cost-effective alternative to a nursing home, which runs an average of $198 a day for a semi-private room, or to a home-health aide, at $21 an hour. By contrast, a full day at an adult day center, on average, costs $67. Nationwide, 35 percent of those expenses is paid out of pocket by participants. Much of the rest is financed by state Medicaid and local programs and federal sources including the Older Americans Act and programs run by the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs departments.

But reliance on public funding for adult day-care services has made them vulnerable. In Washington state, a lawsuit has warded off a move to deny adult day services to residents of state-funded residential care homes. In California, lawsuits by community service advocates thwarted a cut in the Medicaid reimbursement rate and a move to limit attendance to three days a week. Minnesota decreased its reimbursement rate and made eligibility requirements more restrictive. New York, Illinois and other states are also pursuing reductions.

Adult day care provides a way to keep seniors out of costly nursing homes. With the Obama administration intent on cutting health-care costs, "we need to make the case that use of adult day services prevents the use of more expensive health care.

Phoenix Senior Living offers adult day care services. Read more......

Based on an article from The New York Times "Unable to Sell Homes, Elderly Forgo Move to Assisted Living. The housing crisis has kept thousands of older Americans who need support and care from moving into retirement communities or assisted-living centers, effectively stranding them in their own homes."

Without selling their houses or condominiums, many cannot afford to pay the fee in a facility.