Perhaps your elderly loved one is still able to drive themselves everywhere.

This is great!

However, declining vision and other health challenges can throw a kink into a person’s ability to drive.

An inability to drive however should now keep your elderly loved one from getting to medical appointments, the grocery store and connecting with friends and family.

So what are some affordable transportation option for seniors?

That’s what we’ll be discussing in this blog post.

Five affordable transportation options for seniors

Senior discounts with local bus systems

Several bus and train systems across the country offer deep discounts for seniors.

You can purchase a monthly pass for these buses and trains and as long as you present proof of your age, you or your elderly loved one will receive the discount.

Lyft/Uber

If most of your (or your loved one’s trips) are short, you can use the Lyft or Uber apps to get picked up and dropped off at your destinations.

The nice thing about these apps is that you can add a special message telling the driver of any special needs you have before they get there. And in my experience, even as a non-senior (yet!), drivers are very helpful when they know you have needs ahead of time.

Hired caregivers

If you’re paying for a professional care-giving service such as that which you get with Green Tree Home Care, caregivers can provide transportation and companionship to your medical appointments, the grocery store and more.

Just let your care-giving agency know about your needs and they may be able to step in!

GoGoGrandParent

if you want to use Uber or Lyft but don’t have a smartphone, you can use GoGoGrandparent to call for one.

GoGoGrandParent allows people to use a regular phone to access Uber or Lyft.

They also will provide your loved ones with text updates on where their senior loved one is in their journey.

Here’s a short video on how GoGoGrandParent works.

Veyo

Veyo partners with health insurance companies and Medicaid/Medicare Advantage programs to provide transportation for seniors. You don’t have to pay anything out of the pocket for Veyo.

You don’t have to have a cell phone to use Veyo.

All you need to do is reach out to your health insurance company to find out if they partner with Veyo. If they do, you will simply follow their process for signing up for pick-ups and you’re done.

 

And those are five affordable transportation options for seniors to check out.

If you know someone who is looking for affordable transportation options for seniors, share this post with them.

The summer is upon us and so are those terribly hot temperatures.

It’s indeed the time to make great memories with your family and take advantage of the outdoors.

However, one of the most disturbing things about summer is the number of elders who die from the heat during this time.

In today’s post, I will share a series of tips with you to help you and/or your elderly loved one stay cool this summer so we can avoid bad news.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Staying cool this summer-A guide for elders

Drink a lot of water

While this might seem obvious, people do forget to drink water even in the summer. Yet it is the number one way to stay hydrated during the hot months. To make it easy, here are a few tips on how to get more water in your system.

• • Get a dedicated drinking bottle. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It could even be a regular gallon you get after you empty one of those iced teas you get at the gas station. Fill it with water at the beginning of the day and make it your goal to finish the whole gallon before the day is over. Yes, this means you might have to visit the bathroom a lot; however, it will keep dehydration and its’ effects far away.
  • Add flavor to your water. Some people hate the taste of water. It’s understandable if you do. To make your water palatable for you, you could infuse it with fruits. I especially loved infusing my water with lemon and whenever I do, I end up drinking more water than I normally do because of how refreshing water tastes with lemon.
  • Drink your sugary drinks-but don’t forget to drink water too. People sometimes convince themselves that as long as they are drinking something, it’s all good and they don’t need water. Drinking something is better than drinking nothing at all. However, not all drinks will hydrate you. So go ahead and enjoy your sweet tea and various juices. But don’t forget to drink water as well.

Stay out of the sun

After those long cold months, nothing is as heavenly as getting your fair share of the sunshine.

The old adage “too much of a good thing can be bad” holds true here as well.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can cause severe skin damage and causes cancer.

So as much as possible, stay out of the sun.

If you have to or want to be in the sun, it is always best to put on your sunscreen and reapply it every 3-4 hours to make sure your skin is protected.

Wearing hats and using umbrellas is helpful as you will be able to enjoy the sun without being affected by the UV rays directly.

Apart from skin damage, over-exposure to the sun can cause heat exhaustion which can lead to death if it’s untreated.

Therefore, if you are going to be in the sun for a long time, you will have to take the extra caution of having ice packs and hydrating drinks to make sure your body doesn’t succumb to the heat.

Tis’ the season for cool showers

A cool shower in the morning and one at night does wonders for your body.

If more than one shower will be too harsh on your water bill, a local swimming pool where you can take a dip is helpful.

Staying cool this summer: Use your fans and air-conditioners

You bought them to use them, correct?

So allow them to do their job during the summer.

Staying cool this summer and knowing about heat exhaustion

Even when people take precautions, the elderly can still suffer heat exhaustion or dehydration.

It’s helpful to know the signs of heat exhaustion in these instances.

Check out the following posts to learn more about heat exhaustion and other heat-related health issues.

Heat exhaustion in the summer. Here’s what you should know.

Avoiding dehydration this summer.

If you’re struggling to pay the bills…

At times, people cite the fact that they cannot afford their electric or water bills as the reason why they may not be using their shower, fans or air conditioners to stay cool during the summer.

If this is your situation, you will need to find out from your utility suppliers if there are any discounts or special programs for elders.

In every city I’ve lived in, the utility companies have always offered some kind of program for the elderly to help them afford their bills, especially in peak seasons like winter or summer.

Did you find this post helpful?

Share it with someone else looking to stay cool this summer.

When it comes to paying for home care, the drawback many families cite is money.

And understandably so.

While home health care is usually covered by most insurance companies (including Medicaid and Medicare), home care usually is not.

So how are you supposed to pay for it?

If the thought of paying for your loved one’s care out-of-pocket is blocking your decision, this post is for you.

In this post, I will share about the PACE program and how it could help you and your elderly loved one pay for home care.

Paying for home care

Find out if your loved one has retirement savings that could cover the costs

Yes, this post is about the PACE program but, it is helpful to find out if your loved one has any money saved up that you can use to pay for home care.

If your elderly loved one worked for a corporation that offered a retirement plan, find out if they still have money in their savings account.

If they do, this will help immensely with out-of-pocket costs.

Look into the PACE program

PACE stands for Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. It is a Medicaid and Medicare program that allows the elderly to keep living in their home or community instead of going to a nursing home.

In order to qualify, your loved one has to “in need of nursing home-level services”.

If you live in an area where PACE is offered and your elderly loved one meets this criteria, you could apply for and receive the PACE program.

• You must have Medicaid or Medicare to join PACE
• Age must be 55 or older
• Must be able to live safely with the help of PACE
• And as I mentioned above, they must need nursing home-level care

What does it cover?

PACE will cover the following services

• Home care
• Adult day care
• Nursing home care
• Nutritional counseling
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Prescription drugs
• Preventative services
• Social work counseling

Amongst other services.

But for the purposes of this blog post, it is important to note that PACE will cover home care costs.

And so if you live in an area that PACE covers and meet the criteria above, you should be able to access the program.

This way, your loved one can continue living at home and in the community they love.

To find out if you live in an area where you can get PACE, go here.

You should also be able to get this information by calling your local Medicaid office.

What is companion care?

Why should you care about it?

And when does your loved one need it?

What is companion care?

You might be the adult daughter that has to live apart from Mom because that is the nature of your job.

Or perhaps, you are caring for your spouse but still have 50 other things you have to accomplish in a day.

You want to be there for your loved one but doing so is just difficult with all your responsibilities.

On the other hand, your loved one is mobile and can do most things for themselves.

They can cook, bathe themselves and get dressed.

But you still feel somebody should be around to help them.

This is where you might start to think about companion care.

Companion care provides services that promote independence for your loved one.

They are there to help with those chores that your loved one could do but might need some help completing.

Here are a list of ways a companion can be helpful to you and your family.

Services

• Light housekeeping. Dusting, mopping, laundry, pet care, plant care, bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning, washing dishes. These are just a handful of examples of what a companion could help with.
• Transportation. Companions can help with transportation. If your loved one needs to go to the store to pick up groceries or needs to go to the doctor, this is an area where companions can help.
• Meal preparation. Companions can help your loved one make meals too.
• Communication assistance. Companions can help your loved one make calls and communicate with love ones and essential service providers like electricians and plumbers as needed.
• Companionship. Several psychological and sociological studies provide show us that, human beings need other human beings. Most older adults live by themselves. It is easy to feel lonely with all the children and grandchildren gone. A companion, in addition to all the services listed above, could also provide your loved one with friendship; somebody to go shopping with and converse with.

How is companion care different from regular home care?

The biggest difference here is that most people who choose companion care, can still do a lot for themselves.

Like I mentioned earlier, they are still able to perform activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing up.

They just need an extra hand to help them get everything done.

Complete home care on the other hand, helps people who are dependent on other people for their daily activities.

Home care aides will care for loved ones who have been discharged from the hospital or who need mobility assistance.

In both cases, companion care and home care allow your loved one (especially an older adult) to stay home successfully.

At Green Tree Home Care, we provide both companion care and home care depending on your needs.

And in either case, you will not be disappointed.

If you live in the Greater San Diego and Orange County areas, we are a simple phone call away.

 

Did you find this post helpful? Share it with someone else who is exploring companion care options for their loved one.

Everyone says to exercise; except the act of exercising is not always fun.

So, how do you add exercise into your day so you are taking advantage of its’ benefits but are not bored by the sheer thought of exercising?

You add fun to it!

In today’s post, I will go over 7 fun ways to include more exercise into your daily routine.

7 fun ways to include exercise into your daily routine

Dance

You don’t have to be a professional dancer to benefit from the dancing.

It could start by turning on your favorite music from the past and just start swaying to it.

You might even be able to get your spouse, grand-kids and neighbors in on it.

Nobody is judging you for points here.

The key is to get moving no matter how imperfect that movement is.

Play like a child

As we all know, children can be aggressively active when they play. Watching them run in circles can be exhausting!

But perhaps kids are onto something that we are not?

If you regularly babysit your grandchildren or even your neighbors kids, this could be a great opportunity to get your daily exercise in.

They will have memories of you playing with them for a lifetime.

And you will be rewarded with the benefit of getting your daily quota of exercise.

Go shopping

Love shopping? Taking a walk around your local mall may very well be the fun you need to get your exercise.

Reward yourself for completing a workout

There is a saying that the greatest thing about being an adult is that you can eat dessert before your dinner.

Well, I say, that you can rewards yourself as much as you can for completing an exercise routine.

Ice cream is definitely allowed here. Unless of course, your doctor has said you shouldn’t be eating ice cream.

Take a friend

Doing things with a friend who can chat with you and urge you on as you exercise can be fun and may become the motivating reason you exercise.

Get your pets involved

They will love it as much as you do.

Try a new exercise

It is never too late for anyone to try something new.

What would happen if you opened up yourself to:

• Rock climbing
• Kayaking
• Crossfit?

There may seem like extreme sports but you might surprise yourself if you tried!

 

There are always more fun ways to add exercise to your life. Did any one of these spark any ideas for you? If it did, make sure to share it with someone else who might be looking for ways to add more fun to their life and exercise routine.

Supplements which contain essential vitamins and minerals are good for you at any age.

However, as we age, our bodies go through several changes.

Those changes sometimes require that we take supplements that will help our bodies to operate well.

In today’s post, I will talk about 7 key supplements you need to be taking regardless of your age.

7 Supplements that are great for older adults

Calcium

Calcium is well-known to contribute to bone health.

It is also required for healthy blood vessels, for proper muscle function and the release of certain hormones in the body.

One of the common problems older people face is the loss of bone and muscle mass. Even those this process is not entirely reversible, it is possible for you to continue to maintain healthy bones and muscles with the proper intake of calcium supplements.

Milk, yogurt and cheese are great sources of calcium.

Nondairy sources of calcium include kale, broccoli and bok choy (Chinese cabbage).

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium. Thus people with a Vitamin D deficiency also usually show a deficiency in calcium.

Vitamin D is not naturally plentiful in a lot of foods.

You can get Vitamin D from exposure to sunshine and from tablets that are formulated to contain it.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is important for blood clotting and for bone health.

People who lack proper blood clotting factors easily bleed and in the case of a bad accident, could bleed to death.

Thus, Vitamin K is good for anyone at any age.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C promotes healthy skin and is required for healing.

In a lot of research studies, scientists have shown that burn victims who are given Vitamin C heal from their wounds better than burn patients who did not receive Vitamin C.

Older people tend to experience more dry skin and related skin problems.

Vitamin C may help you reverse or at the very least slow down some of these skin issues.

Citrus fruits, broccoli, kale and cabbages are all very rich in Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a truly amazing vitamin. It affects the eyes, bones and skin.

You get the point, right?

Foods that are rich in Vitamin A include dairy products, fish and meat (especially liver.)

Iron

Iron is naturally present in many foods.

It is an essential component of hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin is a component of red blood cells that helps to transport oxygen to various parts of the body.

And so, a person who has an iron deficiency will suffer from anemia. One of the symptoms of anemia is dizziness. This happens because not enough oxygen is being supplied to the brain.

For an older person, iron is especially important in helping to improve this flow of oxygen to the essential organs.

Dietary Fiber

While fiber is not necessarily a supplement, I am adding it here because a lack of it can prove highly uncomfortable for many people.

Fiber helps your intestines to easy get rid of undigested food through feces.

Without it, the digestive system has a hard time getting rid of the waste.

And anyone who has gone through a bout of constipation knows how uncomfortable it is.

Taking fiber as a supplement is helpful in helping to prevent those scenarios.

 

If you found this post helpful, share it with someone else who will.

 

 

 

 

 

Does it seem like you are getting more scam phone calls than ever?

You’re not alone!

It turns out that all around the country, there has been an uptick in scam callers.

And like any scam, they always play on the vulnerabilities of innocent citizens.

In this post, I will share how you can recognize 3 of the commonest phone scams that play on their vulnerabilities of seniors.

3 types of phone scams that target seniors

No matter what they say, don’t give them pertinent information

There are scam callers who will typically start off by saying they from your electric, water company, your bank or even the IRS.

Usually, right after that introduction, they will follow up with the question “Can I have you verify your address for me?”

While this seems like a harmless question, it is a way to get you to reveal more information about yourself.

You see, these scammers are well-versed in psychological tricks and usually, if they can get you to give up one bit of information about yourself, it is likely you will continue to share that information with them.

They will try to intimidate you. Don’t fall for it.

Another tactic scammers use these days is to purport that they are calling from a governmental agency and that if you don’t give them the information you are looking for, you will be arrested.

No government agency in the United States will call you with this information.

They will send a piece of snail mail to your home address.

And it is usually after multiple attempts to reach you this way that an arrest will happen.

If they claim they are calling from your bank or mortgage company, hang up the phone, find a piece of mail that has your bank or mortgage company’s number and call them directly using that number to verify the situation.

So if someone calls saying they are from the IRS or US Department of Education, 99.9% of the time, they are lying.

Technology scammers may try to pull the wool over older adults’ eyes

Another popular scam is one where the scammer calls and says they are calling from Microsoft.

They follow that up by saying they are receiving “problematic” signals from your computer.

These types of scammers usually play on the fact that an older adult may not be tech savvy.

I have heard of situations where these scammers were able to get an older person to pay them for a “service to fix the problematic signals”.

Don’t fall for this one either.

 

You have worked way too hard to get scammed by people looking for cheap ways to make money.

Share this with someone else so they can avoid these types of scams.

Let’s be honest: it gets challenging to go out to shop as we get older.

Some of the most common causes for this include:

• Mobility issues
• The inability to drive to places (not to mention the impatience of drivers these days)
• The inability to reach items that may be high up on shelves
• The stress of waiting in line to pay for your items

Who wants to go and wait at the pharmacy for 30 minutes just to fill prescriptions?

But you love to shop! So what’s a shopping-lover like you supposed to do?

Well, thankfully, in 2019, we have the internet.

And we have a myriad of services that will have everything from groceries to clothing delivered to your home.

In today’s post, I will share some of those services with you so that you can enjoy all the products you love right from home.

Shopping services for the elderly

Amazon Prime – Amazon has come a long way from being the website where students bought textbooks. Amazon Prime costs $12.99 per month, or $119 if you choose to pay for it yearly. This allows you to get free shipping on millions of items sold on Amazon. Plus in most cases, you can have the items delivered to your home within 2 days.

You can shop for everything including shower gel, shave cream, razors and household cleaners.

And the great thing about it? You don’t have to step a foot out of your home.

Amazon Fresh – Get your groceries delivered to your doorstep within a few hours of ordering. Amazon Fresh costs $14.99 if you’re already an Amazon Prime member.

Instacart – Instacart is another service that promises to have “groceries delivered in less than 1 hour”. If you live in the Greater San Diego area (or in California), you will be able to order from stores like Aldi, Jimbo, Sprouts, Smart & Final, Costco, Petco (hurrah for your pets!), Sam’s Club and Whole Foods.

Jet – Jet is an online department store that gives you access to everything including groceries, home furniture and electronics. They deliver to your home as well.

FreshDirect – If you live in New York City, FreshDirect will work nicely for you. They are an online grocer that delivers to homes and offices.

PeaPod – Peapod is another online grocery delivery service that you might consider for getting groceries on your doorstep.

Chewy – Have a pet? Get everything you need for him or her on Chewy.com. They even have an “autoship” service that will automatically send you replacements for items as you begin to run out. You can simply set a schedule on their website and they will send you your pet supplies as requested.

Check with your local store

Many stores in the United States now offer an “order online and pick-up” in store service. This will still require that you drive to the store but it cuts down the amount of time you would have to walk around and shop for your own items. Stores like WalMart, Vons and Target offer such services now.

Some pharmacies also offer home delivery. It is just a matter of asking your preferred pharmacy if they have it.

 

Did you find this post helpful? Share it with someone else looking for easier options for shopping!

 

 

 

You have an elderly loved one?

You love them dearly but your job and life has moved you far away from them.

It is not secret that they are getting older.

And it is getting increasingly hard for them to get around the house and complete tasks like they used to.

Perhaps health concerns like diabetes, COPD and arthritis have now shown up as well.

What should you do as a concerned child or loved one?

Aging in place and why it’s so important

It is becoming more and more common for older people to stay in their homes.

Think about it: if you had lived in one place for 40 years, would you want to leave it?

You raised your kids there.

You celebrated a lot of “firsts” in that house.

A lot of holiday celebrations have happened in that house.

And most importantly, you know where everything is in that house.

Very few people want to move from familiar surroundings if they can help it. And for a lot of healthy older people, they would rather stay at home until the very end.

How can you help your elderly loved one age in place?

As great as an assisted living facility or nursing care facility may be, it is not home. Thus if you’re finding that your loved one is resisting the move, you might want to consider an alternative.

So how can you help your elderly loved one achieve this goal of living at home even though they might have challenges?

The obvious choice here is home care.

A home care aide can help your loved one with:

• Bathing and showering
• Skin care
• Dental care
• Grooming
• Make-up
• Dressing
• Movement
• Changing briefs
• Providing bathroom reminders
• Companionship

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

A great home care company is aware that your loved one wants to feel at home in their own home.

And so they will strive to make sure that your loved one is receiving all the comfort and care that they need to be at home safely.

Not sure what to look for in a great home care company?

We compiled 15 questions you can ask any prospective home care company in this blog post.

Why you should go for it

Once you have asked the questions on our list and are satisfied with the answers, going with a home care company is an excellent idea.

You will be able to rest your mind about knowing that you are helping your loved one thrive in their own surroundings with the proper help.

If you live in the San Diego area or in Orange County and would love for us to provide care for your senior loved one, we would be happy to.

You can reach us easily at (800)-518-9277 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Click here to read testimonials our clients have left us.