Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

You know, spring break can be a nice break if it is planned out. With having two kids in elementary school we always seem to have a tight schedule and be on the go here and there. Whether it be running my son to basketball or Cub Scouts or running my daughter to gymnastics or swimming, oh and don’t forget all the play dates with their friends…who’s house will they be at today and when do we need to pick them up?

You always feel like you are on the go and our house always seems like Grand Central Station. Spring break was a welcome vacation from all that.

We recently made a week long trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico over spring break with the kids. It was our first time going on this long distance of a trip and taking them out of the country, so we were always thinking of how things will go or ‘what if’ scenarios that might come up and detour our travel plans. But nothing major happened and it was a great time and experience for all of us.

However, the questions that came to my mind surrounding the kids and traveling are the same ones that could be asked and applied to our parents or someone else, anyone else for that matter that needs the supervision and care of another person.

I will say, it was enlightening and encouraging to see the number of people traveling in the care of others. I mean, not just people like us with kids but, elderly folks traveling and sight seeing on a charter of some kind with a group leader, a disabled person in a wheelchair being chauffeured around the hotel campus to and from the beach, young adults with someone on their arm directing them around the downtown streets through all the endless shops, and etc.

The point of this being the fact that people of all ages and of all places can be in need of personal care assistants. Whether in Mexico or Minnesota, our personal needs are the same.

One of the first steps you can take is to call upon a strong home care provider in your time of transition that can be there to answer your questions. It’s nice to know, Aspirience is here for you.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

Having an elderly or ailing parent move in with you and your family rather than shuttling between two homes might make sense, but this is not the kind of move to make on a whim. Some due diligence and solid thought process must be done beforehand.

Consider these five tips that could help you address some important issues before you bring your parent under your roof and into your daily life:

- Get your legal ducks in a row. To protect your parent’s legal rights, be sure to have in place a will, an advance health-care directive or living will, a financial power of attorney, and a health care power of attorney. Also, decide before the move how much you and your siblings will each pay toward the cost of extra food, utilities, home retrofitting and nursing or other care. An attorney should draw up an agreement that spells out all the details; you can alter the document later if your parent’s medical or care expenses change.

- Understand the finances. If you pay for at least 50 percent of your parents’ expenses, you can claim them as dependents on your tax return. That means you’ll be able to deduct related medical expenses like doctor’s visits, dental care, insurance premiums, medical equipment and home care that exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. Modifications that you make to your house to accommodate your parent’s health care needs such as installing handrails, putting in a ramp, or widening doorways are also considered medical expenses.

- Retrofit your home. You will want your parent to feel as comfortable as possible in your home. Ideally, that means providing a separate bedroom and bathroom. If you don’t have a spare room, consider closing off a dining or living room with a wall or even just a curtain for privacy. Make sure that the rest of your home is safe and accessible: Install bright lighting in hallways, tuck electrical cords away from walkways, and replace door knobs with easier-to-open levers. Also, if your parent is disabled, lay down commercial grade rather than plush carpeting, which makes it easier to maneuver wheelchairs and walkers.

- Arrange for services. If you are not sure what health care services your parent will need, talk to his doctor or consult a geriatric care manager. If you need to hire a home care agency to assist your parent with basic activities, stress that it will allow him or her to remain more independent in the long run. Set ground rules for the aide in order to maintain some privacy for your own family. A paid caregiver needs to know that there may be some areas in your home that are just for you, your spouse and kids unless there is an emergency.

- Don’t overlook your family’s needs. Bringing a parent to live with you will affect your family’s lifestyle and emotions significantly. Be sure to take time for yourself and exercise, eat healthfully and keep up your social contacts as best you can. Explain to your kids that they may not be able to have friends over as much, or will need to be quiet after a certain time of the evening. Spend time just with your spouse or kids, even if that means asking someone to stay with your parent while your family has a special outing.

One of the best steps one can take is to partner with a strong home care provider in your time of transition and need. It can make a world of a difference in moving a parent.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

PRESS RELEASE – Shakopee, Minnesota, February 11, 2008 – Aspirience Home Care to sponsor The Alzheimer’s Association and Mayo Clinic’s A Meeting of the Minds, The Dementia Conference.

A Meeting of the Minds: The Dementia Conference 2008 is the most comprehensive and prestigious dementia conference in the upper Midwest. The Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter and Mayo Clinic are excited to hold this day of inspiration and information.

This annual conference, being held March 29^th, 2008 at the St. Paul RiverCentre, St. Paul, Minnesota brings together national and local experts for a full day of education, information and support.

The event is designed to equip families, professionals and people with early Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias with the skills to understand and address issues throughout the continuum of the disease.

The conference includes an exhibit area, where sponsors, such as Aspirience Home Care, and exhibitors can have face-to-face conversations with event attendees and volunteers.

Other conference features:

Three keynote addresses by national experts.
Three breakout sessions led by dementia professionals.
Exhibitors on hand to provide information on services available.
Continuing education for health care professionals.

In 2007, the conference attracted nearly 750 attendees, approximately 50% of whom were people with dementia or their family members. This year the expected turnout will be even higher. A copy of the conference brochure can be found at www.alzmndak.org.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

I know it’s not news to anyone that this holiday season is going to be another great one for Nintendo’s Wii. Last holiday Nintendo couldn’t make enough of them. This year people were camping out in front of big box retailers waiting for the moment to be the first in line to get a Wii on Black Friday morning. Mind you, very early in the morning too.

If you are not sure what all the fuss is about, let me give you an idea about what the Wii is. I must say, what a cool gaming console it is! I mean not just from the standpoint of the games themselves but, in order to play any game correctly, you have to get physically involved in the game by twisting and turning the hand held remotes.

I was at Wal-Mart with a relative recently and we got so caught up in playing a Mario Brothers game that I was walking away from the Wii in a sweat. I couldn’t believe it.

The point of this is that I recently read of a hospital in Canada that is using the Wii’s for rehabilitation and therapy purposes. What a great idea? Matching the medical science of today with the gaming technology of tomorrow.

This hospital has been using the Wii for a few months to help people recovering from strokes and spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries. Patients also use the internet connected console to find information on news or weather channels to improve brain function as well.

Recently, it is starting to catch on in the United States.

In Ohio, I have read of some patients that used to spend hours performing video game feats regularly until they had an injury of some kind. Using the Nintendo Wii, and the rest of their body, it helps them to regain strength after a tragic accident.

One 51-year-old, who had a stroke about a month ago, has been working hard to rebuild the muscles in his immobilized right side at Ohio State University’s Medical Center.

Patients would usually undergo a total of two to three hours of daily therapy and work with the video game system for about 30 minutes per day, two to three times per week.

The idea of sitting there fiddling around with a couple of buttons on a video game controller is not that motivating or interesting if you struggle with that movement in the first place. But, if you think about it, it’s pretty cool that you use your body to control the movement on the screen.

I can’t think of any other home video game consoles that come close to matching the Wii’s appeal for its total movement, cognitive testing and its therapeutic ability. Way to go Nintendo!

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with your home care needs.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

Today marks the one year anniversary that I have been writing this newsletter. It seems like it went by so fast without any changes. However, there have been many changes. We have sponsored several conventions and meetings this past year, we’ve done presentations to local groups on the state of home care in general, the Veterans home in Minneapolis has gone through trauma with being fined by the state for lack of care, my mom passed away in May and the list goes on and on. Needless to say, there has been change that we have had to adapt to.

I wanted to write about the benefits of home care again in this ever changing world. November has been set aside as “National Home Care and National Hospice Month” to honor the men and women who have dedicated their lives to caring for others. A time for us to say thanks.

Traditionally delivered at patients’ homes throughout the centuries, home care is the oldest form of health care. It is also the newest.

Modern technology has evolved to the point where virtually anything that is available in a hospital can also be provided at home. And there is significant evidence that home care is less costly than other forms of care.

The National Association for Home Care & Hospice believes we as a society need to re-examine the reasons why home care is a viable, cost saving model of health care delivery. Here are just a few of the many reasons to consider home care:

1. Home care helps the elderly maintain their independence.

2. Home care prevents or postpones institutionalization. Few want to be placed in a nursing home unless it is the only choice.

3. Much scientific evidence indicates that patients heal more quickly at home.

4. Home care is safer. Some 20 percent of people who enter hospitals develop complications, such as infections.

5. Home care reduces stress.

6. Home care nurses and aides consider what they do a calling rather than a job.

7. In many of the rural or dense urban areas, home care is the only available form of health care.

8. Home care improves quality of life.

9. Home care is less expensive than other forms of care, such as hospitals and nursing homes.

10. The Internet will increasingly make it possible to diagnose, monitor, and treat illness at a distance, allowing patients to stay home and health professionals to save time.

Clearly there is evidence that taking care of someone at home is the best form of living and knowing there is a helping hand to walk you through that change is even better.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with home care.