Caregivers

Seniors with dementia can very often continue to live where they’re most comfortable, with dementia care at home.

While countless older adults are struggling with the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, an even greater number of family members are trying to cope with providing dementia care at home. Incredibly, nearly 75% of family caregivers are managing their older loved ones’ dementia care needs by themselves, with only 26% reaching out for professional care support.

Learn how to start the conversation when you notice warning signs of aging care needs.

The initial signs might be so subtle that many people wouldn’t even recognize that anything is amiss. Mom is outgoing, pleasant, and conversational while visiting loved ones and while running errands. But those closest to her have begun to detect concerns: being forgetful about the soup cooking on the stove, leading to a scorched pan. Putting her keys into the cookie jar. Failing to pay bills. What should you do when you begin to notice these kinds of warning signs of aging care needs?

As an adult child of a loved one in the early stages of compromised safety or the ability to make competent choices, it is normally incredibly difficult to transition to a higher degree of involvement and assistance – nonetheless … Read More »

Providing care for an aging parent can either strengthen or strain your marriage.

In marriage we agree to stick with each other for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness as well as in health – but what doesn’t come up through our vows to one another is how to deal with the mounting difficulties of providing care for an aging parent. 

However, with our life span increasing, it is highly recommended to put together a strategy to meet both the requirements of our parents as they grow older, and also the multitude of day-to-day needs, all while honoring our cherished relationship with a spouse. It’s a struggle that’s creating stress and pressure for 80% of couples interviewed, resulting in detachment and much less quality time with each other. These particular areas in a married relationship … Read More »

These tips can help protect senior skin from bruising, and heal bruises if they do occur.

You can blame it on the environment, changes in hormones, medications, and even the sun: our skin as we age is affected by a variety of factors, leading to thinning and an enhanced risk of bruising. As a result, it’s helpful to take proactive measures to protect senior skin from injury. Try the following tips:

Rearrange furniture and get rid of any clutter to reduce the chance of bumps and bruises.
Keep the skin moisturized, and always use sunscreen of at least 30 SPF or higher.
Talk with the senior’s physician about the impact of any medications on the skin. In particular, the long-term use of steroids, blood thinners, fish oil and vitamin E can enhance the risk of bruises.
Encourage the older adult to wear … Read More »

Overcome resistance to care with these family caregiver tips from the leader in Sonoma home care services.

For many seniors, admitting the need for help is likened to admitting defeat. After living in an era that emphasized the need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and stay strong and self-reliant in the face of adversity, it’s a difficult mindset to change. How can you help aging parents understand the benefits of home care assistance, without viewing it as a threat to their freedom and independence?

As we embark on Thanksgiving,
we would like to extend an enormous and heart felt
THANK YOU to all our our outstanding employees.
Without their tireless dedication and compassion,
we would not be able to function as pillars of 
support in the communities that we serve.

It is an absolute honor to work side by side
with so many absolutely amazing individuals.
To you, and what we accomplish together.
we give great thanks!

~The HIRED HANDS HOMECARE Team

We are honored to recognize Jessica L as our October Caregiver of the Month! 

Hired Hands Homecare has had the pleasure of working with Jessica since early 2019.  Since then, she has continued to build caregiving knowledge to her skill set and has become a favorite of her many clients. She is pictured here with Jim, one of our most wonderful clients, whom she has assisted for the past year.  By the way, that bicycle you see… Jim rode that cross country from East Coast to West.  What an accomplishment!

Today, Jim and the entire Hired Hands Homecare Team salute Jessica for her outstanding dedication and compassion!  Jessica, you are a STAR!

~The HIRED HANDS HOMECARE Team

A different support system is often needed for male caregivers.

If you painted a picture of a typical family caregiver, you’d probably portray a middle-aged woman, perhaps cooking and serving a meal, assisting with baths or getting dressed, an transporting a loved one to doctors’ appointments. And this assessment would be accurate; AARP reports the typical caregiver profile is a 49-year-old female helping with acts of service such as these for a 69-year-old female relative who is facing long-term health concerns.

Yet there’s a growing trend of male caregivers stepping into – or sometimes, falling into by default – this crucial role: nearly 40% of all caregivers, as a matter of fact. And though there are some trending differences in caregiving difficulties between the genders (such as a greater likelihood of discomfort for men in helping with personal hygiene tasks), … Read More »

Hot off the Press…  Hired Hands Homecare wins NAPA VALLEY’S FINEST In-Home Healthcare Provider, as reported by the Napa Valley Register.

This award is a huge testament to our absolutely AMAZING Caregivers & Management Team, who provide the highest levels of service and support to the seniors and families we work with!  This honor will be shared and celebrated by ALL the Hired Hands folks that simply take the finest care of our community’s seniors and their families. We could not be more proud!

Hired Hands Homecare discusses the power of play for seniors.

Do you remember that feeling as a young child when the school bell rang, indicating the conclusion of science and the start of the best part of the day: recess? There was an immense feeling of freedom bounding out onto the playground, leaving behind the pressure of school work for a quick period of unstructured play. Regrettably, for the majority of adults, this is just a happy but distant memory. Play for seniors isn’t usually something that’s considered by many adults. Nevertheless, is it possible, and even worthwhile, to recapture the enjoyment of playing?