By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-05-13 21:28:59 | Word Count: 664
There are many kinds of elder care services in the New York area, and many of these services are available in your immediate community. These programs can keep seniors independent and in contact with others who can monitor their health and safety. Programs include:
Home-delivered meals, also known as ‘meals-on wheels’. Meals delivered to the home help homebound elders to eat nutritionally and provide an opportunity to interact with the volunteers who bring the food.
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Emergency response devices. Your elderly relative wears a bracelet or necklace equipped with a radio transmitter that’s activated by pushing a button. A message is sent to the hospital, police or an emergency contact. Other programs require your family member to check in by telephone on a daily basis. When no contact is made, a designated person checks on your elder. Ask the hospital discharge planner for referrals.
Carrier Alert. A mail carrier that notices an unusual accumulation of mail will alert a postal supervisor to designate a person to check on your elder. Call the post office for more details.
Social day care. These community programs provide several hours a day of social interaction, recreation, group meals and supervision for aging people who cannot be safely left home alone. Call the local area agency on aging to find out more about what the community has to offer.
Adult day health care or adult day care. This is supervised day care for adults and is a more specialized kind of program than social day care and may include comprehensive services ranging from health assessment and nursing care to social and recreational activities. Participation in these programs usually requires a physician’s prescription. Adult day health care centers are not necessarily federally licensed. To evaluate a facility:
* Request a written target-enrollment policy statement
* Ask about its policy via patients who are abusing alcohol or drugs
* Ask if the facility requests updates on the patient’s medical records
* Find out how the facility provides reports on the patient’s activities
* Review the staff-patient ratio. One staff member for every eight patients is typical. In cases where patients are severely mentally and physically impaired, on staff member for every five patients is an acceptable ratio.
* Ask whether the facility’s staff includes a director with a professional degree in the field of health and human services, a social worker, a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse supervised by an RN.
Respite care. The primary caregiver needs to have a resource he or she can call upon as a backup when the situation mandates. Respite care can be for as little as a few hours at a time, or a day, a weekend, ore even a month, and can be arrange for in or outside the home. Take advantage of the benefits respite care has to offer when you are unsure of decisions regarding your relative’s permanent living arrangements. Optional respite care facilities outside the home include hospitals and nursing homes.
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