Author: Brian Loebig

Loneliness and isolation in the aging community
Social connections are vital to good physical and mental health. The importance of socializing and making connections with others should not be underestimated.

During the pandemic, many older adults were lonely and isolated. There is no question that technology helped minimize some of these social issues. Facebook, Zoom, and other online forums created opportunities for people to connect and engage with family and friends. However, the lack of in-person interactions still had a detrimental impact on the emotional well-being of many older adults.

According to NIH studies show that “everyone needs social connections to survive and thrive. But as people age, they often find themselves spending more time alone. Being alone may leave older adults more vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation, which can affect their health and well-being. Studies show that loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher risks for health problems such as heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline.

As home health care experts, we are here to help older adults and their families avoid the impact of loneliness and isolation. Here are a few suggestions:
- Each week make time to visit a loved one (in person). Bring your family with you. If pets are permitted, bring them along.
- When visiting a loved one plan a fun activity, take a walk, enjoy cookies and tea or engage in a hobby of their interest. Reading stories and playing games also can be good cognitive exercises.
- While visiting, teach your loved one how to join a Zoom call and plan for virtual visits with family and friends.
- Call older adults regularly and encourage them to call you.
- Encourage your loved ones to participate in activities at their senior center or place of worship.
We can help! A caregiver can provide companionship so that your loved one has the support they need on a regular basis. In addition, they can assist with other daily needs.

CarePlus Home Health provides compassionate home care with experienced and trustworthy caregivers. Our caregivers are licensed and certified by the Maryland Board of Nursing. Call us at (301) 740-8870 for a consultation. We serve the Gaithersburg, MD, and Montgomery County, MD areas.
June 10, 2022
Home Healthcare and Nursing

May 6-12 is National Nurse’s Week. Nurses across the country are recognized for their extraordinary skills and care as they support patients and their families. At CarePlus Home Health, we salute these valuable members of our home healthcare team.

Nurses, Our Frontline Workers

Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system and can be found in medical offices, hospitals, assisted care communities and private homes. Regularly tending to the health and wellness of their patients, nurses understand the unique needs of the individuals and families they serve. Nurses provide expertise with compassion and care. As a part of the home care team, nurses provide a range of different services from medication management to hygiene to wound management depending on the need of the patient.

Creative, Collaborative, and Caring

Providing in home care requires flexibility, skill and expertise. Home healthcare nurses are trained to adapt to developing situations and use resources accordingly. Their experience guides families as families decide how best to set up the home for optimum safety and wellness. Home health nurses understand the importance the home environment and work hard to maintain that comfort.

A Critical Part of the Team

A person living at home with health challenges needs the support of a team to be able to maintain comfort and independence. Doctors, family, friends, and other professionals work together with the patient to ensure that their care and comfort are planned for and executed in a way that maintains the dignity of the patient. Home healthcare nurses are a critical part of this team.

Thank A Nurse

Take time to appreciate and recognize nurses for their hard work and dedication. Patients and family can express their appreciation with a card of thanks, a testimonial, an online review, a letter to a supervisor or a referral.

CarePlus Home Health has many experienced nurses who understand the special needs of in-home healthcare. Contact us today to learn more.

May 9, 2022
Being Prepared for Parkinson’s Disease

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and the theme for 2022 is preparing for the future. When you or a loved one are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, preparing for the future includes planning for and managing care related to this progressive disease. Here is some important information regarding Parkinson’s.

What is Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s is a degenerative neurological disorder that affects movement. Symptoms of Parkinson’s include increasing tremors, particularly of the hands, rigid limbs, balance and gait problems, and slow movement or freezing known as Bradykinesia. Treatment options include medications and surgery.

How Does Parkinson’s Affect Quality of Life?

Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, which means that the symptoms manifest and change over time. Because of the interference with motor skills that occurs with Parkinson’s, people with the disease experience reduced capacity for activities of daily living. This can include operating machinery such as a car, and even simple activities like taking a walk can be difficult for someone with Parkinson’s symptoms. Other activities, like managing finances, can be impaired because there is a physical element to things like paying bills or simply making a phone call to a financial advisor. As the disease progresses, basic mobility, bathing, dressing, and feeding oneself become impossible without assistance.

Planning for Parkinson’s

Generally, a Parkinson’s diagnosis occurs after some symptoms have begun to show, but before the disease has progressed very far. This creates an opportunity to plan for the eventual degeneration of physical abilities that occurs in all people with Parkinson’s. Before reaching the critical phase, a person with Parkinson’s, or their loved ones, should consider where they want to receive care. If they want to remain at home, they will need to plan. This can include some basic or major remodeling that is best done before the need arises. Planning should also include identifying the care that is and will be needed with everything from getting to doctor’s appointments, basic housework, and physical care.

Based in Gaithersburg, CarePlus Home Health is a Montgomery County home healthcare provider, working with clients in Maryland and Washington, DC. We have a team of experienced caregivers who work with people with Parkinson’s, and we understand the challenge of meeting the change in a person’s abilities as it progresses. We begin our work with a client with a thorough in-home assessment, and we revisit our client’s needs regularly to make sure that they are receiving the care they need. For more information about our special services for people with Parkinson’s, contact us today.

April 19, 2022
Getting Nutrition Right for Aging Adults
While good nutrition matters in all phases of life, as people age, they experience increased physical vulnerabilities, and the proper diet helps safeguard and minimize complications that can be a part of the aging process. It’s not always easy to manage good nutrition, but the benefits can be significant.

The Basics of Good Nutrition for Aging Adults

Nutrition concerns the consumption of food and drink that provide the body energy and protection from poor health. The goal of good nutrition is to have the proper diet as well as a lifestyle that encourages the absorption of nutrients. The NIH (National Institutes of Health) lists some key nutrition considerations for older adults, which include:
- Eating foods high in nutrients
- Avoid empty calories like junk food, soda, and alcohol.
- Pick foods that are low in cholesterol and fat.
- Drink plenty of hydrating liquids
- Be physically active.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also recommends emphasizing lean proteins and vitamins B12 and D as important parts of a good diet.

Challenges in Getting the Proper Nutrition

As people age, they experience a variety of physical and environmental changes that can impact good nutrition. For example, some medications can impact appetite and taste sensations, reducing interest and enjoyment of food. In addition, older adults experience isolation, and it is harder for them to motivate to prepare meals for themselves. Health challenges, both physical and cognitive, make meal preparation more difficult as well. In other words, just when good nutrition is particularly important, it is all the harder to do.

Strategies to Practice for Good Nutrition

Knowing that good nutrition is important may not be enough to make it happen. Rather than maintain poor nutritional habits, here are some practical steps to help:
1. Make a shopping list. Avoid impulse shopping, and plan healthy foods to buy in advance.
2. Find easy recipes. If cooking and cleaning up are hard, research quick, simple recipes.
3. Healthy snacking. Instead of big meals, have nutritious snacks throughout the day.
4. Flavored water. Lemon, lime, cucumber, and mint are a few additions that can make staying hydrated a more pleasurable experience.
5. Supplements. After checking with a physician, consider getting important nutrients with supplements.
For some older adults, good nutrition may not be possible without some help. Home care for people with dementia or significant physical infirmities may be the solution to maintaining a healthy diet. Shopping, meal planning and meal preparation can be arranged to help with nutrition.

CarePlus Home Health provides home care nursing in Montgomery County, which allows aging adults to continue to live safely and comfortably in their own homes. Our services include assistance with shopping and meal preparation, and our staff can help devise an appropriate nutrition plan for our clients to make sure they are getting what they need to stay healthy. Contact us today for more information about our home care services.
March 28, 2022
CarePlus Receives 2022 Best of Home Care® – Leader in Training Award

February 28

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Andrew Ryan

Email: andrew@careplusinc.com

CarePlus Receives 2022 Best of Home Care® – Leader in Training Award

Gaithersburg, MD, CarePlus Home Health announced today that it received the distinguished 2022 Best of Home Care –Leader in Training Award from Home Care Pulse, the leading firm in experience management for home care. The Leader in Training Award recognizes home care businesses that consistently provide an outstanding level of staff education. As a Leader in Training, CarePlus is now recognized among the top 25% of home care providers participating in the nationwide Home Care Pulse Training Program.

This accomplishment demonstrates CarePlus’s long-term dedication to excellent care and employment. To qualify for this award, CarePlus implemented HCP Training to provide specialized education for their caregivers. CarePlus achieved a high level of staff participation in continuing education, as well as an average of at least 8 courses completed by each participant.

“We are honored and humbled to have received this prestigious award. My team is committed to providing excellent in-home care to our clients and training is an important part of better care,” stated Tom Najjar, President of CarePlus Home Health.

The Best of Home Care – Leader in Training Award highlights the top-performing home care businesses in the nation. Home Care Pulse believes that by honoring these providers, families looking for in-home care for a loved one will be able to recognize and choose a trusted home care provider.

“At CarePlus Home Health, our goal is to provide outstanding care and support to the aging community. I am very proud to work for an organization that not only cares about clients, but truly cares about their employees as well. We are honored to be recognized for such high achievements and we will continue to work very hard to give the best care to our clients and team.” CarePlus Executive Director, Andrew Ryan explained.

To find out more about CarePlus’s commitment to experience, please visit https://careplus.xenonprime.net/ or call 301-740-8870.

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About Home Care Pulse

Home Care Pulse leads the home care industry in experience management, online training, and review management. Through its Care Intelligence Platform, HCP empowers home care providers to attract and retain caregivers even during a historic caregiver shortage. HCP also conducts the annual Home Care Benchmarking Study, the most comprehensive survey of home care providers in North America and administers the annual Best of Home Care awards to agencies that achieve best-in-class client and caregiver satisfaction scores. For more information, visit https://www.homecarepulse.com/.

February 28, 2022
Flex Care Meets the Needs of the Individual

No two people age alike. Growing older can be a dramatically different experience from one person to another due to physical, mental, and emotional developments, as well as choices made such as where and how to live. Some aspects of aging can be managed with attention to diet, exercise, and social interaction. By acknowledging the unique needs of each individual, it is possible to maintain comfort and stability, and even increase longevity.

Some aging adults elect to relocate to a home that can accommodate their evolving needs as they age. Independent living communities are an option allowing older adults to access a range of amenities and services while keeping significant freedom to manage their own lives. This can sometimes mean that there is a gap between the needs of the individual and the offerings of the community. At CarePlus Home Health, we offer Flex Care to individuals living in independent living communities in the Montgomery County and surrounding areas to bridge that gap and make sure that their specific needs are met.

What is an Independent Living Community?

For older adults, owning a home can be difficult. In addition to maintenance responsibilities, many things that are necessary or make life enjoyable can become more difficult when living alone. Isolation can increase as communities evolve, neighbors move, and getting out become more of a challenge. Enter independent living communities. These residential facilities are reserved exclusively for people over a specific age, and they offer on-site amenities like hair salons, exercise facilities, onsite medical offices, dining, and social and cultural events specifically curated for the residents. All residents have private dwellings – whether it is an apartment, townhome or house, and they pay a monthly fee that takes care of the grounds and pays for the amenities. Having access to these the community while still living in a private home is the principal attraction.

What is missing from Independent Living?

With the independence of a private home within the community, sometimes residents still need additional support. Short of moving to a smaller, less private, more institutional facility like assisted living, many aging adults in independent living want to continue enjoying their lives but need help. Conditions like failing eyesight, mild dementia, or arthritis can make some basic aspects of daily living a major challenge that can easily be tended to with a little help. The independent living community array of services generally stops at the door of each home, so residents need to make arrangements to meet these additional challenges.

Flex Care for Customized Individual Support

CarePlus can meet the needs of residents of independent living communities with a range of services like: shopping, housekeeping, escort to medical appointments, meal prep, bathing/dressing, other errands. After a free home assessment, the team at CarePlus can offer as little as 30 minutes of assistance daily, weekly or as needed to make sure that life is safe and comfortable. Having the flexibility of picking the services, the timing, and the frequency allows the greatest continued independence without missing out on essential needs.

Sometimes the needs of the individual go beyond the home. Helping with the logistics of hospitalizations, rehabilitation, and transitions to and from a medical facility to home is one of our key competencies. We also can work with clients and their families to coordinate out-of-town visits as well as help keep lines of communication open.

Flex Care for the Community

Our team of trained, licensed and certified professionals can also provide services to the entire independent living community. With pop-up wellness clinics, lunch & learn programs, and other onsite services, CarePlus Home Health can work with the independent living staff to provide welcome additional programming.

We believe that every individual deserves to age in dignity and comfort. We understand that this requires the ability to adjust our services to the specific needs of our clients. If you are an older adult in an independent living community in Montgomery County, staff of the community or a family of a resident, contact us to find out how we can help.

January 27, 2022