CarePlus

Category: Family Caregiver

  • Aging with Chronic Disease: In-Home Care in Bethesda & Montgomery County, Maryland

    Aging with Chronic Disease: In-Home Care in Bethesda & Montgomery County, Maryland

    Managing a chronic condition can feel overwhelming especially when it involves ongoing monitoring, medications, and lifestyle adjustments. For aging adults and their families in Bethesda, Montgomery County, and throughout Maryland, the right support can make all the difference.

    In-home care in Bethesda, MD offers an effective way to manage chronic disease providing clinical expertise and daily support all within the comfort of home.

    A Comprehensive Approach: Skilled Nursing & Home Care in Montgomery County, MD

    Chronic disease management as you age can be challenging.  Skilled nursing services can help provide additional support to aging adults and their families.

    Skilled Nursing Care at Home in Bethesda, MD

    Skilled nursing services can include:

    • Medication management
    • Wound care and injections
    • Monitoring of chronic conditions
    • Ongoing clinical assessments
    • Coordination with physicians and specialists

    As a client’s condition changes, the level of care adjusts ensuring the right support at the right time.

    In-Home Care Services in Bethesda, Maryland

    Home care services in Bethesda and surrounding areas support Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), including:

    • Bathing and grooming
    • Dressing
    • Mobility and fall prevention

    This support allows individuals to maintain independence while receiving the help they need.

    A Dedicated Clinical Care Team in Bethesda, Maryland

    For individuals living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, COPD, and neurological disorders, continuity of care is an important component of care.

    Having a clinical team which includes Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) provides:

    • Ongoing health assessments
    • Early detection of changes
    • Proactive interventions
    • Responsiveness to needs

    A clinical team to help support your family to assess and provide a care plan for your loved one, might avoid ongoing hospitalizations and readmittance.

    Aging in Place In The Comfort of Home

    For many seniors in Bethesda and Montgomery County, aging in place allows for greater comfort, stability, and emotional well-being.

    Receiving in-home senior care in Maryland helps individuals stay connected to their routines, their families, and their community while still receiving the medical support they need.

    Reducing Hospital Visits with Home Health Care in Montgomery County

    Living with a chronic condition often means frequent doctor visits, specialist appointments, and/or ER visits.

    A trusted home health care provider in Bethesda, MD can help reduce the stress by providing:

    • Transportation and appointment coordination
    • Post-hospitalization care and discharge plans
    • Medication oversight and adherence
    • Ongoing monitoring to prevent complications

    By focusing on continuity of care and being proactive with concomitant illnesses, you may be able to avoid unnecessary hospital visits and readmissions.

    Coordinated Care, Better Care

    Care teams work closely with physicians, specialists, clients, and families to ensure everyone is “in the know” and part of the process. This coordinated approach leads to:

    • More accurate care plans
    • Faster response to health changes and medication modifications
    • Stronger reassurance for family members

    Personalized Care Plans in Bethesda, Maryland

    Chronic disease management is most effective when individuals and families feel informed.

    In-home care services in Bethesda, MD may also include:

    • Physical therapy to improve strength and mobility
    • Occupational therapy to support daily function
    • Speech therapy for communication, swallowing and/or eating concerns

    Education is key to helping clients and families understand their condition, recognize early warning signs and be proactive in managing their condition.

    Each care plan is personalized and designed around medical needs, lifestyle, and goals, which takes into consideration recovery, underlying conditions and/or quality of life.

    In-Home Care in Bethesda, Maryland and throughout Montgomery County

    Living with a chronic condition can be challenging, with the right support, aging adults can continue to live safely, comfortably, and confidently at home.

    CarePlus provides comprehensive in-home care in Bethesda, MD and throughout Montgomery County offering skilled nursing, in-home care, and a dedicated clinical team to support every stage of chronic disease management.

    Call 301-740-8870 or contact us here.

  • The Key to Aging In Place is Awareness

    The Key to Aging In Place is Awareness

    A lifetime of memories builds up in a home, and people often prefer growing old where they raised their children and hope to spend time with the next generation. This rosy vision doesn’t always pan out when the challenges of aging arise, prompting older adults and their children to consider key factors such as home layout, health, and help available. These concerns could mean the difference between staying in the family home or making a late-in-life move.

    Look at the Layout

    Those doorframes with height lines are not the only legacy aspects of a family home. Most of the house was organized when young, strong adults moved in, and rearrangements were probably made to accommodate growing children. Aging in place requires a different design approach, including:

    • Cupboards need to be reorganized to make regularly used items more accessible. For example, cabinets that require a long reach or a stepladder should be avoided.
    • Furniture should be situated to allow easy circulation.
    • Clutter reduction can help make it easier to maintain cleanliness, which is safer for both balance and health.
    • Accessibility may include some minor remodeling (e.g., grab bar installation).

    The key is to identify safety, needs, access, and comfort for an older person with some infirmities. Additional reorganization may be needed for those with memory issues or other specific conditions.

    Healthy at Home

    Day-to-day living is a challenge for people with health concerns. Weakened physiques from heart conditions, arthritis, or osteoporosis may make it more difficult to manage household upkeep. Chores like cleaning, tidying, and grocery shopping require strength. An inability to keep up with these activities can lead to an unhealthy living environment, exacerbating the problem.

    Living in the family home has potential health impacts that increase over time.

    • Medications add up, and older adults often have a pharmacopeia to manage, and arthritis or memory issues can prevent the regular dosage most medicines require.
    • Appointments for medical visits can be difficult to get to when older eyes and reflexes should avoid driving, yet they are even more critical to attend.
    • Isolation becomes increasingly dangerous as people age, since mental health is impacted by loneliness, and minor accidents can be fatal.
    • Activity as simple as going for a walk requires more effort for a person impaired by health issues, but regular exercise, fresh air, and sunlight can promote well-being.
    • Daily Living becomes progressively harder with age, necessitating assistance with tasks such as dressing, hygiene, and cooking.

    Help is Available

    Despite the challenges, knowledge is power. Whether it’s a family member or home healthcare service, having support can make aging in place more feasible. Being strategic and proactive can allow an older person to live a safe and happy life in their home. CarePlus Home Health has been providing a comprehensive range of services customized to meet the needs of its clients in Montgomery County for 30 years. For its contributions to the community, CarePlus is the recipient of the Large Business of the Year award with the Greater Rockville Chamber of Commerce for 2024. Contact us today by calling 301-740-8870.

  • Flex Care Meets the Needs of the Individual

    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.

  • Holiday Wellness Check on Aging Relatives

    Holiday Wellness Check on Aging Relatives

    With the holidays comes a chance for families to gather together in celebration. Sometimes, this is a rare opportunity to see a relative who lives far away. If that person is aging and they live alone or with another aging person, it is an excellent idea to check out how they are doing. Phone calls, and even video calls, don’t tell the full story that an in-person visit might reveal about their needs for health, comfort and safety.

    Self-Neglect

    As people age, some ordinary life activities may become increasingly difficult or skipped altogether. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) identifies these signs of self-neglect that can be spotted during a short visit.

    • Hoarding
    • Failure to take essential medications or refusal to seek medical treatment for serious illness
    • Leaving a burning stove unattended
    • Poor hygiene
    • Not wearing suitable clothing for the weather
    • Confusion
    • Inability to attend to housekeeping
    • Dehydration

    If you see these signs, it is time to work with that parent to get some additional care.

    Cognitive Health

    One of the biggest challenges to aging is the failure of cognitive health – the ability to think, process, and remember. Dementia from Alzheimer’s disease or another cause can severely impact the health and safety of a loved one, so it is important to look for signs of impairment. Memory loss, change in mood, taking longer to complete daily tasks, losing items or placing them in odd locations, and repeating questions are among the early symptoms that the NIH warns to look out for. There are many potential causes of these issues, so getting a proper medical assessment is critical for early treatment and intervention.

    Mental Health

    Older people suffer from mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression. As they slow down and become frailer, they may limit their social activities, and isolation can both increase mental health challenges and make them harder to identify. Where a relative may perk up for a phone call, their overall mental health might be in decline and need attention. In person, they might be more willing to open up about their struggle.

    Don’t Do it Alone

    Checking in with your loved one’s health care provider, minister and other sources of support is an excellent way to get a clear picture of the situation that your loved one may be reluctant to reveal. If they aren’t available during your visit, you may want to consider working with a professional to do an assessment. Trained social workers and other professionals with experience working with the elderly can help identify red flags and offer suggestions and solutions that may make life easier for your loved one.

    At CarePlus Home Health, we begin all of our relationships with clients by conducting a thorough in-home evaluation. We do not charge for this service, because we think it’s critical to establish trust and assess the situation to propose the right solution. If your loved one is located in Montgomery County, Howard County or Prince George’s County and you would like to schedule an in-home evaluation while you are in town, contact us today.

  • Living At Home With Alzheimer’s

    Living At Home With Alzheimer’s

    For adults with memory impairment like Alzheimer’s, change can be difficult, so it is no surprise that the prospect of moving out of the home and into a care facility is met with resistance. According to research published in the Journal of American Geriatrics, there has been an increased trend for people with dementia to prefer staying at home for as long as possible. However, staying at home presents some significant challenges, particularly for people who live alone. With some awareness and forethought, it is possible to stay at home. Here are some important considerations.

    Managing Activities of Daily Living

    As dementia progresses, many activities of daily living (ADL) become increasingly difficult. From grocery shopping to cleaning, household chores become confusing, and often they are neglected. In addition, personal care like bathing, dressing, and grooming can be forgotten or avoided. As dementia progresses, individuals require increasing assistance with ADLs, which may be beyond the capacity of family, especially if they don’t live together. It’s important to regularly assess the status of ADL abilities and make adjustments to meet increased needs. 

    Assuring Safety

    Individuals with Alzheimer’s suffer from progressive cognitive decline, which impacts many aspects of their safety. Something as simple as remembering to turn off a stove can be a major hazard for someone with memory and focus impairment. Since Alzheimer’s affects older adults, there can be physical challenges that are exacerbated by dementia, such as an inability to problem solve in the event of a medical emergency like a fall or a kitchen accident. Also, dementia can lead to “wandering” – where a person gets lost in their own neighborhood because they simply can’t remember where they live. With care and planning, each of these and many other safety elements can be addressed, and measures can be taken to adapt to increasing impairment as the disease progresses.

    Avoiding Isolation

    Loneliness and isolation are a problem for all people who live alone, but for people living with Alzheimer’s the consequences can have a real, negative impact on their continued ability to live in their own home. A recent Washington Post article identified a significant increase in individuals with Alzheimer’s who experienced isolation due to the COVID-19 protocols. Since dementia can make even simpler technologies difficult to manage, in-person contact is critical to the continued health and well being of people with Alzheimer’s. 

    In order to take care of these and other issues that impact people with Alzheimer’s living at home, we recommend beginning with a thorough assessment by a specialist in geriatric and memory-care concerns. The assessment should look at all of the factors in the home that might pose a difficulty or even a threat. Once the assessment is complete, there are a number of ways to address the findings. In-home care offered by trained specialists like our team at CarePlus Home Health can be an important part of the solution. Located in Montgomery County, our team is highly trained in the care, dignity and safety of our clients with Alzheimer’s. We offer in-home assessments as well as a wide range of customized services to best address the needs of each individual. Contact us to find out how we can help.

  • 3 Qualities to Achieve Excellence in Home Health Care

    3 Qualities to Achieve Excellence in Home Health Care

    More and more adults are choosing to stay in their homes, so they can age in place without the disruption of relocation. Health and safety challenges make this course of action impossible without help, and many people prefer to work with seasoned, trustworthy professionals to make sure their care is appropriate. When selecting home health care, an important balance of factors needs to be considered to make sure the experience is truly supportive. At CarePlus, we believe that quality home health care is made up of multiple factors, and we believe these three are essential.

    Expertise

    In the area of home health care, two types of experience are critical: health and hospitality. Geriatric health is a particular concentration in the medical field, and you want to make sure your caretakers know this area well. It also takes an extra level of compassion, care, and quality to go into a home and seamlessly become a part of daily living for an aging adult. Understanding how to make a home hospitable for an aging homeowner is a key to a successful relationship in home health care. Based on his years of experience in the hospitality industry, CarePlus Founder, Tom Najjar, recognizes the importance of a high level of quality care combined with customer service.

    Dignity

    As people age, their health may gradually decline, or in some instances, experience rapid changes in their health. Adapting to these changes with the help of home health care allows adults to maintain a sense of independence within their limits. With the ability to continue to make lifestyle choices and flexibility with support, as needs increase, adults can feel empowered to live their best lives. CarePlus recognizes these situations and is respectful and fully prepared to provide needed support.

    Comfort

    Whether it’s medication, groceries, a doctor visit or another service, a key to quality home health care is the comfort of the client as well as family and friends, who are concerned about the client’s well-being. Comfort comes in many forms. It can be a knowledgeable, experienced caretaker’s ability to help with medication and the activities of daily living. In addition, it may be the compassionate attitude of a caretaker who truly cares. Being a resource to the family, may also add peace of mind.

    At CarePlus Home Health we stand by our mission to deliver better care for a better life. We understand the trust being placed in our hands when our clients allow us to help them with their needs as they age. We look forward to the opportunity to bring Expertise, Dignity and Comfort to your home or the home of a loved one. For more information about our services, please contact us today.

  • National Family Caregivers Month

    National Family Caregivers Month

    It is no coincidence that the month of November is not only Thanksgiving, but also National Family Caregivers Month.

    Having two very important events in one month, provides us the opportunity to give thanks together with family and friends for all that we are grateful for, as well as the time to honor and thankfamily, friends and colleagues who volunteer their energy to provide care for others.

    Volunteer caregivers contribute countless hours of companionship, support for personal needs, and other related services to help loved ones in need of assistance. Very often these humble volunteers never identify themselves as caregivers, and as a result never take advantage of services and support systems available to them to help support all that they do. Caregivers can find their role rewarding and fatiguing, heartwarming or discouraging, all at the same time.

    Do you know someone who is a tireless caregiver? If so, help celebrate their contributions and thank them for all that they do to help so many in need. Acknowledge that caregiving can be rewarding, but lonely and stressful as well. Let them know that there are people ready to support them as they navigate all of the highs and lows of helping others. Share with them the gift of these Ten Tips from the Caregiver Action Network (caregiveraction.org):

    1. Seek support from other caregivers. You are not alone.

    2. Take care of your own health, so you can be strong enough to take care of your loved one.

    3. Accept offers of help and suggest specific things people can do to help you.

    4. Learn how to communicate effectively with doctors.

    5. Caregiving is hard work so take respite breaks often.

    6. Watch out for signs of depression and don’t delay getting professional help when you need it.

    7. Be open to new technologies to help you care for your loved one.

    8. Organize medical information so it’s up to date and easy to find.

    9. Make sure legal documents are in order.

    10. Give yourself credit for doing the best you can in one of the toughest jobs there is!

    We, too, at CarePlus want to take this opportunity to thank all of the family caregivers for giving so much of themselves to care for others. We know this is not an easy job for you and we are here to help you in a variety of ways. Visit CarePlus Resources Here. Please do not hesitate to contact us for support, resources and services at 301-740-8870.

    At this time of year, all of us at CarePlus want to wish you and your family a very Happy Healthy Thanksgiving filled with joy, good health and fun!