Isn’t eldercare a challenge that every person faces or has to face? Taking care of aging parents, an elderly loved one, an elderly spouse or a close friend could mean a responsibility, and it can happen suddenly too. An aging mother has broken a bone, or a spouse has just wandered off and got lost.  Such incidents could lead you to uncertainty, and just taking care of such people would make you think of eldercare.

Often a crisis hits a family and the aging mother or father is in need of long term care.  Besides,  in the natural process of getting old, the elderly start showing signs of mishaps.   There may be illnesses, weight loss and there may be several other warning signs to indicate that they are in need of special help from you.

Professional Help

For some people eldercare comes naturally, because they are temperamentally patient and have knowledge of nursing.  But even that may not help, if the problem is serious and needs outside help like a rehab facility or a nursing home to recover.  Get help from friends and there are institutions and centers like the Elder Care Support Group or Daily Living Solutions.

Look for practical and affordable solutions.  Eldercare does not mean that you have to do everything with your own hands because you love your mother very much and want to take care of her.  Be practical and look for home medical equipment, if it is necessary or home health care products, which will make life easier for you.

There are Support Groups for eldercare, where you can meet and discuss your problems with them, because they have already solved eldercare problems. Share your experiences with them and learn from theirs, their problems could be similar to yours. In this way you can fulfill the special needs and requirements of your loved one.

Changing Society

In traditional society eldercare was the responsibility of the extended family.  Since families have become small, their living space restricted and  life expectancy of the elderly has increased, there has been a rise of homes for the elderly like seniors apartment complexes, old peoples’ homes or charitable institutions.

Eldercare not only includes  medical care but also  social care that the family and loved ones can give the elderly. It is important that there is an element of love and care in their  eldercare, and that it is not looked down just as a responsibility to be dealt with mechanically.   It can be a case of elder abuse, if there is no personal touch to eldercare.

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In a depraved scheme to defraud his centenarian mother, Anthony Marshall was found guilty in a classic case of elder abuse.

Famous philanthropist Brooke Astor died in 2007 at the age of 105. But before the long-reigning matriarch passed away, her son had been systematically defrauding her, and had schemed to steal tens of millions of dollars while she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in the waning days of her life.
Her son, Arthur D. Marshall, 85, was convicted on October 8, 2009, after the elaborate scheme was uncovered, revealing a monstrous and classic case of financial elder abuse. Mr. Marshall was convicted of first degree grand larceny for giving himself a retroactive lump sum of about $1,000,000 for managing his mother’s finances. He was found guilty of 14 of 16 counts against him. He was acquitted of a separate first-degree grand larceny charge for selling a Childe Hassam painting that his mother owned for $10 million and keeping a $2 million commission on the sale. The other acquittal was on a lesser charge of falsifying business records.

This recent verdict by a Manhattan jury is like a “highlight film” spotlighting the all-too-pervasive abuse of our elders. While child and even animal abuse grabs all the headlines, elder abuse tends to escape media scrutiny. The wealthy are not the only victims. The National Center for Elder Abuse reports that “between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection.”

Financial abuse of elders is generally under-reported in our culture for a number of reasons. While shame and fear of losing final shreds of personal dignity are often involved, the most significant reason for its hidden nature is that such abuse is invisible - leaving no obvious scars to alert caring friends and family. “Caring” is a key adjective here, as in most cases of financial exploitation the perpetrator is a family member, often the victim’s own son or daughter.

Financial elder abuse or exploitation can be prevented. Make your own decisions about choosing physical and financial caretakers. The best way to achieve this is by executing a nomination of conservator, health care directive, and durable power of attorney. These three simple documents can allow you to select the best person to care for you and manage your finances - when the time comes when you can’t. These three documents can also give you the most important intangible of all: peace of mind.

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Gene Osofsky is an East Bay elder law attorney in California. Gene Osofsky specializes in Medi-Cal planning, wills, probate, trusts, nursing home issues, special needs planning, and disability planning. To learn more about elder law and The Law Offices of Osofsky & Osofsky, visit Lawyerforseniors.com.

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Senior home care is not a one-size-fits-all situation. You have to determine the level of care that your senior needs in terms of medical or daily functioning assistance. This obviously is quite a responsibility that can cause you much stress and anxiety. Understand that there are wonderful organizations that will help you make the correct decision for your senior in regards to daily living arrangements.
Learning the skills to caregive
You have probably been thrust into the role of caregiver on short notice. Perhaps a medical crisis or a sudden change in your elderly parent’s health has caused this change. Most people are not equipped with the skills to properly caregive the senior in their life. Fortunately, experience caregivers can mentor you so you are able to give the best Senior Home Care. For example, they will come to your home and evaluate your senior’s particular needs and draw a plan. The plan will instruct you in specific of daily care that you should perform.
Asking for Assistance from Professionals
It can become exceedingly overwhelming to take care of an elderly parent when combined with a full-time job and family commitments. You have children or teenagers who demand a lot of your attention, whether at school or extracurricular functions. You have to understand that it is acceptable to ask for help. You cannot be everything to everyone. Sooner or later you will fail. One way to ease your burden is to delegate some Senior Assisted Living duties to an organization that you have thoroughly evaluated and have met your standards. For example, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) or Geriatric Nursing Assistants (GNA) could assist with personal care services such as accompanying your senior to doctor appointments, personal care and hygiene, light housekeeping, meal preparation, bathing and dressing, range of motion exercises or simply to keep your loved one company during the day.
Respite Care
Additionally, respite care is offered so that you may get out of the house to go grocery shopping or to your own doctor’s appointment. Respite care allows for Senior Home Care on an hourly, daily or monthly basis.
Medical Assistance
Part of the stress with a senior is making sure that his or her medical needs are being addressed. Post operative rehabilitation may take place in Assisted Living Homes where trained medical professional can monitor the patient’s progress and recuperation.

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Specialty Care Services is a licensed nursing provider offering a wide range of innovative and cost home care services in the Maryland, Washington, DC and Northern Virginia areas.

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