Hiring an in home care provider helps your aging loved one to feel independent and not a burden on the family. It allows the family members to spend less time as caregivers and more time in meaningful companionship with their loved one.

There are some questions to ask yourself before you make the final decision on whether home health care is the right choice.

• Where is the home located? Will your loved one still be able to enjoy some of the activities they could do when they were more mobile, even with the assistance of a home care helper?
• Will your loved ones friends and social support group come to your loved one’s home to visit?
• Are the needs of your loved one within the range of what home care services can offer?

If your senior only needs minor help with daily tasks, then using one of the in-home care service providers would have its advantages.

Your aging loved one would:

• Have the daily help and assistance they require.
• Be able to continue enjoying the peace and security of living in his or her home.
• Feel a renewed sense of independence, while having confidence that their needs are being met.
• Enjoy peace of mind that they are not burdening loved ones with caregiving tasks.
• Enjoy the health that is a result of taking their medications according to schedule.
• Have the nutritious, healthy home cooked meals that will continue to provide the nutrition they need at this time of their recovery or their maintained health.
• Not feel self-conscious because they can’t keep up their personal hygiene tasks by themselves.
• Feel confident in having visitors come over because their home is kept neat and tidy.

All of these advantages of having some assistance with daily chores and activities really boost the morale of your aging loved one. They will learn to trust and appreciate their care provider and will be so thankful that they are able to continue on living at home as they always did before. And you will enjoy peace of mind that they are getting the help and attention they need and deserve.

If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of home care services in The Woodlands, TX contact the caregivers at Synergy Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (281) 407-1200 for more information.

Chad Jolley holding the 2012 and 2013 Best in Home Care awards

Houston, TX – SYNERGY HomeCare of Northwest Houston today announced it is the recipient of the “Best of Home Care” Provider of Choice award from Home Care Pulse. Created to identify private duty home care agencies that demonstrate a passion for client satisfaction, the “Best of Home Care” Provider of Choice award distinguishes the top agencies within the industry.

“SYNERGY HomeCare of Northwest Houston is thrilled to be recognized by Home Care Pulse as a “Best of Home Care” agency,” said Chad Jolley, owner of SYNERGY HomeCare of Northwest Houston. “We are fully invested in the success of our caregivers, whose experience and passion allows us to deliver expert service to each of our clients on a daily basis.”

The selection process for the “Best of Home Care” Provider of Choice award includes the evaluation of client satisfaction in areas such as effective communication, overall quality of care, caregiver performance, response to problems and recommendation of services, to name a few. SYNERGY HomeCare of Northwest Houston was recognized for being the best in the following categories: Work Ethic, Timeliness of Caregivers, Knowledge of Caregivers, Appropriate Appearance, Recommend Agency and Overall Quality of Service.

“Delivering the best quality of care to our clients and their families is the very foundation of SYNERGY HomeCare,” said Peter Tourian, founder and CEO of SYNERGY HomeCare. “We are honored that Home Care Pulse has recognized this commitment and we look forward to continually meeting and exceeding our client’s expectations.”

An agency recognized as a “Best of Home Care” Provider of Choice by Home Care Pulse is best-in-class for quality care, with client satisfaction scores ranking in the top percentile nationally in one or more categories.

To learn more about SYNERGY HomeCare of Northwest Houston, please contact Chad Jolley at (281) 999-2273 or cajolley@shc-nwhouston.com.

ABOUT SYNERGY HOMECARE

SYNERGY HomeCare is a national franchise of non-medical home care dedicated to providing exceptional and affordable service to anyone of any age. SYNERGY HomeCare caregivers are available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, to those in need – including seniors, expectant moms, those suffering from sports injuries and debilitating illnesses, and more. Founded in 2000 in Mesa, Ariz., SYNERGY HomeCare has become one of the fastest growing franchises in the nation operating 235 units serving 37 states across the U.S. For additional information, please visit www.SynergyHomeCare.com.

About Home Care Pulse

Home Care Pulse was launched in 2008 and is a company specializing in measuring and benchmarking client and employee satisfaction for private duty home care agencies. Recently Home Care Pulse conducted the largest study ever performed on behalf of the private duty industry. Home Care Pulse helps agencies promote and drive business, improve service quality and increase employee loyalty. Visit www.homecarepulse.com for more information.

As her baby shower approached, Mandy noticed that her mother was the more withdrawn. She did not seem as excited to talk about the festivities as she had hoped her mother would be, and even discussed potentially missing the party. When she delved deeper into these feelings Mandy discovered that Sandra was worried she was going to ruin her daughter’s shower with her mobility issues and other needs. She did not want to be a burden, and detract from the exciting celebration of the baby.

Mandy decided that she needed to do something about this. She contacted the senior care services agency in her area and inquired about hiring a home care services companion to be present at the baby shower. She had been the primary care provider for her mother for nearly two years and was familiar with the type of care and assistance she needed on a regular basis. She also knew that this type of care could be a major disruption to a party being held in her honor. Regardless of how she felt about taking the time to help her mother, Mandy knew Sandra would be resistant about taking the attention away from her daughter.

The home care provider came the day before the party to meet Sandra. They got along wonderfully, and Mandy helped her get used to the various needs that she generally helped her mother fulfill. This included helping her get around, providing some basic help in the bathroom and giving reminders when it was time to take her medication. At the baby shower Sandra was able to enjoy the festivities without feeling as though she was a burden, and Mandy felt confident her mother was getting the care that she needed. The help was so successful they hired the caregiver full time for after the baby was born.

If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of home care services in Spring, TX contact the caregivers at Synergy Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (281) 407-1200 for more information.

Not is often discussed as other diseases and issues of elder care, Huntington’s disease is a genetic, neurodegenerative disease that leads to both physical and mental deterioration caused by the brain progressively losing neurons. This progressive disease arranges in symptoms from relatively minor to completely debilitating. The earliest symptoms that are notice are generally reduced coordination and difficulty walking steadily. These symptoms will progress to eventually include cognitive decline, memory loss, psychiatric issues and behavioral troubles.

There are many ways that the Huntington’s Disease Society of America helps to raise awareness and education regarding this disease. Every year during Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month the organization takes out television ad space as well as print space to spread the word about the disease, and encourage elder care providers and other health care providers to remain vigilant of care they provide and aware of the symptoms of their loved ones are exhibiting so that Huntington’s disease can be detected early and inappropriate course of treatment and management can be put into place.

If you are interested in participating in a community event regarding Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month, contact the elderly care services agency in your area to find out if they are participating in any such events. If they are not, you may also wish to contact the local chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America to find out where you can become involved in an event. If no such events exist in your community, don’t hesitate to start one of your own. As an elder care community, we are responsible for coming together and helping everyone manage the disease’s and conditions that their loved ones are facing. Every major event starts with one idea, so find your way to become involved. This can be as simple as volunteering at a health fair or as much as starting a chapter of the society and leading your own fund and awareness raising efforts.

If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of elder care in Katy, TX contact the caregivers at Synergy Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (281) 407-1200 for more information.

There are many Mother’s Day crafts that you, your aging mother, and your children can do together to spend a fun Mother’s Day afternoon together and create memories that will last a lifetime. These crafts are simple to do, and can be easily modified to meet the limitations and capabilities of both your aging mother and the younger generations of your family.

Some of these crafts include:

• Cut simple flower shapes out of construction paper. Push a pipe cleaner through the center of the flower shape and roll it down to create the center of the flower. These paper flowers can then be decorated with glitter, colored glue and other embellishments.
• Create silly spring bonnets by decorating paper plates with cut out construction paper shapes, stickers, glitter, pom-poms and other embellishments. Use a hole punch to create a whole on either side of the plate and weave yarn through, tying a knot to that will secure the yarn in place. This becomes the chinstrap of the spring bonnets.
• Create “stained glass” art by using a craft knife to cut shapes out of two pieces of black construction paper, gluing pieces of colored tissue paper over the shapes on one, and then covering it with the other piece of construction paper. Make sure that the shapes line up and glue the entire project together. These can be hung in windows and will fill the rooms of your home with colored light.

Setting up several fun activities to do together is a wonderful way to make a Mother’s Day you can all remember. Encourage your children and your aging loved on to write their names on their projects, along with the date. This way you can keep your projects for years to come and remember the time you spent together. When your children get older they will cherish the projects they made with their grandmother. Be sure to take plenty of pictures while you are creating the projects and after of the finished crafts with the creator.

If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of caregivers in NW Houston, TX contact the caregivers at Synergy Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (281) 407-1200 for more information.

Here are some simple senior care tips for making sure your aging loved one drives safely:

• Your aging loved one should avoid driving at night, particularly if her sight is failing
• Your aging loved one should avoid driving during bad weather
• Your aging loved one should always have the headlights on. Most vehicles on the road stay automatically keep the headlights on, but if your aging loved one drives an older model, you may need to remind her to turn the lights on
• Make sure that your loved one’s vehicle is kept in good working condition at all times
• If possible, replace your aging loved one’s manual transmission vehicle with one that has an automatic transmission
• Remind your aging loved one to always wear a seat belt. Most still remember a time when wearing a seat belt was optional, so it is important for senior care providers to consistently remind their loved ones that wearing a seat belt is not only required by law, it is also a critical step in keeping them safe
• Ensure your aging loved one does not drive if she is not feeling well, particularly if she is feeling lightheaded or weak
• Always make sure your aging loved one knows where she is going, it is familiar with the route she is going to be taking. Request she tells you where she is driving and how she will get there so it is easier to find her in the event of an emergency
• Very carefully review the labels of all prescription medications to ensure they do not have warnings against operating a motor vehicle
• Regularly bring your aging loved one in for hearing and vision tests to make sure she maintains sharp enough senses to keep up with the responsibility of driving.

If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of senior care in Cypress, TX contact the caregivers at Synergy Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (281) 407-1200 for more information.

Diagnosis of the disease can be difficult because there is no laboratory test that can be used to identify the disease. Brain scans, however, are frequently used to eliminate the possibility of other diseases that may manifest in similar symptoms. If Parkinson’s is suspected, the patient may be given a drug known as levodopa. If this medication works to provide relief of the involuntary movements and motor impairment the diagnosis is considered confirmed. This drug works to replace the dopamine in the brain that has been lost due to the rampant cell death. Because even this diagnosis is not necessarily fool-proof, most experts recommend that patients having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease be reviewed periodically to ensure that the disease is progressing in such a way that it can still be considered Parkinson’s. The only true proof of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis is autopsy of the brain.

In the early stages of the disease, the senior will likely be able to care for himself normally, but as the disease progresses he will need more assistance taking care of his daily needs. When this time comes, home care services can be truly invaluable. An in home care provider offers ongoing care and assistance to seniors coping with Parkinson’s disease so they are able to maintain as much independence as possible and move through the progression of the disease with grace and dignity.

An in home care provider will be present in the home to help seniors cope with the symptoms of the disease, as well as the often-disorienting side effects of the dopamine-replacement drugs prescribed for these patients. Home care providers will help the senior cope with the physical challenges he is facing, as well as the onset of psychological and behavioral concerns as they arise for a more comfortable and productive quality of life.

If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of home care services in NW Houston, TX contact the caregivers at Synergy Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (281) 407-1200 for more information.

Easy microwave meals are a fabulous way for you to fill your loved one’s refrigerator and freezer with accessible, balanced and simple to prepare meals that she can choose from whenever she is hungry. This is also a great opportunity for you to ensure that your loved one is adhering to dietary guidelines given by her physician and eating a well-balanced and nutritionally beneficial diet on a regular basis without her having to try to plan and prepare complex meals on her own.

Dedicate one day every two weeks to preparing several bulk meals you can then divide into individual servings and freeze. Consider using strips of masking tape and permanent marker to write reheating instructions on the packages. This will help your loved one prepare her meals independently whenever she feels hungry.

To create a truly complete meal, also consider creating individually-packaged salads that can be stored in the refrigerator. Small zipper bags of portioned dressing make it easy for your senior to enjoy fresh vegetables before dinner or as a light lunch with a pouch of tuna.

For easy meal preparation and storage, consider mainly casseroles and combination meals such as lasagna that contain several of the food groups, but do not need to be separated when heating.

Here are some tips for creating delicious, nutritious microwave meals for your aging loved one:

• Use microwavable plastic containers rather than glass or ceramic that will be much hotter when taken out of the microwave.
• Remember to include wait times on your instructions so that your loved one remembers not to take the meal right out of the microwave when it is finished cooking.
• Store the meal in the same dish in which it will be reheated, and wrap it only in material that can be microwaved safely.
• Use seasonal ingredients and buy in bulk in order to save money on the preparation of several meals at once.
• Since you will be freezing the meals once cooked do not hesitate to take advantage of the fantastic savings offered on bulk and manager’s special meats.

If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of elderly care services in Cypress, TX contact the caregivers at Synergy Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (281) 407-1200 for more information.