Home Safety Check List for Seniors in Jupiter, Tequesta, Stuart, Palm Beach

Free Downloadable Home Safety Checklist

Do you know what key areas of your home pose the biggest fall risk? Take the guess work out of evaluating safety concerns in your home with our free downloadable Home Safety Checklist. From your bathroom to the exterior of your home and everything in between, use this list to promote the utmost in home safety.

Elderly Fall Prevention Assessment

To download, click the image or click this link.

Want to learn more about fall risk and how certain medical conditions could contribute?  Give us a call for information about a whole range of service we can provide for senior adults who a preferring to live at home, but need home care.

9 Secrets to Increase Joy in the Senior Years

 

How Do Senior's Finish Strong? Joyous Living!

In this time of endless self help books and articles that purport to tell us how to be happy, here are nine lifestyle approaches that are likely to bring us joy. 

1. Let it go - over the last 60 years or so, almost everyone has accumulated a list of mistakes, woes, hurts, enemies, losses, and other negative things.  None of it matters anymore.  If there are still unsettled issues, settle them.  Your life will double in joy if you can leave all that stuff behind.
2. Forgive - 75% of all emotional illness is tied to a failure to forgive others.  Your failure to forgive someone is unlikely to be impacting their life at all.  But it might be making you sick.  You don't need to contact them to forgive them.  Just decide you are no longer going to carry that brick around.
3. Pay it forward - Did you see the movie.  If not, rent it!  You have had many, many good things in your life as a result of others doing things for you out of the kindness of their heart.  Now you can use the gifts, talents, wealth, or other benefits that you have derived to help others.  Do it and find joy.
4. Stay connected - We are social beings, but it is easy to shut all that down.  Relationships take time, emotional work, can result in hurts, and will all eventually end.  Accept those facts and keep in touch with relatives and make new friends. Almost everyone you meet could use another friend. Spread joy.
5. Keep up - The world is changing faster and faster, and it may seem impossible to stay on top of all the new technology, fads, politics, and even your favorite personal pastimes.  Don't let that negative talk in your head stop you.  There is great joy in learning and achieving results.  Take a risk.
6. Keep laughing - You will live longer, happier, more joyfully if you take time to sing, dance, and laugh.  What can you do today to create a few full out belly laughs.  At the very least you can learn the technology to watch some cat videos on your smart phone or iPad. Then help someone else laugh.
7. Practice optimism - Every study shows it.  Optimistic people are more joyful, healthier, and live longer.  Worry never changed a thing.  Pessimistic expectations are wrong more often than optimistic thinking. Changing from negative thinking may be a major effort.  The joy will be worth it.
8. Be thankful - Make lists of things to be thankful for.  Therapists get paid $100's per hour to give that advice.  I just gave it to you for free.  Be thankful for that!  Next, write down the things about your spouse, children, grandchildren, best friend, and others that you are thankful for.  WOW!
9. Ask for help - You might think you are being a burdon to others when you ask for help.  And some folks will give off that vibe.  The truth is that most of us are happy to be asked and to be of help.  Instead of wasting time with senseless unmet needs, ask someone for help and share some joy.

10 Tips for a Festive Fourth of July in Jupiter FL

Not All of Them Have to do With Fireworks!

1. Stay home. What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July in Florida than by staying home and celebrating true independence and the right to do as you wish? Polls and studies consistently show that Americans are overworked, laboring at the office more than people in other countries and more than we should. We suggest you take the day to relax and truly enjoy life with your loved ones. And if those loved ones include some that find it difficult to get around, then your home or theirs may be the perfect place to spend the fourth.

Good Housekeeping

2. Whip up some Fourth of July recipes. You could always go with traditional food fare like hot dogs and hamburgers with a side of potato salad. You could also throw in a colorful concoction like this flag cake from the Food Network or check out their top Fourth of July recipes here. (Or get take-out if cooking stresses you out and you prefer to stick solely with idea No. 1.) 

3. Go to a baseball game. What could be more American than going to a good old fashioned baseball game. This is one of the most traditional American activities. You may be lucky enough to have one nearby that also includes post-game fireworks.

4. Take the time to infuse your home with some red-white-and-blue decor. It can be as simple as going over to your nearest dollar store for a few choice wares, Target or discount stores for more upscale decor, or the crafts store for some supplies to craft your own. There are many places online where you can search for DIY inspiration, including Pinterest and blogs. We found some easy ideas on Good Housekeeping, http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/4th-july-ideas/red-white-and-blue-decorations#slide-1which featured some simple projects, some which could likely be done with items you already have on hand.

5. Throw your own Fourth of July bash. Plan ahead and host a traditional Fourth of July barbecue for your family, friends and neighbors. It is almost a requirement that you do this if you are fortunate enough to have front-row seats to your local fireworks show.

6. Head for the beach. Sure, the beaches are packed on this holiday, but the beaches are always packed when the weather is good, as it often is in Southern California.

7. Hit the road or hop on a plane. Whether you decide to stay within driving distance or to hop on a plane, keep in mind that Fourth of July is traditionally the busiest travel day in the summer and plan accordingly. (Thanksgiving is the busiest overall).

8. Check out your local parade. You can find more bells and whistles at parades hosted by larger cities, but the smaller, local parade is a great way to show your support for the local community groups and businesses who usually stage the annual parade in your local community.

9. Avoid traffic jams by staying home and watching one of several TV show marathons that are usually offered on this holiday. Past Fourth of July marathons have included shows such as Twilight Zone, Gidget, Storage Wars, Star Trek - The Next Generation and America’s Funniest Home Videos.

10. Fireworks. What would Fourth of July be without fireworks? After you’ve done all or some of the above, the best way to ponder the many freedoms we have thanks to the Declaration of Independence is by enjoying a good fireworks show.

Let us know if we can be of any help with home health care in Stuart, Jupiter, or Palm Gardens areas during this holiday or as vacations create changing circumstances.  

10 Tips to Choosing Your Home Care Service Provider near Jupiter FL

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If you are the Primary Caregiver for a family member, your Home Care Services choice could improve your quality of life

You mom wants to stay at home and you really want to accommodate her. The reality is that if she's going to be at home, there is going to have to be some level of help from a home care service provider.  This post is for the caregiver who, like you, has made the decision to bring in a companion, aide or nurse, depending on the level of care needed.  Now what?

If you've already tried a couple of people, or if you've only heard bad stories from others, you know that there are plenty of challenges in the selection of a Home Care Agency.  

You can avoid all of the headaches by hiring an agency to provide you with a home caregiver.  The advantages of using an agency are many:

• If  your mom doesn't like the caregiver,  request another one 
• You can provide the agency with your specific requirements and the agency will meet them 
• All insurance, government issues, employee benefits and payroll taxes are handled by the private agency
• If the caregiver misses a day, the agency will provide back up
• The agency will require a background and drug check. before hiring the applicant

How do you select an agency to insure that the points in Tip 4 are going to be routinely handled, efficiently and in a timely fashion?   

• Ask friends and family if they have had experience with any local agencies.
• Check online for Home Care in your area.  

What are the resources that the agency is offering?  Will they be able to provide you with skilled nursing if necessary?  A top agency should be able to offer all of the following:

• Nurse oversight on every case
• A Nurse Assessment and a Plan of Care created to start every new client
• A Nurse reassessment completed approximately every 60 days to monitor any changes with the client
• Guarantee caregiver/Client compatibility
• Being available 24/7 to answer questions or open a case
• Sitter/Companion Care
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• Registered Nurse
• Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapist

Don't hesitate to call BrightStar Home Care in Jupiter. We are passionate about caring for people needing assistance in our community.  We are a Joint Commission Accredited Private Duty Home Care Agency that offers unskilled and skilled services to Northern Palm Beach and Martin Counties.  Bright offers quality care in your home or a facility. We can be reached 24/7 at 561-741-1200 to answer questions or open a case.

Take a Break from TV, Mom. Let's Play a Game

Memory Games and Activities for Seniors in Jupiter FL

As we age, our eye sight might weaken, our sense might not be as strong as they once were, our bodies change. One of the most recognized changes in some seniors and adults as they age are cognitive. So what if there was a way to “exercise” to promote brain fitness? Here are some helpful activities that are geared toward doing just that.

 
Memory Games and Activities for Seniors from BrightStar Care

Caregiver Resource List for Assisting Home Health Care Needs

 12 Great Resources for Caregivers Near Jupiter FL

Having a handy list of trusted resources can be very helpful.  Whether you are a senior, or one who is providing care for a senior, the following great organizations can help you with issues you are facing today.

12 Resources for Caregivers from BrightStar Care

If we can be of any assistance to you regarding any of these resources or just help out by listening to your needs and concerns.  Do give us a call. 

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When you are considering care options for a loved one in need of assistance we are happy to guide you through the different opportunities available. Our goal is to help you get to the point where you can make the right educated decision that will produce the most positive results … even if that decision ends up being something other than Home Care. What is best for you and your loved one is our number one priority. We are available 24/7 to take your call (561-741-1200) and there is no charge or obligation.

BrightStar of Jupiter/Martin County 

Address: 725 North A1A suite E-104

Jupiter, FL 33477

11 Ways to Make Any Home More Senior-friendly

George Burns really knew how to turn a phrase, and he somehow managed to live it out to the ripe old age of 100 on the nose.  So, if we are trying to use fewer steps, and take those steps more carefully in our dotage, what can we do to make the home more convenient, safer, easier?

According to disabled-world.com, there are simple things to remember to make your home more senior-friendly:

1. Carpeting in the home should be low-profile. The padding should be no more than 3/8″ thick. This makes it easier to navigate with a walker or wheelchair and makes up for poor balance.
2. Doors should be wide enough to allow access for a wheelchair or walker.
3. If the home has stairs, make sure there’s at least one handrail that goes the full length of the stairs. And the stairwell should have adequate lighting.
4. A walk-in shower is preferred to a standard tub. If a standard tub is used, a tub bar clamp can be securely attached to the side of the tub and help with going in and out safely.
5. Toilets that are a few inches taller are becoming the standard in newer homes.
6. Look for storage space and cabinets that are within easy reach. A suction tip “reacher” can help retrieve items out of reach.
7. A side-by-side refrigerator is often a good choice, as many more items can be placed within easy reach and the doors are not as wide.
8. Islands for food preparation are typically taller than the counters, which allows for better access while standing.
9. A front-loading washer and dryer mounted on stands takes the bending and lifting out of doing laundry.
10. Electric stoves are safer to use than gas stoves, as people often lose the ability to smell as they age.
11. If there are steps going into the home and a walker or wheelchair is needed, a ramp, either temporary or permanent, can be used.