Keet is a home helper in Manhattan, NY for Lo, an 81-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease. Here they are just goofing off in a hospital that Lo is recovering from a mini stroke. Lo was complaining about being bored in bed so they switched places.

Americans are aging quickly, and that means there is a great need for elder services. According to a recent estimate by The National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP, the number of Americans providing home care to an individual in need has surpassed 65 million.

Generally speaking, home helpers live fairly close to the person to whom they are providing care, out of basic necessity. For example, if one sibling lives closer to an ailing parent than the others, then it’s likely that the responsibility for providing in-home care will rest on his or her shoulders.

However, for a whopping seven million Americans, the commute to the home in which they provide care takes longer than an hour. These findings, reported by The National Institute on Aging, shed light on what is an increasing problem in companion care.

In situations of long distance between caregiver and patient, it is recommended that there be as much communication as possible, be it by telephone or a webcam. This will enable family members to detect problems as they are developing, before it becomes too late to treat effectively.

Another piece of advice offered in such situations is to enlist the support of someone who lives closer to your patient, whether it be a friend or a neighbor. Have them check up on your loved one periodically, simply to ensure that everything is running smoothly.

The best support, though, often comes in the form of home care agencies who can provide aides to stay with your loved one. Often considerably cheaper than a nursing home or other out-of-house alternatives, home care nurses can provide first-rate care at inexpensive prices.

For many caregivers struggling with the long commute, home care agencies have become the preferred option. It enables long distance caregivers to stay where they are, while ensuring that their loved ones have the care and attention that they deserve.

For more on this article, please visit: Home Health Care: Peace of Mind for Long-Distance Caregivers

Providing care for seniors is becoming easier for families who are looking for quality home care without resorting to hiring professional caregiving assistance. This is because there are now academic programs which offer family members the knowledge necessary to provide first-rate care for their elders.

One such program is at the Valley colleges in Arizona, with others sprinkling up all over the United States. By participating in these programs, family caregivers are given the foundation necessary to provide long term home care to their loved ones.

For example, students in the Valley program learn to recognize key infections, as well as to perform basic tasks such as how to take a patient’s blood pressure and monitor their vital signs. This is in addition to learning tasks related to providing home care such as toileting, bathing, etc. After graduating from the program, alumni are qualified to provide home care to seniors.

With the number of aging Americans soaring, there is an increased demand for quality home care. Not only is it the preferred options for most seniors, it is often significantly cheaper than its alternatives, such as a nursing home or other residential care facilities.

As such, there is a great demand for these programs which provide family members the ability to provide home care assistance to the elderly. Nonetheless, many are expressing hesitancy towards the growth of these programs, warning that providing home care requires a great deal of emotional and physical strength.
Other times, family caregivers place their full attention on their suffering loved ones, and fail to take their own physical and emotional health into consideration. As such, providing home care is not an option for everyone, and for many families home care agencies can provide a satisfactory alternative.

In any event, one fact is absolutely clear: the growth of these programs reflects the increasing demand for in-home caregiving.

For more on this article, visit: Family members take medical training to be home caregivers | South Florida home care agency

Researchers in Switzerland are claiming to have found a way to combat Alzheimer’s disease, without causing unintended harm to the human body. This is perceived as a major breakthrough in the struggle to find a cure for the disease which affects tens of millions worldwide. Essentially, the breakthrough drug is able to destroy the toxic plaques in the brain responsible for causing Alzheimer’s symptoms without affecting other areas in the brain.

According to Dirk Beher, one of authors of the report describing the groundbreaking research, this progress has been reached through an acute understanding of how a certain enzyme functions. The enzyme, gamma secretase, which is responsible for destroying brain cells, can now be partially tempered. The researchers are hopeful that this will allow for even greater progress in curing Alzheimer’s, offering a breath of fresh air to loved ones and caregivers of those suffering from the debilitating condition.

This breakthrough is significant because earlier trials of this drug were deemed failures in 2010, due to the harmful side effects which included skin cancer and internal bleeding. This enzyme has been researched in relation to treating Alzheimer’s for more than a decade, and finally the breakthrough has been achieved. The research, performed at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, explains how the buildup of certain plaque leads to Alzheimer’s.

The new drug affects the enzyme which cuts APP, the protein which causes the dangerous clumping of plaque. By doing so, the researchers hope to be able to prevent the clumping which brings on Alzheimer’s disease, without causing any detrimental effects to seniors. According to the head researcher at Alzheimer's Research UK, Dr. Simon Ridley, the impressive nature of the drug is in how selectively it modifies the key enzyme without affecting other areas.

For more on this article, go to: Alzheimer's cure is close: Experts hail new drug breakthrough | Alzheimer's and Dementia News

With the American population aging rapidly, there has been a significant increase in the demand for in-home caregiving. Although homecare is consistently found to be the preferred option of seniors, it is a form of care which often places a large amount of unintended strain on the patient’s loved ones.

This is not a problem to be underestimated, as the phenomenon of “caregiver distress” is a condition that is becoming as frequent as it is harmful. The high level of responsibility and the sheer pressure in caring for a loved one can have unfortunate consequences for the caregiver.

 According to one recent study on this subject, there were indications of depression in more than half of the caregivers entrusted with providing care to individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s. Often, this immense burden of caregiving can result in physical symptoms as well, including diabetes, heart disease, and other dangerous conditions.

Moreover, this is by no means a small minority of in-home caregivers. Thirty-seven percent of caregivers reported experiencing depression, while a whopping seventy-four percent reported sensations of severe fatigue. Nearly one out of three in-home caregivers gained weight while caregiving.

Certain individuals are more liable to experience these immense levels of stress, including women who are more likely to experience an increase in their blood sugar and insulin levels, worse cholesterol, and higher levels of psychological distress. Caregivers who themselves are dealing with their own medical conditions are also more likely to develop negative symptoms as a result of increased stress.

Fortunately, there is an affordable alternative form of in-home caregiving, and that is to seek out the help of a homecare agency. In recent years, technological advancements have enabled an extremely high level of care at low costs to seniors and their loved ones. Agencies can provide the care that seniors require, without experiencing any unintended stress that currently plagues many caregivers.

 The senior home care services sector has experienced consistent growth in recent times, and this is a trend that shows no signs of letting up. According to the latest jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the numbers of jobs in the home healthcare sector continues to increase at a remarkable rate.
The jobs report indicates that in July of 2013, the sector added a considerable 3,900 jobs. These numbers are even more significant when you factor into this equation that the employment numbers in competing sectors, such as in nursing homes, hospitals and other care facilities, continue to decline.

As Americans continue to age, the home healthcare industry is booming corresponding to the increase in demand. In fact, the overall growth in the entire health sector—which the BLS reported as 2,500 jobs—is largely the result of the surge in senior home care services. Otherwise, the health industry would have experienced a loss of approximately two thousand jobs.

This increase in the demand for elderly home care services is expected to continue, as seniors overwhelmingly prefer home care to the alternatives. Based on one analysis by the strategists of the acclaimed Avalere Health company, jobs in the home care sector will grow at a rate 5.5 times more quickly than all non-farm industries over the next several years. Considering that many sectors are in a stage of steep decline, economists are looking at home care agencies with a hopeful eye.

Not only are home healthcare services the preferred option for seniors, they are consistently found to be cost-effective and even adhere to higher clinical standards. There was a time when safe treatment was relegated to nursing homes and hospitals, but with recent technological advancements, quality home care is a viable alternative for an increasing number of Americans.

For more on the article, please visit: Home healthcare sector: A steady source of job growth, employment in healthcare field.