New adult respite service in northern Michigan

Written on August 9, 2011 by in caregivers religious, dementia, family caregivers, finding local resources, taking care of parents

My friend Vicki Collins, with the Oceana County Council on Aging, informed me yesterday of a new adult respite service called “Our Friend’s House”. It is located in Hart, Michigan. Their mission is to ‘..provide exceptional adult day care in a home-like, safe, and welcoming setting; with activities provided by professional and compassionate staff”. This is the only respite service in Oceana County, a lovely area 30 minutes north of Muskegon MI.

Who would benefit from respite care? Any family caregivers who need a safe and nurturing space for their care recipients for short-term periods. Vicki told me that she was very happy with the staff’s skill level. She is very enthusiastic about how Our Friend’s House will provide value to the area and serve her community’s elders and their caregivers.

In addition to operating Our Friend’s House, the OCCOA provides numerous other services to the county’s senior population. For more information, go to www.oceanacountycouncilonaging.com or call Vicki at 231-873-4461.

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Senior Citizen Lip Dub

Written on July 21, 2011 by in family caregivers, taking care of parents

Grand Rapids’ local Clark Retirement Community produced a sweet lip-dub video in July 2011. The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ7-n930zJo. The video simply underscores how expectations for our elders need to change. The stars of this video are independent but not without their medical issues. As Baby Boomers begin to move into senior housing, you can expect many forms of expression similar to this video. Enjoy it and think about what joy you can bring to seniors in your community.

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Hospice is a consoling alternative to hospitals

Written on April 1, 2011 by in caregivers religious, family caregivers, finding local resources, taking care of parents

Hospice services are becoming increasing prevalent around the country. When you face an imminent end-of-life situation, hospice services provide medical and social support to enable one’s final days to be spent comfortably, and often, at home. Look up your local hospice providers (there may be more than one in your community) and learn more about this consoling alternative.

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so what’s new for 2011

Written on January 3, 2011 by in emergency response services PERS, family caregivers, taking care of parents

So many things are hopping around, looking for daylight, in the senior home technology field. A few things for you to watch for:

  • Cell phone manufacturers are paying attention to the senior market after all. The Jitterbug and others continue to evolve in ways that make sense for the senior user; larger buttons and louder speakers. An earlier critique on this blog still points out very important cell phone shortfalls but they are improving. And a very welcome development for help button users; some new emergency buttons are capable of activating a senior’s cell phone in order to call for help. Keep watching the SafeCall site. We will soon be featuring one such system.
  • GPS technology continues to find its way into more devices. The CareLink MobileHelp emergency medical alarm is an early implementer of GPS-tracking. We’ve been using our test model and its accuracy is incredible — within 30-40 feet as displayed on a Google Map. Very cool. This has very positive implications for active, mobile people who are concerned about their health. Reassurance now knows no limits.
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A recent letter from a client’s daughter…

Written on October 21, 2010 by in emergency response services PERS, family caregivers, taking care of parents

It’s always exciting to know first-hand when your company really hits the mark. Here are a few comments from a recent letter sent to us by Marianne, a client’s daughter:
“SafeCall saved my mother a night of excruciating pain the night she fell. You provide an awesome service. They (SafeCall’s operators) treat you like family. Mom told all her friends about your service”.
Thank you Marianne. Your kind comments are appreciated and we hope that your mother recovers from her fall.

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Health Fair this week

Written on September 27, 2010 by in caregivers religious, emergency response services PERS, family caregivers, finding local resources, taking care of parents

SafeCall will be at the Calvary Church Health Expo at 707 E. Beltline NE in Grand Rapids on Thursday, September 30, 2010 from noon to 8pm.. Sanford Freed will be presenting home safety tips for seniors. If you’re in the area, stop by, say hi and learn how you can keep your loved ones safe in their home. Admission is free.

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Do You Love Little Dogs?

Written on August 25, 2010 by in Uncategorized

I love dogs. However, a recent call about an elderly woman and her dogs made me just shake my head with frustration. The caller told me that her mother had suffered two falls AND two back surgeries due to tripping over her little dogs. ‘They scamper about and are always underfoot’ she said. Would your mother consider getting rid of them, I asked. Oh no, she replied, she just LOVES HER DOGS!!! Yep, loves them more than independence itself I guess.
SafeCall does a great job of keeping people safe at home but you gotta wanna be safe in the first place, don’t you?

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Technology vs. human touch

Written on August 4, 2010 by in emergency response services PERS, family caregivers, medication dispensers, taking care of parents

There is healthy skepticism over the role of technology in serving our aging loved ones. Let’s not confuse technology with human connections. Talking to a friendly voice over a speaker is a distant second to being in the same room with a caregiver, even if the caregiver isn’t a close friend or family. People need people. Current research states that people with the most human connections are happiest.
That said, let’s understand the true value of emergency help buttons, pill reminders and the full array of medical alarms. Technology serves us very well as a monitoring and alerting platform. I think the biggest growth in serving the elderly comes from providing the human touch. That’s why there are so many private duty home care agencies in business today. Private duty caregivers don’t provide medical care, generally. They do provide companionship, help with chores, and other household needs. Technology dealers, myself included, need to find the balance point, not the tipping point.

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A recent testimonial

Written on July 7, 2010 by in Uncategorized

Like to share a letter that arrived today. The client used the CareLink Prestige service which supervised a MedReady medication dispenser.
“Dear SafeCall Team,
Thank you so much for the care and support you have provided for my mother Alma. It has been a relief to the family in knowing she was with the SafeCall team when we couldn’t always be with her. Your staff has always been very pleasant when we would contact to let them know she would not be home at a certain medicine time.
The installer was very pleasant in setting up the system for us and when picking it up.
Our family has truly appreciated the service, and will continue to spread the word to others who may need the same assistance”.
Signed,
Kristine, Alma’s daughter

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Visit Seniors Helping Seniors booth-Grand Rapids Women’s Expo

Written on March 3, 2010 by in caregivers religious, emergency response services PERS, finding local resources, taking care of parents

SafeCall will partner with the Grand Rapids office of Seniors Helping Seniors who is hosting a booth (#513) at the West Michigan Women’s Expo, March 12-14, 2010 at the DeVos Place.

Have you seen how many seniors have started to play the Wii? Have you tried it?  Well, you can give Wii bowling a try at the Seniors Helping Seniors booth. All you have to do is knock down a pin for a chance to win one of the many prizes that will be appreciated by seniors and by their caregivers. Prizes include services from Seniors Helping Seniors, services from a local elder law attorney, prizes from safecall- including free installation of a help button other various prizes.

“We have already helped many families in the Grand Rapids area, but we know that there are still a lot of people in West Michigan that do not know we are around and we are excited to show them how we can make life easier for them or their loved one. We work with many family members who are taking care of an elderly parent and they are getting burned out.  We want to help the caregivers so they can help themselves.  A large number of caregivers are women, so we thought the Women’s Expo would be a great place to reach some of the women out there who are trying to juggle a career, kids and an elderly parent.  We could be the help they need! We are also very excited to be able to offer some relevant prizes, like Safecall’s CareLink Help Button installation because prizes like these can really help area seniors maintain their independence,” Amanda Thrush, Client Relations Manager, Seniors Helping Seniors.

Seniors Helping Seniors opened their doors to the Grand Rapids community in September 2009. Being a new business and a new concept to the area, it is very special for them to take part in the largest consumer show focused entirely on women. Seniors Helping Seniors will be present all through the Expo weekend explaining their in-home non-medical services for seniors by seniors.

The services offered by Seniors Helping Seniors allow senior citizens to  maintain their independence by having help with various activities including transportation, cleaning, meals, companionship, handyman services, yard work and any other help that one senior can provide another. The expo will be held March 12-14 2010 at the Devos Place; with show hours of Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. You can print a coupon for 1 dollar off the admission by visiting www.seniorshelpingseniors.com/grandrapids  Admission at the door will be $8 for adults and $6 for children ages 6-14.

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