Golden Wheels Companions & Consulting

Golden Wheels Companions & Consulting Golden Wheels Companions & Consulting provides non-medical home care/companion services, assistance with personal care, housekeeping and transportation.

06/30/2020

Wishing all our clients and caregivers a happy 4th of July. Stay healthy, safe and please wear a mask.

09/20/2019

FALL SPECIAL FOR NEW CLIENTS
Providing personalized and compassionate non-medical home care. 1 hour of complimentary service with minimum 4-hour service.

07/17/2019

Consider using Golden Wheels Companions to provide respite care for your loved ones. It’s important for caregivers to take time for themselves.

07/02/2019

JULY SPECIAL FOR NEW CLIENTS
Providing personalized and compassionate non-medical home care. 1 hour of complimentary service with minimum 4-hour service.

05/22/2019

Golden Wheels has caring, compassionate and experienced caregivers who are bonded and insured. Our priority is to provide consistent caregivers to our clients. Attached is an article about a special caregiver, we have many of them too.

How Caregivers, Aides and Recipients Can Build Bonds

Clear expectations, chemistry and consistency can lead to better relationships

by Barry J. Jacobs, AARP, January 2, 2018

Home health aide Mary McLendon with my mother Jeanette Gilbert. A loving, capable home health aide can make the difference between a successful or failing caregiving plan.

It was the nightly routine of reflexology foot massages that my mother most relished. Her tirelessly cheerful home health aide, Mary McLendon, would serve her delicious home-cooked dinners before easing my mother into her reclining chair to tenderly knead her arches and soles. The two of them would then talk as confidantes about their lives, hopes and fears while watching Wheel of Fortune. During a difficult year in which my mother, Jeanette Gilbert, had multiple hospitalizations for falls that would eventually force her to move from her apartment to a nursing home, Mary’s care and their conversations were a salve to soothe the growing despair.

It wasn’t just my mother who was so touched by their relationship. Two years after saying goodbye to us — and seven months after my mother died — Mary recently called me out of the blue to share her thoughts about my mother. “She was my best friend,” Mary said.

As my mother’s former primary caregiver, I am extremely grateful that Mary came into our lives. We tried out other home health aides who would arrive late and then spend hours playing on their phones rather than attending to my mother’s needs. Their listlessness and distraction made me anxious about relying on them. But with Mary, I quickly developed complete trust. She arrived on time, smiling, and with a game plan for keeping my mother entertained. She became an indispensable adviser to me, too, writing her insights each day about my mother’s sleep, appetite and state of mind in a lined notebook she left on the dining room table.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2016 there were nearly 3 million home health aides tending to older Americans and those with disabilities. For their hard work, they made a modest $10.66 an hour on average, or a little more than $22,000 a year. The good they can do, though, is priceless. A loving, capable aide is often the difference between a successful and failing caregiving plan.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a Mary or the kind of friendship that she and my mother formed. But there are ways that family caregivers can find the right aides for their loved ones and foster the most supportive relationships. Here are some ideas.

Insist on consistency: Some home health care agencies make a point of sending one aide on a regular basis to work with a care recipient. Others send different aides for different shifts, based on their staffing needs but not necessarily on the best interests of caregiving families. A revolving door of new aides means that caregivers have to bring stranger after stranger up to speed. Tell the agency that you want only one aide, if possible, to provide care. The two of you are more likely to develop familiarity and mutual appreciation over time.

Be finicky about fit: No matter how experienced she may be at doling medications, cooking meals and keeping company, not every aide will click with every care recipient and caregiver. This relationship is a little like dating: Chemistry matters. Are the aide and your loved one able to communicate well? Have they found a rapport and rhythm? Do they have common interests and like one another? If not, ask the agency to send another aide for a tryout.

Expect the best from all parties: Aides come with training and directions from their agencies but need to take their specific marching orders from you. Express your expectations to the aide at the outset for when he will arrive, what he will do and how he should communicate with you. Some care recipients resist having aides and will complain about them at every opportunity. Explain to the recipient that you need her cooperation and forbearance because the service of a high-performing aide is one of the best means of making caregiving more manageable for you.

Connect with the person giving personal care: In the course of their normal duties of showering, dressing and sometimes toileting older adults, home health aides gain a physical intimacy with your vulnerable loved ones. To make this more comfortable for all involved, it is vital to get to know the often kind, caring person attached to the strong arms. Many aides in many American cities are immigrants from cultural traditions of deep respect for elders. They often have compelling stories to tell, if you ask them, of their own lives and struggles. Hearing those stories — and sharing your family’s background in turn — is usually the first step toward establishing real closeness.

Barry J. Jacobs, a clinical psychologist, family therapist and healthcare consultant, is the co-author of the book AARP Meditations for Caregivers (Da Capo, 2016). Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

05/15/2019

Golden Wheels Companions recognize the struggles of providing care in the home to our loved ones. We can support you in this process. Below is an article of interest.

by Ashley Grano/Garden of Life
With the continued rise of medical and technological innovations, people are now living longer than ever. As a result, more and more people are taking on the role of caregiver in addition to their usual responsibilities. In fact, AARP estimates that nearly 44 million U.S. adults are currently caring for an elderly friend or family member. For many, this new duty came on suddenly, such as following an illness or injury to their parent or loved one. For others, it was a more calculated decision, or came about as a slow progression. Regardless of the circumstances, becoming a caregiver is much like parenting – there are always unforeseen challenges and experiences that can put even the most prepared person in a distressed position. Fortunately, there are many tools and resources available to caregivers that can ease the burden.
The emotional and physical tolls of caregiving
Caregiving is undoubtedly full of stressful responsibilities, and research has shown that it can lead to negative psychological and physical effects. Clinical observation and research published in the US National Library of Medicine equated caregiving with a chronic stress experience. Often, this stress becomes compounded due to the added responsibility of caring, whether partially or completely, for another person in addition to other work, family or personal obligations.
Family structure also plays a role in caregiving. For siblings who must come to the decision of who will care for their elderly parent, this discussion and decision can often lead to resentment and anger, as the distributed weight of responsibility is rarely equal, according to sources at PBS Health. Similarly, caregivers faced with no familial sources of help are often left alone to deal with the burden, causing mounting pressures. Many of these may result in not only emotional and physical tolls, but also financial woes, as caregiving may interrupt holding a regular job or lead to unplanned medical expenses, says US News.
Identify all available resources and create a support system
Family and friends are the obvious first line of support to help recreate a sense of balance and purpose in life besides caregiving, but often the need for specialized support requires going beyond one’s immediate social network. One of the best ways to transition into full caregiver status is to connect with the growing community of other caregivers struggling with the same grief and stresses.
The emotional and physical health consequences of caregiving can make the position feel extremely isolating, which can further detriment health. In addition, caregiving can cause a major detachment from previously enjoyed activities, as they can no longer be enjoyed due to constraints with time and/or money. Connecting with other caregivers via online communities or local support groups is often a beneficial method of coping, suggests Harvard Health.
Since every caregiving situation is unique, trying both virtual and in-person support groups can help maximize the best of a collective group’s efforts and resources. With various peer networks in place, it should alleviate some of the burden of asking for help as needed, whether it’s taking a parent to a doctor’s appointment now and then or finding a referral for the best healthcare plan.
Prioritizing personal health
One of the biggest challenges with caregiving is dealing with the burnout from extended periods of stress, says the Mayo Clinic. Although it may be impossible to go back to pre-caregiving life, it is imperative to maintain as many positive, healthy activities as possible.
Engaging in regular exercise is especially important. For a fast but effective routine, consider doing 20 minutes of daily walking, which has been shown to help lower the risk of depression, reduce stress, and maintain a healthy weight, says WebMD. To help stay consistent, try setting mini health goals each week, suggests the Mayo Clinic. These goals could be as simple as scheduling in fitness times on the calendar for a simple, visual reminder that can lead to a sense of accomplishment once checked off the to-do list.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet full of nutritious foods is another vital aspect to health. Unfortunately, caregivers often resort to eating primarily convenient but unhealthy fast foods. A poll by the National Alliance for Caregiving found that 6 out of 10 caregivers surveyed admitted that their eating habits worsened. Fortunately, some of the healthiest foods also require very little prep time, so getting back on track with healthy eating doesn’t have to be a challenge. This includes eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains and fish, suggests WebMD. When possible, prepare some meals in advance for the week, to avoid junk food temptation.
While caregiving is full of challenges, it is important to remember to identify the available resources that can help manage the responsibilities in the healthiest manner possible.

Caring For Your Loved Ones, As If They Were Our Own
05/08/2019

Caring For Your Loved Ones, As If They Were Our Own

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311 N. Summneytown Pike Suite 2E
North Wales, PA
19454

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+12673043395

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