Innovative Nursing, Nurses and Sitters

Halloween is upon us, and we all have special concerns with the season. Our children who are in the neighborhood “Trick or Treating” are definitely on our minds, but we cannot forget our elders, who shepherded us safely through the holiday and now are in need of our help and attention.

We have created a short checklist for your use whenever you are thinking about moving your loved one from one location to another. Read over our suggestions for transferring an elder patient safely before you attempt the maneuver. It could save you or your patient from embarrassment or injury!

INS Supervisor Jane Seger spoke to the Case Manager’s Association luncheon today at The Methodist Hospital. About fifty case managers were in attendance and the topic was Managing Chronic Diseases while Avoiding Re-hospitalizations.

Innovative Nurses recommends sending patients home after a hospitalization with an INS caregiver. Our caregivers are specially trained in post hospitaliztion care. We will pick up the patient at the hospital, take her home, pick up new perscriptions at the pharmacy, write an updated medicine list, make follow-up doctor’s appointments, prepare a meal and whatever else is necessary for the patient to have a good start for recovery. Four, eight and twent-four hour packages are available. Click on this link for more information about our Recovery Care program,  or contact us at 713.523.2329 if we can be of service.

Do you have an elder patient in a nursing home, or are you considering having to move your elder parent into a nursing home? One of the main items that you should bear in mind is checking the nursing home environment to ensure that your loved one will be in a safe place.

We have a short checklist available that you can use as a starting point for your investigation. While such a list can never be complete, this list can be the start of a nursing home safety checklist that you can customize to whatever your particular needs and circumstances are.

With my 96 year old mother still living in her home, I am well aware of the importance of making sure that her house is safe and workable for her to get around in. For anyone facing the challenge undertaking assisted living for  elder or senior care, a home checklist can be invaluable. We have prepared a senior home safety checklist for those who may find it useful.

This list cannot be said to be compete, as there are always other things to consider, and different seniors may have special needs that cannot be covered in this kind of general list, but this checklist can be a good starting point for looking around your house to find things that should be adjusted.

One of the things that my family has found useful is posting a list of important contact phone numbers on the wall near a phone. My mother has not needed it, as she actually remembers all the phone numbers, but we felt better knowing that her caretakers had access to important phone numbers in the event that they needed to get in touch with doctors or family members.

Take this list and print it out on something that will allow you to update it and add your own special items as you think of them while going through it. Keep the updated version handy, as you will ceratinly find occasion to add to it from time to time.

Today, Innovative Nurses & Sitters provided a presentation to the case managers at St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital in the Houston Medical Center. “Keeping up with the Changing Medicare Regulations” was the topic. Case mangers from across the hospital system were in attendance.

In recent years, there has been much discussion on reducing Medicare fraud. Did you know that Medicare fraud is suspected to be in the billions of dollars? It may surprise some to know that it is not hospitals, doctors, or even individuals that are responsible for the greatest amount of fraud, but rather groups of criminals that form associations  with the specific intention of defrauding Medicare. The FBI has become involved in seeking out and encarcerating  these criminals. If you suspect an agency or individual is defrauding Medicare, please contact your local FBI office.

It is sad to think of those among us who take from the elderly and disabled for any reason, least of all for their own remuneration. Being vigilant to fraud and reaching out to some of our friends and neighbors who are Medicare recipients is a good antidote. If you need some ideas for reaching out, we have some good ones  in our article ” Valuing Your Senior“.

If you’re the primary caregiver in your home, it’s crucial that you take the steps you need to care for yourself too.  We return to this topic often, because it’s SO important!  Primary caregivers can burn out from too much focus on someone else and not enough on themselves.  Things get out of balance, which can lead to reduced resistance to illness.  Stress can really take its toll on you.  You, the primary caregiver, need a little care from time to time, too!  That’s the whole idea behind respite care.  Read more about planning respite care on our Web site.

Think about ways that you can reclaim some quality, guilt-free time for yourself.  Innovative Nurses & Sitters offers a variety of options to provide the respite care you need.  You can have peace of mind knowing that your loved one is in good hands.  We can take the worry away and maybe some of the stress.  We offer transportation packages when a trip to the doctor is in order and you can’t do it yourself.  Innovative Nurses & Sitters can provide trustworthy caregivers, when and where you need them.  What have you neglected lately?  Need a manicure?  Maybe a massage?  How about a weekend away?  Give us a call today! 

“There are only four kinds of people in the world – those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers”. – Rosalyn Carter

We at Innovative Nurses and Sitters recognize that primary caregivers are often the last people to seek out care for themselves.  We’ve been there, done that.  We know how important it is to recharge our own batteries but don’t always make the time for ourselves.  

At times like these, respite care may be just what the doctor ordered.

Read more about respite care on our site: what it is, how to plan it, pace it and get some great tips for you – the caregiver.