When my wife & I reach the point in our lives that we need assistance in getting through the day, we will receive that assistance in our home. Home is where our hearts are. Home is where our memories were created. We don’t want to leave it.

We are not wealthy people and I do know that professional home care ranges from about $18-$22 per hour in Metro-Denver. So how is it going to happen? The care won’t be provided by our children. They have their own lives to lead. (Just between you and me, our children would take care of us, but they really won’t want to…and we really won’t want them to.) Besides, we do want our kids to come by, when they can, to spend some enjoyable hours together…not to bathe us or do other unpleasant “grunt work.”

Where will the money come from to pay for all this care? It won’t be from Medicare or Medicaid (we will never qualify for Medicaid and Medicare’s home care services are so limited as to be not worth considering in our planning).

In 2001 we purchased a good comprehensive long term care insurance policy that will pay for home care, has a lifetime benefit period, and inflation protection to increase the benefits to keep up with increasing costs of care. If you prefer spending as much time in your home as possible, you, too, should ask for a long term care quote from an insurance agent offering long term care insurance. That way you can prepare for your twilight years when you still have the time.

Full disclosure:
I am an insurance broker specializing in long term care and long term care insurance. I bought the stuff myself or I wouldn’t have the strong belief that I do about its value to my clients.

Ray Smith, CLU, CLTC, CSA
The Long Term Care Specialist
303-300-4337
www.raysmithltc.com
raysmith@finsvcs.com

Big band music, Clark Gable and Shirley Temple movies, black and white photographs and treasured memories of days past are what so many elderly people cling to. They virtually live in the days gone by because they are more familiar and less frightening than the present days. Dealing with everyday technology, from cell phones to DVD’s and beyond, is often a major challenge. Social networks are diminished if not nonexistent. The loss of spouses, parents, siblings and friends and often the onset of illnesses sever many previous social connections. Couple all of this with a clear and present vision of one’s own mortality, and you have a perfect formula for depression.

Mistakenly, there are those who believe that depression in the elderly is a normal part of the aging process. In reality, it is generally a treatable illness, but often undiagnosed in primary care settings. Our elderly population is facing increased longevity, which can be somewhat unfulfilling if complicated with chronic medical problems. Elderly depression and medical issues can be cyclical in nature. Chronic pain can feel more intense because of depression, and dealing with chronic pain on a daily basis can contribute to depression.

Depression in the elderly can subvert one’s joy and enthusiasm for life. There are many options to consider in dealing with it. They could be as simple as addressing life-style issues like consuming a healthy diet, nutritional supplements, exposure to light sources, or an increase, based on ability, of exercise. They could be as complex as therapy or prescribed antidepressants. In-home senior care can provide another practical solution for the elderly patient with limited personal contact.

For more information on caring for senior citizens, Denver metro area, please see our Elder Care Home Services Checklist.

Gerri Tyber

Operations Manager, Barton Home Care

Human aging continues to be one of life’s mysteries. Isn’t it amazing how people age differently? I’ve seen seventy year olds going on ninety and ninety year olds going on seventy. We know it’s a combination of many factors that affects human longevity and dictates how you fare during the aging process. Certainly your genes have a lot to do with it, your diet, exercise habits, environment and other factors can dictate whether you have any chance of becoming a centenarian. But we have all met people who don’t have the gene advantage, don’t necessarily eat well, never exercise yet seem to know the secret to human aging. What’s that all about? Could there be another factor that makes the difference?

Meet Sal, a 99 year old gentleman from New York City. Yes, he lost a leg to a vascular problem a few years back but, aside from that, he’s doing amazingly well for someone born in 1908. Think about the remarkable changes in the world that he has experienced! Radio, electricity, automobiles, airplanes, the flu epidemic, television, WWI, the depression, WWII, the Cold War, the space program, computers and on and on and on.

Sal lives with his daughter, who has her own career and life, and the decision was made that Sal could use some extra help. Enter in-home, non-medical companion care. We were privileged to be chosen to help this young man. Upon meeting Sal you would think he was somewhere in his eighties. A full head of hair, clarity of mind and oozing of personality this fellow deserved the best. Having experienced success in the financial world, Sal was used to the best.

We assigned our caregiver, Meredith, who like our other caregivers, thoroughly enjoys helping people. We thought the match would be a good one. Turns out, Sal thinks of Meredith as the “daughter that he always wanted” and Meredith simply adores Mr. Sal. Three days a week she spends time with Sal, listening to his classical music, fixing him his favorite meals, hearing his incredible stories and taking him on excursions. We hear stories of Sal singing and tapping his fingers on the dashboard as he and Meredith travel about. It’s truly hard to believe that in December of 2007, Mr. Sal will be 100 years young!

So, let’s not discount the impact that companionship can have on the human longevity and the aging process. We all need someone to tell our story to … we all need to know someone truly cares. We at Barton Home Care have absolutely no scientific evidence to support our claim but we’ve seen time and time again that a companion who cares can make all the difference in the world.

For more information on home health care, Denver Colorado metro area.

Tom Barton

Owner, Barton Home Care