Contact Care is There Today!
For help caring for your aging parents in Charlottesville, Staunton, or Harrisonburg Virginia, contact Care is There:
434.326.5323 ext 2 - ask for Elizabeth
info@careisthere.com
www.careisthere.com
Video: Demo of Walkers, Rollators, Canes, Transport Chairs!
Not sure if you need a walker, rollator, wheelchair, or transport chair? What’s the proper height for a cane? What’s the proper way to sit on a rollator? Thanks to Tina and Jon Ross at Simple Comforts in Charlottesville, Virginia for giving us a quick demo of mobility devices. See the video below! See more [...]
Hearing Healthcare of Virginia
Hearing Healthcare of Virginia is a local, privately owned company with six clinics serving Virginia. The Hearing Healthcare of Virginia hearing specialists are longtime residents of the areas they serve and are committed to their communities! I know this personally because of their frequent and enthusiastic participation in Aging in Place Business Round Table in both [...]
The 25 Documents You Need Before You Die
What a luxury it is to have your affairs in order! And what a gift to the people you love! This list of 25 Documents You Need Before You Die, prepared by the Wall Street Journal, is a good guide to what documents you should have organized, and why. You must also be sure your [...]
HomeWork Solutions Handles Payroll Taxes and Background Checks for Your Private Caregivers
If you employ private caregivers for your loved one, you should know your payroll tax responsibilities. Don’t want to handle it yourself? There’s a service for that! HomeWork Solutions’ payroll services allow families to completely outsource the household payroll and tax remittance functions to payroll professionals. Payroll service subscribers offer their staff direct deposit of their payroll, [...]
Dementia Care Specialists Offers Training and Resources
The mission of Dementia Care Specialists is to create a dementia-capable society built on the knowledge that persons with dementia can feel joy, fulfillment, and love. They do this by offering a person-centered approach to training and consulting for those living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ADRD) and other cognitive challenges. As a result, clients [...]
Disposables Delivered Ships High Quality Incontinence Supplies to Your Home
If your loved one doesn’t drive or finds errands exhausting, Disposables Delivered can ship incontinence supplies directly to their home. I met Lucille Levine, RN, BSN – a representative of Disposables Delivered – at the annual conference of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. I was impressed by the service this company offers. [...]
Mom’s Meals Delivers Fresh Meals to Your Loved One’s Home
At Care is There we’re always on the lookout for great meal solutions for seniors, so “Mom’s Meals” caught my eye. Mom’s Meals are made from fresh, high-quality ingredients, are delivered directly to your loved one’s home in a refrigerated container, and remain fresh in the refrigerator for 14 – 18 days. The cost is [...]
Think You Know What a Power of Attorney is For? Not so Fast – Watch This Video!
Powers of attorney are widely misunderstood, even among professionals in the senior care industry. Equally misunderstood is how to determine if a person has legal capacity to make their own decisions. For example, did you know that in the State of Virginia: If the person granting the power of attorney (the principal) has mental capacity [...]
Charles Hendricks of The Gaines Group Designs Homes for Convenient Living at Any Age
There is a beauty that exists in our built environment when a building is balanced, functional, efficient, accessible, healthy, and comfortable. Our homes should allow us to easily accomplish our daily tasks, be comfortable, help us recharge our energy levels, and be able to adapt over time as our needs change. All of these attributes are [...]
Gordon House Expands Warren’s House for Additional Alzheimer’s Care
Warren’s House , located within The Village at Gordon House in Gordonsville, Virginia was created several years ago specifically devoted to the care of individuals with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other related disorders. The original Warren’s House has been so successful in meeting the needs of this specialized population that a second Warren’s House has been [...]
Tips for Communicating with an Elderly Loved One with Hearing Loss
How do you make communication easier with a loved one who has hearing loss? I like the following summary from Oticon. You can download the Oticon full brochure here. Talk Face-to-Face Face the person you are talking to. Don’t try to converse from a different room or with your back turned. It is easier to [...]
UVA Speech-Language-Hearing Center Provides Hearing Aid Services
The UVA Speech-Language-Hearing Center offers comprehensive services for the diagnosis and treatment of language, speech, and hearing disorders for adults, adolescents, children, and infants. The facility has treatment rooms with observation capabilities and diagnostic suites for hearing evaluations and hearing aid fittings. At Care is There, we have experienced Dr. Mani Aguilar’s passion for her [...]
Venture Builders of Harrisonburg: Remodeling for Aging in Place
As senior citizens age, limbs don’t work as freely as they once did; the eyes dim and responses slow. Physical and mental changes can make it difficult for these loved ones to stay in their homes as long as they would like. Sometimes minor repairs and some home modifications can be made which enable these [...]
Video: Charlottesville Albemarle TRIAD Helps Keep Senior Citizens Safe
TRIAD presents Senior Safety Seminars about home safety, scam awareness, safe shopping on the Internet, storm preparedness, gang awareness, and elder abuse.
Online Course and Study Group “Know Thyself” Helps Lifelong Learners Expand and Connect
Coursera offers free, high quality courses on-line. Starting March 4 is the course Know Thyself by University of Virginia professor Mitchell Green.
Virginia Lifespan Voucher Program Reimburses up to $400 in Respite Services
The Virginia Lifespan Respite Voucher Program provides reimbursement vouchers to home-based caregivers for the cost of temporary, short-term respite care provided to individuals of any age with a disability or special need (children and adults, including elderly persons). Individuals eligible to apply for voucher funding through the Virginia Lifespan Respite Voucher Program include Virginia caregivers of children [...]
JABA’s Mary Williams Community Center Opens at the Jefferson School City Center
JABA’s Mary Williams Community Center is now open in the historic and beautifully renovated Jefferson School City Center in Charlottesville Virginia. The Center welcomes individuals and families of all ages with a focus on independent adults over 60. Whether it’s for health related or current events discussions, crafts, sewing, gardening, exercise programs, computer classes, games [...]
New Life for Loved Ones’ Vintage Clothing
Rosalba Valentino creates beautiful new custom garments from treasured vintage clothing and fragments. When I met Rose, I was impressed by her love of vintage fabrics and her interest in the stories behind the garments she transforms into new, wearable art. In my travels as a geriatric care manager I meet people who have lived [...]
Boundary-setting for Care Givers and Care Receivers
Care giving and care receiving present many challenges, not the least of which is learning to set healthy boundaries. Johanna Rude can help! Johanna is the founder of Passion Points, an organization that combines psychotherapy tools with executive coaching. With her background in psychotherapy, business and executive coaching, Johanna provides the guidance, insight and accountability [...]
AAA Online Interactive Driving Evaluation for Senior Citizens
Concerned it is not safe for your senior citizen loved one to drive? Driving safety is one of the most difficult conversations between adult children and their elderly parents, and sometimes it helps to use a neutral evaluation tool. AAA has developed an on-line, confidential self-screening program featuring a series of computer-based exercises that can [...]
Elderly Parents Not Taking Their Medications? Partner With Your Pharmacist!
Failure to take medications as prescribed is a leading cause of problems for senior citizens, and can contribute to them prematurely losing their health and independence. A 2012 study indicates that the most pervasive reason for non-compliance is the cost of the medication, but that patients are more likely to take their medication if they [...]
Local Scams Target Senior Citizens – Beware!
Thank you to our Harrisonburg, Virginia Police Department for looking out for our senior citizens! Lt. Kurt Boshart and Sgt. Ron Howard of the Harrisonburg Police Department gave a presentation about senior-targeting scams to the Aging in Place Business Round Table from the Harrison-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. They warned us to be watchful for these [...]
Maxim Healthcare Services offers Home Care for Seniors
Maxim Healthcare Services is a national home healthcare company with offices in Charlottesville (servicing many nearby counties including Rockingham) and nine other Virginia locations. Maxim provides: Skilled and non-skilled private duty nursing services for pediatrics and adults Companion care Staffing services for facilities Wellness and Flu clinics Maxim accepts Medicaid (but not Medicare), Managed Care [...]
Cardiovascular Associates of Charlottesville – Heart Doctors with Heart
At Care is There, our job is to help our senior citizen clients and their families have lives that work and lives that are joyful. So I’m always on the prowl for service providers that provide extraordinary customer service. I was delighted when I visited the cardiologists at Cardiovascular Associates of Charlottesville and witnessed their [...]
Ducks in a Row: End of Life Planning with Mary Ann Stripling
One of the most difficult components of senior living is the constant worry over what comes next. Oftentimes, it is overwhelming to consider how many decisions have to be made in a short time-span, so that in the event of disability or death, all personal wishes and information are easy to access and understand. Well, [...]
Kaitlyn Sewell, Community Resource Coordinator for Care is There
My name is Kaitlyn Sewell, and I am the Community Resource Coordinator for Care is There! My job is to educate the Care is There Lifestyle Coordinators — and the entire local community — about all the resources available for senior citizens and their caregivers. I can also help you set up your profile on Cville Seniors and [...]
File of Life Program from TRIAD
Do you know where your elderly loved one’s medical information is, or how accessible it would be to an EMT or other personnel during a medical emergency? More and more long distance care givers have this dilema. The File of Life is a program developed to remove this concern. It was developed by TRIAD as [...]
Mental Capacity and Surrogate Decision Making for Senior Citizens
When does someone have the mental capacity to make their own decisions? What authority is granted, and not granted, through a “power of attorney?” Doris Gelbman, an elder law attorney here in Charlottesville, Virginia, answers these questions in this video. She also tells “stories from the trenches” to help you grasp the implications of mental [...]
Stuarts Draft Retirement Community – Independent and Assisted Living
I recently visited a hidden gem – Stuart’s Draft Retirement Community and Christian Homes — and wanted to share it with you. David Brenneman, Director of Marketing, gave me a great tour and will do the same for you! This is a lovely community, run for 17 years by two local families committed to providing [...]
Charlottesville Va Reduces Permit Fees for Accessible Homes
I’m delighted to see Charlottesville, Virginia reduce its permit fees for new and remodeled homes that meet “Visit-Able” accessibility standards (25% reduction) and “Live-Able” accessibility standards (50% reduction.) Accessible homes make it easier for our senior citizens to age in place and enhance their independent living, but these design standards create convenient, sensible homes for [...]
Specialty Housekeeping – cleaning service for seniors
It seems like such a simple thing – cleaning – but as we age, it is a physically challenging, often risky task. A dirty environment can be very discouraging to live in and often leads to clutter and a sense of hopelessness. Enter Specialty Housekeeping, LLC. Created in 2005 by Nancy Alexander, Specialty Housekeeping offers [...]
Care is There Geriatric Care Management – What we do for our clients
Ever wonder exactly what a geriatric care manager does? Well, here’s a quick video about what we do at Care is There Geriatric Care Management. My thanks to the Aging in Place Business Round Table from the Charlottesville (Virginia) Regional Chamber of Commerce where I recently gave this presentation. Know someone who worries about their [...]
Door to Door Solutions, Senior Relocation Specialists
Door to Door Solutions is a senior move manager, which means they are specially trained to help senior citizens make a successful transition from one living space to another. Door to Door Solutions was in my neighborhood today (see photo), which inspired me to share their services with you! Plus, I’m a big fan of [...]
The Lodge at Old Trail Opens in Crozet Va – Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care
The Lodge at Old Trail has opened its doors in lovey Crozet Virginia, just outside Charlottesville! The Lodge offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care and is part of the large mixed use, multi-generational development of Old Trail Village. I’ve been following the development of the Lodge since its earliest stages, so it was [...]
Beautiful Lighting Helps Keep Senior Citizens Independent
The right lighting makes homes safer and more comfortable for senior citizens. Phil Blosser is a Central Virginia lighting designer who provides beautiful lighting solutions tailored to the needs of older adults. Margaret P Calkins, PhD reports in Senior Journal.com that “older people require three times the amount of light to see as well as [...]
Solutions for Low Vision in Charlottesville Virginia
If your client or loved one has low vision you should know about these two Charlottesville-based service providers that can help. Suzanne Burch, of Vision Solutions, makes house calls to demonstrate devices for low vision. She works in partnership with Dr. Stephen Record of Drs. Record and Record Optometrists. In addition to his traditional eye [...]
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Job to Care for Your Loved One
Should you quit your job to care for your elderly loved one? More and more reports say “no”, including these from NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and Reuters. We all want the best for the people we love, and most people want to age in place in their own homes. But many caregivers don’t realize [...]
The Doctor Will See You Now – How to Get an Appointment Sooner
Tips for getting a quick appointment with the doctor for your elderly loved one: This is a great article from Agingcare.com, discussing advice from Marion Somers, Ph.D., a geriatric care manager and author of the book, Eldercare Made Easier. As Care is There geriatric care managers we often use this collaborative, professional approach. Her tips are [...]
Aging in Stride: Geriatric Care Managers Fill a Growing Need
Many families don’t realize that geriatric care managers – like us at Care is There Geriatric Care Management - can take a heavy load off their shoulders when it comes to caregiving — especially long distance caregiving. We all want our elderly parents to be independent and we also want them to be safe and to be assisted in [...]
Respite for Caregivers – the Daily Living Center in Waynesboro
Daily Living Center in Waynesboro Va is an excellent resource for both caregivers and care receivers. Daily respite services provide a valuable and resonably priced way for caregivers to go to work, run errands, or just take time for themselves. I urge caregivers to give these services a try and see the difference it can make in [...]
The Art of the Medical Emergency
My client’s medical emergency is beautiful. My client is beautiful and she is the master of her emergency. Here’s why and how. She is of 81 years; a Ph.D. in sociology; a painter. Gracious, generous, and thoroughly competent, a friend said she “should be running the United Nations.” Quite. Her health is better than most people [...]
Love Plus Velcro Equals Dignity for Aging Loved Ones
Supporting your aging loved ones in their desire to live with independence, dignity and normalcy can sometimes be as easy as Velcro buttons and bendable straws. I recently visited the Universal Design exhibit at James Madison University in Harrisonburg Virginia. The exhibit highlighted easy ways to make simple tasks accessible to everyone. One of my favorites [...]
CareCheckers Call Service Checks on Your Elderly Loved Ones
CareCalls from Care Checkers are designed to assist families of aging and disabled loved ones by making daily health and safety checkup calls. Care Checkers offers medication reminders, meal reminders and activity reminders, along with friendly social interaction. All calls are made by live representatives, not an automated system. They keep caregivers updated with daily status reports [...]
Does Your Elderly Loved One’s House Support Their Needs?
My pals at BuilderFish have produced a very practical guide for making sure your home supports you and your loved ones at every stage of life. The BuilderFish “Lifetime Home Survey” is free, comprehensive, easy to read and easy to apply. If you’re building a new home, remodeling your home, or preparing for the move-in of a loved [...]
What can a Geriatric Care Manager do for You?
A geriatric care manager can bring your loved one the support they need without putting stress on your life!
Helping Senior Citizens Relocate
Do you know a senior citizen who is facing a household move? Change is difficult for anyone, and it can be especially unsettling for senior citizens. Moving one’s house means moving one’s home. It means giving up familiar surroundings and routines and often means giving up cherished belongings that signify memories, accomplishments, and affection. It may [...]
Cell Phone Designed for Senior Citizens Includes an Emergency Response System!
“Just Five” is the next generation in cell phones for seniors. See the Independent Lifestyles Newsletter for a description and how to learn more. In order to age in place with excellence and maintain our independent living as long as possible, it make sense to leverage technology in addition to all the love and care [...]
Aging in Place: Your Home as a Care Setting
How do you adapt your home as a care setting for your loved one? This Aging in Place Workbook from MetLife is a good guide.
Senior Citizens and Driving: Life After Driving
Losing the ability to drive can be a major turning point in a person’s life and can threaten their independent living and plans for aging in place. It means he must depend on other people or professional services for transportation, and he is subject to their schedules, routes, and destinations. There is the risk that after an older person loses the ability to drive, they will stop doing the things that keep them healthy and engaged.
Senior Citizens and Driving: The Process of Reporting an Unsafe Elderly Driver
The DMV has a process for evaluating the skills of elderly drivers that have been reported to them for review. This article describes the procedures and possible outcomes.
Senior Citizens and Driving: Can My Loved One Improve Their Driving Skills and-or Regain their Driver’s License?
Sometimes driving skills are impaired by reversible changes in health. In those cases, driving assessment centers can help your loved ones regain lost skills that will allow them to drive safely and legally.
Senior Citizens and Driving: How Driving Skills are are Assessed for the Elderly
How Driving Skills are are Assessed for the Elderly Are you worried that your elderly parent can no longer drive safely? This series of articles tells you what you can do, including: What the law says about elderly drivers. The process and implications of reporting an unsafe elderly driver. How driving skills are assessed for [...]
Senior Citizens and Driving: What To Do When Your Elderly Parent Needs to Stop Driving
For your elderly parent, losing the ability to drive can seem like the first sign that they are losing their freedom and independence and they may feel it will threaten their ability to age in place. But if your loved one has become unsafe behind the wheel they are a risk not only to themselves but to other people’s loved ones that are sharing the road with them.
Certified Aging in Place Specialists Make Aging in Place in Charlottesville Possible!
Most of us want to age in place, to be independent and secure in the home we have loved for many years. But even as we grow and change, we forget that your home can grow and change with us!
Create a Long Distance Caregiving Team in Six Easy Steps
Long distance caregivers with elderly parents who are aging in place can worry less if they create a caregiving team managed by a geriatric care manager.
For many families, an in-home caregiving team can be a cost effective way to preserve independent living until assisted living becomes necessary. You can reduce caregiver stress while supporting your parents’ independent living by following these six easy steps to establish a caregiving team.