01.19.09

Finding Elderly Care In My Area

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Referral Service, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services at 12:03 am by admin

Finding elderly care in your area is quite difficult because facilities can be deceiving. When you arrive at an elderly care facility try to look past the fancy looking lobby and dining room chandelier. Watch how the workers are treating the residents, what kind of food is being served, and ask many questions about the care packages that they offer (bring a copy of our chart off our blog titled “Elderly Care Facilities Choice and Comparison”). Write down what they promise and keep any brochures. If you find an elderly care facility that seems to be what you are looking for, you can request a copy of the state inspection from D.A.D.S. (Department of Aging and Disability Services). According to chapter 552 of the Texas Government code you can request certain records as they should be open to the public. Also when looking for an elderly care facility for a loved one keep his or her interests in mind. Does he or she have a friend that lives at a nearby facility? Does he or she like gardens or activities? Does he or she want you to be close by to visit often? Good luck on your search for the right elderly care.

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12.18.08

Houston Elder Care Business Directory

Posted in Advertising, Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Referral Service, Dialysis Assisted Living, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Home Health Care, Marketing, Nursing home, Texas Elderly Care Services, care at home at 2:32 pm by admin

We have a comprehensive list of all the Houston elder care businesses and elder care services, and elderly care facilities in the Harric County and Fort Bend county areas. You can search by keyword in the elderly care directory below to find the type of elder care facility you are looking for. For instance, Assisted Living Type A facilities are for elderly people that can still take care of most of their daily needs and routines but would like the convenience of laundry service, meals, house cleaning, and activities. The type of facilities get progressively more specific like alzheimers care facilities, nursing homes, kidney dialysis assisted living in Houston and more. Browse or search our directory below.

Houston Elder Care Directory

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12.17.08

Comprehensive List of Tyler Texas Elder Care Businesses

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Atria Copeland, Atria Senior Living, Atria Willow Park, Azalea Trails, Elder Care, Elderly Care at 3:29 pm by admin

This is a comprehensive list of all elder care facilities in the Tyler Texas area. Below you will find home care facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospices, and several other elder care businesses. If you have a business or know of a business that is not on this list please let us know so we can update the list with your elder care business, facility, nursing home, or other related elderly business service.

Tyler Texas Elder Care Directory

Search by name of facility or service, browse, or comment to add a new listing.

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07.28.08

Hidden Camera

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services at 1:01 pm by admin

So you put your parent in an assisted living facility. You purchase a care package that provides the amount of care that your parent needs. You see your parent quickly declining and you wonder if the facility is providing the care they say they are. You can be sure of it with a hidden camera. You can purchase a nanny camera then set it up at the far wall of your parents room facing the door. You can watch the tapes and see how often a care taker enters the room and how long they stay.

If you can’t afford a nanny camera, you can show up unannounced to visit your parent and look around the room for dirty clothes, see if the bed is fixed, check the soap in the shower and depends to make sure they are being used up. Keep the assisted living facility in check. You purchased a care package and they must provide it, no excuses.

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06.23.08

Vacationing with Elderly Parents

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Senior Citizen Fathers, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services at 11:20 am by admin

Work is getting overwhelming and you are looking forward to a vacation. You start surfing the web for great vacation spots. But wait don’t forget about mom! Your parents could very well need a vacation too. Your parent’s needs might have changed over this past year making it seem impossible for them to go on a vacation. Plus it may not be a very relaxing time for you if it’s a full time job to care for your parents. But think about this, many people hire a nanny when they go on a vacation to help with their kids. Hiring someone to care for your parent on a vacation is not much different and may be a good option. Also there are assited living facilities that can accommodate your parent for short periods of time such as a vacation. Say for instance you are going to San Antonio. You could book a room at an assisted living facility for the week for your parents nearby where you are staying (there are many assisted living facilities in San Antonio) and pick them up when you are going site seeing, out to eat, or boating on the river. They would certainly enjoy that.

Make Sure Your Parents Needs are Met

If you are hiring a care taker for the trip remember to stay at places that are handicap accessible to make it easier for your parent. If you are booking a room at an assisted living facility be sure that they know your parent’s needs.

Have a good and safe vacation!

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05.29.08

Moving Matters

Posted in Alzheimer's Disease, Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Referral Service, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Depression, Dimentia, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Home Health Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services, care at home, dementia, forgetting to take medication at 6:05 pm by admin

Do your mother and/or father need to be moved from home to an assisted living? Do they need to be moved from an assisted living to a nursing home? Or are they at a facility that you are not happy with? Moving your parents can be the best thing that you can do for them, but it can also be the worst thing.

Moving is a dramatic change for an elderly person, especially one with Alzheimer’s disease. A move from home to a nursing home may be the best option but look into getting care at home. Moving can confuse and depress an elderly person. If your mother or father is able to, let him or her be a part of the decision.

When an elderly person is familiar with a facility or the staff at one assisted living or nursing home it’s usually best to keep him there. An elderly person is more likely to willingly receive care and feel comfortable with care attendants and nurses that he or she knows as opposed to a stranger. Also when elderly people are familiar with a facility, such as knowing where the dining room, medicine, activities, and their apartment is, they are usually emotionally stable longer than if they are moved from facility to facility and getting disoriented and confused.

However, when you see your loved one needing more care than what the facility gives, you need to act quickly. There are nurses that come to where your parent is and give care to him. Some facilities have care packages that start at minimal care (such as reminders to come to meals and take medicine) and maximum care packages (such as bathing, transferring from bed to wheelchair and feeding). If the facility that your loved one is does not offer more care and getting a nurse to come and care for him or her is not an option you should not leave him or her there, moving would be a must in that situation.


If your parents are at a facility and you are not happy with the care that they are receiving, talk to the management about your complaints. They may not be aware that your parent is being neglected. Also talk with the care staff and let them know that you care about your parents and want the best care for them. Politely tell the care staff your complaints (i.e. moms hair needs to be brushed, I noticed dad lost his dentures). Visit your parents often. Keep the care staff accountable by making visits at different times of the day or maybe spend a night there if possible. If the quality of care still does not improve make a complaint to DADS (Department of Aging and Disabilities Services) and move your parents to a more quality facility.

Most importantly make sure your parent is taken good care of and is happy.

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03.02.08

Senior Citizens Voting in Texas

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home, Senior Citizen, Senior Citizen Fathers, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services, elderly and education at 12:23 am by admin

East Texas Primary Voting By Senior Citizens

The Texas primary voting ends on March 4th at 7pm. Unfortunately there are many people taking advantage of the elderly in nursing homes or assisted living communities and stealing their votes. The Senior News in Arlington report “Nursing homes, notorious places for voter fraud, need greater guidance on how to help residents vote…About one in five votes in the 2004 presidential election was cast by someone 65 years or older. By 2040, it is anticipated about 40 percent of voters will be 65 or older. …John Karlawish, a professor of medicine and medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania,…said much of the voting at the long term care facilities studied was done by absentee ballot, which is well recognized as a mechanism for voter fraud. ‘First, people decided whether they can vote, and second, people steal their votes.’”

Assist But Do Not Manipulate Your Senior Loved One

Make sure your loved one has the opportunity to vote if he or she desires. Educate mom and dad on what’s going on in politics now. They educated you when you were young. Bring them up to date on what’s going on in the news now and discuss how important it is to vote in the Texas primaries. If your parent is filling out an absentee ballot be sure you or someone you trust is helping them and not someone you don’t know even if the person seems like a sweet care giver. You can’t be too careful with voting.

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02.23.08

Working Together

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Depression, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Home Health Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services, Uncategorized, medication at 4:05 pm by admin

Staff members, even when there is a good ratio of staff and residents, can get overwhelmed with their jobs. If you are a care worker communicate with your coworkers and employer any concerns you might have with your job. Also encourage other care workers that work along side of you. It’s not a one man show. Communication doesn’t just mean complaints or demands. Comunicate with your coworkers when there is a shift change. When you come in to work ask if there are any new duties (i.e. Mr. Williams doctor prescribed him some new medication that he needs to be reminded of before he goes to bed, or Ms. Johnson had a fall and needs her dinner brought to her room). When leaving your shift make sure you don’t leave a job half done and make the next shift aware of any changes. Always look into someone’s eyes when he/she is speaking and repeat back what has been communicated so that it is understood. If we would communicate, work together and everyone do their part there would be a lower turn over in care staff.

 If a fellow care worker calls in sick do not become angry and wonder if he/she is faking but at the same time voice to your employer that you can’t always “pick up the slack”. There should be a call-in care worker for such cases. There is no reason that you should have to continue to work double shifts. There may be emergency cases that you will have to work a double shift. On the other hand if you are sick you should give as much notice as possible to your employer. Do not come to work as a care attendant/CNA sick. You cannot be caring for the elderly that have low immune systems when you are contageous.

Be honest and encouraging to your co-workers.

“his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.” 

 -I Corinthians 3:13

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01.08.08

New Facility in Tyler

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Dialysis Assisted Living at 7:04 pm by admin

Waterford Dialysis Center and Assisted Living

Waterford, a new assisted living facility is opening up in Tyler. It advertises to have a high staff to resident ratio. The staff at Waterford’s goal is to provide “care and guidance that is mandatory to enhancing the quality of life for each resident and their continued independence. Our staff addresses the individual restorative and rehabilitation needs of each resident. A complete range of physical, occupational, and speech therapy service are offered to bring out each person’s full potential.” It is said that it is a one of a kind for East Texas because it has an on-site 20 unit dialysis center. The facility will have different levels of care. All care packages will include:

The enhanced assisted living package will include: 

The Skilled Nursing Services package(which offers the maximum level of care for those requiring extensive treatment, observation, and/or rehabilitation) includes: 

The respite care package (short term) includes:

• Scheduled Transportation

• Three Homemade Meals Daily

• Fully Furnished Private Suite

• Medication Reminders as needed

• Beauty/Barber Shop Services

• Housekeeping and Laundry Services

• Exciting Recreational, Social and Planned Activities

• Personal Assistance with Bathing, Dressing and Hygiene

Some special services that Waterford will provide include:

• CVA (Post Stroke) Rehabilitation

• Wound Care

• IV Therapy

• Hospice Residence

The Waterford in Tyler is being built at a fast pace. It is located off of Shiloh Road. Plans are that the facility will be opened this Spring of 2008.

Here are a few pictures of the Waterford in Texarkana:

Here are a few pictures of the one being built in Tyler:

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08.22.07

Nationwide call to Atria Senior Living to improve

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Referral Service, Atria Willow Park at 3:36 am by admin

Nationwide ad campaign exposing Atria

A nationwide ad campaign has been published and is now in several states throughout the nation. The problem with Atria has to do with their corporate policies to save money. Sure they add needed profit to the bottom line as does every business but they take from the elderly needs rather then luxuries.

Here are a number of Atria Willow Parks failings

Here are a few of the problems brought down to each and every Atria to lower level management from the top:

Insufficient staffing

Dangerous medication errors

Residents who have wandered away (one has died because of this in another Atria facility)

Bad food and inadequate food choices

Inadequate response to emergencies

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