Austin, TX is the fifteenth most populous city in the United States. It is a college town, where fifty thousand students attend the University of Texas, and where music and arts burst off of every street corner.

People live in Austin for a variety of reasons. Some like the hot weather. And it is hot! Average Austin temperatures in the summer are well into the 90′s, and often jump into the tripple digits for long periods of time! Others like it for the incredibly diverse and quality culture scene. The annual SXSW (South By Southwest) music festival has become one of the most popular festivals of its kind. Indeed, Austin claims to be the live music capital of the nation, rivaling even Nashville, TN for musical props! And beyond that, there are plays and museums up and down the city, which prides itself on its eclectic nature. Event he bumper stickers say “keep Austin weird!”

Senior citizens, too, enjoy the heat, the culture, and the general excitement of Austin, and those are just a few reasons that they choose to retire there. It is a fun, exciting place to live! But there is something else that draws senior citizens to Austin: the senior housing and the quality of the city’s elderly care services, both volunteer and paid. Here are some examples of what seniors in the city of Austin can find.

Austin Senior Centers

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Senior Centers are some of the best resources for seniors looking for elderly care services. They are, for millions of elderly people, a hub for building friendships and for getting much needed information about programs and situations that affect them personally. Here are just a few locations in the Austin elderly care scene:

Senior Activity Center
2874 Shoal Crest Avenue, Austin
(512) 474-5921

City of Austin: South Austin Senior Activity Center
3911 Manchaca Road, Austin
(512) 442-1466

Conley-Guerrero Senior Center
808 Nile Street, Austin
(512) 478-7695

Opportunities for Austin Elderly to Volunteer

Volunteer opportunities can sometimes provide seniors with an excellent way to jump back into life and be productive in a meaningful way. And these opportunities can be more fulfilling even than a previous career was! Here is THE place to contact if you need volunteer ideas in the Austin elderly care world:

County of Travis: Retired Senior Volunteer Program
100 N I H 35
Austin, TX 78701-4138
(512) 854-7787

Volunteer Services to Assist Austin Seniors

Austin Seniors who need a helping hand can easily find assistance through the city’s volunteer network. Not only is the Meals on Wheels program active around the city, Austin has its own “Meals on Wheels and More.” This particular network sets up all kinds of excellent services for Austin seniors including “Mike’s Place,” which works with Alzheimer’s patients, “Care calls” for seniors who need someone to check on them, and “congregate meals,” which provides a socially fun environment for seniors to get together and share a meal. You can call them or visit their website for more information:

“Meals on Wheels and More.”
3227 East 5th Street Austin, TX 78702
(512) 476-MEAL (6325)

Elderly Care Housing in Austin

Finally, most people, when they think of “Austin elderly care services,” would think immediately of assisted living and other forms of senior housing. And Austin has plenty of those!

Here are a few examples of different types of senior care homes in the Austin area:

Barton Hills
1606 Nash Avenue, Austin, TX
(512) 441-6000
Get around the clock care for all sorts of activities for daily living, including dressing, bathing, etc. This is an affordable assisted living center.

The Summit at Westlake Hills
1034 Liberty Park Dr., Austin, TX
(512) 328-3775
The Summit at Westlake Hills is a broad senior care facility that includes fine independent (retirement) living, personalized assisted living care, and nursing home care as well.

Horizon Bay Vibrant Retirement Living
8005 Cornerwood Dr.
Austin, TX 78717
512-238-7200
Horizon Bay offers a comfortable independent living environment for today’s active seniors. You can settle down in a Horizon apartment and take advantage of all the terrific amenities and social activities that are going on all around the facility.

There are dozens more senior housing options in the city. Do you need to find TX assisted living? You can start by filling in your information at the top of this page!

Winter is quickly approaching. The temperature is dropping dramatically. As you run back inside to throw on a jacket keep your elderly loved one in mind. The elderly need to be kept warm. Make sure your loved one has plenty of socks and comfortable warm clothes. A new blanket or comforter is a good idea. When you go to visit check to make sure there are extra towels, the hot water and heater are working, and that there are at least seven sets of warm clothes. Some elderly people’s hands get cold so they might enjoy a warm pair of gloves especially if they have had chemo treatments or diabetes. Remember also to give them many warm hugs.

Learn more about Elderly Care Services

Bathing is a particular sensitive issue for persons with dementia. Those with dementia become confused easily and often misinterpret what others are doing and saying. In such individuals, often even the smallest thing that is unpleasent such as water in the eyes or ears can make the individual respond with fear or violence.

A guideline for bathing without a battle:

-Focus on the person more than the task.

Try to meet individual preferences and focus on the well-being of the person. Always protect the persons privacy and dignity (such as covering the person with a towel after turning off the water and in transfers)

-Be flexible!

Modify your approach to meet the persons needs. Methods such as singing and talking with the individual while bathing can distract him or her from the fear, anxiety or shame of being bathed by someone else. Be flexible with the procedure divide up tasks such as washing hair and washing the body.

-Use persuasion,not coercion.

Help the person feel in control at bathing time. Give choices and respond to individual requests. Avoid asking “Do you want to take a bath?” when you know that the answer will be “no”. Instead say something like”It’s time for your spa, would you like body wash or a bar of soap? Would you like to wear the green and tan outfit or the blue one?” Use a supportive and calm approach and praise the person often. Ask questions that are not exasperating or that have maybe two or three answers. Sometimes questions with endless possibilities can overwhelm a person with dementia such as “what do you want to wear?” narrow the question down to 2 or 3 possibilities.

-Be prepared!

Gather everything that you will need for bathing before approaching the person. Warm the room (no one has a good expeirence bathing when they are cold and wet). Have towels, washcloths, and clothes ready. Get shower chair and bath mat securely in place.

-Stop.

When a person becomes distressed, stop and assess the situation. It is not “normal” for a person to cry moan, or fight during bathing. Look for underlying reason for the behavior. What can you do to prevent the person from becoming more upset? If you are unable to calm the person you will need to shorten the bath. In such a case wash only what is necessary for good health. If the person becomes too distressed or aggressive you will need to end the bath. Try to end with something pleasant such as offering a cup of coffee or a back rub. This may make it easier when you return. Reproach the person later to finish washing critical areas if necessary.

-Ask for help.

Talking with others about ways to meet the needs of the person  gives you an opportunity to find different ways to help make the bath more comfortable.