Elder Care: The Best Ways to Make Aging at Home Both Safe and Possible
Elder Care: Your dad is getting older, and his health changes have you worried about his safety.
He wants to stay in his home, but you don’t live nearby. There’s a way to make both of you happy. Use these tips to ensure aging at home is safe and possible with elder care.
Senior Care in Brownsburg IN: Aging at Home
How Close Are Others?
Does your dad know his neighbors? Does he have family members or close friends nearby? If so, ask how often they check-in to see how he’s doing. If he’s alone for weeks without visitors, it’s time to address his need for regular companionship.
Assess His Home’s Safety
Assess his home’s safety features. Are any modifications needed to make his home safer? Does he have sturdy rails on all staircases? How about grab bars in the bathroom? Is his flooring slick wood or tiles? If he has wood or tile floors, does he have non-slip rugs? It’s risky if they slip around when he steps on them.
Make sure he has smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide detectors installed on each level and in his bedroom. Find out if he has a medic alert system already or if he would benefit from one.
Write Out His Goals
Talk to your dad about his goals as he ages. Would he want to move, have elder care aides help him at home, or move in with you after a fall? If he couldn’t drive, would he want to move closer to essential services or have someone else drive him around?
Your dad needs to think about his goals in different situations. If he broke a hip and required help with housework, laundry, and personal care, who does he imagine filling that role? Find out if your dad has any chronic health conditions that may worsen in the future.
Find Out if He Has Legal Protections in Place
Has he considered the benefits of having elder care aides helping him at his home? Has he named someone as his powers of attorney for medical and financial decisions if he couldn’t speak for himself? Ask him if he has a will and advance directive filed with an attorney.
Arrange Elder Care
Elder care services help your dad age at home without worrying about his safety or isolation. As often as he needs, he’ll have caregivers helping him with the things he struggles to do independently. He may want someone to help him shop for groceries and prepare meals. He may wish to have a caregiver take him outside for walks.
Your dad’s elder care aides provide companionship. He has someone to join him for activities and entertainment. He has help staying independent without risking his health or safety. Call now and make arrangements.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Elder Care in Brownsburg, IN, please call the caring staff at Home Services Unlimited. Serving Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: 317-471-0775
A Distinguished Career From Nurse to Director of Nursing to President of Home Services Unlimited
Etelka’s distinguished career followed a logical progression to her position as President of Home Services Unlimited. She graduated as a nurse practitioner with a Bachelor of Nursing (RN) in 1972 from Meshgorya University in the Ukraine, close to where she lived with her family. She married her husband Phil in 1973 and decided in 1977 that they would relocate to the United States to be closer to family and to come to this land of opportunity. With an eagerness to continue her budding career, Etelka sat for and passed her Boards in the U.S. in 1979.
A Love and Talent for Working with the Elderly
Etelka began her nursing career in the U.S. at Colonial Crest, now part of Golden Living, where shewasthe In-service Coordinator, the Director of Training and Education and Director of Nursing, a position she occupied for several years.
With a group of partners, she co-founded Adept Corporation, which operated group homes for the mentally challenged. The business was successful and in 1996, Etelka sold her share to return to her roots, caring for the elderly.
In January of 1997, Etelka opened Home Services Unlimited as a fully licensed business to provide home health care. In her quest to learn to do better for her patients, she had already obtained a Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA) in May of 1990 from the College of St. Francis. As President of Home Services Unlimited, Inc., Etelka guides the trusted, experienced care model Home Services Unlimited uses to continue providing excellent home health care.
Giving Back to the Community of Indianapolis
Volunteering for community services is a high priority for Etelka. Her memberships include the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Executive Women in Health Care and the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care, where she is a member of the Board of Directors.
Etelka has also served on the Board of Directors with Hooverwood Home, a highly regarded geriatric facility, since 1997 and as the President for 2005-2006. Through her community work, she has received several awards and accolades, including the Nora McFarland award in 2002, from the Indiana Association of Home and Hospice Care.
Etelka was honored as a “Health Care Hero” by the Indianapolis Business Journal. The issue can be read online here:
http://mags.ibj.com/activemagazine/welcome/html/ibjhch.html.
After clicking on the link, then click on the image of the issue’s front page. After that, you can browse through the issue or click in a box near the top of your internet browser to adjust the page to 17, which is where Etelka’s article appears.
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