If your parents are anything like ours, they've poured their hearts into creating a better life for you and their community. Now that they're in their golden years, they deserve to relax and savor the fruits of their labor.
However, as our loved ones age, the need for extra support around the home becomes evident, whether it's preparing meals or managing medications. When they can no longer care for themselves as they once did, worries about their safety and well-being arise. It's natural to think about their quality of life and how you can give back to them while balancing your own responsibilities.
Most seniors -94%, according to Forbes- prefer to remain in their homes as they age. If the senior in your life wants to stay at home as they get older, what's the best way to make that happen? For many families, non-medical home care offers a compassionate and affordable solution. In-home care is quickly becoming the first choice for older seniors because it supports your family while allowing your loved one to age gracefully in the familiar, safe surroundings they're used to.
If you're committed to keeping your mom, dad, or senior relative safe and happy at home, working with a home care agency might be the best way to achieve that goal.
When it comes to maintaining good senior health, early intervention is often key. Unfortunately, many adults with senior parents are stretched too thin to notice signs that their mom or dad needs help around the house. Wondering whether you really need to consider home care for you, your parents, or your loved ones? Keep these warning signs in mind.
As men and women get older, it's perfectly natural for them to have some aspects of mental decline. Age-related memory loss doesn't affect everyone, but when it involves your loved one, it can be a lot to digest. When forgetfulness begins to impact your parents' quality of life, it's time to take action.
Commonly referred to as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), this forgetfulness often arises from reduced blood flow to the brain, a phenomenon frequently associated with aging. Other contributing factors can include typical neural lapses and a decline in hippocampal function, which is a crucial area of the brain responsible for memory. These changes can lead to frustrating side effects, such as
Seniors showing any of these signs can greatly benefit from non-medical home care providers who can help them with their daily tasks. This support can include reminding them of scheduled appointments, preparing meals, light housekeeping, and assisting with reading and other essential activities. Professional caregivers can also incorporate healthy memory practices into your loved one's daily routine. Strategies may include social interaction, engaging in simple strategy games, maintaining a nutritious diet, and participating in light exercises like slow walks around the block.
As your parents or senior loved ones get older, they often have trouble completing dayto-day tasks that are fundamental to living a normal life. There are several activities of daily living, or ADLs, that senior citizens struggle with and include
A reliable caregiver from a trusted senior care agency in Bristow, TX, can help make daily life much easier for your elder relative. If they have trouble putting on or tying their shoes, your caregiver is there to help them choose their shoes and put them on correctly.
If your senior citizen isn't eating healthy food, your caregiver can help create a nutritious meal plan and assist them in preparing the food they need for energy and daily activities. When searching for a home care agency, make sure they offer tailored care plans that address your loved one's needs, not someone who has similar issues.
If you notice that your loved one can't keep themselves clean and groomed, it could be a sign that their health is on the decline. It could also be a red flag that your senior may be experiencing the early stages of dementia. Other signs include:
The best non-medical caregivers are trained to attend to your loved one's needs and quality of life as they move through the Functional Assessment Staging test of Alzheimer's Disease, also known as the FAST Scale. If you believe your parent or relative might be in the early stages of dementia, it's absolutely critical to work with a home care business like ameriCARE that specializes in dementia care.
There's a reason why almost 12 million people in the United States rely on some type of non-medical home care. Working with the right home care agency and team caregivers can be life-changing for seniors who need help but don't want to live in a nursing home. Here are just a few of the most effective services that help older adults stay happy, healthy, and active as they age.
If you notice that the senior in your life can't or won't maintain their hygiene and health, hiring an experienced caregiver can help. They'll assist with daily tasks like:
Companion home care is a unique type of in-home support tailored for individuals who require help with daily living tasks while also benefiting from meaningful social interaction and emotional support. Unlike other care options that primarily focus on medical or personal needs, companion and lifestyle home care helps form strong personal bonds and improves the overall quality of life.
People who benefit the most from companionship and lifestyle home care include:
Veterans are a special breed. They're service members who have made sacrifices for our country and deserve dignified, respectful attention. In-home care gives Veterans customized, compassionate care when they need it most. Whether they have new health challenges after returning from combat or need an extra hand throughout the day, home care can make a meaningful difference for those who deserve the utmost respect and compassion.
In-home care can be very helpful for Veterans suffering from:
Taking care of someone with Alzheimer's can be quite challenging, as it involves managing a mix of complex and changing needs. Those living with the disease may face memory problems, mood swings, and difficulties in communicating. Alzheimer's care includes various services aimed at providing a supportive environment that helps maintain both physical and emotional well-being, even as the disease evolves.
Common Alzheimer's care services include:
Giving the older adult in your life the gift of in-home care can be a hugely positive decision on multiple levels. It not only gives them access to high-quality care in a place where they feel comfortable - it gives them the independence they crave and have earned over their lifetime.
Some of the most significant advantages of hiring a home care agency to help your senior loved one include:
Great in-home caregivers support your loved one's independence while providing the necessary assistance to ensure their safety and well-being. When you choose an agency that creates tailored care plans, your loved one can continue to live their lives on their terms, making choices about their daily activities and routines with the support of caregivers.
Receiving care at home offers a unique set of benefits that facility settings just can't match. Home care companies like ameriCARE offer personalized care services designed to cater to specific needs while allowing seniors to stay in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes.
Choosing non-medical home care in Bristow, TX, can be a cost-effective solution, especially when compared to long-term, residential options like nursing homes. Care provided in facilities typically incurs significant costs for lodging and extra services. On the other hand, home care enables clients to receive tailored support at a much lower price.
Having you and other members of your family involved in your loved one's care process is integral. If you're on the hunt for a home care agency to work with, make sure to choose one that encourages your involvement. This collaborative approach allows for care that aligns with your family values, expectations, and overall goals.
When you work with a senior care agency that carefully selects caregivers and provides ongoing training to provide a range of services, your parent or relative benefits greatly. ameriCARE caregivers are seasoned professionals, dedicated to serving others in ways that often go unnoticed.
We know that choosing the best senior care agency for your loved is a top priority. Some key factors to consider include:
The agency you choose should have a proven track record and should be transparent when talking about caregiver credentials, training, and programs.
Working with a home care company that pushes open communication, transparency, and responsiveness keeps everyone in your circle informed about care plan updates and adjustments.
Look for a company that offers a robust range of senior care services and provides custom care plans that meet your senior's unique needs.
Inquire about the agency's caregiver recruitment process, including background checks, screening procedures, and ongoing training.
By taking these factors into account, you can make a well-informed choice when selecting a home care agency that provides the quality, compassion, and support necessary to improve the well-being and comfort of yourself or your loved one.
At ameriCARE, we understand that in-home care should reflect the individuality of those we assist. Our guiding principle focuses on creating a caregiving experience that is tailored, uplifting, and impactful. We aim to broaden and strengthen your care circle.
Our dedication to conscientious in-home care has helped establish our reputation for outstanding service. We believe that non-medical in-home care holds the potential to sustain and enrich one's quality of life, regardless of the challenges a person faces. By adopting a holistic perspective on care, we ensure our services are thorough, nurturing, and beneficial to our clients' overall wellness.
At ameriCARE, our goal is to deliver caregiving that is reliable, compassionate, and respectful. We are committed to positively influencing the lives of those we assist by making certain that our care is more than just a service - it's a source of comfort and empowerment. We aim to foster an atmosphere where each person feels appreciated, supported, and honored, thereby enhancing their capacity to live while improving their quality of life.
Our agencies are at the forefront of a new kind of in-home care that extends beyond traditional services. Unlike some home care companies, we believe in addressing the needs of the whole person.
To that end, we see care as a collaborative effort. Our caregivers are dedicated professionals who serve others in often unrecognized ways. We honor their commitment by providing top-notch training and career opportunities, ensuring they have the skills and support necessary to deliver exceptional care.
By going above and beyond to provide care that exceeds your expectations, we help ensure the best possible outcomes for you and your family. Seniors, their adult children, and other relatives choose ameriCARE because we're committed to:
Our care plans are customized to address the specific requirements of every individual and their family. We consider personal preferences, health issues, and family relationships to deliver care that is both personal and impactful.
We utilize cutting-edge technology to enhance your home care experience. With straightforward booking and payment methods, along with real-time updates and feedback, our technological solutions simplify and optimize care management.
If you're looking for help after surgery, a break from caregiving, or just someone to keep you company, our trustworthy caregivers are here for you. We provide a free care assessment with no strings attached to help you develop a home care plan that's just right for you.
The first step to seeing your loved one happy at home is to call ameriCARE for a free, no-obligation care assessment. Let us help you create a home care plan that brings your family peace of mind, comfort, and support. Request More Info today, and by tomorrow, you'll be closer to keeping your loved one safe and comfortable, no matter how many miles you may be apart.
Ready to learn more or need personalized support? Contact ameriCARE today! Our dedicated team is here to answer your questions, provide expert advice, and guide you through every step of the homecare journey.
Defend the culture.That was the phrase scrolling across the walls of the weight room in Texas Tech’s first June practice video.Blink and you may have missed it. If you weren’t paying attention, you certainly did. But the work was being done. Work that, quite frankly, no other team in the country was doing as Texas Tech prepared to represent Team USA at the World University Games in Germany in July.The Lady Raiders would go on to win silver at the event, doing so with a short roster that did n...
Defend the culture.
That was the phrase scrolling across the walls of the weight room in Texas Tech’s first June practice video.
Blink and you may have missed it. If you weren’t paying attention, you certainly did. But the work was being done. Work that, quite frankly, no other team in the country was doing as Texas Tech prepared to represent Team USA at the World University Games in Germany in July.
The Lady Raiders would go on to win silver at the event, doing so with a short roster that did not include Bailey Maupin or Snudda Collins — the team’s two leading scorers this season — playing a single minute.
It was there, thousands of miles from Lubbock, that several within the program say they first realized what this group could become.
“I think when we went to Germany and did so well there and played for a gold medal — really with a shorter roster — and saw kids step up and battle in adverse situations and environments, I knew this team had something special in it,” head coach Krista Gerlich said. “We were going to surprise a lot of people this year.”
Among those who emerged from that trip with a new level of confidence was Jalynn Bristow.
A year ago, Bristow played just 11 minutes per game, averaging 3.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.3 blocks. The lone junior in what would eventually become a nine-senior rotation suddenly looked like something more in Germany.
Bristow finished the event fourth overall in rebounding at 8.5 per game and tenth in three-point percentage, knocking down 44 percent from beyond the arc.
In the recap of the team’s gold medal game loss to a pro-laden China squad — a result that still earned Team USA silver — the performance prompted a simple thought:
Hello big time if that translates to NCAA play.
“When we got in Germany, we locked in so quick on the court,” Bristow said. “When we got out there, it was definitely like, ‘Yeah, this team is really good.’”
The growth carried straight into the season where Bristow became a full-time starter, averaging 27 minutes per game while posting 11 points and 5.7 rebounds. She also led the Big 12 in blocked shots at 2.1 per game.
While the 44 percent mark from three did not fully translate across the full season, Bristow has been scorching down the stretch — shooting 53.5 percent from deep over Texas Tech’s last five games. And her overall versatility has placed her in rare statistical company: she is one of only three players in the country averaging at least 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting at least 31 percent from three.
In other words: a unicorn.
One of, if not the most, improved players in the Big 12 this season, Bristow earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. Something she credits to being around such a veteran team all offseason.
“It really was this summer,” Bristow said as to what helped her make those improvements. “We have a team full of seniors and a lot of upperclassmen. Everybody’s mature and ready to go. Every day it’s two steps forward, we don’t have any steps backwards. Everybody’s helping each other out.”
One of those seniors was, of course, the only four-year Lady Raider on the roster — and now the fourth-all-time leading scorer in Texas Tech history — Bailey Maupin.
For Maupin, the moment represents the culmination of a journey that has included both the growing pains of a rebuild and the satisfaction of seeing it through to the end.
“I’ve been here four years, and through those four years we’ve had ups and we’ve had downs,” Maupin said. “But being able to end my career going into the tournament and hoping to make a long run is the perfect way to go out, and I couldn’t have asked for a better story or a better ending to my college career.”
That perspective has helped define the mentality of this senior-laden roster.
Texas Tech’s nine seniors have combined for hundreds of college games and, in Maupin’s words, essentially a lifetime of basketball experience. With that comes a simple understanding of what March means.
“Some of us have played 22 years of basketball. That’s a long time,” Maupin said. “When you’re a senior and you’re getting to the end of the season, it’s do or die. Every game could be your last game. That’s not to scare you — it’s to put a hunger inside of you to leave everything out on the court.”
For Maupin, that hunger has always been tied to something else as well: restoring the expectation that Texas Tech belongs in the NCAA Tournament.
“Coach has said every year that this is where our program should be,” she said. “This is where our program has been in the past and where it needs to get back to.”
No one understands that history — or the weight of it — quite like head coach Krista Gerlich.
Before returning to Lubbock as head coach, Gerlich lived the golden era of Lady Raider basketball as a player on Texas Tech’s 1993 national championship team. The Lady Raiders reached the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons of her playing career, making March feel like a certainty rather than an aspiration.
When she took the Texas Tech job, restoring that expectation was the mission. But the road back proved steeper than she anticipated.
“When you are a Lady Raider and you walk into a room with a Double T on your chest, that used to mean something,” Gerlich said. “The hardest thing for me when I got here was that the brand wasn’t respected anymore for Lady Raider basketball.”
For a program that once filled arenas and hung championship banners, the reality of rebuilding that reputation, with recruits, with opponents and even with the sport itself… was sobering.
“So when I walked into people’s living rooms with a Double T on my chest, it didn’t mean much because of where the program was,” Gerlich said. “We had to build the brand back up and the reputation back up.”
Now having restored a bit of that respect, for Gerlich, the moment on Sunday hearing their name called was one of pride and perspective.
“It’s crazy that it’s been 13 years since this program has danced,” she said. “But it was absolutely my mission when I got the job to be able to get us back here.”
The players who helped bring that vision to life know exactly what it took to get there. They gave her a standing ovation when she stood up to speak to the crowd just before the Selection Show started.
“I’m super happy for her,” Maupin said of Gerlich. “She deserves all the awards for what she’s done for this program and what she’s done for Texas Tech women’s basketball over the past couple of years.”
Yet even as the drought ends, Gerlich has been quick to remind her team that simply returning to March cannot be the final goal.
“This is not a destination,” she said. “This needs to be an annual thing. It needs to be an expectation — like it used to be.”
Defend the culture, that first practice video said back in June.
Mission accomplished. Next step: restore what once defined Lady Raider basketball, success in March.
After a summer in Germany, a veteran roster and a season built on belief, Texas Tech is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years.
Waiting on the other side of that return is No. 10 seed Villanova, a mid-major darling actually ranked just ahead of Texas Tech in rating systems like Bart Torvik.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT Friday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Win, and the Lady Raiders will face either Jacksonville or host seed LSU in the second round.
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