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CONTACT
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Care Giver
Orange County.com
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CareWorks Health Services
23151
Moulton Parkway STE 103C
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Phone:
(949) 859-4772

Hours
of Business: 24/7 Service




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EMAIL:
Begin@CAREGIVERORANGECOUNTY.COM
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We
provide Medical/Non-Medical Home Health Care Helping
Seniors and Disabled Adults live independently and safely,
in the place they want most, Home
24/7. Our caregivers believe in and adopt our
“Caregivers
Ten Commandments”, the cornerstone of success
for all our “Compassionate Companions”.
We
provide the most compassionate care to all individuals
- begining with newborns, hospital outpatient care to
seniors. With our dedicated and committed professionals,
our experienced team of caregivers are supported by our
diligent Support Staff making them the best in the industry.
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Elderly
care
or simply eldercare is the fulfillment of the special needs
and requirements that are unique to senior
citizens. This broad term encompasses such services as assisted
living, adult
day care, long
term care, nursing
homes, hospice
care, and In-Home care.
Cultural
and geographic differences
The form of
elder care provided varies greatly among countries and is changing
rapidly. Even within the same country, regional differences exist
with respect to the care for the elderly.
Traditionally
elder care has been the responsibility of family members and was
provided within the extended family
home. Increasingly in modern societies, elder care is now being
provided by state or charitable institutions. The reasons for
this change include decreasing family size, the greater life
expectancy of elderly people, the geographical dispersion
of families, and the tendency for women to be educated and work
outside the home. Although these changes have affected European
and North American countries first, it is now increasingly affecting
Asian countries also.
According
to Family Caregiver Alliance, the majority of family caregivers
are women:
“Many studies
have looked at the role of women and family caregiving. Although
not all have addressed gender issues and caregiving specifically,
the results are still generalizable [sic] to women because they
are the majority of informal care providers in this country. Consider:
• Estimates of the percentage of family or informal caregivers
who are women range from 59% to 75%. • The average caregiver is
age 46, female, married and working outside the home earning an
annual income of $35,000. • Although men also provide assistance,
female caregivers may spend as much as 50% more time providing
care than male caregivers.””
In most western
countries, elder care facilities are freestanding assisted
living facilities, nursing
homes, and Continuing care
retirement communities (CCRCs).
United States
In the United
States, most of the large multi-facility providers are publicly
owned and managed as for-profit businesses. There are exceptions;
the largest operator in the US is the Evangelical Lutheran Good
Samaritan Society, a not-for-profit organization that manages
6,531 beds in 22 states, according to a 1995 study by the American
Health Care Association.
Given the
choice, most elders would prefer to continue to live in their
own homes (aging in place).
Unfortunately the majority of elderly people gradually lose functioning
ability and require either additional assistance in the home or
a move to an eldercare facility. The adult children of these elders
often face a difficult challenge in helping their parents make
the right choices.
According
to the U.S
Department of Health and Human Services
the older population—persons 65 years or older—numbered 39.6 million
in 2009. They represented 12.9% of the U.S. population, about
one in every eight Americans. By 2030, there will be about 72.1
million older persons, more than twice their number in 2000. People
65-plus years old represented 12.4% of the population in the year
2000, but that’s expected to grow to be 19% of the population
by 2030. This will mean more demand for elderly care facilities
in the coming years. There were more than 36,000 assisted living
facilities in the United States in 2009, according to the Assisted
Living Federation of America
in 2009. More than 1 million senior citizens are served by these
assisted living facilities.
The table
below shows the Top 50 Elderly Care Facilities in the United States
per state ranked by the number of beds at each facility, according
to the U.S.
Elder Care Report done by SK&A 2010
Top Elderly
Care Facilities in the United States
Rank |
Nursing Home |
City |
State |
Beds |
1 |
Laguna Woods Community |
Laguna Woods |
CA |
12,736 |
2 |
Laguna Honda Hospital - SNF |
San Francisco |
CA |
1,200 |
3 |
St Catherine's Living Center |
Wahpeton |
ND |
100 |
4 |
Fair Acres Geriatrics Center |
Lima |
PA |
908 |
5 |
Central State Hospital |
Milledgeville |
GA |
900 |
6 |
Jewish Home Life Care |
Bronx |
NY |
816 |
7 |
Coler Goldwater Specialty Hosp |
New York |
NY |
815 |
8 |
Armed Forces Retirement Home |
Washington |
DC |
800 |
9 |
Gracedale-County Of N Hampton |
Nazareth |
PA |
790 |
10 |
East Central Regional Hosp-SNF |
Gracewood |
GA |
752 |
11 |
Wisconsin Veterans Home Of King |
King |
WI |
749 |
12 |
Terence Cardinal Cooke Center |
New York |
NY |
729 |
13 |
Kings Harbor Multi Care Center |
Bronx |
NY |
720 |
14 |
Ohio Veteran's Home |
Sandusky |
OH |
720 |
15 |
Westminster Canterbury Richmond |
Richmond |
VA |
720 |
16 |
Isabella Geriatric Center |
New York |
NY |
705 |
17 |
Central Virginia Training Ctr |
Madison Hts |
VA |
680 |
18 |
Murdoch Center |
Butner |
NC |
660 |
19 |
Cold Spring Hills |
Woodbury |
NY |
606 |
20 |
Misericordia Home North |
Chicago |
IL |
600 |
21 |
Fairview Developmental Center |
Costa Mesa |
CA |
600 |
22 |
A Holly Patterson Extended Care |
Uniondale |
NY |
589 |
23 |
Friendship Ridge |
Uniondale |
NY |
589 |
24 |
Clove Lakes Health Care & Rehab |
Staten Island |
NY |
576 |
25 |
Erie County Home |
Alden |
NY |
575 |
26 |
Bergen Regional Medical Center |
Paramus |
NJ |
574 |
27 |
Goldwater Memorial Hospital-SNF |
New York |
NY |
574 |
28 |
Loretto |
Syracuse |
NY |
570 |
29 |
Savanah Grand @ Amelia |
Fernandina |
FL |
565 |
30 |
Hebrew Home Greater Washington |
Rockville |
MD |
556 |
31 |
Monroe Community Hospital-SNF |
Rochester |
NY |
556 |
32 |
Lincoln Park Care Center |
Lincoln Park |
NJ |
547 |
33 |
Andover Subacute & Rehab Center |
Andover |
NJ |
543 |
34 |
Rutland Nursing Home |
Brooklyn |
NY |
538 |
35 |
Parker Jewish Institute |
New Hyde Park |
NJ |
527 |
36 |
Stratford Court Of Boca Raton |
Boca Raton |
FL |
527 |
37 |
Van Duyn Home Hospital - SNF |
Syracuse |
NY |
526 |
38 |
Workmens Cir Home/Geriatric Ctr |
Bronx |
NY |
524 |
39 |
Cobble Hill Health Center |
Brooklyn |
NY |
520 |
40 |
Kateri Residence |
New York |
NY |
520 |
41 |
Valley View Center Nursing |
Goshen |
NY |
520 |
42 |
Daughters Of Jacob Health Ctr |
Bronx |
NY |
515 |
43 |
Conway Human Development Center |
Conway |
AR |
515 |
44 |
Hollidaysburg Veterans Home |
Hollidaysburg |
PA |
514 |
45 |
Jewish Home & Hospital |
New York |
NY |
514 |
46 |
Southside Virginia Training Ctr |
Petersburg |
VA |
513 |
47 |
Lakeview Intermediate Care - MR |
Ellisville |
MS |
512 |
48 |
Du Page Convalescent Center |
Wheaton |
IL |
508 |
49 |
Jewish Home For The Aged |
Reseda |
CA |
500 |
50 |
Philadelphia Nursing Home |
Philadelphia |
PA |
500 |
One relatively
new service that can help keep the elderly in their homes longer
is "respite care".
This type of care allows caregivers the opportunity to go on vacation
or a business trip and know that their elder has good quality
temporary care, for without this help the elder might have to
move permanently to an outside facility.
Some United
States companies, like Senior Helpers, Home
Instead Senior Care, Home
Helpers, Visiting Angels, All Valley Home Care, Home Care
Assistance, Medi Home Private Care and Comfort Keepers, offer
long-term, in-home care for seniors. Elder
Options of Texas provides many resources for Texas families
searching for elder care resources and information for their elder
loved one. Texans 60-plus are projected to total 8.1 million by
2040, a 193 percent increase from 2000. By 2040, the 60-plus population
is projected to comprise 23 percent of the total Texas population.
According to the Texas
Department of Aging and Disability Services the 60-plus Texas
population will itself grow older. In 2000, the 85-plus population
totaled over 237,000; by 2040, this population is projected to
reach about 831,000, a 249.4 percent increase. There are many
service organizations and agencies that assist families and caregivers
on a tight income providing care and assistance their elder loved
ones.
Organizations
such as the Texas
Area Agencies on Aging, Texas
Meals-on-Wheels-Progams and Sheltering
Arms to name just a few are a great place to start. They provide
services as well as make referrals.
Canada
In Canada,
such privately-run for-profit facilities also exist, but they
must compete with government-funded public facilities run by each
province's or territory's Ministry of Health. In these care homes,
elderly Canadians pay for their care on a sliding scale based
on annual income. The scale that they are charged on depends on
whether they utilise “Long Term Care” or “Assisted Living”. For
example, commencing in January 2010 seniors living in British
Columbia’s government subsidized “Long Term Care” (also called
“Residential Care”) will pay 80% of their after tax income unless
their After Tax Income is less than $16,500. The “Assisted Living”
tariff is calculated more simply as 70% of the After Tax Income.
Australia
Due to Australia's
ageing population, the issue of aged (elderly) care has been highlighted
as a key concern for the next 20 years.
KPMG released a report supporting a model
of Aged Care Levy to assist in relieving
the burden on providers of Aged Care services.
In 2010 reports
stated that only 40% of Australian Aged Care Providers are able
to make a profit
with the rest having to eat into borrowings to break even.
Aged Care
recipients in Australia are subject to rebates and assistance
from the Australian Federal Government provided they are assessed
by an Aged Care Assessor (ACAT)
Their care can fall into a number of categories including high
care, low care and veterans home care.
Medical
(skilled care) versus Non-Medical (social care)
A distinction
is generally made between medical and non-medical care, and the
latter is much less likely to be covered by insurance or public
funds. In the US, 86% of the one million or so residents in assisted
living facilities pay for care out of their own funds. The rest
get help from family and friends and from state agencies. Medicare
does not pay unless skilled-nursing care is needed and given in
certified skilled nursing facilities or by a skilled nursing agency
in the home. Assisted living facilities usually do not meet Medicare's
requirements. However, Medicare does pay for some skilled care
if the elderly person meets the requirements for the Medicare
home health benefit.
Thirty-two
U.S. states pay for care in assisted
living facilities through their Medicaid
waiver programs. Similarly, in the United
Kingdom the National
Health Service provides medical care for the elderly, as for
all, free at the point of use, but social care is only paid for
by the state in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland
are yet to introduce any legislation on the matter so currently
social care is only funded by public authorities when a person
has exhausted their private resources, for example by selling
their home.
Elderly care
emphasizes the social and personal requirements of senior
citizens who need some assistance with daily activities and
health care, but who desire to age with dignity. It is an important
distinction, in that the design of housing, services, activities,
employee training and such should be truly customer-centered.
However, elderly
care is focused on satisfying the expectations of two tiers of
customers: the resident customer and the purchasing customer,
who are often not identical, since relatives or public authorities
rather than the resident may be providing the cost of care. Where
residents are confused or have communication difficulties, it
may be very difficult for relatives or other concerned parties
to be sure of the standard of care being given, and the possibility
of elder abuse is a continuing
source of concern. The Adult Protective Services Agency — a component
of the human service agency in most states — is typically responsible
for investigating reports of domestic elder abuse and providing
families with help and guidance. Other professionals who may be
able to help include doctors or nurses, police officers, lawyers,
and social workers.
Improving
mobility in the elderly
Impaired mobility
is a major health concern for older adults, affecting fifty percent
of people over 85 and at least a quarter of those over 75. As
adults lose the ability to walk, to climb stairs, and to rise
from a chair, they become completely disabled. The problem cannot
be ignored because people over 65 constitute the fastest growing
segment of the U.S. population.
Therapy designed
to improve mobility in elderly patients is usually built around
diagnosing and treating specific impairments, such as reduced
strength or poor balance. It is appropriate to compare older adults
seeking to improve their mobility to athletes seeking to improve
their split times. People in both groups perform best when they
measure their progress and work toward specific goals related
to strength, aerobic
capacity, and other physical qualities. Someone attempting
to improve an older adult’s mobility must decide what impairments
to focus on, and in many cases, there is little scientific evidence
to justify any of the options. Today, many caregivers choose to
focus on leg strength and balance. New research suggests that
limb velocity and core
strength may also be important factors in mobility.
The family
is one of the most important providers for the elderly. In fact,
the majority of caregivers for the elderly are often members of
their own family, most often a daughter or a granddaughter. Family
and friends can provide a home (i.e. have elderly relatives live
with them), help with money and meet social needs by visiting,
taking them out on trips, etc.
One of the
major causes of elderly falls is hyponatremia, an electrolyte
disturbance when the level of sodium in a person's serum drops
below 135 mEq/L. Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder
encountered in the elderly patient population. Studies have shown
that older patients are more prone to hyponatremia as a result
of multiple factors including physiologic changes associated with
aging such as decreases in glomerular filtration rate, a tendency
for defective sodium conservation, and increased vasopressin activity.
Mild hyponatremia ups the risk of fracture in elderly patients
because hyponatremia has been shown to cause subtle neurologic
impairment that affects gait and attention, similar to that of
moderate alcohol intake.
Declaring
elderly incompetence
In almost
all cases in which elderly persons are declared mentally or physically
incompetent to adequately take care of themselves, state laws
require that a minimum of two doctors, or other health professionals,
vouch for evidence of such incompetence. Only then can legal supervision
by a loved one or caretaker be initiated, including power of attorney,
guardianship and conservatorship. If doctors' corroboration cannot
be obtained by interested parties, then other proof must be proffered
to support the case for incompetence, including outstanding bills
and financial debt, or substandard living conditions that would
be deemed unsafe or hazardous to the elderly person(s).
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