Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health

COVID HHAeXchange Resource Page

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 19:07:00 GMT

All Stat Home Health is constantly looking for new COVID-19 Resources for clients, employees and their families.

We recently came across this valuable website that provided clear concise guidelines to understanding signs and symptoms of COVID-19 along with a number of valuable guidelines and resources.

You can access the site by going to:

https://info.hhaexchange.com/covid-19-resources

The post COVID HHAeXchange Resource Page appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

COVID Resources Directory

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 13:22:00 GMT

In an attempt to provide as many resources as possible to members of the Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte County Communities, we have put together a COVID Resource Directory that allows you to easily search and gain access to valuable information related to services from Housing and Utilities, Food Pantries in our area, Delivered Meals, Activities, Federal Resources and many other important topics.

Click the following link to explore the many available resources.

COVID Resource Directory

The post COVID Resources Directory appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

CoronaVirus COVID-19

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 20:24:00 GMT

CoronaVirus COVID-19 Protocol

All Stat Home Health has established this protocol as part of our ongoing Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) to address both concerns for education and quarantine in the face of the CoronaVirus (COVID-19). We feel it is vitally important for clients to understand the steps that All Stat has taken to ensure that their family members are receiving safe, appropriate care. We therefore have established these various protocols to assess, monitor and guide our staff, clients and their families.

Additional resources can be found through the links below:

CDC CoronaVirus website

How to Protect Yourself

What to Do if you are Sick

CoronaVirus Tracker Map

COVID Resource Directory

New Patient Protocol

Prior to accepting service or visitation for any new patient, All Stat will educate clients on this protocol. Clients who have

• traveled outside the US in the past 14 days

• been in proximity of anyone who has traveled outside the US in the past 14 days or anyone known to have been exposed or potentially exposed to a person or facility in which CoronaVirus (COVID-19) has been identified

• has any symptoms related to the CoronaVirus, including but not limited to fever, cough, fatigue, aches and pains, sore throat or shortness of breath

will not be allowed to enter into service with All Stat Home Health for a minimum period of 14 days.

All Stat’s Director of Nursing, Stacey Crocker, RN, will suggest and advise patients who fall within these parameters to seek medical attention and or testing by their physician or local health care resources.

New patients who do not fall within the parameters listed above will have an assessment completed by a Registered Nurse prior to service to include Temperature (to check for fever) for anyone residing with the patient, including spouses and children. Should anyone exhibit any parameters listed above following the assessment by the nurse, All Stat again will advise them to seek medical attention and/or testing by their physician or local health care resources. They must then pass all of the steps established above in order to receive service.

Existing Patient Protocol

All Stat will make all possible efforts to educate existing clients of this protocol. These efforts include telephone conversations, email, potential mailings, information posted to All Stat’s website and information posted to All Stat’s Patient App.

Should it become known that a client has

• traveled outside the US in the past 14 days

• has any symptoms related to the CoronaVirus, including but not limited to fever, cough, fatigue, aches and pains, sore throat or shortness of breath

All Stat will suspend service for a minimum period of 14 days. They must then pass all of the steps established above in order to reestablish service.

Should any existing patient demonstrate signs or symptoms of the Coronavirus, as expressed by the client, family, medical personnel or staff member, All Stat will have our Director of Nursing, Stacey Crocker, RN, speak to the client and advise them to seek medical attention and/or testing by their physician or local health care resources to determine if they have contracted CoronaVirus (COVID-19). Her discussion may include testing for fever or discussing other potential symptoms to avoid clear misdiagnosis.

All Stat reserves the right to suspend services to existing clients who exhibit symptoms of the CoronaVirus (COVID-19) and fail to seek appropriate health testing and remedies.

Should a client be diagnosed or quarantined but not institutionalized, All Stat may provide some support assistance as the discretion of Stacey Crocker, RN, our Director of Nursing and staff members. For example, should a client be home bound, due to suggested or voluntary quarantine, All Stat staff members who agree may provide grocery shopping or errand duties and leave supplies at the doorstep of the client assuming the caregiver is willing to do so and All Stat feels the care constitutes a marginal risk of exposure. These decisions will be at the sole discretion of Stacey Crocker, Rn, our Director of Nursing.

Employees may be restricted from entering certain facilities. In the event that an employee is not allowed to enter a facility in which they are scheduled to provide assistance to a patient, they are instructed to contact the office immediately so that the office can verify denial of entry and determine if the facility did not realize that the employee was to provide care to the resident. All Stat will then reach out to the facility, family and patient to ensure their understanding of these restrictions.

New Employee Protocol

Prior to hiring any new employees, All Stat will educate them on this protocol. Potential employees who have

• has any symptoms related to the CoronaVirus, including but not limited to fever, cough, fatigue, aches and pains, sore throat or shortness of breath

will not be allowed to enter into service with All Stat Home Health for a minimum period of 14 days.

All Stat’s will suggest and advise employees who fall within these parameters to seek medical attention and or testing by their physician or local health care resources. They must then pass all of the steps established above in order to proceed to servicing clients.

New employees who do not fall within the parameters listed above will have an assessment completed by a Registered Nurse as part of their application process to include Temperature (to check for fever). Should a potential employee exhibit any parameters listed above following the assessment by the nurse, All Stat again will advise them to seek medical attention and/or testing by their physician or local health care resources. All Stat will not employee this person for a period of 14 days. They must then pass all of the steps established above in order to proceed to servicing clients.

Existing Employee Protocol

All Stat will make all possible efforts to educate existing employees of this protocol. These efforts include telephone conversations, email, potential mailings, information posted to All Stat’s website and information posted to All Stat’s Employee App.

If it becomes known that an employee

• has any symptoms related to the CoronaVirus, including but not limited to fever, cough, fatigue, aches and pains, sore throat or shortness of breath

will be temporarily suspended and will not be allowed to enter into service for clients with All Stat Home Health for a minimum period of 14 days. They must then pass all of the steps established above in order to proceed to servicing clients.

Should any existing employee demonstrate signs or symptoms of the Coronavirus, as expressed by the employee, patient, patient family member, medical personnel or other staff member, All Stat will have our Director of Nursing, Stacey Crocker, RN, speak to the employee and advise them to seek medical attention and/or testing by their physician or local health care resources to determine if they have contracted CoronaVirus (COVID-19). Her discussion may include testing for fever or discussion other potential symptoms to avoid clear misdiagnosis. They must then pass all of the steps established above in order to proceed to servicing clients.

All Stat reserves the right to suspend employment for employees who exhibit symptoms of the CoronaVirus (COVID-19) and fail to seek appropriate health testing and remedies.

Employee are required to mandatorily report any suspected concerns of CoronaVirus exposure by either clients, client family members, other staff or themselves. Failure to report may result in immediate termination.

Facility Partnerships

As part of this protocol, All Stat personnel will be in contact with patients throughout the process to assess their needs and help with education and services.

In addition, we have reached out to facility partners in our community to provide a backup in the event that we have a patient who does not exhibit CoronaVirus symptoms but we are unable to provide suitable care based on personnel limitations. For example, if we have a patient who utilizes a Hoyer Lift and cannot function appropriately or safely within support staff, but sufficient support staff are not available due to illness or other limitations, All Stat we has established connections with local Nursing Facilities including Manor Care of Sarasota to allow appropriate transfer of the patient from the home to the facility to ensure their ability to receive adequate care.

In the event of placement to such a facility, All Stat can continue to provide care in the facility as required, given the initial limitations of personnel, for sufficient time or until All Stat is able to re-establish the client safely back to their home.

The post CoronaVirus COVID-19 appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

Dementia Sensitivity Training (DCCI)

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 20:22:00 GMT

In an effort to make Sarasota County a Dementia Caring Community, local community stakeholders have partnered with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in a state-wide initiative: The Dementia Care and Cure Initiative (DCCI). The Sarasota County DCCI Task Force is proud to announce a new FREE program to make businesses and organizations officially Dementia-Caring.

You can access the training video by clicking here .

The DCCI Task Force is focusing on raising awareness by providing a FREE educational module on dementia sensitivity. The goal is to build upon Sarasota County’s strengths as a community that all can enjoy for a lifetime. Participating organizations will gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias so that they can provide a welcoming, respectful environment as well as learn about local resources to assist persons living with dementia and their caregivers an family members.

After successful completion, businesses will receive a DCCI decal that they can proudly display, recognizing that they are dementia-caring. With this decal, families and individuals affected by dementia will be able to easily identify businesses and other community entities that are trained on inclusive and interactive techniques that are sensitive to those living with the disease.

For more information in Sarasota, please contact Danielle Valery at the Sarasota Memory Disorder Clinic and DCCI Task Force President at 941-917-7930.

If you are interested in becoming a Trainer, please contact Melissa Earle, Train the Trainer Coordinator for the DCCI Task Force at 941-928-8535. Melissa is also the Director of Client Services at All Stat Home Health.

The post Dementia Sensitivity Training (DCCI) appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

Updated All Stat Inservices

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 16:08:00 GMT

Updated All Stat Inservices are now available!

All Employees are required to maintain ongoing inservice training. These inservices are presented on various topics. Certified Nursing Assistants are required to show evidence of 12 Inservice credits annually. As a result, All Stat provides these inservices for all staff at no charge to meet our requirements as well as the requirements of their CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certification.

Education is so important in an industry that changes constantly. In addition, a lot of misinformation is available. Have good resources is an important part of staying informed.

The Inservices are also a valuable source of education for clients, family members and other in our community who wish to be better educated about medical issues.

Each inservice consists of materials to download and read about various topics. These topics include

HIPAA Compliance, discussing HIPAA and how it effects you

AIDS/OSHA Training, discussing the latest information on AIDS prevention

Universal Precautions, presenting techniques and information on infection control

Domestic Violence, an important discussion for everyone

Fire Safety, understanding how to stay safe in a dangerous situation

Hearing Impairments, recognizing hearing loss and the options available

Diabetes, recognizing the symptoms and preventative measures

Alzheimer’s Disease, understanding the disease and treatments available

and many others.

Employees must review the inservice material and then complete the identified quiz and score 70% or above to pass. Family members and others are welcome to test their knowledge as well.

The post Updated All Stat Inservices appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

New Medical Fact Sheets

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 15:39:00 GMT

All Stat has added a valuable new feature, Medical Fact Sheets, to our website. The Medical Fact Sheets are brief, one page summaries of various medical conditions and diseases. They are designed to improve patient and family understanding of their condition, symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Topics range from Childhood Allergies to Prostate Care. Many of the topics are intended to help in understanding and preventing more serious complications related to various diseases.

Health Care Reform Requirements for Home Health Agencies

Wed, 25 May 2016 16:54:00 GMT

Health Care Reform Requirements for Home Health Agencies

In 2013, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as Obamacare was authorized and began to be phased in.

Beginning in 2016, Employers with 50 or more Full Time Equivalents employers with 50 or more Full Time equivalent employees need to provide medical coverage to at least 95% of their full time employees or face penalties under the Employer Mandate.

In addition, the coverage has to be “affordable” for employees using the 9.5% rule, where an employees cost cannot exceed 9.5% of their gross wages.

For example, if an employee earns $12/hr and works 30 hours per week (Full time) their cost for insurance cannot exceed $34.20/week or $136.80 per month or it is not considered “affordable”.

If the actual cost of the health benefit is $500/month, the company must pay at least $363.20 or 73% of the premium in order to be “affordable”. If the cost of the health benefit is greater than $500 per month the % increases.

If any employer had 50 Full Time employees under this scenario, their cost would be $18,160/month or $217,920/year just for health benefits! Eek!

However, failure to provide this coverage may result in fines of up to $3000 per employee! EEK!

So, why is this important to home health clients?

It’s important to understand changes that effect the caregivers providing care to clients.

Home Health Agencies are working hard to provide the best possible caregivers to clients in the home. Oftentimes, clients have no reason to understand the various regulations that effect their care.

In the case of Home Health Care, there are still unknown costs that may contribute to increased charges as the underlying costs of the Affordable Care Act become more apparent.

It is important for clients to understand the changing environment of home care so that they can better work with their Home Health Agency to ensure the best care possible for their loved ones.

The post Health Care Reform Requirements for Home Health Agencies appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

Home Health Care Overtime Requirements

Wed, 25 May 2016 16:23:00 GMT

Home Health Care Overtime Requirements

Beginning in November 2015, all Home Health workers throughout the country became eligible for time and a half pay for any hours worked past 40 hours in a week. This is a brief history of how that came into place and how it effects clients receiving care.

1974 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

In 1974 Congress exempted “domestic service” employees from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime provisions for those who provided “companionship services” to elderly people or people with illnesses, injuries or disabilities who require assistance in caring for themselves.

This was a big deal because in 1974 there were not a lot of Nursing Homes in existence so a large number of people who needed care received it in their home. This exemption allowed consumers who received care at home to have fewer caregivers for a greater continuity of nursing care and offered a cost savings to consumers, mostly elderly, who needed these services.

To clarify this position, the Department of Labor issued two specific Fact Sheets.

• DOL Fact Sheet #25

DOL Fact Sheet #25 was designed to clarify what caregivers are exempt and what caregivers are NOT exempt. Exempt caregivers included domestic help (Maids, Cooks, etc.) but also included HHA’s, CNA’s, Homemakers, Companions and Live In Caregivers. Caregivers were NOT exempt included Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and other Skilled Professionals, although they may have other exemptions.

• DOL Fact Sheet #79

DOL Fact Sheet #79 was designed to clarify what constitutes a Private Home. A Private Home included an free standing dwelling, an apartment, a condo, an Independent Living Facility and in some case, an Assisted Living Facility.

On October 1, 2013 the DOL issued The Home Care Final Rule removing the Home Care worker exemption. The new rule would be effective January 1, 2015. Ironically, despite being called The Home Care Final Rule, there were a few bumps along the way.

In December 2014, literally days before the Law was to go into effect, US District Court Judge Richard Leon vacated the decision putting the exemption back into place. This was based largely on lobbying and lawsuits filed by Home Care Associations across the county and multiple states including CA, IL, & AZ.

The argument was that removing the exemption would result in increased costs for a primarily elderly population. In fact, the State of Illinois estimated an increase of $94 Million in additional costs based on removing the exemption.

Then The Home Care Final Rule was revisited.

Following Judge Leon’s decision, the Department of Labor filed an appeal with the US Court of Appeals and on August 21, 2015 three (3) Appellate Court Judges from the District of Columbia overruled the 1 Judge from the US District Court and issued an Opinion which affirmed the validity of the Final Rule.

Their Opinion automatically becomes a Mandate (or went into Law) 52 days later on October 13, 2015.

The Department of Labor subsequently identified that they will not enforce the ruling for at least 30 days so the actual date of implementation became November 12, 2015.

After November 12, 2015, all home care caregivers must receive time and a half pay for any hours worked over 40 hours.

So, why is this important to know?

It is important to understand that there is now a 40 hour Limit for home caregivers, whereby Overtime is required for all caregivers who work beyond 40 hours.

Most clients want to have as few caregivers as possible to minimize the number of staff coming in to the home. Most times in the past when a client had 24 hour care, shifts were scheduled in 12 hour increments to minimize the number of staff. Looking at just the evening shifts, in the past, we would normally schedule 1 person for 4 days of care and 1 person for 3 days of care. Under the new law, this is not acceptable since one employee would be working 48 hours unless the client is willing to pay for overtime hours, which most clients prefer not to do. As a result, a greater number of caregivers are needed to complete the schedule without incurring overtime.

In addition, this may lead to increased direct and/or indirect costs. It can lead to increased in Direct Cost if a client chooses to have a caregiver greater than 40 hours in a week, thereby authorizing overtime. It can result in an increase in indirect costs because a company may need to increase their overall rates based increased overhead costs. There will likely be instances when an employee needs to be paid for overtime but those overtime charges cannot appropriately be charged to a specific client. An example would be when an employee who already worked for 40 hours but their relief staff did not show up on time due to their car breaking down or some other reason. In this case, the employee MUST be paid overtime but it may not be fair to charge that overtime to the clients. Companies may therefore increase their rates in anticipation of these types of events.

Ultimately, it is valuable for consumers to understand the Department of Labors Overtime requirements for caregivers and how they may affect the care that a consumer receives.

The post Home Health Care Overtime Requirements appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

Long Term Care Benefits – 3 Things to know

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 16:13:00 GMT

Long Term Care Benefits – 3 Things to know

All Stat Home Health has been in business for 30 years, specializing in the processing of Long Term Care Benefits for clients and their families. Policies vary from Insurance Company to Insurance Company but there are some consistent components that you should be aware of when purchasing or using your Long Term Care Policy. Below we will discuss 3 Things to know about Long Term Care Benefits.

A Long Term Care Policy generally provides a cash benefit that can be used for Home Health Care, Assisted Living Care or Skilled Nursing Care. It is “Long Term Care” because it covers care over time as a client transitions through the health care continuum from Home to Assisted Living to Skilled Nursing.

Today we will be discussing Long Term Care Benefits as they apply to Home Health Care but the benefits structure is very similar for working with Assisted Living Facilities or even Skilled Nursing Homes. While some policy benefits may vary these examples reflect the most common structures for Long Term Care Policies.

1 Maximum Daily Benefits

All Policies have a dollar amount that they will pay for services. This is defined as the Daily Maximum Benefit or the maximum amount that they will pay each day for service. Policies can actually specify this as a “Daily” Maximum, a “Weekly” Maximum or a “Monthly Maximum” Benefit.

A “Daily” Maximum is the most straight forward as it clearly defines how much the insurance policy will pay per day. An example is $100/day. The policy will pay 100% of the charges up to the daily maximum of $100. If the cost of care is $50 it should be paid in full. If the cost for care was $120, the policy will pay $100 leaving a balance of $20 due from the client.

A “Weekly” benefit means that you can use the maximum benefit up to the “Weekly Maximum” regardless of how many days are involved. For example, if a client has a “Weekly” benefit of $700 per week (roughly $100/day), and they have $120 on one particular day, the policy will pay the $120 in full, where the “daily” benefit would have only paid for $100 on the same day. In fact, if the client had 24 hour care for 2 days at a cost of $350 per day, it would still be covered in full since the total cost for the two days would have been $700 which is equal to or less than the Maximum Weekly Benefit of $700.

A “Monthly” benefit provides even greater flexibility. It allows a client to use their entire monthly allocation for any services needed up to the “Monthly” maximum. For example, if the “Monthly” benefit was $3,100 (roughly $100 per day), and the client had 24 hour care for an entire week for a total of $3,100, it should be paid in full. In the same scenario, a policy with a “Weekly” benefit would have only paid $700 towards the expense ($100/day x 7 days = $700).

Most client have consistent care. In those cases, all three Benefit types may be the same. For example, if a client had care for $100 per day, 7 days per week for a month (31 days), all three benefit types would pay the exact same amount of money.

Daily Benefit: $100/day x 31 days = $3,100
Weekly Benefit: $700 per week by 31 days (4 weeks and 2 days)= $3,100
Monthly Benefit: $3,100 per month

However, the added flexibility of a Weekly or Monthly benefit can certainly be helpful for clients by providing them greater flexibility in the use of their benefits.

2 Elimination Period

Most policies have an Elimination Period. The Elimination Period should be thought of as a Deductible but rather than a dollar amount (like is used for Car Insurance of Homeowners Insurance) it is specified as a number of days. The most common periods are 0 days, 14 days, 28 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 100 days and 180 days.

The Insurance company wants evidence that care has been provided for the elimination period paid by some other source. They don’t care if that source was Medicare, privately by the client or another insurance policy. The insurance company benefit begins once the Elimination Period has been met. For example, if a client has a 30 day elimination period, the insurance company will want to see proof that care was provided for 30 days and then the insurance company will begin making payment as of the 31st day.

Generally insurance companies will allow days of care provided in a Rehabilitation Center or Nursing Home prior to the claim to be counted towards the elimination days. For example, if a client has a 30 day elimination and was in a Rehab Center for 25 days and then discharged to home, the insurance company will allow the 25 days to count towards the elimination period and only require the client to show proof of an additional 5 days of service at home before the policy begins to pay for coverage.

Most insurance companies will also allow days from Medicare Home Health or other structured home health care to be considered towards the elimination days. Days from Hospitalization, days from outpatient rehab and doctors visits do NOT count towards the elimination period.

3 ADL’s or Activities of Daily Living

In order for a Long Term Care Insurance Company to pay benefits, the client generally needs to have care from a Licensed Home Heath Agency that documents that the client received assistance with at least 2 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). These include:

• Assistance with Bathing or Showering
• Assistance with Dressing or Undressing
• Assistance with transferring from one location to another (wheelchair, bed, chair)
• Assistance with toileting including incontinence care
• Assistance with feeding (predominantly for stroke patients who cannot feed themselves)

Normally this level of care is provided by a Home Health Aide (HHA), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Personal Care Assistant (PCA). Their training is in personal care and body mechanics to allow them to safely provide these services.

The reason that days of care in a Rehabilitation Center or Skilled Nursing Unit apply to the Elimination Period is that by definition, they are providing assistance with at least 2 ADL’s as indicated above.

Days of care from Medicare Home Health can be considered towards the Elimination Period but may or may not count based on whether 2 ADL’s were provided. A good example is when a client receives Physical Therapy at home. This is a very valuable skilled service provided by Medicare Home Health Agencies. However, Physical Therapy, while providing specific hands on therapy, generally does not include any Activities of Daily Living. As a result, the insurance company has the discretion to apply the day towards the elimination period or not.

Conversely, if a Medicare Home Health Agency provides a bathing visit that includes assistance with bathing and dressing, that day should count towards the Elimination period.

For clients who did not have a Rehabilitation stay and did not have prior Home Health care, the insurance company will want proof that the client incurred expenses for the elimination days. These days are then provided by a private duty Home Health Agency under agreement with the client.

<strong>3 days = 7 Component</strong>

Some policies include a component that says that if a client has care for 3 days per week, the insurance company will count it as 7 days towards the elimination period. This can be a great cost savings for clients with longer elimination periods. For example, a client with a 90 day elimination period that included a 3 days = 7 days component would only need to have care for 39 actual days of care to meet their elimination period (90 days / 7 days per week = 13 weeks, 13 weeks x 3 days per week = 39 days). This can be a tremendous cost savings to the client and the family.

We have just touched on a few of the key components of Long Term Care Policies. In future Blogs we will discuss other ways to better utilize your policy and things to consider before purchasing a policy.

For questions or comments on your particular policy or situation please call us at 941-923-0880 or refer to our website at All Stat Home Health .

The post Long Term Care Benefits – 3 Things to know appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .

Signs of Decline in the Elderly

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 14:53:00 GMT

Signs of Decline in the Elderly

Helping Seniors Age with Dignity and Safety
Identifying early warning signs is critical in helping our elderly family, friends and clients achieve a long, enriching life.

Everyone changes as they age.

These changes can be subtle (changes in taste) to dramatic (changes in personal hygiene). Taken individually it is often difficult to determine whether an elderly client or family member is declining to the point of needing assistance. However, when looking at signs of decline in the elderly, you can arrive at a level of concern based on the number of observable changes; the greater the number of observable triggers the greater the need for intervention. Here are several Key signs of decline in the Elderly:

Changes in Physical Condition
• decline in personal appearance
• decline in personal hygiene
• inability to complete personal activities of daily living (ADL’s) such as bathing, dressing, or maintaining a
clean environment
• increased occurrence of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) – can be hygiene related, decreased fluid intake

Changes in Perceptual Abilities
This represents changes in one’s ability to effectively utilize senses including vision, hearing, sensitivity to touch, taste and smell.
• decline in appetite
• quick, unexpected response to heat or cold (drinks a hot beverage without checking for temperature)
• inability to recognize something burning or off-smelling
• inability to hear buzzers, phones or safety alarms

Changes in Cognitive Abilities
• Repeating oneself (questions, answers, or stories)
• Responding indirectly to common questions (ex, Question: “Do you know what day it is?” Response:
“Why, don’t you know?”)
• Disoriented in familiar settings (office, restaurant)
• Sudden unexpected changes in mental status (calm, quickly upset, quickly calm)
• Decline in social skills (doesn’t engage in conversation)
• Decline in judgment (leaves water running, stove on)
• Unpaid bills
• Increased charitable contributions or check writing (may be victim of scam)
• Unfinished tasks (food not put away, bed not made)
• Inability to make decisions (fear of making the wrong decision)
• Depression or withdrawn behavior

If you have a friend or family member that exhibits a number of these signs of decline in the elderly, discuss your concerns with them or reach out to family members with your concerns. Your observations may be the catalyst to providing a great understanding to their condition, protecting them against potential harm or allow the individual and family to make appropriate arrangements to ensure the safety and happiness of the individual.

You can also contact local elder resources in your area or call All Stat Home Health at 941-923-0880 to discuss options and suggestions or go to our website at All Stat Home Health .

Together we can protect our elderly family and friends and ensure they achieve a long, enriching life.

References:
Mayo Clinic – Aging Parents – 7 Warning signs of health problems – January 2012
Inside Elder Care by Ryan Moore – Common Signs of Functional Decline – August 2011

The post Signs of Decline in the Elderly appeared first on Home Health Care in Sarasota & Port Charlotte | All Stat Home Health .