Senior Service Business Trends

The baby boomers comprise a large portion of the market. According to Entrepreneur Media, by the year 2020, twenty five percent of people in the USA will be over the age of 65. As they age, the business opportunities in elderly care are expanding and are expected to increase. Although the number of in-home care and assisted living businesses are increasing, these are not the only areas of growth.

Many baby boomers are still active, and they want to keep it that way. Insightful entrepreneurs are looking at what this mature crowd wants, and they are creating anti-aging and health products to meet the needs of the market. There are also companies sprouting up that provide services like organized senior travel and tour groups, active health clubs for seniors and more.

Concierge services, bookkeepers and financial planners are also providing much-needed amenities to those who want assistance in making life easier as they grow older. Here are some of the business trends that we are seeing now.

In Home Care

Many seniors would prefer to remain in their homes than move to an assisted living facility. To meet this growing need, there are lots of in home care businesses and franchises starting up. Some home care services provide medical aid, but many other businesses offer a wide variety of non-medical care assistance instead. Some examples of non-medical care include bathing, grooming, meal preparation, transportation, companionship, chore services, housekeeping and more.

Seniors can continue to live in an environment that makes them happy, while family members can rest assured that they are receiving the care and attention they need. If this isn't enough of a selling point, companies that offer multiple services are additionally attractive simply for the added convenience that they provide.

Money and Tax Services for Seniors

Bookkeepers, tax consultants and estate planners are also finding opportunities in the senior market. By offering their services to this specific niche market, these professionals can free retirees from having to manage complicated financial tasks themselves. At the same time, they can be helping them save money and spend their savings wisely.

Travel and Recreation for Seniors

Travel businesses that offer tours and vacations specifically for seniors are becoming more popular for aging travelers. Not only is the trip planning taken care of for customers, but the specialized travel service caters to the needs of seniors.

Although recreation for seniors is nothing new, a growing number of services are being offered, especially for those who want to live an active lifestyle. For example, a fairly new senior health club franchise called Club 50 is designed for people age 50 and over. In addition, more spas are offering services that seniors want, such as hydrotherapy services and cooking classes.

Whether you want to start a senior service business or you want to expand your current product or service offering to the senior market, there are opportunities to be had. Publications like Senior Citizens Magazine and Modern Senior Living Magazine can provide clues as to what the market wants. All you need to do is provide the solution.

Strategies on Paying for Nursing Home Care and Medicaid

The decision to place your loved one into a nursing home is an
extremely difficult decision, often causing much guilt for the
caregiver. It is a very emotional decision for most clients we see and
most are under a certain amount of stress, often great, when facing what
they consider to be a drastic course of action.

I counsel our
caregiver clients to get beyond the guilt as quickly as they can,
because the situation their loved one is in is not the caregiver's
fault. And besides, the longer you remain under this stress, the less
healthy you eat, or you eat way too much, the less you sleep, and some
start drinking (my own mother started this late at night after she got
my dad settled in bed for the evening - not healthy to say the least).

The stress of caring for a loved one is constant and unrelenting. It
is a physical, mental and emotional grind. On numerous occasions, we
have actually had caregiver clients die before the spouse in the nursing
home. Sometimes, the caregivers die shortly after the nursing home
spouse dies. The stress of being a caregiver can be deadly serious,
especially for older clients who are caregivers for their spouse.

You have to recognize it and develop a plan to deal with it.

Get your children involved in developing a plan to deal with your
loved one's incapacity. And remember, plan for the absolute worst case
scenario. Get to an attorney who can help you develop a plan to help you
with your particular situation. And this is especially important as soon
as you detect any signs of dementia in your parent or spouse, or as soon
as you begin to detect physical problems with your loved one. The sooner
you begin the plan, the better off the family will be.

NOW, HOW DO WE PAY FOR MAMA'S NURSING HOME CARE? There are
really only three ways to pay for a stay in a nursing home.

LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE (LTCI). If Mama was far-sighted enough, she
may have purchased LTCI in the past before she needed it. This would be
an excellent source of funds to help defray some or all of Mama's long
term care costs. Unfortunately, very few seniors, those over age 60,
have LTCI coverage.

SELF PAY. This essentially means that Mama has enough income or
financial assets to pay her own way in the nursing home. However, many
families don't have the income or the financial asset base to be able to
pay $4,000 to $7,500 or more a month for a bed for very long in a
nursing home.

MEDICAID. This is a state-administered medical benefit program which
will pay for the cost of a nursing home stay if three tests are met,
i.e., medical need, asset, and income. Medicaid is obviously a
needs-based program, funded partially by state funds, but mostly by
federal funds. Many people are under the mistaken impression that
MEDICARE, which most seniors in this country over age sixty-five
participate in to one degree or another, will cover the cost of their
stay in a nursing home.

(c) Copyright 2005 P.L.Fields LLC

Work Overseas As A Certified CNA Nursing Assistant

It can be clearly seen that with the ever growing older population and the demands placed on hospitals to provide clinical care for patients that assistant nursing employees are enjoying ongoing employment opportunities. Nursing homes and hospitals world wide often have continuous recruitment campaigns to attract nursing assistant staff for permanent positions. Basically the role of a nursing assistant is now seen as a major position in the health care and as such, created a large demand in employment vacancies.

With the demands placed on these institutions means the assistant nursing staff are needed to perform front line individual care for clients stopping over in the hospital or nursing homes. This care ranges from feeding, making beds, recording basic health observations, helping in taking a shower and dressing also a multitude of other tasks. The function of the assistant nurse allows the clinical staff such as registered nurses to be free from the day to day chores and focus on providing clinical care to the patients.

Hospitals and nursing institutions are faced with the standpoint that nursing assistants are becoming part of an aging workforce. This presents challenges in itself as with an aging workforce comes age associated illnesses, loss of physical condition, commitments to family and more essentially the lack of interest to work as most are financially secure from retiring partners. Once there was a large casual pool where NUM's could telephone around looking for staff to employment on short notice. Those days have now dried up as the casual pool has extremely diminished.

This leaves you in the precise situation where you can commence your CNA training to become a certified nursing assistant. You will be beyond doubt that once you have finished your training that finding a job will not be that complicated. In fact, you will find that offers of employment will come with payment of an above award rate, enhanced allowances, rosters that fill your lifestyle and working conditions to make certain you are well rewarded for taking up a position. Do not be shocked of being offered full time permanent employment.

If you are considering returning to the workforce after raising your family, or you are long termed between jobs or simply wish for a career change, then entering the health care field as a nursing assistant should be your paramount priority. If you have just completed your education and looking for a career path, remember, nursing institutions and hospitals are demanding younger workers who are fit and healthy. Not only this but males are supported to complete their training as a male presence in a nursing home or hospital provides balance and they can present help to other staff.

As can be seen here in this article if there is a demand in your local area then rest assured there will be just the same demand world wide. This means employment opportunities overseas or interstate. Imagine taking a working holiday around the world where you get the good fortune to employment in major hospitals. Often such positions come with accommodation so that means you do not have to acquire a place to stay, often having lodgings supplied for free and very close to your workplace.

There are immeasurable opportunities provided in the health care field and that of a Certified Nursing Assistant is possibly the only one that has ongoing constant demands for staff to fill positions in hospitals and nursing facilities.

Nursing Homes - How to Keep Yourself Out of One

In my line of work I see daily what the lack of physical exercise does to the human body. Sure, many of our grandparents and parents were hard workers. They worked hard in many physical labor jobs in previous years as well. Some of the our parents over the years remained strong and, able to get around just fine and, many have not.

What is considered working hard is subjective. Ask anyone and you will get a multitude of different responses what hard physical work is. What I am talking about here is hard work in the game of strength training. The idea that we are to take it easy as we get older, is something that has been passed down through the ages.
No longer those of us in the babyboomer generation want to take the attitude that someone else will do the heavy work. You are responsible for your own health. Your health later on will determine what kind of life you will be able to live.

For most of us spending the latter years of our lives in a nursing home getting sub-par care at best, is not the way we want it to end. Taking responsibility on your part right now to be sure it does not happen is totally up to you. That can be started by getting involved in strength training to keep the muscles you were blessed with as strong as possible. Most people I have encountered in a nursing home were initially brought there due to multiple falls at home or, have a history of falls.

By keeping yourself strong with weight training which strengthens the muscles in functional ways in which we use them, is just one of several ways to keep yourself independent as possible as you age.

Keeping your legs and back strong for instance, will go a long ways in keeping you on your feet rather then having someone picking you up off the floor constantly.

Sure there can be other factors involved but, staying physically strong throughout your body helps build the self reliance you need to be your own person as you age.

You have the choice today to determine how your life is going to end in that regard. Taking a chance that this could not happen to me is a healthcare plan that is sure to fail.

What Art May Reveal About Your Child

"Just look at that love. It's like a constantly changing work of art. Who would think out of all that old wood from next door, we could warm the whole house and watch blue, red and orange flames flicker and dance like pirouetting ballerinas. You know it was just ash when I put the wood on and suddenly it just fanned into flame. I didn't even use a match to light it. It's changed from old rubbish to a living force." In the darkened room, it was quite a spectacle but the use of the word,' rubbish' took me on quite a journey.

Earlier that day "rubbish" was the exact word a mother said to me in aside, as I handed her, the creative works her son had produced that day.

"Here's more rubbish to get rid of discretely. If I kept all his artworks it would fill the room."

How many mother and fathers have had just that thought? In this case, as with all my students I had asked her son to tell me the story of the painting as it was 'free choice' and I could make no sense of the blobs of colour seemingly daubed indiscriminately over the page.

He looked quite mystified that it wasn't as plain to me, as it was to him.

"The brown", he faltered, "is the earth they put Gran into last week."

"And the red," I encouraged.

"The red is for the colour of Mum's eyes when she cries, and the blue is where Gran is now in heaven."

"But you also have yellow and pink?" I proffered.

"Yes," he smiled, "they are for all the happy times I had with Gran. She made me laugh so much. She tickled me and played tricks. She was like the sunshine."

"And the black?" I asked

"It's for the hole I feel inside because she isn't there anymore. Mum will miss laughing with her and Dad loved her sponge cake. I will miss her hugs"

For a child who volunteered very little in class, this was an extremely verbal outburst with well put together concepts and emotion, which clearly indicated he was observing and feeling very much more than he hitherto had cared to disclose.

Because of the depth of meaning in this particular work, I had taken the time to write the legend of the work and colours on the back, for his parents to reconsider whether this was indeed, "rubbish" or a family treasure and probably their most valued message of condolence.

I indicated to the mum that she should read what was on the back of the work.

Next day I had a phone call from her saying,

"It just goes to show you how wrong you can be. Thanks for taking the time to talk with Joel and alerting us of the meaning of his work."

It wasn't just the old masters who told stories in their work, the dog for fidelity, the petals fallen from the flowers and the timepiece all indicating our immortality or the half eaten apple, showing that all life was on the road to decay. Learning the symbolisms, while interesting, took some of the joy out of simply looking at the work for me and yet they did their job, because they provoked a response and engaged me, the viewer.

A watercolour of four miners' cottages is right at my eye level when I look up from the screen. To anyone else, this would be a lovely water colour reminiscent of a bygone age, tastefully painted by someone who knew the topic and had mastered the skill of water colour to a very high degree. But to me, just looking at the painting evokes challenge, courage and fortitude. Was it because I lived in one? No, but my grandmother did.

As a six weeks old infant she moved in after her father had been killed. The tenacity of her mother saw her bring her six children back to the mining village where she had grown up in the hope that she would be assisted by her family and able to do some piece work to sustain them. Nine years later that same woman buried her father mother, son and brother within the space of a month. Her son and brother having been killed in the Mt Kembla mine explosion in 1902.

My grandmother regularly took me to the area and reminded me to face life with grit and determination, to be thankful for all blessings and overcome disappointments, because a day wasted, was one I would never get back.

Yes, daily I look at the art choices in people's homes and wonder what significance if any, the artwork has for them. It is always a delight when their children's work is on display and regularly updated showing the importance they place on the developing creativity of their child and possibly, learning more about their children as they do so.

Get it right mums and dads because we could be like Joel's mother and nearly miss out on a dimension of our child we didn't know even existed. Our emotions, thoughts and confusions can flow out onto the canvas long before we are able to give them expression in words. Just try it!

Home Care Training Increases Effectiveness of Caregivers

Proper home care training is more important than ever for those who work with the elderly, as increasing numbers of older Americans are staying in their own homes or moving to some sort of assisted living environment. And today's training isn't just for practical care nurses or those who work in nursing homes. More and more in-home care providers, from family members to volunteers, are taking the time to train properly in order to offer the older individuals they care for the best care possible.

An increasing number of individuals are taking care of an elderly parent or parents or someone in their family who is disabled. This are the people who are frequently unprepared for their role as caregivers and are surprised to learn just how stressful and complex the role of a caregiver in the home can be. Home care training programs created by health care professionals now provide a way for these individuals to learn the techniques they need to provide a safe, healthy and supportive environment for their loved ones.

Quality home care training programs cover a wide range of topics of concern to the typical in-home care provider to ensure the comfort and health of both the care recipient and the provider. Typical subjects covered may include:

1: Personal care techniques, including proper bathing techniques and lift-and-carry techniques.

2: Recognizing early warning signs of health issues and illness as well as how to check basic vital signs.

3: Respecting the dignity and boundaries of the patient.

4: How to meet the physical and nutritional needs of the person being cared for.

5: Emotional support and wellness issues.

6: How to locate and take advantage of local resources for both the care giver and the individual being cared for.

7: Special-needs issues such oxygen use, wheelchairs, and caregiving for the bedridden.

8: Maintaining health and well-being as a caregiver.

These courses give in-home health care providers a solid background in what to do to make their loved ones more comfortable as well as giving them the confidence many lack when they begin caring for an elderly parent. It can be heart-wrenching to care for someone who once cared for you, and hesitation or lack of confidence can make it difficult to make crucial decisions. The proper Home care training can make an enormous difference. In fact, good home care graining can be the difference between an older parent being able to maintain relative independence in their own home and having to go to a nursing home facility. If an adult is properly trained and feels confident that they know how to provide quality daily care for their parent or grandparent, they are more likely to allow an elderly relative to stay in their home and enjoy the lifestyle familiar to them. However, if they feel overwhelmed and uncertain about what they should be doing or are simply lost about how to handle daily tasks as a caregiver, they will most likely insist on a move to a nursing home facility sooner rather than later.

Individuals who are interested in home care training should contact their local hospital, counsel on aging or community college to inquire about home care training programs in their area. There are also some training programs offered online as well as through faith-based organizations such as churches and synagogues.

Look for programs that are recommended or approved by established organizations such as the National Alliance for Caregiving or the National Family Caregivers Association. Recognition by these types of respected agencies is a sign that the home care training program has been thoroughly tested and meets their exacting standards.

The Risks of Falling With Senior Citizens

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 3 seniors fall every year resulting in 90% of senior citizen hip fractures. Of these seniors who fall, and this is the scary part... 60% of them die from complications. (Murphy 2000).

The risk of falling increases with age and falling is the number one cause of injury in adults over 65. These numbers are cause for great concern, but awareness and prevention can help decrease the likelihood of falls in the senior citizen years.

With the elderly, It is important to recognize factors that contribute to falls. They include: change in eye site, lack of strength or physical ailments, changes in medication or dosages, poor lighting, stairs, throw rugs, small objects lying around the house, and other risk factors that add to the list.

How can you prevent the risk of falling for yourself or loved-one? First, you need to assess the living situation. Does the house or apartment have stairs? If possible, opt for housing that is one level or requires little use of stairs. If this is not an option, make sure there are handrails to assist in climbing the stairs. Also, put handrails near the toilet and shower in each bathroom. Next, exchange house slippers for well- gripped shoes, remove loose throw rugs or tape them down, and tack down carpet edges.

You will also want to keep all wiring or electrical cords out of walkways and keep living areas well-light. In addition to the aforementioned, make sure all surfaces around the house are even. Fill any cracks in the sidewalks or driveway and remove unsteady porch swings or benches.

Taking care of you or your senior loved-one's health will also decrease the chance of falling. Set up hearing and eye appointments every year to check for changes or any indicators of concern...

Have a health professional review all medications. Some medication combinations can make one dizzy or cause other serious issues. Also several medications may be less effective as the body ages.

Finally, consult you or your loved-one's physician about a regular exercise program. Exercise will increase both strength and stamina, which decreases the likelihood of falls. Physical activity also helps improve coordination and balance.

With age comes the risk of falls and falls can lead to serious injury or death. Improving health and being aware of potential hazards will help ease the mind of you or your loved-one.