Welcome to the Lifestyle Home Services blog page.
Here you will find helpful information and articles on a wide range of topics relating to community care, health and home support as well as current sector news and offers.
The blog is updated regularly so please check back often.
If you are looking for information or advice on a particular topic and can't find it please email us - blog@lifestylehomeservices.com.au and we will answer your queries on the blog.
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It is mandatory to have a smoke alarm in every household where people sleep. Statistics shows that a person is twice as likely to die in a fire at home where a fire alarm is not installed, however the risk factor if they are unable to hear a standard alarm. Although the Deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing are in need of special fire alarm those with flashing lights and vibrating under-pillow pads to supplement the sound of the alarms can rise to as much as $450 more than a standard alarm
Therefore, the NSW Government has invested $2 million for the scheme, which aims to give people who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing the same protections as smoke alarms do for others. This lifesaving program will see 3500 high-tech smoke alarms go to people in our community who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing,” Commissioner Mullins said. “For those eligible, fire-fighters from your local fire station can come out and help install them.”
“The subsidy gives deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people in NSW the right to make the same choices as everyone else about their home fire safety.”
Applications for the subsidy can be made to the Deaf Society of NSW, which provides information and services to people who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing and their families. For information and application forms visit this website:
www.deafsocietynsw.org.au/smokealarms
(Source) View Media Release
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Here at Lifestyle Home Services we believe it’s never too early or too late to start exercising!
Getting regular exercise helps you to stay fit and also has tremendous health benefits.
I recently heard about an American Woman, Gladys “Gladyator” Burrill, who is living proof that it is never to late to enjoy the benefits of exercise
Gladys Burrill earned the nickname ‘Gladyator’ after she successfully completed the Honolulu Marathon in 2010 at the ripe old age of 92!
Gladys walked and jogged the better half of the 42 kilometer course and finished at the amazing time of 9 hours and 53 minutes.
Gladys’s passion for running began when she was 86 and since then she has completed the Honolulu marathon five times and walked a total of 400 kilometers!
Whilst Gladys’s approach to exercise may be a little extreme there are alternative ways of staying fit and plenty of senior-friendly activities available to try.
Fitness centers and gyms now run classes that cater to the needs of the elderly across Australia. Lawn bowls, aquatic aerobics and walking are just a few of the sports more and more older people are taking part in.
Aquatic aerobics and other water based sports, like swimming, are highly recommended for older people as they ease tension in the joints and tendons compared to higher impact activities.
Before starting any form of exercise please remember to consult your Doctor to assess your current physical well-being and give you the right fitness plan.
At Lifestyle Home Services we support many of our clients to keep up with a regular fitness regime as part of their aged care support. Sometimes this means our staff help by going for a walk with the client or driving them to a fitness class. We also have some our staff trained in allied health assistance which means they can support a person with a physiotherapy regime under the guidance of the client’s physiotherapist.
Contact Lifestyle Home Services today to see how we can support you with your fitness goals.
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The POOPs Program, or Pets of Older Persons, provides socially isolated seniors from NSW with basic pet care services in times of crises.
POOPs was first established by the Aged Care Assessment Team at Auburn’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in 2003, with the aim of helping seniors live in their own home with their pets for as long as possible.
POOPs now runs in conjunction with the RSPCA and also helps palliative care patients of any age, who are socially isolated, with their services.
Clients must pay for the veterinary, grooming and boarding fees at the time of service, however they will receive a discount on all services and payment plans can be arranged on a case by case basis.
POOPs services include;
- Temporary foster care and/or emergency boarding of the pet should the owner require medical assistance.
- Help with veterinary treatment at the RSPCA Sydney Vet Hospital.
- Pet grooming and home visits.
For more information about POOPs, email poops@rspcansw.org.au or phone: (02) 9782 4408.
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For many people aging is equated with the loss of health and independence. People who choose to remain in their own homes are often faced with still needing to rely on others to do the things they once did for themselves. Loosing this independence is very hard. Lifestyle Home Services, and its parent organisation; Catholic Community Services have been working hard to develop ways in which people living at home can be assisted to regain their independence.
Our approach to care is based on an Enabling philosophy. This means that we aim to ‘do with’ rather then ‘do for’. We believe that you are never “too old” to do things for yourself.
Sometimes people can lose confidence in their own abilities after having a fall or a serious illness. Our approach allows for a gradual re-introduction of tasks with support to ensure you are safe while you build your skills up again.
Mary’s story highlights this process:
Mary*(name changed) was 83 when she slipped on her front step on a rainy afternoon. She fractured her hip and spent several weeks in hospital recovering. Mary was introduced to our service when she decided that she wanted to return home to live. While in hospital, Mary had nurses to help her shower and did not have to cook or clean. She was worried about how she would do these things when she returned home as she lives alone. Mary’s children all lived far away and she did not want to burden her friends. Mary was frightened that she would fall again and have to move into a nursing home.
Mary met with our care manager- David and together they arranged services to help her with her daily activities and confidence. Mary’s goal was to be fully independent again. She was introduced to her community worker , Joan. Joan would pop around every morning to help Mary have a shower, do some housework and any shopping Mary needed. Initially Mary wanted to Joan to help quite a bit- Mary was worried she would fall over in the shower. David organized a chair for her in the shower and Mary was able to shower herself with Joan standing by in case she needed any help. After a just few month of support Mary had built up her strength and confidence and was able to withdraw the home care services as she no longer needed them. Should Mary need some support again in the future she knows she can always call on Lifestyle Home Services.
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The first draft report on aged care in Australian was released by the Productivity Commission on January 21st. One of the key points of this report was increased choice for older Australians; “Older Australians told the Commission that they did not want to be passive recipients of services, dependent on funded providers. Rather, they wanted to be independent and be able to choose where they live, which provider they would use and whether to purchase additional services or a higher standard of accommodation” Increased choice and control over services or rather, consumer-directed care has been shown to lead to better outcomes for older people.
So what does this mean for those receiving community care services? Well at the moment there’s no immediate changes, however in the next few years there is likely to be significant changes. Currently, people who receive a community aged care package are allocated to a provider and often have limited choice of community workers – although this does vary between providers. Under a system that allows an older person to choose between many providers, competition will in theory drive the sector to better meet the preferences of older people. There are also proposed changes to the contributions that users will make to their care to include both income and assets tests by Centrelink to determine a users capacity to pay. Under these proposals, the worth of the family home could impact on what is paid for services. In a nutshell, there could be increased choice and control but potentially at a higher cost for some.
Question for comments – What changes would you like to see in Australian Aged Care?
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Social isolation refers to the lack of meaningful social relationships and connections. Among elderly persons, it is a significant issue in many communities. Isolation and loneliness among older people can lead to health problems and negatively impact medical systems. Social Integration is the opposite of social isolation and refers to the participation of a person within a broad range of social activities and relationships.
In this blog post social integration will be explained in depth so that the principles can be applied for lonely and isolated older persons in need of social support.
The level of social integration of a person can be examined in both a subjective and objective context with both being equally important. To examine the Objective social integration of a person, one would look at the number of social relationships and activities the person was actively engaged in. To measure the Subjective social integration one would have to find out the extent to which the person felt like they “connected with” or had a sense of “belonging to” others through those relationships and activities. Social integration requires that the person not just participate in activities or relationships, they must also feel connected to others through them.
Strategies to combat isolation through integration must therefore include not just opportunities to participate and meet people, but must focus on building a valued social role for the elderly person so that they feel they are contributing and belong. What is considered a valued social role will vary a little according to culture, but many will be the same. Examples of valued roles can include: volunteer, teacher, team member, employee, mentor, grandparent and friend. Combining activities with a valued social role will be more likely to generate true social integration, and therefore have the most positive outcomes for isolated elderly people.
One example of an excellent program that demonstrates this principle is the University of the Third Age. This ‘university’ is for older people and taught by older people. It offers short courses in almost anything. It gives older people a chance to share their knowledge and skills and meet other people. Valued social roles such as “teacher” and “student” gained through participation engender a sense of belonging while the classes provide great opportunities to meet others.
There are many possible ways that social activities can be combined with valued social roles to assist an elderly person to become more socially integrated; for example one could:
• Provide an opportunity for the elderly person to mentor a younger person in their field.
• Support the elderly person to do volunteer work; perhaps at a school canteen, baking food for homeless or working at a charity thrift shop
• Help the elderly person to join and local club or group that shares one of their interests such as a community choir or knitting circle.
Often elderly people withdraw from social activities and relationships because their health concerns prevent them from driving or being as active as they used to be. Many elderly people do not want to be a “burden” by asking for help,- so it is important to others to offer help and support. Sometimes all it takes to help a person stay connected is a carer to drive them to their activity. Few people realize that home care services are available to help them remain connected. It is important that elderly people and those who care about them find out about what is available in their communities and it is vital that those who develop community social support programs ensure they address the need for valued social roles.
Lifestyle Home Services has experience in providing social support and transport services to elderly people. If you require community home care services in Sydney Australia please call 1800 667 440.
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Caring for a loved one can be very rewarding; however it can also be exhausting. It’s important for Carers to be able to take a break from their caring role every once in a while to rest and recharge. Respite care is the term used to describe this rest break.
There are many different ways that respite care can be delivered. Finding the right sort of care for your needs is important if the experience is going to be positive for both client and carer. This blog post will describe the different models of respite care and the pros and cons of each for clients and carers.
Respite Care Models
Carers of the elderly, people with disability and chronically ill persons may at some point need to access respite care. Which model of care will suit will depend the personal situation of the carer and care recipient.
Centre-based Respite (long stay):
In this model of respite care the client attends centre while the carer has a break at home. This can be for a few days or weeks
- Pros- The facilities’ are often highly specialised and able to meet the care requirements of people with high support needs. There is a social aspect to the care, in that often many people are attending the centre at the same time. There are often therapeutic activities which occur in this setting. For the carers, they can have a long break, not just a few hours in a day. This type of respite enables carers to do things like travel or have their own medical needs met. Often carers who require surgery themselves need to access this sort of respite.
- Cons- In any group setting the care-recipient is forced to spend time with people whom they have not chosen to spend time with. They may not like some of the staff or other clients. Also there will be less staff to support each client as opposed to in home support. Each time the person attends a centre like this one there is likely to be a different group of people there- which can be distressing for some. The care-recipient musty get used to staying in a room and bed that is not their own.
Centre Based Respite- Day Centre
In this model of respite care the care recipient regularly attends a day centre at a fixed time and day (s) each week.
- Pros- The group setting of the centre allows for a lot of social contact for the care recipient. Often at these types of centres the attendees and staff are less transient so people can get to know each other well. Often these centres focus community access, skill development and therapeutic approaches to care which can benefit the care recipient and enhance their quality of life. The regular day and time of attendance can also allow the carer to engage in regular activities outside of caring – such as paid employment.
- Cons – Again in a group setting some care recipients may not enjoy the other attendees, and staff and yet are forced to see them regularly. There may also be less staff members per client.
In home respite is delivered in the client’s home environment. A paid carer, or community worker, comes to the clients home while the carer has a break.
- Pros- The service can be completely tailored to the needs of the client and carer. The community worker and care recipient can build a good rapport over time or the community worker can be changed. The community worker fits into the client’s daily routine so there is less disruption.
- Cons – This type of respite can incur a higher cost then group based respite. Often this translates to less respite time for the carer. The carer and care recipient must also deal with having a stranger in their home. Depending on the country- there may be legislation around their home environment if it becomes a workplace for someone such as a community worker.
This type of respite is similar to in-home respite in that it is a personal respite service for one person however the main difference is that it can occur anywhere in the community. In this model of respite care the community worker may transport and support a client to participate in activities within the community – such as checking out an art gallery, or doing volunteer work. The carer is still getting a break, but the care recipient will be out of the house.
- Pros- This type of respite is can be highly personalized to the care recipients requirements. The care recipient can also have more control over how their day is spent within this model. They may also be able to access their community in a more fulfilling way with this type of service.
- Cons- like any individual service, the cost is likely to be higher, which again may translate into a shorter time duration. Also this type of respite really need on the care recipient’s preferences being known and made the priority in order for the care recipient to get the most out of this model of care.
Which is right for you?
By looking at you current needs and preferences in comparison to each model of respite care you will certainly find the one (s) that best suit your requirements.
If you live in Australia you may be able to access government funded respite services.
Please visit the Catholic Community Services website for more information or call 1800 225 474.
If you are interested in arranging private respite care in Sydney personalised for yourself or your loved one please contact Lifestyle Home Services on 1800 667 440 to arrange your free home consult.
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