by Linda Melbardis | Apr 18, 2017 | Uncategorized
When elderly individuals consider moving into an assisted living facility, such as Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, Colo., a number of variables come into play. Among them is the individual’s ability to perform activities of daily living. You’ve probably heard the phrase before, but maybe you aren’t sure what it means. Often referred to as ADLs, activities of daily living are basically self-care tasks – or the tasks people complete when getting up each day, such as showering, eating and going to the bathroom, or before going to bed each night. They include, but are not limited to: • Bathing or showering; • Dressing; • Performing personal hygiene and grooming, such as brushing teeth or combing hair; • Eating; • Transferring, such as getting in and out of a bed or a chair; • Ambulating or walking; • Toileting. The ability to perform ADLs without assistance is linked directly to a person’s ability to live independently. When an elderly person’s ability to complete these tasks starts to diminish, it may be time to consider looking at assisted living or an arrangement other than living independently. For some, it can mean staying at home with some in-home assistance. For others, it may mean a move to an assisted living community, such as Country Home in Parker. If an assisted living facility is chosen, your elderly loved one will be given an assessment on the level of care that they need when they move to their new home. What this means is, they are evaluated on their ability to perform ADLs. The evaluation can include everything from the person’s ability...
by Linda Melbardis | Mar 14, 2017 | Articles, Uncategorized
I’m a strong believer in medical alert devices, especially for people living alone. In last month’s blog, I provided basic information and questions to ask if you or a loved one is in need of these life-saving devices. This month, I’m going to make it more personal. I’m also going to urge children to pay for these medical alert devices if their aging parents or elderly loved ones don’t see a need for the expense. Working in the senior care industry as the owner of Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, Colo., I often hear stories of elderly individuals who have fallen, including some who have died because they could not summon help. One woman fell outside after taking out her garbage on a winter day in Colorado. She died alone in the cold. Another story involves my own mother. (I said I was going to make this more personal.) My mom lived alone in Michigan. Despite repeated pleas from my brother and me, she refused to invest in a medical alert device. What happened next is sad. And it’s a situation that could have been prevented. She fell in her garage. Since she lived alone and didn’t have a medical alert device, no one could come to her rescue. It was hours before police arrived. She died trying to reach the door to her home. If she’d made it inside, she might have been able to reach a phone and call for help. But she never got that far. Please don’t let this happen to you or a loved one. Take it from me. It’s hard enough to lose a...
by Linda Melbardis | Feb 15, 2017 | Articles
Many people are familiar with medical alert devices because of the advertisements featuring an elderly person on the floor, saying: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” While some people think these ads are funny, a fall for an elderly person is serious business. Being rescued can be a life-saving experience for many elderly folks, especially those who live alone or have health conditions, such as uncontrolled diabetes, Alzheimer’s or epilepsy. At Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, we offer this assistance with the constant quality care we provide our residents 24/7. But for those elderly individuals who still live in their homes, here is some information about these devices. They’ve come a long way since they were first introduced in the 1970s. For example, they now offer GPS to locate the individual outside the home, automate fall detection and provide two-way communication with call centers. And there are a lot of options on the market, so I highly recommend you do thorough research before deciding which device would work best for your situation or loved one. To help, here are a few questions to ask: Does your alert device work outside of the home? Do you provide a choice of wristband and neck pendant? Do you have help buttons that can be wall-mounted near the floor in multiple rooms in case a customer falls and isn’t wearing the pendant? Are you willing to contact multiple people in case the user needs help? This can include emergency services, a friend that lives nearby or a family member. Does your device work for our specific needs? For example, a stroke survivor may need a device...
by Linda Melbardis | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles
As we settle into a new year at Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, we feel blessed for the wonderful residents with whom we’ve spent so many good times. Those good times include a variety of Christmas celebrations in December, such as a visit from Steven St. James, who sang at our Christmas party on Dec. 4, and a visit from Santa Claus on Dec. 19. But these types of activities aren’t limited to the holiday season. At Country Home Assisted Living, we provide year-round activities, some of which are specifically designed to match the interests of our residents. Regularly scheduled events include weekly music therapy with Amy Wilson, a board-certified music therapist; our weekly library program; and a weekly piano program with Seth Drake and Andrew Schindler. We also have some surprises, such as watching the wild turkeys that hang around our assisted living facility located in the peaceful countryside and the training of owner Linda Melbardis’ new horse. But we do much more, including group outings and other scheduled activities. We regularly attend productions and other events at Parker’s PACE Center, as well as scheduled lunches out on the town. At Halloween, for example, we went to P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. We also celebrate milestones together at our country home in rural Elbert County. Individual’s birthdays are always a highlight for all of our residents, who enjoy the festivities and yummy birthday cakes. Let’s not forget the art projects. In 2016, our residents decorated rocks to brighten the walkway into Country Home. For 2017, we have plans to do more crafty projects, such as bringing new life...
by Linda Melbardis | Dec 16, 2016 | Articles
As we enter the final stretch of the 2016 holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to encourage families to cherish the moments they have together. Instead of stressing over the elaborate food, decorations and gifts, try to keep it simple. Typically, people try to do too many things during the holidays. Because of that, they become tired and stressed out. In the end, they don’t enjoy the season or being with loved ones as much as they could. Instead of trying to do it all, select a few of your family’s favorite ways of celebrating and focus on those. For example, if your family members and friends enjoy singing Christmas carols, make sure you allot time to do that. If you like to reminisce about holidays in the past, be sure to provide a setting where everyone has a chance to share their favorite memories. Maybe you have some family members and friends who enjoy baking holiday treats. Think how much they’ll enjoy doing that together. Not only will there be goodies that they can share, but they’ll also have fond memories that will last into the future. At Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, I like to come up with ways to create memories for all of our residents and our families. I know everyone appreciates it. Another great tip that I heard recently is to extend your holiday season. There are many advantages to making a week or two in January part of your holiday celebration. I know families that actually look forward to getting together after the traditional holiday season. That gives them time...
