News and Blog
Confucious once said: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
Designing Care That Works on the GroundThe Impact of Technology in Senior Living: A New Study
Technology Must Be a Friend of Home Care, Not the EnemyA guy is standing in line to get on a plane. His phone rings, it’s his mom…. No, this is not a silly Facebook joke. I’m the guy and it’s a true story. …”Mark, I need help, your dad fell”.
Plans, Preparation, and a Guy About to Get on a PlaneWhen our stability is at risk, we all are fearful. For seniors, this can be particularly unsettling. Emotions run the gamut from: Who is to blame? When will stability be regained? Why did it happen? Is it my fault? What can I do to prevent it from happening again? I can’t go on, should I give up?
Stability in the Face of UncertaintyI give advice for a living to seniors and families reconciling their check list for aging in place. But when it came time to have the same “conversation” with my parents, it was a completely different story…
When the Hardest Advice to Give is Your OwnRecently, The Boston Globe published two unnerving articles about home care gone very wrong. As owner of Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore I responded to Stranger in the House and its sister article The U.S. has Huge Need for Home Health Care. I described the “state of the state” of the home care industry in Massachusetts; a considerably complex business, with lots of moving parts, as one that lacks basic regulation and industry standards. This makes it attractive and easy to get into as a business without understanding the innate seriousness of it.
The Impact of Getting it Wrong. The Cost of Getting it RightWe hear it every time we get on an airplane, “in the event of a loss of cabin pressure, an air mask will be automatically released. Be sure to secure your own mask before helping others”. Why? Because it makes perfect sense to be in a good place ourselves before we take on the burden of caring for someone else, even if that person is right next to us.
When The Burden of Caregiving Becomes A Risky PropositionI am passionate and outspoken about helping our elders age in place. It began when I became involved in the leadership of my Synagogue, finding many of our older congregants struggling.
Top 5 Tips for Aging Successfully in PlaceAs the owner of Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore I help my clients and their families make important decisions about their care plans at home. As a son (along with my siblings), I am also instrumental in helping my parents successfully age in their home in Virginia – an airport away from me here in New England. Both of these come with huge responsibilities and accountability.
Making Scores Work in Your FavorWhat I Have Learned From Caregivers
The Voices of Angels: Reflections On CaregivingThe Questions of the Future are Here Now
Reality 2018: How The Caregiver Shortage is Hitting HomeWhile Delivering Great Home Care is Serious Business, it Does not Have to be Complicated.
The Key to Great Home Care Just May Be in the Beauty of Keeping it SimpleI was recently reminded that October is Patient-Centered Care Month. This resonated with me because I often talk about seniors being the center of OUR universe here at Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore, and I was more than curious as to how our approach to caregiving aligned with the “patient-centered care” model popularized in the broader healthcare system.
If We Keep Seniors Front & Center, All we Can Do is RightAs Owner of Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore, no one needs to give me a primer on the impact of professional caregivers. In my opinion it is one of the hardest jobs in the world. I know this because it’s my job to find, recruit, develop, train and empower a broad team of talent to caregive for a diverse group of clients I have the privilege of serving in more than 75 communities in and around Greater Boston. They are both my and your angels.
Training the Angels: Finding Those to Do the Amazing