CARE BLOG
Winter Safety Tips for Seniors
Winter Safety Tips for Seniors It may not always feel like it, but winter is here. “The cold weather months present some significant challenges for older adults,” said Sierra Goetz, co-founder, and operations manager at the HomeCare Advocacy Network (HCAN). “As temperatures drop, seniors are more at risk for falls, hypothermia, and the flu. It’s important to be aware of [...]
Battling the Holiday Blues
Battling the Holiday Blues For most of us, this is the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, for many seniors, it’s the worst. “Instead of joy and excitement, the holidays can trigger bouts of sadness and loneliness for seniors - especially if they live alone,” said Teresa Steinfatt, vice president of business performance at the HomeCare Advocacy Network (HCAN). [...]
Ten Travel Tips for Seniors
Ten Travel Tips for Seniors Holiday air travel is almost never easy - airports are crowded, flights are overbooked and tempers can be short. For families traveling with seniors, there may also be other unique challenges along the way. “Many seniors haven’t traveled in a while, because of COVID-19,” said Sierra Goetz, operations manager at the HomeCare Advocacy Network (HCAN). [...]
Balancing Family Life and Family Caregiving
Balancing Family Life and Family Caregiving You missed an important meeting at work because your mom fell in her shower. You left your son’s big soccer game to take your dad to a doctor’s appointment. You forgot to make cookies for your daughter’s school bake sale because you were busy making dinner for your aging parents. If this sounds like [...]
Holiday Gift Ideas for Seniors
Holiday Gift Ideas for Seniors Still searching for the perfect holiday gift for your senior loved ones? We know that coming up with holiday gift ideas for older people can be challenging - especially if they insist they don’t need anything. So, we’ve compiled a list of useful items that might help them with everyday tasks and challenges - allowing [...]
Survey Confirms Senior Living Providers Can Compete in the Homecare Marketplace
Survey Confirms Senior Living Providers Can Compete in the Homecare Marketplace When an aging loved one needs a little extra help, where do most families turn? At the HomeCare Advocacy Network (HCAN), we conducted a survey that shows the vast majority of family decision-makers would prefer engaging in-home supportive services before moving their loved ones to a senior living community. “Our [...]
Signs Your Aging Loved Ones May Need Help at Home
Signs Your Aging Loved Ones May Need Help at Home When you visited mom over the Thanksgiving holiday, you noticed something was off. Maybe she was a little more forgetful than usual or she struggled to get out of a chair. Perhaps you spied an unopened stack of mail or an unexplained dent in her car. Although subtle, these can [...]
Talking to Your Kids About Alzheimer’s
Talking to Your Kids About Alzheimer’s One day Grandpa knows the kids’ names… but the next day, he doesn’t remember. The unpredictability of Alzheimer’s can be confusing and sometimes very scary - especially for children, and explaining the disease to them can be particularly challenging. If it’s time to talk to your kids about a loved one’s diagnosis, these tips [...]
The Promise of a Better Tomorrow
The Promise of a Better Tomorrow When Mark and Sierra Goetz founded the HomeCare Advocacy Network (HCAN), they did so with a vision of arming today’s spectrum of caregivers with hope, high-impact resources, and the promise of a better tomorrow. One way they’re doing that is through HCAN’s new Family and Friends Dementia Education class - a high-touch approach designed [...]
Welcoming American Baptist Homes of the Midwest into the HCAN Family
Welcoming American Baptist Homes of the Midwest into the HCAN Family We are very proud to announce that we have teamed up with American Baptist Homes of the Midwest (ABHM) to launch a new service line designed to successfully deliver in-home care to ABHM’s current residents as well as seniors in surrounding communities. “We are thrilled to welcome American Baptist [...]
Life Experience Fuels Sarah Pappas’ Passion for Caregiving
Life Experience Fuels Sarah Pappas’ Passion for Caregiving Native Nebraskan, Sarah Pappas, learned about the power of love and the importance of duty toward others at a young age through experience. “My paternal grandparents emigrated from Greece and opened a restaurant, The Continental, in downtown Lincoln in 1920,” she said. “It was a thriving family business, and I began working [...]
Ten Ways to Honor Older Veterans This Veterans Day
Ten Ways to Honor Older Veterans This Veterans Day Few people deserve our respect and gratitude more than the brave men and women who served in the military. At the HomeCare Advocacy Network, we’re proud and privileged to care for older veterans and their family members - giving them the care and support they need to age safely and with [...]
Self-Care for Family Caregivers
Self-Care for Family Caregivers Your mom is the one with Alzheimer’s, but it’s your health that’s suffering. That’s something we hear a lot. That’s because, while caregiving is extremely rewarding, it can also be incredibly difficult, and many family caregivers pay a high emotional and physical price for what they do. “It’s National Family Caregiver Month - a great time [...]
Ten Things You Should Know About Medicare
Ten Things You Should Know About Medicare You’ve received the mailings, seen the television ads and gotten advice from your sister’s, friend’s cousin… but what do you really know about Medicare and the benefits you’re eligible to receive? “People are inundated with information - this and that,” said Holly Klein Gillespie, president of HKG Insurance Solutions and an expert in [...]
Five Do’s and Don’ts for Exercising As You Age
Five Do's and Don’ts for Exercising As You Age - by guest blogger Serena Bridges As an older adult, exercising is one of the most important things you can do for your health and independence. It can prevent many of the health problems that come with age and help your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day [...]
Join us at the 2021 LeadingAge Annual Meeting and Expo
The pandemic has taken a toll on the senior living industry - forcing many providers to take a hard look at their current operations and rethink the way they do business - especially when it comes to in-home services. If you’re thinking about adding home care to your organization’s service offerings, be sure to stop by The HomeCare Advocacy booth [...]
Exercise and Aging
Exercise and Aging - by guest blogger Serena Bridges It is no secret that men and women age differently. When it comes to exercise and aging, there are reasons for everyone to engage in weight training - but those reasons are gender-specific. Women Needs For women, the main reason to engage in weight training as they age is [...]
Don’t Skip Your Flu Shot!
With all the talk about COVID vaccines and boosters, it might be easy to forget about another important vaccination - the flu shot. Seasonal flu cases dropped to a historic low last year. This is likely due to mask-wearing, social distancing, and other precautionary measures designed to fight the pandemic. But, now that schools and businesses have reopened [...]
Pandemic Scams Often Target Seniors
Pandemic Scams Often Target Seniors From bogus miracle cures to attempts to steal stimulus checks, the pandemic has given scammers an opportunity to use new tactics to defraud older adults - and a new report shows they’ve taken full advantage. In its 2021 Fraud Book, the Federal Trade Commission estimated that, in 2020, older adults lost at least $602 [...]
More Than a Meal on the Menu
When is the last time you enjoyed a meal with your aging loved ones? Research shows that seniors who regularly dine with friends and family tend to eat more and make healthier choices. More importantly, most older adults say they feel happier and more fulfilled when eating with others. “Sharing a meal is about so much more than eating [...]
Helping Your Senior Age in Place
Helping Your Senior Age in Place Do your aging loved ones have a long-term care plan? If they’re like most seniors, they want to remain in their homes for as long as possible. A new AARP poll of 1,400 older voters shows an overwhelming majority (88%) prefer to age in place. Eight in ten of those surveyed also support [...]
Services for Senior Loved Ones – No Matter Where They Call Home
Services for Senior Loved Ones - No Matter Where They Call Home You moved mom into a senior living community, so she can get the care she needs… but is she getting ALL the care she needs? Whether independent living or assisted living… our senior living partners deliver exceptional service to their residents. There are times, however, when some [...]
HCAN’s Senior Living Franchise Option Offers a Better Way
We started the HomeCare Advocacy Network with the intention of disrupting both the home care and senior living industries, because we know there’s a better way. And we’re not alone. As long-term care expert David Grabowski explains in this Home Health Care News podcast, home health care, community-based care, and skilled nursing CAN and, more importantly, SHOULD co-exist. “I [...]
Celebrating America’s Older Workers
Celebrating America’s Older Workers It’s National Employ Older Workers Week! From September 19 through September 25, employers and organizations across the country will celebrate older workers and bring attention to the important role those aged 55 and older play in the workforce. “At the HomeCare Advocacy Network (HCAN), we don’t just care for seniors - we hire them,” said [...]
Ten Steps to Prevent Falls and Fractures
Ten Steps to Prevent Falls and Fractures A new national study, shows the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased the fall risk in older adults. Conducted in January 2021 by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, the poll found: 37% of people between the ages of 50 and 80 report their physical activity declined during the [...]