Why Choose Home Care?

Home care allows seniors to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. This approach offers several key benefits:

• Independence: Seniors maintain control over their daily routines and environment.

• Better Health Outcomes: In-home care can help manage chronic conditions and reduce hospital re-admissions.

• Cost-Effectiveness: Home care is often more affordable than assisted living or nursing facilities.

The Role of Senior Care Professionals

Senior care professionals provide more than just physical assistance—they are companions, advocates, and a crucial support system. Their responsibilities include:

• Personal Care: Assisting with bathing, dressing, grooming, and mobility.

• Medication Reminders: Ensuring medications are taken correctly and on schedule.

• Companionship: Reducing loneliness through conversation and shared activities.

• Safety: Preventing falls and accidents by modifying the home environment.

• Meal Preparation: Planning and preparing nutritious meals tailored to dietary needs.

Challenges for Family Caregivers

Family members who take on caregiving roles often face significant challenges, including stress, burnout, and a lack of training for complex medical or emotional needs. Senior care professionals can help ease this burden, providing expert care and allowing families to focus on their relationships rather than daily caregiving tasks.

Tips for Effective In-Home Care

1. Home Safety: Remove tripping hazards, install grab bars, and improve lighting.

2. Encourage Activity: Gentle exercise helps maintain strength and mobility.

3. Support Emotional Well-being: Spend quality time together and encourage social interaction.

4. Medication Management: Use pill organizers and set reminders.

5. Seek Professional Help: SYNERGY HomeCare offers trained care professionals who can provide consistent, personalized care.

Choosing the Right In-Home Care Provider

When selecting a home care agency or caregiver, consider:

• Training: Ensure care professionals are skilled in elder care.

• Flexibility: Look for customizable care plans.

• Reputation: Read reviews and ask for references.

• Communication: Choose providers who keep families informed and involved.

SYNERGY HomeCare is an agency that delivers a wide range of services, from companionship and personal care to 24/7, round-the-clock care, all tailored to the unique needs of each senior.

Final Thoughts

Caring for elderly loved ones is a profound responsibility. Whether you’re a family member or rely on senior care professionals, the goal is always to ensure safety, comfort, and dignity. In-home care empowers seniors to age gracefully in familiar surroundings, supported by compassionate caregivers and loving families. By working together, we can help every senior enjoy a higher quality of life in their golden years.

__________

Call us to find the home care solution that’s right for you.
843-310-1078

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SYNERGY HomeCare of Lowcountry owners Bob Risk and Mark Piegza are proud to have earned the award of Trusted Provider of Care from Home Care Pulse

You’re probably wondering what Home Care Pulse is, right? Home Care Pulse is the home care industry’s leading satisfaction research and quality management firm. Each month, associates at Home Care Pulse conduct over 14,000 phone interviews with clients and caregivers. These interviews are then compiled into reports designed to help home care providers understand how they can improve the quality of care they provide.

What does it mean to have been awarded Home Care Pulse’s Provider of Choice? For Mark and Bob, it’s a coveted award and achievement that symbolizes excellence and trust. For prospective clients, it means they won’t have to guess about their services or ability to provide compassionate home care.

The Best of Home Care – Provider of Choice award is based on client satisfaction ratings collected from telephone interviews performed by Home Care Pulse, an independent satisfaction research firm. These home care agencies are best-in-class for providing quality care to their clients. They have outperformed other home care agencies in their geographic region in areas of client satisfaction. This recognition assures that the agency is trustworthy and has proven their ability to provide outstanding in-home care services.

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Hilton Head Island has been missing a little bit of its sweetness since April. That’s when Jeanette Cramm, the island’s “Cookie Lady,” stopped baking. The 79-year-old was frying bacon in her Hilton Head Plantation home when she fell and broke her foot. When it happened, she thought she’d baked her last batch.

“That really messed me up. I couldn’t walk and I was in terrible pain,” she said. What followed was a painful series of months away from the kitchen doing what she loves: Baking for the troops.

In 1990, Cram started baking cookies to send to U.S. troops stationed overseas after then-President George H.W. Bush read a letter in a televised speech from a soldier asking for “cookies and letters.” Cram and her network of bakers across the country called “Treat the Troops” have sent eight million cookies to deployed troops since that speech. But it all hung in the balance after Cram’s fall. She spent months learning to walk again and cycling through different rehab programs. She found a SYNERGY HomeCare caregiver named Julia Marshall — someone who knew how to help her without making her feel judged or coddled. “She cared for me in a very kind and calm way,” Cram remembered. “I was a mess and I didn’t want to be here anymore. I felt like I was in my first childhood, it’s embarrassing.”

After months of intensive help at home and pushing her to recover, Marshall got Cram back in the kitchen. She’s back baking and doing what she loves. Cram admits she has taken a back seat in the Treat the Troops organization. Younger people have stepped up to organize the baking and shipping. That’s how it’s supposed to be, she said. But her 30-year commitment still inspires her to spread love and kindness in the world. Cram remembered the call she got from a soldier’s father after his son died overseas. “His son had gotten my cookies and even talked to him about them. He loved them,” she recalled somberly. With Marshall’s help, Cram is back baking and touching lives even from across the world.

“Those soldiers have made a commitment to us and they deserve a commitment from us,” she said. “There’s nothing like the love of homemade cookies. It’s love.”

The post Hilton Head’s Cookie Lady is Back and Baking appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Lowcountry.

Why we are in the home care business

Mark and Bob’s “Care for Everyone”

Celebrating Veteran’s Day at Bloom at Bluffton Senior Living

2020 Memory Matters Virtual Triathlon Fitness Challenge

What home care does for you

Owner Bob Risk wants you to know we’re here for you

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It all started when mom fractured her hip
Four years ago, Mark’s mom, Helen, fell and fractured her hip.

The surgery and recovery from the fall significantly exacerbated the decline in her memory. Life was becoming more challenging for Mark’s mom and dad, who were too far away for them to provide hands-on help or care.

She fell again
No one in the family was ready for what took place last spring. Helen fell again and fractured her other hip. Complications led to three surgeries within five weeks, causing her dementia to accelerate faster than the family could have imagined.

“SYNERGY HomeCare of the Lowcountry’s co-owner, Mark Piegza, says home care saved his mom’s life.”

We moved Mom and Dad to Hilton Head

In August, at Lisa’s insistence, Mark’s parents moved from New Jersey to Hilton Head. Helen moved into a memory care facility and his dad, Ed, moved into a nearby independent living community.

This was the first time Ed and Helen had been apart in 57 years of marriage. Ed was able to visit her often, but her physical and cognitive decline weighed heavily on everyone.

After a couple of months, Helen had to move into a skilled nursing facility because she never fully recovered from the infection that stemmed from the hip surgeries the previous year. She was on multiple medications, mostly anti-anxiety and antidepressants. She seemed as though she were drugged. Her wounds simply wouldn’t heal and her health continued to decline.

Her health declined dramatically in a skilled nursing facility
Mark and Lisa witnessed her health slipping significantly. She wasn’t the person she used to be. Mark’s dad was scared. Helen had bouts of crying, she wasn’t talking, and when she tried, it was nonsensical. She hardly ate.  The family was beyond concerned.

“She was alone, in a strange place, confused and her decline accelerated.”

Back in the hospital
At the time COVID-19 hit, Helen was admitted to the hospital. In fact, she was in the hospital three times in a six week period. This crushed the entire family, as COVID-19 prevented them from visiting her. She was alone, in a strange place, confused and her decline accelerated. Ed was beside himself with worry. He thought he’d never see her again.

The doctors said she was dying
By the end of April, the doctors told Mark that his mom was dying. The devastating news hit the family like a lightning bolt.

The bright spot in this journey is that Mark and Lisa own SYNERGY HomeCare of the Lowcountry. Given their experience in caring for aging seniors in their homes, they didn’t hesitate to move Helen into their home to begin hospice care.

At this point, Helen didn’t recognize anyone. She was lethargic from the drugs she had been prescribed. The SYNERGY HomeCare caregivers were with Helen for multiple hours per day.

Home care team discovers underlying issue
Upon the initial examination, the hospice nurse thought Helen wouldn’t last a week.

When the hospice nurse examined Helen’s medications, he discovered that Helen was on a myriad of drugs, from anti-anxiety and antidepressants to high blood pressure meds. It wasn’t known why she had been prescribed many of these drugs; Helen had low blood pressure her entire life. The anti-anxiety drugs may have been responsible for her lethargy. The nurse recommended taking her off all medications except the antibiotic.

Low and behold, Helen slowly began to respond after being off the drugs for a few days. Within a week, she began eating and talking again. It was a miraculous recovery. The family was elated and Ed had his bride back.

Welcome back, Helen!
Fast forward to today, and Helen is doing great. She is enjoying living with Ed in his condominium, reunited at last with her beloved husband. Yes, each of them has health issues to contend with, but it’s nothing they can’t handle, especially with appropriate help. SYNERGY HomeCare caregivers visit for 16 to18 hours each day to help with morning and evening routines, prepare meals and keep their apartment tidy.

Mark says his mom talks all the time now. She is even remembering things that she always liked to do, like pick tomatoes. She’s healthier than she’s been in a very long time. In fact, after she got back on her feet, she told Mark she wanted to have a party. When Mark asked her who she wanted to attend, she said, “Vanessa.” Mark smiled, as Vanessa has been one of her favorite caregivers from SYNERGY HomeCare.

“With one nurse caring for 10 patients, he felt the facility didn’t have the time to devote the necessary attention to her.”

As the family gathered for the party, Mark and Lisa’s daughter, Alexandra, surprised Ed and Helen with a special homemade cake. Vanessa was thrilled to be invited. Everyone had a grand time. Helen had her party and the family got their loved one back. A wonderful reason to celebrate!

A family thankful for home care
Mark’s assessment of the care his mom received in the skilled nursing facility is directly related to staffing. With one nurse caring for 10 patients, he felt the facility didn’t have the time to devote the necessary attention to her. He’ll always wonder if the facility had made a medication assessment as the hospice nurse was able to do, would his mother have suffered as much? Or did the anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs they gave her help quell his mom from needing as much attention? He remains thankful that he and Lisa took control of his mom’s care and that the family is whole again.

Welcome back, Helen.

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There are other reasons seniors don’t like asking for help. Pride, loss of privacy, denial, and cognitive impairment can all play a part in why an aging adult has trouble asking for help. Whatever the reason, we can take steps to help seniors feel more comfortable about seeking out and receiving help from others.

How to make it easier for seniors to ask for help

1. Do Not Approach Them with The Intention of Taking Control – Any aging adult who is experiencing difficulty in daily tasks and caring for themselves is already feeling upset and on-guard about what they are capable of doing. More than likely, they are not going to want to give up any part of their independence. If you are going to approach a loved one about your concerns, don’t do it forcefully. Start with a simple conversation about your worries and let them know how much you care about them and their safety. Start small.
2. Remind Them of How Providing Help Fulfills You – Let your loved ones know that you want to be around and that you want to do what you can to make life easier for them. Your love and support will go a long way when an aged adult realizes that you don’t want to take over their lives but add to it and make it better.
3. Explain What You Are Afraid Of – Explaining to your loved ones their medical and physical conditions and what kind of consequences they might face by not asking for help could motivate them to ask and receive help where it is needed. The reality of injuries from falling, unsafe driving, and safety risks from other activities could be enough to initiate the beginning of requests for support from a senior.
4. Explain The Types of Support Available – Many seniors may not realize that there is such a variety of options of support available to them. For example, a conversation about how your loved ones need daily assistance or help with bathing/dressing and cooking could be interpreted by your loved one as ‘they need to live in a nursing home or long-term care facility.’ They may not realize that there are alternative methods of care like in-home aides who can come to their home and provide support on an on-going basis.

Communicating some of the ideas and options for help that your loved one may not be aware of can make a huge difference in how open they are to asking for and receiving the help that they need. Approach the situation lovingly, calmly and patiently. It might take some time for your loved one to let down their guard and warm up to the idea of having additional help and asking for it. 

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The COVID-19 pandemic has a lot of people on edge, particularly those who are concerned with the well-being of loved ones at high-risk of contracting the virus. The CDC states “The risk for severe illness with COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. Severe illness means that a person diagnosed with COVID-19 may require hospitalization, intensive care, a ventilator to help them breathe or may even die.”

For adult children of aging parents, the fear is real. Many adult children have parents in assisted living facilities where exposure to the virus is even greater – but that doesn’t mean that adult children have the means to care for an elderly parent 24 hours a day. There are pros and cons in establishing a new living arrangement between adult children and their elderly parents. Let’s explore those.

PROS

• Moving aging parents out of a facility can ease the worry and fear that adult children are experiencing because of the pandemic.
• Removing aged parents from a facility can strongly decrease exposure to the virus
• Aging parents will have more companionship in their children’s homes.
• Costs for caring for aging parents can decrease depending on the situation.
• Aged parents get to spend more quality time with their children and other family members.
• Adult children will see first-hand how their parents are doing physically, mentally and emotionally on a day-to-day basis.
• Extra support is available to caregivers in-home. Places like Synergy HomeCare have direct support staff who can provide in-home respite care, companionship for your parents, light housekeeping and errand running and more.
• Providing care to family members sets an example for young children and other family members and sets a standard of how family takes care of each other.
• Adult children often feel great personal satisfaction knowing that they are giving back the love and support that their parents showed them. Personal satisfaction is a huge reward for many caregivers – especially after loved ones have passed.

CONS

• Adult children may not realize the time and energy it takes to care for their parents.
• There may be costs to move parents from a facility to the adult child’s home, as well as possible ongoing costs with the facility – depending on the situation.
• Adult children may have to get the home “senior-ready” which might include taking space away from the adult child to provide room for the parent.
• Aging parents may feel like an imposition on their adult children.
• Adult children will be responsible for their parent’s doctor visits, prescription monitoring, diet, etc.
• Caring for a family member can put additional stress on family units and may cause arguments between spouses and children. Close-quarter living arrangements can cause resentment with children and could be detrimental to the parent-child relationship. This factor should be carefully considered before altering the family dynamic.

The pros and cons are large. Caring for an aged parent is not an easy job. Though rewarding, the responsibilities are constant and the stress involved is very real. But there are options available to caregivers that can alleviate that tension and burden. In-home support staff can take a chunk of the responsibility off the shoulders of adult children and help create a more fun and enjoyable living situation for everyone in the home.

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As the adult children of aging parents, you may be hyper-alert to your parents’ physical and mental health. In-person visits are opportunities to assess your loved ones and to pick-up on signals of cognitive decline. As the holidays roll around, COVID-19 has caused another potential risk in the health and safety of aging adults as they are less likely to have in-person visits from loved ones who can pick up on red flags of declining health.

Early research from Destination Analysts expects holiday travel for Americans to decline from last year’s 53 percent of the population to only 28 percent. As the holidays are often the only time that families get to visit aging relatives and notice behavioral changes, this decline in travel rates signals that extra measures need to be taken to make sure our loved ones are safe and receiving the necessary care and attention.

Benevolent probing is a simple way for adult children to assess their loved ones’ needs from a distance. This tactic combines careful observation and considerate conversation to gauge a loved one’s health and wellness in a respectful, non-threatening way. It is common for the aged population to strongly guard their independence and feel threatened and afraid when topics arise that risk the lifestyle they are used to and comfortable living.

Benevolent probing is a way to minimize the feeling of threat for your loved ones and make it possible for adult children to assess how their parents are doing accurately.

Benevolent Probing Areas for Discussion

Activities of Daily LivingWithout in-person visits, you may feel that you miss out on opportunities to assess your loved one’s ability to care for themselves or perform daily tasks like personal hygiene, house cleaning, cooking/eating, and taking medication. You can use video calls from a distance to help assess how they are doing without sounding like you are prying.

• Gauge your loved one’s personal hygiene on the call. Are they struggling with shaving, weight, dressing, bathing, etc.?
• Ask for a house tour to see decorations. (Through the tour, you can easily watch for signs of declining health in the form of clutter, hoarding, lack of traditional decorations/cleaning behaviors, etc.)
• Prescription medications can be checked if it can be worked into the conversation. If health is brought up and you can get them to show you their prescription bottles, you can bring into the conversation of dosages, how the prescriptions make them feel, expiration dates on the bottles, etc.

Memory
Memory loss is easier to gauge on phone calls and video calls. Be aware of signs of memory loss by asking simple questions. What did they do last weekend? When was the last time they spoke to another family member? Signals of memory loss can include short and simple answers to your questions like “Uh-huh,” “Yeah,” and “Hmmm,” or them repeating themselves.

Mobility
Even on phone calls, you can assess your loved one’s mobility. But video calls can achieve more in this area. Pay attention to cues of difficulty in mobility. Does your loved one talk about bruises, tripping, falling, or getting injured in other ways? Do they mention struggling with walking? Do they make elaborate sounds while moving that indicate pain or difficulty? Do they mention dings/scratches on the car or car accidents? If you are on a video call, pay attention to their movements and balance.

Social Engagement
If your once social and perky loved one suddenly seems uninterested in social activities, this could indicate depression, which raises concerns about their overall health. Depression can impact cognitive function and daily living activities, which are very important to seniors’ overall health and wellness. Ask questions about social activities. Many social activities are canceled due to COVID-19, so offer alternatives to in-person activities. Online church groups or social hangouts are great alternatives. Virtually any type of class is available online and you can even take live tours and shopping experiences of places around the world. Perhaps your loved one needs a ride or a companion to participate in an activity.

If you notice anything concerning, write it down, discuss with siblings and take some time to think about how to approach the situation. Don’t react right away. The holidays are a time to enjoy and you may need time to make a plan.

Remember that there are amazing resources for senior care that allow your loved ones to remain independent while still receiving care, support, and companionship. SYNERGY HomeCare is committed to providing the support and resources that seniors need, plus extra care around the holidays. We strongly encourage adult children to use benevolent probing as a tool of care this holiday season and to lay some worries to rest – or to help create a plan for your loved one that will meet their individual needs.

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Most adults over age 50 say they’d like to “age in place”—that is safely grow older in the comfort of their own homes rather than in an assisted living facility. There are multiple benefits to aging in place: it is often more cost-effective, allows you to keep your long-time social connections, doctors and other service providers, and provides more independence.

But while the benefits of aging at home are numerous, it does have its challenges. Older adults are at greater risk of falls, and safety and loneliness are concerns for seniors living on their own. Today, new technology is available to support seniors with these issues and others. Smartphones, telemedicine, wearable monitors, and other technological innovations can make independent living easier and give seniors the confidence to safely and comfortably live on their own. 

Tech tools for independent living

Here are a few types of technology that can make it easier to communicate, remember things and get around safely. There are many more, and as technology advances, options will continue to grow and become more affordable. 

• Medical alert devices. Wearable medical alert devices can summon assistance in case of an emergency. Options come with a variety of features, service options and fees—they can be home-based or mobile, monitored or unmonitored, and with or without fall-detection features. Smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home both allow you to use voice control to alert a loved one when you need help, although they cannot dial 911. Consumer Reports offers guidance for selecting a medical alert device in its article How to Choose a Medical Alert System.

• Fall detection technology. Fall detector devices have been around for a long time, but today’s technology can be worn discreetly, uses sensors to detect falls and can automatically notify emergency contacts. There are a number of options; HipSafe, for example, is worn around the waist. Lively is another example that comes in a watch or clip-on option. The Apple Watch also has a fall-detection feature. 

• Fall-prevention lighting. Indoor motion sensor lights can light up a room for nighttime bathroom visits or when getting up for medication. More advanced technology such as Luna Lights uses sensors to light up a room when you step out of bed, turns lights off when you return to bed, and can send a notification to a caregiver if the lights remain illuminated for an extended period of time.

• Health monitoring technology. These tools measure vitals like blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose or sleep patterns. Some can securely report your results directly to your doctor. They range from devices that you wear to apps on your phone. 

• Telemedicine. Using your smartphone, tablet or computer, you and your doctor can see one another for a virtual visit. Telemedicine technology can’t replace all doctor visits but can be ideal for minor issues or routine check-ins. Your doctor’s office might ask you to download an app or may send you a link to access your appointment. 

• Smartwatches. Smartwatches are popular among people of all ages but have several features that can be particularly helpful to older adults. The Apple Watch, for example, can detect falls, a high or low heart rate, or an irregular heart rhythm. It has an Emergency SOS feature that can call 911 and alert your emergency contacts. For a monthly fee, other watches like NurtureWatch and LocateWatch can track your location and report it to others using GPS technology. 

• Security cameras and motion sensors. Indoor home security cameras, such as Google Nest, Amazon Link and Arlo, can allow loved ones to check in on you through live or recorded video. If this idea makes you uncomfortable but you’d still like caregivers to be able to monitor you remotely, home sensors that monitor movement like SafeinHome are another option. Such sensors can send alerts to a family member if you are unusually active.

• Medication reminders. Smartphones and devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home can set reminders to take medications. Medication management apps (see below) can help with medication scheduling, doses and track medication history.

• Mobile apps. The Pew Research Center reported that in 2019, 79% of adults ages 50 to 64 and 53% of adults ages 65 and over-owned a smartphone. With that smartphone comes the opportunity for apps that can make life easier. On-demand services apps for rides (such as Uber and Lyft) and grocery delivery (such as Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and local grocery stores) can assist those who don’t drive. 

• Medication reminder apps like MyMedSchedule and MediSafe Medication Reminder can help set medication schedules and alerts and can share information with caregivers, too.
• Communication apps like Skype, Zoom, FaceTime and Google Hangouts can help you stay connected with loved ones. 

Keep in mind that while technology can provide convenience and peace of mind to older adults and their loved ones, it’s important to carefully research the options that are best for you. Read online reviews and ask friends and family members for recommendations. To avoid frustration, choose technology that you are comfortable using and that is easy to install. Also, ensure that your personal information is protected.

For more information

High-Tech Aids for Aging in Place, Kiplinger.com, September 23, 2020.

Technology That Can Foster Aging in Place, The Washington Post, Feb. 26, 2018.

The 2018 Guide to Best Technology Resources and Tools for Seniors, The Institute on Aging.

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