A recent survey conducted by the Genworth Corporation details the changes in cost of different types of senior care. According to the report nursing homes stays showed the largest increase with the cost of both private and semi-private rooms coming in 5% higher than the year before. The cost of at home care, whether hands on or hands off care, stayed right at the same level compared to the previous year.

There were no numbers available on this particular report on how many people could have used assisted living or nursing home care but couldn’t afford it.

A number of developers across the country are looking at unused facilities such as former hotels as an excellent place to be upgraded into senior housing facilities. They are mostly thinking in terms of housing and not as a way to answer the growing need for assisted living facilities brought on by the ever growing older generation.

There have been many discussions in government circles about addressing the future needs of the aging population with more nursing homes and assisted living facilities. With the current economy playing havoc with the income of seniors that have already retired, availability of facilities may not be the only problem.

There are about twenty-six million American adults and children that have been diagnosed with diabetes.  The American Center for Disease Control believes that by 2050 1 in 3 people in the United States will have some form of diabetes if things do not change. These are rather daunting estimates and the American Diabetes Association wants to increase awareness of the disease during November, American Diabetes Month.

This effort coincides with World Diabetes day which is November 14. The public can get involved by taking the pledge and raise your hand to stop diabetes on Facebook. You can also attend local events sponsored by the Association or donate time or money to this fight. There is also another way to join in the fight against diabetes – monitor your own diet and exercise habits and those of your loved ones.

Senior citizens are very proud of their homes and taking care of their homestead may be an important part of their daily lives. The chance at making some leisurely home improvements is just one of the things a senior may have been looking forward to when thinking of retirement. Spending more time in the garden and performing lawn care is nowhere near the headache it may have been when they were working for 40 or more hours.

Any time away from home due to an injury or recovery from a surgery may cause frustration and irritation that can make for a difficult recovery. There are ways to help the senior that has been going through this though. Enlisting the help of an in home health aide can relieve a great deal of stress and make for a much faster and easier recovery.

There are many insurance policies that people can buy for health related problems. With Americans living longer one of the most popular is the long term care policy. Most purchasers of this policy were likely thinking of paying for the cost of a nursing home stay but these policies can also be used to pay for many in home services as well.

It, of course, depends on the type of policy you have purchased but many policies provide payment for any number of specialty care services that you need at home. There are policies will pay for home health aides to provide daily living assistance to seniors, including running errands and grocery shopping assistance.

There is no doubt at all that regular exercise has plenty of health benefits – it keeps your weight in check, helps put you in a better mood, makes getting good sleep easier and helps to ward off plenty of conditions and diseases, but how you spend the rest of your day may have a big effect on just how much your exercise routine does for you.

A study performed by an American Cancer Society researcher and published in an online edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology, which was comprised of nearly 125,000 subjects and spanned more than a decade was said to reveal that too much time sitting may increase the mortality rate of even those who exercise regularly.

Though this news is certainly a bit disheartening, it doesn’t at all mean that you should forego your regular exercise plan; in fact it means that you should make an effort to move even more.  In addition to your daily workout, select a few active hobbies to occupy your time rather than spending all the hours of your day with sedentary ones.

Try keeping your workout just as it is, then add in a leisurely walk after breakfast, after dinner or even both; walk to the mailbox or corner store instead of driving and try gardening in favor of an activity that you perform while seated, it can be every bit as relaxing as knitting or needlepoint but you’ll benefit even more just because you won’t be sitting.

Prior to changing or increasing your daily exercise, consult your doctor or home nurse to ensure that the activities that you are choosing are appropriate and if you should need help finding safe and effective ways to get up out of your chair your health care provider should certainly be able to help you with that as well.

A recent study conducted over three states and published in the Journal of American Medicine has revealed that there was at least one lapse in proper infection prevention procedure in 46 of 68 ambulatory surgical centers.   Common practices that put patients at risk where not properly disinfecting multi use equipment, re-using materials on multiple patients that were only designed for single use and not properly washing hands between administering treatments.  Among the facilities studied were dentists, gynecologists, podiatrists and plastic surgeons – places where spreading infections are highly possible and where the prevention of spreading infection should be a top priority.

When it comes time to decide the best course of action for providing care for elderly loved ones, there are plenty of pros and cons that need to be weighed.  The cost of in home care versus the cost of a facility; the type and level of care that a nursing home is capable of providing compared to either an hourly or live in nurse and the impact that a complete change of environment could have on your loved one are all things that need to be considered.

One thing that some families overlook when making this monumental and life altering decision for their elderly loved ones involves that loved ones relationship with a pet.  Most nursing homes don’t have either the space or atmosphere capable of allowing seniors to bring in their four legged companions, so in the event that a senior is moved to a facility for care, that could leave their closet companion out in the cold.

Seniors who live on their own can get much more than simple companionship from their pets – studies show that pets can help to relax their owners and relieve stress.  Senior citizens who own dogs get the added benefit of much needed exercise from walks as well as the protection that their four legged friends can provide from potential intruders.

An in home care provider like Specialty Care Services can deliver the very same quality of care as the best nursing home without the need for an expensive move.  Your elderly loved one can have the benefit of the very best care in the comfort of their own home and they’ll get to continue to share the bond they’ve built with their pet and that’s the best possible scenario for every party involved.

There are quite a few benefits associated with nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but a few of the most important aspects surrounding care for most elderly people and their families are on the side of in-home care.

The cost of nursing homes and assisted living facilities continue to rise and many of the best facilities are well out of the price range of most families.  With the right home health care service you can get the very same quality of care offered through the best live-in facilities, but you can schedule it to meet your specific needs and your budget.  Specialty Care Services offers both hourly and live in care options to handle all aspects of care without overextending a family’s finances.

When it comes to feeling comfortable, who wouldn’t feel more at ease at home than they would in a facility with dozens or even hundreds of other inhabitants?  Staying at home to receive care allows your elderly loved one

Just because an elderly loved one may require medication reminders and help with meal preparation, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are at a point in their lives where they need to be moved into a facility.  Even seniors who might require special care following surgery or special treatment to minimize or control symptoms of diabetes, Alzheimer’s or heart conditions can still live comfortably at home with help from the right home care service.

Moving into a nursing home or assisted living can create an upheaval that some seniors aren’t prepared to go through.  The complete and total change in surroundings and day to day activities could potentially create undue stress which could compromise the health of an elderly individual who isn’t prepared for it.

Even the nicest and most equipped facilities will have limitations on what a new occupant can bring in.  No facility has the space for every occupant to bring the entire contents of their home, and this downsizing could result in a senior having to give up items that are very important to them.

Having a home care service offers a wide variety of nursing and care options can help you to keep your elderly loved ones where they will be the most comfortable and where they will experience the least stress.  The best care provided inside the home means that seniors can have complete access to their personal possessions, that they can keep and continue caring for their pets and that they can maintain some semblance of their independence – and all that can go a very long way to ensure as happy and healthy a life as possible.