When your elderly loved one has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease or is displaying symptoms that may indicate the onset of Parkinson's, you want to ensure he or she gets the kind of constant, conscientious care needed every day. If your mom or dad lives alone, doesn't want to move in with family, or if you simply don't have the expertise nor the time it would take to provide Parkinson care yourself - it may be time to contact a professional caregiver company that can ease the stress of daily life for your loved one.
At Mom's Home Care, we understand how difficult and big of a decision it can be to contact a caregiver. And we work closely with you to ensure every one of our clients receives exactly the care they need and that you ordered for them. We are flexible to the needs of Parkinson's patients and can provide in home care or on call care across a wide range of services.
To learn more about how we can help you or your loved one who may be suffering from the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease or a similar condition, feel free to contact us today by calling 323-244-4789 for a free consultation!
We serve the whole of Los Angeles and Southern California with comprehensive, non-medical care for those who have difficulty caring for themselves. We have deep experience in identifying and meeting the needs of our many clients.
How Parkinson's Affects Sufferers' Daily Lives
Parkinson's Disease is a debilitating central nervous system disorder, where damaged nerve cells in the brain lower the body's dopamine levels and result in symptoms like trembling, stiffness, loss of proper balance, and generally difficulty walking and moving.
Over 200,000 new people are diagnosed with Parkinson's in the US each year. And while early stages of the disease may be manageable, the symptoms tend to get worse with time and can last for years or for a lifetime.
Aside from coordination problems, sufferers also experience loss of sound sleep, memory lapses, general fatigue, depression, irregular blood pressure, slowness of digestion, and mental/behavioral changes.
Parkinson's usually begins at age 60 or later, but it can occur as early as age 50 in around 10% of patients. It affects both men and women, though women suffer from it at a 50% higher rate.
The symptoms of Parkinson's Disease greatly affect the sufferer's daily life. It becomes difficult to get up out of bed or out of a chair after sitting for an extended period of time. Walking across the room unaided by a cane or another person can be a challenge, and ascending or descending stairs can create a great danger of a fall accident that could lead to serious injury.
Parkinson's patients may be prescribed various medications by their physician to help cope with the symptoms and ameliorate them as much as possible, but even taking medications on one's own may be difficult for someone with Parkinson's.
We at Mom's Home Care offer services that can help those with Parkinson's Disease cope with all of these ways, and more, that the disease can affect their daily routine. We are a non-medical care provider but can assist in implementing things the doctor may have prescribed, such as physical exercises or movements, adjustments to the patient's diet, organizing and taking medications on time every day, and more.
We have deep experience in caring for elderly clients with Parkinson's Disease in both early and late stages and in caring for those with "Parkinson-ism," which refers to having the same or similar symptoms of Parkinson's Disease but from a different underlying cause.
How We Can Help (Our Services)
We provide a wide range of services to help clients with all manner of varying needs, whether those needs arise from Parkinson's Disease, another disease or health condition, or just from the normal process of aging. Here is a brief overview of the main services we offer that can help Parkinson's patients:
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Companionship Care
Not just those with Parkinson's Disease, but many seniors, suffer from isolation, loneliness, and a lack of daily interaction with others as to conversation and activities, which can make it easier for their health to decline.
But it's not always possible or practical for a family member or friend to be there with them in their home every day. That creates a dilemma, especially if moving in with another family member isn't something that the elderly person desires or if it still wouldn't meet their full needs.
By providing conversation, social interaction, planning daily activities, encouraging light exercise, and helping your loved one find a hobby or just watching TV with him or her, we help keep the mind and body active and alert - which is good for long term, overall health.
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Housekeeping
Living in a dirty, disorganized home is depressing to anyone, but those with Parkinson's and other seniors often find ordinary household chores extremely difficult. Sweeping or mopping the floor, vacuuming, dusting, washing the dishes, cleaning off kitchen counters, and making the bathroom sparkle is a huge help to those who would be exhausted to do those tasks themselves.
A live in home care assistant can ensure the living environment of your loved one is consistently clean and pleasant. You don't want Mom or Dad stressing and straining over house chores when their health is already at risk. And Parkinson's makes it difficult to walk for long or very far, which means most chores would risk a fall. Far better to have a home care assistant take care of the cleaning for them!
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Toileting
In some cases, Parkinson's or other chronic conditions of the elderly will make it necessary for them to have toileting assistance. It's very usual for people to lose their ability to toilet themselves as they advance in age or when they have a chronic health condition of some type.
It can be very embarrassing when you are incontinent or have to use a bed pan, a catheter, adult diapers, or need any variety of other forms and degrees of bathroom help. Our staff knows how to keep it professional and matter-of-fact and not hurt your loved one's feelings even unintentionally in this matter.
We may also make recommendations as to improving the toileting environment, such as installing hand rails near the toilet, re-positioning the bathroom tissue roll, or installing a special toilet seat at a more comfortable height.
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Medication Reminders
Even for young people and those in generally good health, it can be challenging to keep track of multiple medications that have to be taken every day. For those with Parkinson's Disease, or other chronic conditions, it's even harder to make sure you take each pill or other medication at the right time, in the right dose without fail.
There are a number of ways medication reminders can be handled. It might mean sorting medications for a client in a pill box, having them shipped already presorted, or simply having a live in care taker administer the pills or watch, remind, and make sure your Mom or Dad doesn't forget or make any mistake in regard to medicines.
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Errands & Shopping
When you're sick and have trouble getting around, and you can't safely drive a vehicle anymore, even the simplest errands become impossible. That's why we provide errand running and shopping as a service to our clients.
Going to pick up the mail or send mail, buying groceries, buying clothes and miscellaneous goods, dropping off gifts, or getting the car washed (if your loved one owns a car and travels as a passenger in it at times) are all examples of errands we can run.
You may not have time to run all of these small errands for your elderly loved one, or they may not live close enough to you for you to do it. And it may not be feasible to always just rely on a nearby friend or neighbor or other family member who lives closer. That's when we step in and take care of it for you.
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Meal Preparation
Getting enough food, regularly, and with the right kind of nutrition in it is key to living a healthy life - regardless of your age. Those with Parkinson's often struggle to routinely cook meals for themselves, which might initially lead to eating canned and ready made foods that are low in nutrients or to ordering food delivered too often and eating up the savings that is needed for other expenses.
That's why it makes a lot of sense to have a caretaker plan, prepare, and serve meals to your Mom or Dad who has Parkinson's Disease. It relieves them of the burden of doing it, ensures they get good nutrition, and allows the caretaker-cook to customize meals to avoid or include any specific foods if your loved one is on a special diet.
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Personal Care
Personal care can also become a challenge for the elderly and for those with Parkinson's Disease. Brushing your teeth, flossing, shaving, combing/brushing the hair, and other elements of grooming may need to be done by a caretaker.
Bathing is another area where help may be necessary. Getting in and out of the tub or shower stall, washing the hair with shampoo and the body with soap, rinsing off, drying off with a towel, and not slipping on the bathroom floor on the way out are all challenging when done alone if you have Parkinson's.
Getting dressed after bathing and changing clothes or even putting on and taking off a jacket or shoes to go outside in are also tasks that your loved one may need assistance with.
Whether your loved one needs one or more or all of the above-listed services, we are here to help. Whether you would prefer a live in or on call care taker, we can be flexible and accommodate you. And if there's a non-medical service you need that's not listed here, don't hesitate to call us and ask because we likely can do that too.
[To learn more about our service areas, consult the individual service pages on these topics found elsewhere on this website]
Why Choose Mom's Home Care?
We work hard to be the very best at what we do, and according to many of our current and past clients in the L.A. Area, we have accomplished just that. What is the secret to our success? Why do we get so many referrals, have a high customer satisfaction rate, and get excellent online reviews on Yelp and elsewhere?
First and foremost, it's out passion to help the elderly and those unable to care for themselves and make their lives better every day. Secondly, it's our decades of combined experience and training - we are experts at what we do and take it very seriously.
Third, it's because of the strict screening process we use for our caretakers. Passing the application, interview, background checks, health and drug testing, driving record, and skills assessment and then going through orientation and training is a rigorous process and only the best, most dedicated candidates end up on our team.
Here are a few other of the factors that set Mom's Home Care apart from the competition:
- 24/7 availability and quick response to emergency situations.
- A 100% licensed, bonded, and insured home care agency.
- Live monitoring of our caretakers. If one doesn't show up on time, for example, we can quickly send a replacement.
- Customized plan of care for each and every client, which is updated periodically or as needed.
- Quality Assurance Program that includes getting feedback from all our clients and assessing and acting on that feedback to improve care yet further in the future.
Looking for A Great Parkinson’s Home Care Provider Near You?
Mom's Home Care is here to help! We provide all manner of non-medical care to assist those suffering from Parkinson's Disease or experiencing similar symptoms live their daily lives in comfort and safety. Contact our home care today by calling 323-244-4789 for a free consultation and to get started on setting up a plan of care for your loved one!