Louth Age Friendly Business Consumer Fair – Proudly sponsored by Myhomecare

Louth Age Friendly Business Consumer Fair

– Proudly sponsored by Myhomecare

We are proud to say that Louth is the first Age Friendly County in Ireland, leading the way for others to follow as we create a range of age-friendly initiatives to support our communities in living longer, happier lives at home with their families and loved ones. Over the past number of years, local businesses, community groups and the public have come together to create this fantastic annual event and promote positive aging in Louth.

When many of us think about growing older, we have a perception of an elderly lady or man sitting in a rocking chair with a blanket, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Myhomecare would like to invite you along to the Louth Age Friendly Business Consumer Fair in the Crowne Plaza Hotel this Sunday, October 4th and show you the true side of aging in our Age Friendly County. As we get older our needs and aspirations start to change, things that would have been irrelevant before become top of our priority list. The Louth Age friendly Business Consumer Fair have put together a spectacular day to assist you in learning about the range of products and services available to support you in living longer and happier lives.

As the main sponsor of this Louth Age Friendly event, Myhomecare promise a fun afternoon of entertainment, guest speakers, exhibitors, music and of course great craic. We will also be launching our fully integrated care planning and monitoring application service myhomecareConnect.

Myhomecare Connect - Homecare from Anywhere

What to expect on the day:

There will be 50 exhibitors showcasing their age friendly products and services in a range of sectors from; caring and support services, technology, finance, fashion, law, Health and many more.

Learn about services that are available to support you or a loved one at home and in their community.

Enjoy some fun and get fit with Carmel Dowdall’s Chairobics!

Special guest on the day, businessman Gavin Duffy, RTE Dragon’s Den.

Live music throughout the day.

We look forward to seeing you at this FREE event on Sunday 4th October in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dundalk from 12 noon to 5pm that evening.

Crown Plaza are offering a 10% discount on lunch to all who attend the Consumer Fair on the day.

This event is proudly supported by main sponsor Myhomecare, other supporters include Louth Age Friendly County Initiative and Age-Friendly.

For further information on this event please call Myhomecare of Freephone 1800 400 900.

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Caregiver Advice

What It Takes To Be A Carer

Rewarding Work – What It Takes To Be A Carer

As people live longer, and we get better at preserving the lives of those who would otherwise have perished, more and more people are going through times when they need a bit of extra care. The care industry is thus an expanding one, in which kind, empathetic, practical, and dedicated people are always needed. It takes a special kind of person to be a carer or a nurse – someone who has both the practical skills and forthrightness needed to deal with people who may sometimes need specialist help, and the empathetic nature needed to treat these people with the respect and kindness which any human being deserves. Importantly, a good carer also needs to know how to take care of themselves. -What It Takes To Be A Carer

People in the caring profession are prone to feeling guilty when they do something for themselves – believing, due to their dedication, that their every waking moment should be devoted to their charges. In fact, being so selfless that you neglect yourself completely is a counterproductive quality in a carer. As well as being empathetic, knowledgeable about their charge’s condition, and imbued with a good deal of patience, a carer needs to be able to recognise the signs of frustration and burnout within themselves, and to take steps to prevent their emotional state from reaching a point where they start to resent those for whom they are caring.

Patience is something which must be practiced – it comes with experience. A carer therefore needs to have experience at recognising and dealing with their own triggers. They need to know how to calm themselves down when they find themselves getting emotional, and to maintain an equable disposition under the most trying of circumstances. Empathy can help a lot with this. While a certain degree of empathy is innate, an empathetic connection can be helped along if the carer takes the time to learn about how the patient’s condition affects their lives. This makes them less likely to apportion ‘blame’ to the patient themselves should they find their demands in any way frustrating.

Perhaps most importantly, a good carer should find their work rewarding. If you basically don’t like looking after people, the life of a carer is not for you! However, if you do like looking after people but are prone to either intense guilt or frustration, you may want to look at working on these aspects of your character. Guilt – while connected intimately in many ways to empathy – is counterproductive when applied poorly. If you feel guilty every time you do something for yourself, you will ultimately hit burnout and be emotionally unable to provide the quality of care needed by your charges. If you are prone to frustration, you need to learn to recognise the warning signs and develop a system for combating it. In both cases, ensuring that you have a reasonable amount of ‘me time’ can really help. For more on coping with caring, read this article

Author – Melissa

Caregiver Advice

The Changing Face of Homecare

There are many benefits of Homecare both for the individuals themselves and also for their family members. The patient is able to remain in the familiarity of their own home with all the comfort and relaxation that this brings. Furthermore they get to maintain their own routine surrounded by their own possessions. For the family members they have the peace of mind of knowing that their loved one is being well cared for by fully qualified professionals in their own home. It allows them to spend quality time in a relaxed environment and cuts out the need of sometimes long and awkward to arrange visits to the hospital or other care facility.

Most people with advanced, progressive incurable diseases wish to spend their final days at home. Indeed 90% of the care of patients in the last 12 months of their life occurs at home, with the support of a General Practitioner and Community Nurse Team. Homecare is the preferred option for most people with terminal illness and it is well researched that people are happier and live longer in their own homes.

With this in mind myhomecareie.wpengine.com have designed a number of different packages to assist the older person. They are all Nurse led, are tailored to the individual needs of the patient and are delivered under the direction of the medical and palliative team.

Looking after an elderly relative can be very rewarding, but can be a challenge and at times stressful. Many people set out with good intentions; however for many they find that they cannot cope alone with the challenges and stresses that can follow and turn to a Care Assistant or Home Help. Care Assistants provide practical day to day help with the care of the elderly person. An important aspect to consider is that it allows family to remain detached from certain areas that an elderly person feels uncomfortable with such as personal care.

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However, Homecare now not only provides services for the care of the elderly but a range of services for all ages. These includes Pre/Post Natal Home Support, Care of Children with Additional Needs, Companionship for Alzheimer/Dementia patients and many more.

Pre/Post Natal Home Support:

This package designed by myhomecareie.wpengine.com runs for a total of 14.5 hours and is spread over 3 days. Five hours on the first two days and four and a half hours on the third day. The services include ironing, mopping, hoovering, general tidy up, bed-making, meal preparation, dusting and so on. It is particularly attractive for mothers who had a difficult pregnancy/childbirth.

Caring for a Child with Additional Needs:

It is now possible to avail of support from a team of nurses who are highly qualified in the care of children. The services include the following : Tracheostomy Care under the directive of the Community Care Team. Respite Care which can provide around the clock care allowing the family to take a break or a holiday. Convalescent Care/Post-Hospital Care which provides a helping hand after bringing the little one home from hospital and lastly Palliative Care giving support to both the child and family.

Oncology Care:

myhomecare clinic enables chemotherapy and oncology services to move out of the hospital and into the home.

Disability Care:

Designed to support and promote independent living in the clients own home and the wider community. Services are available to all individuals who may suffer with a disability whether it is physical, mental, emotional, sensory development etc.

Vaccination Programmes:

Providing vaccinations in your own home.

IV Therapy:

Enabling individuals to receive ongoing intravenous antibiotics facilitating early discharge from hospital.

Assisted Living Services:

Assisting with Activities of Daily Living such as personal hygiene, dressing, mobilising, meal preparation, companionship, running errands and medication reminders.

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All of the above services do of course cost money. However there is some help available. There are Home Care Packages available from the HSE. These packages vary depending on needs. The priority of the scheme is older people, aged over 65, living in the community or in-patients in acute hospitals who are at risk of admission to long term care. To apply for a home care package contact the Public Health Nurse for a form.

For those who choose to pay privately Income Tax relief is available, subject to some conditions. It is possible to receive relief of up to 41% of the cost of the service. It is also possible to claim this relief as part of your Tax Credits and so receive the benefits as part of your wages and therefore receive the benefits immediately.

I hope you have found the above information to be useful and informative and should you have any questions or require any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.