There are momentous occasions in a person’s life: getting a driver’s license, having a child, graduating school, or, often overlooked, becoming the caregiver of a parent or another older loved one. 

Caregiving can take many forms. Family caregivers often accompany their parent to their physician appointments and possibly even sit in the exam room with them. While there’s no studying involved for this exam, it’s important to be prepared, especially when you are advocating care for someone else or trying to make sure they aren’t readmitted to hospital. Below are 12 suggestions on what to do before, during and after a visit with the doctor.

One of the few downsides to having a robust national health care plan is Canadians are not used to talking about money and health care together. Payment for medical home care happens in the same way almost all health-related payment happens in Canada: Patients present their health card and medical professionals are reimbursed by the provincial government. Money rarely changes hands with health care in Canada, whether at home or in hospital, so it can come as a shock when Canadians are faced with paying for non-medical home care. 

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” – Michael Pollan author of “Food Rules”

Most of us know we should be following Michael Pollan’s deceptively simple rules for eating well. These rules become even more important as we age. Yet, older adults face nutritional challenges for reasons that go beyond food trends and confusing food advice.

Falls can be serious, sometimes fatal, for older adults. According to the Government of Canada, falls are the No. 1 cause of injury-related hospitalizations among Canadian seniors, and between 20 and 30 percent of older adults fall each year. On average, a senior is hospitalized because of a fall every 10 minutes.

It’s a common belief that falls are just a part of aging – that it’s inevitable seniors will fall. This is not necessarily true because most falls are preventable. Many ComForCare Home Care locations offer no obligation in-home fall safety evaluations and fall risk assessments. Our home safety check evaluates all aspects of someone’s living conditions. A trained professional will look at things such as:

Having good physical function is important in maintaining independence for older adults. Physical function includes everyday tasks such as the ability to walk around, get up from a chair without assistance or bathe and dress oneself.

Nutrition is a key factor in maintaining good physical function among older adults. A Brigham and Women’s Hospital study that compared diet quality and physical function in over 50,000 women found those who had a healthy diet over the years were less likely to develop problems with physical function as they grew older.

There is a chill in the air and a turkey in the oven. Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Here are some tips to make your holiday enjoyable for relatives of all ages.

As home care providers, we at ComForCare Home Care are often called due to an emergency: someone has fallen and injured themselves, or they have had a stroke. Understandably, people usually do not explore the topic of in-home care until it becomes a necessity. At ComForCare, we want to try and demystify in-home care, so when you need help, you are starting on solid ground.

To begin, what exactly is home care? Home care is care provided wherever a person calls home. There are two kinds of home care: medical and non-medical.