If you need care services you can barter your spare bedroom for care services offered by providers through Host and Care. The most popular is free child care service offered by members who are willing to babysit part-time in exchange for free accommodation. Child care is one of the most important services for families nowadays, especially since most couples now both have jobs in light of the current economic recession. Free child care for military families and single parents can also be found through the site. This offer is also particularly helpful during the summer when kids do not have school and need someone to care for them at home while parents are at work.

A very beneficial service that can be found through Host and Care is senior care. Sometimes, this service is taken up by families who do not have time to take care of their elderly. However, in some cases, there are elderly people who also live alone and may need accompaniment in exchange for free accommodation. There are several ways to benefit from such free care services for seniors.

Also, if you have pets but do not have enough time to provide sufficient care for them, you can also provide free accommodation for someone who can help you care for your furry friend. Pets need regular care and attention, and some people may not have enough time to devote for this. Fortunately, through Host and Care, you may be able to connect with someone looking for accommodation in your area who also likes animals and would be willing to provide free pet care.

Free house care is also available. This is also a unique way to go on a vacation, aside from the fact that it is also highly affordable. Vacations usually cost a lot mainly due to the high accommodation rates, but this can be arranged through Host and Care so you don't have to spend too much. Through Host and Care, you may be able to find a family you can swap houses with. This way, both families can vacation someplace new, have someone watch over their houses, and also save a lot of money.

And perhaps you need someone to tutor your kids or you want to learn a new language? You can certainly receive tutorial without paying for it. All you have to do is provide free accommodation to someone who can teach you a new language or provide your preferred tutorial.

Host and Care is a free online community that matches young people looking for rent free living with those searching  for free child care, free senior care, free kids' tutorials, free ESL tutorials, free pet sitting, free house sitting, and several other barter services. Those who are looking for free homestay and are prepared to share in the household work or provide any other form of assistance are the service providers, who, in turn, receive free board and lodging from hosts.

Host and Care is open to everyone who has some extra space in the house and also requires some help with the household chores or any other form of work. The most common hosts are families who are looking for free child care or free senior care but who do not have extra money to spare for such needs. With the recession affecting most household the world over, several families find themselves torn between the need to work longer hours to earn more and the need to stay at home to take care of kids or seniors to avoid paying money for professional care. The savings that parents who offer themselves up as hosts get are significant compared to the costs they would otherwise spend on professional care, sending kids to summer camps, or paying for nursing homes for seniors.

But families and working parents are not the only ones qualified to benefit from being a host at Host and Care. Several other people with similar needs and the space in their homes to offer can also benefit as a host. For example, single parents usually have more limited resources than couples, and so the cost of child care can be a much heavier burden for them. One way of obtaining free child care even with the problem of the recession and unemployment hovering around is to provide free accommodation to people who are willing to provide free child care in exchange.

Aside from that, other forms of exchanges can be made possible with connections created on the site. For example, families who want to travel can do so without having to worry about leaving their houses. They can find service providers through Host and Care who are willing to house-sit for them in exchange for free accommodation. Or they may also find other families who are also travelling with whom they can swap houses with. Various types of homestay and service exchanges are possible with Host and Care.   

The global recession has been undeniably hard on everyone. Hosts often face financial difficulties and lack of cash to pay for their household needs. Providers, in turn, face the problem of unemployment, which often motivates people to seek for other opportunities away from home. The problem is that when they do so, they would need money to pay for accommodation. Thankfully, there is a mutually advantageous solution for both problems that does not require the exchange of money. And that's exactly what Host and Care offers.  

Do you need help around the house but do not have the money to hire help to do it for you, especially with the current economic recession? Be it house cleaning, gardeniing or caring for seniors, there is one unique way on how to get help with these that is both affordable and life-enriching. Host and Care is a innovative website that introduces a new way of creating equally benefiting bonds between various people with various needs. The website creates an online community that can connect those with certain needs with people who can provide for these needs. As a result, members benefit from the mutual exchange and create lasting relationships with one another.

All over the world, household needs abound. Families need help taking care of kids or seniors, or perhaps need someone to watch the house or their pets while they travel. With the economic crisis affecting families from all over the world, along with several other problems such as unemployment, foreclosures, financial shortage, and the likes, it is hard to find help for such things even despite the availability of professional providers. Also, as an effect of tightening budgets, most parents often need to start earning for the household, but a lot of mothers are torn since hiring babysitters would cost them a lot and would offset the extra earnings they manage to get. But Host and Care has found a way to help households find answers to their needs without having to shell out a lot.

The first benefit of being a host in Host and Care is that you get free services that meet your needs without the need to pay large amounts of money. Help and services can come in the form of free house sitting, free child care, free senior care, free pet care, and whatever else, all offered in exchange for free accommodation. Service providers can even provide tutorials for your kids or even language lessons, the most common of which are provided for ESL learners. Commonly, the service and care providers are students or new graduates who move to different cities to look for job opportunities. The cost of accommodation plus the challenges of unemployment and of finding a job can be a heavy burden for them, so they are often willing to trade a few hours' work for free lodging. Some, however, may also be travellers who need affordable long-term homestay so they can travel around a single place for extended periods. As a potential host, if you need some help around the house and have extra space to spare for another occupant, Host and Care is the perfect conduit to make the connection.

Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to save on some important needs in the household, hosts can also benefit a lot from the opportunity to extend help to others, which is an important thing especially in challenging times. Though such relationships usually begin with a business aspect, more often than not, host and provider are able to create a bond that enriches them both and provides a memorable experience. On top of that, the knowledge of being able to help others out who are in need is certainly one of the most enriching feelings one can have in life.

With the goal of forging meaningful relationships that benefit all parties involved, Host and Care provides the perfect community for meeting people you can help and who can help you. 

There is no doubt that for any type of non medical support, elderly home health care is the best available option.  Elderly parent gets adequate aid and assistance in a familiar surrounding hence they feel comfortable and secure. At home caregivers ensure providing enough support so that elderly people continue to live an independent and self- sufficient live. 

 Seniors can get free help and companionship at home by offering homestay to a volunteer care provider.  You don't need to spend money on hiring cleaner, cook, driver, personal shopper and gardener.  By opening your house to a student volunteer you get several hours a week worth of work simply by offering your spare bedroom that you have no use for anyway.  In addition to getting free right-at-home care you also have someone to count on in case of emergency. 

Getting old affects different people in different ways. While some people experience forgetfulness, confusion and dizziness others might experience serious health related problems. But thanks to elderly home health care service providers who are well aware of these facts and help older people in surviving a better sound and healthy life.

If your elderly parents or grandparents have returned home after being in long time in hospital, then you must consider for the services of home health care. After spending a long time outside the familiar environment of home, elderly people lack their confidence in being self-reliant. Under this type of circumstances, they require to maintain a good quality of life which elderly home health care could provide. With their supportive attitude they help old people in returning to their normal life.

A caregiver also helps elderly people in making their own choices and determining their own course of life. Sometimes, elderly people feel insecure in their own surroundings because of various reasons. Home health care providers assist them in being safe.

Neither nursing homes nor extended care facilities will offer the same type of comfort as the home health care services.  

Seniors dementia can either be a slow process or it can be really fast.  This coupled with honoring the loved ones wishes about staying at home can create a dilemma.  Hiring home-care-services can be very expensive.  

However, Host & Care social network connects students, singles, unemployed and travelers looking for free accommodations with families and seniors looking for care. Young people provide volunteer elderly or home care in exchange for free accommodations.  The solution is win-win for both parties: elderly gets home care and student gets free room or free room and board, depending on the arrangement. 

In case a full time elderly caregiver is needed you can hire a couple of volunteers to take turns or single parent who will be willing to work longer hours in exchange for housing for two.  For those who are physically close to the person affected with dementia it can be hard to recognize the progress of the disease. The progress of the disease is generally slow and the day-to-day changes are slight. Some people get caught up in the denial approach where one would rather look the other way and rationalize the changes as "just aging". 

Change usually is noticed from someone who has been absent and re-enters into an elderly's life only to realize the significant changes in their loved one's ability to manage daily activities. It is difficult to determine when a senior affected with dementia should be placed in a memory center. The level of eldercare the senior is receiving or requires along with safety play a major role in this determination. In the event that everything is going well and the older person is not in danger at home, there are certain precautions that should be taken to prevent a major crisis. Most people wait until a major incident has happened before taking action which may result in harm, even death to their loved one. Wandering is a common symptom of the disease and can take place at any time. Dementia does not have a pattern for one to follow and changes can happen quickly with no indicators. It is not uncommon for the person to flee when the spouse is napping or asleep for the night. A few suggestions would be: ·ID tags should be sewn into the person's clothing. In the event the person is found, this can help public officials return the person back home. Your local Alzheimer's Association has a "safe return" program to help out in this area. ·Report to the local police department the address of your loved one and the disease. A patrol officer could identify your loved one and then return them back home. ·Install door alarms that will sound if the door is opened when activated. Local hardware stores or security stores will have these alarms. ·Place a stop sign on exit doors. 

Obtain a DNA kit from the local police department and preserve a sample. In the event the person is confused or in the case of death this can be used to identify the person. As the disease progresses, simple tasks may become overwhelming for the affected person. A couple of tips to consider are: ·Purchasing a telephone with large numbers and speed dial buttons. Label the speed dial button with names (not numbers) of people commonly called. For police label the button as POLICE, not 911. ·Make a sign to hang on the bathroom mirror stating the daily morning routine such as shaving, brushing teeth, bathing and washing the face. ·When working with appliances have the dials marked with arrows indicating the normal settings. This could be the washer and dryer, thermostat, microwave, stove, etc. ·Disabling the stove by unplugging it or tripping the breaker. ·It is not uncommon when replacing an appliance such as a microwave that the person cannot learn how to operate it. When conversing with the individual the key is to "keep it simple". The person you are talking with may be able to process only one simple thought at a time. ·Offer only one alternative such as when preparing a meal "Would you like a hamburger or soup?" If going to the store, "Would you like to go to the store at one or two?" For bathing "Would you like to take you bath now or after we eat?" ·If helping a person with a task requiring multiple steps such as doing the laundry, break the task into very small steps such as, putting the clothes into the washer, add the detergent, close the lid, turn the dial to wash. ·Always speak to the person face to face. Conversations from behind or the side can be confusing. ·Use short sentences with simple words. Rather than saying, "Remember that place we picked strawberries outside of town last year? Let's go and see if they are ready", simply say, "Let's go and pick strawberries today." . Personal hygiene will deteriorate. Having to tell your loved one that they have severe body odor, their breath is offensive because of poor oral hygiene, toes and finger nails that are unsightly, or their clothes are filthy can be very difficult for the spouse or adult child. You may want to consider: ·Having an outside professional help assist with bathing can preserve the individuals dignity and embarrassment for a family members. ·Taking the dirty clothes when the person is in bed and washing them, or putting them in the wash and placing a clean set of clothes in their place. ·Find a local service to do the nails. It is likely the nails are thick and difficult to care for. Professionals have the proper equipment and training for nail care.

When dealing with a cognitive impairment such as dementia it is difficult for spouses and adult children because of the emotional strings that are attached and/or family dynamics. Elder care professionals who work in the field of dementia can give objective advice.

­Time comes when elderly are no longer able to live alone.  The difficult decision that you dreaded for so long finally came: Your elder parents are not able to live in their own home anymore and they must move either into a nursing home, assisted living quarters or into one of their children's homes.  However, we all know that the best thing to do is to keep them at their own homes.  How can this be done?  How do you hire housekeeper, cook, gardener, personal shopper, driver and personal attendant all in one?  Most of us have limited resources and the cost of hiring all these people would be tremendous.

Host & Care is a community that connects students, singles, unemployed and travelers looking for free accommodations with families and seniors looking for care. Young people provide few hours of free child care, tutoring, elderly or home care in exchange for free accommodations.

What if your elderly parent or parents need more than several hours a week?  What if they need a round the clock care?  Even if you need alzheimer's-care or dementia-care for your senior you can still find volunteers to provide round the clock home-care-assistance.  Instead of inviting a single volunteer you can invite a couple to take turns in providing senior-home-care-services.

Elderly uprooted from their home surroundings go through grief. This is a very strong emotion that is very common in all aged people and is very difficult to handle. Whenever someone loses something that they value there is a risk that they will feel grief. A little child feels grief when they lose a pet, an adult feels grief when a friend passes away and your elderly parent will feel grief when they have to move away from their house, their neighborhood or just to part with their possessions that were a part of their lives for so many years.

They also suffer from a loss of independence and control. As long as your elderly parents live by themselves they enjoy some degree of independence and control over how they ran their live. They decided when they would eat their meals, how they would spend their time, and there was no one looking over their shoulders to see what they bought. When they have to move from their house, no matter where they move to, either a nursing home or your home they now are not their own masters but must play by someone else's rules. This is very difficult to deal with

 If elderly have to move in with their adult kids there is the added problem of role reversal; until now they were the parents and provided care for their children. Now, things are reversed, and the child takes care of them. This can be very difficult for some people.

Moving, at any age, takes a lot of work. It entails throwing things out, selling things, Closing bank accounts and opening new ones (if they move to a new city), and fixing up the old house to get it ready for sale. They sometimes simply don't know where to start so they freeze.

Live-in volunteers can be pre-screened, background checks and reference checks can be performed quickly and inexpensively by professional background check company.  You can also install monitoring equipment in the house if you wish.

We have become all too familiar with nursing homes. Families in the United States usually move their elderly loved ones to a nursing home for a long-term or permanent rehabilitation service. However, in 1990s, assisted living facilities were born giving the elderly and their families a better option. Assisted living facility is referred to different names in different states. It is also known as senior housing in Colorado while other states refer to it as retirement living home, adult living facility, elderly care housing, among others.

Nursing home is a skilled care facility for senior citizens who need 24-hour medical attention. This is for elderly with chronic medical conditions who needs and requires round-the-clock skilled care, long-term attention, and also for short-term recovering patients after being discharged from the hospital.

On the other hand, assisted living residence is for seniors who cannot independently live in their homes, who need assistance in their daily living activities and would want to grow old in an environment that provides a warm, peaceful, and safe home environment with new and balanced lifestyle and socialization, thus, allowing them to nurture new friendships with other residents and subsequently improve their physical, mental and emotional condition.

Nursing homes typically provide room and board, meals, skilled nursing and personal care, and medication management services, and social and recreational activities for their residents. While senior housing offers long term elderly care and assisted living guidelines which includes the following services: Care management and monitoring, help with activities of daily living, housekeeping and laundry, medication management, recreational activities, security, transportation, and two or more meals per day.

Nursing home long-term patients are being assisted in multiple daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring in and out of chairs or bed, and the like. These also include residents with cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. Nursing homes provide a secure environment and an array of services to meet the physical, medical, and social needs of their residents.

Assisted living residents only needs assistance with meal preparation, activities of daily living (ADL), medication support and household chores, and/or require supervision due to a cognitive impairment related to disorders such as mild Alzheimer's.

More than 50% of the nursing home residents were women, and 14% were under 65 years old. The average age of a nursing home resident is 86 years old (Source: US Census Bureau 2007). While more than 900,000 Americans live in approximately 39,500 senior care in the country. The average age of a senior living care resident is 85 years old and the average length of stay is roughly 27 months.

Lastly, the average daily cost for assisted living is still less than half the average daily cost for a private room in a nursing home. The average rate for a semi-private room has increased by 1.1% from $189 daily (in 2007) to $191 daily (in 2008) while the average assisted living rate has increased by 2.1% from $2,969 monthly (or approximately $98 daily in 2007) to $3,031 monthly (or approximately $101 daily in 2008). The average rate for a private room in an Alzheimer's wing is $219 and $198 for a semi-private room in the same wing. Rates vary by region and depending on the number of services included.

Quality of Life - the key difference between living at home and living in an assisted living home.

Have you gotten that call in the middle of the night telling you that your mother who is 2,000 miles away has fallen and is in the hospital? Has your father come for a visit and had a slight stroke? These circumstances can interrupt your everyday life and send you into a state of panic and fear. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO WHEN YOUR PARENT IS HOSPITALIZED IS TO PUT YOUR PANIC AND WORRY ASIDE AND SHIFT INTO WARRIOR MODE. Here's what you need to do.

1. Don't panic. It is natural to be fearful and overwhelmed when your mother or dad is rushed to the hospital. Accept your feelings as natural, but put them aside right away. YOU ARE YOUR PARENT'S BEST ADVOCATE. If you live far away, immediately call a friend who can go to the hospital and be your liaison on the ground until you get there. You will quickly get frustrated and angry trying to get information about what's happening with Mom or Dad unless you have someone on the scene looking out for YOU and letting you know what's going on. If you can't get to the hospital, there are also elder care advocates like myself who can be your eyes and ears and fight through the system so your parent gets the best care.

2. Contact your mother or dad's physician immediately. As a side note here, it is very important that your parent have a general internist physician (preferably a gerontologist if you can find one) WHO IS WILLING TO FOLLOW YOUR PARENT TO THE HOSPITAL IF NECESSARY. This is obviously something to arrange now, before any unforeseen hospitalization occurs.

Many hospitals now promote to patients a new system of "hospitalists" -- these are physicians who only work at the hospital and don't have a private practice. The problem with this is that your parent will be a new patient to the hospitalist and you might not have the same hospitalist every day. WHAT YOU WANT IS YOUR PARENT'S PHYSICIAN WHO KNOWS YOUR PARENT'S HISTORY TO VISIT THE HOSPITAL EVERY DAY AND DIRECT YOUR PARENT'S CARE! This is very important for the continuity of care for your mom or dad and for your comfort. A hospitalist might not pick up on something about your parent that his or her own physician would because of their history together.

3. Don't be intimidated by the hospital system. The reality is that hospitals have their own protocols and systems which may work for them, but may not necessarily work for you! You land in a place that's all new to you -- and they've got the advantage. Do not be afraid to ask questions of the nurses, other staff or the physicians. Hospitals tell us that their mission is to take the best care of their patients, but the reality is the only person who will be looking out for the best interests of your parent is YOU or YOUR ADVOCATE.

When my mother was in the hospital, I walked up to the nurses' station behind which about 10 people were chatting away, and the one who was sitting at the desk right in front of me refused to look up. I finally called out, Hello, anybody home? And they all turned in disbelief, but I got what I needed.

4. If possible, keep your parent in the hospital for THREE OVERNIGHTS. True, you do not have complete control over this, that's why the presence of your parent's own physician can be so important, but if your parent will have to go to a rehab facility or go home for therapy, and he or she is on Medicare, Medicare will only pay for follow-up treatment if your parent has spent three full overnights in the hospital. Not days, but overnights.

Don't let them try to push Mom or Dad out too early. If it's legitimate for them to stay in the hospital, make sure they stay. I had a friend who unfortunately did not know the three-day rule at the time, and her mother wanted to leave the hospital early. She needed therapy at home as the doctor prescribed but had to pay for it herself because she did not meet the three-overnight rule.

5. Manage the hospital's discharge planner. Within a day or two of your parent's admission, you will meet the discharge planner, whose job it is to arrange for where Mom or Dad goes and what help they need after the hospital. THIS IS VERY KEY -- if your parent is going to have to go to a rehab facility, a skilled nursing facility, and the three-day rule is met, Medicare will pay for the best or worst facility. IT IS YOUR JOB AS ADVOCATE TO FIND OUT THE BEST FACILITY AND GET MOM OR DAD IN THERE! This will make a world of difference in their aftercare.

The discharge planner will give you a list of facilities in the area. They are not ethically allowed to tell you what the best ones are. Typically, they will ask you to pick three, and then whichever of those three facilities has a bed on the day Mom or Dad is discharged from the hospital, that's where they'll go.

BUT HERE'S THE CATCH -- THERE MAY ONLY BE ONE GREAT FACILITY IN THE AREA. SO HOW TO GET THERE? First, you have to find it. Ask friends, families, colleagues. If you've hired an advocate, they'll be able to guide you. If you're on the ground, go visit the facilities. Ask for a tour of the skilled nursing facility. Talk to the admissions officer at the facilities you like. If one stands out above the rest, keep talking to the Admissions officer at that facility (you won't know exactly what day your parent will be discharged) and tell the hospital's discharge planner that you want your parent to go there.

This is so important and the trickiest part. When you find out (usually the day before) when Mom or Dad is to be discharged, call the facility (or facilities if you're blessed to have several you like) and ask if they will have a bed open the next day. Some hospital discharge planners are wonderful, others are annoying and territorial. They may see you as interfering with "their" job. But put any concerns about that aside, and recognize that they are treading on YOUR territory, where Mom or Dad goes will make no difference to them, it will make all the difference to you. If there's a bed open where you want to go, tell the discharge planner that day -- tell them you've talked to the admissions representative at the facility, there's a bed available, and you want Mom or Dad to go there. DO NOT GIVE IN AT ANY POINT AT THIS STAGE. YOU'VE DONE THE HARD WORK, IT'S TIME FOR MOM OR DAD (AND YOU) TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF YOUR INVESTIGATIONS AND ADVOCACY!

Remember, regardless of your past history, fighting for your parent at this time in his or her life when they may need you most, can become the most rewarding time of togetherness for both of you and lead to great healing, if needed, and joy. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. Hopefully, with these tips in mind, you can focus on loving your parent to the best of your ability and not on the frustrations that come from navigating unknown waters.

Host & Care home care allows seniors to avoid being hospitalized, and at the same time, provides a way for primary caregivers to obtain assistance with certain tasks that they can't perform on their own. The patient remains at home, and the home care giver lives with them. For many people, especially those who are in good health despite certain physical impairments, this may be the best option.

Many caregivers find themselves overwhelmed by the stress and demands of caring for the mental, physical, and medical needs of a senior citizen, in addition to caring for themselves and their families. Part time live-in volunteer care provider is free therefore affordable to everyone.  You cool and heat the spare bedroom anyway.

Economically, volunteer home care is always a better option compared to the costs of skilled nursing homes.

There are many types Of Services that Home Care Provider can perform.

Home care providers provide many non medical services.

Personal Care Services: help with daily living activities including grooming, eating, bathing, dressing, etc.

Homemaker Services: Assist with cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, and domestic chores.

Adult Day Care: These are facility based programs for seniors who need companionship and monitoring during the day.

Respite Care: A trained professional stays with the patient for a specified period of time to temporarily relieve the primary caregiver of responsibility.

Live-In Care: when a primary caregiver cannot provide the round-the-clock care that a person requires, a live-in caregiver can help with daily living, meal preparation, housekeeping, and many other non-medical services.

In the old days extended families lived together and were taking care of the elderly who needed assistance.  Seniors were taken care of by adult children or grandchildren.  Families that did not live under the same roof lived in a short distance from each other within the same village or town.  In addition, our lifespan was much shorter few decades ago.  Situation like this still exists in many developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America.  In the United States elderly live alone and far away from their children and grandchildren.  Even when they live nearby, their family is busy working long hours and taking care of their kids.  Single parent families are busy balancing already demanding schedule.  The cost of nursing homes and extended care facilities is so high that it will eat up lifetime savings in a hurry.  Thankfully, when we need help with our own family or with our extended family, Host & Care caregivers are there to lend a hand.  Our members are unpaid volunteers offering to take care of elderly or disabled simply in exchange for free accommodations. 

Our members fall into various categories. 

We have college students looking to cut down on housing cost and to help a senior in need.  We also have travelers looking for cultural experiences and improving English language.   We also have single parents who are willing to provide home care services with much longer hours in exchange for sharing a home of the senior citizen.  Finally, we have graduates looking to move to a new city or state and planning to spend some time looking for a job.  Saving rent money while they are unemployed allows them to stay out of debt or save all the money they earn. 

 In exchange for free room they provide in home care services on part-time basic.  They can provide non-medical home health services, home support services, and child care. Home health service caregivers are helpful for adults and children who are convalescing, the developmentally challenged, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Services can range from private duty nursing to live-in caregivers to medication supervision. For example, if your spouse has recently had surgery, you may need a caregiver for a few hours each day while you're at work. Similarly, a caregiver can help your mother or father continue to live independently by providing her or him with incontinence assistance, transportation to doctors' appointments, or physical therapy exercises.

Care givers who provide home support services can help in a number of areas. For example, they can help with meal planning and preparation, personal shopping or errands, and even do laundry and light housekeeping. They can also provide companionship for the elderly they're caring for.

Searching for Trustworthy Caregivers

Trusting someone else with caring for a loved one is an enormous responsibility, and the selection process isn't always easy.

Host & Care comes with several ways of communication between members: Audio/Video Group Chat, Audio/Video Messenger, one-to-one private messenger with live audio/video streaming, Audio/Video Recorder, Video Player, Shoutbox and a message box.  You can interact with other members in the safety of our website.  When you find a suitable match you can request a background and reference check from a reputable background check company.  The cost of running a background check is very inexpensive these days.  It gives you a peace of mind and provides you with the security and safety you need.  Some background check companies even allow you to run a free background check once a year. 

Instant Background Checks includes criminal background check, property value, lawsuits, judgments, bankruptcy, liens and much more!

Undoubtedly the best way to spend the senior years is to live at your very own home.  There is no nursing home or assisted living facility that can replace the comfort of your own house. 

If your elderly parent or parents are still staying in their own house, you may be concerned about their safety and their well-being, you don't know if they are taking their medications properly and if they are eating. You have no idea about their diet and how they get the food to the house.  You might need to hire live in care.  Live-in caregiver can help your parents with basic chores, make sure they take their medication, provide them with transportation, cook and even do light housekeeping. If need be, the caregiver can also help them with bathing and dressing. This can be a very expensive proposition.  On average, you have to expect to pay at a minimum $15.00 an hour.  However, chances are, your elderly parent lives in a family home with plenty of room to offer housing to care provider in exchange for care.  Conducting a background and reference check is easy, reliable and inexpensive. 

Host & Care is a community that connects students and travelers looking for free accommodations with families and seniors looking for care. You offer free room and board in exchange for getting live-in personal or home care.  The benefit of this type of exchange is tremendous.  You have no out of pocket expense and save a lot of money while at the same time you get the peace of mind.  If you are looking for options for taking care of your elderly parents, consider at home caregiver services. This enables older people to stay at home and gives caregivers an opportunity to work or study outside of the house. If you have siblings who also take care of mom or dad, you should discuss the possibility of getting a caregiver in to help out with caring for your parents.  Elderly neglect their health care: The effort of arranging transportation to and from the doctor's office, having prescriptions filled and picked up at the pharmacy, and understanding what the doctor tells her and who won't take the time to insure she understands, is enough to make anyone avoid the health care system altogether.  A live-in caregiver would take care of all these steps for you.  Elder caregiver will stay with your senior parent at the doctor's office to hear everything the doctor explains to mom. Although elderly won't admit it, she likely will never remember most of what she is told by the doctors and nurses. If the care provider weren't there with her, you can't explain anything to her and she is left to struggle with the prescription medications and forgotten advice. 

Senior caregiver also works as a confidant and adviser: elderly often won't admit to being hard of hearing, incompetent in buttoning her blouse, or forgetful of many normal daily chores that need to be done. Live-in care giver gently makes it obvious you are there for her anytime 24/7, and are more than happy to talk with her about troublesome issues. Just the promise of this availability is reassuring enough to her self-esteem.  Many times, just knowing that someone is there and available will prevent depression, anxiety, and the feeling of helplessness.

Nutrition issues: Seniors typically give up cooking foods like they used to do. It's a lot easier to pop a microwave dinner into the microwave now and then. Appetite is decreased as a result of less demand from a body that has little activity, less exercise, and less caloric requirements. Often a senior will pick one or two foods they like and only eat those daily. It results in lack of balanced nutrients, vitamins, and required proteins such as certain amino acids.

When mom does not live with you, you really don't know what her nutrition is lacking. A live-in caregiver will make sure that elderly has a bottle of good multivitamins, enough food ready to eat and drink in the fridge, and some red wine to sip on daily to supplement her nutrition.

Safety issues: Elderly tend to fall down as a result of poor depth perception, fading vision, weakened leg muscles, and lack of attention to their surroundings. It's a great help in prevention of falls if you eliminate rugs they can trip over, furniture that becomes unstable with use, moving items to lower shelves where older ladies can easily reach them, give away her shoes with leather soles, install bath and shower bars as well as hand rails at any place she must go up and down steps, make latches on doors easy to open, and remove any items that can fall on her from high up storage spots.  Having student volunteer live in the house with an elderly person will alleviate the danger. 

Money worries: For seniors money is a constant worry. When their bank account gets low, then they start skipping doctor appointments and eat less. Make sure their money is readily available to them while mom is still alert, clear minded, and oriented to time and place.

Hidden trauma problems: Seniors do not want others to think they are deteriorating to a point where they are unable to take care of themselves. They hide the bruises, cuts, and abrasions that occur and others might perceive as incompetence. Pain, stomach aches, bad headaches, arthritis of joints with decreased range of motion, and they'll also keep you from noticing.

The mental side of aging: The most traumatic problem mom's face is the thought that their mind is no longer clear or stable. One of the first symptoms to show up is losing track of recent memory, people's names, and dates. Forgetting to take medications or to take them at proper intervals can be very serious-under-dosing, and bad health problems return-over-dosing, and suffer bad side effects seems somewhat common in elderly folks.

Care provider will organize mom's medicines for her is a great help to her as well as being a smart way to avoid overdosing problems. Or, just checking how she organizes her meds and takes them. Nursing homes are well known for medication errors, missed doses, and patient care neglect. So, when possible, check out these things thoroughly.

Emotional connections: When senior is well established in her residence, way of life, friends she sees daily, fun events she enjoys locally, and has a well established comfort zone, it is unwise to yank her out of there and force her to live with you or near you.

It does is destroy all her relationships, disrupts all her familiar surroundings which have given her mental comfort, and exposes her to all the insecurity she has been trying to avoid at this time in her life.