Cold Weather Presents Threat to Seniors

Hypothermia is a Serious Concern

Cold weather kills 500% more people ages 85+ and 100% more seniors ages 75-84 than adults ages 18-74, according to the Center for Disease Control. “Our senior care auditors are trained to look for symptoms of hypothermia and know what to do,” says Rhonda Harper, Founder and CEO, Penrose Senior Care Auditors® and PenroseCertified®.

Why are seniors more susceptible to cold?

• Lower Tolerance to Cold – Many seniors can suffer from low body temperature when exposed to environments where younger people have little or no change.
• Medications – Many prescription medications such as anti-depressants, sedatives, tranquilizers and cardiovascular drugs prevent the body from regulating temperature normally.
• Elderly who are Frail – These patients or loved ones have a combined disadvantage to the frigid winter weather. Those who are ill may be on some of the medication mentioned previously and they are also in more compromised physical state.
• Financially Disadvantaged – In housing that is not properly winterized, exposure to cold temperatures increase the concern of hypothermia. The poor who can not afford adequate heat and do not have well ventilated and heated homes are at risk.
• Seniors Who Live Alone – Elderly patients or loved ones who live alone or live in rural areas are also more susceptible to hypothermia.

Here are 10 top symptoms associated with hypothermia to look for in seniors:

1. Shivering – Shivering is a sign that the body can not get warm. Seniors sometimes do not illicit shiver responses however so if the patent is not shivering it does not guarantee they are not cold.
2. Slowed Breathing and Heart Rate – both are symptoms of low body temperatures
3. Skin – Skin may be cold to the touch especially lower body. arms, hands and feet. Skin appearance may be pale or show purplish blue or pink, ruddy splotches.
4. Face – If you notice the elderly patients face is puffy or swollen this can be an important sign especially if there are other symptoms combined.
5. Muscles – Stiff muscles especially the neck, arms, and legs, limited use of appendages or trampling are a concern.
6. Consciousness – Patients can still maintain consciousness when the body registers 80 degree. However an elderly patient may be experiencing hypothermia even if their body temperature seems to be within the normal levels.
7. Confusion – Confusion will steadily progress as the body temperature lowers. The senior could become disoriented and unfamiliar with their environment and memory can be affected.
8. Balance – The senior may demonstrate a lack of coordination and be off balance and have jerky movements when walking or holding items.
9. Apathy – A senior with hypothermia may act as if they do not care what happens to them. Because of this psychological symptom and because it is silent and they are not aware hypothermia has occurred.
10. Hostility – A patient may not behave normally. An otherwise easy-going patient may respond irritably and with hostility when the caretaker tries to bring the senior to safety.

If you believe a senior has hypothermia:

• Call an ambulance right away
• Be careful handling the patient – the heart is weak when the biddy is cold, sudden movements can cause injury and even death.
• Keep them warm with layers of blankets and clothing
• Do not try an warm them up with devices or hot baths
• Do not give them food or drinks
• Do not raise the patients feet if they have lost consciousness. Doing so brings blood back to the mid section of the body and set the temperature regulation back even further.

4,400 Harm Causing Resident Complaints Go Unresolved

If Your Mom is in California, You Should Worry

California’s Department of Public Health has failed to effectively investigate nursing home complaints across 2,500 homes, according to a state audit. This same audit claims 11,000 unresolved complaints with 40% having caused or being likely to cause resident harm.  The incidents and complaints languish an average number of days ranging from 14 to 1,042 days.

And, these unresolved nursing home complaints don’t stop in California. “Unfortunately, the long-term care system is fraught with issues,” says Rhonda Harper, Founder & CEO, Penrose Senior Care Auditors. “Disorganized government institutions, overwhelmed and under-trained nursing home staff, and misguided management leaves our seniors in harms’ way. We can’t rely on traditional licensing boards and state audits to make sure our loved-ones are okay.”

Until late 2013, when it established a tracking log of open complaints, Public Health did not have a standardized method for monitoring the status of open complaints at the district offices and for assessing whether these complaints were being addressed promptly. Evidently, it still isn’t working.

Every day 10,000 more baby boomers turn age 65. Before long, the long-term care system will be flooded with more and more aging seniors. If it can’t handle it now, and it doesn’t take drastic changes to improved, all of our mom’s may be looking at a meager future.

So, what can you do? Visit your loved-ones on a regular and frequent basis. Insist that they get the services and care they deserve. If you can’t do this, then consider hiring senior care auditors to do it for you. Beginning at $40 per audit/visit, it is a small price to pay for peace of mind. “Our PenroseCertified® senior care auditors are certified to be the best. They undergo significant education and training and use state-of-the-art systems to complete their audits,” continues Harper.

Hear no evil? Speak no evil? See no evil?

Is it easier to simply believe — versus know — your aging loved-one is getting the support and care they deserve? So see them happy, like the pictures in the senior care community brochure? To remember the model apartment and how clean it was and how genuine and informative the tour director was? To check in on them once in a blue moon and find that may today, just today, was a bad day for them?

Sometimes it may be easier to put our heads in the sand. It would be too emotionally hard to believe that things weren’t as they seemed when you placed your loved-one in the facility. What would you do if you learned otherwise? Where would you put them? How would you afford it? How would you get them moved? Would it be any better anyway?

Too many people are caught in this trap — to know, or not to know. To hope and believe? To trust? The statistics say your gut is right. In senior care communities, more than 50% of caregivers admit to abusing seniors. And, 95% of seniors say that they have been abused or that they have seen another abused.

There are many problems with the senior care industry: explosive growth, employee shortages, lack of training and education, poor oversight, weak management, and caregiver burnout. Caregiving is not an easy profession. And, by the way, there are some wonderful, caring, professional senior care communities and caregivers in the system!  We should not overlook them.

“Transparency is the key to improving the lives of seniors,” says Rhonda Harper, Founder & CEO of Penrose Senior Care Auditors® and PenroseCertified®.  “I created the new senior care auditing service as a way to hold caregivers accountable and to ensure seniors are okay, even if they are living alone in their own home. We check on seniors and report back to their loved-ones.”

Everything You Need to Know About Senior Care Audits

WHAT IS A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

A Senior Care Auditor is a person who provides senior care audits. They visit seniors wherever they live, and assess and their environment through the lens of health and safety. Senior Care Auditors make it possible for seniors to continue to live at home longer. And, they reduce the worry and stress loved-ones experience.

WHAT DOES A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR DO?

Most importantly, Senior Care Auditors are trained to spot, stop and report elder abuse. Specifically, they conduct on-site audits related to the senior and their residence.

WHAT IS A SENIOR CARE AUDIT?

The industry standard, created by Penrose Senior Care Auditors®, is the 7-Factor Audit™.

It covers:

• Cleanliness and Clutter
• Odor and Temperature
• Caregivers and Support
• Maintenance and Operations
• Supplies, Pantry and Toiletries
• Senior Observations
• Other

WHERE DO SENIOR CARE AUDITORS WORK?

Nationwide.

WHERE ARE SENIOR CARE AUDIT SERVICES NEEDED?

Nationwide.

I HAVE NOT HEARD OF THIS SERVICE OR CAREER BEFORE. WHY IS THAT?

This service was created by Penrose Senior Care Auditors® and PenroseCertified® in February 2014.

WHAT KINDS OF SENIORS BENEFIT FROM A CARE AUDIT?

All seniors that require some type visitation to ensure their health and safety.  They could:

• live in a private home
• live in an assisted living or skilled nursing community
• be living with dementia or other illness
• live alone
• be seniors who don’t have family or friends that check on them
• are unable to communicate effectively
• seem overwhelmed by grief or depression
• be always complaining about caregivers

WHO HIRES AND WHO NEEDS A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

Senior care auditors help people who have a range of circumstances:

• Individuals with demanding careers
• Sandwiched individuals
• Those who live far away from their loved ones
• Those who do not like care giving
• Those who do not enjoy a pleasant relationship with their relative, but do want them looked after
• People who want to be in the senior care field, but do not want to be the provider of personal or domestic assistance
• Seniors who want a caregiver scrutinized by an independent 3rd party
• Guardians that want to provide more than a couple visits per year
• Seniors who want intervention to stop elder abuse
• Government agencies who oversee aging populations
• Family members or friends who suspect abuse or neglect
• Insurance companies
• Those who can afford to delegate support to others
• Those who usually provide care but need respite or travel time away
• Individuals who want a facility scrutinized for quality of care
• Families who want an independent 3rd party to get ‘the truth’ about a loved one’s home and personal condition
• Neighbors who care about frail neighbors who seem to be struggling with self or home care
• Home Health Agencies who need independent 3rd party feedback about caregiver service and professionalism
• Home Care Providers who need independent 3rd party feedback about home care service and professionalism

HOW MUCH DOES A SENIOR CARE AUDIT CHARGE ?

Fees for senior care auditing range based on geographic location of the senior and the market will bear. Average senior care auditing costs $40-$100 per audit, which are conducted weekly or biweekly.

HOW MUCH DOES A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR MAKE?

That depends upon who you work for, affiliate with, or what you choose to charge. Generally, this ranges from $25 to $75 per audit.

WHO PAYS FOR A SENIOR CARE AUDIT?

Generally it is the family of the senior that is audited. Sometimes it is a friend, authority, or other.

WHO GETS THE SENIOR CARE AUDIT REPORT?

This depends on the agreement with the senior care auditing provider.

CAN A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR PERFORM AN AUDIT ON A FACILITY?

Yes.

WHO MAKES A GOOD SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

You must like seniors; be comfortable going into peoples’ homes and conducting inquiries and assessments of them and their environment; have a detail oriented mind; are curious and inquisitive; are resourceful; are organized; have the ability to communicate verbally and in writing clearly and appropriately; are professional; can manage technology.

WHAT KIND OF QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED TO BECOME A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

Generally, the industry requires a High School education, at least 2 years of work experience, a background check, and a certification.  PenroseCertified® created the senior care auditing certification program and sets the standards for the industry. It is a part of Penrose Senior Care Auditors®, the company that created the senior care auditing service.

CAN I WORK FROM HOME AS A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

Yes, and most do.

WHERE CAN I GET A JOB AS A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

Penrose Senior Care Auditors® is the only national senior care auditing company. It created the service in February 2014.  In May, it opened PenroseCertified®, the first certification program that allows Senior Care Auditors to have their own business and receive leads and referrals from Penrose.  Click here to learn more.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

The coursework takes 10-20 hours to complete, but you work at your own pace. Most people complete it within a couple weeks.

WHERE DO I GET MY CERTIFICATION TO BECOME A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

PenroseCertified® is the industry leader in senior care auditing – it invented it! The online certification program is affordable and completed at your own pace. Learn more by going to www.penrosecertified.com.

CAN I WORK PART TIME AS A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

Yes, and most do.

HOW DO I GET CLIENTS AS A SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

If you have been PenroseCertified®, they send qualified leads to you and help you market in your local area. Typically, a Senior Care Auditor needs to make every effort to grow their own business and get clients. A good quality senior care auditor education program will teach you where, and how to do all that.

WHY WOULD SOMEONE NEED ONGOING SERVICE IF THE FIRST FEW AUDITS ARE OKAY?

Because things change unexpectedly: caregivers rotate and have different standards and personalities, appliances break down, seniors get sick, and so on.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT A PENROSECERTIFIED® SENIOR CARE AUDITOR?

Only PenroseCertified® Senior Care Auditors are certified by the creator of the senior care auditing service. In addition, only PenroseCertified® senior care auditors have:

• a state-of-the-art, proprietary online Senior Audit & Client Report Center
• an Online Support Center
• an online, user-friendly, online 7-Factor Audit™ and automatically generated client reports
• ongoing marketing, business, and industry support including monthly newsletters and webinars, templated VistaPrint® marketing collateral, discounted GoDaddy® websites, and industry information
• the benefit of Penrose Senior Care Auditors®, the creators of the senior care auditing field, national marketing and lead generation initiatives

WHERE DO I START TO BEGIN THIS CAREER?

If you intend to hold yourself out as a real, certified Senior Care Auditor, get your education & certification from PenroseCertified®.

Tell Your Senior Care Community to Get Audited!

In today’s Senior Housing News, the verdict is in:  auditing is the “silver bullet” to quality and success for senior care communities. “Of course, we know that auditing for quality services is a key element to improving senior care communities and the lives of seniors,” states Rhonda Harper, Founder & CEO, Penrose Senior Care Auditors®.

Make sure that if your aging loved one is in a long-term senior care community that they are being audited. This will improve the level of care, reduce potential abuse, and improve the lives of seniors who are living there.

“The efforts you put into measuring quality and doing something about what that says is going to lead to strong consensus, price growth, happy residents, families, and referral sources. And that drives financial success,” says Brenda Bacon, CEO & President, Brandywine Senior Living. At Penrose Senior Care Auditors®, we couldn’t agree more. “Quality of experience, quality in the delivery of care, quality in services – a focus on that not only is the right thing to do but can, in fact, materially impact performance,” said John Moore, CEO of Atria Senior Living in the same article.

What makes Penrose Senior Care Auditors® different than other licensing and review systems is that it looks at things from a family’s perspective in its proprietary 7-Factor Audit™:  (1) Cleanliness and Clutter, (2) Odor, (3) Caregivers and Support, (4) Maintenance of Residence, (5) Resident Supplies and Toiletries, (6) Senior Observations, and (7) Other.

Untrained Teens Taking Care of Mom for $3300 a Month? Really?

“Care providers in non-supervisory roles must be at least 16 years of age. Care providers without supervisory care must be at least 18 years of age. And, caregivers who are 21 may supervise other care providers,” according to the National Center for Assisted Living, 2013 Review.

No education requirements? No background checks? No training requirements? But, surely, if these 16 year olds are dealing with Alzheimer’s disease patients, they must be trained, right? Not according to the National Center for Assisted Living. For this same state, “Staff Training for Alzheimer’s Care:  None specified.” At an average assisted living monthly fee of $3300, this seems outrageous!

One issue is that each state has its own licensing requirements, and they can range widely. Overall, the standards are low, the training weak, and it shows in the level of care seniors are receiving in assisted living centers. Across long term senior facilities, a full 95% of seniors report that they have been, or they have seen another resident, abused by a caregiver.

Between now and 2030, 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach retirement EVERY DAY. The number of seniors needing assisted living care is exploding, while at the same time there is a shortage of caregivers. Under-educated. Under-trained. Under-paid.  How do you know your aging loved one is getting the care they need and deserve?

Thankfully, a new senior care service emerged in 2014 – senior care auditing. Founded by Rhonda Harper, CEO, Penrose Senior Care Auditors® and PenroseCertified®, senior care auditors visit seniors wherever they live, conduct a proprietary 7-Factor Audit™, and report back to clients (generally the adult child) through a private online Senior Audit and Client Report Center.

“PenroseCertified® – Senior Care Auditors Certified to be the Best, is not only our tagline, but our mission. We thoroughly background check, train and educate, certify, and give ongoing education for senior care auditors to make sure they are the best,” says Harper. “We have also set the pricing as low as $40 per visit, to make it affordable for almost everyone.”

Aging Senior Getting the Service They Deserve? Not if You’re Not There Checking On It

The old saying “what gets measured gets managed” has never been more true than when dealing with senior care services in senior care communities.

All you have to do is visit your loved-one regularly, say at least once week but daily is better, for a time. You’ll begin to notice that in your first few visits that perhaps the laundry hasn’t been done, the bed not made, the sinks not clean. You may even notice that your loved-one hasn’t been bathed or that their clothes are dirty.

Over time, however, as the staff puts you on the “regular visitor list,” these discrepancies in care will begin to quickly diminish. You are checking on them. You are “measuring” their level of service and care.

Penrose Senior Care Auditors has learned this as well. Families hire Penrose to check on their loved-ones on a weekly basis (daily to every-other-week), conduct a 150-point 7-Factor Audit, and report back to them online. “Our PenroseCertified senior care auditors report that after the first few visits or so, they find that things for their client’s senior are getting done,” says Rhonda Harper, CEO. “Our clients have asked, ‘If everything is now okay, why do you still need to conduct audits?’ Easy answer – what gets measured gets managed. Once they know we’re not coming back, unfortunately it is back to business as usual.”

Check in on your siblings that take care of mom

50% of Professional Caregivers Admit Abusing Those in Their Care – But It Doesn’t Stop There

Many nonprofessional caregivers—spouses, adult children, other relatives and friends—find taking care of an elder to be satisfying and enriching. But the responsibilities and demands of elder caregiving, which escalate as the elder’s condition deteriorates, can also be extremely stressful. The stress of elder care can lead to mental and physical health problems that make caregivers burned out, impatient, and unable to keep from lashing out against elders in their care.

Among caregivers, significant risk factors for elder abuse are:

• Inability to cope with stress (lack of resilience)
• Depression, which is common among caregivers
• Lack of support from other potential caregivers
• The caregiver’s perception that taking care of the elder is burdensome and without psychological reward
• Substance abuse

Even caregivers in institutional settings can experience stress at levels that lead to elder abuse. Nursing home staff may be prone to elder abuse if they lack training, have too many responsibilities, are unsuited to caregiving, or work under poor conditions.

There are many agencies and organizations that can help reduce your burden and stress. Click here for more information:  Info.

New Service Helps Families Cope with Aging Loved-Ones