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Despite our country’s annual, joyful celebration for independence, it’s also true that for many individuals and families, independence is not just a national concept; it’s a deeply personal goal

At Arcadia Home Care we believe that true independence means being able to live safely and comfortably at home with support that respects your choices, your routine, and your dignity. Whether someone needs help with daily tasks, guidance during recovery, or care and comfort during a serious illness, in-home support can be the key to maintaining that freedom.

Independence Doesn’t Mean Doing It Alone

It’s a common misconception that asking for help means giving up independence. In reality, the right kind of support empowers people to stay in control of their lives.

For some, that might mean assistance with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, or preparing meals. For others, it may involve medication management, wound care, or navigating a new diagnosis. Still others may need emotional and physical comfort as they approach the later stages of life.

In all of these situations, in-home care provides the helping hand that allows individuals to remain in familiar surroundings while maintaining their sense of autonomy and choice.

Care That Meets You Where You Are

No two people are alike, and neither are their care needs. That’s why our teams provide personalized support that adapts to each person’s health, lifestyle, and goals.

Some people may be recovering from a hospital stay and need short-term help to get back on their feet. Others might be living with a chronic illness that is making everyday activities more difficult. And some individuals may wish to focus on comfort and dignity during a challenging stage of life.

Whatever the situation, we offer compassionate, person-centered care designed to promote safety, stability, and peace of mind, all in the comfort of home.

Family Peace of Mind

When a loved one needs extra help, families often take on the responsibility themselves, which can quickly become overwhelming. That’s where trusted in-home care makes a meaningful difference.

Our care teams support not only the person receiving care but also their family members. By stepping in with professional, reliable assistance, we help reduce stress and uncertainty, allowing families to focus on spending quality time together.

Whether care is needed a few hours a week or more frequently and consistently, families can feel confident knowing their loved one is receiving high-quality support with respect, compassion, and professionalism.

A Path to Independence for Every Stage of Life

Staying at home does not have to mean doing everything alone. With the right care in place, individuals can live more independently, confidently, and comfortably, regardless of their health needs or challenges.

Ready to Learn More?

Every person’s path to independence looks different. Let’s talk about how we can support yours. Reach out to us today to learn more about the in-home care options available in your area.

If you are researching in-home care for a loved one, it’s useful to understand the three main types of home care. Choosing the right level of care is key to ensuring comfort, dignity, and the best possible quality of life.

Perhaps an aging parent requires help while recovering from surgery or shows signs of memory loss or frailty.  Perhaps they struggle with a chronic illness or must navigate the final stages of life.

Individual circumstances and conditions are as varied as the clients we serve. Arcadia Home Care specializes in Personal Care Services and can help coordinate other levels of care. Here’s a helpful overview of the three primary types of home care that are available—Personal Care Services (PCS), Home Health, and Hospice—to help you determine what’s best for your situation.

Personal Care Services (PCS)

Best for: Individuals who need help with daily activities but do not require skilled medical treatment at home.

PCS provides non-medical support that helps individuals maintain independence, safety, and quality of life in their own homes. Care is delivered by trained Home Care Aides and includes assistance with:

• Personal hygiene (bathing, grooming, toileting)
• Dressing and mobility
• Attentive assistance to avoid falls or household accidents
• Meal planning and preparation
• Light housekeeping and laundry
• Medication reminders
• Companionship and emotional support
• Transportation to appointments or errands (in some locations)

This type of care is ideal for older adults aging in place, individuals with disabilities, or anyone who needs a helping hand to manage day-to-day life. For families, PCS brings peace of mind and much-needed respite while ensuring their loved one is supported with compassion and dignity.

Home Health Care

Best for: Individuals recovering from illness, injury, or surgery, or those managing chronic health conditions under a doctor’s supervision.

Home Health brings skilled clinical care into the home. It is typically ordered by a physician and may be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. Services are provided by licensed healthcare professionals and can include:

• Skilled nursing (such as wound care, injections, and chronic condition management)
• Physical therapy to improve strength, balance, and mobility
• Occupational therapy to enhance independence in daily tasks
• Speech therapy for communication or swallowing challenges
• Home health aide services for personal care during a treatment plan
• Medication education and monitoring
• Vital sign tracking and health status reporting

This care is most appropriate for individuals who might otherwise need to recover in a hospital or rehab facility but prefer to do so in the comfort of home. It helps reduce hospital readmissions and supports long-term health goals.

Hospice Care

Best for: Individuals with a life-limiting illness who are no longer seeking curative treatment and wish to focus on comfort and quality of life.

Hospice is a holistic, team-based approach to care that provides physical, emotional, and spiritual support during the final stages of life. Services are tailored to each patient’s needs and may include:

• Pain and symptom management
• Routine visits from nurses, aides, and social workers
• Emotional and spiritual care for both the patient and family
• Grief counseling and bereavement support
• Respite care to give family caregivers a break
• 24/7 on-call support for urgent concerns
• Assistance with medication, medical equipment, and care planning

Hospice care is delivered wherever the patient calls home—whether that’s a private residence, assisted living, or nursing facility—and honors their wish to spend this time in a familiar, comforting environment.

Importantly, hospice is not a one-time or permanent decision. If a patient’s condition improves or stabilizes, they may be discharged from hospice and resume curative or rehabilitative care. Patients can also return to hospice later if their condition declines. This flexibility ensures that care always remains aligned with the individual’s evolving needs and goals.

Choosing the Right Level of Care

Understanding the distinctions between PCS, Home Health, and Hospice helps families to make informed choices that reflect their loved one’s health, lifestyle, and personal values. In many cases, individuals may transition between services over time as their condition changes.

If you’re unsure which service is the right fit, our team can guide you through your options, coordinate with healthcare providers, and develop a care plan that prioritizes comfort, safety, and peace of mind. We are here to help.

While aging brings wisdom, experience, and resilience, it can also bring unique mental health challenges among older adults, many of which go unspoken or unnoticed. Life transitions, social isolation and health anxieties lead many to feel lonely, agitated, and depressed. These common feelings are frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated. Other underlying mental health issues may also exist.

If untreated or unrecognized, mental health issues among seniors can affect those who care for them, whether family members or professional caregivers, since they can lead to behavioral issues that are challenging to manage.

Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Seniors

Mental health needs among older adults are more common than most people recognize. In one example, a global study published in the Annals of General Psychiatry found that nearly 20% of adults aged 60 and older experience depression.

Despite its prevalence, many seniors are reluctant to talk about their mental health, viewing it as a private matter or an unavoidable part of aging. But mental well-being is vital and addressing it can significantly improve a person’s quality of life.

As with physical health issues, the first steps are for the caregivers to communicate the issues to appropriate family members who can then inform their healthcare providers. Resulting behavioral issues can be very stressful for everyone involved. For example, a caregiver may feel uneasy, angry or frustrated if:

• The person receiving care is unable to listen or gets moody or overly emotional.
• They respond poorly or resist being helped.
• They exhibit behavior that doesn’t seem normal in some way.

Signs of Depression or Other Mental Health Issues

Family members, caregivers, and even seniors themselves should stay alert to signs that may indicate a mental health concern. These can include:

• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• Persistent sadness, hopelessness, or worry
• Changes in appetite or sleep patterns
• Withdrawal from social interaction
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
• Unexplained aches or fatigue

Early intervention is key. Encouraging open conversations and routine mental health screenings can make a world of difference.

How In-Home Care Supports Mental Well-Being

At Arcadia Home Care, we understand that emotional well-being is essential to whole-person care. Our caregivers are trained to recognize changes in behavior and provide support with compassion and respect. They are also trained to manage their own emotions in stressful situations to remain patient, calm and understanding. We take the necessary steps to help our clients and families feel seen, supported, and connected.

Companionship and Small Steps Make a Big Difference

Supporting mental health in older adults doesn’t always require major changes. Simple strategies like encouraging social engagement, promoting physical activity (even gentle movement), supporting access to hobbies and interests, talking openly about feelings and mental health, and connecting to counseling or support groups can go a long way in fostering resilience, improving outlook, and restoring a sense of purpose.

“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

-Scott Adams

For many, the holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends during joyous gatherings. However, many seniors and at-risk individuals find themselves with few, if any, family or friends with whom to share the holidays with. In fact, the holidays can be one of the most depressing times of the year for older adults. The holidays can be a reminder of loneliness, especially to those who have lost a loved one who would have otherwise shared in the holidays.

Studies have shown that a lack of productive social and emotional ties can be harmful and even deadly to older adults. Isolation and loneliness are connected to a wide variety of health problems including heart problems, high blood pressure, depressions, compromised immune systems, and dementia; each of which is linked with early death.

During the holiday season, there are many things you can do to assist those around you in need of connection including:

• Stop by and visit someone without local friends or family.
• Invite a lonely family member to your holiday event.
• Provide information for local Meals on Wheels programs that provide nutrition to older adults.
• Surprise them with a gift or pre-cooked meal for them to enjoy.
• Search for Senior Assistance programs in your area and find opportunities to help those in need around you.

It’s important to recognize and help those around us that may not be able to enjoy the holidays.

Even though our masks are coming off across the country, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting how we work, live, and take care of our health. Those who needed skilled nursing during the pandemic experienced the effects of the pandemic profoundly and gained fresh perspectives on the benefits of health care at home.

The pandemic kept many patients within nursing facilities, hospitals, and other group health care settings where they were at a high risk of virus exposure, isolated from friends and family even as they were living out their final days.

As a result, many patients and their loved ones were driven to seek out different care models that brought the clinicians to them, including in-home care, home health, hospice, and telehealth. Quickly, these patients and families found that getting their care at home not only kept them safer in the pandemic, but also improved their quality of life.

“The home care setting allows families to be more proactively involved in the plan of care,” explains Natalie Benda, Vice President of Business Development for Addus HomeCare, one of the nation’s largest providers of personal home care and support services. “They have more options for different types of providers or services than they might have at a skilled nursing facility.”

Patients are also realizing improved health outcomes, like fewer hospitalizations or emergency room visits thanks to home care providers like Addus.

Addus Vice President of Business Development Philip Cowles stated: “Our goal is to be the trifecta in every state – personal care, home health and hospice – and we are beginning to add house calls in our footprint. This is positioning us to give consumers what they need, and we know it makes a difference.”

Addus strives to keep new patients who have experienced hospitalization out of health care facilities, providing comprehensive care that successfully manages their conditions at home. The organization is also growing to meet consumer demand and serves approximately 45,000 patients through 211 locations across 22 states.

Addus Senior Vice President of Payer Innovations Diane Kumarich believes the future of health care is in the home, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend: “People are looking for alternatives,” she commented. “COVID brought a switch of people having to leave their homes for healthcare in the past, but then realizing they could have much of this care come to their doorstep.”

Kumarich added that Addus is not only a leader in providing a seamless continuum of care services for patients and families who wish to stay at home, but the organization is expanding its connections in terms of how care is provided overall to improve access for more patients.

“Addus has good relationships with all of the aging networks that provide meals and other senior support services, we accept almost every payer source, and are even layering in the ability to send out a doctor or nurse practitioner who can help manage patient care at home,” she explains. “This puts Addus in a good position to provide care and support to those home-bound elderly who haven’t been able to access care in the last few years.”

Even Medicare is responding to the consumer demand for home health by expanding personal care benefits to some Medicare Advantage plans. Previously, personal care could only be paid for by long-term care insurance, Medicaid, the Veterans Administration or through private funds.

“Though it is a small handful of plans that currently offer this benefit, it is ever-expanding,” Kumarich stated. “This is indicative of the changing dynamics in health care that involve more and more patients wishing to receive quality care at home.”

To learn more about Addus HomeCare and how to access home health care services, visit addus.com or call 888.233.8746.

As we grow older, watching our parent’s age can be difficult. In areas they once thrived, they now struggle. As they slow down, their needs increase, leaving you with difficult decisions to make. You’re now worried about whether they are taking their medications correctly and eating healthy meals throughout the day. Other major concerns present themselves as well; you worry about their physical mobility, their ability to maintain good hygiene, as well as their mental wellbeing.

You can alleviate your concerns by turning to comprehensive and compassionate home care services that can care for your loved one in their own home. The loss of independence is difficult for aging adults who are struggling with the effects of getting older. Hiring in-home care can be a great solution for many reasons.

Professional caregivers provide seniors with physical assistance, as well as help with the emotional and routine aspects of daily life. In addition to providing activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing, homecare workers supply invaluable personal benefits, especially to an aging person who may live alone and have few family or friends visit regularly. Professional caregivers can provide precious social interaction like going to the movies, visiting a coffee shop, taking outdoor walks, or even cooking together. These interactions help reduce the chances of loneliness and depression in older adults.

Home care staffing services are able to help aging individuals continue living safely and comfortably at home. Visit ArcadiaHomeCare.com to find out about all the services provided. Request a free in-home consultation for more information.

Admitting the need for help and accepting assistance is not easy for anyone, particularly an aging adult. The responsibility often falls into the hands of family members to recognize the signs and seek out the appropriate support solutions to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Signs of age-related issues can sneak up quickly, so it’s important to be aware of the small warning signs that something might be wrong. The issues may be minor to start, so an assisted living or nursing home wouldn’t be immediately necessary, but they may need extra help at home from a home care aide.

How do you know if it’s time for in-home care? Look for some of these red flags in your aging mom or dad.

Changes in physical abilities and mental status
Are they having difficulty with walking, balance or mobility?
Uncertainty and confusion with performing once-familiar tasks
Forgetfulness, including forgetting to take medicine
Do they have a poor diet and sudden weight loss?

Poor personal hygiene
Is there a noticeable decline in their grooming habits, such as strong body order, unkempt hair, lack of oral care, and wearing soiled or stained clothes?

Neglected household
Is the house noticeably dirty or clutter is piling up?
Little to no fresh food in the refrigerator
Late payment notices and calls from bill collectors
Utilities turned off due to missed payment

If you notice several of the red flags listed above in your family member, it might be time to consider daily in-home support. Contact the healthcare staffing services at Arcadia Homecare and Staffing to learn more about how our staff can assist your aging parent.

When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease it can be a scary time for your family. The unknowns are frightening and the responsibility of caring for that person can weigh on you heavily. Determining what course of action is best for mom or dad in the days following the diagnosis is a difficult decision that must be made swiftly.

While some families might choose an assisted living facility when they are unable to provide the necessary care for their loved one, others opt to care for them at home.  This is a potentially overwhelming task. Each day brings new challenges as you cope with changing ability levels and new patterns of behavior. Simple tasks that were second nature, such as dressing, bathing and eating become increasingly difficult to manage.

Being a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s brings with it enormous stress and challenges. Having relief on a regular basis is important to a caregiver’s health and well-being.   Trained and qualified personal care or skilled professional care workers through home care staffing services can help plan, coordinate and evaluate dementia care as to allow your loved one to remain independent longer and provide you with greater peace of mind.

It is estimated that 5 million American’s currently live with some form of dementia including Alzheimer’s. The early symptoms of dementia often develop slowly and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, everyday tasks can become more difficult and care needs often increase.

It is understood that in-home care in a familiar environment is best for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. Remaining in their own home is far less disorienting, offering them a sense of security and peace of mind.

Healthcare staffing services are the ideal starting point for families who aren’t yet ready to consider placement in a long-term care facility but need extra help with their loved one. Personal caregivers can assist in creating a regular daily routine that will help someone with dementia feel more secure and in control of their life. Because just as familiar surroundings are safe and soothing, the same can be said for daily routines. Maintaining a schedule similar to the one a senior followed pre-dementia can help reduce anxiety and confusion.

A person with Alzheimer’s disease might become agitated when once-simple tasks become difficult. To limit challenges and ease frustration these tips can be helpful.

Schedule: Establish a routine to make each day less agitating and confusing. People with Alzheimer’s disease can still learn and follow routines.

Patience: Expect things to take longer than they used to. Allow the person with Alzheimer’s disease to have frequent breaks.

Freedom: Allow your loved one to do as much as possible with the least amount of assistance, including dressing themselves or helping to prepare a meal.

Choice: Fewer options are better but give the person with Alzheimer’s disease choices every day.

The disease stage and your loved one’s specific care needs will determine what type of Alzheimer’s care you choose. Professional caregivers who have extensive experience caring for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease can be a valuable addition to your loved one’s care team. Contact Arcadia Home Care & Staffing today to learn more about our senior elder care options.

Allowing your elderly family member to age in place requires modifications to their home. Hidden hazards in the home, that are often overlooked when eyesight is better and getting around isn’t as difficult, can put seniors at greater risk of injury. However, a few inexpensive, do-it-yourself home modifications can make a huge difference and make getting around a lot less challenging.

Comfort and safety are of the utmost importance for seniors planning to age at home. Whether they are receiving geriatric care or are still comfortable being on their own without assistance, simple changes around the house will result in a senior who is better equipped to age in place.

Home Modification Checklist

Main Living Spaces

• Rearrange furniture to create clear pathways without clutter
• Add more lamps behind and around furniture
• Replace curtains with blinds to let in natural light

Kitchen

• Move regularly used items to easy-to-reach spaces
• Use a table for prep space instead of standing by tall countertops
• Add lighting wherever possible

Bathrooms

• Install grab bars in and around the shower and toilet
• Place non-slip pads on tub floors and surfaces that often get wet
• Lower water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit

Bedrooms

• Place additional, easy-to-use lights on each side of the bed
• Install a bed rail for support getting into and out of bed

Ask questions and pay attention to what your aging loved one mentions as concerns. Watch carefully as they move about the house and take note of what causes them to hesitate or requires extra effort. Use this list, as well as what you see firsthand, as your guide for home modification requirements.

Did you know that falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for people over the age of 65? As many as one in three older Americans falls every year. Falls can result in hip fractures, broken bones, and head injuries. And even falls without a major injury can cause an older adult to become fearful or depressed, making it difficult for them to stay active.

The fear of falling becomes more common as people age, even among those who haven’t fallen. It may lead older people to avoid activities such as walking, shopping, or taking part in social activities.

Many things can cause a fall. Diminished eyesight, hearing loss, and reflexes not being as sharp as they once were are all factors. Diabetes, heart disease, or problems with thyroid, nerves, feet, or blood vessels can affect balance. Some medicines can cause a person to feel dizzy or sleepy, making them more likely to fall. Other causes include safety hazards in the home.

Elderly home care services recognize several personal risk factors for falling, including muscle weakness, problems with balance and gait.

The dangers of falls for seniors are numerous. To avoid falls and broke bones the elderly should: stay physically active, have their eyes and hearing tested regularly, be aware of the side effects of medication, get enough sleep, stand slowly, and use a cane or another assistive device to feel steady when walking.

For older people, a broken bone can be the start of more serious problems, such as a trip to the hospital, injury, or even disability. If you have an aging parent or grandparent in your life, helping them reduce their risk of falling is a great way to help them stay healthy and independent as long as possible.