Home Instead Senior Care Offers Help to Seacoast Families Coping with Alzheimer's

Home Instead Senior Care of Seacoast and Southern NH, a trusted provider of in-home care for seniors, is offering a free Confidence to Care at Home Kit for families in the Seacoast area coping with Alzheimer's and dementia.  The free kit includes information, tips and resources to help families handle difficult situations, avoid household accidents, and prevent caregiver stress. In addition, Home Instead Senior Care has developed a free smartphone app - the "Alzheimer's and Other Dementias Daily Helper," that families can use to search behaviors and help find solutions when they have to react quickly to a situation. The app is designed to help families manage issues as they arise, whether at home or in public.


"Many family caregivers face anxiety because they don't know how a loved one with Alzheimer's will act or react," said Lisa Ganem, owner of Home Instead Senior Care of Seacoast and Southern NH. "We have a network of support and resources, including free tools available to help family caregivers navigate the challenges that come with caring for someone with Alzheimer's."


Home Instead trains their caregivers to adeptly handle such situations.  Caregiver, Kelley Theriault of Hudson, New Hampshire has been caring for people with Alzheimer's and dementia for more than eight years.  The families that Kelley has cared over the years have resided in Nashua and Amherst.  Home Instead Senior Care has caregivers helping families throughout Seacoast and Southern NH.

"Kelley is an exceptional caregiver - one of our best. She serves as a role model for other caregivers with the patience, compassion and kindness that she brings to her work every day," said Ganem.

"I love what I do," said Kelley. "I had a really close relationship with my grandmother and I have always respected the elderly."  Kelley sees her role as a caregiver with Home Instead as a chance to give back to the community and to local families she is helping to provide care for.  The caregiving role is ideally suited to Kelley's experience, training and personality.  "Helping people is important to me and that's why I work for a company like Home Instead.  From the top down, they really care about the families we provide care for."

Kelley knows how to work with clients with Alzheimer's and dementia and she understands the importance of routine and familiar environments.  "My job is to make them feel comfortable and safe and to give peace of mind to family members that I am helping."  Home Instead does an excellent job writing profiles on all of the clients they serve.  "When I take on a new client, I carefully read through the entire profile, to better understand the client's likes/dislikes, environment, routines, names of family members and past history. I find ways to immediately relate to my clients.  Every situation is different. I have taken care of family members where the spouse has already passed on.  I try to give a bit of respite to the children who are caring for their parent with Alzheimer's. I have also cared for clients who have no living spouse or children and I work with their Power of Attorney."

Home Instead caregivers help with hygiene, medication reminders, grocery shopping, take clients to doctor's and hairdressing appointments, and light housekeeping.  Caregivers also prepare meals and ensure that clients eat/drink and stay nourished and hydrated and get exercise, fresh air and companionship.

Home Instead Senior Care ensures that all caregivers are fully trained and prepared when taking on a new client or to trouble shoot if a situation arises.  " It works best when family members work closely with us in the care of their loved ones," said Lisa Ganem. 

"Families are always so grateful for my help," said Kelley Theriault. "I am helping to relieve some of the day to day pressures of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia and it feels good knowing I am helping a local family."


For more information about Home Instead Senior Care in the Seacoast area, or to learn more about free Alzheimer's resources, contact Jennifer Martin: 603-433-5959  or visit: www.homeinstead.com/scnh