The A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia describes Alzheimer’s as a form of Dementia. “Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is one form of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Memory impairment, as well as problems with language, decision-making ability, judgment, and personality, are necessary features for the diagnosis.”

There are 7 stages that the disease typically follows as it develops in the patient:

Help! What do I do?

-          Don’t fight this battle alone. Sign up for one of the Alzheimer’s Association groups in your area to talk with other family members who are going through the same or similar circumstances.

-          Talk with an In-Home Care provider like Total Care Connections to discuss how the possibly of bringing in a Memory Care Trained Caregiver can provide the much needed relief and rest for you and your family throughout the week.

No one can truly prepare to fight the battle of Alzheimer’s disease. But understanding it, finding support in others who can empathize, and having the help from a trusted memory care provider can be the help you desperately need and the support that carries you through.

Choosing in-home care might be the best choice for you or your loved one–but how do you know for sure? This quick primer on in-home care can help you make that very important decision.

Seniors sometimes need a bit of help. Whether that means simple reminders to take their medication or something as significant as 24-hour medical monitoring, there is a solution designed to meet all of their unique needs.

What Kind of Care is Best for Your Loved One?

There are many different kinds of care available for elderly patients. Some will require occasional light help, while others might need round-the-clock nursing care. Knowing your options can help you choose the best one to fit the needs of everyone involved.

3. Skilled Nursing Facility. Also known as a nursing home, a skilled nursing facility offers round-the-clock care for those patients who need constant monitoring.
2. Assisted Living. Assisted living facilities offer custodial care, or help with the basics of day-to-day life. Grooming, bathing, dressing, and meal preparation are just a few of the ways assisted living can help.
1. In-Home Care. Care at home can cover a wide range of assistance. From help with occasional grocery shopping to full-time medical attention, there is an in-home care option available.

The Top Five Considerations for In-Home Care

In-home care is the most popular option chosen by the American public. Consider the following reasons why in-home care might be the best choice for you and your family as well:

1. Independence Matters. With in-home care, patients are encouraged to be as independent as possible. With a few changes for safety, such as grab bars and anti-slip rugs, freedom to move around the comfort of their own home is very possible with in-home care.

2. Family Involvement. Those who are cared for at home have the advantage of open visiting hours. Family members can stop in and help out as often as necessary without concerns about intruding on the care of others. In times of illness, the presence of family members can buoy a patient’s spirits and make everyone feel more in-control of the situation.

3. Continuity of Care. Home care is often provided by the same nurse or team or nurses, so they always know what kind of care has been given or is needed. The patient can also keep their same doctor, so the continuity of their care stays intact.

4. Safe and Personal. The risks of infection are lessened when a patient uses in-home care. The one-on-one care and personal attention also ensures that all your loved one’s needs can be met quickly and without the red tape often found in hospitals or nursing homes.

5. Lower Costs. In-home care providers are usually less expensive than nursing homes or assisted living facilities. With in-home care, you also have the option of hiring someone for only the hours when your loved one needs help the most. Lower costs also offer peace of mind to those seniors who are concerned about the financial burden their care might put on their family.

That is why we’ve adopted the “Total Care” philosophy that we choose to live by. We don’t limit the care that we provide while in a client’s home. Instead, we focus on doing as much as we possibly can for the client and their family members while we are there. It’s our privilege to not only care for the client but for the entire household – allowing loved ones to rest while things are being taken care of. We seek to be kind, compassionate, considerate, and to always be looking for ways to add value. Providing this much needed care is more than just a job – it’s a calling. We take it seriously and it is our vision that all of our clients would feel that they have been treated above and beyond their expectations.

When Total Care Connections first began, we instituted the following values. They are still the same today and it’s our goal to continue living to advance these for many years to come.

Compassion

• The motivation that drives our success is the care we have for our clients

Integrity

• We do what we say we will do

Stewardship

• We strive to conservatively manage our resources to be as effective as possible

Quality

• Providing the best care possible is of the utmost importance

 Innovation

• We seek to provide the latest solutions and processes to meet the needs of our clients

We are committed to providing “total care” to our clients and families and going above and beyond to make the experience our clients have with TCC the best that it can be.

As services for seniors expand, entrepreneurs are preparing for more scrutiny from regulators

By John Tozzi

As the first baby boomers turn 65 this year, entrepreneurs see opportunity. The number of companies providing home health care or services such as assistance in dressing, bathing, and cooking increased by more than 50 percent in the past decade, U.S. Census Bureau data show. Now regulators are scrambling to catch up with the growing industry.

Home-care companies aren’t regulated in about two dozen states, and just a handful require licenses for companies that provide nonmedical services. Today the industry faces a hodgepodge of inconsistent rules that advocates say puts vulnerable people at risk of financial exploitation or physical abuse. In states that require licensing, many operators ignore regulations because the costs of complying are high and the risk of getting caught is low, people in the industry say.

Advocates of home care say it is more compassionate and less expensive than nursing home care. More than 45,000 companies offered home health care or other aid in 2008, including 2,800 small outfits that pay franchisers for a brand name, training, and support, researcher Frandata estimates. They’re targeting a $55 billion market that will surely grow as the number of Americans 65 and older increases by 79 percent in the next 20 years, to 72 million, according to Census projections.

A report by the Senate Special Committee on Aging notes that “addressing elder abuse in home-based care settings is becoming a growing concern.” Much of the worry centers on how thoroughly companies vet workers before sending them into people’s houses. The Senate report says that after seven states began requiring comprehensive background checks for caregivers in institutions and private homes, 4.3 percent of the 220,000 applicants were disqualified because of a history of serious crimes. Some 92 percent of nursing homes employ at least one worker with a criminal conviction, according to a Mar. 1 report by the U.S. Health & Human Services Dept. Not all crimes preclude workers from employment.

While nursing home workers are required by federal law to undergo 75 hours of training before taking a job in the sector, there are no similar rules governing nonmedical home aides. Seniors getting in-home care are “way more vulnerable than people who are in nursing homes because it’s not supervised,” says Lori Ann Post, a Yale School of Medicine professor who researches domestic violence. “We need legislation mandating background checks for people in the home … more than in nursing homes,” she says.

Home-care providers recognize the risks of mistreatment—and the potential for damage to their reputations. “When you have an industry that is growing like nonmedical home care and senior care, a lot of people … think it’s a way to make a quick buck,” says Kim B. Stoneking, executive director of the 1,200-member National Private Duty Assn. (NPDA), which represents nonmedical home-care companies.

Stoneking says all NPDA members do background checks on their workers. The group has no formal position on whether states should require home-care businesses to be licensed. In states considering regulation, Stoneking advocates a less rigorous standard for nonmedical helpers than for aides who provide direct health care such as dressing wounds or giving medication.

Operating in states that ignore that distinction can be a burden for business owners. When Caroline Philpott opened a New York City senior-care franchise last May, she had to limit her services to housekeeping, cooking, and companionship. Anything that involves touching an elderly client, such as dressing or bathing, requires a license that New York had temporarily stopped issuing because state officials didn’t have the capacity to monitor the fast-growing industry. “Helping someone get dressed requires the same license as giving them IVs,” says Philpott, a former executive at American Express (AXP) who earned an MBA from Columbia University. Philpott invested a “low-six-figure” sum to start her franchise, licensing the brand from an Omaha company called Home Instead Senior Care. She now has 25 caregivers on call and 15 clients in New York.

More consistent oversight and enforcement would help the industry, says Peter Ross, chief executive officer of Senior Helpers, a franchiser in Towson, Md. His company holds its 300 franchisees in 40 states to the same standards regardless of local regulations, and Ross advocates licensing requirements for nonmedical care in states that don’t have them. “In California, you need a license to catch a trout,” Ross muses, “but you do not need a license to give a senior a bath in their own home.”

The bottom line: As demand for home-care services grows, entrepreneurs are preparing for more scrutiny from regulators.

Tozzi covers small business for Businessweek.com.