INSPIRATION LAB. The best caregivers are empathetic, attentive, compassionate, trustworthy and dependable. Inspired caregivers take the profession to a higher level and help to make seniors’ everyday life more engaging, more comfortable, more satisfying.

CareProvide’s Caregiver Inspiration Lab equips our caregivers with strategies and methods to help their clients thrive using our I-N-S-P-I-R-E-D™ approach. The Lab provides monthly training sessions, creates a caregiver community to facilitate interaction among caregivers and publishes weekly caregiver tips and ideas for inspired care.

NUTRITION. Research tells us that eating the right diet is an important aspect of positive aging. Diet, combined with exercise, has tremendous benefits and can even improve cognition.

We collaborate with our clients to create meal plans that incorporate their favorite foods into a nutritious diet taking into account special needs such as diabetes, hypertension, Parkinson’s Disease.

SAFETY. As more of us age-in-place, we need to focus on ways to improve the safety of our own homes. One in four Americans aged 65+ falls each year, according to the National Council on Aging. Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency for a fall, every 19 minutes an older adult dies from a fall. And, seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s require a safe and controlled environment as they become more disoriented and wander.

Creating a safe environment requires a holistic approach. Our caregivers proactively focus on keeping your loved one safe from falls, helping them move safely from chair to bed to shower, from one place in the home to another. And they will help to arrange the space in their homes to minimize safety hazards. We offer an in-home safety assessment and can propose strategies to improve the home environment with grab bars and other assistance devices and suggest installation of locks and alarms to create a controlled environment for seniors who are prone to wandering.

PERSONAL FULFILLMENT. Numerous studies show that seniors with a sense of purpose are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment, disabilities, heart attacks and stroke. And, it’s not too late for seniors to find meaning in life. According to Patricia Bolye, a leading researcher in the area of aging, “Meaning can come from very simple things like taking care of a pet, working in the garden, being kind to a neighbor. A purpose in life can arise from learning a new thing, accomplishing a new goal, working together with other people or making new social connections when others are lost.”

Our caregivers, keenly aware of the positive impact of personal fulfillment on your loved one’s well-being, work with them to discover what fulfills them and then help them to do the things that are most meaningful to them.

INDEPENDENT. For many seniors maintaining independence and control over their daily lives is essential to their sense of self and quality of life. Staying at home, keeping community connections and being in a familiar place make all the difference.

To help your loved one retain their independence, our caregivers are trained to do things “with” instead of “for” them.

RESILIENT. Happiness, joy and contentment are key ingredients in your loved one’s resiliency, their ability to handle stress and age well. Scientific studies have been finding that happiness can make our hearts healthier, our immune systems stronger, and our lives longer. And happiness is a skill that can be learned. The science-backed Happier Method, created by Nataly Kogan, is based on three principles:
• Happiness and emotional well-being are not extras — they are the foundation for being your best self and doing your best work while navigating life’s ups and downs.
• To truly thrive, you need to learn to embrace the full range of human emotions, both negative and positive.
• Happiness is a skill, not just a feeling, and you can strengthen that skill with practice!

We train our caregivers on strategies to help your loved one hone their ‘happiness skills.’. They take the time to learn their clients’ passions and help them do more things that bring them joy.

EXERCISE. Exercise and movement are vital for everyone and especially for seniors. It improves your balance. This prevents falls. It gives you more energy. It prevents or delays diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis. It can improve your mood and fight off depression. It may improve how your brain works.

If the client’s doctors approve them for exercise, our caregivers help with light exercise designed to help with endurance, strength, balance and flexibility. And, we offer in-home assessment and instruction from a highly trained restorative and movement yoga instructor.

DIGNITY. Among the most important human needs is the desire for respect and dignity. That need doesn’t change when a person becomes ill or disabled. In fact, having a sense of pride in oneself, self-esteem, self-worth may even grow stronger as your loved one faces the challenges of aging.

Our caregivers demonstrate core values of empathy, compassion, trustworthiness and dependability and dedication. Importantly, they understand how critical it is to listen to your loved one’s concerns, ask them for their opinions and let them know they are important. They involve your loved one in as many decisions as possible. They include your loved one in the conversation and do not talk about them as though they are not there.