The History of Christmas Traditions/ A-1 Home Care wishes you a Merry Christmas

Of all the holiday traditions, one of the least favorites is fruitcake.

Johnny Carson once famously joked, "The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other." Regularly mocked today, the fruitcake dates back to the 16th century, when it was discovered that fruit could be preserved by soaking it in large solutions of sugar. Since sugar was cheap, it was an effective and affordable way for the colonies to ensure their native plums and cherries would make the journey to Europe without spoiling. By the 19th century people were combining all sorts of candied fruits — pineapples, plums, dates, pears, cherries, orange peels and cheap nuts — into a cake-like form.

A-1 Home Care wishes you a Merry Christmas, and fun times around the fireplace, snacking on sweets, and perhaps even a bit of the elusive fruitcake. We sincerely hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

We have highly rated Senior Caregivers who are available in the cities of Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, Hollywood, Beverly Hills or another city in Los Angeles County, A-1 Home Care is able to provide in home elder care to you!

Call 310-657-8780 today or visit http://marinadelreyinhomecare.com/ for more information.

The Story of Thanksgiving

We all have our images of Thanksgiving that were constructed in grade school. Believe it or not, however,  the settlers didn't have silver buckles on their shoes. Nor did they wear somber, black clothing. Their attire was actually bright and cheerful. Many portrayals of this harvest celebration also show the Native Americans wearing woven blankets on their shoulders and large, feathered headdresses, which is not true. The Englishmen didn’t even call themselves Pilgrims.

A lot of our stories have been constructed through the years to the point of myth. They've been passed down from generation to generation, so even senior grandparents believe them to be true. 

A-1 Home Care wishes your family a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Call if you need care for a loved one or during holiday vacations for residents in Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, Hollywood, Beverly Hills or another city in Los Angeles County, A-1 Home Care is able to provide in homeelder care to you!

Call 310-657-8780 today or visit http://marinadelreyinhomecare.com/ for more information. 

What you can and cannot do because of the government shutdown

The government officially shut down at midnight Oct. 1. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were furloughed, and some of the D.C.-based services tourists and locals alike rely on will be closed. With the country reeling from such news, it's good to know exactly what will change and what will not. A-1 Home Care provides a helpful guide for Marina Del Ray elders and adults who seek clarity on this issue:

During a shutdown, you can:

Get help from 911: All emergency services will continue as usual, including law enforcement and emergency and disaster assistance.

Get mail: Employees of the United States Postal Service are exempt from furloughs.

Get your Social Security benefits: Payments will continue to be issued, and the Social Security Administration says they do not expect delays in payments.

Apply for new Social Security and Medicare benefits: Local offices are open and processing

Visit a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital

Get veterans' disability payments and pension benefits

...and you cannot:

Visit the Capitol: While the Capitol remains open for congressional matters, it is closed to visitors.

Get a new small business loan: Existing loans are honored, but new applications will not be accepted.

Go to the Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery of Art or the National Zoo

Camp in a national park: All national parks -- from Yosemite to Shenandoah National Park -- are closed. (Long-term campers already in parks were given two days to leave.)

Visit a Civil War Battlefield: Like national parks, historic battlefields are closed.

A-1 Home Care provides in home care in the city of Marina Del Rey. We are glad to provide clarifying answers about the government shutdown as if pertains to our elderly clients. We are an A+ rated agency with the BBB and have been practicing for over 20 years. 

Call 310-657-8780 today or visit http://marinadelreyinhomecare.com/ for more information. 

Hospice Care in Marina Del Rey

Most of us, when asked how and were we would like to die, would simply answer "at home". However, making this happens doesn't come automatically. The New York Times published an article called, "Turning a Home Into a Hospital" which chronicles the process of converting a senior's private home into a facility suitable for end of life care.

A-1 Home Care supports our local seniors in efforts to achieve care at home. Our talented Marina Del Rey Hospice Caregivers offer live in and hourly caregiving services in the cities of Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, Hollywood, Beverly Hills or another city in Los Angeles County, A-1 Home Care is able to provide in home elder care to you!

Call 310-657-8780 today or visit http://marinadelreyinhomecare.com/ for more information.

Care at Home for Seniors and Elders in Marina Del Rey

Seniors and Elders living in Marina Del Rey can fully take advantage of their beautiful city with the help of a Marina Del Rey Senior Caregiver. We take pride in hiring the friendliest and most qualified Eldercare Providers and Homecare Aides. You can meet our Caregivers of the Year or view client testimonials here.  A-1 Home Care has over 20 years providing skilled care at home for Elders and Seniors in Southern California. Our specialties include:

Natural soothing remedies
Homemade meals
Light housekeeping
Wound cleaning/ bandage changing
Transportation
Exercise assistance
Mobility assistance

A-1 Home Care is A+ rated with the BBB and a member of the National Care Planning Council. We have highly rated Senior Caregivers who are available in the cities of Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, Hollywood, Beverly Hills or another city in Los Angeles County, A-1 Home Care is able to provide in home elder care to you!

Call 310-657-8780 today or visit http://marinadelreyinhomecare.com/ for more information.

In Home Arthritis Care in Marina Del Rey

Dressing and Bathing are a huge hassle when your joints don't work as they used to. Seniors with Arthritis know that handling buttons, opening medicine bottles and fastening zippers can be an ordeal with stiff joints and fingers. Fortunately, there are some options on the table. WebMD's article, "Assisted Devices: Living Better with Arthritis" lists some easy tips to use for overcoming your Arthritis. We've listed a few of them below:

1. Medicine bottle openers are inexpensive and can be found in the pharmacy aisle of any drug store.
2. Tub/ Shower rails prevent dangerous slips and slides. Add a non skid mat to double safety.
3. Coiled shoe laces, velcro snaps and long handled shoe horns make short work of putting on footwear.
4. Sock pullers are a simple plastic device that make it easy to slip on socks.

Check out the rest of the article for more ingenious tips! If you'd like to hire an Arthritis In Home Caregiver for further daily assistance, call A-1 Home Care today. Our agency is A+ rated with the BBB and a member of the National Care Planning Council. We provide care in Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Hollywood and other West Los Angeles cities. 

Dementia Care at Home in Marina Del Rey

According to "Mental Reserves Keep Brains Agile", an article by Jane E. Brody published in the New York Times, new studies have shown that keeping mentally and physically "fit" will decrease your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of Dementia.

If you keep learning new things, participating in stimulating social activities and perform moderate exercise your brain builds up new connections and neurons that limit cognitive damage.  Senior and elderly people who play card / board games, learn languages and work with computers keep their memory and reasoning skills sharp even as they slow down physically.

Autopsies performed on mentally sound elderly women have found brain damage showing Alzheimer pathology although there were no symptoms of the disease before their deaths.  These findings add credence to the resiliency of the human brain to rewire itself and build cognitive reserves.

It's never too late to begin building your mental reserves and improving your physical health.  If you are a senior or elderly person living in Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Hollywood or other West Los Angeles city, A-1 Home Care can provide a Companion, Home Helper, Caregiver or Home Health Aide at a reasonable rate.  Our hourly or live in Caregiver will assist you with housecleaning, laundry, mental stimulation, planning and preparing nutritious meals, companionship, moderate exercise, shopping and transportation.

For information about Elder Care, in home care or personal services, call 310-657-8780 today!

24 Hour Home Care in Marina Del Rey

Have you been seeing your doctor regularly? A well known adage goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." We'd all benefit from taking better care of ourselves, exercising regularly and eating healthy foods. To push us in the right direction, WebMD has compiled a helpful list of tips for women, "Essential Screening Tests Every Woman Needs". Take a look and make an appointment for screening types you have missed.

Most women schedule regular breast cancer screenings and routine blood work, but tests for osteoporosis and receiving cervical cancer vaccines may fall by the wayside. Vaccines for cervical cancer include Guardasil and Cervarix, which can protect against cancer causing strains of HPV in women under 26. Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis are leading causes of bone breaks in elderly women.

A-1 Home Care provides 24 Hour Caregivers in Marina Del Rey. Our experienced Aides and Companions can provide specialized caregiving services for elders with cancer, arthritis and many other health conditions. We have friendly caregivers in Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Los Angeles County.