Knowledge Center

The TeamLife Care Continuum:  The 5H’s

As we age, good health ensures independence, security and keeping busy.  Millions of seniors are impacted by 4 major issues causing unhealthy outcomes.  Here are the facts noted below:

Chronic Illness: 77% of older adults have at least two (2) of the four (4) chronic diseases: heart, cancer, stroke, diabetes.  These four diseases cause 2/3 of total U.S. deaths in one year.

Chronic diseases account for 75% of the money spent on healthcare, yet only 1% of health dollars are spent on proactive approach to improving overall health.

Diabetes:  23% of Americans aged 60+ have diabetes.

Falls: Every 15 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 29 minutes, an older adult dies following a fall.

Mental Illness:  One in four older adults experiences some form of mental illness including depression, anxiety disorders, and dementia. This number is expected to double to 15.5 million by 2030.  Depression, through isolation and loneliness, affects seven million older Americans, and many do not receive treatment.

TeamLife focuses on proactive action to create healthy outcomes for all our extraordinary clients, patients and their families. Our goal is to create healthy outcomes for those who need both home services and post acute medical care at home. Delivering “Healthy Outcomes” is the TeamLife motto that ultimately reduces hospital occurrences and eliminates hospital readmissions.  Our customized proactive care plan approach for our clients, patients and their families differentiates TeamLife from all the other health@home agencies.  Call TeamLife today for your “care continuum” needs.

Aging in Place / Home Modifications:

90% of seniors 65 and older prefer to age at home, within their existing community.  TeamLife is there to make this possible.  Our healthy@home solutions include home modifications for safety and ease of mobility.

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related visits to the emergency room in the US, and the primary cause of deaths (75%) in people over 65.  For more information, please contact us [email protected]

Medication Management:

770,000 aging adults end up in the emergency room / hospital stay due to incorrect medication management.  There are 5 top issues that occur when our loved one mishandles their daily medication:

1.  Keep an eye on the clock. Medications for diabetes, coronary artery disease and other chronic health conditions are time sensitive. Each dose must be taken at the right time. Seniors may forget to take a dose or take dosages too close together. Both mistakes can have serious health consequences.
2. Incorrect dosage. When a senior takes a variety of different medicines each day, keeping track of each dosage amount can be challenging. This is especially true if an older adult has vision loss that makes reading the labels on prescription bottles difficult. Taking too much of one, or not enough of another has negative short / long term impact.
3. Drug reactions. As we age, our bodies metabolize medications differently. Many times older adults need a smaller dose than younger. It puts our seniors at greater risk for an accidental overdose or an adverse reaction. Mixing RX and over the counter drugs can be harmful.
4. Modifying medication. Some health conditions that are more common among older adults can cause difficulty swallowing. It might cause a senior to become fearful of choking. This often leads older adults to cut their pills in half or smash them up to eat in food. Some medications aren’t effective if the format is altered. Those with a time release component may actually be harmful.
5. Storing medication. Most adults don’t realize how important it is to store medications at the right temperature. Many people store their medicine in the bathroom or kitchen because it is easier to access water. Temperature and humidity may make these rooms the worst place to store medication.

At TeamLife, we go beyond the traditional Home Care services, by offering a Medication Management Program that truly contributes to a safe Aging at Home environemnt.  Our program begins at the home assessment, with our Nurse conducting a review of the client’s medication list, ensuring the pharmacist is aware of all the Rx and over counter medications the client takes.  We will prepare Blister Packs up to 30 days in advance, correctly filled and labelled:  morning, midday, evening and bedtime.

These Blister Packs, assembled by our medical team, have a compact ‘book-like’ design; as such we recommend storing them, in where experts feel is the best place in the house, the bedside table.

For more information on how you can gain peace of mind, knowing your loved one is taking their medication as they should be, please contact [email protected] 

Exclusive to our aging adult clients, and to compliment our innovative delivery of the more traditional home care services, we offer uniquely designed and organized “care programs”.

Introducing TLC-CareNow.  TeamLife  has developed a mobile app, designed for residents of senior living communities who need on demand care and assistance.  CareNow is downloaded from the Apple App Store, and easy to use.  30 minute and 60 minute quick Care at your findgertips, with same day service as well.

TeamLife Care Programs

Healthy@Home Knowledge Days:  Topics include nutirition | healthy eating | cooking | integrative medicine | dental days | exercise for health:  yoga, dance, treasure hunt (outdoor) to name a few.  TeamLife encourages intergenerational meet-ups… sharpen your social media skills, while enjoying a coffee with a local teen.

Nursing or Care Travel Companion Services:  Traveling can be daunting under the best circumstances, and for seniors, those with disabilities or those recovering or rehabilitating from an illness or injury.  “TeamLife Travel Care” ensures your safety and comfort throughout the entire trip.  

For information on any of our TeamLife Programs, please reach out to [email protected] 

Free download resources

TeamLife is proud to offer the following resources for your personal use, free of charge.

Choose To Live Life Your Way