NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Ft. Lauderdale, FL, United States, 02/08/2012 - Leading edge program that provides company’s personal caregivers insight into challenges facing older adults featured on South Florida and West Coast television - Advocatehcs.com.

The Principals of Advocate Home Care Services, one of the region’s leading private-duty, home health care agencies, recently took to the airways in two of the markets they serve to explain a program they have instituted that provides its personal caregivers critical insight into what it is like to live every day as an older adult facing one or more age-related health challenges.

Developed by the University of Oklahoma, ASiST (Aging Simulation Sensitivity Training) provides experiences simulating age-related vision loss, hearing loss, neuropathy, aphasia and mobility/balance issues.

“It’s all about empathy,” said David Maymon, Advocate Founder and CEO who was featured on Live at 11 on NBC 6 in Miami. “While the state requires our personal caregivers a laundry list of required training we take it one step further. We want each personal caregiver to know what it’s like to suffer from arthritis, macular degeneration and other afflictions associated with aging. Upon completion of ASiST Sensitivity Training, Advocate team members are better able to comprehend how age-related health challenges may affect an elder's ability to carry out normal and daily tasks, how such challenges may undermine an elder's ability to engage in activities necessary for independent living and understand the frustration and embarrassment they may feel when their daily living skills are compromised and their autonomy threatened.”

Maymon said this is accomplished by such exercises as buttoning a shirt with gardening gloves to simulated restricted hand and finger activities due to arthritis. He said they also have the caregivers put on special glasses that simulate what vision looks like for someone with macular degeneration, cataracts and other degenerative eye diseases. Popcorn is placed in caregivers shoes to simulate an unsteady gate.

“The feeling of losing your independence for the senior population is terrible, so we want our personal caregivers to empower them." Advocate President, Phil DeBiasi, who was featured on WZVN-TV ABC News Fort Meyers/Naples. "It gives our caregivers an understanding of why certain patients sometimes get frustrated because they're not able to do the same things they used to do in the same amount of time."

“Florida with 17.3 percent of its population 65 years of age or older has the highest percent of seniors in the country,” said Maymon. “Medical science continues to increase our life span but with that increased longevity that comes with age-related issues. We need to provide seniors with the best care imaginable.”

About Advocate Home Care Services

Advocate Home Care Services (advocatehcs.com) is a Fort Lauderdale based, family-owned private duty home health care agency, founded in 2007 by David Maymon, CEO and administrator. Advocate Home Health Care Services is a leader in private duty home health care serving Dade, Broward, Palm Beach the Treasure Coast and Lee and Collier Counties

Agency / Source: Peter Nasca Associates, Inc.

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