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Given the choice, most of us want to stay in our homes. Sometimes, people need help to remain at home. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.

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“I work for this team and it's a wonderful team , great communication and support for our clients, their family members and our caring team of staff .”

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“Ken and Bonnie are wonderful people to help care for your loved ones. their staff was so caring to my mother and so nice to my family I highly recommend them to take care of your loved ones. I think there ought to be more than just five stars to give them”

Mark A.
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“Ken and Bonnie were wonderful to work with. They were able to provide my mother with care and a very short notice. Their staff was some of the most caring people that I've ever met. Not only were they wonderful to my mother but also to my family. I would highly recommend using them.”

Mark A.
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“Very professional and welcoming people so I would definitely recommend my friends and family to Always Best Care in Boerne.”

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“The owner is so understanding and supportive of how I want my loved ones cared for. He and his staff actually listen to what I would like done for my parents. Very thoughtful, very professional and very caring. It’s such a relief to have help in caring for my loved ones”

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“ALWAYS BEST CARE is certainly a warm & caring business owned & operated by Ken Thomas. I certainly would recommend them for you or your loved ones excellent care.”

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“Kenneth is kind, patient, experienced and knowledgeable. We are thankful to him for all his efforts and for going above and beyond.”

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“For those who are searching for qualified caregivers for their loved ones, contact Ken Thomas at Always Best Care Senior Services. Mr. Thomas provides an authentic and professional guiding hand when discussing available services for your precious senior family members. When it is time for a beloved senior to receive assistance, Mr. Thomas understands the importance of providing trustworthy and quality support.”

Melissa C.
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“Ken leads his Always Best Care Senior Services Agency with compassion for his clients and their families. He is a local senior care expert and leader in his community. If you are need of assistance in navigating your local senior care options, then do not hesitate to give Ken a call!”

Kelly B.
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“Kenneth is knowledgeable and trustworthy. I can’t recommend him enough. You’re in good hands with Kenneth.”

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“I will be forever grateful for the love you showered upon us and my grandmother”

Jill &.
 In-Home Care Medina, TX

How does In-home Senior Care in Medina, TX work?

Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it's especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.

The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.

At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one ages, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.

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 Senior Care Medina, TX

Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors

While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit.

In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a unfamiliar assisted living community, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.

Here are just a few of the reasons why older men and women prefer to age at home:

Comfort
Comfort

How much does a senior's home truly mean to them? A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old. With the help of elderly care in Medina, TX, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.

Healthy Living
Healthy Living

Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors. Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.

Independence
Independence

For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like an assisted living community. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.

Cost and Convenience
Cost and Convenience

More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, can be less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.

With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care in Medina, TX gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.

Empowers Seniors

Affordable Care Plans

In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.

Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.

At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.

In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:

Veteran's Benefits
Veteran's Benefits

Aid and Attendance benefits through military service can cover a portion of the costs associated with in-home care for veterans and their spouses.

Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance

Many senior care services like in-home care are included in long-term care insurance options. Research different long-term care solutions to find a plan that provides coverage for senior care.

Private Insurance
Private Insurance

Home care can be included as part of a senior's private insurance plan. Read over your loved one's insurance policy carefully or speak with their insurance provider to determine if in-home care is covered.

Life Insurance
Life Insurance

Depending on the life insurance plan, you may be able to apply your policy toward long-term care. You may be able to use long-term-care coverage to help pay for in-home elderly care.


Respite Care Medina, TX

During your Care Plan consultation with Always Best Care, your Care Coordinator will speak with you about in-home care costs and what options there may be to help meet your budget needs.

Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers

When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.

Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.

At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Medina,TX understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.

Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.

Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.

 Caregivers Medina, TX

Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:

An assessment of your senior loved one

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An in-depth discussion of the needs of your senior loved one to remain in their own home

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Reviewing a detailed Care Plan that will meet your senior loved one's needs

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Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.

If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.

When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.

Latest News in Medina, TX

'I just want a flood up there': Viral Tik Tok shows Medina Lake before and after historic drought

SAN ANTONIO — Joel Panchevre says he doesn't often visit his lake house anymore. The small home is 80 minutes away from San Antonio, and there's no lake left to enjoy."I live downtown, I work downtown, and my friends are downtown," he said. "There's no real reason to leave unless the water comes back to Medina Lake."His dock now overlooks a barren valley. A pool of water, about two feet deep, is all that remains of the waves that once lapped at the property's shores.Panchevre, who owns Thirsty A...

SAN ANTONIO — Joel Panchevre says he doesn't often visit his lake house anymore. The small home is 80 minutes away from San Antonio, and there's no lake left to enjoy.

"I live downtown, I work downtown, and my friends are downtown," he said. "There's no real reason to leave unless the water comes back to Medina Lake."

His dock now overlooks a barren valley. A pool of water, about two feet deep, is all that remains of the waves that once lapped at the property's shores.

Panchevre, who owns Thirsty Aztec and HUB MRKT downtown, says he'd rather spend time near the River Walk. At least that water isn't receding, he jokes.

"Having a lakefront property is a dream," he said. "To see that water go away, you know, it's kind of like seeing your dream go away."

Panchevre bought the property in 2019, when Medina Lake was nearly full. Today, it's nearly empty.

There's video to prove it.

Video currently unavailableFind more trending videos on TikTok

Panchevre's Tik Tok post, which illustrates the dramatic change at Medina Lake, earned more than 9 million views in one week.

Some commenters are engaged in debate about climate change, he says. Others joke Panchevre should use the opportunity to make infrastructural repairs below the water line.

The waves will return, but it may take years of rain to replenish the reservoir. Medina Lake's mean water level has dropped 33.5 feet since February 2022.

Residents have long complained the Bexar Medina Atascosa Water Control and Improvement District 1, which manages the reservoir, drains and sells too much water to farmers.

Historic drought conditions didn't help matters in 2022. Panchevre says his property's value has dipped, though he has no plans to sell.

Neighbors tell them the lake has been lower, though. It's always refilled.

Fortunately, 2023 should bring more moisture than 2022 did. The National Weather Service now predicts a dry weather pattern, La Niña, will loosen its three-year grip on Texas in the coming months.

El Niño, a pattern more likely to produce rain, is about 60 percent likely to move into the area by fall. Conditions should be neutral until then, forecasters say.

"I just want a flood up there," Panchevre smiled. "When the water comes back, it'll be a brand new experience... it'll be heaven."

Cavern discovered on a ranch in Medina County

Imagine walking on your property and not knowing something fantastical is just below your feet. That's what happened to Don and Debbie Davis, who own a ranch in northwestern Medina County. Don and Debbie have owned the property since 1999.They were in the process of putting the property in a conservation easement for preservation of the water supply for neighboring Bexar County, when the Edwards Aquifer Authority assessed the property. That's when they found it.“In their mapping process,” Debbie Davis said, “T...

Imagine walking on your property and not knowing something fantastical is just below your feet. That's what happened to Don and Debbie Davis, who own a ranch in northwestern Medina County. Don and Debbie have owned the property since 1999.

They were in the process of putting the property in a conservation easement for preservation of the water supply for neighboring Bexar County, when the Edwards Aquifer Authority assessed the property. That's when they found it.

“In their mapping process,” Debbie Davis said, “They found this little depression that no one had ever seen before. It was back in a thick clump of brush and we'd never gone there. And sure enough, when we went to check it out, there was a sinkhole with a tiny opening that we had no idea it opened up to this enormous cavern.”

Bennett Lee was the first human being to see what exactly lay beneath the surface.

“There was a typical sinkhole except between two rocks,” said Lee. “There's a little tiny black crack and you drop a rock down there and it would just fall, fall, fall, fall and finally hit. And you could shine a light in there. And it was just black. Usually, you shine a light and see rocks or something. But this was just a black void, so we knew we had something.”

Lee is part of a group called Bexar Grotto, a local chapter of the National Speleological Society. They're cavers who explore, map and sometimes clean up sinkholes and caves. The group had been to the same property before, exploring a sinkhole that turned out to be small. Don helped to widen the tiny opening just enough for Bennett and other members of the group to lower themselves inside.

Don Davis said it took some work to widen the small opening. “We spent a good hour and a half chipping away at some of the rock to make it just big enough for them to get down in there,” he said.

And then it was time. Bennett Lee lowered himself through the tiny opening. What he saw took his breath away.

“Rare that you open up into a huge room, that's a 70 foot drop. So, yeah, it was really amazing to be the first one in there and just see this huge room.”

Debbie recalled when Bennett first went in.

“He rappelled down and I hear this little tiny voice coming out of this hole saying it's HUGE!” she said.

The huge room had a ceiling of around 120 feet high and was about 60 feet wide, and there were impressive formations.

Lee described what he saw. “So there's two huge formations in there. There's one...this huge flow stone. It's a stalactite that grows up from the bottom, really pretty. There's another two stalactites that grew together kind of in the middle of the room. But then all along, the walls flow stone and curtains on the sides of the room.”

Is it surprising to find a large cave like this in the area?

The answer is no, according to Dr. George Veni, Executive Director of the National Cave and Karst Institute. “There are many more discoveries that that are out there to be made. You can't judge a cave by its entrance,” he said.

He says this particular cave could be huge with more passageways and rooms.

“So is there more cave? Yes, there has to be. These things don't form in isolation. You just don't have big bubbles that form in the rock. They're formed as part of an essentially underground stream network. And so there's got to be more to it. The real question is, what will it take to get to get into it?”

For now, members of Bexar Grotto will continue to explore and map the cave for the next few months. Bennett Lee is proud to have been the first person to ever see the big room.

“Because we go and we look at sinkholes all the time and, you know, we may go look at a thousand sinkholes and find one that's like this, but we do all those in the hopes of finding one like this one,” said Lee

Don and Debbie don't have any plans to open the cave to the general public, but they say they'll do everything they can to make sure it's preserved.

You can learn more about caves and find your local grotto group by going to caves.org

'We're running out of room' | Small school district west of SA growing faster than most in Texas

SAN ANTONIO — A school district just west of San Antonio is growing quicker than nearly every other district in the state.Rising enrollment in Medina Valley ISD isn't slowing down.KENS 5 learned more about plans for the future, starting with Bond 2023."The reason behind all this is our student population," said ...

SAN ANTONIO — A school district just west of San Antonio is growing quicker than nearly every other district in the state.

Rising enrollment in Medina Valley ISD isn't slowing down.

KENS 5 learned more about plans for the future, starting with Bond 2023.

"The reason behind all this is our student population," said Dr. Scott Caloss, Superintendent of Medina Valley ISD.

Caloss says within the last year, 1,000 more students enrolled in the district.

"We're running out of room for as far as where we can put those kids," he told us.

Next fall, Medina Valley ISD's Silo Elementary School will open.

The critical need now, Caloss said, is a new high school.

"Our high school is right at capacity, student capacity," he said. "So that is our biggest need."

Medina Valley ISD covers roughly 300 square miles. The neighborhoods that are growing the quickest within the district are located west of 1604 on both sides of Hwy 90.

"They're literally adding around 1,500 to 1,800 single family homes per year," said Bob Templeton, the Vice President of School District Segment for Zonda Education.

Zonda is the nation's leading research provider for new home construction. They track 90% of single family construction across the United States. Right now, there are 56 active subdivisions within Medina Valley ISD.

"The San Antonio region, when we look at the regions of Texas, it's very attractive because of its job growth, the affordability, it's pretty," said Templeton. "As the access improves with improved roadways, then we just see that growth continuing to move to places like Castroville and Medina Valley."

After Templeton's research, he projects the district's rapid growth will continue for the next 25 years.

If these projections hold true, to keep up with skyrocketing enrollment, Medina Valley ISD will need to build a new elementary campus every two to three years, a new middle school every six years and a new high school every ten years.

The district has five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Currently, Templeton says only about 15% of the district's land is built out.

"They can build houses a lot faster than school districts can build schools," he explained. "That's a little bit of a challenge because the growth tends to just be a wave that can feel a little overwhelming."

If approved, the $376 million in Bond 2023 will pay for:

With Bond 2023, taxpayers can expect a rate increase of 2.8 cents.

Election Day is May 6. Early voting begins Monday, April 24. Medina Valley ISD community members can browse voting locations in Medina County and Bexar County here.

To view the first virtual presentation on Bond 2023, click here. Watch the second virtual presentation here.

Cows Graze in Middle of Dried Up Lake During Texas Drought

Drought in a southern Central Texas county is so severe that cows are grazing in the middle of a dried-up lake.Much of the western United States has recently assuaged its drought after an excessively wet winter on the west coast alleviated nearly all of California's drought struggles. The weather impacted states further inland as well, supplementing reservoirs in Utah and all but eliminating drought in the we...

Drought in a southern Central Texas county is so severe that cows are grazing in the middle of a dried-up lake.

Much of the western United States has recently assuaged its drought after an excessively wet winter on the west coast alleviated nearly all of California's drought struggles. The weather impacted states further inland as well, supplementing reservoirs in Utah and all but eliminating drought in the west.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map, Texas still struggles with drought, particularly in the panhandle, south and southern central regions. Bandera County in South Texas is experiencing some of the worst conditions in the state, with the map showing that more than 97 percent of the county is battling exceptional drought—or the most severe classification of drought that includes exceptional and widespread crop and pasture losses and shortages of water in reservoirs, streams and wells creating water emergencies.

The lake's levels have steadily been drying for the last several years. However, Tuesday's levels were so low that cows were using the extra space as an opportunity to graze.

"Texas Drought be like... walk don't swim #txwx #wxtwitter - Medina Lake Bandara Texas," Twitter user @JonTheStormGuy tweeted on Monday. "Ps there are cows in the middle of the lake."

The tweet was accompanied by two photos. One showed a dried-up version of the lake with a sign that reads "Swim At Your Own Risk" with no water nearby. The second photo shows a black and white cow standing in the middle of what used to be the lake, grazing on the green grass.

Medina Lake in Bandera County often dries in periods of drought. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alan Reppert told Newsweek that the area is battling the drought because it has seen very little rainfall over the last year.

Water Data for Texas, an organization operated by the Texas Water Development Board, showed the lake was only 5 percent full on Tuesday. Six months ago, the lake was 7 percent full. A year ago it was more than 18 percent full.

In February, KSAT reported that the reservoir has been steadily declining for years because of a multi-year drought in the region.

The reservoir was constructed in 1910 and is used by farmers for irrigation, often leading to fluctuations in the lake's water levels. In February, KSAT reported that large swaths of the lake were dry, studded with abandoned boats and dry docks.

From 2011 to 2013, the lake was only 3 percent full before recovering with floods in 2015.

Only 3.5 percent of Texas as a whole is battling exceptional drought, with much of the south and eastern parts of the state entirely free from drought.

Battle of Medina: Texas’ Forgotten Fight

Texas has been the location of a number of military engagements, ones that range from the major fights of the Texas Revolution, to the numerous clashes between Natives and those who invaded their homelands, to some Civil War skirmishes. But, if I was to ask for the name of the bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil, would you come up with the answer of the 1813 Battle of Medina? Would you know who actually fought at Medina or that despite the fact that many people have never heard of it and we are not exactly sure where it took place it ...

Texas has been the location of a number of military engagements, ones that range from the major fights of the Texas Revolution, to the numerous clashes between Natives and those who invaded their homelands, to some Civil War skirmishes. But, if I was to ask for the name of the bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil, would you come up with the answer of the 1813 Battle of Medina? Would you know who actually fought at Medina or that despite the fact that many people have never heard of it and we are not exactly sure where it took place it was one of the most consequential military engagements ever fought in Texas, a significance that extended to the larger War for Mexican Independence conflict?

The Battle of Medina was the final action of the Gutíerrez-Magee Expedition that had established the short-lived Republic of the North—often called the “Green Flag Republic” after the banner the army carried before it—in Nacogdoches in 1812. Northern Mexico, which, of course, included Texas at the time, was the scene of a great deal of intrigue during the early years of the Mexican War of Independence. The northern reaches of New Spain were perhaps the site of the strongest support for those opposing the Royalists who controlled the governmental levers of New Spain in these last years of Spanish rule. The chaos of the war, which is more properly termed a series of revolts involving intense fighting and then lulls between more fighting between 1810 and 1820, also provided fertile grounds for opportunists to try to exploit the fighting and separate parts of New Spain into new nations, many of those involving American schemers who conspired with Mexican counterparts to sow discord. The Gutíerrez-Magee Expedition, often referred to as one of many “filibuster” attempts into Texas, was such an action. José Bernardo Gutíerrez de Lara, a Mexican independence advocate and organizer, who would eventually become the first governor of Tamaulipas, in 1812 traveled to the United States to seek American help in the fight for Mexican independence. Unsuccessful in gaining aid from the U.S. government, Gutíerrez de Lara instead, while in Louisiana on the way back to Mexico, convinced former U.S. Army officer Augustus Magee join with him in a plot to sever Texas and the rest of northern Mexico away from New Spain and establish a new nation, one they would name The Republic of the North.

The East Texas Historical Association provides this column as a public service. Scott Sosebee is an associate professor of history at SFA and the executive director of the association. He can be contacted at [email protected]; www.easttexashistorical.org. If you enjoy Dr. Sosebee’s weekly columns, SFA Press has published a new book with a compilation of his material over the last ten years. It is titled What Is It About Texas?. You can purchase the work through Texas A&M Press Consortium at tinyurl.com/SosebeeBook.

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