It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Martensdale, IA is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
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Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is 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 gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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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 - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
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, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Martensdale, IA, 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.
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.
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 a nursing home. 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.
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 and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often 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 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.
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:
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 Martensdale, IA 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.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care 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:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
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.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Martensdale, IA 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
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.
GREENFIELD, Ia. — It’s a little over six minutes before game time as the Martensdale-St. Marys boys’ basketball team gathers in the visiting locker room at Nodaway Valley High School. Before sending his team to the floor on this Dec. 18 road game, Blue Devils coach Joe Franey grabs his cell phone and holds it up for all of them to see.His players surround him.Franey has Brooks Trom, a senior on the team, on his phone via FaceTime. Trom is sitting at the kitchen table at his family’s home in Cumming and d...
GREENFIELD, Ia. — It’s a little over six minutes before game time as the Martensdale-St. Marys boys’ basketball team gathers in the visiting locker room at Nodaway Valley High School. Before sending his team to the floor on this Dec. 18 road game, Blue Devils coach Joe Franey grabs his cell phone and holds it up for all of them to see.
His players surround him.
Franey has Brooks Trom, a senior on the team, on his phone via FaceTime. Trom is sitting at the kitchen table at his family’s home in Cumming and delivers his usual pre-game speech to the team. Trom starts it by talking about an article he recently read about the Blue Devils’ opponent that night being a favorite to win the conference.
“I think of you guys and how much potential you guys have out there,” Trom says to his teammates over the phone. “Show them what you can do.”
“Yes, sir,” a teammate responds.
Trom then leads the breakdown before the team goes sprinting out of the locker room and onto Nodaway Valley's court. The routine has become a part of every Martensdale-St. Marys boys’ basketball game this season, home and away. Trom, who has been designated as the team’s hype man in previous years, can’t be with the team this season. He’s battling leukemia, and with a weakened immune system, can't be around his teammates, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It gets all of us ready to play just hearing him talk to us,” Martensdale-St. Marys senior basketball player Trey Baker said. “And knowing that he can’t be here with us really fires us up. He’s been a part of this forever. And the fact that he can’t be here is really hard for all of us.”
Trom, an 18-year football, baseball and basketball player for the Blue Devils, is missing his final hoops season with Martensdale-St. Marys. But even from afar, while he’s in the battle for his life, Trom is a critical part of his team, school and community.
He’s not just helping them.
They’re helping him, too.
The diagnoses came as a shock to everyone, especially Trom. He had rarely been sick before and figured he had a strong immune system. But at the end of the football season in October, he knew something was wrong. Trom, a star for the Blue Devils, was having a tough time finishing games.
“I was dragging at the end of football season,” Trom said. “It was very tough. It seemed like each game, I’d get banged up and it was still there the next week. The pain just wasn’t going away. I just felt like I could barely walk at the end of it. I had to come out every other play during the last game of the season it seemed like.”
Things got progressively worse for Trom who, by mid-November, couldn’t eat or swallow because his lymph nodes had swollen up and were pushing in on his throat. He couldn’t even swallow his own spit. So, his parents, Mark and Lisa Trom, took Brooks to the hospital. While running a mono test, doctors discovered that three of the benchmarks —platelets, hemoglobin, and red and white blood cells — they looked for in his blood were low. They then tested him for leukemia.
Tests revelated Brooks had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer that happens when bone marrow cells develop errors in their DNA. Brooks, they believed, had been playing the entire football season with it.
“He was basically a walking dead person,” Mark said.
The news was crushing for the family, as they sat in a hospital room after receiving the diagnosis. They cried together. Lisa asked doctors how this happened. They told her that when kids are growing up, DNA switches tend to turn on and off. One of her son's turned off.
One of Brooks' first questions: What’s the survival rate?
Doctors gave him good news. Since Brooks was young and healthy, they gave him an 80% chance of beating it. But there was also bad news. Brooks couldn’t play basketball while he went through treatments. Afterward, Brooks called nine of his friends who were teammates. He told them to scary news.
"It was really hard to hear," Baker said. "It was one of the worst phone calls I've been a part of. I was speechless."
Brooks made the nine friends promise not to tell anyone at school right away. He wanted to wait for the news to come out. They followed through. But once word got out, Brooks found out he was not in the battle by himself.
And his days as a member of the Blue Devils basketball team were far from over.
It all started as a surprise.
Before Martensdale-St. Marys' season opener on Dec. 1, Franey decided to call Trom via FaceTime and have him talk to the team. None of the players knew, not even Franey's two sons who play on the team. But when Franey held up his phone and let Trom talk to them before the opening tip, the entire team smiled.
"It was a great moment for us," Franey said.
Franey decided to keep it going. So before every game, Franey calls Trom right before the team takes the court and lets him talk to the team. It's usually a few seconds of quick and inspiring words in the locker room.
It helps his friends, hearing from him.
And it helps Trom, who wants to always send a simple message to them:
"Just that they know I'm watching them, because I know when I talk to them that it kind of motivates them, because I know they miss me and I know they play a little extra hard when I talk to them," Trom said.
Trom watches as many games as he can. Usually he watches them the next day when the games are uploaded to Hudl. He'll take notes and pass them along to Franey, who will use his suggestions in practice. Trom spent part of the season watching from his hospital bed while dealing with an infection. But Trom, who was recently discharged between treatments, can now watch from home.
Regardless of where is he, Trom was right: His message is inspiring his teammates.
"Everybody is out here trying to do it for him because he can't," said Franey's son, Jack. "So, we figure, if he can't be here, we have to make up for it, and we have to play with all the heart he plays with."
That's not the only way they honor him. The team has also kept Trom's No. 20 out of circulation for the season. Players and coaches on the team shaved their heads while he went through chemo. They wear shirts during warmups with his number and nickname "The Flash" on it. During introductions, each player points to the back of the shirt as a sign to Trom if he's watching.
The rest of the school and the community have joined in the support.
The boys' basketball team and the wrestling team have raised money to help with his care. So has a local CrossFit. But perhaps the most touching moment of generosity came before Trom's second session chemotherapy treatments in November.
Some 100 coaches, athletes, cheerleaders and members of the community came to the entrance of Methodist Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines as a surprise to Trom to cheer him on. Many held handmade signs. When he walked downstairs to the door, he had no idea what was awaiting him.
"It's just overwhelming," Lisa said.
Brooks cried when he saw the large crowd.
One-by-one, members of the basketball team walked up to the door and placed their hand on it while Brooks was on the other side doing the same thing.
"There were a lot of people who started tearing up with him," Jack Franey said. "I know I did right when he started walking out."
The battle isn't over from Trom, who is still going through treatments. But he's hopeful. He's hopeful that he can not only beat it, but be back to walk at graduation and play baseball for the Blue Devils this summer.
"He's as tough as they come," Franey said. "He puts his head down and he works hard all the time, which is one reason why we know he's going to beat this."
Trom recently returned home but was back at the hospital earlier this week for treatments and hopefully an update on what's next. He has plenty of reminders of all the support he's getting from the community. After the crowd left the hospital, they took the signs and stuck them on the road leading up to his family's house. Trom's parents put them downstairs in the home for him to see. They've also started a hashtag to support him on social media called #TromStrong.
"That community is so giving," Lisa said. "I can't tell you how fortunate we are."
It was something Lisa and Mark never envisioned when they moved the family from West Des Moines to Cumming. But, they've found a home and support system with the Martensdale-St. Marys community. Even Brooks said he's at a loss of words for what they've done for him.
"I'm so thankful and blessed to have that," Brooks said.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
Superintendent Dr. Bill Watson said the move led to a decrease in disciplinary incidents among students, an improved climate and better staff retention.MARTENSDALE, Iowa — As schools across Iowa begin to wrap up their 2024-2025 school years, Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District is leading the way into the state's warmer months after its first year of four-day school weeks.Marte...
Superintendent Dr. Bill Watson said the move led to a decrease in disciplinary incidents among students, an improved climate and better staff retention.
MARTENSDALE, Iowa — As schools across Iowa begin to wrap up their 2024-2025 school years, Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District is leading the way into the state's warmer months after its first year of four-day school weeks.
Martensdale-St. Mary's superintendent highly praised the pivotal concept, that was implemented ahead of this school year for the district of approximately 525 students.
Superintendent Dr. Bill Watson said the change went better than anyone expected, and added that it was a favorite among students and staffers.
"The credit goes to our teachers and our staff for embracing this and making it work, to our students who also stepped up and dealt with the about the 45-minute longer day, and really our families who embraced the idea and allowed it to work," he told Local 5 News.
Watson also said the move led to a decrease in disciplinary incidents among students, an improved overall climate at schools and better staff retention.
The district lists on its website that the concept was initially explored "primarily as a mechanism to retain and recruit teachers."
With its new-look week, Mondays were the additional day off, sometimes being used for teacher professional development.
"(I) think our transition the four-day (week) was seamless, and we're excited for next year," he said.
And for any other schools potentially considering the idea of following in the footsteps of the Blue Devils, Watson said, "I think it's got to be a community decision, and in this community, it's worked. It may not work in other communities."
In her final season at Sigourney, the Northern Iowa signee held strong against Martensdale-St. Marys – who boasted a solid pitcher of its own – and brought home that coveted title trophy.“This was our goal the whole season,” Goodwin said postgame. “Being able to accomplish that is something really special, and to end my senior (year) that way is indescribable.”For high school softball fans hoping for a pitchers' duel, this was it.In No. 6-seeded Sigourney’s 3-2 win over No. 1 Mar...
In her final season at Sigourney, the Northern Iowa signee held strong against Martensdale-St. Marys – who boasted a solid pitcher of its own – and brought home that coveted title trophy.
“This was our goal the whole season,” Goodwin said postgame. “Being able to accomplish that is something really special, and to end my senior (year) that way is indescribable.”
For high school softball fans hoping for a pitchers' duel, this was it.
In No. 6-seeded Sigourney’s 3-2 win over No. 1 Martensdale-St. Marys, Goodwin tossed eight strikeouts and had no errors. The Blue Devils' pitcher, Campbell German, posted 13 strikeouts with just one error.
“We knew going into the game that she was a really good pitcher,” Goodwin said about German. “We just had to carry over our energy from the past few games. I think we had a really good game plan, and we carried through with that.”
The opening run of the game came easy and early on.
Goodwin knocked a pitch into center field that grazed the fielder’s glove and slipped over the fence for a home run. That pushed Sigourney out to a 1-0 lead after Martensdale-St. Marys couldn’t muster up a run in the first inning.
The Blue Devils returned the favor – and took the lead – in the second inning.
Sydney Bears scored off a Mac German single to tie it, then Aunie Berger scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
It looked like Martensdale-St. Marys took a two-run advantage in the third inning when Brynnly German ran home after Bears was forced out with a catch. But she was called out for leaving the base too soon and the run was reversed.
This is when the pitching really took over.
Goodwin struck out two of three batters in the fourth inning; Campbell German tossed all three. It was more of the same for Goodwin in the fifth, and Campbell German struck out two more right after.
It went three up, three down on both sides in the sixth inning – this time, without a single strikeout.
Everything changed in the top of the seventh inning.
Goodwin, leading off, got on base. Campbell German struck out the next two hitters. With two runners on – Goodwin and Amiya Smallwood – and the game on the line, Ava Fineran soared a single into center field and brought her teammates home.
After trailing for most of the matchup, Sigourney took a one-run lead.
The moment she tagged home plate, Goodwin flipped back into pitching mode.
“I knew they were at the bottom part of their lineup, so getting outs was really crucial,” Goodwin said.
She didn’t strike anyone out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Sigourney’s defense stepped up behind Goodwin. Two Martensdale-St. Marys players made it on base, and then Sigourney forced two outs.
And in one last moment to shine, Goodwin took center stage: grabbing the final out of the game and securing her first and only high school softball state championship.
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