Home Care in Hamilton NJ

If you are like many family caregivers, you are always looking for ways to save time and hassle in your senior care journey with your aging parent. Especially if you are a member of the ever-growing sandwich generation raising your own children while you are also offering care to your senior while likely maintaining a career, taking care of your own household, and managing your marriage, it can seem like there is simply never enough time in the day to do everything that you need to do for everyone. Finding tools and tricks that help you get what needs to be done completed successfully, quickly, and without sacrifice of quality can truly seem like a lifesaver when you realize that it is the end of the day and you still have several things left to do on your list.

One amazing tool that is often under-utilized in senior care efforts is the microwave. While your mind might immediately go to less than healthy TV dinners and convenience meals as the only thing that the microwave is useful for, this is not the only way that you can use this tool to help you cut down on the time and energy you need to put into a variety of tasks.

Try some of these easy microwave shortcuts to simplify your home care efforts without sacrificing the quality of your care:

• Delicious simple breakfast. Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day, but preparing a full hot breakfast can be a tremendous undertaking that you might just not be able to do at the beginning of the day. You can use the microwave to make a bowl of instant oatmeal, but those packets are usually crammed with sugar and preservatives, and come out with a gluey, unpleasant texture. Instead, start the night before by using old fashioned oats, milk, cream, a little bit of sugar, and some fruit to create overnight oats. All you have to do is mix the ingredients and put them in the refrigerator for several hours. In the morning, pop a bowl of the soaked oats in the microwave and enjoy the heartier, richer texture and flavor without the time to cook it.
• Easier garlic and onions. Fresh garlic and onions add unmistakable flavor to your food but they can be a challenge to deal with. Rather than always resorting to the powdered versions, use the microwave to simplify preparation challenges. Trim the ends off of an onion and microwave it for 30 seconds before chopping to eliminate the tears. To make peeling a clove of garlic fast and easy, put the entire head on a microwavable plate and microwave for 20 seconds. The cloves will easily slide free of the skin.
• Kill bacteria on sponges. Getting your house cleaner means working with the best tools, but you do not always have time to go to the store for a new sponge or go through a complex sanitization process. Just soak a sponge, wring it out, and microwave it for 2 minutes to kill bacteria and freshen.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring home care services in Hamilton, NJ or the surrounding areas, please call Independence Home Care today at 609-208-1111 for more information.