Posts by Freedom Home Care

Cleaning out the medicine cabinet – an essential New Year’s resolution

Cleaning out the medicine cabinet – an essential New Year’s resolution

December 19, 2012 | No Comments

How many times have you gone to your medicine cabinet only to be confronted with bottle upon bottle of unused or expired prescriptions? As time passes, medications quickly accumulate, making it more difficult to find space to store new prescriptions and equally hard to find what you’re looking for. According to an article posted on News-Medicine.net, “Because each season brings a host of new illnesses and conditions, it’s easy for medicine cabinets to become cluttered with unused or expired prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbals that can potentially be harmful to one’s health. Hanging onto old, expired or unused medications
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10 methods for caring for someone with Sundowner’s Syndrome

10 methods for caring for someone with Sundowner’s Syndrome

December 18, 2012 | No Comments

For those unfamiliar with Sundowner’s Syndrome, according to AgingCare.com, it occurs in people with Alzheimer’s disease or severe dementia and typically happens at sundown or at sun-up. During these times, the elder is prone to agitation, confusion or fear. For those who have a loved one experiencing Sundowner’s Syndrome, here are 10 suggestions from Caring.com to help cope with the situation: 1. Establish a routine. As Alzheimer’s and dementia progresses, the patient’s ability to reason and perform normal daily activities diminishes. “Different functions and capabilities are lost, creating confusion and frustration. Establishing a routine of behavior management strategies will not only
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Is there a correlation between hospitalization and dementia? One study says yes

Is there a correlation between hospitalization and dementia? One study says yes

December 17, 2012 | No Comments

In a blog that we here at Freedom Home Care posted in early November, we addressed the common misconception that Alzheimer’s and dementia are interchangeable terms. Although it’s important to understand that dementia is merely a symptom of Alzheimer’s and other diseases associated with the brain, there is still much to learn about dementia. In an article published on the Science Daily website, editors discussed research that revealed new findings on dementia and its correlation with hospitalization and how it affects the elderly. The study assessed illnesses that required hospitalization and treatment in an intensive care unit and revealed that
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Freedom Home Care presents Conney’s Pharmacy as December’s guest speaker

Freedom Home Care presents Conney’s Pharmacy as December’s guest speaker

December 14, 2012 | No Comments

When it comes to personal health, knowledge equates to better physical well-being. And that is exactly why we here at Freedom Home Care have invited Conney’s Pharmacy out of Winnetka, Ill., to be our December guest speaker at our new Wellness Center at The Homestead at Morton Grove. Mark Jacobs, the owner and pharmacist at Conney’s Pharmacy, will give a comprehensive presentation on several aspects of health that affect the young and elderly alike. In his presentation, Mark will touch on several topics, including: 1. Blood Pressure 2. Heart Problems 3. Anxiety & Sleep Issues 4. Medication Costs 5. Storing
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Living past 100 – secrets of centenarians

Living past 100 – secrets of centenarians

December 13, 2012 | No Comments

Yesterday, we here at Freedom Home Care reported that the world lost its oldest member. Besse Cooper peacefully passed away after 116 years on the planet, and in an interview with Guinness World Records, she attributed her long life to minding her own business and not eating junk food. And although only eight others have ever lived to such an age, many do live past 100. The question, therefore, surrounds the secrets of their longevity. In an article published by Everyday Health, “researchers believe that both genetics and lifestyle behaviors play an important part in a centenarian’s health and longevity.”
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Celebrating the record-long life of 116-year-old Besse Cooper

Celebrating the record-long life of 116-year-old Besse Cooper

December 12, 2012 | No Comments

Early this month, 116-year-old Besse Cooper peacefully passed away after a long life as a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a wife and a schoolteacher. And surely, after more than a century of living, we here at Freedom Home Care are confident that she was probably so much more to the many people she inspired over the years. According to those at the Guinness World Records, she was the oldest person on the planet at the time of her passing. She was also only one of eight who have ever lived to that age. In the
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Introducing the Homestead at Morton Grove

Introducing the Homestead at Morton Grove

December 11, 2012 | No Comments

Earlier this week, we here at Freedom Home Care reported the opening of our new Wellness Center at the Homestead at Morton Grove. We mentioned how the new facility is geared at improving the lives of Freedom Home Care patients as well as those residing at the Homestead. Today, however, we would like to take the opportunity to introduce the Homestead and explain why we chose to work in conjunction with such a reputable organization. As its name indicates, The Homestead at Morton Grove has the ability to make retirees feel just as much at home as they ever did.
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The importance of maintaining a healthy diet – even after a heart attack

The importance of maintaining a healthy diet – even after a heart attack

December 10, 2012 | No Comments

A recent study revealed that not only does a healthy diet reduce the risk of a first-time heart attack; it can also reduce the risk of repeat heart attacks for those who already have heart disease. Most people understand the importance of a healthy diet, but according to the study, it’s wise to maintain that healthy way of living and especially so after suffering from a heart attack. “At times, patients don’t think they need to follow a healthy diet, since their medications have already lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol—that is wrong,” Mahshid Dehghan, a study author and a
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Freedom Home Care opens the doors to its new Wellness Center

Freedom Home Care opens the doors to its new Wellness Center

December 7, 2012 | No Comments

It has been about one month since Freedom Home Care established its first Wellness Center located at The Homestead at Morton Grove. And since the Nov. 5th grand opening, residents have had the opportunity to experience healthcare with a holistic approach. “Our new Wellness Center is a great place for residents and their family members to come in and get their questions answered, as well as obtain help with the challenges of daily living,” said Jacqueline Lotzof, director of business development at Freedom Home Care. As we reported in previous blog posts this month, the new Wellness Center has already hosted
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Alzheimer’s patients look to improvements in the form of brain pacemakers

Alzheimer’s patients look to improvements in the form of brain pacemakers

December 6, 2012 | No Comments

More than 50 years ago, Arne Larsson became the first person to receive a pacemaker, allowing him to live to the rip old age of 86 – outliving the inventor as well as the surgeon who performed the implant. Since that first procedure in 1958, millions have gone on to live healthy lives with the help of a cardiac pacemaker. With a similar goal in mind, the researchers at Johns Hopkins University recently released news of a brain pacemaker that may offer new hope for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Paul Rosenberg, an Alzheimer’s specialist at Johns Hopkins who is providing
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