Archives for caregiver chicago

Fun Fall Activities for Seniors

Autumn. There’s no other season like it. Fall leaves are changing color. Comfort foods are an indelible part of the menu. Cozy knit sweaters are in style again and the crisp scent of autumn fills the air. Now is the perfect time for family and friends to get holiday-ready with activities that bring everyone together and create long-lasting memories at the same time. To help you celebrate the season, Freedom Home Care agency came up with a few easy autumn ideas that seniors can enjoy doing with the help of loved ones. Create a Fall Wreath Ring in the season
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Earning a Successful Transition Home from the Hospital or Rehab Stay

It is not easy returning home from being in the hospital or rehab for a long stay. More than anything, your loved ones cannot wait to return home. But with returning home, it comes with the fear that they might have another accident or re-hospitalization again.   Freedom Home Care, your home care agency, has high-quality staff on hands 24/7 to ensure you and your family that your loved ones are in the best care after returning home from a rehab or hospital stay.   With that being said, Freedom Home Care has put together some strategies for helping your
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Why Do My Allergies Change As I do?

Why we outgrow allergies is a phenomenon that continues to baffle researchers today. The fact is, we know more about what causes allergies in people, than we do about why they come and go over time. But by examining different types of allergies and their causes, researchers could gain more insight into other ways to treat or even combat them. Because as many as 50 million people in the U.S. experience allergies or allergy symptoms, Freedom Home Care thought it was important to understand as much as possible about what doctors call the “6th leading cause of chronic illness” in
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"Senior-Proofing" Keeps the Elderly Safe at Home

With more and more Baby Boomers approaching their Golden Years, the number of seniors choosing to age-in-place is growing year after year. So, it becomes increasingly more important for elderly loved ones and their family members to raise the level of safety when it comes to living alone. Cost effectiveness and practicality are just a few things to keep in mind when considering what upgrades need to be made to senior-proof your home. Freedom Home Care offers some additional tips below on how to make your loved one’s home safer and more comfortable for the long haul.   Identify Potential
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Fun Spring Activities for Seniors

With spring right around the corner, you want to make sure your senior has enough fun things lined up this season to help ward off boredom and prevent loneliness. And with warmer temperatures right around the corner, your loved one is once again able to enjoy all of their favorite outdoor activities – and maybe even try a few new ones. In fact, being outdoors, your senior gets a healthy dose of vitamin D – necessary for proper development of the brain, bones and muscles. Doctors say sunlight is also helpful in improving mood and cognitive function, while offering mental
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When Friends Become Caregivers

As the population of aging adults increases in the U.S., the role of caregiver has become increasingly more important. Research shows that seniors are the fastest growing segment in the country – of those, the number of people 85 and older is outpacing any other age group. And soon, baby boomers will come of age causing a rapid increase in people aged 65-84. It’s inevitable that as Americans get older, the number or people with long-term health conditions rises and the number of people requiring personalized elder care goes up with it. Today, over 50 percent of Americans aged 65
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Things to Consider Before Moving Your Elderly Loved One In

There are more people in the U.S. who have taken in an elderly loved one than you might actually imagine. In fact, caring.com says one out of four caregivers live with either an elderly or disabled relative. And if you are in the position where you’ve decided to move an older parent or other family member into your home, there’s a few things that Freedom Home Care lists here that you may want to consider before taking the first step. Financial Advantage or Drawback? You may have to sit down with your family members and think through the costs associated
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How to Handle Bill Paying as a Caregiver

Caring for an older loved one with dementia can sometimes be difficult. But what makes it even more challenging is deciding who will handle the responsibility of your senior’s financial obligations when they’re no longer able to do it themselves. FHC searched and found advice that suggests that starting the financial planning process early not only helps alleviate more stress and fear, but also allows older loved ones the chance to participate in the decision-making at an earlier stage in their diagnosis. Organizations like alz.org that are advocates in the fight against Alzheimer’s, recommend first creating a long-term budget. They
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Reducing time spent in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities

As apparent in its name, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement is focused on improving worldwide health and health care. With much to tackle, the group is concerned about the frequency of readmissions for recently discharged hospital patients. The effort to improve this rate is among the group’s core initiatives. “Hospitalizations account for nearly one-third of the total $2 trillion spent on health care in the United States,” the IHI explains. “In the majority of cases, hospitalization is necessary and appropriate. However, a substantial fraction of all hospitalizations are patients returning to the hospital soon after their previous stay. These rehospitalizations
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Learning about the potential for post-operative cognitive decline

According to Sunnybrook Hospital’s Dr. Beverley Orser, one in three patients will experience post-surgery memory loss. And unfortunate for some, cognitive difficulties can last as long as three months after a procedure has been performed. In the following video, Dr. Orser explains that memory loss is caused by inflammation in the brain and that it may be treatable and reversible, as shown in a recent study. Freedom Home Care, however, understands that later in life, these types of cognitive decline may make the transition back to home even more difficult. And order generic viagra online that’s why we implemented our
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