Posts by Freedom Home Care

The Secret Dangers of Sugar

The Secret Dangers of Sugar

February 18, 2014 | No Comments

Sugar.  It makes life a little sweeter.  Unfortunately, it could also make life a little shorter or just less healthy. We all know that too much sugar is not healthy, but few know how dangerous it really is.  It affects our body in many ways, some of which could be potentially fatal over time.  So if you need a reason to put down the Valentine’s chocolate, here are four body parts on which sugar wreaks havoc. Your heart.  Although doctors aren’t exactly sure how sugar leads to deadly heart problems, they know it causes many changes in the cardiovascular system. 
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Stay Healthy By Knowing Your Heart Risk Factors

Stay Healthy By Knowing Your Heart Risk Factors

February 17, 2014 | No Comments

February is the month when people decorate their windows with red hearts and spend time with their special someone.  It is also a time to thing about taking care of your heart. That’s because February is Heart Health Month. Heart Month is designed to bring awareness to a condition that takes more women’s lives each year than all types of cancer combined:  heart disease.  Heart disease strikes one in three women and often goes unnoticed until it is too late.  So each year the American Heart Association puts forward several programs to bring heart disease into the national conversation. As
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Ward Off Dementia By Staying Active

Ward Off Dementia By Staying Active

February 13, 2014 | No Comments

As dementia affects more seniors, doctors and scientists are working harder than ever to find answers.  The results of one of those studies have just come to light, and it gives women another reason to stay fit. The research suggests that women who have higher levels of estrogen, especially when combined with diabetes, are more likely to be diagnosed with dementia in their senior years.  Seniors who have a lower body weight have not one, but two strong advantages to avoid dementia. First, Type 2 diabetes is directly related to being overweight.  The increase of fatty tissue increases the resistance
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How to Manage Caregiver Stress

How to Manage Caregiver Stress

February 8, 2014 | No Comments

Caring for a family member with dementia is truly a labor of love.  Once you get past figuring out how to assist with various aspects of care giving, there is an emotional component that never quite gets easier.  It’s a combination of stress and the sadness of watching your loved one’s memory slip away. Because you can best care for the senior when you are well, taking care of yourself is essential.  Here are a few things that you can do to keep yourself healthy and happy: Exercise.  Exercise keeps the body health and the mind at ease.  Working out
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5 of the Best Arthritis Treatment Options

5 of the Best Arthritis Treatment Options

February 6, 2014 | No Comments

Nearly half of all seniors suffer from arthritis.  This condition, brought on by wear and tear, commonly affects the knees making it difficult to climb stairs or even walk.  But once a senior is diagnosed with osteoarthritis, what do you do next? Here are 5 of the best treatment options available to seniors with arthritis: Make lifestyle changes.  The idea is to put less stress on the affected joint, so weight maintenance is important.  Maintaining your weight can be difficult as exercise is painful. Try exercises that can be done while sitting down. Swimming may also be a good alternative
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5 Fun Games to Help Seniors Ward Off Dementia

5 Fun Games to Help Seniors Ward Off Dementia

February 3, 2014 | No Comments

According to a variety of studies, brain-building activities help to keep neurons firing actively.  In fact, seniors who regularly participate in brain-stimulating activities are over 60% less likely to be later diagnosed with dementia than those who don’t. With that in mind, here are a few fun games to try that will give your brain a good work out: Use Seven Words.  This one will challenge your brain and your creativity.  Attempt to describe your day or tell a short story in only seven words.  It’s harder than you would think. Play with Numbers.  Bored waiting for a doctor’s appointment? 
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What Every Senior Should Know About Arthritis

What Every Senior Should Know About Arthritis

January 31, 2014 | No Comments

Arthritis affects nearly half of all seniors, and the numbers are on the rise.  But what exactly is arthritis?  It’s not a general term for joint pain as many people think.  In fact, there are a few different kinds of arthritis, each with its own symptoms and treatments.  Here are a few things that all seniors should know about arthritis. Types of Arthritis: Osteoarthritis. This arthritis has to do with wear and tear.  In our joints, there is cartilage at the end of each bone.  The cartilage, which is as smooth as ice, covers the rough ends of the bone. 
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Necessary Steps to Avoid Foot Pain

Necessary Steps to Avoid Foot Pain

January 29, 2014 | No Comments

  The moment you put on your shoes, you know it’s going to be a bad day.  You try to ignore it.  Walk it off, you think.  But it only gets worse.  You then spend most of the day sitting, avoiding even getting up to get a glass of water.  Sure, you’re thirsty, but it beats the alternative.  And that is commonly what happens with severe foot pain. Foot pain in seniors is very common.  That’s because feet change as we age.  They begin to flatten and widen.  The fat that has been protecting the bones on the bottom of
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What Doctors are Telling Seniors with Diabetes

What Doctors are Telling Seniors with Diabetes

January 28, 2014 | No Comments

Diabetes. The ominous condition that compels people to eat right, exercise, and regularly check their blood sugar or risk the complications of blindness, pain, or even coma.  It’s a disease that’s scary and difficult, particularly for seniors, to control in relation to other conditions they may have.  So what are doctors suggesting to seniors who are struggling with it all? Lighten up! This doesn’t mean that seniors with diabetes should start planning a sugar spree, but it does mean that we should look at and treat seniors with diabetes differently than someone of middle age with diabetes.  Weighing the risks and
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The Secret to Senior Happiness

The Secret to Senior Happiness

January 23, 2014 | No Comments

Do you know a happy and stress-free senior?  Chances are that he or she is a social butterfly.  A Gallup poll shows that happiness and stress reduction are clearly linked to socialization. How do you stop a senior from getting too socially isolated and perhaps depressed?  Here are some easy tips to help keep a senior social: Arrange transportation.  If a senior is unable to drive, then she may not be able to be as social as she likes.  Arrange transportation through family and friends, or find a service to drive her to events and outings. Schedule guests at mealtime. 
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