FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL SENIOR INDEPENDENCE MONTH Freedom Home Care celebrates 20 years of helping seniors HIGHLAND PARK, IL (FEBRUARY 2017) – Freedom Home Care is celebrating National Senior Independence Month this month and 20 years of helping seniors live happy and healthy lives in the comfort of their own homes. According to the American Health Association, this month was established to help seniors remain in control of their daily lives and to encourage seniors to take the opportunity to evaluate their current living situation, and determine whether or not adjustments could be made to create a better lifestyle. This is the opportunity to
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Archives for Freedom Home Care
Prescription Medications Can Effect Your Ability to Drive
At some point in their lives, nearly every American will have taken some form of prescription medication. The statistics increase with age, as seniors between 65-79 are given more than 27 prescriptions each year. And according to The IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, many take five or more different types of medications a day. For millions of Americans, taking prescriptions in order to treat temporary or chronic health conditions, is a fact of life. But when consuming these medications before driving, the results can be potentially dangerous. And depending on the type and dose, once in your system, they
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Planning Ahead for Your Senior's Transitional Care
Sometimes it may not be possible to plan for follow-up care when your senior leaves the hospital. Accidents and sudden trips to the ER often leave patients and their families confused and overwhelmed – and the last thing you want worry about is not having the right services in place once your loved one has been sent home. Whether you’ve decided which in-home care services your senior will need in advance or have just recently begun to explore your options, transitional care is an important part of a successful recovery. Your senior may have had to deal with a traumatic
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Caring for a Childless Relative
As our older loved ones age, the need may arise for assistance from family members, as health concerns leave them unable to be as independent as they once were. Determining the best way to go about meeting the needs of your relative can be difficult without a long-term care plan in place. There are a few things that you can do to help your older one decide what the proper course of action will be for them as an individual – what they expect, what their needs are, if they will need personalized care services, etc. According to the Department
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Handling the Stress of a New Baby
There’s nothing more magical than the birth of a new baby. First time parents often experience a myriad of emotions all while celebrating the arrival of their little bundle of joy. And with of all of the responsibilities that come with newborn care, it’s normal for parents feel the stress of the task at hand. FHC came up with a few ways to help moms and dads juggle everything from feedings and changings to relaxing and sleeping, while still experiencing the fulfillment that goes along with parenting. Decide How To Tackle Each Task – Who will get up at night
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Join Us for the Upcoming Backyard Bash at Highland Park Senior Center – August 12th
Since 1976, the Highland Park Senior Center has been servicing the needs of seniors of the Highland Park community. Built in 1929, the renovated facility was dedicated as the center’s location by General Robert E. Wood, providing recreational, cultural, educational, health and counseling services for seniors, while advocating their overall well-being. A division of the city of Highland Park, the Highland Park Senior Center provides important services that include housing and transportation, crisis intervention, counseling and advice,support groups, home and hospital visits and referrals for Chicago caregiver services. It also offers activities and entertainment likeaerobics, educational lectures, luncheons, and social
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Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Care Agency
Enlisting the help of others to help care for your senior can be a daunting process. And if you opt for more personalized care that meets your loved one’s daily needs, helps them retain a sense of independence, and allows them to remain in a familiar environment, in-home care may be the choice for you. There a number of things to consider when searching for a home health care provider – like if the agency is licensed and reputable, if the caregivers are trained and qualified, and what has their track record for care been in the past. After
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Nursing Homes vs. Home Care
For many families, the decision whether to place older loved ones in a nursing home or to allow them to “age in place,” can be a difficult one. Everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, eating and drinking can become more and more problematic for seniors with declining health and mobility. The goal of any nursing home or home care provider should be to ensure that its patients are receiving high quality, compassionate, personalized care. When deciding whether or not a nursing home or in-home care is the best option for your loved one, Freedom Home Care invites you to consider these
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Mind Games
Workout Your Cranium It is inevitable to stop the aging process and with aging comes memory loss. More and more of forgetful moments begin to occur and it can be alarming. However, there may be options when it comes to delaying this process and keeping the brain young. “A 60 year-old brain is two to three times slower than a 20 year-old brain,” according to an article on memory loss by Web-MD. They also added that by the time you reach the age of 80, your brain may function five to eight times slower. We are not saying that memory
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Can Your Heartburn Medication Lead to Dementia?
Proton pump inhibitors. Most people aren’t familiar with these drugs by their medical name. But they are very well known for relieving heartburn and indigestion, treating peptic ulcer disease, GERD, Barrett Syndrome, and a number of other conditions. In the past, experts have recommended that the lowest dosage be taken as needed because of the potential long-terms effects the drugs could have on the bones, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system. And according to a report published on Feb. 15 in the journal JAMA Neurology, studies conducted in Germany suggest that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) might actually increase the risk of dementia in
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