Filled with lots of love, laughter and special times with family, the holidays are a joyous occasion. But with holiday shopping, dinners and travels things can sometimes get a little stressful for even the most spirited of individuals. This is especially true for older loved ones. It’s important that your senior takes steps to avert some of the unnecessary pressure that can sometimes be associated with the holidays. Here are some ways Freedom Home Care found that you can help make this season a more enjoyable one for you and your family. Plan Ahead A little bit of planning goes
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Archives for Senior Care Tips
The Gift of Family
Although there are all kinds of apps to help seniors communicate with family and technology to keep us connected, there is truly nothing like spending time together, especially in this season. In the time of celebration, amid the busyness the holidays bring, loneliness can largely affect seniors, especially those with Alzheimer’s, as they aren’t able to do everything they once could. But there’s an easy way to combat the feelings of solitude: family. A family isn’t just blood relatives – it’s the people who care and are willing to sacrifice time for someone else. Not just during one time of
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How To Make Thanksgiving Easier on Senior Relatives
As the season of gratitude nears and we plan festive gatherings, it’s of utmost importance to give special attention to the seniors in our families. Everything from meal preparation and house accommodation to family conversation plays a key part in how their holiday goes. Even a small thought or chat about these things with elderly family members can go a long way. It’s not something to stress about this season, just to pay attention to. Use and share these tips and make Thanksgiving easier for senior relatives, and yourself too! Make Plans That Make Sense Don’t get caught up in
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Tips to Make the Home of Your Loved One Safe
As more and more seniors are reaching the age of retirement, the number of older loved ones living alone continues to grow. That’s why it’s especially important that your senior feel safe around the house when friends and family are not around. There are a number of things you can do to help safety-proof your senior’s home. Freedom Home Care lists several tips below: Falls According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) one out of four seniors fall each year, one out of five falls result in serious injury and over 800,000 older adults are hospitalized due to a
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How To Help Seniors Cope With Cooler Weather
Anyone is prone to the effects of harsh winter weather, especially the elderly. Hypothermia, frostbite, cold/flu and broken bones are only a few of the health issues associated with exposure to cold. Before your senior loved one ventures out this season, be sure they are properly prepared for the cold weather. Here are a few things Freedom Home Care found that will keep your senior safe and warm as the temperature falls. Help Prevent Hypothermia During cold weather, the body’s temperature could drop below 35 degrees or less leading to hypothermia. Hypothermia can cause both multi-system injury and increased mortality.
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Why Protein in Seniors is Important
Whether your mom or dad is receiving senior services in Chicago from Freedom Home Care or you’re providing their care individually, their diet is of utmost importance—especially the amount of protein they are getting. This is because proteins are building blocks that contribute to the successful functioning of the entire body. They are used not only to build and repair tissues, including muscles, tendons, skin, and organs but also to make hormones and enzymes. In addition to helping individuals stay at a healthy weight and absorb key nutrients, proteins also contribute to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, enhanced concentration, higher
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How to Help Parents Who are Frustrated with Technology
There are all kinds of ways technology can help and improve our lives and our parents—from smartphones and tablets with apps that help us keep in touch with family and book a ride, to personal emergency response systems and GPS devices. Even here at Freedom Home Care, one of the leading home care organizations offering senior services throughout Chicago, we use Advanced Home Care Technology to assist caregivers and ensure that the most proactive approach is being taken to care for clients in a timely manner. But while these different forms of technology provide great benefits, they can also cause
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Spending Time With Grandchildren Can Keep You Healthy
Not only is being a grandparent good for your health but spending time with the grandkids has been shown to offer numerous health benefits. According to research results published in the scientific journal Evolution and Human Behavior, a study conducted in Germany and Switzerland says grandparenting actually helps people live longer than they would if they didn’t spend time with grandchildren. A group of 500 participants between the ages 70 and 103 were divided into three groups: grandparents with occasional grandparenting duties, those with no duties, and those who weren’t grandparents, but still performed those duties. Ten years later, half of
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A Social Life Leads to Longevity
As a senior, your social health is just as important as your physical health. Experts say that seniors should seek to stay connected with friends and family members every day. Many people don’t realize it, but a lack of social interaction can lead to a number of health risks. But a quality social life can have the same effect on your overall health as a good workout. As more baby boomers near the golden years, the number of seniors living alone increases. According to statistics, older adults without children is on the rise, leaving fewer family members to care for them. As a result, social isolation
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Health Benefits of Laughter for Seniors
They say that laughter is the best medicine. Laughter has been scientifically proven to offer a number of restorative effects in our lives and today Freedom Home Care will celebrate all of its benefits on National Tell a Joke Day. People have been sharing jokes since the 1900s – and perhaps even earlier in some Sumerian cultures. Historians have traced a 1000-year-old double entendre, found in the Codex Exoniensis, back to Britain. What may have started out as innuendo, has grown in form and meaning. Today, jokes can be told in many different ways – from irony, sarcasm, and satire
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