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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Archives for caregivers
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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Spring Cleaning Tips for You and Your Senior
With spring comes budding trees and plants, blooming flowers and changing temperatures. It’s also a time when people begin to organize and de-clutter clutter the space around them. What you may not consider is how much caring for your senior involves a routine spring cleaning of their apartments or home in order to help them stay organized, as well. Oftentimes old photographs, papers and mementos have a habit of accumulating and collecting dust in the basement or attic. But before you begin the process of straightening and systematizing the memories of your loved one, it might be good to sit
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Taking advantage of available U.S. programs, services
As loved ones get older, their needs increase. And as much as family members would like to help, the necessary resources don’t always seem to be readily available. There are, in fact, several programs put in place by the U.S. government that aren’t taken advantage of enough by those who need them the most. The Administration on Aging is one of those programs. It’s funded by the Older Americans Act and it was established to provide assistance to older persons and their caregivers. The program also includes critical support services to help older adults remain independent and involved in their communities. A
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The importance of hospice, in numbers
According to the Hospice Foundation of America, the word “hospice” finds its roots in the Latin word “hospitium,” which means guesthouse. In its original form, it was a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages. Today, it still holds on to those roots, but does so in a different way. “During the 1960's, Dr. Cicely Saunders, a British physician began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher's Hospice near London,” the Hospice Foundation of America explains. “St. Christopher's organized a team approach to professional caregiving, and was the first program to use modern pain
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21 classic movies to watch in 2013
As winter begins to settle in, there’s nothing better than curling up with an afghan and a movie on the living room couch. Because let’s face it, with a now-permanent blanket of snow on the ground and temperatures sticking below 32, no one wants to venture out into the cold. Therefore, to warm your heart and inspire a bit of nostalgia, the editors at AARP chose the following 21 movies that they consider must-sees: 1. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962 2. Casablanca, 1942 3. The Producers, 1968 4. The Longest Day, 1962 5. Grand Illusion, 1937 6. Spirited Away, 2001 7.
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Freedom Home Care opens the doors to its new Wellness Center
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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Thinking outside of the (shoe) box for Alzheimer’s patients
Whenever the folks here at Freedom Home Care go scouting for information that we feel will be helpful to our patients and their families, there’s always that moment when we stumble upon an article that could be considered news of the weird. And today was no exception. Especially so when we learned that shoe developers have designed a pair of sneakers that have been outfitted with a built-in tracking device to locate Alzheimer's patients. “It's very common for people who have dementia to wander off on their own,” say the editors at CBS News Online. “When that happens, frantic family
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Asking the right questions regarding in-home care
Communication is truly the key to a successful in-home-care environment. As we mentioned in yesterday’s post, developing a plan before the need arises can ease the stress involved with transitioning into one’s twilight years. Therefore, creating an open forum for discussion within the family is essential when it comes to the specifics of everyday care. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, the first step in exploring care options is identifying what is most important to your aging loved one. “Projecting into the future is difficult, but it is important to educate yourself about choices and communicate how you feel about
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FHC serves as a preferred provider for Ravinia Associates
To celebrate our staff and their professional development, we here at Freedom Home Care hosted an annual caregiver appreciation day on Aug. 3 and then followed it up with a company outing at Ravinia Park in Highland Park. Spending the day at America’s oldest outdoor music festival, we were reminded of our relationship with the Ravinia Associates in Internal Medicine Ltd. as a preferred provider. Ravinia Associates, which was recently brought into the North Shore University Health System family, serves the North Shore community by providing up-to-date quality medical care and by imparting their expertise on service providers like the ones at
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