Archives for Freedom Home Care

Sharing stories of caregiving excellence

Sharing stories of caregiving excellence

September 18, 2012 | No Comments

We here at Freedom Home Care frequent the AARP website on a regular basis. We’ve found that it’s a great resource for anyone over the age of 50. Whether it be for health-related concerns, retirement questions or even travel recommendations, the folks at AARP have us covered. Today, while we were perusing the site, we stumbled on a call-to-action that piqued our attention. AARP places a lot of importance on the caregivers in our aging loved ones’ lives and have asked that visitors to the site share their personal stories about those integral people. “If you have a story that you
Read More

10 reasons why living alone is a blast and a half!

10 reasons why living alone is a blast and a half!

September 14, 2012 | No Comments

As we here at Freedom Home Care head into the weekend, we thought that we would leave you with a lighthearted item posted by our friends at AARP. The article, titled “More People Choose to Live Alone: 10 Great Reasons Why,” serves as a fun-loving reminder of just how good so-called spinsters and bachelors have it! Enjoy! 1. Raiding the refrigerator at 1 a.m., knowing that mango sorbet is there for you and you alone. 2. Decorating as you please — no more “his” favorite orange recliner or “her” Twilight books front and center on the shelf. 3. Going to bed when you
Read More

Superagers – defying age in a single bound

Superagers – defying age in a single bound

September 13, 2012 | No Comments

Last night, if you were watching the 9 o’clock nightly news, you might have noticed a spry, good-looking older gal cruising the shops of downtown Chicago. And then, if you continued watching, you would have learned that that older woman was, in fact, 85 years old. According to a study taking place at Northwestern University, 85-year-old Barb Shaeffer falls under the category of superager – men and women in their 80s or older who exhibit remarkable memory and energy for their age. Since discovering this category of age-defiance, Northwestern researchers examined 12 individuals from the Chicago area who fit the
Read More

What is a geriatrician and how do I know if one is needed?

What is a geriatrician and how do I know if one is needed?

September 12, 2012 | No Comments

For senior citizens or anyone caring for an older individual, many of the signs of aging can be quite obvious. The ways to deal with those signs, however, might not be as clear. Whether it be depression, incontinence, arthritis or an increase in falls, a common question is whether the long-time family doctor has the necessary experience to provide proper care and advice. At some point in time, a visit to a geriatrician may be a good idea. But what is a geriatrician and how do I know if it’s worth it to add another doctor to the mix? According
Read More

Alzheimer’s – 10 ways to detect it on its onset

Alzheimer’s – 10 ways to detect it on its onset

September 11, 2012 | Comments Off on Alzheimer’s – 10 ways to detect it on its onset

In a recent blog post here at Freedom Home Care we reported that more than 5 million Americans age 65 and older are thought to have Alzheimer’s disease and that one person in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease approximately every 69 seconds. The numbers are staggering, but the forms of treatment are growing and improving every day. An early diagnosis will allow patients to have a say when it comes to decisions about care, transportation, living options, and financial and legal matters. Therefore, it’s important to look for early warning signs. Although Alzheimer’s usually begins after the age
Read More

Flexing the mental muscles to maintain a healthy brain

Flexing the mental muscles to maintain a healthy brain

September 10, 2012 | Comments Off on Flexing the mental muscles to maintain a healthy brain

As most of us know, the brain is like a muscle, and if you don’t flex it from time to time, valuable functions like memory can be weakened. And just as exercise stimulates the body, exercising the brain will help to keep it healthy and strong. grow grape vines Our brains are constantly hungry for new information and so is definitely true later in life. One way to feed the brain, so to speak, is to learn a new language. Taking on tasks like learning simple French of Spanish can give the brain the workout that it needs and can
Read More

Sit and be fit with Mary Ann Wilson

Sit and be fit with Mary Ann Wilson

August 31, 2012 | Comments Off on Sit and be fit with Mary Ann Wilson

Yesterday, we here at Freedom Home Care reported on the importance of maintaining healthy bones, joints and muscles in order to increase coordination and balance. In our post, we talked about the benefits that come from weight-bearing activities like taking a walk. Understanding that all older individuals might not have the mobility to get out of the home, we are happy to take advantage of the exercises suggested by the PBS series, Sit and be Fit. In it, Mary Ann Wilson focuses on healthy activities that can take place while sitting in any household chair. For the video that we’ve
Read More

Making the bedroom a safer place for your aging loved one

Making the bedroom a safer place for your aging loved one

August 29, 2012 | Comments Off on Making the bedroom a safer place for your aging loved one

This week, we here at Freedom Home Care have dedicated our blogging to in-home safety for sufferers of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Our caregivers, based in Oak Brook, Buffalo Grove, Grayslake, Highland Park, Hinsdale and Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, understand that sometimes it’s necessary to place himself or herself in the position of the patient to anticipate potential dangers in the home. “Caregivers will find that such approaches will be dependent upon the person for whom care is being provided,” say the editors at AgingCare.com. “The most important aspect of caregiving in a home is safety and security, for both the patient
Read More

Four tips for creating a safe kitchen environment

Four tips for creating a safe kitchen environment

August 27, 2012 | Comments Off on Four tips for creating a safe kitchen environment

Providing a safe home environment for a loved one suffering with Alzheimer's is a top priority. And the caregivers at Freedom Home Care understand how important it is for a patient with Alzheimer’s or dementia to be safe and comfortable in their own homes. Therefore, over the course of the next few days, we here at FHC will dedicate our blog posts to providing helpful tips and methods to ensure the utmost level of in-home safety. According to the editors at AgingCare.com, “in the long run, adapting the home environment is much easier than trying to adapt behaviors that may
Read More

Asking the right questions regarding in-home care

Asking the right questions regarding in-home care

August 24, 2012 | Comments Off on 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
Read More