Explore Nature in Chicago/Highland Park If you’re in the Chicago/Highland Park area, take advantage of the nearby hiking and activity options to combine physical exercise with the beauty of nature. Here are a few recommendations: Heller Nature Center: With its 97-acre forest, prairie, and wetlands, Heller Nature Center offers three miles of trails for hiking and exploration. Participate in their nature programs, enjoy a picnic in the woodlands, or cross-country ski in the winter. The Preserve of Highland Park: This recently opened natural area features walking and biking trails, native gardens, and nature-based play areas. It’s an ideal
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Archives for health care
Ways to Protect Your Hearing
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a time to raise awareness about hearing health and promote strategies for preventing hearing loss. Hearing loss is a common condition among seniors, impacting their quality of life and interpersonal connections. Let’s explore the prevalence of hearing loss among seniors, its primary causes, and practical steps seniors can take to protect and preserve their hearing. The Prevalence of Senior Hearing Loss Hearing loss is a widespread issue among older adults, affecting a significant portion of the senior population. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), approximately one
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How to Prevent Kidney Disease
March is National Kidney Month, an annual opportunity to raise awareness of kidney disease and promote healthy kidney function. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often referred to as a “silent disease” because it rarely presents any symptoms during the early stages. As many as 90% of Americans who have CKD are unaware they have the disease until it has reached an advanced stage. The earlier you find out you have kidney disease, the sooner you can take steps to protect your kidneys from further damage. Freedom Home Care is here to help with chronic disease management. Risk Factors Preventing
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Habits for a Healthier Lifestyle
Meeting goals can be a complicated nut to crack, but approaching your goals as a habit change is the most likely to lead to success. It’s never too late to start a new healthy habit. We are still at the beginning of the year and a lot of changes can take place between now and the end of the year. So how do we incorporate healthy habits in a sustainable and enjoyable way? Here are a few helpful tips to help you in this. Healthy Habits for a Healthier Lifestyle Have breakfast – often time people skip this part
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Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy
This month is American Heart Month! What better way to take care of your heart than by following the tips below! 1. Exercise – Being active is a major contributor to keeping your ticker ticking. Getting enough exercise can significantly improve your cardiovascular health. At least 30 minutes of exercise a day is recommended. 2. No Smoking – There are numerous reasons to quit smoking, including improved heart health. So, if you are trying to keep your heart healthy, it is time to quit. 3. Healthy Diet – Diet plays a huge role in our health, including the health of
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Best New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors
Many people choose to make a New Year’s resolution every year, but they often struggle to see those resolutions through. That is why we have come up with some realistic New Year’s resolutions for seniors so that they can set resolutions that are attainable. • Update Your Legal Documents – Updating wills, power of attorney documents and prenups is something that people often put off. You don’t need them until you need them, and you may not know when that is going to be, so it is easy to put off. It would be a great New Year’s resolution to
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The Effects of Stress on Physical Health
We all know that unfortunately, stress is a part of everyone’s life. When people experience stress more frequently, it can put a strain not just on your mental health, but your physical health as well. For seniors, it can be harder on your body because of the physical impacts from stress. We here at Freedom Home Care Highland Park know just how important your health is and have shared some tips to eliminate stress. The first sign of stress affecting your physical health is developing a sleeping disorder. While this is a pretty common one, being up all night
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Personality Traits That Increase Life Longevity in Seniors
You might be wondering- what does it take to live a very long and happy life? For as long as we can remember, history has shown that some have lived to an older age and they all share a few things in common. Luckily for you, we at Freedom Home Care have put together a list of personality traits that seniors have in common. Number one: having a productive and active lifestyle. Not only does an active lifestyle have health benefits, but it is widespread amongst seniors. Staying active for as long as you can is the key
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Is There A Link Between Diabetes and Dementia?
Living with a chronic illness can present its own set of challenges. But when conditions like diabetes are linked to dementia, the importance of finding the connection between the two becomes even greater. For every American aged 65 and older, regardless of whether they receive in-home care services, there are almost eight people who have Alzheimer’s disease. That number increases after age 85 to one in two people. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014, more than 29 million Americans were diagnosed with diabetes, while 86 million adults were identified as pre-diabetic. In a study
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Discussing Dementia with Family and Friends
Dementia is an illness that can affect everyone that it comes in contact with. Everyday can be a new challenge for both dementia patients receiving outpatient services and their loved ones. It may also be harder for some to accept the diagnosis than others, but it doesn’t lessen the effects of the disease. Although progression in patients is slow, family members can use the time that they spend with their loved one to understand the diagnosis and communicate to the rest of the family the changes that are gradually taking place. Dementia can be managed if properly handled, allowing loved
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