The basic steps to making a home wheelchair-friendly are well-known—adding a ramp to the entrance, installing grab bars in the bathrooms, and removing obstacles in hallways. These basic rehabs are a good start, but to really make your loved one comfortable and independent at home, you need to consider all the aspects of moving about in a wheelchair.
We are happy to discuss the benefits of pets for seniors as well as provide services to help you or your loved one care for a pet, including transportation to purchase items for the animal, light housekeeping, and general assistance in caring for the pet.
The holidays aren't just a good time to connect with friends and family. For seniors who have an open schedule this season, the holidays are a great opportunity for exploring new places and having new adventures. Whether you choose to travel with a spouse or with a dear friend, consider stepping out of your comfort zone and making plans to visit someplace new. This guide from Senior Helpers will help Chicago-area seniors narrow down their list of options for stress-free travel plans this holiday season.
The pain and grief of losing a spouse are not easy to handle, especially for senior adults. After loving each other and living together for years, seniors may take the demise of a spouse harder than anyone. If you have lost one parent over the past year, it's important to spend more time with the surviving parent and help them through the grief, as it's something they might take time to overcome.
However, the first holiday season without a loved one can be very emotional and hard on the family. Here are a few tips on how you can spend and enjoy the first holiday with one surviving parent.
Caregivers are always ready to take care of elderly parents and help out with family members. There may be times when a caregiver won't be available during the holidays, so here are some tips on what you can do in these situations.
If your loved one exhibits one or more symptoms of SAD, it's important to contact their doctor. Supplementation with vitamin D increases outside time, and other interventions may make it easier to weather the challenges of seasonal depression.
In terms of emotional needs, many experience changes in their mood, and those in Northern Hemisphere can even suffer a deficiency of Vitamin D. Less sunlight means there is less Vitamin D in the body, and some believe this contributes to SAD (Seasonal Depression).
SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) is a form of depression that occurs at the same time each year. Most often, SAD starts in the fall as the days begin to get shorter and continues into the winter months.
In the words of John Donne, no man is an island. Every human being has a natural need to belong to a community to bond and thrive regardless of age. However, that doesn't always happen to the senior citizens in Chicago, IL. Loneliness is common, that 28% of seniors live alone, and nearly 25% are categorized as socially isolated and lonely.
Labor Day weekend is approaching, and if you're the caretaker of a senior citizen in Cook County, IL, it's time to consider how you will manage your responsibilities over this busy weekend. Will you be taking your elderly loved one out of town? Will they need to host family visitors?
Whatever the case may be, here are a few things to consider before and during the holiday weekend from Senior Helpers Chicago.
Illinois residents have access to a Vax Verify Portal that provides individual immunization records. For senior adults, it's a convenient way to keep track of their vaccinations. Since the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends seven vaccines for anyone over the age of 65, having online access to those records makes it easy to ensure they are current on the following vaccines.
Whether an individual is a lifelong resident or new to the community, finding new groups and social activities can sometimes be challenging. However, there are several ways to find meetups, events, and like-minded individuals in the Chicago area.
Chicago summers can be great fun. They can also be difficult to navigate when the heat and humidity become oppressive. That doesn't mean you need to stay indoors all summer. An outdoor swimming pool may be a perfect place to stay cool as long as you use plenty of sunscreens and stay in the shade when not swimming.
Summer's arrived in Evanston, Illinois, and that means heat and humidity. The combination can lead to a range of heat illnesses, beginning with heat rash and cramps and progressing to heat stress and stroke. Knowing the signs of heat illnesses can make a difference between positive and negative outcomes.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. It's where we gather, cook and eat. However, as our bodies age, we become less flexible. This leads to a higher risk of falling, inability to reach things on the top shelf, and other difficulties. It's prevalent for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's disease; the kitchen can feel overwhelming and confusing for them. This article will look into ways to reorganize the kitchen and make it safe for seniors.
For most seniors in the Chicagoland area, safe and reliable transportation is critical to staying independent and healthy. After all, they need rides to meet their doctors, run errands, and meet family and friends. Most people who care for their senior parents are not always around to take them to these errands, especially when you also have work to do. Happily, ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft have made getting around easier and more convenient.
FaceTime is the most common way of video chatting today. It enables seniors to create a long-distance bond that helps in building a strong relationship with their grandkids.
Despite the challenges of distance and hectic schedules, seniors can find ways to interact with their grandchildren. For grandparents who wish to see their grandkids, the greatest hurdle is distance. Nevertheless, grandparents must maintain contact with their grandchildren sinceit provides them with a mental and emotional boost. To make up for time constraints, grandparents are increasingly using new technology with their grandchildren, such as video chats and FaceTime.
According to a 2019 AARP poll, 38% of American grandparents use video chat to speak with their grandchildren regularly. Here is a guide on how to FaceTime the grandkids.
The dangers of sedentary living are well-known, and exercise is now a firmly established key to keeping your body in top shape. But for people with Parkinson's disease, there are even more reasons to get moving. Exercise can help maintain flexibility, mobility, and endurance—it can also give you a sense of accomplishment, boosts your confidence, and a feeling of control over your life, especially if you depend on senior care. If you're newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD), it's natural to have questions about how exercise will affect you. Here is vital information about exercising with Parkinson's.
When you are looking for professional caregivers for a loved one, one of the biggest decisions you will need to make is whether to choose a private caregiver or a caregiver from Senior Helpers. It is important to understand your options and how they may affect your loved one's care.
Getting old has never been easy. You have to navigate the process of finding the appropriate healthcare resources and the best care services. Despite the challenges, the number of people over 65 years in the United States has risen to 16 % and is projected to rise to 23 percent by 2060. As people live longer, it means more specialized healthcare needs. In most cases, aging comes with various conditions as well as syndromes that call for extra attention. Thanks to the geriatric care managers who are considered health advocates for seniors and their families. They support, educate, as well as speak for their clients and participate inplanning for the future health needs of seniors.
Non-medical home care services (for instance, Senior Helpers of Chicago) is provided to a person in their home. Medicare provides Home Health Care with quite a few limitations. Medicare provided Home Health only entails physical and occupational therapy at home and some needed equipment (commodes, walkers, etc.), but it does not assist with activities of daily living. Non-medical home care services will assist with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, as well as transportation. Because it is confusing, it is vital for people considering home health care services to understand what kinds of services are available, who qualifies for these services, and how to access them.
We are here to help you out. Read on.
One of the most difficult parts about growing older is the realization that we have moved beyond the time when our parents took care of us. It is now our responsibility to take care of them. These changes can be frightening for everyone and such a delicate situation must be handled with care.
Our parents' dignity, privacy, and self-worth are at stake. We have to approach any discussion and any changes with sensitivity, discretion, and logic.
We all, eventually, plan for getting older. Over time, living alone may become less practical and the major question becomes how you will make sure that you have the assistance you need. Should you hire a service to help you age at home, or should you move to a continuing care retirement community?
Seniors want to be able to live safely and comfortably in their homes. And as we get older, our homes must be updated to meet our new needs. Home improvement can often be difficult, time-consuming, and costly. But there are many easy and inexpensive things you can do to make a safer home for seniors.
So many people are living quite well into their middle 80s and beyond without too many physical problems. It's so easy to get caught up in the moment and forget about the future. But, now is a great time to start planning. Here are a few things to think about if you want a less stressful future.