Senior citizens often enjoy traveling in groups that contain others from their age bracket. If this is the case, perhaps an educational vacation is the way to go. This type of vacation allows seniors to travel to new places, but it also includes a small educational aspect. It has been said that learning new things helps to keep the mind young, so seniors would benefit greatly from an educational vacation. When planning a vacation, there are a few tips that can help along the way.

1. Use a travel agent that you trust. These agents will often have information that you would not get if you booked the vacation online. The travel agent will also be able to get the best deal and available senior discount.

2. Set some limits. Traveling somewhere new is exciting, but it is difficult to take it all in within the amount of time you are allowed. Try to narrow the scope of interest to include points of interest, historical sites or museums.

3. When on the vacation, make use of hired guides. These guides have great knowledge of the area in which you are visiting. They will be able to inform you of local history as well as other valuable information.

4. Take physical limits into consideration. If you are a senior, you know what your body can handle. If you are a caregiver who is planning the trip for another, make sure you are aware of what that person can handle physically.

Source: www.ehow.com

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

As we age, we are more prone to certain diseases and health issues. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of them. While this is a term that is commonly heard, many people do not understand the serious complications that could arise as a result of hypertension. Elderly patients are affected by the disease much more than young or middle-aged patients. This is why a healthy lifestyle is important as you get older. Hypertension can cause many other health problems, including stroke, congestive heart failure and heart attack. Below are some ways to lower the risk of developing the disease.

• Diets that contain high amounts of salt. Studies have indicated that the reduction of daily salt intake will lower the blood pressure. Low sodium diets are highly recommended for most elderly patients.

• High levels of alcohol intake. If you, or an elderly family member, consume high amounts of alcohol on a daily basis, the risk of the development of hypertension is increased.

• Past family history of high blood pressure will increase risk. It is important to be aware of any family member who has been diagnosed with hypertension. The disease does run in families and can be transferred genetically, even if the patient does not live a lifestyle that includes any other risks.

• Obesity. It has been proven that hypertension affects obese individuals more often than those who maintain a normal weight.

• Individuals with an African American heritage will be at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

Source: thedoctorwillseeyounow.com

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

Please join us Wednesday, December 9, 2009!

You are cordially invited to celebrate the book release of Stages of Senior Care.

Join us for a celebration of a new one-of-kind resource book that guides families through the stages of senior care. All proceeds from Stages of Senior Care will benefit the Home Instead Senior Care Foundation. This non-profit organization provides financial support for activities designed to improve the quality of life for seniors. Such opportunities may include research and development, education, and/or advocacy for the health and well being of older adults.

Join us as author PAUL HOGAN Home Instead Senior Care Co-Founder & CEO discusses his latest book, Stages of Senior Care,a comprehensive resource that explores care options and the decision-making process involved in planning for your parent’s senior years. This book will help you make informed decisions that will give you and your loved one peace of mind.

Learn more about the book at www.stagesofseniorcare.com

MEET THE AUTHOR of the all-in-one care guide that Dr. Mehmet Oz (author of You: The Owner’s Manual) calls “Informative. Complete. And practical.”

Two Locations:

Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Location:

Resurrection Retirement Community

7262 W. Peterson

Chicago, IL

Time: 10 a.m. - Noon

RSVP: by phone to 847-673-1250 homeinstead383@hotmail.com by Tuesday, December 1.

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

Q – I’m moving my mom into my home to provide for her senior care needs. We’ve already discussed some of the financial aspects with regards to arranging bill payment and financial responsibilities; but are there any other pros and cons we should consider with regards to money?

A – Unfortunately, money is always that white elephant in the room! Your question is a great one, because those are important things to know ahead of time, so nothing surprises you!

Pros:

• Living expenses (utilities, mortgage etc) don’t increase significantly when just one person is added to the home, but having another person to contribute to these bills can reduce the home owner’s costs!

• With taxes, families might be able to receive a deduction for having an additional dependant in their home

• Household items, like food, might be bought in bulk to save more money

• Any assets from the sales of the seniors home can be invested

Cons:

• Depending upon future care needs, one or more members of the household might need to take time off work, or hire additional senior care assistance

• Seniors may lose tax deductions once they’re no longer a home owner and other factors regarding capital gain may apply

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

When the stress of family caregiving gets to be too much, it’s a sign that family caregivers need to take a step back on focus on themselves from time to time. Self-care is crucial to effective family caregiver, and these family caregiver survival tips are ones that all caregivers need to ensure they take proper care of themselves and their senior care recipients:

1. Take care of yourself with diet and exercise – eat well throughout the day, and no matter how busy you are, don’t skip meals, otherwise your energy levels will drop. Exercise at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes, and pick something that you enjoy doing (walking, biking, aerobics class)

2. Walk away – you won’t walk away permanently from your care responsibilities, but you can take a step back when you need to. Take a break, even if just for a few minutes, or have someone else step in to provide respite care

3. Seek help – 72% of caregivers refuse to receive outside help with their responsibilities; don’t be one of them. Ask a family member to step in and help, or hire a professional home caregiver to give you a break. Also, don’t be afraid to lean on others when you’re stressed, even if it means joining a support group

4. Spoil yourself – reward yourself for all of your hard work, once a week or once a month, go get a massage, have a manicure, go to a movie, or take a hot bath with a glass of wine. Do something that helps you rejuvenate!

5. Don’t neglect your health – remember to get yourself to the doctor regularly, especially if you’re feeling ill. You’ll be better help to a senior when you’re in one piece!

Via: Caregiver Stress

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

Seniors don’t just need to focus on saving money over the holidays; when they live on limited incomes, budgeting is crucial year-round. But, with the holidays approaching they’re sure to have additional expenses, which makes financial planning even more important to ensure that seniors can get by! The following are 10 useful financial planning tips that all seniors should consider over the holidays:

1. Talk to a professional – talking to a financial planner, either by using a service or speaking with one provided by a local branch of your bank can help you make sure you plan to meet your financial goals and needs. For example, they can help you get on track saving for future medical or care needs.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – if you’re struggling to cover your basic needs then your local Area Agency on Aging can connect you with resources that can help

3. Find ways to reduce utility costs – keep blinds down and windows and doors closed to preserve optimal temperatures for your house

4. Walk, don’t drive – taking a car or public transportation can be more costly, so walk when possible and benefit your health and your wallet

5. Never make fast financial decisions – always ask for a second opinion before making decisions

6. Grow your own produce – plant a garden in your yard, a family member’s garden, or in a community plot to grow your own produce and cut down on food costs

7. Buy healthy items – convenient, pre-prepared items might be fast and easy, but they are less healthy and often  more expensive

8. Buy generic – generic brands are less expensive, purchase them for foods and for your medications

9. Carpool – it’s more fun to travel places with company anyways; share transportation costs by carpooling!

10. Plan to stay at home – aging in place is the more desirable option for most seniors, and it can be more cost-effective too

Via: Home Instead Senior Care

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

Sometimes when it comes to many aging concerns, the answers are quite simple; many seniors fear cognitive decline as they age, and the best way to get a healthy mind is to adopt a healthy lifestyle! While of course, there’s no way to ultimately guarantee that healthier habits will prevent conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia, they can set the stage for a healthier mind!

1. Eat with your brain in mind – it’s not just our bodies affected when we make bad food choices, are minds are affected as well. To boost your brain power, start the day with a meal that contains protein by including eggs, nuts (like peanut or almond butter), or lean protein from animals. For lunch and dinner, include protein that contains Omega 3 fatty acids like tuna, salmon or sardines. With meals, try organic foods and whole grains

2. Sleep well – sleep improves brain function greatly, it might be something taken for granted, but it’s crucial to overall health, both mind and body! Getting 8 hours of good sleep per night is crucial for seniors, no matter what it takes!

3. Use vitamins to your advantage – since our diets don’t always provide the essential number of vitamins and nutrients for optimal brain functioning, multi-vitamins can fill the void. Your multi-vitamin should have the following nutrients in these quantities provide the greatest benefit:  omega 3 fats (1,000 mg of fish oil), vitamin D3 (2,000 IU), calcium (600 mg), magnesium (400 mg) and B vitamins like folic acid, B6 and B12.

4. Learn how to turn off – whether you’re a senior or a caregiver, you lead a busy life; learn how to turn off to relax and rejuvenate, your brain will thank you and you’ll find yourself more productive

5. Think green – while green vegetables are of course beneficial to health, it’s green living we’re referring to here. Avoid environmental toxins and pollutions, which the brain is sensitive to.

Via: AOL Health

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

While the virus itself is spreading amongst the population, so are many rumors and myths about the illness itself. In order to ensure that they make the best decisions for their health, seniors need to understand what information they’re hearing about the virus is based on fact and what’s based on fiction – so here are some common rumors that we’re going to clear up:

1. The swine flu shot isn’t for everyone – unfortunately, there is not enough of the H1N1 vaccine to make sure the complete population is protected, although the CDC does recommend it. Those who are in higher risks groups should receive the vaccine as soon as it’s available, including women who are pregnant, those who are around or care for babies under 6 months of age, everyone age 6 months through age 24, and anyone with pre-existing medical conditions between the ages of 25 and 64

2. The seasonal flu shot offers protection against the Swine Flu – the H1N1 virus varies from the season flu, and therefore those in the high risk groups should receive BOTH shots to ensure protection and cannot expect that one shot offers protection for both. However, do note that the risk groups for the seasonal flu shot vary from the H1N1 Virus

3. Getting the seasonal flu vaccine makes people more susceptible to H1N1 – studies have both proven and disproven this myth, so at this stage there is no firm answer

4. Seniors are most at risk for H1N1 – seniors are actually in the lower risk group for H1N1 and in the higher risk group for the seasonal flu. Seniors over the age of 65 are less likely to contract H1N1 but should speak to their doctors to determine if they should receive the shot due to existing medical conditions

Via: DailyFinance

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

If you’re like most modern caregivers, you spend a lot of time online, whether it’s part of your life as a caregiver or your life in your career; you browse the internet for resources, you follow news sites, and you stay in touch with others on a personal and professional level with email and social networking. While technology does help you to optimize your time, it doesn’t mean that you’re using it as efficiently as you could be.  It is possible to find even more time in your day, just by making use of some of the software packages available to you:

1. Manage your email – sorting through your email to determine what’s total junk, what needs your attention immediately and what can wait until later can be a laborious and long task. Take advantage of software programs like Outlook or even Gmail that allow you to filter your email by sender, by subject and priority so every time you open your email, it’s well-organized  and your priorities are in place! Spam filters on these programs can also help you save time by eliminating the amount of junk email you receive; if these aren’t doing a good enough job try a program like Cloudmark’s Spam Blocker.

2. Use software that make repetitive tasks efficient – how often do you find yourself providing directions to your care recipient’s home when you require respite care? Every time you send them, you waste precious moments typing them out. Instead, you can try a program like Activewords that allows you to create a shortcut to frequently used data so it’s automatically inserted into a file or email!

3. Sign up for RSS feeds – if there are blogs or news pages that you frequent for your career or role as a caregiver, sign up for an RSS feed that will send relevant stories to your email (which can then be sorted and filtered) or use a blog reader like GoogleReader so you don’t have to sort through irrelevant data every time you try to catch up on your resources

Sources: Gaia

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.

Caregivers cherish every second they have in their day, particularly if it’s a rare second of free time. They can find more of that time simply by making the tasks they need to do more efficient, and reading is one of those things. Often caregivers spend time reading to improve their skills and knowledge for caregiving, and other necessary things relating to their careers and home life. Here are some tips caregivers can use to improve their reading skills and speed:

1. Learn active reading – often when reading our minds drift away and we’re not totally engaged in what’s in front of us on the pages. Try to more actively engage your mind by taking notes, doodling keywords or underlining key words in passages. This will also help to engage your memory

2. Try a reading software – software programs like EyeQ teach you how to physically read faster by helping you learn how to move your eyes back and forth more quickly when reading

3. Try a technique called Photoreading – if you’re reading for the sake of gathering specific information alone from a document, you can increase your reading speed with this technique which teaches you to focus on what you want to get out of the book or document

Sources:

1. Gaia

2. Nina Potter

When needing help with aging parents or older adults living in the Chicago area please contact one of our offices -  Home Care Chicago North Side (773) 784-4024, Home Care Chicago Gold Coast and Lincoln Park (773) 463-3500, or Home Care Chicago Downtown, Near West, South Side (312) 348-7238.