COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease encompasses many progressive lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Millions of United States citizens have this condition and there are millions more who have it, but aren’t diagnosed yet. Unfortunately, COPD does have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life. Having companion care at home services can help with monitoring your loved one's condition and assist them in many ways.

As COPD gets worse, the patient has a more difficult time breathing. Many senior citizens first notice they have this condition because they are out of breath even after doing only a light exercise or when going up one flight of stairs. If you or a companion care at home provider notice that activities that were easy for your elderly loved one are not causing shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and/or coughing, you should have them seen by a doctor. 

COPD Risk Factors

Not sure if your elderly loved one is at high risk of getting COPD? There are some risk factors that you and your elderly loved one should be aware of including, but not limited to, the following:

• Smoking
• Air pollution
• Genetics 
• ​Asthma
• Working in a job where they inhale fumes, chemicals, dust, and other irritants

​If you or a companion care t home provider suspect your elderly loved one has COPD, you should have them see their doctor. The doctor will perform various tests and imaging to determine if COPD is the diagnosis. Early detection can help to manage your elderly loved one’s symptoms much better. 

COPD Management 

If your elderly loved one does have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it is important that they get the treatment needed to keep their symptoms mild or at bay. There are numerous ways that this condition could be managed, such as:

• Quitting smoking
• Cleaning the home more often to get rid of irritants
• Staying active to keep the lungs strong and healthy 
• Maintaining a healthy diet filled with nutritional and anti-inflammatory foods

If you and companion car at home providers can help your elderly loved one to manage their COPD, it can help to improve their quality of life. It can also keep their symptoms less severe, too. If you need more assistance in helping your elderly loved one to manage this condition, don’t hesitate to talk to their doctor about it. The doctor will have other recommendations for minimizing COPD symptoms for your elderly loved one. 

Hire Companion Care at Home Providers

Does your elderly loved one have any of the COPD symptoms mentioned above? If so, you should have them see a doctor to get a COPD assessment and imaging. If they are found to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you and companion care at home providers can help them to manage the condition. If your elderly loved one does follow through with the tips noted above, they can have a better quality of life and reduce the symptoms they experience, too. 

Want extra help in managing your elderly loved one’s COPD? Don’t hesitate to get them more home care or medical care assistance. 

Sources:  https://www.cdc.gov/copd/basics-about.html

If you or an aging loved one are considering Companion Care at Home Services in Highland Park IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today at (800) 860-9823.

Is your elderly family member needing help more frequently? For many family caregivers, it’s just not possible to be there with the aging family members that they love, as much as they want to be, especially overnight. That’s when having 24-hour home care services who can be there with your senior any time can be such a relief to both you and your elderly family member.

She’s Able to Be Comfortable

Keeping your elderly family member as comfortable as possible is crucial when you want her to have a high quality of life. What helps her to be comfortable may be something that changes as her health changes and as she adheres to her care plan more closely. Having help from 24-hour home care providers can make sure that is a much easier goal to hit.

​You’ve Got Peace of Mind

One reason that home care around the clock may be appealing to you and to other family members involves making sure that your senior is safe. You can rest a lot easier when you know that there is someone there with your elderly family member both day and night. With some health conditions, that can be incredibly important so that you’re sure your elderly family member is alright even if something should happen.

​Your Senior Has Personalized One-on-one Care with 24-Hour Home Care Services

​Every senior has very different needs, especially at different times. With 24-hour home care, there’s someone there with your senior to pay careful attention to exactly what she needs and when. If your elderly family member is having trouble sleeping or is finding it difficult to eat, there’s someone there with her to address whatever can make those situations easier to manage.

​She’s Able to Be as Independent as She Wants to Be

Independence can be a huge goal for seniors, especially when they want to age in place for as long as they can. Having help from 24-hour home care providers ensures that your elderly family member is able to do what she can, but know that there’s backup there, just in case. This can make a huge difference in how much she lets fear of what might happen influence how active she is during the day as well.

Your Senior Can Still Live Her Life

Most importantly, even if your elderly family member still needs a lot of help, she may still want to be social and engaged in her community. Between that and other necessary trips, like doctor’s appointments, having caregivers there with her who can make sure that she has the transportation she needs can also be crucial. All of this also plays back into keeping your senior’s quality of life as high as possible.

If your elderly family member is self-conscious about the fact that she is in need of more and more help, 24-hour home care services may be exactly what she needs in order to make that happen. Help will be there with her all day and all night, which supports all of her needs as they arise.

If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-Hour Home Care Services in Deerfield IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today at (800) 860-9823.

Does your elderly loved one need to receive respite care? Maybe, their doctor mentioned this type of care or one of the other medical professionals in their life did. No matter how it came about, if you aren’t too familiar with respite care, you may have a lot of questions that you want answers to immediately. Hopefully, these frequently asked questions will get you the answers from our senior home care providers you are looking for. 

What is respite care? 

If you aren’t exactly sure what respite care is, hopefully, this will clear it up for you. Respite care is offered to family caregivers and other caregivers when they need to take a break. Caregiving can be tough and doing it all the time can wear you down. In order to provide the best care to your elderly loved one, it is important to step away to care for yourself for a bit. The senior home care providers that offer respite care can step in to handle the daily hygiene, light housekeeping, and other tasks that your elderly loved one needs assistance with. When you come back, you can do so refreshed and ready to care for your elderly loved one again. 

Does a senior home care provider offer respite care services?

There are many agencies and providers that offer respite care services. If this is something you are looking for to help with your elderly loved one, reach out to a senior home care agency today. They can set you up with the providers who offer this service.

Will private insurance pay for respite care?

There isn’t a straight answer to this as not all insurances do cover respite care. However, you would need to check with your elderly loved one’s insurance company and ask if this is something they cover. You can also contact a respite care company and give them your elderly loved one’s insurance plan information to see if it will be covered. 

Does Medicare and Medicaid pay for this type of care?

If your elderly loved one does have Medicare, there might be some limitations on the coverage. If they have Medicaid, there may be waivers that you need to fill out to get coverage. If your elderly loved one doesn’t have insurance, there are other ways to pay for respite care that you can look into such as GoFundMe accounts, loans, and private company coverage. 

How often is respite care offered?

Generally, there isn’t a limit to how often respite care will be offered. If your elderly loved one does have insurance that pays for respite care, they may have a certain number of times it will be covered each year. However, if it can be paid for in another way, you can still get this service more often. 

Are you looking into getting respite care for your elderly loved one? If so, hopefully, these frequently asked questions and answers gave you a better look at what the service is and when it can be used for your elderly loved one. If you want to know more, don’t hesitate to contact our senior home care agency about it today. 

Sources: https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/home-community-based-services/home-community-based-services-authorities/home-community-based-services-1915c/index.html

If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care Services in Wilmette IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today at (800) 860-9823.

If your senior struggles with dementia, things can become overwhelming easily, but you may still want to do something with them. It can be hard to understand what things will agitate your seniors, so working closely with home care assistance providers who work with your parents is essential. 

Easter is coming up on April 17th, and you may want to find dementia friendly activities for them to do with you. It's also vital to ask home care assistance providers if your senior is doing well that day. Sometimes you will have to be flexible to get the best results. Like anyone else, seniors have their good or bad days, and it's best to not overstimulate them on their bad days. 

If you need some ideas on what to do with your senior who suffers from dementia, take a look at these Easter activities. On Easter, people of all ages gather with their loved ones to celebrate the arrival of spring. This occasion brings back lovely childhood memories for many older individuals. It's also a fantastic opportunity to get elders with dementia involved in some fun activities.

Painting Surprise Eggs

The several stages needed in dying Easter eggs might be tough for elders suffering from dementia. They can, however, still have pleasure decorating the eggs with a little help from their caretakers. Before you begin the exercise, draw amusing shapes on eggs with a white crayon, such as bunnies and butterflies. Provide your elderly loved one some watercolors and urge them to paint the eggs. The white crayon will resist the paint, revealing the picture to your loved one. Each egg can have something unique and surprising to make a senior smile. 

Windowsill Garden

Instead of doing something big, buy some grass and hide little bunnies and eggs in it. This is something small but can make a big impact on your seniors. Growing a little garden is a fantastic way to enjoy the season for many seniors who associate Easter with the new life that starts in spring. If you want more than grass, grow some fresh herbs that you regularly use in cooking. 

Create Sachets

Lavender has been shown to reduce anxiety in people with dementia via its ability to enhance memory stimulation through scent. By supplying little, colorful fabric pouches that can be filled with lavender seeds, you may assist your loved one in making lavender sachets. This can be a way for them to give presents to their loved ones and still be a calming activity to do. Encourage your loved ones to keep the sachet in a separate drawer so they may enjoy an incredible blast of aroma while getting ready.

Make Easter Cards Together with their Home Care Assistance Aide

Thinking about loved ones and writing might assist to improve a senior's memory. Set out various colorful paper, markers, and spring-themed stickers, and encourage your loved one to be creative. You or their home care assistance aides can play calming music softly in the background, and then once the cards are done, they can help them address it to people and send it out. 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Assistance Services in Arlington Heights IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today at (800) 860-9823.

It can be crucial for seniors in retirement to find hobbies they like. This can help them fill up their time and find ways to stay busy when their family isn’t there. It can be hard to take care of older adults because they still want to feel independent, and they may not want to bug you. If you want to ensure your senior who is aging in place is cared for while you are at work or taking care of your own family, it’s time to think about elder care services. This might also help a senior keep a regular routine that includes time for hobbies.  

Having a hobby and a routine is equally important, and these are two things that elder care providers can help seniors with. If seniors need to go out and buy supplies for their hobbies and can’t rely on you to drive them, elder care can help with this. If you have been looking for new hobbies to recommend your parents try out this year, start with this list.  

Some Hobbies that Elder Care Aides can Partake in with Your Senior

Build Fairy Houses 

If a senior has a yard, they can start building little fairy houses to place around their yard. If they have younger grandchildren, they can use these newly built fairy houses to make scavenger hunts for the kids. This gives the seniors something fun to do and allows them to interact with the kids later on. Hobby stores or online stores will have fantastic fairy house options for seniors to build.  

Wood Carving 

Not all seniors will have the space to do this, but if they do, wood carving can be a fun way to create little statues for their yard. If they love to garden, this can be something fun to do where they can see the results later. They can also start painting signs for doors and use wood burning to make designs. There are now wood-burning tools that look like pens that may be easier to handle and safer than other tools to use for wood burning. This is a hobby that needs to be done outside.  

Sewing Dresses 

A senior who used to love to dance doesn’t have to give up the passion. They can take it and use it somewhere else. For example, if a senior loves to swing dance but can no longer move the way they used to, they can learn to create clothing for swing dancers. This might be a fun and unique hobby that can inspire them to become more creative.  

Arrange Flower Centerpieces  

In the summer, a senior may work on gardening. If they have tons of flowers, they can start trimming them and creating arrangements for family members. This is a fun way to get outside and make a nice gift for others. They can also use them as their own decor for their house.  

Dry Fruits and Flowers 

If a senior owns a dehydrator, they can dry out fruits and flowers to do arts and crafts with. It can be a fun way to make decor for homes, like making wreaths for doors.  

If you or an aging loved one are considering Elder Care Services in Lake Forest IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today at (800) 860-9823.

Keeping up with what your elderly family member needs to have the best possible quality of life can feel like a lot, and it is. Here are some ideas that can make this task easier for you to manage as her family caregiver. Hiring companion care at home services can benefit you both. 

Help Her to Keep Her Brain Engaged 

Keeping your elderly family member’s brain as active and engaged as possible is crucial for her overall well-being. Help her to prioritize projects and hobbies that she enjoys. If she doesn’t have either, then finding new ones might need to be a priority for her. 

Make Her Home as Safe as Possible 

When your elderly family member’s home is as safe as possible, that helps to improve her overall quality of life. Your senior needs to be comfortable at home and feel secure. If she’s afraid that she’ll fall or that she’ll hurt herself in some other way, that’s detrimental to her happiness and to her health. Companion care at home can be crucial in keeping your senior’s home as safe as she needs it to be. 

Help Her to Get Outside More 

Being outside can do a lot more for your senior’s mental health and quality of life than even she might realize. Connecting to nature, even if that’s just in her own backyard, can do so much for her. Finding ways to do so safely is paramount, and that’s a way that companion care at home providers can make a difference for your senior. 

Find Ways to Boost Physical Activity 

If your aging family member isn’t as physically active as she really could be or as she needs to be, she must increase her physical activity in a way that is safe for her. Talk with her doctor first, to make sure that she’s able to start exercising. From there, put a plan together that helps her to slowly make progress on her fitness goals. 

Ensure She’s Eating Healthy Foods 

Healthy foods are going to make a big difference for your senior’s quality of life, too. When your senior isn’t eating regularly or she’s eating foods that aren’t nourishing her body, that’s robbing her of what she needs to be as healthy as possible. Working with caregivers to keep your senior eating healthy foods is a great way to stay nourished. 

Companion Care at Home Aides can Help Her to Build and Maintain Relationships

As your senior ages, it can become a lot more difficult for her to keep up with friendships and other relationships that help to nurture her need for connection on a routine basis. Companion care at home allows your elderly family member to have interactions with other people. She’s also better able to build new relationships in general and keep those relationships engaging and healthy. 

So much about your senior’s life now may be dramatically different than it has been for her in the past. Her life now can still support her needs and be fulfilling, but that might mean making some adjustments to ensure that’s the case. 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Companion Care at Home Services in Skokie IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today at (800) 860-9823.

The Home Care Association of America released "State of Home Care: Industry at a Crossroads" in February 2022. It's outstanding!!!



This report showcases data, industry challenges, and new policy priorities concerning the state of home care in the United States. Through this important report, HCAOA calls on home care industry leaders and policymakers to unite around initiatives that address the rapidly growing demand for care and to help Americans age in their own homes with comfort, safety, and independence.



​
The COVID-19 pandemic put home care at the epicenter of a national discussion about the importance, safety, and value of care for older Americans. From how and where people want to age, to who will care for us, to how we will pay for it, the future of America’s long-term care system hangs in the balance for millions of people and the workforce who provides the care they rely on at home.


Watch some of the highlights on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahxBISnZUAc

​
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Deerfield IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.​

Is your elderly family member battling arthritis? If so, you and her 24-hour home care providers need to learn as much as possible about this health issue so you can be of more help to her. Arthritis affects every person who has it slightly differently, especially if your elderly family member is dealing with multiple types of arthritis at once. 

There Are Different Types of Arthritis 

Two of the main types of arthritis are autoimmune in nature. Psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis both involve pain and swelling caused by the immune system overreacting to specific stimuli. Osteoarthritis involves physical damage to the cartilage in the affected joints. It’s typical in joints that have experienced injury in the past. 

Exercise Really Can Help 

Very often arthritis pain keeps people from moving as much as they really should. But moving more often and with purpose can help your senior to experience less pain overall. The key is consistency and not overdoing it, which can be a tough goal for your senior to hit at times. 

Other Solutions May Also Help 

Depending on the type of arthritis that your senior is battling as well as the severity, your elderly family member might have more options available to her than she realizes. Talk with her doctor about what sorts of treatments might help. Those could involve medications that help to control symptoms, hot and cold therapy, massage, and more.  

Sometimes Rest and Getting 24-Hour Home Care Services Is the Best Answer 

Mindful movement can definitely help, but sometimes rest is the answer. And if your elderly family member is still trying to do a lot on her own, 24-hour home care help can be fantastic in giving her more balance every day between being active and resting when she needs it. 24-hour home care providers can take care of more challenging tasks for your senior, allowing her to lean on that assistance. 

Weather Can Have a Big Impact 

It’s easy to forget, but as temperatures dip, that can make arthritis symptoms worse. And if that’s combined with an increase in precipitation, which makes everything damp, that has an impact, too. During those times, your senior might lean even harder on help from 24-hour home care in order to keep feeling as well as she can. 

Managing arthritis means having a variety of different tools available to your senior as often as possible. She can take advantage of whatever helps, even if that means she has to use the entire toolkit at times. 

If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-Hour Home Care Services in Glenview IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.

As your elderly family member ages, her daily life can change dramatically, too. If she’s fighting that, it’s all going to feel worse than it is. Some small changes to how you, her in-home care providers and she approach her life and her health can help to make that time easier on everyone involved. 

Get and Stay Active 

Your senior’s doctor may have already mentioned to her that getting more active is a good idea, but if she hasn’t discussed this with her doctor, she should. Becoming more active doesn’t have to mean that your senior takes up bodybuilding. Walking a little more or engaging in other activities that she enjoys can take care of her needs around moving more. 

Take Care of Her Overall Health 

When your senior is focusing on her overall health, that’s going to make a difference for her. If she’s facing chronic health issues, that might feel impossible. Bringing in in-home care services to make daily tasks easier and to remind your senior what helps to maintain her health can be key. Talk to your senior about what other solutions might be helpful to her in making sure she’s as healthy as possible. 

Make Better Choices Each Day 

Something that’s often overwhelming for people who are trying to improve their health is that it can feel so overwhelming. Remind your senior that all she really has to do is to make slightly better choices every day. That’s easier to do with the support of in-home care providers, so consider making that happen if your senior hasn’t already gotten on board with that idea. 

Accept Help from In-Home Care Aides Now to Make the Future Easier 

If your elderly family member isn’t already accepting help from people besides you as her family caregiver, now might be the time to change that. In-home care services can make your life easier, but they can also ensure that your senior is safe and that all of her needs are met. This is even more important if your elderly family member is experiencing worsening health or is suddenly dealing with health issues when she wasn’t in the past.  

Even tackling only a few of these ideas can make a big difference in how your senior feels and how she approaches her life. Not planning ahead for the changes that are sure to happen in your senior’s life is only going to make that time more difficult for her and for the people who love her. 
 
If you or an aging loved one are considering In-Home Care Services in Chicago IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.

Even seniors are concerned about their skin and the signs of aging. Many people assume that seniors stop caring about how they look, but that is not true. No matter who it is, many people want to slow the signs of aging. Keep in mind that family members and personal care at home providers should never judge how a person looks, but they can help them find ways to slow the signs of aging if a senior insists.  

Aging is a process of getting older that is both genetically driven and influenced by the world around us. It is important to remember that everyone goes through this, and feelings may vary from person to person. Everyone goes through this process at their own speed and time. It is defined as the progressive decline of physiological capabilities required for life and reproduction over some time. However, there are a few tricks to help you age more gracefully. 

Many people, including seniors, want to stay young forever, but that just doesn’t happen. It is unnatural to never age a day, and as we grow older, we should be more accepting of the process. However, there may be some things that a senior can do to slow the aging process. If you do not yet have personal care at home providers helping out your seniors, it may be time to think about hiring someone.

Here are some tips to give personal care at home aides and your seniors when they want to slow down the signs of aging.  

Manage Stress Levels 

Seniors may have more stress than you are aware of, and that is where personal care at home providers can come in handy. They may help take some of the stress off of a senior's shoulders. Chronic stress can impact the body in many different ways. Each chromosome contains two protective caps at the two ends known as telomeres. As telomeres get shorter, their structural integrity diminishes, leading cells to age quicker and die younger. Chronic stress leads to shortened telomeres. 

Start Meditation 

Whether it comes in the form of yoga in a senior class or just sitting in the yard focusing on their breath, meditation is important in a daily routine. This is not only good for a senior's mind and soul, but it is also beneficial to slow the signs of aging. The regular practice of meditation and practicing mindfulness is essential in the aging process.  

Continue Taking In Nutritional Needs 

People often require fewer calories as they age. However, their nutritional requirements are the same as or more than when they were younger. That is why it is critical to consume nutrient-dense, entire foods. To promote good aging, we should consume a range of fruits and vegetables and a variety of protein sources, including meats, fish, whole nuts, nut butter, and beans. 

Keep a Seniors Brain Stimulated 

As we age, our mental health becomes increasingly important to our ability to live freely. Exercise is defined as any activity that tests our minds and pushes us to acquire new knowledge or abilities. 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Personal Care at Home Services in Evanston IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.