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Name: Home Helpers Home Care of Kankakee & Frankfort
Address: 151 West Harrison St., Bourbonnais, IL, 60914, USA
Telephone: (815) 427-4238

Activities of Daily Living

July 27, 2023 A Healthy Quality of Life Includes Social Opportunities for Seniors Quality of life (QOL) is a phrase often used by our Home Helpers team when we assess seniors and aging adults and explore the many ways we can improve and enhance their lives. After all, quality of life simply means “ overall enjoyment of life; general well-being; ... Read More

Alzheimers

January 06, 2020 Tips for Communicating with Someone Who Has Alzheimer’s A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s can be frightening to everyone. Not only does it create memory loss, but also makes any communication at all very difficult as the disease progresses. If you have a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, we know this can be a scary time, ... Read More
December 02, 2019 Managing the Symptoms of Sundowning Alzheimer’s Disease presents many challenges, not the least of which is something called sundowning—a period in the late day/early evening when agitation or irritability can set in for no apparent reason. Confusion tends to worsen as the sun goes down, hence the name. The ... Read More
April 22, 2019 How to Defuse Anger in a Senior with Alzheimer's If you are a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia, you already know that it can be difficult for them to appropriately express anger. So, what to do when that anger seems to be spewed at you? Read on. What is the Root of the Anger? It’s not uncommon ... Read More
February 04, 2019 Keeping Seniors with Alzheimer’s Active and Engaged in Life Just the thought of a senior loved one developing Alzheimer’s or dementia can be frightening. We have pretty much been told nowadays that Alzheimer’s reduces people down to nothing more than a shell of what they used to be. Family and caretakers often feel they have to just ... Read More

Care Tips

March 23, 2020 How Seniors Can Stay Connected During the Coronavirus Outbreak These are scary times, but as with any type of pandemic, knowledge is power. How do you cope with COVID-19 as a senior? We have some tips for you that will leave you empowered and encouraged, so keep reading! Everyone needs social time with loved ones, yet it seems that is ... Read More
March 02, 2020 How to Have Meaningful Conversations with Dementia Patients If you have a loved one with dementia, you probably already know how frustrating it can be to communicate sometimes. Limited understanding and cognitive decline can be very overwhelming for both the patient and the caregiver, but there are ways to make it easier. Here are ... Read More
February 03, 2020 Tips for Improving Your Heart Health Your heart is where your life is! A healthy heart beats between 60-90 beats per minute and that may slow down a little as we age. That means your heart could eat more than 140,000 times each day! It’s crazy to think that the organ we depend on for the very breath of life is ... Read More
January 20, 2020 How to Reminisce and Remember with Seniors with Dementia Everyone loves to share memories, but there’s something extra special about sharing and talking about memories made many years back. For seniors who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, memories are especially special because the disease robs them of the ability to ... Read More

Caregivers

March 30, 2020 Maintaining a Positive Outlook as a Caregiver Caregivers these days suffer from something known as compassion fatigue and burnout. While you may not have heard these terms before, they are very real, and you might identify with them as we continue to live in a state of emergency due to Covid-19. Just how do you stay ... Read More
January 27, 2020 Losing Caregiver Guilt and Living at Peace If you are feeling a bit guilty when it comes to taking care of your older loved ones, you are not alone. Negative emotions are quite common as you walk the caregiving process, and it’s important to know what to do with those emotions as they come up. On top of feeling ... Read More
June 25, 2019 Tips for Managing Caregiver Stress If you are a caregiver for a senior loved one, you know how tough it can be, both mentally and physically. It can be overwhelming, especially if it becomes a full-time job! You need to expect some adjustments and know that even if it’s hard to manage the stress, there are ... Read More
May 30, 2017 How to Become a Caregiver for the Elderly For nursing homes and retirement facilities, there’s nothing more valuable than high-quality help. While many businesses need qualified and reliable help, no industry needs it quite like that of caring for the elderly. Being a caregiver for the elderly has so many rewards, ... Read More

Elderly Care

March 27, 2023 Filtered Findings About Kidney Disease Among Aging Adults in Illinois The father of a caregiver I know died nearly 20 years ago as a result of kidney disease and failure. He had commuted to another city an hour from his home for dialysis three times per week for almost a year before he died. Ironically, he succumbed to the disease only two ... Read More

Fall Prevention

September 28, 2023 6 Safety Steps to Help Prevent Seniors from Falling Did you know that… Every 11 seconds, a senior is seen in an emergency department after having suffered a fall? More than one in four seniors aged 65+ falls each year in America? Falls result in more than 3 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including ... Read More

Health and Wellness

July 27, 2023 A Healthy Quality of Life Includes Social Opportunities for Seniors Quality of life (QOL) is a phrase often used by our Home Helpers team when we assess seniors and aging adults and explore the many ways we can improve and enhance their lives. After all, quality of life simply means “ overall enjoyment of life; general well-being; ... Read More
February 19, 2020 Helping Seniors with a High Protein Diet Did you know that a diet high in protein is incredibly important for seniors? Protein is particularly important right before medical procedures or surgery and can help the healing time during an acute illness when the body doesn’t digest protein as easily. For our seniors, ... Read More
April 01, 2019 Lowering the Risk of Heart Disease Among Seniors Did you know that heart disease kills more people than any other condition in the United States? While there can be genetic risk factors that increase your odds of developing heart disease, most often it is brought on by lifestyle choices that can be corrected. With one in ... Read More
April 09, 2018 How Alternative Sweeteners Can Help Alzheimer’s Bet you don’t know that there is a link between Alzheimer’s Disease and…. wait for it…. SUGAR! We’ve been told for years how dangerous the effects are from a diet high in processed sugar. It’s not just an issue of getting cavities anymore; sugar has a far more terrible ... Read More

Healthy Habits

February 24, 2023 5 Facts About the Heart and Heart Disease to Optimize Heart Health An elderly gentleman was preparing to eat lunch when he told his caregiver that he was experiencing heartburn. They discussed what could have caused it, recanting a list of foods and beverages he had consumed prior to mealtime, and no conclusion was formed. Considering the ... Read More

Heart Disease

February 24, 2023 5 Facts About the Heart and Heart Disease to Optimize Heart Health An elderly gentleman was preparing to eat lunch when he told his caregiver that he was experiencing heartburn. They discussed what could have caused it, recanting a list of foods and beverages he had consumed prior to mealtime, and no conclusion was formed. Considering the ... Read More

Holiday Season

December 24, 2018 How to Help Seniors Enjoy the Holidays Holiday time can be tough for many of us, especially seniors. There are a variety of reasons that make this a difficult time for many people. Seniors often feel anxious about needing assistance or being a burden. They may fear they won’t hear well and can’t enjoy the ... Read More
December 17, 2018 Preparing Your Home to Host Senior Loved Ones During the Holidays Holidays can be a crazy for time for many of us, especially if you are hosting family members. Perhaps you remember everyone gathering at your parents’ house when you were growing up, and now the mantle of responsibility falls on you—how do you prepare for hosting elderly ... Read More
November 19, 2018 Helping Seniors Enjoy Thanksgiving It’s that time of the year where family and turkeys converge. The big Thanksgiving get-together is traditionally a time to share a meal, gratitude for the good things in our lives, and just good fellowship with those we love. Many of us are mindful of our diets, including ... Read More

Living Independently

July 26, 2022 Home Helpers® Makes Independent Living Easy for Seniors I recently published a social media post welcoming a new Home Helpers® franchise to the East Peoria, Illinois area, because I am proud to be Mom and Mother-in-law to the owners, Jillian, and Josh! The point of my prideful post was to introduce residents in and around East ... Read More

Medical Alert Systems

August 26, 2022 Medical Alert Systems Provide Security and Peace-of-Mind for Seniors Since August is Medical Alert Awareness Month, I decided to explore some facts and statistics about medical alert systems and monitoring services. I found an interesting source in The Senior List which published a report in June 2020, following a survey of more than 600 ... Read More

Parkinson's Disease

April 26, 2024 Home Helpers Bourbonnais Delivers Specialized Parkinson’s Care and Respite for Family Caregivers A few weeks ago, a Home Helpers caregiver was providing respite care for a family caregiver to a senior gentleman with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The family caregiver is the man’s oldest daughter, and she has two children: a young man who is a senior in high school preparing ... Read More
April 26, 2023 Understanding More about Parkinson’s Disease In a recent news story, a breakthrough in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research was reported. Researchers identified a biomarker in brain and body cells they call the “Parkinson’s protein,” that is linked to the development of PD. Since there is no cure for PD yet, this exciting ... Read More

Senior and Health Issues

March 27, 2023 Filtered Findings About Kidney Disease Among Aging Adults in Illinois The father of a caregiver I know died nearly 20 years ago as a result of kidney disease and failure. He had commuted to another city an hour from his home for dialysis three times per week for almost a year before he died. Ironically, he succumbed to the disease only two ... Read More

Senior Care

June 27, 2023 Home Helpers® Successfully Supports Senior Independence It matters not how long we live but how. Philip James Bailey This is a simple statement but an inspirational one. After all, in my experience as the owner of Home Helpers® Kankakee & Frankfort, I have engaged seniors of all types, many of whom strive to remain active and ... Read More
March 27, 2023 Filtered Findings About Kidney Disease Among Aging Adults in Illinois The father of a caregiver I know died nearly 20 years ago as a result of kidney disease and failure. He had commuted to another city an hour from his home for dialysis three times per week for almost a year before he died. Ironically, he succumbed to the disease only two ... Read More
April 06, 2020 What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Have you wondered what the symptoms are of the coronavirus? You’re not alone! It seems COVID-19 is all we’ve heard about for the last three months each time you turn on the TV or listen to the news. It’s important to know what to look for, who is more vulnerable, and what to ... Read More
March 23, 2020 How Seniors Can Stay Connected During the Coronavirus Outbreak These are scary times, but as with any type of pandemic, knowledge is power. How do you cope with COVID-19 as a senior? We have some tips for you that will leave you empowered and encouraged, so keep reading! Everyone needs social time with loved ones, yet it seems that is ... Read More

Senior Safety

June 27, 2023 Home Helpers® Successfully Supports Senior Independence It matters not how long we live but how. Philip James Bailey This is a simple statement but an inspirational one. After all, in my experience as the owner of Home Helpers® Kankakee & Frankfort, I have engaged seniors of all types, many of whom strive to remain active and ... Read More

Stroke

May 30, 2023 BE FAST to Improve Stroke Outcomes Among Aging Adults I often ask myself, “Where does the time go?” It seems to go faster and faster every year, and months fly by like minutes sometimes. This personal observation has touched me though because it can take only minutes – maybe a few hours – following a stroke that can make or ... Read More