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Activity Ideas
  • Area Senior Centers Provide Awesome Activities for Aging Adults Area Senior Centers Provide Awesome Activities for Aging Adults Fortunately, we’ve been experiencing mild to moderate temperatures so far this summer, with a number of rainy days mixed in. The weather can be a factor that dictates how often seniors get out and about to shop, socialize and participate in community activities. With that ... Read More

Aging in Place
  • Area Senior Centers Provide Awesome Activities for Aging Adults Area Senior Centers Provide Awesome Activities for Aging Adults Fortunately, we’ve been experiencing mild to moderate temperatures so far this summer, with a number of rainy days mixed in. The weather can be a factor that dictates how often seniors get out and about to shop, socialize and participate in community activities. With that ... Read More

Alzheimers
  • Tips for Communicating with Someone Who Has Alzheimer’s 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
  • Life-Enriching Activities for Seniors with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Life-Enriching Activities for Seniors with Dementia or Alzheimer’s It can be a bit more challenging to help a patient with Alzheimer’s continue to enjoy things they once enjoyed before this life-altering diagnosis. After all, we all need a sense of community and fellowship with friends in order to maintain a sense of well-being and peace. ... Read More
  • Managing the Symptoms of Sundowning 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
  • How to Help Seniors with Alzheimer's Disease Eat Well How to Help Seniors with Alzheimer's Disease Eat Well Part of staying well is a nutritious diet. This is even more important for people who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. Check out our tips for helping your older adult eat well! Choosing Food Choose foods the person enjoys. Make sure their diet includes a lot of ... Read More

Asking For Help
  • FAQs About Colorectal Cancer in Illinois and the United States FAQs About Colorectal Cancer in Illinois and the United States As a Doctor of Nursing, a Certified Senior Care Specialist, and owner of Home Helpers Wheaton & Naperville, I have had more than a few opportunities to know senior men and women who were battling colorectal cancer. In fact, a friend of mine informed me that her paternal ... Read More

Care Tips
  • Best Practices in Breast Cancer Prevention and Detection are Vital to Women in Illinois Best Practices in Breast Cancer Prevention and Detection are Vital to Women in Illinois I have a friend who happens to be a private caregiver in another state, and she has been providing transportation assistance to a senior lady who retired from driving more than a year ago after crashing her car for the fourth time. Let’s just say, my friend is this senior’s ... Read More
  • Tips for Improving Your Heart Health 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
  • Tips for Coping with Repetitive Questions from Alzheimer’s Patients Tips for Coping with Repetitive Questions from Alzheimer’s Patients Have you ever noticed that people who suffer from Alzheimer’s often repeat things? Short-term memory loss is one of the most challenging symptoms of mental impairment such as Alzheimer’s Disease of dementia. Rest assured that no senior will want to aggravate you by repeating ... Read More
  • 5 Tips for Managing Stress While Being a Caregiver 5 Tips for Managing Stress While Being a Caregiver How do you handle the stress that comes with being a full-time caregiver for seniors? Anyone who has ever been in a caregiving role for senior adults knows that it can be very rewarding, yet very stressful. The stress that comes along with that “round-the-clock” availability ... Read More

Caregivers
  • Losing Caregiver Guilt and Living at Peace 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
  • How Sandwich Generation Caregivers Can Relieve Stress How Sandwich Generation Caregivers Can Relieve Stress It’s stressful enough being a caregiver for an aging parent, but when you are also in the “sandwich generation,” things can be even harder. The sandwich generation refers to adults caring for senior parents as well as children young enough to still be in the home. The risk ... Read More
  • Stress Relief Tips for Busy Caregivers Stress Relief Tips for Busy Caregivers Being a caregiver is a demanding job and one that requires a lot from you, both psychologically and emotionally. It can be draining but also very rewarding. In order to prevent burnout, you need to learn how to take care of yourself as you are taking care of your loved one. ... Read More
  • 5 Tips for Managing Stress While Being a Caregiver 5 Tips for Managing Stress While Being a Caregiver How do you handle the stress that comes with being a full-time caregiver for seniors? Anyone who has ever been in a caregiving role for senior adults knows that it can be very rewarding, yet very stressful. The stress that comes along with that “round-the-clock” availability ... Read More

Dementia
  • How to Have Meaningful Conversations with Dementia Patients 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
  • How to Reminisce and Remember with Seniors with Dementia 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
  • Life-Enriching Activities for Seniors with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Life-Enriching Activities for Seniors with Dementia or Alzheimer’s It can be a bit more challenging to help a patient with Alzheimer’s continue to enjoy things they once enjoyed before this life-altering diagnosis. After all, we all need a sense of community and fellowship with friends in order to maintain a sense of well-being and peace. ... Read More
  • Common Challenges Caregivers of Dementia Patients Face Common Challenges Caregivers of Dementia Patients Face If you’ve ever been a caretaker for a senior family member, you already know how difficult it can be. The toll it can take emotionally and physically can be daunting if you aren’t prepared. Let’s look at some of the most common issues associated with being a full-time ... Read More

Elder Abuse
  • Home Helpers® is Keeping Seniors Safe from Elder Abuse Home Helpers® is Keeping Seniors Safe from Elder Abuse When a 92-year-old man was moved to an assisted living facility with his little dog, his family had huge hopes that it would be a good fit for him, and he’d thrive. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The man did well for the first three days, then during the early morning ... Read More

Elder Care
  • 7 Self-Care Suggestions for Seniors to Boost Physical and Mental Health 7 Self-Care Suggestions for Seniors to Boost Physical and Mental Health I often talk to my family members, as well as my staff, and caregivers at Home Helpers about the importance of self-care for better physical, mental, and emotional health. Then it occurred to me that many of the seniors that we assist must be reminded about their own ... Read More

Elderly Care
  • FAQs About Colorectal Cancer in Illinois and the United States FAQs About Colorectal Cancer in Illinois and the United States As a Doctor of Nursing, a Certified Senior Care Specialist, and owner of Home Helpers Wheaton & Naperville, I have had more than a few opportunities to know senior men and women who were battling colorectal cancer. In fact, a friend of mine informed me that her paternal ... Read More
  • We Can’t Turn a Blind Eye to Senior Vision Health We Can’t Turn a Blind Eye to Senior Vision Health My family and I have had the most incredible opportunities to travel over the last two months for a business trip in Arizona, a family vacation in Mexico, and recently, my husband and I splurged for a lovely 22 nd wedding anniversary getaway to Lake Michigan. We have all ... Read More

Exercise
  • 7 Self-Care Suggestions for Seniors to Boost Physical and Mental Health 7 Self-Care Suggestions for Seniors to Boost Physical and Mental Health I often talk to my family members, as well as my staff, and caregivers at Home Helpers about the importance of self-care for better physical, mental, and emotional health. Then it occurred to me that many of the seniors that we assist must be reminded about their own ... Read More

Family Caregiving
  • Caring for Senior Parents When Your Siblings Disagree Caring for Senior Parents When Your Siblings Disagree One of the most stressful situations you will ever face is making critical decisions for someone you love. It is very natural to feel strongly about your opinion and feel angry or threatened when others disagree. This stress can easily be compounded when those who disagree ... Read More

Health and Wellness
  • What To Do if You Are Sick What To Do if You Are Sick Call your doctor: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice. Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick Follow the steps below: If ... Read More
  • Helping Seniors with a High Protein Diet 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
  • Exercises for Improving Balance in Seniors Exercises for Improving Balance in Seniors As seniors grow older, you may notice increasing problems with balance. This increases the risk of falling, which can have terrible consequences. Their bones are more fragile and falling can easily mean a broken hip. The good news? There are many exercises that are simple ... Read More
  • Battling Diabetes with Diet and Exercise Battling Diabetes with Diet and Exercise Any diabetic can tell you what a full-time job it is to manage diabetes and all that it requires to stay healthy. Making sure your diet is under control, blood sugar levels are checked often and taking medications as needed is just a part of the process. Most people assume ... Read More

Health Issues
  • Senior Women Should Recognize Subtle Symptoms of Heart Attack Senior Women Should Recognize Subtle Symptoms of Heart Attack My husband and I were watching CBS News recently, and one feature story that caught our attention involved a female cardiologist who suffered a massive heart attack after she ignored several warning signs that she had a cardiovascular condition. Dr. Sandra Nichols says she ... Read More
  • We Can’t Turn a Blind Eye to Senior Vision Health We Can’t Turn a Blind Eye to Senior Vision Health My family and I have had the most incredible opportunities to travel over the last two months for a business trip in Arizona, a family vacation in Mexico, and recently, my husband and I splurged for a lovely 22 nd wedding anniversary getaway to Lake Michigan. We have all ... Read More

Healthy Habits
  • 7 Simple Wellness Tips for Seniors 7 Simple Wellness Tips for Seniors My husband and I recently participated in the Dim Sum and Then Some 5K/10K & Kids Dash in Chicago, and it was quite exhilarating! We both finished strong and had a great time while supporting the Chinese Mutual Aid Association. I must say, there is something extremely ... Read More

Heart Conditions
  • Senior Women Should Recognize Subtle Symptoms of Heart Attack Senior Women Should Recognize Subtle Symptoms of Heart Attack My husband and I were watching CBS News recently, and one feature story that caught our attention involved a female cardiologist who suffered a massive heart attack after she ignored several warning signs that she had a cardiovascular condition. Dr. Sandra Nichols says she ... Read More

Holiday Season
  • Thanksgiving Trivia for Family Fun on Turkey Day Thanksgiving Trivia for Family Fun on Turkey Day I have so much to be grateful for! My husband, Jon, my partner in crime, and amazing father and husband, is embarking on an exciting new business venture. All three of my children are thriving! Lauren and Ethan are in college, and Nolan is a junior in high school. Plus, my ... Read More
  • Helping Seniors Avoid Holiday Depression Helping Seniors Avoid Holiday Depression “Holiday blues” among seniors is very real and should be handled carefully. Older adults often have emotional, mental, and physical needs not taken into account during the holidays, and it can be a difficult time for them. While there are several things that can influence ... Read More
  • How to Help Seniors Enjoy the Holidays 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
  • Helping Seniors Enjoy Thanksgiving 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

News
  • What To Do if You Are Sick What To Do if You Are Sick Call your doctor: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice. Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick Follow the steps below: If ... Read More

Parkinson's Disease
  • Be Proactive in the Fight Against Parkinson’s Disease in Illinois Be Proactive in the Fight Against Parkinson’s Disease in Illinois At Home Helpers, my team and I have had countless opportunities to assist male and female seniors from all walks of life, with a variety of physical and mental health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. Our very own Home Helpers® Case Manager, Kathleen, has personal ... Read More
  • Understanding the Symptoms and Stages of Parkinson’s Disease Understanding the Symptoms and Stages of Parkinson’s Disease In my career, I have known and assisted seniors with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and each one presented with symptoms at different stages of the disease. Considering April is Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month, and today, approximately 1 million people are living with ... Read More

Senior Care
  • Suggestions to Create a Safe and Soothing Bathroom Environment for Seniors Suggestions to Create a Safe and Soothing Bathroom Environment for Seniors One of the most critical services Home Helpers provides is Personal Care. Many seniors with physical and mental health conditions often need assistance with basic aspects of personal hygiene including dressing, toileting, and bathing, and caregivers provide the necessary ... Read More
  • Maintaining a Positive Outlook as a Caregiver 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
  • How Seniors Can Stay Connected During the Coronavirus Outbreak 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
  • How to Protect Yourself from Coronavirus How to Protect Yourself from Coronavirus How to Protect Yourself from Coronavirus Of people who are at risk, seniors and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease are at the highest level of vulnerability to the virus. This higher risk is mainly due to compromised immune ... Read More

Senior Home Care
  • Suggestions to Create a Safe and Soothing Bathroom Environment for Seniors Suggestions to Create a Safe and Soothing Bathroom Environment for Seniors One of the most critical services Home Helpers provides is Personal Care. Many seniors with physical and mental health conditions often need assistance with basic aspects of personal hygiene including dressing, toileting, and bathing, and caregivers provide the necessary ... Read More

Senior Living
  • 7 Simple Wellness Tips for Seniors 7 Simple Wellness Tips for Seniors My husband and I recently participated in the Dim Sum and Then Some 5K/10K & Kids Dash in Chicago, and it was quite exhilarating! We both finished strong and had a great time while supporting the Chinese Mutual Aid Association. I must say, there is something extremely ... Read More

Vision Loss
  • We Can’t Turn a Blind Eye to Senior Vision Health We Can’t Turn a Blind Eye to Senior Vision Health My family and I have had the most incredible opportunities to travel over the last two months for a business trip in Arizona, a family vacation in Mexico, and recently, my husband and I splurged for a lovely 22 nd wedding anniversary getaway to Lake Michigan. We have all ... Read More