Americans are often faced with having to make difficult decisions, therefore  we do our best to prepare for all the unexpected things. The decision to place a  loved one in someone else’s care or a long term facility is a struggle in every family. We strive to always be there for our loved ones and help them with whatever we can do. When it is out of our reach and when we no longer can help them, the decision to seek for help can be quite a struggle.  We want to make sure that they are ok and are getting the best care. So when we hear of new report done by USA today that 1 IN 5 NURSING HOMES GET LOW STARS,  it concerns a lot of family that are struggling to make an already tough decision.  

USA Today found  that nearly all of the nursing homes that were awarded one or two stars are owned by for-profit corporations.  This finding however was not well received with Medicare’s Thomas Hamilton, who spearheaded the rating system.  He would like to see more improvements. Thomas did say that one positive thing with the data finding is that there was a decrease in the number of one star nursing homes.   

When you are considering of placing your loved ones in a long term care facility, do your research.  Better yet,  choose an alternative option. 

 Choose for your loved ones to stay home surrounded by the people and memories they love. 

 Choose Home & Hearth Caregivers…….

For more on this article visit www.cbsnews.com

What is long-term care?  Long-term care is support and health services for persons who have lost the capacity for self-care due to illness or frailty.

What is long-term care?  Long-term care is support and health services for persons who have lost the capacity for self-care due to illness or frailty.

Who needs long term care insurance? A common misconception about long term care is that it is just for the elderly. Anyone of any age or occupation may need long term care at any time for any length of time. Age is not an issue with long term care.

When will I need long-term care? When you continuously need substantial assistance to perform 2 of the 6 activities of daily living. Those activities could be bathing, continence, dressing, eating and toileting. Or, when you require substantial supervision to protect yourself from threats to health and safety due to the presence of a cognitive impairment.

How long must I need care to be considered long-term? When a chronic illness has left you needing care for more than 90 days. 

What are the levels of long-term care? There are three levels of care that can be provided in an array of long-term care settings.

Custodial Care: is non-skilled care that is necessary due to a cognitive impairment or to assist you with your daily activities. 

Intermediate Care: the care provided by a registered nurse or other skilled nursing professional on an interim basis, not necessarily daily.

Skilled Care: the care provided by a doctor or registered nurse on a daily basis. This care is usually provided in a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility.

Respite Care: short-term, limited services from home care to healthcare provided by outside agencies to provide the primary caregiver a break from the responsibilities of full-time eldercare. 

Where are these services provided? These services can be provided at home, a community based care environment or in a facility.

What other services are provided during a long-term illness? When a person is receiving care, the main caregiver may need time off from their duties. Respite care allows the caregiver to be away for several days or just hours to run errands. If you have a terminal illness and have less than 6 months to live, you may need Hospice Care.

What are the chances that I may need long-term care? Over 70% of people over age 65 will require some long-term care services at some point in their lives.

 Information provided by Senior Care Concepts and Guide to Long Term Care .

As a national average, July is the month with the highest number of reported burglaries.  The reasons behind this statistic include:  unoccupied homes while families vacation; fully-bloomed landscaping providing natural cover for criminal activity; and reduced home security to take advantage of the height of the summer season.  A majority of residential burglaries occur during the day and with no forced entry.

The Village of LaGrange Police Department would like to provide Village residents with the following crime prevention suggestions to deter the possibility of a residential burglary:

1.         Keep all doors closed and locked, even when you are at home.  Although not as secure, when you are naturally ventilating your home with open entry doors, a locked storm door provides some measure of deterrence. Always lock your doors if you are leaving your home or going to sleep.

2.         Similar guidelines apply to windows.  Do not leave windows open when you are away.  Be sensible about which windows you leave open overnight for ventilation.  Use window locks.

3.         Secure sliding glass doors.  Place a metal rod or piece of hardwood in the track and install vertical bolts.  These will help prevent burglars from forcing the door open or lifting it off the track.

4.         Lock the door to an attached garage.  Do not rely on your automatic garage door opener for security.

5.         Make your residence appear occupied, even when no one is at home.  Use timers on lights, radios and TV=s.  Window treatments should be maintained with a normal, everyday appearance.

6.         Consider decorative outdoor lighting.  It is a cost-effective way to discourage intruders.

7.         Have a trusted neighbor collect mail and newspapers while you are away so delivered items do not accumulate.  You can also ask a neighbor to park in your driveway to make it appear that you are present.

8.         The Village of LaGrange Police Department provides a free vacation watch service to discretely check on your home while away.

 9.         Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and walkways.  While large, ornate hedges may be beautiful, they also provide a hiding place for burglars.

10.       LaGrange is a caring and community-oriented Village.  If you hear or see something that is suspicious or just out of the ordinary, please do not hesitate to call 911.

For more crime prevention information including a vacation watch request, please contact the LaGrange Police Department at 708-579-2334.

Article provided by Village of LaGrange

10. Home & Hearth Caregivers is ready to fulfill whatever needs the client request.  No task is too small or activity too large.

9. All our Home & Hearth Caregivers staff are licensed, bonded and insured.

8. All of our caregivers are experienced professionals and go through an extensive screening process including drug testing.  All of the Caregivers have passed thorough criminal background checks and participate in our ongoing training sessions.

7. We are flexible to our clients needs whether they need two hours or 24 hour live-in care.

6. Home & Hearth Caregivers are conveniently located in your neighborhood. Home & Hearth Caregivers provides care in the greater Chicago metropolitan homes of seniors living in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will and other counties in Illinois.

 5. Home & Hearth Caregivers can be reached in the evening or on weekends, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  

4. Home & Hearth Caregivers allows our clients to choose their own caregiver. After meeting the family and performing an in-depth assessment in the home, we review the Caregivers uniquely qualified for each situation and choose two to introduce to our client. They are then free to decide which individual they feel would be the best fit in working with them at home.

3. Home & Hearth Caregivers is not a nationally franchised company where one can get lost in the shuffle.

2. Home & Hearth Caregivers has high standards due to the fact that we are a division of Parker Cromwell HealthCare. We have committed ourselves to set the bar to enrich your experience and to surpass your service expectations in the senior home care industry. 

1. Receive one free hour of Senior Care when you sign up for 6 or more hours of service.

Cooking for Seniors is something that we don’t give much thought to. But everyday we age. Another thing about aging is that you may have noticed that what you didn’t like when you were younger you now find delicious. As we age, our sense of taste and smell diminishes. Seniors may not be eating as much as they should because of this. There are many things to consider in preparing food for seniors, whether it is cooked by themselves or by a caregiver.

First you have to follow the guidelines and calorie intake specified by their family physician because the wrong foods and preparation can cause a risk of obesity or malnourishment, changes in their physical health such as, blood pressure, diabetes, digestion problems, and certain medications need to be taken before eating, with food, or after eating.

There are several ways to give more flavor to foods and adds nourishment. Seniors, or the caregiver, should consider cooking fresh vegetables instead of buying processed, frozen dinner trays. Try cooking vegetables, potatoes or rice in chicken broth that is low-sodium or using broth in mashed potatoes instead of milk or cream. Use meat that is more tender, lean cuts. This will lessen the fat and the more tender cuts have more flavor. Cook skinless chicken breasts or thighs, these can be baked, broiled or grilled. Fresh herbs can be added to salads, sauces, meats and vegetables for added flavor. When buying ground beef, use ground sirloin for less fat content and more flavor.

Breakfast cereal is more tasteful and nutritious if cooked cereal is used. Fruit can be added for more taste, and healthier eating. If sugar can be added, try mixing sugar with cinnamon and adding to oatmeal or serve yogurt with granola and fruit. If seniors can prepare or help prepare the food for their meal, they feel more useful or if they can just sit in the kitchen and handling the vegetables and fruits, it can help patients with the loss of memory by familiarizing them with things they used to do in the past for their family.

It doesn’t matter what a person’s age is, you never outgrow the need for family unity at mealtime. If you have a member of the family that is a senior, or are a caregiver of a senior, consider shopping for food that they are accustomed to eating and let them share in shopping with you. When preparing the food consider how much more enjoyable it is to prepare it with someone while sharing moments together. Food tastes better to all of us at any age, if it is shared with someone. They will enjoy their food more and look forward to mealtime if they have companionship and someone to share a conversation.

Article provided by Senior Daily Living. http://seniordailyliving.com