Nurses provide more than medical care to seniors

During National Nurses Week, let’s recognize the men and women who have chosen nursing as their profession. These dedicated individuals tend to be overlooked, but without them the medical community could not function.

Nurses touch their lives on a personal level

Nurses can reach out to those who are in need of care and touch their lives on a personal level. Whether a patient is in a hospital, medical office, rehab facility, in-home or other facility, a nurse can provide more than just comfort and care for their patients. Through a personal connection, a nurse can tap into their mindset and help them get through challenging situations. Nurses will try to provide comfort to a patient, even when there is no getting comfortable. They are there to ensure that a patient and his or her family know what the next steps are in treatment so the patient can make progress as quickly as possible.

Nurses have even been considered substitute family members. When you cannot be with a family member while they are in the hospital, rehab or nursing home, you can be comforted knowing that a nurse is there to care of your loved one.

The need for nurses continues to grow

As Baby Boomers continue to age and the healthcare field continues to grow, the need for nurses will continue to grow.

We have many nurses employed with us at Assisting Hands® Home Care. These men and women are kindhearted, thoughtful and hard-working. Their goal is to provide the best possible care to those in their charge. They continue to learn and grow, becoming better at what they do. Whether they are registered nurses, licensed practical nurses or certified nursing assistants, they provide outstanding home care to our clients that will improve the quality of their lives. As a result, they provide peace of mind for the families of our clients.

At Assisting Hands® Home Care, our goal is to give you a less stressful environment, while providing a safe and enjoyable experience for your loved one. Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight we can accommodate your needs. You will sleep better knowing that your loved one isn’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100.

Dementia versus Alzheimer’s: What’s the Difference?

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you walked in there? Or have you frantically looked for your car keys thinking that you knew exactly where they were, but they were nowhere to be found? Those types of situations, looked at individually, do not mean you are developing dementia. They could simply be classified as mild forgetfulness, which is a normal part of aging. However, if you find your keys, but don’t know what to do with them, you may want to seek medical advice.

I often hear statements like, “My mother has Alzheimer’s disease” or “My father-in-law has dementia.” These terms seem to be used interchangeably frequently. Many people believe they mean the same thing; the fact that they have different meanings confuses patients, families and caregivers.

Dementia is the general loss of cognitive functions, like thinking and remembering things. Alzheimer’s disease is one of several types of dementia. Types of dementia include (but are not limited to):

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Lewy body dementia
• Frontotemporal disorders
• Vascular dementia

Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the Center for Disease Control, the 5.4 million people with Alzheimer’s disease account for 50 to 70 percent of all dementia cases. This is the most common form of dementia, which is why many people use these terms interchangeably.

Plaque may build-up between nerve cells and tangles (twisted fibers of another protein) inside cells, which may happen as people age. This plaque is much more developed for those people with Alzheimer’s.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s may include impaired thought or speech, and confusion. The symptom that is most common in the early stages of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering something new. That is why someone might remember an event from decades earlier, but not what they did earlier that day. Over time, however, this recall may continue to get worse. Other symptoms may develop, such as deepening confusion, mood changes, more serious memory loss and even difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.

Unlike some other forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s is degenerative; currently there is no cure for it. Scientists are trying to figure out how the plaque build-up affects this disease. The good news is that there has been a lot of progress in the last 15 years that could lead to new treatments to help reduce its effects or possibly provide a cure.

Lewy Body Dementia

Named for scientist, Friederich H. Lewy, who discovered irregular protein deposits in the brain stem in the early 1900’s, Lewy Body dementia (LBD) affects approximately 1.4 million Americans. These abnormal protein deposits found in the brain stem disrupt the brain's normal functioning.

The symptoms of Lewy Body dementia are similar to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease dementia, so this lesser-known form of dementia has been underdiagnosed. However, the core features of LBD include:

• Cognition impairment, with attention and alertness deficits

• Visual hallucinations

• Sudden Parkinson-related symptoms

Because of the type of disease, people with LBD require wide-ranging treatment. The goal is to find the best treatment for each portion of the disease, without worsening symptoms from other areas. However, these treatments will simply slow the progression of the disease; there is no cure for it at this time.

Frontotemporal disorders

Frontotemporal dementia is caused by nerve cell damage to the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain. The degeneration of the lobes can cause a decline in behavior and personality, language, and muscle/motor skills. This disease generally affects people in their 50s and 60s, but has been found in people as young as in their 20s or as old as in their 80s.

At this time, the only known risk factor for frontotemporal dementia is genetics, which is the leading cause in about a third of these dementia cases. Unlike other forms of dementia, this disorder does not have any treatments to delay the progression of the disease, only medication to reduce anxiety or depression.

Because of the decline in muscle and motor skills, patients tend to wind up wheelchair or bed-bound, with issues chewing, swallowing, moving and other motor skills.

Vascular dementia

Vascular dementia is caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain, caused by a variety of conditions. A lack of blood flow to any part of the body could kill cells, but it is even more damaging to the brain, where there is the biggest network of blood vessels in the body. This might happen after a stroke and could get worse if a person has a series of small strokes.

When the brain does not get enough blood, the result is a decline in thinking skills. This decline could be mild, but could worsen if a person has a series of strokes or other conditions that block the blood flow.

Symptoms of vascular dementia (or vascular cognitive impairment, a term some experts want to use) can vary depending on what area of the brain is damaged from the lack of blood flow. If the portion of the brain that controls memory is not affected, a person’s memory may not be affected either. Other symptoms may include confusion, disorientation, difficulty speaking and/or vision loss. These symptoms may be more obvious right after someone has a stroke, but could improve during recovery. However, symptoms could get worse if a person has another stoke or a series of mini-strokes.

As with other forms of dementia, there is no cure for this disease. Controlling risk factors, such as no smoking, lowering blood pressure and weight, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight could help prevent additional decline.

What can you do?

If you think you or your loved one may have more pronounced memory loss, your doctor can perform a series of screenings, such as blood tests, brain scans or mental evaluations, to confirm the type of dementia you or a loved one has.

Our owner, Richard Ueberfluss, has earned the designation of Certified Dementia Practitioner® from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. This Council was formed to promote standards of excellence in dementia education to professionals and other caregivers who provide services to dementia clients. Its goal, as is the goal of its members, is to develop and encourage comprehensive standards of excellence in direct-care skills, education and sensitivity in the area of dementia care. Richard is committed to those standards and shares them with everyone at Assisting Hands^® Home Care.

We provide our clients with home care so they get the help they need, whether they have mental or physical struggles. We want them to stay safely in their own home for longer. We also provide a respite for you, the family caregiver. Whether you need someone to be with your senior loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, our at-home care can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100. To learn more about our in home senior care from LaGrange to Naperville, Wheaton to Willowbrook, click here.

How to Prevent Vision Loss from Glaucoma

Did you know that glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable vision loss and blindness in the United States? There are approximately 3 million people in the United States alone (60 million worldwide) who have glaucoma, with half of them not even knowing they have the disease. Of the 60 million people worldwide, 13% are blind. According to the National Eye Institute, the number of cases of glaucoma will increase almost 60% in the next 25 years.

What makes this disease a ‘sight-stealer’ is that many people don’t even know they have it since there are no symptoms in its early stages. In fact, a person could lose up to 40% of their vision without even noticing! Yes, almost half of a person’s eyesight could be lost and they would not know it. What’s worse is that once vision has been lost due to glaucoma, it cannot be restored.

Glaucoma tends to affect middle-aged and older adults, but it can affect people of all ages. Vision loss associated with this disease is irreversible because it damages the optic nerve, which is what is used to carry the images you see to the brain. It’s like fraying a power cable to your television; as more damage occurs, the picture gets worse. If the cable becomes completely frayed, you won’t get a signal at all.

Although there is currently no cure for glaucoma, it can be treated with medication or surgery to slow or prevent further vision loss. If caught early, a person might have little to no vision loss.

During National Glaucoma Awareness Month, we want to share a couple tips to help you avoid suffering from this preventable disease:

•  Get Regular Eye Exams. A comprehensive eye exam can check for glaucoma. If a person receives regular eye exams, it is possible to catch this disease before it reduces eyesight.
•  Know If You Are High Risk. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, you are at a higher risk of developing glaucoma if:

    You are of African, Asian and Hispanic descent.

    You have a family history of glaucoma.

    You are a diabetic.

    You are over 60 years old.

Glaucoma is not curable, but when caught early enough, it is treatable, which can prevent irreversible eyesight loss. Many people don’t know that this is could be an issue for them. But once you know, you can do something about it simply by getting a comprehensive eye exam on a regular basis.

At Assisting Hands^® Home Care, our goal is to provide our clients with the help they need to keep them safely in their own home for longer. We also provide a respite for a family caregiver who needs a break from their caregiving duties or who can’t manage all those duties by themselves any longer. We can be there for your loved one whether they have physical or mental challenges.

Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, our at-home care can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100. To learn more about our in home senior care, click here.

Is Your Loved One Ready for Winter?

As the song goes, ‘Baby, it’s cold outside.’ The temperature has dipped below zero and there is snow on the ground. Whether or not the calendar says it is officially winter, it certainly feels like it.

This is the time of the year when kids might be outside building a snowman, sledding or having snowball fights. They, and you, have your winter gear out and ready to use.

But what about your senior loved ones? Along with the cold winter months come additional hazards, especially for older adults. Are they prepared?

Here are a few senior safety tips to make sure your loved ones have a safe and healthy winter:

• Accidents While Driving.

  This time of the year the roads are icy and it gets dark very early. Anyone could have a hard time stopping. If an older adult’s reflexes are slower or if their eyesight isn’t what it used to be, it makes them even more likely to have an accident when the weather is bad. According to the CDC, 600 older adults are injured or killed in vehicular accidents every day.

What can you do?

Suggest that they only drive during the day or when the weather is clear.

Make sure their vehicle is tuned up, and their brakes and tires checked (and replaced if needed).

If they have a cell phone, even just for emergencies, make sure they keep it charged and with them in the car in case of an emergency.

• Falls.

  If anyone steps on a patch of ice or snow the wrong way, you could fall. That is even more of an issue for older adults, especially if they are unsteady on their feet. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than one in three adults over 65 years old will fall each year, with more than 1.6 million older Americans having to go to the emergency room because of falls. Studies show that there is a high correlation between cold weather and falls in older adults.

What can you do?

If your loved one lives in a house, make sure their driveway and walkways are clear of snow and ice. If you or they can’t clear it, hire someone to do it for them.

Make sure they have proper footwear for winter – boots or shoes with non-skid soles to give them better traction on a slippery surface.

If they use canes or walkers, replace the rubber tip if it is worn out.

If they don’t have to go out in cold, icy weather, then they shouldn’t. They could be said for adults and kids too!

• Snow shoveling injury.

  If your loved one is capable and in a house, they might want to get out and shovel the snow or ice from their walkways and driveway. If you have shoveled wet snow, you know that it can become very heavy very quickly. This could cause a strained back, arms, or legs; a fall; or even a heart attack.

What can you do?

Shovel the snow for them. It’s a little extra exercise for you and it takes the burden away from your loved one.

If you can’t shovel for them and they, or you, can afford it, pay someone else to shovel the snow.

If they choose to shovel, make sure they have a good, ergo dynamic shovel or even a snow blower (if they are comfortable using it).

Ask them to take breaks when shoveling so they don’t get too winded.

Make sure they shovel correctly, bending from their knees, not from their back.

At Assisting Hands® Home Care, our goal is to provide our clients with the help they need to keep them safely in their own home for longer. We also provide a respite for a family caregiver who needs a break from their caregiving duties or who can’t manage all those duties by themselves any longer. We can be there for your loved one if they need to go out in the cold, icy weather so you don’t have to worry about them falling.

Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, our at-home care can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100. To learn more about our in home senior care, click here.

5 Tips to Make the Most of the Holiday Season

Some people look at this holiday season as a joyous time; others look at it with dread. Buying gifts, putting up decorations, cooking, baking, entertaining – there is a lot to do. Do these things sound fun or frustrating?

If you are a family caregiver for a senior loved one, you might dread having to do all of these extra things because you are already overwhelmed. Caring for your loved one takes time – cooking meals, feeding, grooming, medicating…the list could go on and on. That is on top of everything else you have to do – spouse, kids, activities, friends, career. The list of activities never ends! Then add all the hustle and bustle of the holidays on top of it and you might find it hard to keep afloat.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Especially at this time of the year, we all should have gratitude for the things we have. Finding peace, even in the small things, is not impossible. Although there may be some added work, the holidays can still be joyous.

Here are 5 tips to help you make the most of the holiday season:

·         Make a list and check it twice.  If it works for Santa, it can work for you too! Do you need to shop for gifts? Identify who you are shopping for, what they want and where you will find it. Do your homework online before you go. If you are so inclined, get your shopping done online and save yourself the trip to the mall. Is there extra baking and cooking to get ready for company? Pull out your recipes, check your ingredients and make sure you have what you need. This will save you from having to make multiple trips to the grocery store. The time you save from making fewer trips to the store can be used for doing something fun with your family instead.

·         Get the family involved in baking or cooking.  Did your mom used to make special Christmas cookies? Or was there a special dish that she made for dinner? Get your loved one involved with a holiday activity. Let your mom measure flour, use the cookie cutter to stamp out cookie shapes, or put icing/sprinkles on the special holiday cookies. This gets mom involved in the activity while being engaged with you or even the grandkids. Why not let them help as well and create new memories and traditions! It’s a win-win.

·         Go to a holiday event.  Almost every town has some sort of holiday event happening in the next few weeks. Is there a parade, light festival, concert, bazaar or other event happening nearby? Do your kids have school concerts or parties where family members are invited? Find something the whole family can go to and enjoy the time together. Make sure to mark the occasion with a couple of pictures that you can print for your loved one as a memento of the time together.

·         Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect!  No one said that every cookie has to be perfectly iced, every ornament in exactly the right place or every package wrapped with the perfect ribbon and bows. Sometimes the most memorable events are the ones when things aren’t perfect. “Remember when Uncle Joe spelled mom’s name wrong on the package?” “Remember when mom let us put the ornaments on the tree and we each divided up our sections?” Those were the good ‘ol days!

·         Remember the reason for the season. In the whole scheme of things, it’s okay if there is one less cookie or perfectly-wrapped package. If you can spend more time with your family sitting by a fire, singing a carol, or watching a classic movie, your holiday season will be a success!

At Assisting Hands^® Home Care, our goal is to provide our clients with the help they need to keep them safely in their own home for longer. We also provide a respite for a family caregiver who needs a break from their caregiving duties or who can’t manage all those duties by themselves any longer.

Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, our at-home care can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100. To learn more about our in home senior care, click here.

10 Reasons Why You Should Quit Smoking Cigarettes

Saturday, November 19^th is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout event. Smoke from across the nation can use this day as a way to finally decide that they should quit smoking, or have it be the day when they actually quit. Either way, the goal is to create more non-smokers.

According to the CDC, as of 2014, approximately 17% of American adults smoked cigarettes. That equates to about 40 million adults. There have been many studies done showing the harmful effects of cigarettes, yet many adults continue to smoke.

With the Great American Smokeout just around the corner, we want to share 10 reasons why you should quit smoking cigarettes today:

1. The smoking rate has declined in the last 10 years; 21% in 2005 to 17% in 2014. More people realize the harm smoking does to their bodies.
2. Even with the drop in number of people smoking, almost 500,000 deaths each year can be attributed to smoking. This is 1 in every 5 deaths.
3. Smoking can hard almost every organ in your body and can cause many diseases.
4. Smoking is the cause of over a dozen cancers, including esophagus, lung, stomach, liver, kidney, cervix, bladder, colorectal and more.
5. Smoking causes 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths.
6. Smoking causes almost 2 dozen chronic diseases, such as stroke, cataracts, heart disease, pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, reduced fertility, arthritis and more.
7. Smoking may increase your risk of stroke and heart disease by 2 to 4 times.
8. Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers.
9. Within 2 to 5 years after you quit smoking your risk of having a stroke could fall to the same level as a nonsmoker.
10. Within ten years after you quit smoking your risk of lung disease drops by half.

If you haven’t seriously thought about quitting smoking in the past, now is as good a time as any. There are deadly consequences to people who continue to smoke. As each year goes by once you quit, you start to reverse the negative effects smoking had on your body. We have seen first-hand what a lifetime of smoking does to the health of a person. Use the Great American Smokeout event on November 19^th as your reason to quit.

At Assisting Hands^® Home Care, our goal is to provide our clients with the help they need to keep them safely in their own home for longer. Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, our at-home care can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100. To learn more about our in home senior care, click here.

Health Risks that Increase for Veterans

Did your dad, uncle, grandfather or a female relative serve in one of the armed forces? Chances are that someone in your family was in the military. My dad was in the Army, stationed in Key West during the Bay of Pigs invasion. You may think that Key West would be a prime place to be stationed, but being that close to Cuba during those trying times was not the ‘fun-in-the-sun’ that you might think!

On behalf of everyone here at Assisting Hands® Home Care, we want to thank all veterans for their service. It is because of their service that we have the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. We pray that the men and women currently serving in the Armed Forces stay out of harm’s way.

In addition to the dangers that these soldiers face, there are a variety of health risks that are greater for men and women who serve in the military than those who do not. Below we identify the added health risks they may face.

Most of these factors are prevalent whether veterans are young or old:

• Higher Risk of Heart Disease. Veterans who suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) may have blood vessels that don’t expand as much as non-veterans, leading to a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. According to a researcher from the University of California, San Francisco, there needs to be more research into the relationship between mental health and cardiovascular disease.

• Suicides. Beginning in 2008, the rate of suicides in the Army outnumbered those of civilians. Almost one-third of suicides of military personnel involved alcohol or drug use. Depression and PTSD are suicide risk factors that should not go unchecked.

• ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). U. S. veterans are almost twice as likely to contract ALS as the rest of the population, according to the ALS Association. It doesn’t seem to matter if the veteran served in a time of war or peace. Researchers are still looking for the link between military service and this incurable disease.

• Cancers and Other Health Problems Associated with Agent Orange Exposure. Veterans who served in Korea or Vietnam and were exposed to Agent Orange are at an increased risk for several diseases, including cancers, type 2 diabetes, Hodgkin’s disease, heart disease and more. It is even more important that these veterans and their loved ones take care of them in the hopes of preventing one of these diseases.

At Assisting Hands® Home Care we take pride in serving our veterans, as well as civilians. With all the sacrifices they have made for our country, we are honored that we can be with them when you can’t be there. Our caregivers are aware of these health risks and are trained to look for these symptoms.

Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight we can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that your loved one isn’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100.