elder care la grange il, elder care lagrange il, home care lagrange il, home care western chicago il, home helpers home care chicago il, in-home care la grange il, long term care in il, senior care la grange il, senior care lagrange il, senior services in il, senior services la grange il, Brookfield, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Darien, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Indian Head Park, LaGrange, Lombard, North Riverside, Oak Brook, Riverside, Westchester, Western Springs, Westmont, Willow Springs,Willowbrook.

‘Villages’ Let Elderly Grow Old at Home in Brookfield, IL

August 24th, 2010 | Author: Kathy

Everybody wants to stay in their own home as they age. I found this article on usatoday.com that discusses "villages" that are popping up across America that are just for the senior community. Here is an excerpt below, to read the full article Click Here.

The explosive growth of the USA’s older population is fueling a grass-roots "village" movement in neighborhoods across the country to help people age in their own homes.

More than 50 villages in a neighbor-helping-neighbor system have sprouted in the past decade from California and Colorado to Nebraska and Massachusetts. They are run largely by volunteers and funded by grants and membership fees to provide services from transportation and grocery delivery to home repairs and dog walking.

Most villages have opened in the past couple of years, an indication that the momentum is growing in the face of a demographic tsunami: The number of Americans 65 and older is expected to more than double to 89 million by 2050, according to the Census Bureau.

The oldest of 79 million Baby Boomers turn 65 next year, a turning point that will begin to put pressure on social services, retirement homes and assisted-living facilities.

The "village" concept is taking off in small and big cities and suburbs across the country as the percentage of elderly rises while the share of the working-age population that supports them declines. The percentage of people 65 and older is projected to climb from 13% today to 19% by 2050, while the share of adults age 20 to 64 is expected to drop from 60% to 55%, the Census Bureau says.

"We will hit a really pivotal point," says Julie Maggioncalda, a University of Pennsylvania geriatric social work student who is interning at the Capitol Hill Village in Washington, D.C. Nursing homes won’t be able to handle all the elderly, she says.

"We simply don’t have enough space, and if we don’t have a village, that burden will fall on families," Maggioncalda says.

AARP research shows that 90% of people want to grow old in their home and community.

"Villages are one way people can lead the life they want to live," says Mimi Castaldi, AARP vice president for volunteer engagement. "They’ve caught the imagination of people."

How villages operate:

•Residents pay a membership fee that varies from $25 to $600 or more a year, depending on the types of services members want. Some villages have paid staff members; others are run completely by volunteers.

•Most villages are opening in more upscale neighborhoods in cities and suburbs, but they all provide discount dues for lower-income elderly.

…continue reading by Clicking Here.

Remember for the best in Home Care visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | No Comments »

Caring About A Care Giver in Riverside, IL

August 18th, 2010 | Author: Kathy

I found this article about care givers and how important it is to take care of them as well. Here is an excerpt below, to read the full article click the following link: http://ezinearticles.com/?Caring-About-A-Care-Giver&id=1080425.

By Byron Pulsifer

So many emotions and so many thoughts of being helpless come to our mind. If you know of someone who is dying, or who is seriously ill, our hearts always seem to rest squarely on that person. For those who are concerned about this seriously ill or dying person, we usually want to help, but can’t. We are not miracle workers; we are not able to heal them no matter what we may think of doing or wanting to do. But, in all our concern shown towards this person there may be someone else who desperately needs our help but seems to be far away in the shadows of our minds.

The person, who we can help, however, is the care giver especially if this person is the primary person extending at home care. Day in and day out, they are constantly vicariously living with their loved ones pain and anguish. The ups and downs that seem to come and go as if in a blur are there continuously. There is no way to escape the pain, the sorrow, the incessant question of being able to cope after their loved one has died. So, what can you do?

Remember for the best in Home Care visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | No Comments »

Link Between Depression, Cholesterol May Differ by Gender in Darien, IL

August 10th, 2010 | Author: Kathy

Here is a good article that I found and wanted to pass along to you. For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

MONDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) — Gender-specific regulation of cholesterol levels may help prevent depression in the elderly, suggests a new study.

French researchers followed a large group of men and women aged 65 and older for seven years. They found that depression in women was associated with low levels of "good" high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which puts them at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, including stroke.

Previous research has shown that certain types of stroke increase the risk of depression.

In contrast, depression in men was linked with low levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). This association was strongest in men with a genetic vulnerability to depression related to a serotonin transporter gene.

The study appears in the July 15 issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry.

"Our results suggest that clinical management of abnormal lipid levels may reduce depression in the elderly, but different treatment will be required according to sex," corresponding author Dr. Marie-Laure Ancelin, of INSERM, Montpellier, France, said in a journal news release.

…continue reading HERE.

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | No Comments »

Seven Health Care Changes You Might Have Missed in Clarendon Hills, IL

August 4th, 2010 | Author: Kathy

Here is a very helpful article that I found and wanted to pass along to you. For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

You’ve probably heard that the new health overhaul law this year will provide an option for young adults to stay on their parents’ health plans and set up insurance pools for people with pre-existing medical conditions who can’t find insurance. But several lesser-known provisions also take effect in coming months that could have a lasting impact on the nation’s health care system.

These provisions include eliminating patients’ co-payments for certain preventive services such as mammograms, giving the government more power to review health insurers’ premium increases and allowing states to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income adults without children.

While these changes might not have gotten at lot of attention, they could help build support for the law in the run-up to the contentious mid-term elections. Here’s a quick look at some of the changes occurring this year:

Prevention For Less

What: Insurers won’t be able to charge co-payments or deductibles for certain preventive services such as breast cancer screenings every one to two years, cholesterol blood tests and some sexually transmitted disease screenings. Insurers will also have to cover recommended immunizations at no cost to patients. Some health care analysts have suggested that premiums may rise as a result of this and other new requirements, but administration officials say any increase in premiums would be miniscule.

When: The change takes effect Sept. 23, which means it applies to plan years that begin after that. For many plans, their new year begins after Jan. 1.

Status: The Department of Health and Human Services says regulations are on their way. Paul Bonta, associate executive director for policy and government affairs at the American College of Preventive Medicine, predicts manufacturers of vaccines and diagnostic tests will push for their products to be labeled preventive services in a bid to have them covered at no cost to consumers.

Knowing Which Treatments Work Best

What: A nonprofit research institute will examine various medical treatments — by looking at data and conducting its own studies — to determine which methods work best. This is often called "comparative effectiveness research."

When: The comptroller general of the United States — who runs the Government Accountability Office — will appoint the 17 members of the institute’s board of governors, which will oversee the institute’s operations.

Status: Everything about this institute, from its board members to its findings about treatments, is likely to generate great interest and potential controversy. The law says the board’s findings can’t be interpreted as requiring how doctors practice medicine or what insurers cover. However, in the quest to control health care costs, employers, insurers and others may point to such data as rationales for changes in coverage and treatment patterns.

…continue reading HERE.

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | No Comments »

New Scan May Spot Alzheimers in Westmont, IL

July 27th, 2010 | Author: Kathy

Here is an interesting article that I found and wanted to pass along to you. For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

A small company with a new brain scan for detecting plaque, the hallmark physical sign of , Alzheimer’s disease presented its results on Sunday at an international conference in Hawaii, and experts who attended said the data persuaded them that the method works.

Until now, the only definitive way to diagnose Alzheimer’s has been to search for plaque with a brain autopsy after the patient dies. Scientists hope the new scanning technique, described June 24 in The New York Times’ series “The Vanishing Mind,” will allow doctors to see plaque while the patient is still alive, improving diagnosis and aiding research on drugs to slow or stop plaque accumulation.

Neurologists have known about plaques ever since Alzheimer’s disease was first described in 1906. They are microscopic bumps made up of a protein, amyloid beta, appearing on the surface of the brain in areas involved with learning and memory. They are so characteristic of Alzheimer’s that they are required for a definitive diagnosis of the disease.

Of course, doctors do not wait for a brain autopsy to diagnose Alzheimer’s. They use memory tests and evaluations of patients’ reasoning and ability to care for themselves. Yet with autopsy, even doctors at leading medical centers have been wrong as often as 20 percent of the time: people they said had Alzheimer’s did not have plaque.

Continue reading by Clicking Here.

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | No Comments »

Green Tea Has Rejuvenating Effect on Damaged Brain Cells in La Grange, IL

July 22nd, 2010 | Author: Kathy

Numerous studies around the world have suggested that drinking tea may help support the brain as people get older. Tea consumption is inversely correlated with the incidence of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, which may help to explain why there are significantly lower incidence rates of age-related neurological disorders among Asians than in Europeans or Americans.

But, according to Dr. Silvia Mandel of the Technion’s Eve Topf Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the study she led was one of the first to show how the main antioxidant polyphenol of green tea extract, EGCG, actually works when it gets access into the brain. Mandel presented her findings last month in Washington DC to a rapt audience of colleagues at the Fourth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health.

Continue reading by Clicking Here.

Content Provided By www.AlzheimersWeekly.com

For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | No Comments »

Female Caregivers Face a Heavier Toll in Hinsdale, Illinois

July 13th, 2010 | Author: Kathy

Here is an intersting article that I found and wanted to pass along to you. For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

More prone to depression than men when watching over ailing, elderly parents, review finds

A new Canadian review finds that adult daughters suffer more than adult sons from poor relationships with ailing and aging parents who need their care.

"Adult daughters place greater emphasis on their relationships with their parents, and when those relationships go awry, it takes a worse toll on the adult daughters than the adult sons," said review author Marina Bastawrous, a graduate student at the University of Toronto.

An estimated 44 million adults in the United States provide unpaid care to another adult. A 2004 study commissioned by the AARP and other organizations estimated that caregiving is more stressful on women, who make up more than six in 10 caregivers: 40 percent said caregiving stressed them at high levels, compared to just 26 percent of men.

Eye Care Advice for Aging Eyes in Western Springs, IL

July 7th, 2010 | Author: Kathy

Here is a good article that I found and wanted to pass on to you. For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

(ARA) – Growing older and getting reading glasses seem to go hand in hand, just like getting gray hair or wrinkles as you age. But that doesn’t have to be the case if you take steps to care for your eyes as you age.

Presbyopia, a natural effect of aging, happens to just about everyone around the age of 40, even if you have had laser eye surgery. As you age, the lens in each of your eyes begins to lose its ability to change focus quickly on an object or page of text, causing blurred vision at reading distance. Chances are that you know several people who have this condition, and you may develop it yourself, now or in the future.

Some simple, yet often overlooked steps can help you take care of your eyesight as you age:

* During prolonged intervals in front of a TV, computer or other electronic device, try blinking more often than you might normally. Every so often, look away from the device and focus on a distant object.

* Be sure to have adequate light while reading; a simple lamp may not do the trick, causing you to strain your eyes.

* Maintain a healthy diet. Contrary to popular belief, carrots are not the best vegetable for your eyes: spinach and other dark, leafy greens contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, beneficial antioxidants for vision.

* Visit your eye care professional regularly.

Beyond a healthy lifestyle, there are solutions to common age-related vision problems. With presbyopia, bifocals or reading glasses (for contact lens wearers) are a common solution. However, reading glasses can be cumbersome and easily misplaced, and bifocals require you to use a magnification lens intended for reading anytime you look down, which can make mundane tasks as simple as walking down stairs unnecessarily difficult.

Bausch + Lomb’s Multi-Focal contact lenses are designed with All-Distance Optics, a technology that delivers sharp, clear vision wherever you choose to focus. By using a gradual power shift across the entire lens, your eyes effortlessly adjust from up-close reading to mid-range computer work to distance vision while driving. There’s no need to reach for glasses to accommodate a quick change in distance.

Multi-Focal contact lenses mean you don’t have to sacrifice convenience for clear, crisp vision. Ask your eye care professional about how Multi-Focal contact lenses can help you say goodbye to your readers today, or log on to www.goodbyereaders.com to learn more.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | No Comments »

Aftercare Tips for Patients Checking Out of the Hospital in Westchester, IL

June 30th, 2010 | Author: Mary

According to a study published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine, one in five Medicare patients returns to the hospital within 30 days of being discharged. The problem is an expensive one: in 2004, these readmissions cost Medicare $17.4 billion dollars, the researchers also found.

Read more from the New York Times by Clicking HERE.

For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at www.maryandmikecare.com.

Posted in Home Helpers Home Care LaGrange IL | Tags: aging lagrange il, elder care hinsdale illinois, elder care in il, elder care la grange il, elder care lagrange il, elder care western springs illinois, home care in il, home care la grange il, home care lagrange il, home care lagrange illinois, home care western chicago il, home care western springs il, home helpers home care chicago il, in-home care la grange il, long term care in il, senior care in il, senior care la grange il, senior care lagrange il, senior services in il, senior services la grange il | No Comments »

Consumers’ tastes make it difficult to Dash Salt from Diets in Brookfield, IL

June 22nd, 2010 | Author: Mary

A major contributor of heart disease and stroke is salt! Visit us at www.maryandmikecare.com for information and assistance for an aging loved one in the Brookfield, IL area.

Consumers’ tastes make it difficult to dash salt from diets

For years, Americans have been advised to consume less sodium, and they’ve taken that advice with a grain of salt.

Even many health-conscious consumers figured it was the least of their worries, especially compared with limiting their intake of calories, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sugar.

ANTI-SALT INITIATIVE: 16 companies pledge to cut sodium

All that changed last week when a report from the Institute of Medicine urged the government to gradually reduce the maximum amount of sodium that manufacturers and restaurants can add to foods, beverages and meals. The report put a spotlight on what doctors and nutritionists have argued is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke.

Read more at usatoday.com or by Clicking Here.

Home Helpers provides senior care in the following Chicago suburbs:

Brookfield, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Darien, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Indian Head Park, LaGrange, Lombard, North Riverside, Oak Brook, Riverside, Westchester, Western Springs, Westmont, Willow Springs and Willowbrook.

Other Chicago suburbs may be covered.

Please call for more information:

Phone: (630) 323-7231

E-mail: HomeHelpers1@comcast.net