Mission Statement

To provide information, products and services regarding home based living in a way that preserves the wellbeing of both the care recipients and their care givers.

If you have difficulty reading the newsletter in the color scheme below, please click on “Read Online” in the upper right hand corner for black print on a white background.

We recommend that Caregivers review the section for Care Receivers, to aid them in assisting their Receiver, and, also, for themselves, as much of the information can help them stay healthy and avoid health issues as they age themselves.

Care Receivers

Movement

This week from Senior Fitness With Meredith we have a seated hip stretch video that is excellent. It is safe and will relieve us of tightness in our hips and give us more flexibility to have better balance and live more safely. The comments below the video convinced me this was the video for this week when I was was selecting one. If I had seen this video a few months ago I might not be going to physical therapy right now for just this reason.

See Video Here

Movement

Runners World magazine offers six tips for older runners to stay healthy, if you are still running or would like to get back into it or give it a try at this stage of you life. The author, Amby Burfoot, is well renowned in the running community and has excellent advice here. The first tip is to back off if you are having pain or any issues affecting your gait or running motion. Again, something else that I wish I had seen three months ago. Another tip is to take care of your feet. This is critical. A good pair of running shoes is an investment in your health, not an expense. And don’t forget inserts and good socks.

Read Article Here

Wellness

We will once again revisit metabolic health. As Dr. Phillip Ovedia of the Order of St. Francis Health advises, metabolic syndrome is the leading cause of chronic disease. He provides us with five things to know about metabolic health in the article, and, there are two videos with him below the article with more information. Nutrition is such an important part of our goal to stay healthy and at home, that we will feature information like this on a regular basis.

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Wellness

Food for memory. Fish, berries, whole grains. The Cleveland Clinic lists these three categories as the best foods to improve memory and brain health. This is another critical issue for us as we age. For many of us, a diet such as those suggested in the article, like the Mind Diet, are a departure from our traditional eating habits. Even adding two dinners a week with the options suggested here can make a difference, and maybe help us change these long held habits.

Read Article Here

Aging In Place

“Aging in place requires careful planning and consideration to ensure safety, comfort, and independence as someone grows older. Factors like transportation options, home safety, family support, and healthcare access all need to be considered to make it a safe and worthwhile option.”

This is from a US News and World Report Article titled “Senior Living Guide: What is Aging in Place” It covers all of the topics in the quote above and more. This article is for care receivers and potential family/friend caregivers alike. As we have discussed earlier, planning for these eventualities is of utmost importance.

Read Article Here

Aging In Place

This is a really nice article about a man in California, Leon Watts III, who was a contractor for years and later enrolled in the USC David School of Gerontology so he could better understand the needs of senior citizens who wanted to remain in their homes, so he could adapt them appropriately. I am not sure if there are any contractors here in the Chicago area who have gone to these lengths, but there are very good, experienced ones here. Email if you have any needs like this and we can refer you to a couple.

Read Article Here

Caregivers

Competence

In a Q and A, Dr. Leslie Kernisan answers the question, what to do if you are concerned about an aging parents’ level of competence. Once again, Dr. Kernisan offers excellent advice on how to handle another delicate topic as our loved ones age.

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Resources for Caregivers

The Salt Lake City Tribune has information that all caregivers can find useful. There are quotes from caregivers describing the life of a caregiver and some helpful ideas about dealing with the challenges involved. About halfway down in the article are valuable statistics describing what caregivers feel they need most in being supported.

Read Article Here

And One More Thing

Prescription drugs. This article will be of interest if you are an Amazon Prime Member. Amazon is expanding its’ $5 per month per RxPass service to include senior citizens on Medicare who are Prime members. Up to 80 generic drugs that treat many of the most common health conditions are available for ordering. They are available in 46 states and have same day delivery currently in 9 cities.

Here is a link with more information

Read Article Here