November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month

HIGHLAND PARK, IL (November 2017) – In honor of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month this November, Freedom Home Care, one of Chicagoland’s leading and most respected home care agencies, is helping clients and their families understand and care for patients with the disease.

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior affecting more than 5 million Americans. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily life. What many family members may not know is that Alzheimer’s can cause significant damage to the neural pathways in the brain which are responsible for sending messages back and forth to different parts of the body.

Living with the effects of Alzheimer’s on a daily basis can be challenging for both patients and their caretakers. And, communicating with a loved one who has the disease can also take a significant toll. Family members and caretakers experience first-hand the struggles of talking to a loved one that may be having trouble following simple directions or even recalling certain memories or events and want to know what they can do to improve communication.

To change the conversation about Alzheimer’s and to assist families, friends and caregivers of those receiving Chicago in-home care and personalized elder care in better meeting the needs of loved ones, Freedom Home Care has developed the following strategies to strengthen the way loved ones relate to one another:

· Some of the changes families and caregivers might notice are loss in train of thought, struggling to find the right words, speaking less, repeating the same words, using gestures more than speech, describing things instead of using names, and trouble putting words in a logical sentence. As these changes progress, it’s good to keep in mind that in many cases it’s still possible for seniors to communicate in a meaningful way.

· When talking to loved ones, there’s less chance for misunderstanding by remembering that a senior’s ability to communicate is not dependent on their diagnosis. It may be easier for a loved one at a certain stage to have thoughtful conversations with family members than someone else with the same diagnosis.

• Freedom Home Care advises to stay present and honest with loved ones and remain patient and supportive. Highlight their strengths, avoid arguments, encourage independence, spend plenty of time with them and keep conversations slow and at a steady pace.

In its effort to raise awareness for the disease, Freedom Home Care recently hosted a ‘Canasta for a Cause’ event raising more than $900 for Alzheimer’s research and is sponsoring the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research where more than 600 communities come together across the country to raise funds for care, support and research for the disease.

For more information, contact (847) 433-5788 or visit www.freedomhomecare.net.

ABOUT FREEDOM HOME CARE

Founded in 1996, Freedom Home Care is one of the leading and most respected home care agencies in the North Shore and throughout the Chicago area. With 20 years of service, and a team of over 1,000 professional and compassionate caregivers, Freedom Home Care provides in-home care options to fit the needs of any client. From full-time live-in care to flexible hourly assistance, Freedom offers services to allow clients the freedom of being at home.

Freedom Home Care’s main office is located at 1749 Green Bay Road in Highland Park. For more information, contact (847) 433-5788 or visit www.freedomhomecare.net.