The Leaves Journal
News, Information and Tips for Seniors
Care Focus: Personal care and grooming services
Care Focus - Personal care and grooming services At Leaves Personal Care our dedicated team of caregivers provides tailored personal care services that prioritize dignity, comfort, and individual preferences. We understand that each client has unique needs, and we strive to create a
The Dangers of Hiring a Private Caregiver
Henrietta’s Big Decision A Fictional Story About The Real Dangers of Hiring a Private Caregiver Once upon a time in a city not far away, there lived an elderly woman named Henrietta. Henrietta valued her independence and dignity and preferred to age in
Arnold’s Top Tips for Aging
Arnold’s Top Tips for Healthy Aging A host of celebrities are pushing 80 and redefining our ideas of what it means to get older. One of those is Arnold Schwarzenegger who turned 77 this year and remains active on TV in the series
Finances and Older Adults
Finances and Older Adults Money is a sensitive subject, and when you’ve been managing your own affairs, you’re your life, having someone even hint that maybe you might benefit from some support can feel insulting. Nevertheless, often as we age, we do need
Estate Planning – It’s Not So Bad!
Estate Planning – It’s Not So Bad! By guest writer Michael Lichterman - Baar & Lichterman – baarlegal.com Do you dread estate planning? You’re not alone. But I’ll let you in on something . . . it’s not that bad. In fact, most
Understanding Neuropathy
Beat the Tingles: Living with Neuropathy as We Age Neuropathy is a condition affecting the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, becomes increasingly prevalent as we age. Symptoms of neuropathy include pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness, most commonly in the hands and
Meditation and Self Talk
A Healthy Approach to Self Talk At Leaves Personal Care, we desire to care holistically for the complete person. Part of that is a focus on soul care. An important piece of soul care is focusing on our internal dialogue. Author Paul David
Key Factors to Consider for Senior Drivers
Is It Safe for Seniors to Keep Driving? As we age, our driving abilities may decline due to changes in vision, cognitive function, and reaction times. This raises a crucial question for many seniors: Am I still safe to drive? Here are some
Antioxidants, free radicals and you.
Antioxidants, free radicals and you. With summer upon us, West Michigan's natural beauty beckons us outdoors, but sunshine and fresh air can come with unseen challenges. Free radicals are unstable molecules produced by our bodies and the environment which can wreak havoc on
Five Brain Boosting Foods
Fuel Your Brain with Local Food Living in West Michigan, we're surrounded by natural beauty and a thriving food scene. But did you know some local favorites can also be superstars for your brainpower? Whether you're a seasoned individual pursuing lifelong learning at
Shortness of Breath Explained (It Might Not Be What You Think!)
Winded and Worried? Shortness of Breath Explained (It Might Not Be What You Think!) Shortness of breath can be a scary symptom, and sometimes it's hard to know what's causing it. Two common culprits are CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) and COPD (Chronic Obstructive
Georgetown Connections
An interview with Pam Haverdink, Director of Georgetown Connections. The Georgetown Senior Center offers a variety of social, recreational, and educational activities for individuals age 55 and over. We sat down with Director, Pam Haverdink to learn more about the center and the
Embracing the Seasons of Life: Biblical Wisdom on Aging
Embracing the Seasons of Life: Biblical Wisdom on Aging Aging is an inevitable part of the human experience. As we journey through the seasons of our life, the Bible offers wisdom on how to navigate the process of growing older with grace, wisdom,
Senior Placement Agencies: A Bridge for a Growing Demographic
Senior Placement Agencies: A Bridge for a Growing Demographic In an era where the aging population is rapidly expanding, the demand for specialized services catering to the individualized needs of seniors has surged. Senior placement agencies have emerged as crucial players in assisting
Navigating the Shifting Landscape of Language: Living with Dementia
Navigating the Shifting Landscape of Language: Living with Dementia Dementia, an umbrella term that covers numerous conditions where the brain has experienced damage or injury, can have a profound impact on a person's life, and communication is often one of the first areas
Conquering the Winter Blues
Conquering the Winter Blues: Your Guide to Staying Sunny (Even When It's Not) Ah, winter in West Michigan. The season of cozy nights by the fire, hot cocoa, and...the dreaded winter blues. While there's undeniable beauty in the crisp air and snow-covered landscapes,
Directions from Wyoming, MI to Heaven
Directions from Wyoming, MI to Heaven Are you good with directions? My wife has an amazing internal sense of direction, and an intuition for getting places without a map. Not me! Google maps has been an amazing addition to my life, reducing, but
Top Tips for Living to 100
Top Tips for Living to 100 At Leaves Personal Care, we believe in living life to the fullest! We’ve searched the web to read interviews with different centenarians to find their top tips to living to 100. Here’s some wisdom from our amazing
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition that affects memory and thinking skills. The symptoms of MCI can vary depending on the cause of the condition. Some common symptoms of MCI include: Memory problems, such as forgetting
Skin Care for Seniors
How to Keep Aging Skin Healthy and Glowing During Fall Fall is a beautiful time of year, with changing leaves and crisp air. But it can also be a challenging time for your aging skin, as the weather becomes drier and colder. This
Hygiene and Aging Loved Ones
HELP! My dad won’t take a shower! Hygiene can become a challenging struggle for families whose loved ones live alone at home. Sometimes memory changes cause your loved one to think they just took a shower “yesterday” and they insist they don’t need one
Parkinson’s Big and Loud
Why do people with Parkinson’s Disease speak softly? Individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s may have struggle with communicating. This is one of the possible effects of Parkson’s Disease and is caused by dysfunction in the muscles of the face, mouth and throat. This can
Healing at Home
Hospital Discharging to Home Hospitalization is a reality for many aging Michiganders. Illness or injury can result in the need for inpatient care to deal appropriately with an acute crisis. Once the crisis has been addressed, the Hospital Discharge team will assist with
24/7 Care for Seniors
How does 24/7 care help seniors in West Michigan? Many individuals find that as they age that changes in strength, mental clarity, or health make it hard to maintain their independence at home. Too many of these seniors assume that their only option
Dementia Warning Signs
Is it dementia? Watch out for these warning signs. Carla and Jerry were excited about the wedding of the eldest daughter, Alaina. Alaina had grown up learning from Carla how to sew and was unhesitating when she got engaged, Mom would sew her
20 Years of Leaves
We're celebrating 20 years of service! Leaves Personal Care is celebrating 20 years of providing in-home health care services for seniors in the West Michigan community. Having owned Leaves for 10 years, Brian and Ruth Wilson chose to celebrate God's goodness by refreshing
Celebrating Caregivers
National Caregivers Day – February 17, 2023 The 3rd Friday of February each year is National Caregivers Day! The National Alliance for Caregiving and American Association of Retired Persons reports that, in 2020, an estimated 53 million caregivers in the U.S. cared for an adult
Slowing Alzheimer’s
Can Lecanemab Slow Down Alzheimer's The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a drug that may help patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s by slowing down the progression of the disease. In clinical trials, the drug, called lecanemab, reduced the rate of cognitive decline
What is an ACO?
What is an ACO? An ACO (or Accountable Care Organization) is an organization where “groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together voluntarily to give coordinated high-quality care to their Medicare patients. The goal of coordinated care is to
Nursing Home Surprise
Nursing Home Surprise: Advantage Plans May Shorten Stays to Less Time Than Medicare Covers Susan Jaffe October 4, 2022 After 11 days in a St. Paul, Minnesota, skilled nursing facility recuperating from a fall, Paula Christopherson, 97, was told by her insurer that
10 Tips to Promote Healthy Aging
Aging Gracefully We live in a culture that glorifies youth but aging gracefully is beautiful. Here are 10 tips to promote healthy aging: 1. Learn a new skill or hobby Research indicates that new learning, whether it’s a new hobby or continued learning,
Compassion Fatigue
The Physical, Emotional, and Psychological Impact of Helping Others Compassion fatigue is defined as the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of helping others. By comparison, burnout is a term that describes the impact of being in a stressful workplace. If you’ve been pouring
George Muller
A Life of Faith One of my personal “faith” heroes was a man named George Muller. He lived in the time of Charles Dickens and developed a deep burden to care for the many orphaned children which Dickens described so well in Oliver
Living with MS.
Living with MS According to the National MS Society Website; “Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord which make up the central nervous system and controls everything we do. The exact cause of MS is unknown, but we do know
Estate Planning
Estate Planning – It’s Not So Bad! Do you dread estate planning? You’re not alone. But I’ll let you in on something . . . it’s not that bad. In fact, most of my clients say it’s pretty painless and that the sense of
Medications and Memory
Could your medications be affecting your memory? Memory Loss is not a normal part of aging. However, with other compounding illnesses affecting us as we age, sometimes the treatments we seek might have unintended consequences. Two of the most common offenders of medications
Is homecare for me?
Five Reasons You Might Need Homecare Show of hands for those of us who enjoy asking for help? No one? Yeah, let’s be honest, asking for help is kind of un-American. We are raised to be hard-working, independent, and
What does it mean to be faith-based?
People often ask us, is Leaves a faith-based organization. We say, YES! But what does it mean to be a faith-based home care company? That we are faith-based means that at our core, what drives us day-in and day-out, is our faith in
The Inspiring Life of Charles McGee
Who was Charles McGee? On January 16th, 2022, Charles McGee finished his race at the age of 102! Who was Charles McGee? He was a US hero, a husband, a father, and a civil rights proponent. Considering the many accomplishments of Charles McGee
Top 6 Blogs for Boomers
Six Blogs You Should Check Out in 2022 We’ve scoured the internet for the most interesting, entertaining, inspiring, and informative blogs on all things aging. From faith to finance to fashion, and from hilarious to heartbreaking, we’ve got you covered with the best
Choose Home Care Act 2021, S. 2562
Home Care Legislative Update – Sept 2021 The National Association for Home Care & Hospice has introduced the Choose Home Care Act 2021, S. 2562. On their website they share, “Home care has long been a safe and effective alternative to care in
Hiring your first caregiver
Establishing a Relationship of Trust One of the major barriers standing in the way of a client hiring their first caregiver is an element of trust. Maybe they’ve had a bad experience with a caregiver in the past? Perhaps they are afraid of
Elder Abuse Education, Prevention and Advocacy
Avoiding Scams Recently we had the opportunity to connect with Christ Burnaw with “Safe Seniors” – an advocacy organization that is part of Age Well Services for Ottawa, Muskegon and Oceana counties. Safe Seniors is a collaborative Group of over 40 partner organizations working
Social Wellness Month
7 Ideas to Expand Your Social Network One of Leaves Personal Care’s Pillars is RELATIONSHIP. Consequently, we love that July is Social Wellness Month. Originally inaugurated by Words of Wellness LLC, a counseling group from Detroit, Social Wellness Month continues to be recognized
Legislative Update
Spending Bill for Home-based Care and Services Proposed At the end of April, President Joe Biden proposed a spending bill to Congress that allocates $400 billion for home-based care and services. The White House shared, “President Biden believes more people should have the
Helping Your Aging Parents Stay Active
Helping Your Aging Parents Stay Active Staying physically active is one of the most important things a senior can do to remain independent. Engaging the mind and muscles sustains reflex responses, improves mobility and hand-eye coordination. Seniors that stay mobile decrease their risk of
Grand Rapids is getting a Whole Foods Market
Grand Rapids is gaining a Whole Foods Market At Leaves Personal Care, we are always excited to see our community grow and develop. Being locally owned and operated, we’re excited when other local businesses gain new opportunities, especially during the challenges of Covid-19. Because of
Mesothelioma Facts
Here’s a 10 second biology blast! The mesothelium is a thin, protective layer that lines the lungs, abdominal cavity and organs, and the heart. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to a particular kind of aggressive cancer, often caused by exposure to asbestos. Though it
Orthopaedic Trauma, Joint Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Provider Highlight: Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan Leaves Personal Care is privileged to care for clients from many different Orthopaedic specialists. One of the providers we consistently hear great reports on is Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan (OAM). Almost 500 people have provided them with
Seniors and Stress
Dealing with stress as we age We live in an era when everybody seems to be stressed. 2020 certainly hasn't done us any favors in this regard; and stress isn’t something that only younger people deal with. As we age our ability to
7 Mistakes to Avoid when choosing a Home Care Provider
Avoid these 7 common mistakes when looking for your home care provider. 1. Hiring private caregivers and managing things yourself The risks here are numerous and few people want the responsibility of being an employer. Hiring a private duty caregiver can expose you
Corona Virus Resources
Corona Virus Tools and Resources Leaves Personal Care wants to make sure you have the tools and resources you need to continue to be successful during the Corona Virus Crisis. Here are three links provided by different agencies that might be useful to you.
Cherishing Precious Stories
An American Love Story The first time Ed laid eyes on Jane was the spring of 1950. Jane was wearing a navy, polka-dot circle skirt and white top. Her dark curls and dazzling smile melted his heart and a year later they were
Know your risk of heat-related illnesses
Know the factors that increase your risk of heat-related illnesses. The National Institute for Health shares: As we age, our ability to adequately respond to summer heat can become a serious problem. Older people are at significant increased risk of heat-related illnesses, known
Professional Home Care Services
Home Sweet Home Maybe you've seen the viral post about the gentleman who wants to live out his days in a Holiday Inn. Those kinds of posts certainly make for an amusing read but the reality is living in a hotel would grow
Cognitive Vitality
Achieve and Maintaining Cognitive Vitality through Lifestyle Management Mayo Clinic published an article entitled, Achieving and Maintaining Cognitive Vitality with Aging. In it they wrote: “Emerging research has resulted in a growing understanding of the potentially modifiable risk factors associated with cognitive decline
Is the Apple watch right for you?
New watch from Apple may signify exciting things to come. Let’s be clear, a $500 watch is a significant investment. Leaves isn’t promoting or profiting from the Apple brand and we haven’t had the opportunity to evaluate it live, however, since Apple has
Dealing with a Stroke
Dealing with a Stroke What is it? While there are different types of strokes, in the simplest terms, a stroke is simply a sudden interruption of blood supply to the brain. What happens? The brain needs the oxygen which the blood supplies. Every
Forgive Blend
Forgive Blend We love the Forgive blend for its fresh, woodsy scent. As with all doTerra oils, its comprised of only the highest quality, Certified Therapeutic Grade oils. The blend contains Spruce leaf, Bergamot peel, Juniper berry, Myrrh resin, Arborvitae wood, Nootka tree
Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s
Join Leaves in the walk to end Alzheimer's! Leaves Personal Care wants to help lead the way to Alzheimer's first survivor! To help raise funds for research and treatments we are participating in the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's®. Currently, more than
After Surgery Care
So you’re having surgery! Going “under the knife” can be a scary time but there are things you can do to help you on the road to recovery. Here are a few tips: Get Moving – As soon as your Dr. gives you permission
Meaningful Relationships
Meaningful Relationships We are created for relationships. Our grandmothers knew this. The wisest man on earth, King Solomon, wrote; “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.
Senior Advocacy
Senior Advocacy Advocacy is one of Leaves Personal Care’s pillars. As such, we thought it would be good to share with you about some of the advocacy choices available to you. AARP is ubiquitous as the “retirement” organization which does a lot of public
Living with a Diabetes Diagnosis
Learn all you can. Sometimes denial, apathy or a sincere belief that it’s not that big of a deal can lead to a lack of learning and harmful consequences. Attend classes, seek out and read up on the disease through reputable online sources and books. Ask the physician or diabetic nurse for recommendations on resources.
Sun Safety for Seniors
After a long winter indoors many of us are excited to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine! Nevertheless, remembering the importance of Summer Safety is especially important as we age. Three risks are particularly accentuated for the elderly; Dehydration, Heat Stroke and Sun Burn.
