PurposeCare

With this heat wave in full swing, prevention is the first line of defense: hydration, shade breaks, and regular check-ins on elderly family members and clients.

But it's worth knowing the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, because the best response differs between the two:

⚠️Heat exhaustion:
- Heavy sweating
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Temp up to 102°F

💧Best response: Get them somewhere cool, provide water, and apply cold compresses to the head, face, and neck.

🔥Heat stroke:
- Hot, dry skin with no sweating
- Confusion
- Unconsciousness
- Temp 104°F+

❗Best response: Call 911 immediately. This is a medical emergency. While you wait, move them to shade and cool their skin with water.

If you're caring for an aging veteran, you may have noticed something new: old memories surfacing, sleep getting harder, more worry or tension than there used to be.

It can be confusing, especially when their service was decades ago.

Here's what many families don't realize: PTSD can return, or even appear for the first time, later in life.

Retirement, an illness, a hospital stay, or the loss of someone close can bring difficult memories back up.

It doesn't mean anything has gone wrong. It's a recognized pattern, and it can be supported.

The message from the VA's National Center for PTSD is plain: treatment works at any age. It's never too late to get help.

A few places to start:
* Understanding PTSD and Aging, a free VA booklet written for families (ptsd.va.gov)
* VA Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274
* Veterans Crisis Line, 24/7: dial 988 then Press 1, or text 838255

If you're seeing these changes in someone you love, professional home care can help. Familiar surroundings, a consistent routine, and a reliable caregiver are stabilizing for someone living with PTSD.

Happy Juneteenth.

On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved Americans, in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.

As Fannie Lou Hamer said, "Nobody's free until everybody's free."

We're taking a moment today to recognize the freedom this day represents, and everyone, then and now, who has worked to make freedom real for all.

Some patients are hard to reach, but Dijana Bajramovic gets through anyway.

As an HHA/CNA with our Aurora office, Dijana takes on the most challenging patients and earns their trust in a way that's hard to put into words.

Her coordinator, Christy Kline, says it better than we can: "I have people calling me begging for her return. She has a positive attitude and a high commitment to delivering quality care. She's been so meaningful in the lives of patients, families, and co-workers."

Please join us in thanking Dijana for everything she does!

This year's CNA Week celebration at PurposeCare of Illinois - Morris featured team appreciation, cheer, and a hands-on Hoyer lift demo.

Nursing assistants face musculoskeletal injury rates more than five times the national average, mostly from manual lifting and transfers, so a mechanical lift takes that risk off caregivers' shoulders and keeps clients safer, too.

That’s why we’re excited to roll out an initiative to provide Hoyer lift training at every agency across PurposeCare.

Nursing assistants face musculoskeletal injury rates more than five times the national average, mostly from manual lifting and transfers, so a mechanical lift takes that risk off caregivers' shoulders and keeps clients safer, too.

The best feedback we receive comes from clients who are simply happy with the care they're getting.

Raidah Shaniek, CNA on our Cleveland team, has built an incredible track record with clients.

They consistently express satisfaction with the care she provides, reflecting the heartfelt relationships she's built through compassion, professionalism, and steady, attentive support.

Please join us in thanking Raidah for everything she does! 💙