It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Little Cedar, IA is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
“Always Best is OK but doesn’t seem to make up hours very well. When the”
“I knew a lady who works for Always Best Health Care that's why I chose”
“Always Best is OK but doesn’t seem to make up hours very well. When the caregiver is sick, nobody comes. I would think that they need a little more back up than they have right now. They give me a schedule, and billing is paid by Medicaid.”
“I knew a lady who works for Always Best Health Care that's why I chose it. The caregiver is very good with a very good attitude. They were able to provide the caregiver for myself immediately. She accompanies me to shopping.”
Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Little Cedar, IA, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Little Cedar, IA understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Little Cedar, IA 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
Feds say nitrate must be addressed in 5 river segmentsJared Strong Why you can trust The Gazette The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently added segments of five rivers near large Iowa cities including Cedar Rapids to the state's impaired waters l...
Feds say nitrate must be addressed in 5 river segments
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently added segments of five rivers near large Iowa cities including Cedar Rapids to the state's impaired waters list for nitrate — over the repeated objections of state officials.
That will require the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to evaluate their sources of nitrate contamination — which threatens public drinking water — and develop plans to reduce it.
But those plans can have little effect.
One such plan for the Cedar River made about two decades ago noted that an estimated 86 percent of nitrate contamination came from agriculture, yet state officials cannot force farmers to do much about it.
The result has been limited projects to cut some of the pollution voluntarily, with little impact on the overall upward trend of nitrate concentrations.
Water quality experts say similar results should be expected from the new round of EPA requirements. At most, they might force the state to publicly acknowledge that farm pollution is a primary threat to the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of people, the experts say.
"This is mostly just a black eye for Iowa," said David Cwiertny, director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination at the University of Iowa.
In November, the EPA indicated — after months of consideration — it would add six segments of five rivers to the state's impaired waters list for nitrate:
The federal agency said high nitrate concentrations cannot be ignored merely because they happen only periodically. Those concentrations often spike when rainfall percolates through nitrate-laden farm fields into expansive networks of underground drainage tubes, which then empty into streams.
That tiling enables farmers to grow crops in areas that otherwise might be too wet, but they are also a conduit for expedited river pollution.
In 2022, the EPA foreshadowed its recent decision when it warned "the Iowa DNR should assess nitrate as a toxic." That was part of the EPA’s review of the state's impaired water list that year, which happens every two years. There are hundreds of stream segments on the list.
The Iowa DNR has questioned why the EPA appears to have shifted its standard for reviewing whether a stream is impaired by nitrate. The state department historically had used a "10 percent rule" to decide if there is an impairment — when nitrate concentrations exceed the EPA's health limit more than 10 percent of the time.
The EPA claims its addition of the stream segments — which it finalized last month — "did not establish new water quality standards or impose additional assessment requirements on the state."
The Iowa DNR, in a December letter, touted the state's "near-perfect compliance rate of 99.6 percent" for nitrate contamination among the water supplies it regulates, and questioned why the EPA decided to recently consider nitrate a "toxic" contaminant for Iowa water when the agency apparently hadn't for more than two decades.
"Ultimately, the goal of both the EPA and DNR is the same: to ensure that Iowa's surface drinking water sources meet water quality standards so that, in turn Iowa's tap water is safe to drink," Kayla Lyon, the Iowa DNR's director, wrote in December. "It is safe."
Lyon alleged that the EPA's decision violates federal law and "is holding Iowa to a very high standard that it does not enforce elsewhere."
The Iowa DNR was joined by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and The Fertilizer Institute in disputing the new impaired waters listings.
The Iowa DNR declined to comment for this article.
It's unclear whether the new administration of President Donald Trump will reverse the EPA's stance on Iowa's impaired waters list.
The federal Clean Water Act does not set deadlines for states to formulate the total maximum daily load plans it requires for stream segments on that list, said Michael Schmidt, an attorney for the Iowa Environmental Council.
That has spawned litigation in the past when a state has been slow to create the plans, he said, but it's unlikely other lawsuits are possible to force polluters to reduce their nitrate dispersals.
The Iowa DNR can set pollution limits on "point" sources such as wastewater treatment facilities. Those account for about 9 percent of the nitrate pollution in the Cedar River, the state found in 2006.
"We do have significant nitrate concerns in the state, and this is a way to highlight that," Schmidt said of the additions to the impaired waters list.
Rivers across the state had considerable nitrate concentrations last year amid a wet spring and early summer.
The treated drinking water in Cedar Rapids — which is sourced from shallow wells near the Cedar River, not directly from the river — had nitrate concentrations that peaked at about 9 parts per million last year, shy of the 10 parts per million maximum stipulated by the EPA.
Des Moines wasn't so fortunate. Facing periods of high nitrate in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers — the primary sources of drinking water for the metro area — Des Moines Water Works operated its nitrate removal system for 68 days last year, said Melissa Walker, a spokesperson for the water utility.
That is the second-most number of days the system has been active in a year, she said, and it cost about $625,000 to operate.
Cedar Rapids and the vast majority of cities in Iowa do not have a similar system.
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Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.Iowa is an underapprec...
Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
Iowa is an underappreciated state. No one's looking up Des Moines when they're searching for vacation destinations.
But the Hawkeye State does lots of things well. It's a friendly spot in the middle of the country where the cost of living is low and the beef is awesome. Just as importantly, it's got some of the best beer in the nation. Toppling Goliath in Decorah makes incredible IPAs. Big Grove covers a wide net and does pretty much all of it well. I haven't been to Pulpit Rock, but it looks cool as hell.
This extends to spirits as well. Cedar Ridge began life as a winery while its ryes and bourbons matured. Now it's got nearly two decades of distilling under its belt and a healthy lineup of big, boozy flavors. Living in Wisconsin has meant seeing Cedar Ridge on liquor store shelves for a while, but I hadn't tried any of its offerings until now.
Can Cedar Ridge live up to that Toppling Goliath standard of great Iowa booze? Let's find out.
This is bottled-in-bond, which means it's exactly 100 proof, aged at least four years, all from the same distiller and, generally adherent to an old school way of making spirits. It's not a guarantee of quality, but it also ensures you're not drinking slop.
The pour is a lovely, leggy brown that sticks to the sides of my glass before slowly settling after a quick swirl. The scent off the top is a little boozy, but hidden inside is brown sugar and bread, which suggest there's gonna be some chewy sweetness to this. It's appealing, for sure.
That sweetness holds up, bringing those sugary notes and some stone fruits that linger long after the sip has left your lips. It's heavy but not thick, boozy with minimal burn -- there's a minor astringent feeling but nothing out of place for something that's 50 percent ABV. Sure, there's a warmth that sticks to your chest when you're done, but nothing here will make you wince.
Sweet and fruit and the headliners here, though it's a bit of a moving target. Sometimes I get citrus. Sometimes I get... peach? Apricot? Cherry? Either way, it brings a depth to the spirit that reminds you you're drinking something a little bit extra. In a good way.
This one's aged twice, hence the "double barrel." There's no declaration of how long on the bottle, however, and no "bottled-in-bond" to at least give us a clue. I'm slightly skeptical of whether a second barrel will add much compared to taking away some of the singularities you get from a single barrel malt -- i.e. will this taste more like a blend? -- but I'm intrigued nonetheless.
And at 105 proof, well, hot damn.
The smell is almost fruity off the top of the pour. You get some cherry, some grape and some caramel from the first sniff. Lingering underneath is the vanilla you'd expect from a double-oaked spirit.
The opening sip is surprisingly subdued. There's a little heat, but mostly it's soft caramel and vanilla that creates a very mellow experience. Is the second barrel taking away some of the roughness of a 57.5 percent alcohol malt? Maybe? But it's also taking away some of the bigger notes that would help this stand out a bit more.
Of course, there's a place for a whiskey that's simply smooth as hell. There's also a lingering sweetness that sticks with you after the sip has cleared your tongue that's very appealing. It's not a dry, crisp finish but it still leaves me wanting more.
This American single malt is Iowa's Scotch. This sounds like a bizarre insult, but I'm excited about it. Iowa knows its booze, in part because it's mostly farmland and the best thing you can do with grain is turn it into the kind of spirit capable of carrying you through nights that begin at 5 p.m. and dip into temperatures that would make the Heat Miser vomit in a fit of rage.
Weird intro, sure, but that's where I'm at tonight.
Anyway, this pours a lovely shade of dark copper. It smells like sweet grain; like a bowl of Crispix for adults. It's not especially boozy, but undeniably whiskey.
Like the other two Cedar Ridge whiskeys, it's incredibly smooth. You get so much of that malt off the first sip; it's sweet and warm, bringing a bit of caramel and toast to the proceedings. The spirit itself is thick, glazing your tongue with each sip. That would be a problem if it had any recognizable burn, but no. There's nothing here that rises above the comfort level of a warm bath; no harsh swallow. It's very easy to come back to.
At the same time, it's more complex than the double barrelled malt, albeit without the same strength of oak and vanilla of its more neutral counterpart. Instead, you get so much of the flavors you want from a whiskey. There's a little fruit (cherry, peach), that malt, even a little Scotch-adjacent Highland-type peat. It's not aggressive and you won't confuse it for a Scotch, but it adds to a complex whiskey that runs from sweet to spicy in low-level terms and leaves you with a lot to think about with each sip.
This wasn't part of Cedar Ridge's sample package. Instead, it was plucked from the bargain cart at my local Woodman's. This was a decision made in two phases. The first: $5 for a fifth of whiskey? Hell yes. The second: SLIPKNOT HAS A WHISKEY, HELL YES.
The confluence of unexpected delights from the I in "MIMAL" clocks in at 90 proof and promises added rye influence to create an additional spice to Cedar Ridge's soft focus whiskeys. That suggests to me that it might be sweeter than the others, but honestly everything has been so smooth that a little burn may be an interesting departure.
It pours a rich caramel. It smells like cereal grains, sweet fruit -- maybe a touch of green apple?? -- and a little bit of heat. Like everything else Cedar Ridge, it's sweet and smooth, an easy sip with barrel flavors like oak and vanilla dropping in to say hi. I'm gonna chalk that sweetness up to the rye, because otherwise there isn't much of an indication there's any in here.
That's kinda the problem with this whiskey. The malt is a little basic and there isn't much here to suggest this is a special blend that leans into that rye. It's still a nice enough dram -- from what I can tell, everything Cedar Ridge makes is smooth and sippable. But there isn't anything that sets it apart from other whiskeys. It's fine, not great. Drinkable, not memorable.
Unless you can find it for $4.99 as your local bottle shop clears out space. Then you're living the high life.
This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Cedar Ridge's whiskeys over a cold can of Hamm’s?
Yep. Cedar Ridge makes very good whiskeys without getting caught in the bourbon nerd cycle of hype>high price>disappointment. They're fairly inexpensive and range from smooth to complex. You'll find something you like.
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