Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

Given the choice, most of us want to stay in our homes. Sometimes, people need help to remain at home. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.

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“Always Best Care comes in to help my dad a shower at night. When the”

Always Best Care comes in to help my dad a shower at night. When the guy came out to interview, he was really good and helpful, but it was just hard to find someone to help with dad been a little bit bigger and heavier. They like the person that they had come out a couple of times. The caregiver is good.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Always Best Care comes in to help my dad a shower at night. When the guy came out to interview, he was really good and helpful, but it was just hard to find someone to help with dad been a little bit bigger and heavier. They like the person that they had come out a couple of times. The caregiver is good.”

Gloria285054
In-Home Care Cologne, MN

How does In-home Senior Care in Cologne, MN work?

Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it's 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 ages, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.

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Senior Care Cologne, MN

Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors

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.

In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a unfamiliar assisted living community, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.

Here are just a few of the reasons why older men and women prefer to age at home:

Comfort
Comfort

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, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old. With the help of elderly care in Cologne, MN, 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.

Healthy Living
Healthy Living

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.

Independence
Independence

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 an assisted living community. 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.

Cost and Convenience
Cost and Convenience

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 to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, can be 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 in Cologne, MN 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.

Empowers Seniors

Affordable Care Plans

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:

Veteran's Benefits
Veteran's Benefits

Attendance and aid benefits through military service can cover a portion of the costs associated with in-home care for veterans and their spouses.

Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance

Many senior care services like in-home care are included in long-term care insurance options. Research different long-term care solutions to find a plan that provides coverage for senior care.

Private Insurance
Private Insurance

Home care can be included as part of a senior's private insurance plan. Read over your loved one's insurance policy carefully or speak with their insurance provider to determine if in-home care is covered.

Life Insurance
Life Insurance

Depending on the life insurance plan, you may be able to apply your policy toward long-term care. You may be able to use long-term-care coverage to help pay for in-home elderly care.

Respite Care Cologne, MN

During your Care Plan consultation with Always Best Care, your Care Coordinator will speak with you about in-home care costs and what options there may be to help meet your budget needs.

Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers

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 Cologne,MN 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.

Caregivers Cologne, MN

Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced 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:

An assessment of your senior loved one

01

An in-depth discussion of the needs of your senior loved one to remain in their own home

02

Reviewing a detailed Care Plan that will meet your senior loved one's needs

03

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.

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.

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Latest News in Cologne, MN

New aerators breathe life into Benton Lake

Major strides have now been made in the cleanup of Benton Lake in Cologne. Earlier this spring new fish were added to the lake, and now two aerators have been installed to keep them alive.The project has been long in the making, and comes as a joint effort between Carver County, the City of Cologne and the Benton Lake Watershed Conservancy to address water quality and invasive carp issues.“This is kind of a big part of our overall project to clean up the lake, the county is also putting a big investment in the carp remova...

Major strides have now been made in the cleanup of Benton Lake in Cologne. Earlier this spring new fish were added to the lake, and now two aerators have been installed to keep them alive.

The project has been long in the making, and comes as a joint effort between Carver County, the City of Cologne and the Benton Lake Watershed Conservancy to address water quality and invasive carp issues.

“This is kind of a big part of our overall project to clean up the lake, the county is also putting a big investment in the carp removal with the nets that are out in the lake again this year. Somewhere down the line some of the people that are part of the Benton Lake Watershed Conservancy are trying to figure out if it’s possible remove a lot of the sediment that’s in the lake, but that’s kind of a long range plan,” John Hendel, of the Benton Lake Conservancy, explains.

According to Hendel, the new aerators will play a key role in improving the lake on several levels.

“The oxygen level in the lake, because of the condition that it’s in, is not the best. Typically, aerators run in the wintertime to help with the oxygen for the fish in the winter—we’re starting them now so we can help with the fish that we did stock this spring and help them get an advantage and hopefully keep growing and stay alive,” Hendel said. “And with that it’s ultimately going to help us with the discoloration of the lake, helping us with ultimately removing as many of the carp as we can in that lake, which is going to help settle down the sediment that is in the lake.”

The fish that were stocked earlier this spring were bluegills and bass. The bluegills were chosen specifically for the role they would play in keeping the carp population in check.

“The bluegills are commonly known to feed on the carp eggs, and hopefully that will be helping us control that population,” Hendel explained. In addition to the predatory fish introduced, the county has taken an active role in removing the carp through net systems. Those nets, however, should not pose a threat to the other fish that have been introduced. “I’ve been told that those nets that are there getting the carp are engineered and designed to trap the carp and not necessarily the other fish.”

The carp issue isn’t the only problem that has plagues the small lake, sediment and water clarity will also be addressed by the new additions, with the introduction of aerators also aimed to improve the lakes vegetation.

“Adding oxygen and sunlight to the lake is going to allow the seedbeds that are in there to start growing and hopefully get plant vegetation growing which will then ultimately help on a natural level to bring oxygen to the fish,” Hendel explained.

The two aerators will remain floating and in operation year round. Due to the water movement generated by the aerator, they will not freeze over in the winter months.

In all, the aerators are only one more step in the conservancy’s goals. Getting more people to enjoy the lake, and returning it to its original beauty, is the conservancy’s goal in the long run.

“Ultimately I think an exciting goal for the conservancy is to be able to have a dock out there—which we do—that kids are going to be able to go out and fish,” Hendel said. “At some point in the future maybe they’re good enough to take home and eat or maybe it’s just a fun catch and release. We’d love to see more people out there with canoes and kayaks, maybe paddle boats—just out enjoying a little bit of Cologne.”

Crews working on the Highway 212 improvement project past Cologne were scheduled start on the eastbound lanes Friday, Aug. 25. That means motorists traveling in both directions will use westbound lanes through early November.

There will be single lane head-to-head traffic throughout the entire Highway 212 project area, according to the latest update from Carver County Public Works.

Crews are repairing approximately 3.5 miles of Hwy. 212 as it passes through the city of Cologne and portions of Benton and Dahlgren townships. The work includes repair of concrete pavement, resurfacing of road shoulders, widening of shoulders Widen shoulders at reduced conflict intersection, improvements on two bridges, drainage improvements, and installation of cable median barriers and guardrails.

Go to the Minnesota Department of Transportation projects page for more information:

Finish line in sight for Hwy. 212 expressway across Carver County

Hwy. 212 will become a four-lane expressway across Carver County by the fall of 2025 in an expansion expected to make the roadway safer and potentially draw more residents to the area.The state Legislature allocated $25 million in trunk highway bonds for the project's second phase, making it possible for the county to move forward with the final stretch between Cologne and Norwood Young America."Personally, I thought it would be 20 years down the road, and now we're doing it in like two years," said Carver County Comm...

Hwy. 212 will become a four-lane expressway across Carver County by the fall of 2025 in an expansion expected to make the roadway safer and potentially draw more residents to the area.

The state Legislature allocated $25 million in trunk highway bonds for the project's second phase, making it possible for the county to move forward with the final stretch between Cologne and Norwood Young America.

"Personally, I thought it would be 20 years down the road, and now we're doing it in like two years," said Carver County Commissioner John Fahey of Norwood Young America.

The highway now runs from Eden Prairie to the cities of Chaska and Carver. The first $37.4 million extension from Carver to Cologne is under construction, with completion expected in October 2022.

The next segment, like the one underway, will be funded with county, state and federal money, said Eric Sieger, speaking for the county's project team. The county is contributing $17 million from a half-cent sales tax passed in 2017 and has applied for a $10 million federal grant to offset its share. Nearly 2,000 trucks a day use the highway, which in its existing form is mostly two lanes — the only two-lane road in the metro area carrying that much truck traffic, Sieger said.

Trucks represent about 15% of total traffic on the highway, which Sieger said has seen 11 crashes in the past 11 years.

"From Cologne and Norwood Young America and even out to Hamburg, it's going to have a great impact just with the movement of goods, the economic development and more importantly, the safety factor," Fahey said. "Most of us who have grown up in that area and have lived in that area our whole lives unfortunately know individuals who have passed away at various intersections on 212."

The expansion also is expected to boost population, similar to what happened when the highway was expanded to four lanes from Eden Prairie to Chaska in 2008 and Carver in 2009.

In the decade after that construction, Carver County became the state's fastest-growing county, according to the Minnesota State Demographic Center. Metropolitan Council figures show the county's population growing from about 78,000 to about 108,500 during that time. The population is projected to grow to about 161,000 by 2040.

Katy Read • 612-673-4583

Katy Read writes for the Star Tribune's Inspired section. She previously covered Carver County and western Hennepin County as well as aging, workplace issues and other topics since she began at the paper in 2011. Prior to that, she was a reporter at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, La., and the Duluth News-Tribune and spent 15 years as a freelance writer for national and regional magazines.

[email protected] 612-673-4583

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