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.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting the historic Finch Building gets harder without someone by their side. 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 Hastings, MN 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.
“I am a current client of this provider Always Best Care comes in to help my”
“I am a current client of this provider 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.”
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. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Old Mill Park with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
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. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local Lock & Dam Eatery or visit Old Mill Ruins, don't feel bad. 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.
Request More Information
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 Hastings, 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.
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 Hastings, 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.
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.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
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 Hastings, MN 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.
Minnesota and Wisconsin unite to sell crock pots and find connection along the Mississippi River.The Minnesota Star TribuneDriving south through downtown Hastings on Thursday morning, the first “Garage Sale” sign off Hwy. 61 pointed to a place selling a bowling pin for a buck and an antique sewing machine for $100.It was opening day of the 100 Mile Garage Sale, held along the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the ...
Minnesota and Wisconsin unite to sell crock pots and find connection along the Mississippi River.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Driving south through downtown Hastings on Thursday morning, the first “Garage Sale” sign off Hwy. 61 pointed to a place selling a bowling pin for a buck and an antique sewing machine for $100.
It was opening day of the 100 Mile Garage Sale, held along the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the Mississippi River, roughly between Hastings and Winona.
The region’s biggest bargain-hunting weekend, with 200-some vendors, has been going on for more than two decades, expanding on the original 85-mile garage sale of the 1990s. Shoppers come from as far away as Texas and Maine and have filled RVs with wares. For some repeat customers, the annual sale is as much about camaraderie as deal-hunting. And being practical as well as charmed. Money saved on an instant pot can be later spent at a sale offering 10 kinds of homemade pie.
The northernmost sale off Hwy. 61 was hosted by Sheila Judge. Last year, several hundred shoppers showed up, Judge said, including early birds pecking for deals while she and her friends were still setting up. Shoppers bought so much — even the ugly clay pots and creepy doll — that Judge started pulling more stuff out of the house. “We ran out of inventory,” she said.
The group had also cracked four digits in revenue. The old saw, Judge said, was true: “One person’s junk is another person’s treasure.”
At just past 8 a.m., Michelle Liberty was in Judge’s “she shed,” perusing the barware and cigarette-rollers. The St. Paul resident considers herself something of a garage-sale anthropologist. She likes peeking into others’ homes — she pointed out Judge’s couch, TV, photos of Vikings players — and imagining their lives. “I just like looking at other people’s junk,” Liberty said. “And you can kind of be like, ‘What kind of people are they?’”
Liberty was hoping to buy patio furniture. Her brother, Dave, had come from St. Cloud seeking a blender. “This is my first summer of being retired, so it’s like: I got all the time,” he said. Dave’s daughter, Brittany, has kids, so she had a whole list of items.
But they could be tempted to go off script. In Liberty’s case, by a cute pair of pink-tasseled throw pillows. “They’re super hippie looking, so I’m getting them,” she said.
Locals know to avoid the 100-mile route over the weekend, when drivers’ necks are craning and brake lights are flashing. The sale signs come up fast at 60 miles per hour, from “cheese curds” to “fishing gear only.”
At Nicole Wuollet’s place in Red Wing, shoppers could find the sale by the scent of doughnuts her mom was frying up beside a cooler full of garden rhubarb. Wuollet and her sister said some customers return every year due to their well organized, affordably priced stash of kids gear. “The biggest downfall is that we don’t get to do much garage sale shopping,” Wuollet lamented. “Maybe our husbands think that’s a benefit.”
The family had just seen a surprising repeater. Last year, they helped a woman scour their sale for her missing engagement ring, which she believed she’d lost somewhere along the route. “We searched everywhere for her and we couldn’t find it,” Wuollet said. “She came back this year and said she found it six months later in her dresser.”
Culture
Culture
Midwest Travel
Culture
By midmorning, it started raining. At a sale across town, Kristi Flynn smoked a cigarette beside her garage and joked about putting out a few umbrellas. (“They’d sell like hot cakes.”) A minute later, part of a multigenerational entourage pulled up: Two sisters were spending the next three days shopping with their adult daughters, as part of a girls’ weekend.
They all wore matching hats with winged dragon pins, representing a fantasy-romance book series they’d read. Flynn asked about the plot, starting a conversation about flirtatious, warring dragon riders.
At garage sales up and down Flynn’s block, shoes and suitcases were getting soggy, but the life jackets were fine. A woman lifted up a tarp to peek at a giveaway pile and plucked out a toy for son. “Free entertainment,” she said. The same might apply to “garage sailing."
Here’s some financial advice: Don’t ever buy a new puzzle, because garage sales are awash in them. Same goes for croquet sets and panini makers. Secondhand china sets sell for practically the price of paper plates. But also, people try to wring money from used milk cartons, worn bras and empty pill bottles.
The 100-mile sale truly has it all. Motorcycle jackets, prom dresses and scented candles. A bonsai tree, snowblower and ice auger. Old yearbooks, a trumpet and fake decorative fruit. Kenny Rogers records, vintage Barbie dolls and Tonka trucks. Hand-crank drills and telephones. “Fargo” on VHS.
One 40-year garage seller is known for cleaning up and repairing old beer signs, then offloading the excess from his vast basement collection. “It kept him from going to the bar,” his wife joked of the hobby. They were also selling a trailer to haul one’s finds for $400.
Near Lake City, Ed and Janet Plein of Kasson Minn., have brought their mini-doughnut truck to the same frontage road every year for two decades, except for the times the sale was canceled for COVID and walloped by a freak snowstorm. When the property the Pleins park in front of changed hands, they told the buyers they came with the house.
Ed said he didn’t think the size of the crowds changes in relation to economic conditions, as shoppers always delight in a score. “Garage sales are typically people out looking for the Willy Wonka golden-ticket-type thing,” he said.
Even if you don’t buy anything along the 100 miles of sales — how?!? — the drive alone is worth the trip. The Mississippi runs languidly and almost lake-like in these parts, cradled between the towering bluffs. At this time of year, neon-green buds pop out from gray branches. And the spooky sloughs are full of dead trees and mud.
Shoppers browse one of the garage sales near Kellogg. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
The view from Wisconsin’s Hwy. 35 feels like the fraternal twin of 61. The garage sales on this side aren’t notably different, except for the abundance of Green Bay Packers apparel. Among the stops worth a mention are the adorable “Bread Hut,” filled with sourdough loaves sold on the honor system, just across the Winona Bridge, north of Trempealeau, Wis. And, in Alma, the American Legion hall has a grandpa’s basement vibe and sells golf balls by the egg carton.
Somewhere between Pepin and Prescott, after you’ve seen your 29th croquet set and considered buckling a human-size, blow-up Corona bottle into your passenger seat, you’ll know it’s time to quit garage sailing.
On Thursday, the final straw was the sight of two throw pillows: The same set Michelle Liberty purchased 8 hours earlier, at the very first sale. But at this one, they were a dollar cheaper.
The Prairie Island Cannabis Campus spans 13 acres. Owners say the facility can produce upwards of 10,000 pounds of cannabis and cannabis extracts.Credit: KARE-11HASTINGS, Minn. — It's been a year and a half since Minnesota legalized cannabis, and cultivation is already underway for the Prairie Island Community.Island Peži Cannabis, a native cannabis company, has officially opened a 13-acre site near Hastings.The company has plans to produce more than 10,000 pounds of cannabis and cannabis extracts.Ow...
The Prairie Island Cannabis Campus spans 13 acres. Owners say the facility can produce upwards of 10,000 pounds of cannabis and cannabis extracts.
Credit: KARE-11
HASTINGS, Minn. — It's been a year and a half since Minnesota legalized cannabis, and cultivation is already underway for the Prairie Island Community.
Island Peži Cannabis, a native cannabis company, has officially opened a 13-acre site near Hastings.
The company has plans to produce more than 10,000 pounds of cannabis and cannabis extracts.
Owners of the company recently gave KARE 11 a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility.
The facility cultivates 20 unique strains of flower to create curated blends for production.
The cultivation process starts with “mother” plants, which are used to produce small starter plants that are grown underneath plastic domes for 10 days. These starter plants are then transplanted into small pots where they will continue growing for a few more weeks.
Once the plants reach a certain size, they are transferred to a soil medium, or transplanted into the ground so they can reach maturity.
Yadel Mulugeta is a transplant himself. He’s the operations manager for the facility and is in charge of the cultivation side of the business.
“I worked with cannabis in Colorado and I learned a lot,” Mulugeta said.
“My wife is from Minnesota, and she always wanted to move here to be close to family. I always said, 'Well, if you guys legalize cannabis, I’ll consider it.'”
Soon after cannabis was legalized in Minnesota, Mulugeta heard about the cannabis business that the Prairie Island Indian Community was hoping to build.
“I just liked the vision and the approach, the sustainability and how they view the land,” Mulugeta said.
Blake Johnson is the president of Prairie Island CBH Inc., which manages the cannabis campus near Hastings.
He says the entire facility was built around the idea of sustainability.
“We focused on the meaningful way of protecting Mother Earth and being able to preserve as much as possible,” Johnson said.
The campus was designed to save resources on production.
Johnson says the cannabis is cultivated, grown, dried, processed, and converted into products, all at the same site.
Prairie Island CBH Inc. partnered with Northstar Canna to create a production facility that is located in the same building where the plants are cultivated.
“We can create a high-quality product from seed, all the way to the shelf, into a retail product,” Northstar Canna co-owner Neil Hultgren said.
The products are then transported to the Island Pezi retail location in Welch, Minnesota, just a few miles down the road.
Johnson says they are hoping to add additional retail partners soon.
952-283-1654
