Disabilities don’t discriminate. No one is too young or too strong. I would challenge everyone reading this to educate themselves about a new disability. Perhaps, you know a lot about Multiple Sclerosis (MS) but have never heard of chronic fatigue syndrome. Maybe you’ve heard of PTSD but don’t quite understand how it can really affect someone day-to-day. One thing that can mean the world to your friend or family member, is to research their disability and raise awareness.

Awareness doesn’t have to be a heavy-hearted task. In fact, there are many fun and creative ways to teach! If you enjoy crafting, make a shirt with the name of the disability and symptoms. That way, those around us can learn something new. Try making bracelets with the color the disability was assigned; Alzheimer’s is purple, Autism is blue, mental health is green. No matter how you choose to raise awareness, make sure it is full of love and hope.

The goal of Synergy HomeCare is to give family and friends their relationship back to their loved ones.  Sometimes, being disabled can come with tremendous guilt. Not being able to shower, unable to work, or no longer capable of participating in events can affect your loved one’s mental health. Caregivers can be a way to let your loved ones know they are always deserving of help, friendship, and love.

I hope you all learn something new this Disability Awareness Month!

The post Disability Awareness appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

Our main event though, with be an incredible Disney trip for one of our caregivers and three people of their choosing. Every Synergy caregiver has the opportunity to write down an experience they have had that exemplifies why they love helping others. It will be so hard to narrow it down, but one outstanding caregiver with receive 4 paid round-trip tickets to Orlando, Florida, 4 nights at a Disney-themed hotel, park passes, and a $1,000 Visa gift card.

This is our way of saying ‘thank you” and expressing our gratitude. Make sure to enter your special moment! The deadline for entries is March 31st, 2022. 

We really are so thankful and lucky for the wonderful people who come to work for Synergy HomeCare. Without genuine, kind people like our caregivers, we wouldn’t be here. So, thank you again to each one of you who helps love, care for, and support our community.

The post SYNERGY HomeCare of Central IL Celebrates Caregiver Week With a Trip to the Happiest Place on Earth appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

Consistently, we only hear wonderful things about Sandra. She’s a gentle, humble, caring person and has an incredible personality sense of humor, and she holds no bars for her Halloween costumes. The Bloomington Synergy HomeCare office loves hearing from Sandra when she calls or stops by because she genuinely can lighten up a room and make you feel at home.

She’s someone who will try her best to help in a pinch, someone that wants the best for her clients, and has been a wonderful asset to the Synergy HomeCare team. This also happens to be her birthday month, so if you see her, pass along some birthday wishes!

Thank you, Sandra. We’re so very happy to acknowledge you for being such a stellar person.

The post Caregiver of the Month appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

The answer? Lots and lots of teamwork! First, it took determination from our outstanding caregivers. SYNERGY HomeCare has an incredible team of compassionate, kind, and dedicated caregivers. Our caregivers work hard to make sure their clients receive the best care possible. Jim and Gaye Aaberg, owners, and our office staff spent the day picking up our caregivers and safely driving them to their client’s home. Even family members of our office staff volunteered to help out. The car of a Decatur caregiver was stuck in a drift in the middle of the road. Office Manager, Tessa Moore, and her father shoveled and maneuvered the car out of the drift.  Jim and Gaye offered a chauffeur service and took caregivers to and from their destinations from 6 am to 11 pm.

For most, snow days are enjoyed snuggled up at home with a warm cup of hot cocoa. Fortunately, for SYNERGY HomeCare, our snow day was enjoyed out in the elements, side by side with our fantastic caregivers whose kindness, dedication, and selflessness make SYNERGY HomeCare of Central IL who we are.

The post When a Snowstorm Illuminates Who SYNERGY HomeCare of Central IL Really Is appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

Our Urbana-Champaign Client Care Manager, Elizabeth Sullard hosts the first episode of her new baking show Let’s Plate Nostalgia. The first episode of the monthly recurring show features her guest, our Director of Client Care, Betsy Benjamin. 

In the premiere Liz and Betsy hunker down and prepare an eggless, milk-less, butter-less Cake from the World War II -era, while sharing loved one’s memories from that Ration Card Era.

Recipe:

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups hot water

2 tablespoons lard or other shortening

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups seedless raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Boil together the sugar, water, lard, salt, raisins, and spices for 5 minutes. When mixture is cold, add flour and baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon of hot water. Bake in 2 greased loaf pans or 1-pound coffee or shortening cans about 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Cake may be eaten plain or with a powdered sugar frosting.

Recipe courtesy of Milwaukee Public Library Digital Collections: https://content.mpl.org/digital/colle…​

Hosted, Written, & Created By: Elizabeth Sullard

Directed, Edited, & Produced By: Jackson Aaberg

Music courtesy of Bensound.com

Special Guest Appearance by Betsy Benjamin

The post Let's Plate Nostalgia Becomes a SYNERGY Special appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

   #synergycares isn’t just some social media campaign, however. Coming this summer, we will be unveiling The SYNERGY Cares Foundation. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that will develop independently from SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois. In doing so the Foundation will be able to provide assistance to low-income individuals in need of care, transportation, and other services, while also providing assistance to those in need of temporary housing, prescriptions, home safety improvements and so much more.  The Board also hopes to develop the next generation of caregivers through local scholarships.

   While the Board of Directors are reporting that there are still a lot of balls in the air, we are excited to introduce you to this fine group, who are representative of all four territories that SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois covers. Through this effort, SYNERGY Cares will hopefully become the premiere foundation of Central Illinois.

Board of Directors:

• Betsy Benjamin, President, SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois, Bloomignton
• Taylor Spada, Vice President, SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois, Springfield
• Vilma Howard, Treasurer, Merrill Lynch, Champaign
• Jackson Aaberg, Secretary, SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois, Champaign
• Diane Anderson, Director, State Farm, Bloomington
• David Keenan, Director, The Ware group, Champaign
• Jeannie Parker, Director, Primrose Retirement Community, Decatur
• Gina Stark, Director, Stark Companies, Bloomington
• Abby Walsh, Director, The Newberg Group, Springfield

The post #synergycares appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

   One of the “First Families” of our amazing staff is “Team Hedin,” the mother-daughter duo out of our Bloomington-Normal office. Aggie first came on with us back in January of 2017, and has been doing absolutely amazing things to grow our office these last 4 years! While Sierra on the other hand, has spent several summer and winter vacations interning with us before coming on as a full-time “Jack of All Trades.” In her role she has been able to support and fill-in across the entire Central Illinois Region this past year.  All of this travel may have helped the relationship as mother-daughter began working together for the first time.

  “At first, it was hard to leave the mother/daughter roles at home. Now that we are in a routine it is a lot easier to work together and not get on each other’s nerves,” were Sierra’s sentiments.

   Aggie’s were rather similar, “It’s hard not to go into Mom mode sometimes when something needs to be corrected.” But the two make it work and were never apprehensive about the budding side of their newfound relationship in the first place. When asked about it, Aggie added, she wasn’t nervous at all, “we both know how each other thinks and know each other’s habits, strengths, and weaknesses.”

   Sierra reflected that feeling, “Honestly, I was very happy to [work with Aggie]. Aggie is one of my biggest role models in life, and I would be lucky to have half of her talent and compassion for others.”

  Working together as administrators can seem pretty straightforward, but certainly presents its own challenges if you’re the Hedins. But what about having to manage your own Mother? Well, that can be a whole different story.

   This is where we introduce Taylor Spada, our Springfield Client Care Manager, and her mother, Cynthia Emerson, one of the office’s most diligent caregivers, and their January Caregiver of the Month!

   While Taylor may have started first, she says of Cynthia,  “She has a heart of goldand she loves to share that with others . . . [she] went into a home where a family just had their whole life flipped upside down and created a sigh of relief. I got a phone call from this family the week she started, and they were just overjoyed with the help and comfort that my mother had been providing them.”

   But for Cynthia these experiences aren’t just her own, and her favorite part about working together is that, “we get to share these life changing experiences and work together to create a solution.”

   Then there are families like the Petty’s who don’t just work for the same company, they work together, as caregivers out of our Urbana Office. Jerome started with us first, back in August of 2020, but instantly made a splash with many of his clients as well as the office staff. Jerome was always flexible and willing to help. Soon this flexibility brought his wife Amanda to the team in January of this year. Together their flexible schedules allow for more time with their two boys, Nate (8) and Isaiah (1).

   Not only that, but it’s given both the chance to share their passions with their clients. Jerome is very artistic and loves to draw, while Amanda loves cooking, and enjoys sharing her talent for cultivating nutritious meals with her clients. Together, since they started dating at Urbana High in 2009, they are a power couple of caring, and we are so glad they have merged their budding little family with our own!

   Lastly there is a completely unique relationship between one of the SYNERGY Families. That between our very first employee all the way back in 2013, Director of Client Care, Betsy Benjamin, and her mother who is affectionately known as PJ. (Also known as our number one fan.) 

   For Betsy it can be hard trying to work on projects with a mother who calls Florida home these days, but for PJ she raves about the good times they have writing commercials together. “It is such a pleasure and a blessing to be able to share time and effort together with my daughter, and I take enormous pride in the work she does for this wonderful caring organization called SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois.”

   While we couldn’t agree more, we wanted to end on an especially beautiful affirmation from Taylor to her mother that we would love to share with every caregiver out there.

   “Each day you wake up, be proud of the person you are. You are the most beautiful, selfless, nurturing, and kindest person. Be proud of the comfort you provide to others. You truly change lives, and never ever forget that you matter.”

The post A Family Business appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

   This past year has been especially hard on our clients who weren’t normally home bound, but had to transition to a home bound life for their own safety. Treating clients in this situation with care was so important around the holidays, but one holiday that can be especially tough, regardless of a global pandemic or not, is Valentine’s Day.  Many of our clients couldn’t get out to celebrate with a loved one, or as is often a sad reality for the aging population, they no longer have that special someone in their lives. One such person affected by this situation was JD.

   “[JD] always likes to keep a fresh rose on his table in honor of his wife, who passed several years ago. Because of COVID, I have helped him switch to ordering his groceries online so he isn’t able to get a single fresh rose.” Explained his caregiver Alexandra.

   Thankfully for JD, Alexandra saw a moment where she could brighten JD’s day during a holiday that could have been an especially tough one.

   “I stopped on my way to my shift to pick up a red rose, and when I walked in with it he told me he was just wishing he had a red rose for the table. It put a smile on both our faces.”

   We know that this made JD’s Valentine’s Day that much better and allowed both Alexandra and him to enjoy the holiday with one another. These are the little things that truly prove “kindness counts.”

The post A Rose By Any Other Name appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

   Our very first submission came back in January from one of our Bloomington-Normal Caregivers, Lori. It was a typical winter day for Lori and her client ML. The only thing peculiar about this day was that ML had mentioned that she wished she had something to put on her late husband Melvin’s grave, who’d passed in the fall of 2019.

   Well, Lori, being the attentive caregiver that she was, arrived to her shift with an arrangement of flowers that she’d put together all on her own. To which she said, “[ML] was so over-joyed and emotional, she was crying. . . She wanted me to take her to the cemetery and put it on [his grave].”

   We are so grateful to have Lori on our team, and all of the caregivers who, just like her, listen to the wants and needs of their clients. It’s this level of caring that allows them to ensure that their clients aren’t just living well, but happily, wherever they call home.

   Still, it’s not just about the joy of the client, but what this can do for the caregiver. As for Lori, well she says, “It made me feel so good that I could do this for her, and she was at peace that there was something there for Melvin. . . I felt that I had really done something special and it made me so happy to make her day.”

   It certainly is the little things that go the longest way, and these special moments don’t just make our clients days, or even our caregivers, they make our day! They remind us why we do what we do!

   So, thank you Lori, your Kindness certainly counts!

The post Flowers For Melvin appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.

NCBI’s article The Future Of Disability In America talks about how the future of disability in America can be significantly altered by the choices America makes and the actions we take to improve disabling conditions. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was put in place to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. The act has also helped provide access to places, equipment, and tools that were once inaccessible. The Americans with Disabilities Act has made sure that Americans with disabilities can live as every other American does. Here are 9 of the most beneficial advancements in disability inclusion so far today.

1. Ramps, Railings, And Elevators – The installment of ramps, railings, and elevators in public places has made access to businesses, restaurants, and places of entertainment much more accessible to people using wheelchairs, crutches, canes, and walkers. People who were once unable to easily visit a restaurant or enjoy a movie at a theater can now do so with ease.
2. Public Transportation – Public transportation has been a major advancement for society in general. Many people with disabilities who are unable to drive due to physical and mental impairments can more easily get to job interviews, go grocery shopping, and to doctor appointments.
3. Parking Spaces – Thanks to advancements in public accommodations for disabled people, people who struggle with mobility are provided easier access to public buildings. Handicap parking is an ADA requirement that provides space for wheelchair loading and parking.
4. Braille – Braille is an exciting advancement for our society. Blindness takes away the inability to read important information that society is given every day. The blind and low vision community can expect to be offered Braille so that they have access to many different types of medical and legal documents. It is also provided as access to education. Braille is not the only type of visual aid advancement who struggle with vision. There are also audio aids in telecommunications that allow people to hear what is shown on screens.
5. Audio Aids – Audio aids serve people who cannot hear or have low-functioning hearing. Audio aids can include hearing aids and closed-captioning on television and computer screens.
6. Building Accommodations – The structure of buildings has been altered to help ease the access to public facilities. Bathroom stalls and other doorways have been made larger to allow wheelchair access. Public buildings also install automated doors that open on their own, or with a push of a button.
7. Vehicle Lifts – Public buses, school buses, and other types of public transportation vehicles have lifts installed for wheelchairs to load and unload.
8. Service Animals – Service animals have deeply impacted the lives of disabled people in a great way. Service animals are often used by the blind and low-vision communities to help them get around. Service animals are the only type of animals allowed in many public buildings and on public transportation vehicles.
9. All Abilities Parks – All abilities parks are a newer accommodation that is growing around the nation. All abilities parks are designed for children with all types of abilities to play and have fun with other children. Many offer sensory toys/objects, water spaces, trains, and much more.

There has been a lot of advancement in public accommodations for disabled individuals. Many of the advancements listed above would not have become a reality without the positive, forward-thinking people who recognized that “able” can happen with the right type of accommodations. In 1990, the ADA was a new source of hope for many people – and continues to be a source of hope for many individuals.

The post 9 Top Advancements In Disability Inclusion In America appeared first on SYNERGY HomeCare of Central Illinois - Bloomington/Normal.