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If winter hasn’t arrived in your neck of the woods yet, it will soon. If you are new to maintaining a household, there are a number of specific chores that you need to do before and during the coldest season of the year.

In today’s blog, we’ve listed a few of the most important tasks – check them out below.

(1) Clear your gutters of debris

Yes, we know it’s an arduous task, but it’s a necessary one. Gutters clogged with leaves and other plant debris trap water. Standing water freezes, melts, and then re-freezes throughout the winter months.

Before you know it, ice dams will not only damage the system that directs water away from your property, but they will also force water into your roof. Here, it will freeze, melt, and then re-freeze just as it does outside, causing untold amounts of damage to its structural components.

If the thought of doing this yourself makes your middle aged bones ache, you could always just hire help to do it for you. That way, you can continue to game on the internet. As fun as playing with fiat currency can be, with bitcoin at unprecedented lows, there’s never been a better time to get into cryptocurrency.

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2) Seal up any and all drafts

Hate sky high heating bills? So do us. Avoid a repeat of last winter’s scandalous high payments by getting rid of every draft you can find in your house.

Start by running your hand along each of your windows – if you can feel a light breeze, you’ve found a draft. Get a caulking tube and seal around the edges until the leak ceases to exist.

Drafts also occur along doors, in fireplaces, and attics. Installing door sweeps, closing the fireplace cover when it is not in use, and installing the best insulation you can buy are all ways you can fix these issues in sequence.

3) Get your chimney swept before and during winter

When home owners buy a place with a fireplace, many fail to realize that it needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Failing to sweep out a chimney can lead to the buildup of dangerous gases, like carbon monoxide. Additionally, accumulated debris can also lead to a flue fire, which can threaten your entire home.

This isn’t something you can do on your own. Call a professional chimney sweep, and they’ll get the job done in a safe and professional manner.

(4) Never turn the heat off when away from home

People do this to save on heating bills, only to come back to the biggest mess of their lives. When the heat is shut off to a home in winter, your pipes will eventually freeze. Ice expands, causing them to burst.

This sprays water everywhere, cutting off an essential service and creating an expensive remediation bill. When leaving home in winter, keep your thermostat at 60f/15c – you’ll thank us later!

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The goal of professional home health care is to ensure that the elderly and ill patients receive personal, sympathetic and high quality care. Because of this personalized service, more and more patients and their families prefer it.

When you need to enlist help for managing a loved one’s chronic disease or a specific disability, it’s important that you have someone who can provide care even when you’re not around. For most individuals, receiving health care at home makes them feel more confident and functional. Recovering patients get help in maintaining their sense of dignity and security.

What to consider when getting a health care service?

When someone in the family isn’t in tip-top physical condition, it can cause stress and discomfort for everyone concerned. A trusted health care service provider can help ease your burdens while you continue with your normal day-to-day routine.

But before proceeding, you need to do the following:

  1. Understand the difference between home care and home health care.

At first, they may both sound similar so it’s easy to mistake one for the other. A home health care service involves a trained professional or a nurse staff which doctors recommend as part of a treatment plan. On the other hand, a home care service is usually done by a non-clinical staff who assists patients with daily tasks.

  1. Do some research on what services your home health care service provides.

Once you already have an idea that your chosen home health care agency provides the professional care you need, check out their list of services. Most traditional home health care providers offer the following:

  • Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy
  • Home Health Aid – Helps a patient accomplish basic personal activities like walking, dressing bathing, etc.
  • Medical Social Services
  • Nursing – Ostomy care, wound dressing, medication, IV therapy and general health support and monitoring
  1. Choose a home health care service that builds a bridge between you and the doctor.

The road to making your loved one feel better can be very overwhelming. When you forget all the doctor’s instructions, a home health care service translates these instructions into a treatment plan. The agency acts as the doctor’s eyes and ears to coordinate the best care for your loved one.

Besides the assurance that your loved one is well taken care of, there are still many benefits that a personal health care service can offer. Below are seven reasons why you should consider getting a home health care provider.

  1. Affordability

A professional home health care provider gives quality care and is generally more affordable than a nursing home. If the patient is an elderly person, keeping them at home will make them happier while not costing as much as a nursing facility. A home health care provider also gives reasonable and simple pricing rates which don’t always involve monthly and annual contracts.

  1. Home Comfort

For a sick family member, the feeling of being at home while recovering makes them more comfortable. With friends and family around to support them, they can recover faster. Also, patients become more responsive to therapies and treatments as they’re likely to cooperate since they feel more secure in their homes.

  1. One-on-one care

Home health care services provide personal and professional nursing and medical care. As the nurse only focuses on one patient, it allows for dedicated and careful service. Also, the patient is less prone to maltreatment and injuries.

With one-on-one care, you can make sure that your loved one gets the necessary medical attention while being comfortable at home.

  1. Family Togetherness

In times of sickness or any health challenges, a strong family bond is vital. The family is the best source of emotional support. Since your loved one is in an environment that you have full access to, you can personally monitor their condition.

More than being in the comforts of home, you can prevent your loved one from feeling neglected. Letting loved ones stay at home despite their health condition will make them feel valued and loved. They will also be more emotionally healthy compared to those who are staying in medical care institutions.

  1. Independence and Confidence

A home setting is not a restrictive environment for your loved one which means they get to remain engaged in their daily routine. With a home health care service, your loved one has full control and the ability to lead an independent and meaningful life while recovering.

  1. Diet and Nutrition Support

Individuals with chronic conditions are at risk of poor nutrition. Home health care ensures that your loved one gets the right nutrition to stay healthy and aids in their recovery. Most home health care providers include the preparation of home-cooked meals and nutritional counselling to prevent malnutrition as part of their services.

  1. Medication Management

It can be confusing to manage many prescriptions for a loved one. A home health care professional makes sure that the patient takes the right medications on an exact schedule. Enlisting help from a health care provider prevents harmful drug interactions and health conditions.

Obtain peace of mind

More than ensuring the best care for your loved one, a home health care gives you peace of mind as well. Juggling everyday responsibilities while taking care of a loved one can be very difficult. With responsibilities such as a career and kids, it can be almost impossible for you to give all the attention the patient needs.

Having a professional nurse at home allows you to efficiently manage all of your adult responsibilities. And you can give the love and support your loved one needs since you have full access to the patient at home.