Open Arms Solutions

Around eighty percent of patients with dementia or chronic disease like to stay at home in a familiar environment rather than go to an unknown care facility. To offer this comfortable environment and cater to their emotional needs, many families turn to in-home care services.

Open Arms Solutions assists high-risk seniors with multiple chronic conditions, including dementia, Parkinson’s, and stroke, to slow the chronic disease and enable them to regain a feeling of control over their lives.

What differentiates Open Arms Solutions from most in-home care providers is its inspired care approach, which focuses on conducting meaningful activities to enhance senior experience, engaging the whole family in the process of care, and taking into consideration the unique personality of each client. The inspired care approach encourages them to continue doing their favorite activities, whether cooking, gardening, or taking a stroll in the park.

“Chronic disease and end-of-life care are challenging. We believe, with the right perspective and support, our clients and their families can find joy and purpose,” says Julie Kollada, founder and president of Open Arms Solutions.

They are committed to reimagining caregiving and offering online educational support to families in Chicago, following a holistic care model with three key areas; an inspired care approach, a skilled caregiver team, and the symbiosis of research and education.

The inspired care approach allows caregivers to engage clients in meaningful activities. Going beyond traditional tasks for in-home care like bathing, dressing, and meal preparation, they engage families in meaningful activities with the Embrace memory care program. It comprises a diverse set of day-to-day activities that stimulate cognitive functions and slow dementia progress. Every activity is designed to help dementia sufferers connect with their families and loved ones. To provide the best services, Open Arms focuses on building a compassionate caregiver team. The team receives coaching and mentoring programs, nurse supervision, and guidance to enhance soft skills that help effectively connect with clients. The firm offers innovative care training to caregivers, including dementia lab training, which uses the latest techniques in dementia care. For instance, Improvisation helps caregivers effectively interact and adapt to a client with dementia needs.

To offer more knowledge about the care services available for the chronically ill, it has launched the Conversations on Care podcast, a live Facebook talk show with senior care experts who help families better understand and cope with chronic care needs.

Every client situation is unique. To make the process of in-house care easy, Open Arms offers resources like an expertly curated questionnaire to help families evaluate if in-home care is right for them and their loved ones. Their responses give insights into the situation and help determine the level of care needed for specific cases. An in-person assessment is conducted to accurately understand the gravity of the situation, the client’s history, the activities they enjoy, and the care needed to support and engage them. Taking these results into account, it curates a care plan and coordinates it from the start to ensure clients thrive.

Recently, Open Arms Solutions helped a woman in a senior living community who was struggling with her diet. The family brought her home, but she had to be placed in the hospital where she was unhappy. The family sought care services from Open Arms, which monitored her eating habits and determined her intolerance to gluten and dairy products. It designed a kosher diet plan to help the client regain her health. Assisted by the caregiver, the client rediscovered her love of food, gained back some needed weight, and found the energy she had lost, eventually returning to the home she loved.

Open Arms Solutions goes above and beyond in its program design and method to ensure the highest quality of life for clients. By considering the unique spirit of each client, the whole care team including the client’s family, and the quality of the program, they empower families to transform painful experiences into inspired, meaningful ones.