Rhode Island

Seniors and Keeping Active

Seniors need to have a certain amount of exercise to remain healthy. It is never too late in life to begin exercising. However, getting seniors to move around and be active can be a challenge sometimes. Many seniors have difficulty sticking to an exercise regime. This is due to various reasons, including the fear of falling, having balance [problems and not being able to maintain a schedule. Below are some tips on how seniors can get moving and stay active.

1.    Seniors need to set goals for exercise and stick to them. They should start with small goals, such as exercising a few times a week. The goals should be realistic and achievable.

2.    Make a purchase! Buying a new bathroom scale can help seniors monitor their weight. Many newer scales will also display the body fat percentage. Seniors should set goals to reduce body fat. Seniors should also use the scale to keep track of their results from exercise. Most scales will have a built in memory, so seniors can monitor weight loss and gain.

3.    Do not think of exercise as a chore. It can actually be a social event if done in groups. Get together with other seniors for a walk. Socialization is linked with many health benefits, so seniors who combine exercise with a social activity will reap many benefits.

4.    Seniors do not have to engage in rigorous exercise routines. They should set short-term goals that are realistic. Most seniors will benefit from just 2 ½ hours of exercise each week.

Source: Consumer Healthday.com

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Life Expectancy of Seniors on the Rise

With the increase in life expectancy, more seniors are living longer lives. In addition to a lengthier life, seniors are also a lot healthier than they were years ago. This is primarily due to better health care and increased public awareness. The list below contains some facts about the increase in senior life expectancy.

1. Medical intervention and awareness are responsible for a large portion of the reason seniors are living longer.

2. Over the past 170 years, life expectancy has increased at a rate of 2.5 years each decade. This is equal to gaining 6 hours of life each day!

3. Most individuals who were born in 2000 or later will reach the age of 100.

4. Since people are living longer, it may be time to make some changes to lifestyles. A proposal would be to have younger people work fewer hours. This would allow them to work longer as they age instead of entering retirement and then living for another 30 or 40 years.

5. Seniors are encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This should include a well-rounded diet, daily exercise and social involvement.

Source: Duke News

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923

How Seniors Can Get Organized

Organizational skills are needed by everyone. When a senior is organized, their daily life is much more structured. This allows for less stress and anxiety that many seniors experience when they have to take care of things. Being organized can also be responsible for increasing mood and keeping seniors happy. Below is a list that contains some tips for seniors on organization.

1. There is no one way to be organized. People have different needs, so they will need to find an organizational system that works best for them.

2. Make use of organizational products. Written lists on paper are easy to lose, so try a dry erase board on the fridge to remember certain things.

3. Becoming organized is a process. It will not happen in one day. Begin by setting priorities and always know what things must be taken care of before others.

4. After finding a system that works, the challenge is maintaining it. Many seniors will go through the planning steps but often fall short when maintaining their organizational system.

5. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Friends and family members can offer some great ideas that will help seniors get organized and save time and money.

Source: NAPO

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

No matter what your relationship to your mother, you have a respect and appreciation for her for giving you life.

Especially if you are an adult child who is involved in the care of your aging mother, you play such a big role in her life and her in yours. You may know all this, but putting it into words can sometimes be easier said than done.

However, you don’t need to use your own words to express the love of your mother. A number of books written with Mother’s Day in mind can help you to get the message across. These are just a few of the popular choices:

1. The Adventures of Mighty Mom by Gwendolyn Mitchell Diaz: this book focuses upon a mother’s devotion for her child

2. Mothers are like that by Carol Carrick: Mothers and their children don’t all have the same relationships and this book focuses upon the differences but how all show support for one another in their own way.

3. Dear Mom: Thank You for Everything by Bradley Trevor Greive: A child’s thoughts and feelings about a mother accompanied by pictures that all mothers and children will relate to.

4. Love Lessons from My Mom by Kelly Corbet:  This is a quote from the book which really represents the focus of the book “A love lesson can come dressed as a baggage handler or a bag lady, from a family counselor or a drive-you-nuts member of your family A love lesson might even come in the shape of a flower growing in your backyard. It’s all in the invitation. So if you’re open to life, there’s no telling what great joys you’ll have over for tea or meet in a parking lot.”

5. All That Matters: A Mother’s Memories by Janis Hogan: A focus upon the special moments in life and how that impacts the relationship between mothers and children.

Mother’s Day Celebration

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Seniors Benefit from Accepting their Physical Appearance

Being physically attractive and appealing is a desire for millions of people. In fact, some seniors are still caught up in issues of vanity. These individuals should realize that looking good does not bring health and happiness. These two things should be the priority for most seniors. To learn to love and accept your body, some of the tips below can be helpful.

1. Everybody wants to be a supermodel, but for most seniors, this will never be a dream that comes true. To overcome this, seniors need to learn how to love their body. This is done by noting the positive and not dwelling on the negative.

2. Keep in mind that being different from another person is what makes us all unique. If everyone were a model and had perfect features, there would be no personal satisfaction or gain when a goal is reached.

3. Losing weight may help get your body trim again, but it is not the most important thing in life. Never compromise general health for vanity.

4. Looking good comes from feeling good. If you are comfortable with the person you are on the inside, chances are you will have a better chance of accepting the physical aspects as well.

Source: http://www.fromfat2fit.com/articles/a2.html

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923

Weight loss is a difficult thing to accomplish. Many seniors realize they have put on some pounds over the years. In addition, many of these seniors are unable to do any strenuous physical activities. The following list provides some great tips that can help seniors lose weight without having to exert themselves physically.

1. After eating a meal, push yourself away from the dining table. Do not stay for seconds!

2. Instead of sitting for that second helping, bag it and take it for a lunch the following day.

3. After supper, close the kitchen. Try to avoid late night snacks.

4. Use stairs whenever possible. This will help improve circulation and is a great form of exercise.

5. While walking, when the donut shop comes into view, keep walking!

6. Eating out can bring about many impulses. It is important to avoid supersizing any meal.

7. When dining out, take your leftover meal home. Do not feel as though you have to eat everything on the plate.

8. Instead of using the remote to the television, get up to change the channel. This will add a bit more exercise to the day.

9. When shopping, do not go on an empty stomach. Also make sure to leave unhealthy foods on the shelf.

10. Rely on your will power. It may be difficult to change old habits, but these tips can help lose weight quickly.

Source: http://www.fromfat2fit.com/articles/a10.html

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923

Memory Skills Help Seniors Live Alone

There are two things that many seniors fear – losing their independence in older adulthood, and losing their precious memories. Unfortunately, those two things can decline hand-in-hand as well. But, if seniors help keep their memory skills strong, they’ll be in a better position to care for themselves independently and continue to live alone.

1. Take in your surroundings – it happens at every stage of life; when someone talks to you but you’re not really focused so you don’t actually recall what they said, or miss many of the important details. That a prime example of how focusing is important. With age, it’s even more essential, because a conscious effort needs to be made in order to help seniors retain memories. When seniors put something away, they should make a conscious effort to mentally note “I put my keys on the counter”. That will help with recall, particularly for important daily events

2. Talk through it – actually saying something you want to remember outloud can benefit seniors. Talking about it improves memory alone, but in addition to that; pausing to talk can remind seniors to really stop and focus

3. Have a place for everything – there is nothing wrong with forming habits, especially when it comes to day-to-day functions that allow seniors to thrive independently. They should have a spot for their keys, for their medications and for other crucial items so they don’t even need to rely upon executive recall to find those items and remember to follow through on important tasks

Via: Harvard Health http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/3-tips-for-staying-sharp-as-you-age?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=032610_tw

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-292

Rhode Island Elder Care enables seniors to live happy, healthy, and independent lives in their own homes.

Routine is often something that goes hand-in-hand with the comfort of aging. Seniors face a lot of unknown scenarios in their lives; so the things that they can control are often elements of their routine that the repeat day-in, day-out. This may provide comfort, but it can also mean that seniors are reluctant to try new things and this can be an important component of aging for the sake of their health; body and mind. Here are some suggestions for activities that will help seniors break out of that routine, try new things, and improve their well-being in the process.

1. Incorporate simple activities that provide strength, coordination and balance training with little motion that makes seniors uncomfortable due to potential risks of falling. Walking regularly, working on grip by using a tennis ball or stress ball, doing some leg stretches while sitting, and doing arm circles can incorporate mobility into the lives of all seniors. These activities are not the typical exercises that seniors may have tried when they were younger, so by incorporating them they’re breaking out of their comfort zone; while at the same time returning them to it since they are activities that can be more age appropriate

2. Encourage seniors to take a different route. Walking or driving a different way to get to a location can help exercise the mind by forming new neural pathways. By varying a normal routine, like going out to get groceries, seniors can help enhance their minds

3. Seniors can relax and improve their emotional and physical health by getting outside and gardening this spring

Via: Get Mom Moving

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Rhode Island Home Care enables seniors to live happy, healthy, and independent lives in their own homes.

Seniors might find themselves shying away from Valentine’s Day. For some, it might be because they find the holiday cheesy; and for others, it might simply be because it brings back romantic memories with a spouse who has since passed. But, Valentine’s Day can be fun for people of all ages, so if you are one of these seniors, break out of your shell and surround yourself with loved ones whether it’s about romance or friendly fun.

• Attend a community event – visit a senior’s center or community center hosting Valentine’s Day celebrations. Performances like concerts by choirs, plays and poetry readings can be fun to attend and great for the whole family

• Try doing some crafts – seniors who are already part of craft groups are likely to be beginning themed activities for Valentine’s Day, but do them at home as well. Seniors can also make cards and decorations with their family members

• Do some baking – Valentine’s Day is often associated with treats. Chocolate and goodies are usually a feature of the holiday. For seniors that can eat these items without any health repercussions, they can do some baking with family members. Otherwise healthier recipes can be tried incorporating food coloring of heart shapes to get into the spirit!

Via: Suite101

Image: daylife.com

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.

Members of the elderly population often make a New Year’s resolution to drop a few extra pounds in the upcoming year. Weight loss improves physical and mental health. While not every senior is able to engage in an exercise regime, there are a few little things that can be done to help lose weight. These tips are listed below.

1. Try to be more conscious of what you eat. While sweets are hard to resist, try eating a piece of fruit instead of candy. It will satisfy your craving for sugar and is much healthier.

2. Buy a scale for the bathroom. This will help monitor your weight. You can even use a journal to keep track of any changes. A good scale will help you through your weight-loss journey.

3. Increase physical activity. Seniors do not need to join a gym. A simple short walk each day will help burn extra calories. In addition, that walk can help keep your heart healthy.  Exercise also increases your mood, so not only will it have physical benefits, but your mental health will improve as well.

4. Discuss weight loss plans with a doctor. You want to make sure your diet is providing you with the intake you need to stay healthy yet at the same time will help you lose weight.

Source: aarp.org

Image Source: sxc.hu

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.