Rhode Island

Father’s Day Celebrations for Seniors

Seniors should have the opportunity to be honored on Father’s Day like anyone else, whether they are dead or alive. When you were a kid, I’m sure you showered your dad with homemade gifts that made him feel like you were thinking about him. Don’t give up on that now just because you’re both older!

1. Give him a great meal – treat him to his favorite meal. Bring him breakfast in bed, out to his favorite buffet, go for a beer or to a fancy restaurant he loves. Remember, it ís all about him!

2. Give him something he would not get himself – your gift does not have to be expensive, but do think of something he’d never get for himself and skip the stereotypical gifts

3. Pay attention to his wants – if there is anything in particular youíve noticed your dad talking about, try to make that desire a reality. The best part of the gift will be the recognition that you have been paying attention!

4. Give him your undivided attention – it does not matter what you do, but make sure your time together is uninterrupted. Do not answer your text messages or phone calls unless it ís absolutely crucial!

5. Honor dad after death – if your father is no longer alive, you can still honor him on Father’s Day. Have a tribute to dad with other family members or donate to his favorite charity or cause

eHow.com

Helping Seniors De-clutter their Lives with a Caregiver

Caregivers play such an essential role for seniors, and they can make a big difference in a senior’s well-being. This critical role is why caregivers need to be careful when helping seniors make their homes safe and clutter free. For many seniors stuff represents memories and control; not just the objects the rest of the world might see them as. Caregivers can help seniors get their homes clutter-free for safety, and also help them separate memories from the objects.

1. Start small – instead of getting frustrated about a senior’s unwillingness to let go of certain items; praise and be happy for some small purges. Even if all you’ve managed to do is go through old mail cluttering the kitchen counter, it’s a victory that should be rewarded!

2. Take baby steps – like starting small, taking baby steps can allow seniors to see how they feel when a few things have been given away. If they have too large of a collection of old clothing, donate just a few pieces. After a few weeks have past, find out how the senior feels. They’re likely to discover that the parting wasn’t as bad as they thought

3. Let them take control – the accumulation of clutter can be about control; whether it’s controlling memories of the past they feel they’ve lost, or simply remaining in control of certain aspects of their life at a time when there’s so much change. Allow them to decide how to get rid of things and which items to start with first. If they refuse overtime, tell them that if they don’t take control then you or someone else will have to

Home Instead Senior Care

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.

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

One of the best mobility activities for aging seniors is the Day at the Beach. This stretching exercise allows seniors to have some exercise and physical activity. It is one of the preferred activities for seniors who have poor vision. Though most seniors will be able to complete the activity on their own, some may need verbal guidance when they first begin. Regardless, the senior will benefit from this stretching exercise if done daily.

1. Take a beach ball and hold it at chest level. Both hands should be on the ball.

2. Stretch the arms outward. Make sure to keep them as straight as possible.

3. Return to the original position with the arms at the chest.

4. Each motion should be help for 10 counts. This will ensure the stretch is complete and that the senior is getting the maximum effect from this mobility activity.

5. This activity can be done anywhere the senior is comfortable. To add to the exercise, do it while listening to music. If desired, the senior can also move their feet to the beat of the music while doing the exercise.

Source: getmommoving.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.

Staying fit is an important part of remaining healthy. The health of a caregiver is very important. If a caregiver is not healthy, they will not be able to provide services efficiently to seniors. The list below contains some great ideas and resources for staying fit. These activities can be a great way for Rhode Island caregivers and seniors to interact and stay healthy together.

1. There are many programs available through AARP that will be helpful when trying to get in shape or stay fit. These programs offer some great ideas on starting points and can also provide structure for those who are already active and wish to follow a schedule or set a regimen each day. Seniors can also join in with many of the activities provided, allowing another opportunity for the caregiver and senior to have special time together.

2. The benefits of exercise far exceed just toning the body and staying fit. There is a mental and emotional component to it as well. The Fat 2 Fit journey is a great program for seniors and caregivers to do together. This program will walk you through the steps to losing weight and keeping it off. It also provides some daily exercise that will benefit seniors and caregivers.

3.  Make sure to take time for mental breaks. If you have a negative thought about the way you are exercising or your weight at the current time, it may be time to take a break. There are links on the source page that contain useful information for keeping your mind as healthy as the rest of your body.

Source: aarp.org

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.

Home Care Rhode Island cares for many aging adults, and we know that there’s no better time than now at the start of a New Year for senior spouses to work towards their goals together. It’s an essential way to strengthen that bond that can last a lifetime, and you can make this year better for both of you.

1. Improve your health together – you’ll be better motivated if the person that you live with and spend most of your time with has the same goals. When you go out to eat, make healthier choices together and find exercise activities you enjoy doing together

2. Eat at home – it’s easier to make healthy choices when you eat at home. Vow to dine in more often, and try to incorporate unique recipes you enjoy eating out into a healthy home diet

3. Get out and explore – many seniors have lived in their city for decades and have come to take it for granted. Each week, get out there with your spouse and explore a museum and a local park. You’ll appreciate the local culture and get moving at the same time

4. Eliminate bad habits – spouses may not have the same bad habit, though they can encourage one another to eliminate theirs. Quit smoking while your loved one cuts back on drinking

Via: Suite101

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.

Each and every day many seniors wish for better health, more happiness, and improved quality of life. There is no better time than now to take action and set goals so that if these are dreams you have, you can make them come true. You don’t have to do it alone, and you’ll find more success if you don’t. Ask a Rhode Island caregiver, family or friend to read through the ways outlined below that they can help you find success.

1. Help form a support team – you don’t have to do it alone! Help your loved one form a support network that will help them reach their goals. If it’s to eat better, consider hiring a nutritionist and encourage friends and family to adopt healthier eating habits around them too. If it’s exercise, attend classes with your senior and ask others to do the same.

2. Remind him/her it’s not always going to be easy – especially for seniors who often face so many challenges later in life, it’s easy to give up on something that’s not coming easy. Often, resolutions that will drastically change their life aren’t going to be easy. Certain goals can be physically and emotionally challenging, so give them a friendly push when needed

3. A slip up doesn’t mean give up – as part of overcoming the challenges that can come with new goals, seniors need to keep on going even if they slip up along the way. In that situation, encourage them to learn from what they were doing wrong, then put it behind them and move forward. Ask them if there’s anything you can do to give them a hand with starting new!

Via: Associated Content

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.

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.

If your goal is to boost your brain health in 2010, then here are some simple lifestyle changes that you can incorporate into your daily routine:

1. Choose fruit – instead of chocolate bars, try blueberries and almonds

2. Dance – ballroom dancing can help prevent Alzheimer’s

3. Choose healthy crunch – in salads, instead of croutons try walnuts for texture

4. Walk daily – reduce blood sugar with a 20 minute walk daily

5. Try Chinese vitamins – use Chinese moss

6. Become a tour guide – at a hospital, museum or historical place guide tours to help you remember facts

7. Use video games – use brain teaser games and practice hand-eye coordination

8. Try new things – don’t stick to the same old logic puzzles you’re used to

9. Deal with stress – seeking support helps reduce the effects of shrinking to your brain’s memory center

10. Look around – take in your surroundings closely

11. Notice details – really look so you could recount your surroundings

12. Try special tea – gotu koala tea protects brain cells

13. Use other herbal teas – teas with ginseng and holy basic can protect from cortisol

14. Choose a calming word – focus on a word that calms you as a form of meditation

15. Stay focused on time – keep calendars in every room

16. Take a course – take a class at a college

17. Wear a helmet – if you ride your bike, protect your head

18. Drink red wine – drink 2 or 3 glasses of red wine per week

19. Have thyroid testing – thyroid problems can hamper the brain, receive testing and get it under control

20. Choose lean foods – skip the burger and fries

21. Choose healthy sweets – fruits can satisfy a sweet tooth like candy

22. Try oats and cinnamon for breakfast – oats prevent plaque in brain arteries and cinnamon improves blood sugar

23. Listen to music – turn off the TV, turn on the music

24. Try Indian food – ingredients in curry have great antioxidants for brain health

25. Eat regularly – break for food throughout the day

Via: AARP

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.