Most of us have heard the word obesity before, but may not be familiar with the actual definition, or what it means for us to actually have it applied to us. How does the condition of obesity affect a person’s life, and what can an older adult do about it to manage their weight and promote healthy living?
Hoarding is an issue that has only recently come into public consciousness, mostly due to TV shows sensationalizing the lives and homes of those suffering from it. It is a real, and serious issue, and one that frequently affects aging people, making it a point of concern for those caring for their elderly relatives and loved ones. Not only does hoarding cause significant mental duress related to the possessions in the hoard, it poses a major health and safety risk as well.
Alzheimer’s and other diseases of dementia are, naturally, a great concern for many people as they age. The idea of living on, but being unable to mentally function, or in the most tragic cases, remember who you or your loved ones are or even be able to hold a conversation is an incredibly frightening prospect.
Thanksgiving is one of the cornerstone holidays of America, a feast celebrating family and togetherness, upon which one of the foundational tales of our country rests. While everyone certainly enjoys good food, a cozy atmosphere, and seeing friends, family, and other loved ones, the amount of stress, travel, effort, and planning that goes into the holiday can be a great source of negativity for some, ruining their enjoyment or perhaps making them come out the other end with a bad taste in their mouths, no matter how many helpings of pumpkin pie they have.
While some amount of forgetfulness, memory loss, and trouble thinking is normal with aging, what isn’t normal is suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Less than 15% of the population aged 71 or older suffers from a degenerative dementia disorder, meaning that it’s certainly not guaranteed that you’ll get it as you get older.
As the fall season progresses along towards winter, one thing everyone surely notices is the sun rising later each day, and going down earlier each evening. Come November, it’s only going to get worse when Daylight Savings ends, making the sun set even earlier each day. For many of us, less light and more cold can have a debilitating effect on our daily lives, and our emotional and mental health. Our internal clocks are calibrated by exposure to sunlight, so for many of us shorter days are a disruption that can be hard to shake ourselves free of.
While many seniors are planning to spend their twilight years of life living in their own home and maintaining their independence, the unfortunate reality is that the challenges that come from the changes that aging brings to the body can make even the most warm and inviting home into a place fraught with dangers and terrors. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. With a few simple changes to the home, and some new strategies for living inside of it, you can make sure your older adult loved ones are set up for success and can stay living and thriving in their own home well into their advanced years.
Losing bone mass is a natural consequence of aging, especially in women post menopause. While osteoporosis is a concern, and the most commonly diagnosed bone disease, the loss of bone density due to aging can be devastating even without a diagnosis. Low bone density can result in your bones and hips breaking easily, severely limiting your mobility and curtailing your independence. Fortunately, there are a few changes you can make to your lifestyle and habits to keep your bones at the optimal health and strength for years to come.
While experiencing aches and pains here and there is a normal part of aging, and usually resolves quickly, within a day or two, sometimes pain may linger. Pain that occurs regularly for three or more months is known as chronic pain, which can disrupt your life and keep you from the things you enjoy. Knowing different strategies and methods for managing pain can help you reduce discomfort and preserve your independence.
You’ve probably heard the word “cholesterol” a lot when any discussion of heart health comes up. To keep a healthy heart, you must have low cholesterol. But then some cholesterol is apparently good, and it’s good to have a high level of it, so what’s the difference? What even is cholesterol? Where does it come from? It’s important to understand cholesterol and the role it plays in your body’s health, and how you can manage it to maintain your healthiest body.
The new Senior Helpers Center of Excellence in Caregiving has opened in Scottsdale as a comprehensive training facility for certified caregivers and community members who assist the elderly.
Often lost among other causes, kidney diseases like diabetes and others are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Because initial symptoms can be minor or get confused for other conditions, many kidney diseases go undiagnosed and untreated until kidney function is significantly decreased. This is why it’s important to keep the health of your kidneys in mind when aging, taking steps whenever possible to reduce the risk of kidney disease.
Halloween is traditionally thought of as a children’s holiday, for dressing up in a costume and going door to door trick or treating for candy, but just as many, if not more, adults have a deep appreciation and love for the holiday. For older adults, thinking they can’t participate in Halloween festivities anymore can cause them to miss out on a real opportunity for fun and family bonding.
As featured in McKnight's Senior Living, The Center of Excellence in Caregiving in Mesa, AZ opened to the public on October 1, and serves as a comprehensive training facility where Senior Helpers-certified caregivers, family caregivers, and members of the community who assist the elderly can expand their skills and knowledge of administering specialized care that is designed to meet the needs and requirements of senior citizens at various stages.
Seniors alive today have been witness to one of the most exciting eras of rapid technological advancement and invention in all of human history. And with seniors today living longer than previous generations, along with having far more leisure time to spend with friends, family, on hobbies or traveling to new destinations, it’s a good time to be older. But aging comes with many challenges and difficulties as well. While some amount of physical and mental decline is inevitable, leading to a loss of spring in our step, our twilight years can be just as, if not even more, enjoyable than our younger days.
Many seniors find that as they age, they don’t experience hunger the way they used to, leading to loss of weight and poor nutrition. Since our bodies run on what we feed them, it’s important to ensure we get all of the calories, vitamins, and nutrients we need to stay healthy.
For seniors aging in place, the bathroom can be one of the most dangerous rooms in the house. Wet conditions, slick tile, and a wide assortment of hard surfaces to land on such as the edge of the sink, toilet, or tub, can make the simple act of practicing good hygiene into a frightening and harrowing experience. It’s no wonder that, when presented with this difficult situation, many seniors opt to forgo bathing, neglecting their hygiene. Apart from the obvious issues that can arise from this, improper hygiene can, on its own, cause many different negative health effects.
Among the other effects of aging, the immune system weakens. Since the immune system is responsible for fighting off diseases and infections, it's not difficult to understand why this can be a problem for older adults. In addition to the risks that a sickness or an infection can pose, many seniors have chronic health conditions or are taking medications that can make the outcome of one even worse. Whether a senior is living at home, in a community, or with extended family, there are many steps older adults can take to shield themselves from the effects of an infection or a disease.
Before we can begin to manage stress, we must first understand what stress actually is. Simply defined, stress is the body’s response to a situation that requires action. Put even more simply, stress is how the body reacts to difficult, threatening, or challenging situations.
For seniors, life can be filled with uncertainty. As we grow into our twilight years, the changes that aging brings about can make us feel less in control, with less command over our lives and even our own bodies. By establishing a daily routine, personalized and specific to a senior’s particular wants, needs, and challenges, concentrating on what can be controlled can bring about a sense of empowerment.
As many adults age into their twilight years, a lot of them are finding that everything they’ve collected over the course of their lives can sometimes be difficult to manage, or the spaces in which they’ve lived have become too much to manage on their own, now that their kids have moved out and they may no longer have a spouse.
Many Americans struggle with drinking, and with older adults, oftentimes the concerns and trouble signs go overlooked by relatives, caretakers, and others. Problems caused by alcohol in seniors might be mistaken for something else that may otherwise be a normal result of aging, but the fact is that alcoholism is a potentially serious issue at all stages of life, and should be taken seriously and treated with care and concern.
While most health concerns with aging revolve around our physical bodies, worrying about things like blood pressure, blood sugar, aches and pains, or other metrics, equal attention should be paid to mental health. After all, our bodies operate as one holistic unit, both mind and body. To that end, practicing mindful meditation can promote many benefits, both mental and physical.
When a loved one has hearing loss, it can lead to social isolation and loneliness as it creates a barrier to communication with others. This can lead to depression, and cause pain in the extended family as your loved one retreats from interaction, due to being embarrassed or ashamed. While encouraging your loved one to meet with a doctor or audiologist to be evaluated and possibly fitted with a hearing aid is a good first step, there are other things to keep in mind to ensure effective and meaningful communication.
A common refrain heard from older adults with a smoking habit is statements along the lines of “I’ve smoked a pack a day for forty years, what’s the point in quitting now?” But the fact of the matter is that it’s always the best time to quit smoking. No matter how many packs or how many years you’ve smoked in the past, quitting smoking now will greatly improve your health. Quitting is likely to add years to your life, improve your breathing and energy levels, not to mention save you money.