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Resources for Caregivers

Dec 08
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How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays

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How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays

2020 has been challenging for all of us. The upcoming holidays will definitely tempt us to seek comfort in all of the traditions that we love and keeping healthy during the holidays can be challenging. It starts with Halloween, then Thanksgiving, goes right to Christmas then directly into New Year’s Eve. While this time of year can be fun, it can also be hectic, stressful, and wreak havoc on your health, especially for the older population. It is important to stay vigilant in order to stay healthy. Here are 10 ideas to ensure you and your loved ones have a safe and fun holiday season!  Read More

Oct 09
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Sleep Health Tips

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Sleep health begins with good sleep hygiene. Quality, uninterrupted sleep is important for many reasons. Research has shown that after a good sleep, people retain information and perform better on memory tasks. Our bodies also require long periods of sleep in order to restore, grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesize hormones. As adults get older, ailments or health issues can interrupt sleep, creating further health issues, not to mention cranky moods.  Read More

Sep 15
0
Nutrition Tips for Seniors

Nutrition Tips for Seniors

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What you eat is important. Nutrition affects many things- from your energy level to your body’s ability to fight off illness. While good nutrition is different for everyone, there are a few basics. 

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration is more problematic for seniors. It can be the result of limiting fluids to reduce incontinence issues, medications, or poor nutrition. A good rule of thumb is if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. There are many strategies for staying hydrated. Read more in this article https://almosthomeseniorservices.com/how-can-i-prevent-dehydration/

Limit Processed Sugar

According to the CDC, Americans are eating and drinking way too much added sugars, which can lead to health problems. There is a lot of hidden sugar in the foods and beverages a lot of people eat daily, such as bread, tomato sauce, or yogurt. Learning how to read food labels can help in making more nutritious choices.

https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/know-your-limit-for-added-sugars.html

Include Fruits and Vegetables

Including fruits and vegetables is a delicious way to improve nutrition. Frozen and canned vegetables are also an option if fresh is not available or a longer shelf life is needed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3713183/

Eat “Good Fats”

Fats are an important part of good nutrition, but not just any fat. Poor nutrition can be attributed to either too much unhealthy fats, not enough healthy fats, or a combination of both. There are many foods with good fats. Learn more about incorporating these into a nutritious diet.    

https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/healthy-eating-for-older-adults

Get More Fiber 

According to Medicare, dietary fiber is an important part of a healthy diet for people of all ages, it can greatly help older adults who have challenges with constipation, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and their weight. Eating foods higher in fiber is another important part of good nutrition. 

https://www.medicare.org/articles/why-is-fiber-important-for-older-adults/

Before making changes to your diet, talk to your doctor about seeing a nutritionist. Almost Home is here to help families by offering quality & affordable Adult Day Care, Assisted Living & Family Consulting Services, including information and resources on how to keep yourself well. Contact us if you have any questions on how we can help you and your family.

Aug 17
0
Brain Health in Seniors

How Seniors Can Improve Brain Health

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Brain health is more than just having a good memory. It refers to all of the brain’s responsibilities: cognitive function, emotional function, sensory function, and motor function. Here are some fun and easy ways to improve your brain health. 

Cognitive Function 

Cognitive function is the ability to learn, remember, and think clearly. There are many activities that promote and even improve cognitive function. 

  1. Engage in meaningful conversation. Don’t just talk about the weather- have an actual conversation of depth and purpose.
  2. Use the opposite hand for simple tasks such as brushing your teeth or for more difficult tasks such as writing or drawing. 
  3. Play puzzles and word games. Make sure to choose new or more challenging options! 

Emotional Function

Emotions are responses to environmental signals. There are many activities that can help improve our emotions or avoid negative ones such as frustration, boredom, or sadness. 

  1. Exercise increases “feel good chemicals” and can improve confidence with improved fitness.
  2. Good nutrition supports emotional function. Check with your local nutritionist if you think your nutrition could use a boost. 
  3. Heard of “waking up on the wrong side of the bed?” Healthy sleep habits also support emotional function. Make sure to get enough of quality sleep. 

 

Sensory function

Sensory function refers to the senses of touch, pressure, temperature and pain. Balance is controlled by our sensory functions. Learn more about how our sensory functions affect balance as well as what you can do to improve it in this article by Elder Gym. https://eldergym.com/elderly-balance/ 

 

Motor Function

Motor function is defined as “the ability to learn or to demonstrate the skillful and efficient assumption, maintenance, modification, and control of voluntary postures and movement patterns.” Fine motor refers to using the small muscles in the hands and wrists. Gross motor refers to the large muscles of the body for walking, running, sitting, crawling , etc… It is important to improve both fine and gross motor functions. 

Fine motor activities

  • Squeeze a tennis or stress ball
  • Sort coins or bills into denomination stacks
  • Open bottles, food containers, medicine bottles
  • Lace beads, sort jewelry or other small items 

Large motor function activities- chair exercises

  • Chair Exercises
  • Resistance Band Workouts
  • Walking
  • Swimming or Water Aerobics

As always, ensure you get cleared by your doctor before engaging in new exercises or making changes to your diet. Almost Home is here to help families by offering quality & affordable Adult Day Care, Assisted Living & Family Consulting Services, including information and resources on how to keep yourself well. Contact us if you have any questions on how we can help you and your family.

May 11
1
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Fitness Health

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Fitness health and healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, especially seniors. Incorporating fitness into a daily routine can improve health as well as quality of life. There are several forms of exercise that are appropriate for seniors, such as Tai Chi, Chair Exercises, and Pilates.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese exercise that was originally developed for self-defense. Over time, it has evolved into an exercise practiced by both young and old. Tai Chi is a type of meditative movement which includes a flow of standing physical postures and breathing techniques. When practiced regularly, it can reduce stress as well as promote balance and stamina.

Chair Exercises

Chair based exercise (CBE) was created for seniors with compromised mobility. It enables anyone to participate in an easily accessible form of exercise. Grab a chair and you can add fitness to your daily routine!

Pilates

Pilates was designed for bed bound hospital patients in the early 1900s by Joseph Pilates. These exercises are designed to build core strength and stability. For those who have  trouble getting down on the floor, there are pilates routines that can be done on a bed or a chair.

 Before trying anything new to improve your fitness health, make sure to check with your doctor first. Almost Home is here to help families by offering quality & affordable Adult Day Care, Assisted Living & Family Consulting Services, including information and resources on how to keep yourself well. Contact us if you have any questions on how we can help you and your family.

Apr 15
1
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Optimism is the Foundation of Courage

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This all takes optimism, and courage. I don’t think any of us really knows how we will come out of this Pandemic in 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years from now.  The reality is that life for all people changed overnight and will never be the same. We who have been labeled as essential services workers are thankful for still being employed and have (or feel) an obligation to continue serving our community. Those of us leaving the safety of our homes, leaving our school children behind to attend classes via internet and those unable to see our family members that we are isolating from, are all heroes. For it takes courage to leave our home, don our masks and give up the normal human contact we are accustomed to. However, courage can be short lived if not held strong with optimism as a foundation. 

Those of you who know of my “Jamisms” have heard me say, “this too shall pass.” If you look at facebook or watch the news, you can see that humanity has stepped up and are doing major acts of kindness. Simple things like sending a note of hello to someone, sending door dash to a neighbor you know has been caregiving at home, just walking someone’s garbage can to their garage shows kindness. Do you have someone in your neighborhood that needs a grocery run or a dog walked?  People want to help. So, if someone asks you if they can do something, give them something to do. People need to be needed. Good deeds reflect on the goodness of humanity. Kindness and goodness breeds optimism. 

I have a challenge for you. Every morning when you start your day, look in the mirror and say what you are looking forward to when this Pandemic is over. Visualization is powerful. You must know and feel what you are looking forward to. When you open your courage up, know that it is still strong because your optimism has made it so. And “this too shall pass.”

We all have a story of what we have given up these past weeks going on months. Every morning I leave my daughter with the dog, at home to attend virtual school. This past month has left disappointments for so many High School Seniors. They have worked hard and want to celebrate. We are all ready to live outside of our cocoon again. Find a way to Celebrate. It will also help breed optimism. Optimism is the foundation of Courage. 

 

Apr 15
0
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Keeping Up With Spiritual Health

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Spiritual health has a different meaning to everyone. For this month’s blog, we will be focusing on spiritual health being defined as “a purposeful life which creates a balance between physical, psychological and social aspects.” We’ll also be sharing our favorite ways of keeping up with spiritual health.

When a loved one needs extra care, it becomes especially important to take care of ourselves. There are many ways to practice spiritual health.

How to Keep up With Your Spiritual Health

Almost Home is here to help families by offering quality & affordable Adult Day Care, Assisted Living & Family Consulting Services, including information and resources on how to keep yourself well.  For more Caregiver resources, visit our Resources page. Contact us if you have any questions on how we can help you and your family.

Mar 11
0
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How to Improve Your Mental Fitness

By | Resources for Caregivers, Resources for Seniors | No Comments

In March, our word of the month is Mental Health, or more specifically, Mental fitness. Mental fitness is important for many reasons. Engaging in a variety of activities can keep your brain in tip-top shape, assist to decrease stress, increase self-confidence, promote better sleep, and boost brain function.

Just like physical fitness, there are many different activities that improve mental fitness. Start now by choosing a variety of activities. Make sure you are doing them consistently, and over time, you may begin to notice improvements in things like mood, memory, creativity, and problem solving.

Mental Fitness Activities

  • Get outside.
  • Eat a healthy diet including fruits and vegetables.
  • Exercise regularly and try new exercises.
  • Practice good sleep hygiene.
  • Read often and choose new subjects.
  • Challenge your intellect and memory with games such as Sudoku or chess.
  • Make time to relax.
  • Daydream.
  • Take up a new hobby.
  • Engage in stimulating conversations.
  • For the technologically savvy, download brain training apps such as Words With Friends, Lumosity, or Duolingo.
  • Learn a second language.

Our team at Almost Home is dedicated to keeping our friends engaged and active in a variety of activities that are good for the body and the mind. Do you have a Mental Fitness activity you’d like to share with us? Would you like to learn more about the services offered at Almost Home? Contact us and we will get back with you shortly.

 
 
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