Archives

Being Social Can Help to Age Well

Date: December 10, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Loneliness Can Be Deadly for Elders; Friends Are the Antidote

Loneliness is one of the biggest health concerns for seniors. It’s underestimated but very common among seniors. As we get older, it’s easier to grow more isolated, friends leave, family may pass away, and kids have their own lives. Being social can help to age well and keep people happy.

Being Social Can Help to Age Well

Being Social Can Help to Age Well

 

It might be hard to figure out how to make connections, it can maybe feel like being a new kid at school. But here are a few things you can do, volunteer, join a club, make new friends from those places, all of these things can get you out of the house and interacting with people.

Having good connections with friends, family, and your community may even lengthen your life. Researchers studied 7,000 men and women in Alameda County, Calif., and found that people who were “disconnected from others” were about three times more likely to die during the nine-year study than people with strong social ties.

Friends can also influence your habits, if they are eating healthy you may be more inclined to eat healthy. If your friends don’t smoke there is a good chance you don’t smoke either.

You can read more about the benefits of friendship here.

Ageism in Healthcare

Date: December 10, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Most Seniors Who End Up in the ER Can't Afford Medicine

Sadly for seniors, many people underestimate them. Whether it’s their cognitive or physical ability, everyone always assumes that they cannot do anything for themselves. This is called ageism, when people assume the stereotypes of older people are the norm. Not only can it be frustrating, but ageism in healthcare can be dangerous.

Ageism in Healthcare

Ageism in Healthcare

 

This is especially true when a senior is in the hospital. Due to how busy and strained staff can be, they may often jump to the easiest conclusion, and because they have no prior history with the patient, they don’t know what is normal for them.

So lets say someone went in due to a side effect of medication, which we become more susceptible to as we get older, and they become a bit delirious. Doctors may write them off as having Alzheimer’s before actually looking for a cause. This could happen if a patient is dehydrated or even if they have a UTI which becomes more common for seniors as they age.

Many seniors are really vulnerable when they end up in the hospital and would need the help of family and friends to speak for them. Though this can take time and time is precious in a busy hospital.

Read more here.

A Body in Motion, Stays in Motion

Date: December 10, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
9 Easy Tests to See If You're Fit

We have all the heard the phrase “A body in motion, stays in motion.” What if this phrase is a key to aging well? Of course, exercise is important to stay healthy, but are you aware of the good it can do as you get older? Exercise can help stall the natural decline that comes with age.

A Body in Motion, Stays in Motion

A Body in Motion, Stays in Motion

 

For many people, they feel that they are too busy to work out, they have work, families, and other things that get in the way. But, you can do high intensity but short workouts. While it sounds intimidating it really means exercising at a 100 percent for a few minutes and have long recovery times in between.

A Mayo Clinic study found that high intensity workouts have helped change muscles at the cellular level, even reversing decline due to a sedentary lifestyle. A typical high-intensity workout lasts less than 15 minutes, including a warm-up and cool-down, but has been shown that the benefits are the same or greater than an hour or more of continuous and moderate exercise.

Different Workouts to Try

 

One workout you can do is lift weights, and I don’t mean like those professional body builders. In traditional weight training, it’s advised to find the heaviest amount that we can lift one time. We then use this number to shape the rest of the program where you would lift 80 to 90 percent of that weight until your limbs shake from tiredness.

Recently, scientists have found that doing a weight program where the weight was set between 30 to 50 percent, study subjects could lift the weight up to 25 times before muscles were exhausted. The key for both groups was to grow tired. The volunteers in both groups had to attain almost total muscular fatigue in order to increase their muscles’ size and strength.

How Exercise Helps You

 

Exercise not only helps the inside of your body but the outside as well, exercise is good for the skin and reverses signs of aging. After around 40, the outer layer of our skin, the stratum corneum, gets drier, flakier, and denser as we age. The inner layer of our skin, our dermis, starts to thin, giving a sagger more translucent look.

In one study of volunteers, ages 20 to 84, researchers studied their skin. They found that the men and women 40 and older who exercised frequently, had thinner, healthier stratum corneums and thicker dermis. Their skin was much closer to that of the 20 and 30-year-olds, even if they were past age 65.

You can read more here.

Dogs in Funeral Homes Bring Comfort to Mourners

Date: December 3, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Dogs in Funeral Homes Bring Comfort to Mourners

It’s been well established that therapy animals are a great deal of help for a variety of disorders but what about grieving? Across the country, dogs in funeral homes bring comfort to mourners. They bring peace and love to those who need at the most critical time.

Dogs in Funeral Homes Bring Comfort to Mourners

Dogs in Funeral Homes Bring Comfort to Mourners

 

There’s the factor that dogs bring unconditional love to the table which can be reassuring after a loved one passes away. It’s especially important for kids to have this kind of interaction because they may not be able to process everything, so they need that extra comfort.

Trained dogs can be a peaceful presence in funeral homes, a light in a dark time. Many mourners have appreciated having something warm to pet or hold while a funeral is happening. Dogs and other animals always seem to know who is having a hard time and will go that person first. They can comfort without saying a word.

You can read more here.

Eating Well to Age Well

Date: December 3, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
7 Way You Can Help Prevent a Heart Attack

We all want to continue to feel good and healthy as we get older but sometimes it’s hard. Eating well to age well is important but there are so many tips, diets, and trends that it can be overwhelming. We found some simple tips that should be easy to implement.

Eating Well to Age Well

Eating Well to Age Well

 

The first has to do with weight loss. It’s been well established that being overweight is bad for your health, but did you know that just losing 5 percent of your body weight will vastly improve your health. By losing 5 percent of your body weight, you will reduce your risk for diabetes and heart disease, and improve metabolic function in liver, fat, and muscle tissue.

Eating less processed meat can greatly improve your health. It’s the level of sodium and chemical preservatives that make them so bad for your health. Processed meats have about 4 times more sodium and 50 percent more preservatives than unprocessed meats.

They use sodium and preservatives to make the meat last longer. This can increase the chances of heart disease by 42 percent and diabetes by 19 percent. Processed meat includes hot dogs, sausages, and deli meat. It’s still safe to have unprocessed meat though.

Speaking of processed foods, you should also try to avoid processed food and drinks. By doing this, it will eliminate the amount of sugar you eat. A basic rule to avoid processed food is if it comes in a package that has to be ripped open, it’s processed. Think chips, fast food, and frozen pizza.

There are exceptions to this rule, some unprocessed food like nuts and eggs are packaged and are good for you. So you can also check the ingredients and if there is only one, then it’s healthy. By cutting out processed food you will be eating more fruits and vegetables. Blueberries have been know to cut down on blood pressure and a lower risk of diabetes. Other dark veggies and fruits that are helpful are cherries, spinach, and kale.

You can read more here.

Problems with Detecting Sarcasm Could be a Sign of Dementia

Date: December 3, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Problems with Detecting Sarcasm Could be a Sign of Dementia

Are you a sarcastic person? Have you ever been sarcastic and someone took you seriously? There’s a study out that says that having problems with detecting sarcasm could be a sign of dementia.

Problems with Detecting Sarcasm Could be a Sign of Dementia

Problems with Detecting Sarcasm Could be a Sign of Dementia

 

Of course, the study doesn’t mean once or twice. If someone who is older is consistently missing cues that sarcasm being used, then it’s an issue.

The study, done by University of California, had 90 participants, 77 who had some form of cognitive impairment and 13 healthy controls. The participants took part in Social Inference, a subtest of The Awareness of Social Inference Test. This is a test to see how they handle and respond to a social interaction with one person using sincerity and sarcasm to communicate.

To do this they watched a video with actors and then took a yes or no quiz. Not only were words a key focus but so was body language, the actor who is being sarcastic would use exaggerated movements to show sarcasm.

The Results

 

The results of the test showed that everyone in the group could recognize sincerity very easily. As for the sarcasm scores, they were vastly different across the cognitive impaired participants.

Though participants with Semantic Dementia did the worst. Semantic Dementia has to do with the memories and world knowledge you obtained growing up. You lose more of the general knowledge verses specific periods of time.

So the participants who have Semantic Dementia may have lost the ability to recognize sarcasm. Overall participants with different forms of dementia failed the test. Though they did do better at recognizing sincerity.

This is something important to remember when interacting with loved ones with dementia. They may take your sarcasm seriously and they may get hurt feelings.

You can read the whole study here.

Better Words for Retired

Date: November 26, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
6 Different Types of Retirees

Sometimes the word retired can bring negative connotations. Some people may write off someone as insignificant when they hear the word, or maybe they aren’t sure what to talk about once they know. Some of this comes from ageism, the idea that if you are not working, you now no longer have anything to offer. But there are better words for retired.

Better Words for Retired

Better Words for Retired

 

Some popular terms are retooling, rebooting, reimagining, reinventing, but one that stands out is jubilee. This stands out no only because it breaks the “re” pattern but it’s not a word that is often brought up in conversation. The definition of jubilee is “a special anniversary of an event, especially one celebrating twenty-five or fifty years of a reign or activity.”

This can mean that maybe you chose retirement, aka to have more free time to enjoy life, rather than it being thrust upon you due to age.

Jubilee has Judeo-Christian roots, which you can find in The Bible’s Book of Leviticus. It’s linked to the number seven and tied to the ideas of a weekly Sabbath and a Sabbatical after seven years of labor. After seven sabbaticals, or 49 years, a person reaches the big one, Jubilee. In this year, The Bible says that God commands his people to stop working, forgive debts, and return family property.

Fun fact: The Queen of England celebrated her Golden Jubilee during the 50th year of her reign, in 2002.

Read more here.

How to Get the Care You Want

Date: November 26, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
How to Get the Care You Want

Getting healthy and staying healthy is a demanding process. Part of the process is making sure you get the right health care. For some, doctors can seem intimidating, so if they aren’t listening to you, it can be hard to speak up. Maybe you don’t want so many medications, maybe you want to try an alternative like yoga, or maybe the care is clashing with your schedule. Here are some tips on how to get the care you want.

How to Get the Care You Want

How to Get the Care You Want

 

What you want to get is person centered care, this is defined by three things:

  • providers should ask about a person’s values, goals and preferences

 

  • they should use that information to guide all aspects of the person’s care

 

  • they should do so in a coordinated and collaborative way as a health care team, including coordinating with the patient and other people the patient may want to include in the care relationship.

 

Though it can be hard to speak up, and time constrained appointments can make it even harder, do your best not to let this stop you. The first tip is to not settle for a one sided conversation.

You are in charge of your care, so if you don’t want a test done, or don’t want a certain type of treatment feel free to speak up. Your provider should give you choices and if they don’t, then maybe it’s time to find a new one.

Another tip has to do with the big picture. What do you want for your health? Everyone’s definition of healthy can be different.

Maybe it’s being able to walk with ease or not feeling pain or even having your body move easier. If you don’t know what you want, it can be hard to find the right path. This can also help with appointments because you can prepare ahead of time which can help steer the appointment in the direction you want it to go.

Also ask for your provider to keep a document of your goals in your file. This can be helpful so that you don’t have to keep repeating yourself.

Check out more tips here.

Owning a Dog Can Cut Health Risks

Date: November 26, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Owning a Dog Can Cut Health Risks

As if you needed another reason to want a fluffy companion, studies show that owning a dog can cut health risks. A dog can reduce the risk of heart disease and other fatal diseases. So not only do dogs capture our hearts, but they save them as well.

Owning a Dog Can Cut Health Risks

Owning a Dog Can Cut Health Risks

 

The study was done in Sweden, where the participants’ medical and pet ownership records were recorded. Of the 3.4 million people in the study, the average age was between 40 and 80. The study was over twelve years, where they were occasionally followed up on.

Only about 13 percent of the participants owned dogs. It’s shown that those who lived alone and had a dog decreased their chance of cardiovascular death by 36 percent.

When there were multiple people in the home, that percentage went down to 15 percent. It appears that people who live alone see more benefits because a dog can keep the loneliness away, which can be detrimental to many people.

While the study shows that dogs can help cut risks, the study can not explain how. Part of it is guessed to be because of the companionship. Having unconditional love, especially when you live alone, can be a significant boost.

Also, having a dog can keep you more physically healthy by taking your fluffy friend for a walk, playing with them, or running around with them in a dog park. It keeps a person from slowing down and becoming stagnant.

You can read more here.

Taking Care of Seniors with Judy

Date: November 19, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Caring For Seniors NH, Podcast, Stories & Tips
Taking Care of Seniors with Judy

On the final segment of “Caring for Seniors” Rich and Judy discuss the difficulties that come with caring for an elderly loved one. It can be draining emotionally, physically, and financially. Between lost wages trying to provide care or investing in a community or agency that doesn’t work out, it can be hard to stay afloat. This segment focuses on taking care of seniors with Judy providing all of her collected knowledge of caring for seniors.

Taking Care of Seniors with Judy

Taking Care of Seniors with Judy

 

Recently Judy spoke to a group called the “Silver Liners” who are between the ages of 70 and 90 at a local church, Bethany Covenant. Two caregivers that work with Judy are from there and wanted to help spread information around. Which is exactly what Judy did with the Silver Liners.

A half an hour talk turned into over an hour because Judy wanted to be as helpful as possible. One question was, “What does it look like getting a service started?” and Judy believes this is the biggest stumbling block for people.

They may imagine a much bigger process than it actually is. With Seniors Helping Seniors NH, it’s a matter of getting a casual visit to talk about what the care goals are and what would you want for a schedule. Not only that, but we want to learn more about the person who is getting the care. Who are they? What do they like to do, what is their past, what’s their personality? We want to create companionship on top of our care.

To create that connection we find a caregiver that would be a perfect match for our prospective client. Once a bond has been established, that caregiver will stay with the client until they are no longer needed. This unlike most agencies who just assign caregivers randomly and someone new might show up every time. It can be a little overwhelming and hard to trust this people, in the perspective of the client.

Check out the whole segment here.