Gardening is a great pastime enjoyed by people of all ages, but it is a hobby that often older adults take on during retirement once they have more time to really nurture the items that they’ve planted and enjoy the experience. The benefits of gardening can affect the overall health in [location] seniors in the following ways:

1. Exercise – gardening is a low impact cardiovascular workout that has benefits to the heart. More strenuous gardening, like hauling rocks can equate to 600 calories and hour, but lighter activities have their benefits too! Gardening is said to work all the major muscle groups and can increase flexibility, balance and strength.

2. Nutrition – if you plant a garden with fresh fruits and vegetables, you will take pride in what you created and will be more likely to maintain a healthy well-balanced diet with your produce straight from the garden, which once planted, is also budget friendly!

3. Stress reduction – gardening helps reduce stress, even just from allowing you to be out in nature. The colors and smells are stimulating and stress relieving, and the activities can help you take your mind off of the things that are on your mind. Horticulture therapy is a common practice, and it can even help those who are sick recover faster!

Via: Associated Content

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Many Phoenix seniors find that as they age they begin to feel less stable on their feet. Some balance problems can be attributed directly to aging, but there are other reasons that these issues can occur for which all seniors should seek a consultation from a doctor.

Causes of Balance Problems:

• Issues in the inner ear

• Disorders of the brain or the heart

• Infections

• Head injury

• Medicine

• Issues with blood circulation

• Lifestyle factors like stress, fatigue, allergies, smoking, or alcohol use

Often balance isn’t just about lack of stability; and one of the first signs of any of the above factors that can affect a senior’s balance is dizziness. The first step to dealing with balance problems is to speak up; although seniors may be reluctant as they believe changes in balance prove that they’re getting old, these medical problems must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. The best thing seniors can do is to make an appointment with a primary care physical and be honest about what they’ve been dealing with.

It is possible to prevent certain health issues that can contribute to balance problems. Issues in the inner ear can be prevented through simple diet and lifestyle changes; specific treatment options do depend upon the specific diagnosis, generally, better eating and a more active lifestyle can help to prevent the development of balance problems. Once a doctor has pinned down the specific reasons why a senior is unsteady on their feet, they can help provide advice to treat and prevent the major system, which is declining balance.

Sources:

1. NIH Senior Health

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Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is loosely defined as the heart’s inability to pump enough blood as required by the body to function properly. There are many potential causes of this often deadly disease, many of which seniors are more susceptible to contracting due to the natural aging process. Conditions that may result in heart disease can be silent killers, as they often are not detected until damage has already occurred. Causes of heart disease include both heart related problems, and diseases which may appear unrelated to the heart but can have severe consequences.

Heart Problems Causing Heart Failure

• Coronary Artery Disease – most common form of heart disease and the most common cause of heart failure.  Occurs when there is a build up of fatty deposits, which narrows the arteries. This can deprive areas of the heart muscles of oxygen creating greater weakness.

• Heart attack – plaque formed by fatty deposits in the arteries rupture, creating a back flow of blood clots to the heart.

• Faculty heart valves – healthy valves are forced to work overtime to make up from the lack of blood flow from the faulty valve.

• Cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart muscle) – diseases, infections, alcohol and drug abuse can all damage the heart muscle.

• Myocarditus (inflammation of the heart muscle) – often caused by a virus.

• Congenital heart defects – valves or chambers in the heart may not form correctly at birth, which requires the healthy parts of the heart to work overtime.

• Heart arrythmias – the heart beats too fast, which creates extra work.

Source: Mayo Clinic

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Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Q – My mom was recently diagnosed with a critical form of long cancer. While her Phoenix doctors have been unable to predict exactly how long she has, it looks pretty good that this disease will take her from us. I’m trying to do everything I can to offer my support to her, but I have to admit, I’m dealing with a lot emotionally. What can I do to cope with my mom’s illness so I can be the best caregiver possible to her during these trying times for the whole family?

A – It’s perfectly normal for you to go through your own grieving process once you’ve learned that your mother has a critical illness. While it’s important that you’re there for your mom, you also need to take care of yourself, and there are 5 ways that you can try and cope with your loved one’s pending mortality:

1) Remember, it won’t be easy for anyone, and no one expects it to be

2) You will feel a variety of emotions, ranging from sadness, anger, and guilt

3) Allow yourself to run the gamut of emotions and release them in a way that helps you to cope

4) In order to cope, keep a journal about what you’re feeling, talk to a therapist or join a support group

5) Remember, everything that you feel is normal; everyone reacts differently to stressful family caregiving situations!

Sources:

1. Caregivers Library

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

As a senior caregiver, I try to make sure that the seniors I care for have a well-balanced and colorful diet rich with fruits and vegetables. It’s a challenge to make sure seniors get 7 or 8 servings a day, but with these tips, it becomes much easier!

1. Shop at a local farmer’s market where all of seasonal fruits and vegetables are often priced less. Plus, seeing the produce in a different environment might inspire you to try something new.

2. Mix color – try to ensure that you incorporate fruits and vegetables from every color group.

3. Get creative with cooking – if the care recipient doesn’t enjoy some foods’ textures or tastes, try blending them into a soup or stew.

4. Try smoothies or juice – to increase the number of fruits and vegetables.

5. Buy frozen – blend them into a smoothie, or thaw them in the morning to add to cereal.

6. Add fruit like bananas or strawberries to cereal.

7. Maintain good habits when eating out – order at least one serving of fruits or vegetables.

8. Be open to salad – add vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, beets, or avocado. Drizzle ith lemon instead of fatty dressings for a vitamin C boost.

9. Go with stir fry – stir fry recipes are a great way to incorporate a wide variety of vegetables.

10. Analyze the meal – notice if the elder you are cooking for favors one food group over another, and make a point to add more of the others to your next shopping list.

Via: Body and Health

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Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Getting older can make it a challenge to do many things, and getting dressed can be one thing that seniors struggle with, often having to rely upon family members or caregivers to assist them in getting dressed, which can feel like a major blow to their independence. Fortunately, Silvert’s Adaptive Clothing and Footwear makes it easier for seniors suffering with arthritis to get dressed by themselves, or simpler for caregivers trying to help them. Here are a few interesting and useful assisted clothing products offered by the company:

1. The Arthritic Front Closing Eezee Bra - this bra has finger loops to help with dressing, and large hooks in the front that make it easy for even women with limited hand dexterity to dress without assistance

2. Wheelchair Pants - these pants make it possible for a caregiver to help a senior get dressed without having to move them from their wheelchair. There is also a back flap that makes it easier for seniors to use the bathroom, or for caregivers to help change them

3. Extra Wide Slippers - because it’s not uncommon for older men and women to have problems with swelling in their feet and ankles, Silvert carries these slippers which open up wide enough to be easily slipped on and can be adjusted to size. With a Velcro closure, it’s easy for any senior to secure.

4. Hospital Gowns for Men and Women - hospital gowns provided at any hospital just don’t have the comfortable feel of the nightwear seniors are used to, but the usual stuff that they wear just isn’t great for the hospital. These gowns are backless but more comfortable and attractive than what seniors will receive at the hospital

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Q1 – How can a senior find a doctor?

A1 – The American Medical Association Doctor Finder is a directory of American doctors that includes their history as medical professionals. Find doctors that are located in your local area, but make the final decision based on other important factors.

Q2 – What else should seniors consider when choosing a doctor?

A2 – It’s important to decide whether a general practitioner or specialist is required based on the elderly person’s medical history. For affordability, a doctor that complies with your health benefits or medical insurance plan should also be chosen; and naturally, you want a doctor that has a great track record.

Q3 – How can you tell if a doctor’s good?

A3 – To understand how well a doctor performs, by interviewing them and their office staff.  Find out if they encourage questions, and if they remain respectful. A doctor’s professional history can be reviewed using a number of online directories, including the NCQA Recognized Physician Directory, The American Board of Medical Specialties and The Federal State of Medical Boards.

Sources:

1. Seniors for Living

2. MedicineNet.com

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Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Pain is personal, so how do you know if someone is over or underestimating the pain that they experience? How do you know if the type of pain management treatment prescribed is an effective method for combating the pain that a senior’s feeling when you can’t experience what they’re experiencing yourself? While many of us wish we could take away the pain from our elderly parents or grandparents, or experience it just long enough to tell the doctor’s what a terrible job or what a great job they’re doing in pain management, this just isn’t a reality. Since the only real account of the pain a senior experience can come directly from them, treating seniors effectively with pain management is a major challenge in the medical profession.

Through my experience seeing my elderly parents through pain management treatment due to injury and illness, I’ve seen them overly doped on pain medication, or even screaming in pain. According to the doctors, treating seniors for the pain they’re experiencing can be hit and miss for a number of reasons; various conditions can affect the absorption of pain medication or impact the way the body processes pain; and seniors quite regularly under express the pain they’re experiencing for fear of being seen as a burden.

We might not be able to take the pain away from the important seniors in our lives, but we can help by listening to what they have to tell us and trying to communicate their expression of pain to the doctor responsible for their pain management.

Sources:

1. About.com Senior Health

2. Medicinenet.com

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