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Encourage Seniors to Pursue Their Favorite Pastimes June 24, 2009

Posted by columbiaagedcare in Seniors Activities, articles.
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Here are some simple tips from Home Instead Senior Care to help encourage seniors not to give up their favourite pastimes.

Here’s the kind of question that a concerned adult child of senior parents might ask when he or she sees their activity levels diminishing: “My 70-year-old parents, both in relatively good health, were really active in their younger years. But now that they’re older adults, they seem to think they’ve gotten too old to continue many of the activities they once enjoyed – such as fishing and bowling. How do I convince them otherwise?”

And now here’s an answer from Home Instead Senior Care: show them it’s not true! A recent lifestyle-interest survey (conducted by Del Webb Communities for Pulte Homes) demonstrated that active recreational pursuits – even adventurous endeavors such as hiking and river rafting – have become favorite lifestyle interests for the over-55 crowd. In fact, the activities that topped the study’s list were health and fitness related, including strength training and cardio workouts.

Study participants ranked swimming (55 percent), golf (49 percent), bowling (34 percent), fishing (30 percent), and canoeing/kayaking (26 percent) to be “extremely important,” while hiking, climbing, rappelling and river rafting demonstrated a definite popularity increase. Walking (82 percent) and cardiovascular equipment workouts (nearly 79 percent) were two of the most frequently pursued health and fitness activities.

While not all seniors are going to be inspired to undertake an afternoon of river rafting or hiking, knowing that many do might provide some much-needed encouragement for less-active older adults to resume some of the pursuits they used to enjoy and at some point lost touch with – like bowling or fishing.

If you know a senior who might feel more confident having a doctor’s physical prior to undertaking an increased activity schedule, then suggest that he or she schedule one.  If the doctor deems this older adult fit enough to pursue favorite activities, then that may be all the reassurance required.

Do any of this senior’s friends or other family members enjoy similar pastimes? If so, suggest that he or she contact them to schedule an activity. In addition, neighbors, your local senior center, or place of faith are also excellent sources of companionship.

Another option is to hire a companion helper.  Home Instead Senior Care’s specially trained CAREGivers are screened, bonded, insured and perfectly equipped to help keep seniors continue to live independently.  Every effort is made to match clients with CAREGivers who share similar interests, and CAREGivers enjoy spending time with clients and participating in favorite activities and hobbies.

Stress and spousal caregiving June 17, 2009

Posted by columbiaagedcare in Health, articles.
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Care Giver Stress have  offered some simple signs to help you identify if spousal caregiving is becoming too risky for you.

In sickness and in health…that was the vow you took with your spouse on your wedding day. So, you wouldn’t think twice about caring for your partner now that they are in a situation where there’s a growing need for your assistance. Whether it is a chronic health problem, issues with mobility or decreased cognitive function (e.g., dementia/Alzheimer’s disease), your support will likely be necessary.

While this is a natural reaction in a loving situation, it is important to note that spousal caregiving often leads to significant changes in your marital relationship and it can sometimes leave the family caregiver feeling overwhelmed and stressed. This can be compounded if the caregiver is also taking over responsibilities that were once handled solely by their ailing spouse, from cooking and doing laundry, to balancing the checkbook and heading up the financial decisions.
There can also be a sense of loss, especially if your spouse suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Or, if activities that once provided pleasure and deepened a sense of connection may no longer be possible. As a caregiving spouse, you may begin to feel very isolated from friends and feel tremendous guilt about your own unmet needs. Subsequently, you take on this “labor of love” and let your own positive health habits drop off to the side, putting your own health at risk.
In fact, the Journal of American Medical Association reports that if you are a spousal caregiver between the ages of 66 and 96, and are experiencing ongoing mental or emotional strain as a result of your caregiving duties, there’s a 63% increased risk of dying over those people in the same age group who are not caring for a spouse. The combination of loss, prolonged stress, the physical demands of caregiving and the health vulnerabilities that simply come with age place an older spousal caregiver in a danger zone.

Signs that Spousal Caregiving May Be Becoming Too Risky for You:

 Missing or delaying your own doctor appointments
 Ignoring your own health problems or symptoms
 Not eating a healthy diet for lack of time
 Overusing tobacco and alcohol when you feel stressed
 Giving up exercise habits for lack of time
 Losing sleep
 Losing connections with friends for lack of time to socialize
 Bottling up feelings of anger and frustration and then being surprised by angry, even violent, outbursts directed at your spouse, other family members, co-workers – even strangers
 Feeling sad, down, depressed or hopeless
 Loss of energy
 Lacking interest in things that used to give you (and your spouse) pleasure
 Feeling resentful toward your spouse
 Blaming your spouse for the situation
 Feeling that people ask more of you than they should
 Feeling like caregiving has affected family relationships in a negative way
 Feeling annoyed by other family members who don’t help out or who criticize your care

All caregivers who experience elevated levels of stress are at an increased risk for physical and emotional issues, so it important to get support. Sometimes even the most resourceful person needs to ask for help from other family members or outside professionals or sources, such as a friend, physician, priest, etc.

The hardest part for many is knowing when to ask, since, to some, asking for help is a sign they aren’t handling the situation well. The truth…your spouse/partner will be in better hands if you, yourself, are healthy. It is important to take care of yourself, while taking care of someone else.

7 ways to energize June 9, 2009

Posted by columbiaagedcare in articles.
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Here are some simple strategies to put the spring back in your caregiving step by Caring Today.

1. Have the right bite for breakfast
If you start your day on an empty stomach, you’ll be in a slump before lunch. But the wrong breakfast also can sabotage your stamina. Sweet cereals, doughnuts, white toast and other simple carbohydrates all offer a quick jolt of energy. Yet, that fast high can lead to a sudden low as your blood sugar spikes and then plummets, explains Lona Sandon, RD, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

For a steady supply of energy, your meals should be a mix of fiber-rich complex carbohydrates (whole grains, vegetables, fruit), protein (eggs, meat, low-fat dairy) and a little healthy fat (olive or nut oil). This will slow the absorption of carbs into your bloodstream.

One good morning meal: whole-grain cereal with milk and fruit. More fiber may mean more energy, suggests a recent Welsh study. Subjects who ate high-fiber cereal every morning felt less tired than those who ate a low-fiber cereal.

2. Eat more often
A large meal will make you feel lethargic. So, what’s your best bet for all-day invigoration? Eat smaller-portion meals or snacks about every four hours to keep your blood sugar—and energy—on an even keel, advises Sandon. And limit your snacks to about 200 calories so you do not overeat.

3. Fill your tank
If you’re low on H2O, you’ll likely feel fatigued. “Getting the equivalent of about six to 10 cups of water a day is essential for energy,” says Sandon, “since water helps us digest and metabolize our food.”

But you don’t have to drink plain water to stay hydrated. “Juicy foods”—fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, cucumber, celery, tomatoes and apples—which are over 90 percent water, can help you meet your fluid quota. And broth-based soups, milk, 100 percent fruit juices, coffee and tea all contain large amounts of water.

Tip: If your urine is the color of pale lemonade, you’re getting enough fluid. Darker, apple-juice colored urine indicates you’re dehydrated.

 4. Get more of the vitality vitamin
About 30 percent of us have lower-than-optimal blood levels of vitamin C, and one of the earliest signs of this shortfall is feeling tired or listless, says nutrition researcher Carol Johnston, PhD, of Arizona State University. Her research shows that upping intake of vitamin C improves the body’s ability to oxidize fat. “The reduced ability to oxidize fat creates fatigue,” Dr. Johnston explains.

For extra oomph, she recommends getting about 100 milligrams of vitamin C from food (1 cup of strawberries contains 85 mg; 1 cup of orange juice has 80 mg; 1 kiwi, 70 mg; 1 mango, 57 mg).

Stressed-out caregivers may benefit from extra C. According to a recent German study, people who have high blood levels of vitamin C don’t show the expected mental and physical signs of stress when subjected to psychological challenges. “For folks who want to supplement, I would recommend 250 to 500 milligrams daily,” says Dr. Johnston. However, don’t take vitamin-C supplements if you have a history of kidney stones or genetic anemia, such as thalassemia.

5. Rev up with exercise
When you’re pooped, the last thing you want to do is jog or hit the gym. But a workout can recharge your batteries by releasing feel-good brain chemicals and pumping energizing oxygen to your brain, says Patrick O’Connor, co-director of the University of Georgia-Athens exercise psychology laboratory. In fact, a UGA analysis of 70 studies found that sedentary people who start exercising regularly have about 20 percent more energy and feel less fatigue than couch potatoes.

To help you power through the day, try a lunchtime workout. A recent British survey found that, regardless of the type, duration and intensity of the activity, people who worked out at lunchtime were less likely to experience an afternoon slump.

6. Lighten the overload
A schedule that leaves no room for R&R is guaranteed to wipe you out, says Mary Ann Bauman, MD, author of Fight Fatigue. Her advice: On weekends, pare down your to-do list to high-priority activities and ask for help, if necessary, so you don’t spend all your time tending to others and doing chores that steal your stamina. “To replenish your energy reserves, you need to take at least two hours on Saturday and again on Sunday to do something just for you—whether it’s exercising, reading or gardening,” says Dr. Bauman.

7. Soak up some sun
Evidence suggests that early-morning exposure to bright light increases energy and that working under sunlight-intensity artificial light in the afternoon can keep you alert and productive when you’re short on sleep. “Sunlight increases your level of serotonin, a hormone that helps elevate mood and decrease fatigue,” says Bruce S. Rabin, MD, medical director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Healthy Lifestyle Program.