Healthy Senior Living Archives | Bretton Woods in Davis

Working Out At-Home

June 5, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

While many gyms and rec centers remain closed, seniors throughout the United States are looking for ways to stay healthy at home. While taking walks outside can be a great form of exercising, if you are looking for ways to stay healthy and stay home, it might be a little challenging.

Here are a few exercises from Hackensack Meridian Health that can be done while watching your favorite television show or outside in your backyard enjoying the fresh air.

Stretch out your upper body – Stand with feet hip-width apart, extend arms overhead interlacing fingers. Gently lean to the left, hold for 20 seconds. Return to center and repeat on the other side. This can also be done from a sitting position.

Research Shows Fruit and Tea Might Prevent Alzheimer’s

June 5, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

You might not have to make that many adjustments to your current diet in order to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies have shown that adding fruit and tea to your diet can help you decrease your risk. Some of the best fruits to add to your diet include berries and apples.

Not interested in eating more fruit? By adding tea and red wine to your diet, this can also decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s. A recent article from WebMD writes: “People who had the lowest amounts of fruits — like apples and berries — and red wine and tea in their diets were two to four times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or another related dementia, the study found.”

The Delicate Conversation of Down-Sizing

May 7, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

Having to make a decision on moving your parent from the family home is always a difficult discussion. However, it doesn’t need to be. Make sure you approach the topic delicately and with intention. How the conversation is approached will absolutely make a difference in your parent’s response to the idea.

Here are four tips when approaching your parent about the prospect of downsizing from Go Gordons:

1. Communicate openly

The most important step you can take when discussing downsizing with loved ones is communicating with them. Let them know clearly why you think it is a good idea for them to move to a more conducive and manageable residence.

Maybe you want them to be closer to you or you are concerned about their safety is in a large home by themselves. Perhaps you believe they would enjoy their time more if they were nearer to the things they love to do – sailing, golfing, visiting their grandchildren, or something else.

The Unconditional Love of a Pet

May 7, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

The unconditional love that a pet brings to their owners is something that cannot compare to anything else. And, it’s even more beneficial for seniors. The joy that they bring every time you walk in the door, whether it be a dog or a cat, is only comparable to the love of a child.

However, a recent article from Ponca City News writes: It’s not uncommon for seniors to feel lonely or depressed when they retire, their children move away or they lose a spouse or close friend or friends. The American Humane Society states that studies show pets help seniors overcome loneliness and depression by providing affection, company, and entertainment. Pets also provide much-needed mental stimulation, and many pet owners find their pets to help them become more physically active as well.

Many seniors shy away from pet ownership because of fear of having to train and raise a puppy or kitten. But the benefit of adoption might just be the perfect way to find that unconditional love.

The Demands on Telemedicine

April 15, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living, News/by Sally Galli

The Coronavirus pandemic is pushing many technologies ahead, none is more evident than in the world of telemedicine. This article published by the Wall Street Journal addresses the rapidly changing industry and challenges they are facing.

“Before the outbreak, telemedicine struggled to take hold, in part because of government regulation and a lack of interest from patients and big companies. Now, companies like Teladoc Health Inc. and Doctor on Demand Inc. are racing to add doctors and bandwidth, while big tech firms like Microsoft Corp. add services.”

Click to view a clip of the article

Organization and Decluttering Tips

April 3, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

Right now we are all spending way more time at home than we probably have in, well, a long long time. This is the perfect opportunity to declutter your home, clear out the closets, and get some organization accomplished. However, if it’s been awhile since you did a major organization project, or if this is the first time you have decided to tackle one, you might be wondering where to start. A Comfort Life put together a great list so that you can get a large organization project completed while we are at home:

1. Labels and note-taking

Try to label things for their destination (new house, family/friends, sale, donation or recycle/dispose of). Ask family and friends if they can take notes on where things have been sent (auction, Goodwill, a friend, etc.). That way, if you are wondering where an item went later on, you will be able to check.

The Essential Downsizing Checklist for Seniors

March 14, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

One of the hardest challenges seniors and their families face over time is downsizing. How do you decide what to keep and what to toss? Just about everything holds a special memory. However, once you start the process, you will discover how beneficial the simplicity of having a clutter-free home is. If you start the downsizing process sooner rather than later, you will find it to be extremely beneficial for both you and your loved one in case you are forced to downsize unexpectedly.

This checklist from Life Storage is packed with downsizing tips for seniors that will benefit everyone while minimizing stress and maximizing productivity.

1. Evaluate and process the reason for senior downsizing

The first step is to have an honest conversation about why downsizing is a necessary next step for the senior in question. Discuss the pros and cons of downsizing and what reasons are directing the action.

By keeping the lines of communication open and having a clear goal in mind, you will be better able to handle an overwhelming surge of emotions by not springing the change on your loved one at that last minute. Give the entire family time to process what is about to happen and let them have space to adjust to the change.

5 Tips to Downsizing

January 5, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

Downsizing. It’s inevitable. At some point in all of our lives we are going to need to clear out the clutter and downsize our homes. But what exactly do you keep and what do you toss? It is a very difficult undertaking to take on. Cleaning a home full of clutter, furniture, memories, and photos can be exhausting (and intimidating) but it doesn’t need to be.

In a recent article from Daily Caring we learn five handy tips to help you downsize.

1. Pace yourself
Going through a lifetime of important memories isn’t something you can get done in a weekend or even a week. Be realistic and take the time to make thoughtful decisions.

Pick one box or collection of items and go through piece by piece without rushing. After you finish with that box, then start on another.

Aging at Home or Move to a Senior Living Facility?

January 5, 2020/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

One of the hardest decisions you’ll have to make when you get older is where you want to live. Where you live not only affects your wellness but your longevity as well. Taking the steps and having the conversation with your family ahead of time makes things so much easier for your family when it comes time to think about assisted living. Go into this difficult conversation with an informed choice about where you want to live as you start to age.

A recent article from Where You Live Matters gives us a few questions to consider when making this difficult decision.

Questions to consider before deciding to age in place:

Would you rather be alone most of the time, or do you want easily available access to companions and social activities? While aging in place can be a solitary experience, a retirement community minimizes solitude. Choose which you’ll be most comfortable with over the long term.

6 Ways Pets Help Seniors

December 17, 2019/in Healthy Senior Living/by Sally Galli

Many things get better with age and owning a pet is one of them. Research has shown that pet ownership for seniors is beneficial for a healthy heart.

Market Watch reports that “Researchers studied just under 1,800 people between the ages of 25 to 64 who had healthy hearts, almost half of which (42%) owned a dog. And those with canine companions were more likely to practice heart-healthy lifestyle habits such as exercising, eating well and having ideal blood sugar levels than those without a dog.”

The National Poll on Healthy Aging surveyed 2,051 adults aged 50 to 80 last fall, more than half of whom reported owning a pet. And 88% said that their pets helped them enjoy life, and 86% said their pets made them feel loved. The poll sponsored by the AARP and the University of Michigan also reported that 79% of senior pet parents said that their four-legged (or feathered, or finned) friends reduced stress.

Here are 6 ways that having a four legged friend can improve your health: