- Stay Healthy. Stay Home.
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- Issue 58 Stay Healthy. Stay Home.
Mission Statement
To provide information, products and services regarding home based living in a way that preserves the wellbeing of both the care recipients and their care givers.
If you have difficulty reading the newsletter in the color scheme below, please click on “Read Online” in the upper right hand corner for black print on a white background.
We are introducing a new format today with two main categories, for Care Receivers and Caregivers.
We recommend that Caregivers review the section for Care Receivers, to aid them in assisting their Receiver, and, also, for themselves, as much of the information can help them stay healthy and avoid health issues as they age themselves.
Care Receivers
Movement
Once again, Senior Fitness with Meredith introduces us to another excellent workout, a HIIT workout. HIIT is for High Intensity Interval Training. Each exercise lasts from 15 seconds to 4 minutes with a short break before you begin the next one. You can use light dumbbells for this workout if you have some or choose to, or you can perform the exercises with no resistance to start. Meredith will guide you through the exercises, including using a chair or another method to maintain stability. If you have any hesitation or questions about your ability to complete the HIIT workout, please consult you physician.
Movement
Balance. React Physical Therapy educates us on the primary causes of balance issues and how we can address them. They teach us that it is related to visual ability, or sight, vestibular, or inner ear issues and proprioception. We will learn how to strengthen all of these areas and become more secure in our balance as we age.
Wellness
Dental Care. WebMd.com discusses oral health problems we encounter as we age including dry mouth and the effects of medications we take and health issues we might have. It is important to discuss all this with you dentist. The article offers tips to maintain our dental health and how and when to get an oral exam and financial aid options if needed.
Wellness
Hypertension. A wealth of valuable information from Johns Hopkins University Medicine. 78 millions Americans suffer from hypertension and another 70 million from pre-hypertension. I know people who have adopted the advice like that offered here who eventually were taken off their medications. That can be one goal, but the main one is to identify if we have a problem and get it under control. As we all know, and the article points out, the consequences of not addressing hypertension are too great.
Caregivers
Wellness
Medications for dementia and Alzheimer’s. I have put this under the Caregivers section as many caregivers with be instrumental in the medications their loved ones may be prescribed. Once again, our friend, Dr. Leslie Kernisan, has provided us with valuable information describing four FDA approved medications for Alzheimer’s and other dementias, how they work, and also has a FAQ section with more information. Again, discuss any questions that arise while speaking with your loved ones’ medical professionals.
Movement
Fitness for caregivers. This is some basic information regarding fitness options for caregivers. A regular fitness routine is an excellent method of reducing stress. It doesn’t have to be hours per day to be effective. The weekly videos we post from Meredith in the Care Receivers section are excellent and, we will provide other options going forward for those looking for a personal trainer to connect with online or in person in the Chicago area. If you would like some contacts in the meantime, email me at [email protected].
Wellness
Caregiver stress and burnout. As a follow up to the previous article, Helpguide.org posts excellent information to help caregivers take care of themselves as they make personal sacrifices and perform this valuable service. If you have not begun taking care of a family member or friend or are early on in the process, please save this information so you have it going forward. Over time, we will work to provide you with the most valuable information available to keep caregivers healthy in all ways.
Wellness for Care Receivers and Givers
The title of this article is “Beyond Bingo” and it definitely does that. Here are 14 suggestions to both relieve stress and have some fun. Many of these activities are good for our minds and some for our bodies and some both. Try to take some time to learn something new, in some cases, or to get back into a previous interest.
And One More Thing
Getting away from the lighter topic, this article is incentive for us to Stay Healthy and Stay Home. There is no shortage of information like staffing shortages and other issues in the nursing home/assisted living areas. As the population ages, it is thought that problems like will continue to trend in the wrong direction.
Let’s all take care of ourselves!
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