Stay Healthy. Stay Home. Issue 74

Care Receivers Caregivers Nutrition Movement Wellness Aging In Place Caregiving And One More Thing

October 03, 2024

Announcement

This will be the last issue of Stay Healthy Stay Home in the current format. Beginning October 17, 2024, the newsletter will have considerably more content and be published every two weeks. There is a large amount of information available for the subjects we cover and it will be more efficient to provide the most relevant content over a two week period of preparation. Please see Read All About This Site for more detailed information. Feedback and suggestions are appreciated and can be submitted to [email protected].

We will also introduce you to affiliate relationships at that time with vendors who will provide valuable, relevant products and services to our subscribers, many at a discounted rate. In addition, we will feature different pieces of fitness equipment each week that will also be available at discounted prices. A room design feature will also be available for anyone who would like to design a fitness area in their home.

Other features and changes will be announced as we go forward.

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 caregivers.

If you have difficulty reading the newsletter in the scheme below, please click on “Read Online” in the upper right hand corner for black print on a white background.

Care Receivers

Nutrition

From the Eating Well website, a 7 day meal plan including everything form breakfast to lunch to dinner and healthy snacks in-between. For many of us the meal choices here are a departure from what we have been used to, but over time, we can adapt to them and their benefits are excellent for us as we try to avoid chronic illness. As we have pointed out previously, maybe adopt a portion of the choices to start to adjust your current diet.

We are going back to the Eating Well site again for 20 recipes for beginners on the Mind Diet. In a recent post, we discussed the Mind Diet, which was developed here in Chicago by Dr. Martha Clare Morris, of Rush University. Again, the Mind Diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the Dash diet. Along with reducing the risks of hypertension, heart attack and stroke, researchers have found this diet provides protection from dementia as well.

Movement

This is a short video from Senior Fitness With Meredith featuring an ab workout while seated. This is brief addition to our daily fitness plan that has great benefits over time. Abdominal strength carries over to so many areas of our body and is vitally important as we age.

This article from the National Institute On Aging that contains the “exercise toolkit” and is loaded with articles, videos, links to books and more. There is great information here if you have not exercised for a while and want to get back into it. Browse through all this excellent information and choose what you think is best for your fitness level and your plan.

Wellness

Covid is back in the news again and I am seeing more people wearing masks in public. Not like a few years ago, but more than I have seen recently. Dr. Leslie Kernisan updates us with extensive information about what is going on with Covid in 2024 and into 2025. Scroll down for the latest information. She cautions that, like in earlier waves of covid, older adults are especially susceptible. I was recently vaccinated for covid and got a flu shot at the same time. I realize this ended up being a controversial subject but I would rather be on the side of caution.

The American Diabetes Association supplies us with good information regarding levels of A1C and glucose . This is such an important issue as many older adults are developing Type 2 diabetes. Going back to the information in the Nutrition section, an adjustment in our diets can make a big difference in our A1C level. I made a few from one wellness review to the next a year later and my A1C dropped considerably after being in the danger zone.

Aging In Place

Seniors aging alone. Some estimate that 17% of all senior citizens 65 and older live alone. Kaiser Family Foundation has published an article that can be difficult to read at times. As we have pointed out before, if you know someone in this situation, maybe reach out to them on occasion just to check on them and provide some companionship. Many of us in this age group are still able to care for ourselves but a lot are not. It is important we take care of each other when we are able to.

US News and World Report has conducted a survey of people 55 and older and their thoughts about aging in place. Here are the results:

In April of 2024, U.S. News surveyed 1,500 adults age 55 and older to see how seniors' attitudes and preparedness have changed over the past year. We found that more people say aging in place is an important goal for them now than a year ago: 95% in 2024 vs. 93% in 2023.

The basis of the article is how the use of technology is enabling more people to age in place, on their terms. Some interesting information here.

Caregivers

From Johns Hopkins University and their “Called to Care” program, an article about caring for the caregivers. This is the best information I have found thus far that is so valuable to caregivers. I will continue to search for information like this. As we expand the newsletter beginning in two weeks, there will be more emphasis on the caregiver. If the caregiver is not able to remain emotionally and physically well, the whole plan can come apart. Again, it is important we look out for each other, whether they be family members or friends we know who are caring for someone. In the US News report above, they estimate there are currently 55 million people over 65 in our country and this number will continue to grow. We are all in this together.

From Healthline, an article from a therapist with 10 questions he suggests caregivers ask themselves about how they are coping with their duties. Remaining healthy mentally is so important for these valuable people.

And One More Thing

Eldercare Locator. Just enter your zip code and organizations to assist those aging in place and those providing basic help for seniors in your area will be listed.

As always, SHSH earns no income from any ads that may pop up or from any sponsors that may appear with an article.

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